I Reincarnated as a Noble Bastard, So I'm Seducing All the Villainess
Chapter 31: My Goth Girlfriend Always Handles Demons

Chapter 31: My Goth Girlfriend Always Handles Demons

What the fuck I do now? I just buy a slave for two thousand gold, which is a SHIT TON of money! I couldn’t even pull that out of a duke’s vault, not even if one of my balls was made of diamonds!

Even worse, that damn golden-masked auctioneer is looking at me with such a wide smile that I don’t even know what the hell is going through my stupid head! Please, someone, anyone, put more money on the table than me, please!

Not a single person in the bleachers or at the surrounding tables raises a paddle to increase the bid. Quite the opposite, they seem too hesitant to pay so much for a single slave.

"Going once, going twice!"

The auctioneer’s own euphoria grows, and my heart just sinks into anguish. The lady with the red veil isn’t going to pay more? What about the guy with gills and rings? Nobody? Please, take this cup from me! I’m going to die by a devil’s hand!

"Going three times! Sold to the fine young man with the black mask!"

Shit!

Ravenna’s expression must be horrifying under that mask. I don’t want to imagine the kind of look I’m getting through it, much less what death threats she just made in the time it took for the count to begin and end.

All I know is that, with my brilliant mind and two functioning brain cells, I bought a rebellious slave with money I don’t have!

A pull yanks me back into the chair with full force. The pressure the witch beside me puts on my wrist makes me want to cry.

What have I done? What have I done? Why did I react that way? I didn’t mean to bid, and yet it happened!

Ravenna takes a deep breath and rubs her fingers against my skin, about to rip it off with her nails. I’m sorry, my beautiful witch! It wasn’t on purpose!

"It’s okay, maybe this is better than what I intended..."

"What are you...?"

"We still need to meet Lord Karthak. I intended to use the break between auction sessions to find him, but since you decided to buy something for us, we can be taken straight to him if we say we can’t pay..."

"But won’t that get us into trouble?"

"As long as I keep offering the same thing, the worst that will happen is both of us losing a hand."

A hand? Without one, how am I going to smack Elizia’s butt, or worse, yours when I want to?! I’d rather lose a foot! Ugh, what a huge piece of crap...

After taking an elbow to the ribs for that rookie mistake, the bidding continued for the next goods, which involved more slaves and a collection of jewels or spices from very distant lands.

There were even extremely potent drugs mentioned in the story, other very interesting details like poisons capable of leaving a person in a permanent coma, and a rare specimen or two lost in the mess.

Still, the VIP crowd in the upper rows chose exactly what they wanted, while we just observed the rest with hidden fascination. I confess, even not being the most righteous guy in the world, it’s pretty cool to see monsters up close... but also very terrifying.

Finally, after a long wait, the first lot concluded. The auctioneer rang a bell and bowed to the audience, announcing that he would soon bring the goods from the other patrons and that, for now, those who bought items from the first lot should proceed to the back.

Ravenna shot up to her feet like the invitation had been meant just for her. I even got goosebumps from how suddenly she moved.

"Keep up, idiot."

Ouch. That one stung. Why say that in front of all these people? Is this supposed to be some angry-wife act because her husband just bought a male slave? Or is it something else? Wait a sec... don’t tell me people are going to think I have a cuckolding fetish!

Ugh. This will be a massive headache. I quicken my pace to keep up with Ravena, who’s marching ahead like some furious captain, but honestly, all I can think about is how much I want to disappear from this world now that I’ve imagined some people might actually believe I get off on being cheated.

Worst of all, from down here, I can hear some murmuring from the upper levels. When you’ve had a lifetime of people talking behind your back, you develop sharp ears, and yeah, I can tell they’re talking about me. And exactly what I feared: they think I want to get railed by the slave or that Ravenna’s the one who wants him instead.

Lovely. From festival-wrecker to cuckold. I’m really building quite the reputation in the underworld.

We head toward the back, sticking close to each other, and honestly, it’s at least a little better than the rest of the damn hall. The moment I step inside, a wave of sweet incense hits me, way better than the musty crap they were burning at the main tables.

