Upon hearing that name, Zeke's eyes opened wide, and his jaw went slack. Jaihar? The person who had been running for his life for the last couple of days had outbid him?
This… wasn't possible…
"Are you okay?" Aisha asked from beside him, the concern clear in her voice. She had been with him during their trip to the vault and knew how much importance he placed on Snow.
Zeke startled awake, her words enough to snap him out of his stupor. This development had caught him completely off guard, and he needed… a moment to think. Almost instinctively, he gathered his Mana, using his newly gained proficiency to accelerate his thoughts.
A moment later, the spell snapped into place, enveloping him like a warm blanket. All his troubles and concerns seemed to melt away, along with physical sensations, leaving him alone with his thoughts, a single moment stretched into infinity.
Now that he was no longer panicking, Zeke realized a couple of things at once. First and foremost, his first impression had been right: This wasn't possible.
There was no way that Jaihar could have gotten that amount of money. Even in their heyday, the Firebrand school would have struggled to produce this amount. Zeke knew all too well that 60,000 gold was more than all of their former Slaves had been worth put together. After all, he owned most of them now.
This only left a single possibility. Jaihar had found a sponsor who was willing to go to extreme lengths to either support him… or, and this was far more likely, oppose Zeke.
It didn't take a genius to pinpoint the most likely culprit. After all, Zeke already knew who Jaihar had found refuge with during these past couple of days. Combined with the performance he had witnessed today, there was only a single entity that fit the bill—the Varun family.
The question was: Why were they after him?
In their eyes, he wasn't much of a threat. After all, they couldn't know about his plans to usurp their position in the future, as the Slaves were literally incapable of revealing his secrets. The only ones who could have betrayed him were the Archmages and the elders of the Venomous Cabal. However, the former group had no idea about the extent of his plans, and the latter hated humans with a passion.
No, something didn't add up. Even if the information about his dealings in Undercity were to get out, this was too fast. It was even more impossible that the Varun family had found out any of his other secrets. If they knew that he could free the Chimeroi from the Enslavement Ritual, they wouldn't be the only ones coming after him.
Then why? Why were they acting so decisively?
Jaihar. It must have been something he told them. It just had to be linked to him somehow. But did he even know anything?
Zeke considered his interactions with the man, from when they first met during the Veergati, when they fought in front of the mine, to their final battle in Undercity. He grimaced, remembering all he had revealed. The most troublesome points were his draconic essence and the fact that he had somehow gotten his hands on the Ember Scar Cartel by the time they met next.
In retrospect, Zeke realized he had been far too careless. Even if the Slaves were bound to keep his secrets, any casual observer could likely pick up that something was amiss. After all, he repeatedly appeared with fighters belonging to his enemies, despite Slaves being supposed to perish with their Master. He had done this first with the men from the Ember Scar Cartel, and then again with the troops of the Firebrand School.
A cold sweat trickled down his back. He really needed to lay low for a while.
Yet, worrying about what the Varun family knew or didn't know wouldn't help him now. The real question was, how could he stop Jaihar from obtaining Snow? He had a distinct feeling that he would not see her again if he allowed her to leave his sight.
As Zeke pondered his options, he started to feel a pressure building behind his eyes. He would not be able to stay in this state for much longer without sustaining damage. He steeled himself and decided on a course of action.
The moment he relaxed his focus, the world around him resumed its normal pace. He noticed that an attendant was about to escort Snow off the stage. Zeke shook his head to clear it while hurriedly rising to his feet.
"HALT!" he yelled, shocking the guests who had just begun to shuffle toward the exit. "I demand an explanation!"
All heads turned in his direction, and even though he was hidden from view, they could tell it was an occupant of one of the lounges who had spoken. Priya and even the servant who had been about to escort Snow all paused.
"This is hardly the place for that," Priya announced. "If there are concerns, we can discuss them in private."
"No. I'll have them addressed now," Zeke demanded in a firm voice. "After all, these people deserve to know if they are being cheated."
