"You arrogant peasant!" the other knight yelled, stepping forward. "Do you have a death wish?!"
"Stop!" Caspian commanded sharply, holding up his hand. "Stand back"
The knights gritted their teeth but obeyed.
"Yes, Your Highness," they muttered, stepping back to the walls and staying quiet.
Caspian forced a fake smile and looked at Zero. "Have you thought about my offer, Zero? Like I told you before, if you choose to work under me, I can give you absolutely everything you could ever want in this Kingdom"
Zero crossed his heavy Abyssal Steel gauntlets over his chest.
"Elara Valmont is already ready to give me everything," Zero replied, his mechanical voice filled with mockery. "And when she speaks, you completely lose your voice. You couldn't even say a single word in front of her. Why would I ever support a weak Prince like you?"
The knights gripped their swords tighter, furious at the insult. "Stay in your limits! Do not speak too much!" a knight warned angrily.
"I said stand back and keep your mouths shut!" Caspian roared at his guards. The knights instantly went dead silent.
Caspian stood up from the sofa and took a step toward Zero, a greedy look in his eyes.
"Listen to me, Zero. If you support me, the Valmont family will be forced to bow down on their own," Caspian argued. "They do not have the pure power that you possess. With your items and my royal authority, we can rule this entire Kingdom together. And... if you stay by my side, I will give you the most beautiful thing in the entire Kingdom"
Zero tilted his head slightly, pretending to be surprised. "Oh? A beautiful thing? What exactly is it?"
A cruel, evil smile spread across Caspian's face. He raised his hand and pointed directly at the left sofa.
"I am talking about my sister," Caspian declared proudly.
Zero looked at the Princess. "Ooh. You are going to give me your sister?"
"Exactly," Caspian laughed, seeing that Zero was finally interested. "The top beautiful girl of the Kingdom is sitting right in front of you. Princess Seraphina Aldric"
On the left sofa, Seraphina's body completely froze. Large, hot tears instantly welled up in her eyes and silently rolled down her pale cheeks. Her heart shattered into a million pieces.
'He sold me...' Seraphina thought, feeling a crushing weight in her chest. 'We grew up together. I supported him my whole life. And he just sold me to a masked stranger like a cheap piece of meat...'
She closed her eyes, preparing for Zero to reject the offer and insult her brother again.
"Alright," Zero said suddenly, his voice completely flat and cold. "I will support you."
Seraphina's eyes snapped open. Absolute shock and terror washed over her face. Did he just say yes?!
"Excellent!" Caspian shouted, clapping his hands together with wild excitement. "It is settled! From today onward, my sister Seraphina is your official fiancée! I will personally speak to our father, the King, and make the arrangements tonight!"
Seraphina stared at the towering, terrifying titan in the black armor. Her tears fell faster. Her own brother had just traded her life away, and this terrifying monster of a man had casually accepted her as his prize. She felt completely trapped, with no hope left in the world
"Wait, Caspian," Zero said calmly, stopping the excited Prince before he could leave the room.
Behind his iron mask, Zero quickly accessed his System. Because he had spent most of his points on Lilia's SS-Rank potion, he needed a quick refill. He silently exchanged 1 Platinum Coin for 1,000 System Points. With his balance restored, he instantly bought another Rank B Deep-Tissue Healing Lotion.
A warm, glowing golden vial suddenly appeared in Zero's heavy, armored hand.
Caspian and Seraphina watched in awe. Because the vial appeared out of thin air, both the Prince and the Princess assumed Zero had pulled it out of a magical spatial storage ring. They had absolutely no suspicion about his hidden System.
"Take this," Zero commanded. He tossed the glowing vial through the air.
Caspian scrambled to catch it, holding the glass bottle as carefully as a newborn baby. He stared at the 100% pure miracle potion, completely speechless.
"Give that to your father, the King," Zero instructed smoothly. "Tell him it is a personal gift from me"
Caspian's hands were shaking with extreme excitement. His eyes were wide with pure greed.
'He just gave away a miracle potion that sold for 35 Platinum Coins for free?!' Caspian screamed in his mind. 'Just how many of these bottles does he have?! He must have a mountain of them!'
Caspian felt an overwhelming rush of power. With a man like Zero supplying his army, and the upcoming marriage securing their alliance, Caspian felt completely invincible. 'The Valmont family is nothing compared to this. Absolutely nothing can stop me from becoming King now!'
"Thank you, Zero!" Caspian said, completely throwing away his royal pride and bowing his head slightly. "I will present this to my father tonight. He will be thrilled!"
Caspian carefully tucked the golden vial into his coat and turned to leave the VIP room, practically running on air.
Princess Seraphina stood up slowly from the sofa. She did not say a single word. Her beautiful face was completely pale and deeply sad. Her fate had just been sealed, and she felt like she had lost her entire life.
She did not look at Zero. She just kept her head down, completely heartbroken, and silently walked out the door behind her brother.
The two royals left the auction house, stepping into their luxurious carriage to head straight back to the Kingdom's main palace
After the Prince and Princess left, Zero turned around and walked back down the hall to Chief Appraiser Bartholomeus's office.
Zero needed to gather information for his companion. He wanted to know exactly when the Equus giganteus tribe would be sold, but he made sure to keep Kaelith completely a secret. He did not mention her at all.
Zero pushed the doors open. Bartholomeus was still sitting at his desk, wiping sweat from his forehead.
"Tell me about the slave auction for the Equus giganteus*tribe," Zero commanded smoothly.
Bartholomeus jumped slightly, surprised to see him again, but quickly put on a wide, professional smile.
"Ah, the Equus giganteus tribe! That is an incredibly rare and valuable batch of slaves, my Esteemed Sir," Bartholomeus said, using the most polite and professional business language possible. He rubbed his fat hands together. "Do you wish to attend that specific auction?"
"Yes," Zero replied calmly. "I have some personal business there. When is this auction taking place?"
"It is scheduled for exactly two days from now, Esteemed Sir," Bartholomeus answered quickly, bowing his head eagerly.
"Please, do not worry about a thing! I will personally arrange everything for you!"
Zero nodded once, satisfied with the answer. Without another word, he turned his heavy armored body and walked out of the office.
Once Zero was gone, the maid, Lyra, stepped out from the corner of the room. She looked very worried.
"Sir Bartholomeus," Lyra said nervously.
"How can you promise him a spot? All the VIP seats for that auction are already completely full! Because the giant centaur tribe is so rare, very powerful nobles, guild masters, and royals from other powerful Kingdoms are coming to bid. It is impossible to find even a normal seat right now"
Bartholomeus glared at the maid. He slammed his hand on his obsidian desk.
"Are you a fool, Lyra?!" Bartholomeus scolded her sharply. "Do you have any idea who Zero is now? He brought us flawless fruits and a 100% pure miracle potion! No one else in this world can show us items like that!"
He pointed his fat finger toward the door.
"The greatest Alchemist, Elara Valmont, and the Crown Prince are literally fighting each other to get him on their side!"
Bartholomeus continued, his face red with stress. "Do you really think we can afford to upset a man like him? If we refuse him a seat, he will take his business to another guild! We cannot let a man with his power and wealth slip out of our hands. He is far too important for our business!"
Lyra's eyes widened. She finally understood exactly how much power Zero held over the entire city. It didn't matter if the seats were full; they had to make room, even if they had to kick a king out of his chair.
"I understand, Sir!" Lyra said quickly, bowing her head. "I will go and arrange a VIP room for him right now!"
She turned around and immediately ran out of the office to fix the seating arrangements as fast as she could.