Inside the body of a sleek black Rolls Royce, Drew dressed up as Snow, found himself browsing through the catalog for the auction. Of course, the star of the show for him was the Phantom Rifle, but there were definitely other items worth purchasing.
“We’re almost at the auction house, Young Master,” Jay announced from the driver's seat, his Feline ears twitching underneath his orange wig with excitement.
“Perfect,” Drew replied coldly, adjusting to Snow’s character. “This is your first time on stage with me. How are you feeling?”
Jay’s ears perked up, “Ecstatic! It’s the greatest honor for any servant to be able to serve you, Young Master.”
Seeing Jay all excited about this, Drew couldn’t help but break a smile.
At the Academy, Jay was a reserved guy, hardly ever interacting with anyone outside the friend group. Even when he did speak, he would always keep his answers short. Conversely, when he was alone with Drew, other Winter servants, or even working in general, the timid Feline would suddenly become vocal at the flick of a switch. It made Drew curious as to why he acted the way he did. So, he decided to ask.
“Jason.”
“What is it, Young Master?”
“I’ve been wondering why you tend to keep to yourself at the Academy or outside of work. It’s piqued my curiosity.”
As if on a dime, Jay answered immediately.
“Part of the reason has to do with social anxiety, and the other is that I don’t like talking to many people if I have the option to.”
The car came to a stop. The Feline’s hands gripped tightly on the wheel.
He reminisced, “Before you came along, my father planned for me to take over for him eventually. Because of that, I was always surrounded by people as training. It was exhausting having to interact with everyone and keep up the pretenses for the sake of maintaining relationships. So when I’m not socializing at the Academy, it’s not because I’m not interested in what everyone is saying; it’s a matter of me exhausting my social battery from work.”
“Makes sense.” Drew grinned at Jay’s answer, tapping his finger lightly against the armrest. “Moreover, I’m impressed how you can keep acting 24/7. How do you do it so naturally?”
Drew placed his arm on the leather armrest and crossed his legs together comfortably.
“It was out of necessity.”
“Fair enough.” The young butler blinked in acknowledgment as his pupils darted over to his right. “We’ve arrived.”
“Are you ready for your debut?”
“I’ve waited my life for this.”
>>>
In his office chair, Heartman found himself fiddling with a vial of unreleased Otrio Blood Poisoning Regiment. It took longer than expected to perfect, but with it in his hand, he could finally take the final step in crushing Snow for good. The glass vial danced around his fingers, and a satisfied grin formed. He had no intention of making this bout with Snow evolve into a war of attrition. There was finally going to be some closure.
Yet, in that grand office of his overlooking the cityscape, there was an unsettling feeling in the back of his mind. As much as the Snowhawk irked him, he couldn’t help but recall his Assistant’s words. His disgusting green Avain eyes, provocatively looking at him.
“Snow will be waiting.”
A/N: Refer to chapter 36.
Were all of Snow’s employees this revolting? Heartman asked himself internally.
As he played the words one more time, there was something about it that bothered him.
Was it simply a warning, or was it metaphorical?
“Snow.”
A foreboding sense of dread down his nape. It had been a long time since he felt this way, almost five years to be exact, a long time since he felt as if everything was going to topple.
The empire that he had built was a tower of cards.
Heartman had known that fact for a long time.
Crushing Snow in this battle won’t be enough. Not even the assistance of the Dutchfangs would be sufficient to help him widen the gap between himself and the persistent Snowhawk. The Djinn needed to stop Snow in his tracks completely.
The question now was how.
How was he going to take down the opposition?
>>>
Upon being guided to the VVIP Lounge by an employee, Drew found his gaze wandering to the crowd below. It was only a few months ago when Drew could only dream of stepping into a place like the auction house. Nowadays, he could strut right into the place as if it were his home. All of the wealthy folks he could only stand far from were nothing more than greedy peasants who would do anything to get into his good books for a chance to one-up everyone else.
It was baffling how easily people’s behavior changed if they possessed wealth, especially in front of those with more than them. The folks who approached him during the reception earlier were no exception to that.
A twisted world fueled by greed.
Then again, was he any different?
Was he really that different?
No. The Avain told himself. He was no different. However, the thing he craved was not the same thing those affluent fools. All of these were means to an end. His own safety and what happened before he was born.
Yet he wondered. Wondered what he was going to do after that. What happens when he finally accomplishes his goals? Will he finally end this lie? Could he cast away the fakes known as Axel Snow and Dealer 3960?
He felt his heart ache.
No.
If he did, he would be losing parts of himself. Pieces of his identity. Unfortunately, right now was not the time to have an existential crisis. There was a goal before him, and that goal was to procure the Phantom Rifle by all means.
“Master Snow,” Jason called out to the preoccupied Avian. “The auction is starting.”
The lights of the grand auction hall dimmed. The footsteps of a bid caller walking up onto the stage could be heard. The murmuring of the crowd silences as a holographic projection materializes into the air.