Priya's face contorted in anger, yet before she could lash out, a different voice echoed through the hall. "Those are serious accusations, Mr. Blood Dragon. I hope, for your sake, that you can back them up." At some point in time, an old man had appeared on stage, and it was he who had spoken.
Zeke recognized him immediately; he was Veer Varun, the patriarch of the Varun family. Zeke narrowed his eyes. Had the old man anticipated this, expecting him to speak up? An uncomfortable feeling washed over him as if the air had thickened. However, Zeke pushed through his unease, boldly facing the man.
"Back them up?" Zeke repeated mockingly. "You think I can't? How about this: I witnessed Jaihar fleeing the battle in which the rest of his family perished just days ago, with nothing but the clothes on his back."
Zeke paused for emphasis before delivering his next point. "Imagine my surprise when the very same Jaihar, who had been residing with your family since his disgraceful escape, is now bidding against me with a fortune he couldn't possibly have acquired."
Zeke locked eyes with the old man, issuing his challenge. "Excuse my bluntness, Mr. Varun, but I doubt anyone here would believe this money came from anywhere other than your own household."
The hall descended into a profound silence, so deep that even the drop of a coin would have been audible. All eyes turned to the patriarch, eagerly awaiting his response. Challenging the head of such a prestigious family so openly was a rare occurrence, after all.
The old man raised his bony hand to his chin, stroking his snow-white beard. He didn't rush, carefully considering his words. It even appeared as if he was relishing the attention, savoring the crowd's anticipation. Zeke frowned. This wasn't the demeanor of someone under pressure. Either the old man was an exceptional actor, or he actually felt no pressure from the accusation.
A smile tugged at the corner of his lips as his sharp eyes eventually met Zeke's. "You speak the truth," Veer admitted. "It was indeed my family who provided young Jaihar with the funds to participate in the auction. But so what?"
Zeke sneered. "Provided the funds? Is Elder Varun honestly going to tell us that we would find 60,000 gold in Jaihar's room? I find it far more likely that you permitted him to bid freely, with no money changing hands."
The old man's smile didn't waver. "It isn't of any concern to you in what form we decide to do our business, is it?"
"It is my business," Zeke insisted. "Your deceitful conduct has led to an impossible price being placed on one of your items and left me humiliated in public. And as far as I am aware, tampering with an auction is against the law."
The old man laughed at those words. "I am well acquainted with the law, young man. I have also been hosting these auctions since long before your forefathers were born, so you shouldn't speak so frivolously in front of me."
Zeke furrowed his brow. Why was this old man so relaxed even though it was already clear that they had been acting fraudulently? Something wasn't adding up.
"We indeed provided the money Jaihar spent today," Veer repeated. "However, the gold wasn't given as a present or something we handed over lightly, but the result of a trade. I have no control over how he is going to spend that money."
"A trade?" Zeke asked in disbelief. There was no way Jaihar owned anything worth that much. "Surely, Elder will be able to back up those words?" he said, using the old man's words against him.
Veer looked into the distance, appearing deep in thought before nodding. "Very well. Even though it's not usually our custom to discuss our contracts, I suppose these are special circumstances. We provided the young man with the gold in exchange for his claims to all remaining Firebrand assets, including their mansion in the capital. As you correctly pointed out, he lost his entire family recently, placing him as the sole heir. A fact we have confirmed with a Lineage Divination."
Zeke had never heard of such a technique, and it was likely not something the public even had access to. However, judging by the confidence with which the old man spoke, it must've been a surefire method. Zeke frowned deeply. If he had known they had that capability, he would have temporarily spared Jaihar's older brother to prevent the younger from inheriting.
However, this revelation wasn't all that bad for Zeke. It now seemed as if the Varun family had sheltered Jaihar not to use as a weapon against him but to get their hands on the remaining wealth of the Firebrands. It was entirely possible they actually still knew nothing about his plans.
