Oswald crossed his arms and spoke to the women on the couch with a hint of condescension in his voice. "Let's start with the basics. What are your names?”

  Yuki and Kaori exchanged another brief look, silently deciding on how much information to disclose. Kaori decided to take the lead. "I'm Kaori," she simply stated, her tone firm.

  Yuki followed suit, "and I'm Yuki."

  Oswald pressed on. "Last names?”

  Kaori hesitated for a moment, weighing whether to provide their full names. Finally, the two relented, their eyes fixed on Oswald. "Xerosi."

  Oswald's brows raised, a smirk creeping on his lips. "Ah, the Xerosi Clan, is that it? The family of elite assassins?”

  Kaori, her expression neutral, confirmed, "That's correct."

  Oswald, his smirk growing, leaned back against the wall, his eye fixed on the women. "And what are two assassins like you doing here, hmm? This auction is for the wealthy, not skilled killers.”

  Yuki, keeping a measured tone, retorted, "We can appreciate aesthetics just as much as anyone else."

  Oswald's smirk lingered, his gaze unwavering. "Oh, I'm sure you can. But I have a feeling you're not here to admire the artwork.”

  Kaori and Yuki exchanged a fleeting glance, their expressions remaining neutral. Kaori responded coolly, "That's confidential."

  Oswald, his smirk transforming into a Cheshire-like grin, pushed further. "Oh, confidential, huh? Sounds interesting. What are you, bodyguards?”

  Kaori remained unfazed, responding calmly, "Something like that."

  Oswald chuckled, his eye glinting with amusement. "And what's this client of yours, some rich schmuck with more than they know what to do with?”

  Kaori shrugged nonchalantly, maintaining her guarded demeanor. "You could say that."

  Yuki, chiming in with a hint of sass, added, "More money than sense, really.”

  Oswald chuckled, amused by Yuki's comment. "Sounds like a typical aristocrat with more money than brains."

  Ciel, growing impatient with the direction the interrogation was taking, interjected, "Oswald, can we please focus on what's important—"

  He ignored her plea, his gaze fixated on Kaori and Yuki. "But that's not all, is it? You're not just ordinary bodyguards, are you...?”

  Kaori and Yuki exchanged another brief glance, both knowing where this conversation was headed and playing along, deciding to see how far Oswald would push.

  Kaori responded, "And what makes you think otherwise?”

  Oswald, his smirk widening, leaned forward, his gaze locked onto them. "Oh, it's just a hunch. A feeling I get. You two have a certain aura about you, a certain...deadly grace. Something tells me you're not just hired guns protecting a wealthy idiot.”

  Both sisters maintained their composure, their gazes never wavering. Kaori retorted, "Looks can be deceiving, you know."

  Yuki chimed in, "Maybe we're just really good at our jobs.”

  Oswald chuckled, clearly enjoying the game. "Oh, I have no doubt you're good at your jobs. But it's not just your skills that give you away. It's the way you move, the way you carry yourselves. It screams 'assassin' to me. So anyways, tell me, who ARE you two after?”

  Kaori and Yuki exchanged another glance, their expressions still unwavering. Kaori responded, "That's confidential."

  Oswald, amused by their refusal to give a direct answer, chuckled. "Confidential, huh? Come on, girls, throw me a bone here. Tell me at least this much: Are you after someone who's participating in the auction?”

  Kaori and Yuki remained mute for a moment, contemplating their response. Finally, Kaori spoke, her voice firm yet guarded. "Let's just say we have our eyes on someone in particular."

  Oswald tilted his head, intrigued. "Hmh, 'eyes on someone,' eh? And who might that someone be, exactly?”

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  Kaori caved, her gaze hardened as she continued, “Well, his name is…”

  …

  Back in the auction room, everyone who was present has seemingly been wiped out. However, Elara noticed two young women taking the cover off of the last display case on the stage; one tall and muscular, the other having a slim yet curvy figure, both seemingly human. Using the Pinpoint technique Elara concentrated her aura into her eyes and scanned them. The slender one had a demonic aura as opposed to the muscular one's aura, so the former is a demon. As Elara scanned the muscular woman with her Pinpoint-enhanced vision, her eyes turned stone cold as she detected something she didn't expect: traces of the blood from the gem sprite race.

  Elara's eyes grew wide as she scanned the muscular woman, sensing the presence of gem sprite blood in her aura. Her demeanor changed in an instant, her cold expression turning into a mix of disbelief and rage.

  "No..." she muttered, her voice barely above a whisper. But in the tense silence of the room, it echoed loudly.

  Fjord glanced at Elara, recognizing the change in her expression. He leaned in and whispered in her ear, "What's wrong?"

