Ryou stood frozen in the doorway as he watched the surreal scene before him. The restrictions of personal domains in New World was like an impenetrable fortress guarded by an unyielding walls against player autonomy. Yet, here he was, grappling with the inconceivable reality that Sora had breached Elsa's house.

Ryou's mind became a tumultuous sea of conflicting thoughts, desperately trying to unravel the mystery of how Sora had gained access to Elsa's home, he had countless ideas but a disturbing hypothesis lingered – ‘had Elsa, against his words, granted Sora permission?’

However, he shook that thought off because an aide can never go against their master

His confused gaze etched with intensity, remained fixed on Sora.

"Rem-san," Sora broke the silence by addressing Ryou with an air of familiarity. "If you wondering how we got in, well, Elsa-san, in her kindness, permitted our entry." A reassuring smile graced her lips, as if trying to dispel the unease.

Her voice, a honeyed tendril, continued to weave an explanation. "We harbor no ill intentions in coming here; our purpose is simply to express gratitude for the gift Rem-san had bestowed upon Aoi." The assurance in her tone make it sounds as if her gratitude to him was really the reason she came here.

‘The gift, she meant the odachi, did she use this lie to trick Elsa’ The revelation landed with a weight upon Ryou.

He knew from his past life that Sora wielded a subtle mastery in word play, which is capable of effortlessly transforming suspicion into amity with only her tongue. Elsa, too, seemed to have been ensnared by Sora's persuasive words and somehow led Sora into her house.

Ryou was about to have a past trauma, however, as he scrutinized her more closely, a sense of youthfulness emanated from her face, and her eyes were more vibrant—distinct from the death, emotionless eyes he remembered from memories of his past life's.

He began to calm down and reassured himself, ‘She is not the formidable Demon Magistrate yet, I don't need to fear her.’

Settling into an air of composed tranquility, Ryou spoke with a calmness akin to a serene pond. "Ah, that gift—it was a gesture to establish a cordial connection with Shinoda-san," he explained, shifting his gaze from Sora to Aoi. "There's no need for gratitude, Shinoda-san. The odachi held little value for me; I presented it in hopes of a favor that might be reciprocated one day."

Aoi, a silent participant in the exchange, responded with a gaze of comprehension, punctuating the sentiment with deliberate nods.

But, Sora pressed on. "If only Rem-san had responded to our messages, we wouldn't have intruded like shadows in the night." Her laughter, a chortle of amusement, carried a subtle inquiry of why the reluctance to reply the messages.

Ryou's fake face makes a glum smile, "I apologize for not checking the messages promptly; I was very busy. I'll make a point to be more attentive in the future to avoid… any surprises." The words were spoken with some hesitation as if afraid that she would not believe it.

Sora, made a cryptic foggy gaze as she probed, "Aren't you asking, how I managed to persuade your lovely maid out there to grant us entry?"

The familiar sight of the dazed look forming on Sora's features triggered a sense of déjà vu for Ryou. He knew that this was a precursor of her relentless interrogation, a method that had unveiled many of his secrets in the past. At first she would seemingly ask innocuous questions, which is unintentional, and it would gradually morph into a series of probing inquiries, each layer building upon the last until all her doubts are gone which in this context is, ‘Elsa's connection to him’.

Ryou, aiming to alter the trajectory of the discussion, with a quizzical tilt of his head, don a blank expression and posed a seemingly innocuous question, "My maid?”

A momentary surprise flickered across Sora's features as she blink twice, as she hastened to provide clarification. "Yes, she acts as your maid. Elsa-san. She's addressing you as if you are her real 'young master.' Isn't that right, Aoi?"

Aoi, perhaps unsure but willing to corroborate, affirmed, "Yes, she acted like your maid, addressing you as her real master."

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Ryou, donning an expression of mild befuddlement, suddenly exclaimed. "Ah! I see. Elsa must have taken on a more respectful tone when talking about me due to the assistance I'm providing her to make her… wealthy.” He feigned reluctance and added, “It's part of a hidden quest, you know."

There was no way that Elsa could say his name without adding master or young master, so Ryou had told Elsa to role-play as a maid type npc where she address any player as a ‘young master or young mistress’ as a precaution so there would be no suspicion if she address him young master.

However, Sora, with her adept skill in reading expressions or perhaps her intuition, seemed to have deduced the connection between Elsa's role-playing and Ryou.