With this realization, a few more pieces shifted into place. They had likely used Snow as bait, telling Jaihar how much Zeke was interested in her. Suddenly, he realized why Priya had looked so terrible at the end. They must not have expected him to be willing to pay this much. It was definitely a financial loss, aside from the fact that they had thoroughly antagonized him.
It seemed he had both overestimated and underestimated the Varun family at the same time. He had overestimated their intelligence-gathering capabilities while simultaneously underestimating their sheer opportunistic greed. However, Zeke was highly unlikely to be able to prove any foul play, even though they had clearly overpaid Jaihar.
The question was, where did that leave him with Snow?
Zeke's mind spun. If he couldn't prove their collusion, he would have to find a different way to get his hands on her. After all, there was no telling what Jaihar might do to her if he believed the girl was important to Zeke. Suddenly, an idea came to him.
"If what you say is true, Elder, then I must insist that you cease providing shelter to Jaihar after this event," Zeke stated firmly. "After all, it wouldn't do for the auction item to return to your house afterward the sale, and your deal with the young Firebrand is already concluded, if I'm not mistaken."
Zeke smiled as he watched the old man consider his demand. If Jaihar lost the protection of the Varun family, Zeke would deploy all his resources to apprehend him before he could escape. The protection of the Varun family was his sole lifeline, and despite the capital being better guarded than Undercity, there were still vulnerabilities to exploit. The guards couldn't be everywhere, after all.
The old man eventually nodded. "Very well, young man. Although I would have preferred to be more hospitable to young Jaihar, I cannot risk baseless rumors tarnishing my family's reputation. He will not return with us."
Instead of feeling elated, Zeke felt confused. He had expected to negotiate some concession, but this seemed too easy. Had the Varun family truly decided to cut all ties with Jaihar now that they had what they wanted? It seemed possible, but something felt off. His doubts were answered when a new voice joined in—a voice Zeke hadn't heard in a while.
"You don't have to worry…" Jaihar droned, having made his way up on stage at some point. "I don't have any intention of running away. Where would I go anyway?" he asked, his expression briefly contorting into one of fury before settling back into a calm mask. He didn't seem to be entirely stable. "After all, you have killed my entire family, haven't you, YOU FUCKING MONSTER!"
His outburst silenced the hall, and all eyes turned toward him, wary of a sudden eruption. Jaihar appeared to be in a far worse state than Zeke had anticipated, teetering on the brink of sanity, with the slightest nudge threatening to push him over the edge.
"What do you want?" Zeke asked matter of factly.
"What… do… I… want?" Jaihar parroted, seemingly astonished by the question, before cackling harshly. "Oh, I want a great many things! How about you give me my father, uncle, and brother back? Can you give me that? No? Then, I want that bitch you stole from me!" he yelled, pointing at Aisha. "Will you hand her over? Still no? It seems it doesn't matter what I want, does it?" he screeched.
"No, no, no. It's not about what I want. What's important is what I have," Jaihar declared, seizing Snow by the hair and forcefully pulling her forward, revealing her anguished expression to Zeke and the crowd. "What I do possess is this little wench worth 60,000 gold. She's... all that I have left, so to speak."
Zeke's face was impassive as he listened to Jaihar's ramblings. He was well aware that showing excessive worry or care for Snow would only put her in even greater danger, so he acted as if he were completely unaffected. Inwardly, however, he was seething.
"What do you want?" he repeated, his voice having gone completely cold.
Jaihar's voice carried a manic edge as he spoke with an unsettling grin. "Fine... let me tell you what I want," he said, his words laced with venom. "I want a fight... you against me. No guards, no Slaves, no interference. Two go in; one comes out."
"Very well. Tell me the time and date, and I'll be—"
"Pah!" Jaihar's spat. "Do you take me for an idiot? I'll be dead the moment I leave this place. No, no, no. Either you fight me here and now, or I'll kill this little girl right this instant." His fist ignited in flames, a menacing display of his resolve. Without hesitation, he prepared to strike, his intentions unmistakable.
"Halt!" Zeke yelled before he could even consider it. "I agree!"