"The well-behaved young man with the dark mask, I presume?" said a crisp voice.

It was an attendant, more specifically, a dark elf. You could tell by his ashen skin and red eyes, but mostly by the pointed ears poking through his long hair. He wore glasses and held a clipboard... Bet he’s a hit with the ladies, the smug bastard.

Behind him were three doors, which I assume led to the payment office, the slave cells, and the last one... well, judging by the smell, it was probably where they’d toss us if negotiations went south.

"We... have a slight issue with the payment", Ravena said, cutting me off before I could hang myself with my own words.

"Of course." The man flashed a short, killer smile, the kind that makes noblewomen weak at the knees. "Follow me, please. Lord Karthak will likely want to discuss the terms in person."

Great. The real shit begins now. The only reason we were still walking on our own two feet was because Karthak liked to cut himself.

We followed down a corridor way too narrow for comfort, the kind where even the paintings on the walls felt like they were watching you. Twisted portraits stared back, maybe nobles of the past... or just victims who paid with their souls and got framed for decoration.

If that’s the case, the devil’s got some weird taste in interior design.

Ravenna walked with her chin held high, like an elegant lady every man would want to dance with at a ball. As for me, I smelled like pure armpit sweat.

At the end of the hallway, a pair of black iron double doors swung open on their own. The dark elf gestured for us to enter with one hand, and as soon as we stepped inside, the doors slammed shut behind us.

The interior was a mix between a banker’s office and a lunatic artist’s torture chamber, for lack of a better description. In the center, behind a large desk covered in papers and hourglasses, Lord Karthak waited with his hands clasped.

Thinking back, "demon" is too light a word for someone of his caliber. Something like "Satan" would be more fitting, if you looked at the bluish scales along his skin and a pair of enormous horns on his forehead, both polished by master blacksmiths.

They were so sharp, so incredibly sharp, that even the light from the chandelier above us reflected on their surface. Even worse, he seemed to be the type who liked pompous clothes and exuded an aura of a "serious businessman", or simply "CEO drowning in contracts."

"Well... a buyer and his companion. I was curious to know who would dare bid two thousand for a beast in chains."

I opened my mouth, but Ravenna was quicker and covered it before I could say anything.

"Good afternoon, Lord Karthak. We’ve come to renegotiate the terms... or offer something of equivalent value."

He leaned back in the armchair made of... leather? I think it was leather, but I preferred to believe the material was human skin.

"I’m listening."

Honestly, even my soul is already mortgaged from all the work I did in my previous life, there’s nothing left to take. I can only pray Ravenna’s plan works.

She extended her hand straight out. A black sphere materialized above her fingers, shimmering with dancing flames and lightning. Along with it, there was some kind of... embryo, I think. It was like a very, very tiny snake, wiggling from side to side.

Karthak’s eyes widened with interest, and he leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk.

"Oh my, a witch with a contract with a spirit? Very few people come to me with beings like that. What are you scheming?"

"I want to offer a part of my pact in exchange for the slave."

"Hah... Hahahaha! What kind of bad joke is this? Why would you make that kind of trade? That man’s life is worth far less than that!"

"It doesn’t matter. Do you want it or not? My offer is unique in this world, Lord Karthak."

The devil scratched his chin, quite interested. Good job, Ravenna! You’re the best, I never doubted you!

"Alright, bring it closer. I will extract the equivalent of two thousand gold’s value..."

"As you wish."

She moved forward with the black orb, but even in this situation, I couldn’t completely calm down. I know capitalists inside and out. The malice was so explicit on his face that I could be sure something was going to go down.

Lord Karthak brought his sharp-clawed hands close to the orb and "pulled" a piece, or rather, he tore a portion. I saw Ravenna’s legs tremble as the black sphere shrank in size, while the big devil showed a gracious smile, as if he’d enjoyed the exchange.

"Accompany my assistant Sebastian, he will take you to the slave. It was a pleasure doing business with you, Miss Ravenna."