The grand dining room was completely quiet, except for the soft clinking of silverware.
Lilia held out her silver fork, offering a piece of perfectly roasted meat. Zero chewed it calmly. Exactly five seconds later, Kaelith gently offered a piece of sweet, glowing fruit. Zero took that too.
Taking turns one by one, the two breathtaking women peacefully fed him until the massive plates of luxury food were completely empty.
Both women beamed with absolute joy. Their faces glowed with deep satisfaction and pride, incredibly happy that they had successfully taken care of their Lord's morning meal.
With breakfast finished, Zero stood up from his chair.
Without moving from his spot, he simply waved his hand. A subtle ripple in the air appeared, and he instantly pulled his soft black suit, his heavy armor pieces, and his terrifying iron mask directly out of thin air.
Gasp!
The maids standing by the walls covered their mouths in shock.
Lilia's jaw dropped. Her beautiful eyes widened in absolute, undeniable shock.
"Zero..." Lilia stammered, staring at his hands. "Do you... do you have a Spatial Storage Ring?!"
Zero looked at her calmly, completely unbothered. "I have storage. Is there something special about it? Is it a big deal?"
"A big deal?!" Lilia gasped, her voice raising in disbelief. "Zero, it is a massive deal! Storage Rings are unbelievably expensive and ridiculously rare in this world!"
She stepped closer, her eyes locked onto his hands, looking for a ring.
"The raw spatial ore required to create them is almost impossible to get," Lilia explained rapidly. "The ore is only found deep inside the most treacherous, freezing mountain peaks, and those mountains are heavily guarded by terrifying, high-ranking monsters! Many elite hunters die just trying to get a single piece of that stone!"
Lilia took a deep breath, emphasizing just how rare this was.
"And even if you get the material, a normal person cannot even touch it safely!" she continued. "It requires highly specialized, incredibly rare magical forging tools to shape it. Only a true S-Rank Blacksmith has the raw strength and mastery to forge a Spatial Ring. There are barely any S-Rank Blacksmiths alive! That makes a Storage Ring absolutely priceless!"
Zero simply nodded silently. He didn't bother explaining that he didn't have a Storage Ring at all—he was just using his omnipotent System Inventory, which was far superior.
Without another word, Zero smoothly put on his black suit, adjusting the collar. Finally, he placed the terrifying iron mask over his ruined face, hiding his scars and returning to his intimidating, titan-like persona.
"When does the Grand Auction start?" Zero asked, his voice now echoing with a deep, dark metallic sound behind the mask.
"It will begin tonight," Lilia replied, finally calming down and recovering her elegant, confident posture.
Zero slowly turned his head. Through the dark slits of his iron mask, he gave Lilia a sharp, intense look. He then slightly shifted his gaze toward the trembling maids and male servants standing against the dining room walls.
Lilia was incredibly smart. She instantly understood his silent communication: Are these servants trustworthy? Will they leak the secrets of my face and my abilities?
"Do not worry, Zero," Lilia assured him softly, giving the servants a strict look. "Every single person working in this inner estate has been deeply vetted. They are completely trustworthy and absolutely loyal to the Valmont Family. They will not speak a word of what they saw today"
Zero stared at the servants. The maids quickly bowed their heads in fear and respect.
However, Zero was a man who survived by never trusting anyone blindly. Human loyalty could easily be bought or broken.
Zero completely ignored Lilia's reassurance and looked straight ahead.
'System,' Zero commanded internally in his mind. 'Open the Market. Search the database. Is there a specific Skill available that can perfectly detect if someone is trustworthy or lying?'
Time seemed to freeze in the dining room as Zero spoke to his System in his mind.
Ding!
A glowing blue holographic screen instantly materialized right in front of Zero's eyes inside his dark iron mask.
[System Notification: Skill Market Searched]
[Skill Found: Eye of Absolute Loyalty]
[Description: This skill allows the Host to see the true intentions and loyalty of anyone they look at. A floating magical tag will appear above the target's head]
[Green Tag: The person is completely trustworthy and has no malicious intentions toward you or your allies]
[Red Tag: The person is a traitor, a spy, or possesses dangerous, hidden motives]
[Price: 500 SP] (System Points)
System, what is my current balance?' Zero asked internally.
