Tafel exhaled and leaned back in her seat. She stared up at the ceiling with black circles around her eyes. She let her arms dangle to the side, and she stretched her legs all the way out, slumping down. Prim would’ve called her posture unseemly, but luckily, Prim wasn’t there, and Tafel didn’t care. She was the demon lord now, and she could sit however she liked.

“So, any luck with reading the book?”

Tafel turned her head to the side, the rest of her body limp. At the entrance of her room, Emile was standing with an empty tray by his feet. “What do you want this time?” Tafel asked and sighed.

“What?” Emile asked and hopped over to Tafel’s side, bouncing along the ground like a ball. “Can’t I see you without wanting something from you? You make it seem like I only talk to you because I want something from you. Speaking of which, if you really do want to get me something, can you open a portal to Vur for me? I want him to polymorph a caterpillar into a pillow for me, so I can prank Susan.”

“That’s awful,” Tafel said, the expression on her face unchanging. “Why would you want to do that?”

Emile tilted his head. “Are you okay? You’ve been acting very strange recently,” he said and glanced at the table where the Trickster’s Book and relevant translating materials were displayed. “Are you sure this book has been completely purified? If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’ve been possessed by something.”

“Vur ate the soul inside the book,” Tafel said. “It’s harmless now.”

“I know Vur’s strong and all, but can you really count on him to purify a book?” Emile asked. “How many things has he purified before this, huh? He could’ve made a mistake and left behind something that invaded your brain.”

Tafel rolled her eyes. “Vur ate a god before,” she said. After a bit, she frowned. “And Grimmy looked at the book before giving it to me. There shouldn’t be a problem.”

Emile nodded his head. “So, the evil dragon is completely reliable?” he asked. “The dragon that destroyed a whole continent would definitely warn you about a soul hidden inside a book? I might not be an adult, but I can tell when something is suspicious.”

Tafel’s brow furrowed, and she sat up before staring at Emile. “What’s your suggestion, then?”

“Easy!” Emile spread his wings wide open. “Open a portal to Mom and have her inspect you. As a phoenix, you can’t count on dragons to have your back completely even if you’re married to one. The only one you can truly trust is another phoenix. If something’s wrong with you, Mom will let you know.”

Tafel raised an eyebrow. “That’s actually not a bad idea,” she said and nodded. Her horns glowed silver, and a portal appeared by her side. She grabbed the book resting on the table and got up.

“Wait a second,” Emile said and raised a wing. “Let me get Susan.” The phoenix rolled his eyes. “Mom will get mad at me if I don’t bring her too.”

***

Vur yawned and scratched his belly. After making a move for the armadillo, he didn’t bid or compete for any other item. Nothing sparked his interest; though, the same couldn’t be said for the rest of the attendees.

“A thousand gold, going once! A thousand gold, going twice! And … sold to the gentleman in blue!” Vanessa said and gestured towards the left side of the audience.

“I don’t get it,” a red rock said from Vur’s lap. Sheryl had been kicked out of Vur’s body for—as Stella put it—making the sun too sunny to grow a beansprout. As such, the red elemental took on her usual form of a small boulder. “Why would someone pay a thousand gold for a painting?”

Vur shrugged. “Probably because they like how it looks,” he said.

“I know I’m an elemental, and my taste should be different from humans, but….” Sheryl scratched her head, which was also her body, with her sticklike arms. “Doesn’t that painting look like someone accidentally dropped a paintbrush on a canvas? It’s completely white except for that green spatter. I think I could paint something like that.”

A small, green boulder fell out of Vur’s arm. Zilphy shook her head and looked around. “Maybe there’s a treasure map hidden inside of it,” she said. “People love hiding treasure maps inside of paintings.”

“Were you kicked out too?” Sheryl asked and scooted over to the side to make space for Zilphy to sit. However, the green elemental didn’t take up the offer and remained seated on the ground.

Zilphy snorted. “I was just looking at Mervin’s beansprout, and Stella made a fuss, saying a watched plant doesn’t grow. Then, she called Chompy on me!”

“She cares a lot about Mervin,” Sheryl said and reached down to pat Zilphy’s head. Unfortunately, her arms were too short, so she gave up after a second. “Don’t feel too bad. I bet Diamant and Mistle will get removed soon too.”

“Who cares about this dumb beansprout?” Stella asked, popping her head out of Vur’s chest. She glared at the two elementals. “Don’t talk nonsense.”

“This is it,” the Recordkeeper said and tugged on Vur’s arm while pointing at the stage. “You have to help me get this.”

Vur shifted in his seat, sitting up a little straighter. He squinted at the stage. Vanessa hadn’t removed the cover from the item yet, but that didn’t stop him from raising his hand. “I want that item.”

Vanessa froze on the stage, and she cleared her throat. “You heard His Majesty,” she said. “He wants this item; as such, we’ll proceed to the next one. I’m sure the seller will receive an amount he’s happy with.” She scanned the crowd and took in a deep breath. Luckily, only the adventurers seemed to be disgruntled, and the nobles didn’t seem to care. If the whole crowd was upset, then it’d be more difficult to achieve a high price for the proceeding items, and the lower the prices, the less commission she’d make! Vanessa couldn’t help but glare at Vur. It was all his fault the atmosphere in the auction hall was strange.