Drew pulls up the catalog one last time. The items he wanted wouldn’t be up for a while, so he decided to tune everything else out.
“Please alert me when it appears.”
With a bow, Jay confirmed Drew’s order.
“At your will.”
The Avian switched his screen over to the news. Heartman had yet to make another move. It comes as no surprise that Heartman would do his best to eliminate Drew from the picture as soon as possible. What he didn’t expect, though, was how many cards the Djinn had concealed in the hand. Surely, it was a shocker, but it didn’t alter Drew’s plans too much. If anything, this aggressive method of handling Drew was actually beneficial.
At least Heartman’s making his intentions clear. The more he shows his hand, the better it is for me. Although, it amazes me the speed at which he’s getting these regiments out. Not even with his current ability would he be able to get them out this quickly.
As he scrolled through a recent article, his brows knit at a name he didn’t want to see.
It appears the Dutchfang Family has been contributing their resources to Heartman’s operations. Two of the Great Families are collaborating against me.
"The odds aren't in my favor."
>>>
The Dutchfangs.
One of the forty Great Families of Ozwarth. Ran by a group of powerful Witches and Warlocks, some of the best in the universe, the Dutchfangs were among the few Great Families that did not originate from Kraus.
They were originally war prisoners from Earth shipped off to Kraus because people feared their “magic,” essentially Dark Otrio manipulation. Upon completing their decades of service as punishment, they were eventually released. With nothing but their “magic,” the Dutchfangs offered their services as Artifact craftsmen to Intergalactic Warriors, eventually dominating the market on Ozwarth as well as other fifth and sixth-rate planets, respectively. Eventually, they gained enough power to influence Parliament and were conferred the title of a Great Family.
Today the Dutchfangs not only control the Artifact industry on Kraus but also have a hand in the transportation industry. Drew had even used their services before to send packages across the city.
He hated to admit it, but they were exceptional.
>>>
“I underestimated Heartman. He’s pulled ahead in the distribution aspect.” The Avian muttered to himself. “No wonder he hasn’t been knocked off his seat in years. He's resourceful."
“What will you do?” Jay asked as another item rolled up to the stage.
“Send a message to Uenkram. I would like to see him in person.”
“Affirmative.”
>>>
In another VVIP booth far from Drew’s, the shadows of two figures could be seen. The first is sitting while caressing his velvet seat, and the other is another guy standing by his side with his arms folded behind his back.
The figure sitting skimmed through the catalog. A satisfied look made its way onto his face. “I didn’t think such a treasure would find its way to this landfill.”
“Sir,” The husky voice of the standing figure chided. “If I may comment, you must understand that Kraus is a developing Planet in the Orion Alliance. To insult a planet with much growth potential in the Cerber System, according to your father, is unbecoming of you.”
The figure grumbled, rotating the silver bracelet on his wrist. A diamond-shaped gem the color of amethyst was suspended between the two rectangular pieces of metal that arced to form the accessory.
“That doesn’t matter.” The twang in his voice was evident as he spoke, indicating he was from Earth. “Obtaining the Phantom Rifle will make a fine and necessary addition to my armory. It’s a shame I’m limited by how much I can bring here. Speaking of which, how much do we have on hand?”
“750 million Kalas.” The second figure replied in a curt fashion.
The first figure folded his hands together.
“Five times the initial bid. Should be sufficient.”
The second figure rolled their eyes.
“I would advise you not to declare an early victory. It would seem we have a difficult opponent.”
The first figure’s eyes darted over to another VVIP section. Even though he was far away, the ice blue hair that glowed brightly even in the dark auction house was not something that could be missed.
“The other VVIP. A Snowhawk?”
“Yes. The gentleman you see over there is the dark horse of the Alchemy Circle, Axel Snow.”
“His background?”
“Not much is known about his background, but his demeanor tells me he’s from an influential family.”
“Any luck with the Crow’s Eye?”
The figure shook his head and continued.
“Not in the slightest. Even they have struggled to gather much Snow. What we can confirm is that his name is a pseudonym. He’s a wild card, so I recommend proceeding with caution.”
“I don’t believe that he appeared out of thin air…Do you think he knows the true value of that Rifle, Attendant?”
The Attendant glanced down at the person he was serving. His face remained emotionless.
“I doubt it. The number of people who possess that sort of knowledge is restricted.”
“It appears I’m lucky in that sense.”
“Again, you are making assumptions. What are you going to do if Snow outbids us?”
“I’ll obtain it through other means.“
A sour expression formed on the Attendant’s face. It was never a good thing when the Young Master brought up the “other methods” so nonchalantly. He felt sympathetic to the opposition. The young man before him wouldn’t hesitate to massacre thousands to obtain what he wanted. He recalled clearly that the person before had made tens of families from first and second-rate planets disappear by his hands before the age of eighteen. Those murky eyes devoid of sympathy concealing their true intentions always gave an ominous feeling.
They were never a good sign.