[Current Balance: 910 SP]
'Buy it and activate it immediately,' Zero commanded without hesitation.
[Ding! 500 SP deducted. Remaining Balance: 410 SP]
[Skill 'Eye of Absolute Loyalty' successfully activated]
Behind the terrifying slits of his iron mask, Zero's glowing red eyes suddenly pulsed with a strange, golden magical light.
He slowly turned his head, sweeping his gaze across the people standing near the grand dining table.
Instantly, the skill worked. Floating beautifully above Lilia's head was a bright, glowing Emerald Green Tag. The holographic marker looked like a small, steady flame, radiating absolute warmth and pure devotion.
Zero shifted his gaze. Above Kaelith's head was an even larger, wildly burning Green Tag, representing the giant centaur's fierce, unquestionable loyalty to her Lord.
Standing nearby, Brielle also had a solid, steady Green Tag hovering over her head. Despite her constant embarrassment, she was a true, loyal friend to Lilia and posed no threat.
Zero nodded slightly to himself. Lilia was right about her inner circle.
"See? I told you," Lilia smiled confidently, completely unaware of the glowing green tag above her own head. "The servants in my inner estate are the most loyal people in the Kingdom. You do not need to take any tension"
Zero did not answer. He slowly turned his heavy, iron-clad head toward the row of terrified servants standing nervously against the dining room walls.
He scanned the male footmen. Green... Green... Green.
He scanned the estate maids holding the silver trays. Green... Green... Green.
They were terrified of his face, but their tags proved they had absolutely no intention of betraying the Valmont Family.
But then, Zero's gaze stopped.
Behind the mask, Zero's eyes narrowed into deadly, cold slits.
Standing at the very end of the line was a quiet, pretty young maid holding a jug of wine. She had her head bowed respectfully, looking just as nervous and innocent as the others.
However, floating directly above this "innocent" maid's head was a violently pulsing, jagged Blood-Red Tag. The red marker practically dripped with dark, malicious energy, signaling pure deceit and absolute betrayal.
She was a spy.
The dining room remained completely quiet. No one else could see the glowing tags. Lilia and Kaelith were still smiling proudly, completely unaware that a deadly traitor was standing just a few feet away, listening to all of their secrets.
Zero did not shout. He did not draw his weapon. He simply stared at the maid with the red tag, his mind already formulating a cold, ruthless plan to find out exactly who she was working for.
The grand dining hall was bathed in the warm, morning light, but the atmosphere instantly turned freezing cold.
Zero's deep, metallic voice echoed from behind his terrifying iron mask, cutting through the silence like a sharp blade.
"There is a traitor among us, Lilia," Zero stated flatly.
Elegant, calm, and proud of her staff.
Lilia's smile completely vanished. Her jaw dropped in sheer disbelief, and her eyes widened as she stared at Zero.
"A... a traitor?" Lilia gasped, her voice trembling slightly in shock. "Zero, are you completely sure? That is impossible!"
Shocked and Defensive
Brielle rushed forward, shaking her head vigorously. "Yes, Lord Zero! That cannot be true!" Brielle argued, her face full of absolute denial. "Every single maid, footman, and guard in this estate goes through rigorous background checks! They are magically and physically verified before they are ever allowed to step foot near the inner halls. There is no way a spy could get in!"
Kaelith crossed her massive arms, her amber eyes narrowing suspiciously as she looked down the line of servants. "If Lord Zero says there is a traitor, then there is a traitor," the giant centaur declared fiercely, trusting Zero without a single doubt. "You heard him. Who is it?"
Lilia looked back and forth between Brielle's defensive stance and Zero's unmoving, iron-clad mask. She knew Zero would never make a baseless claim.
"Zero..." Lilia asked softly, her voice filled with a mix of anxiety and authority. "How do you know this? Which one of them is it?"
Zero did not turn his head. His glowing red eyes remained locked on the quiet, pretty young maid at the end of the line—the one with the violently pulsing, blood-red tag floating above her head.
"The one holding the wine jug," Zero whispered darkly. "At the end of the line"