Gazing outside at the bustling auction, Sora posed a question, "So this auction is to help Elsa-san become wealthy?" Her voice dipped lower towards the end, as she had a contemplative expression.

Ryou, maintaining composure, confirmed her suspicions. "Yes, I gave her the idea to advertise her self-made potion all over the town for the auction," he disclosed, placing deliberate emphasis on 'self-made.' He continued, "While I also hand in some ores, materials, and the level 5 equipment as well."

Sora, fixing Ryou with an intense gaze, inquired, "Rem-san, are you going to put forth some more items in the current auction?"

‘As expected of her, she somehow deduced that I am going to put some items in the auction later’

He was flustered but he still maintained the inscrutable expression on the borrowed face, he replied, "Yes, Shinoda-san, I was going to put some equipment in it."

He anticipated another question that would steer the conversation towards the level 5 bronze equipment being auctioned today, so he readied himself for further probing.

"Since Rem-san is helping Miss Elsa in making money, can you also help me in selling my equipment in the ongoing auction?" She also added as matter-of-factly, "Of course, I would give a 5% commission on every item sold. That way, I can repay your favor as well." Sora beamed, portraying the idea as if it had just sparked in her mind.

Caught off guard, Ryou's borrowed look briefly betrayed surprise before returning to its stoic facade. He countered, "Well, but would you not be suspicious that I would steal your money?"

In response, Sora, wearing a blank expression, tilted her head to the left and uttered a simple word, "Steal."

The subtle gesture sent a ripple of unease through Ryou, not merely due to her captivating expression because it hinted that she had something in her mind. A gulp punctuated his astonishment as he realized that Sora was not to be taken lightly even if she was younger.

Trying to explain his earlier pause in the conversation, he spoke, “Shi-Shinoda-san, yo-you look beautiful when you make that kind of expression,” he cleared his throat to compose his staggering voice and continued, “Please, give me the items you would like to auction. I would put them on the list for today.”

As a cleric with more vulnerability to dying, Sora likely refrained from keeping valuable loot to herself. She turned to Aoi and instructed, “Aoi, take out the items,” a sly grin playing on her lips, hinting at the devious plans that might be in motion.

Aoi, navigating her virtual screen panel, began selecting items in mid-air. Observing this, Ryou realized, ‘So, she really has thought it through till the end.’ As Aoi retrieved four uncommon equipments and some valuable monster materials, all without seeking direction from Sora, Ryou became certain that Sora had meticulously planned to contribute her own items to the auction from the very beginning.

He didn't know how did she even know he was going to add some items in the auction and why did she even want to put some items on the auction today, was this plan really just to get some money or was there some bigger plan ahead.

He Inwardly cursed, 'She is really the Demon of the sky.'

“...”

In Hokkaido, there were eight prominent gaming workshops that had thrived for over a decade. Currently, the representatives, captains, commanders, and vice-representatives of these respected guilds found themselves gathered at the auction in front of Elsa's house, an event that promised an unexpected twist.

Rumors of someone selling Lesser potions had initially sparked skepticism among these guilds, leading them to bring limited coins to the auction and because they had bought many precious herbs, monster materials and few batches of potions earlier, now they were out of money.

In the front of the crowd, Elsa revealed a bronze equipment, causing these representatives of the top eight guilds to contort in surprise and resignation, “This bronze equipment armor starting bid is 2 silver, bids would increase in increment by 10 bronze.”

Because the top guild had bid for huge amount of rare items earlier none have money left to bid anymore, however, the one who haven't bid in the initial stages still have the coins, these were the smaller guild player, they were having glee as they bid with fervor.

- 2.2 silvers

- 2.3 silver..

- 2.5 silver…

As the bidding reached a crescendo, the main door at Elsa's house creaked open, drawing everyone's attention. A man in a blue mask emerged, flanked by two stunning ladies. The first lady wore a white priest robe, and the other adorned brown leather armor with black breeches. The masked man, dressed in plain novice clothing, commanded a presence despite the simplicity of his attire.

The auction ground fell silent, and even the fervent bidding came to an abrupt halt as all eyes turned to the newcomers. The beauty of the two ladies was mesmerizing, leaving the onlookers breathless.

“The Craze slaughterer.” Someone muttered.

More shock rippled through the crowd as Sora and Aoi seamlessly went and merged with the onlookers, while the unassuming man in the blue mask took his place next to Elsa. His voice, resonating in the stillness, cut through the silence, "The auction has just started, so why do you all look like you don't want to bid anymore?" A chuckle accompanied his words.