  But Elara ignored him, her focus solely on the muscular woman. Her gaze remained fixed, her eyes narrowed. Her body tense.

  Fjord followed Elara's gaze, his eyes landing on the muscular woman. He sensed the growing tension and took a step closer to Elara, concern etched on his face.

  "Elara...?" he murmured, gently touching her arm. "What's going on?"

  But Elara was unresponsive. Her mind was racing, trying to comprehend the implications of what she had discovered, emitting an aura brimming with rage.

  Fjord's concern deepened as he saw the mix of emotions on Elara's face - anger, disbelief, and a touch of pain. He gently shook her arm, trying to break through her trance.

  "Elara, please. Talk to me," he whispered. "What's going on? What is your business with those two?”

  Elara's eyes flicked briefly to Fjord before returning to the muscular woman. She took a deep, shaky breath, her jaw clenching.

  "She...she has traces of my people's blood on her," she muttered, her voice low and dangerous. "This...isn't good. Not good at all."

  Fjord's eyes widened in shock at her words, his gaze now fixed on the woman as well. After using Pinpoint himself on the woman, he raised a brow and let out a low whistle. "She's a strong one, Elara, and I don't just mean physically. Her aura reserve is enormous. I hope you aren't thinking of fighting her right now.”

  Elara's eyes narrowed as she absorbed Fjord's words, her anger rising at the thought of someone possessing her people's blood so casually.

  "I know," she muttered, her voice filled with bitterness. "I saw her aura reserves. She's powerful. But that only makes it worse." She paused for a moment, her mind racing, before continuing in a strained voice.

  "I can't let this go... I need to know why my people's blood is on her.”

  Fjord sighed, his brow furrowing in concern. He knew Elara well enough to recognize the determination in her voice.

  "I understand your anger, but you can't charge in like a bull in a china shop," he said, his tone cautious. "Think this through, Elara. She's powerful, and so is that demon girl next to her. Facing off against them now is very much a suicidal move for you.”

  Elara's jaw clenched at Fjord's words. She knew he was right, but her emotions were running high. The thought of someone possessing the blood of her kin was like a dagger to her heart.

  She took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing pulse.

  "I know. But...dammit, I can't ignore this," she hissed, her eyes still fixated on the muscular woman.

  "Well," Fjord started, thinking of what to say next. "You can't beat her in battle with your current skills or power, but what about developing a Void Magic ability specifically for capturing her?”

  Elara mulled over Fjord's words, her mind racing with thoughts and possibilities. The idea of developing a Void Magic ability that could immobilize the muscular woman was definitely appealing.

  "That...might actually work," she murmured, her eyes narrowing in thought. "But creating a new Void Magic ability will take time...and it won't be easy...."

  "Then, what if I told you," Fjord began, putting a hand on Elara's shoulder, "that I know of somewhere you can train with where time is at a standstill?”

  Elara's eyes widened at Fjord's revelation. A place where time stood still? It sounded both intriguing and dangerous.

  "You do?" she asked, turning to face him, her skepticism evident in her tone. "And you're just telling me this now?”

  Fjord shrugged, a slight smirk on his face. "It didn't seem relevant until now."

  Elara rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest. "Typical Fjord. Always holding back on details until the last second."

  Fjord chuckled, his hand still on her shoulder. "You know me too well, Elara. But trust me, this place is perfect for your training. Time is frozen there, which means you can train your heart out without worrying about the clock ticking away."

  Speaking of the clock ticking, Elara's eyes jumped from Fjord to the two women at the display case upon hearing the glass shatter, the muscular woman grabbing the set of gloves that were inside before walking off.

  Elara's attention was snapped back to the present by the sound of shattering glass. She whipped her head around, her eyes zeroing in on the muscular woman as she casually walked off with the gloves she had taken from the display case.

  "Damn it all," she muttered, her irritation flaring up again.

  Fjord squeezed her shoulder, trying to get her to focus. "Elara, concentrate. You need to focus on your training. That woman can wait. Training in that frozen time zone is your best bet right now."

  "But I need to track her until then, she might disappear forever!" Elara panicked, focusing her aura into her finger before firing a microscopic tether at the muscular woman.

  Fjord watched as the microscopic tether zipped through the air, attaching itself to the muscular woman's arm.

  "You got her," he assured Elara, still keeping his hand on her shoulder to keep her grounded. "But for now, we need to focus on your training, Elara. Don't let your emotions control you."

  Elara took a deep breath, nodding in agreement. Despite her desire to pursue the muscular woman, she knew Fjord was right. She had to remain disciplined and focused.