The Root of All Evil

Dragged by the two burly men, Fú Nī Yà unwillingly ascended the auction house’s display platform.

In an instant, gasps of astonishment rippled through the audience below, their fervent gazes immediately converging upon the young girl, causing Fú Nī Yà to recoil her neck in disgust.

“How utterly repulsive… Have none of you ever seen a woman before?”

Fú Nī Yà muttered to herself.

‘Speaking of which, I used to look at my female classmates with the same kind of gaze back then? Ugh, how cringeworthy… Another addition to my dark history.’

Though Fú Nī Yà complained thus, it was only because there had been no mirror in the room she had previously occupied—she herself was unaware of her own appearance.

Had she been able to see what she looked like, she likely would not have found the audience’s loss of composure so strange.

Even Albert, who in his previous life had witnessed countless beautiful women, couldn’t help but reveal a look of astonishment.

“The Calamity Witch is actually this beautiful?”

He murmured to himself.

This was his first time seeing the Calamity Witch’s true face.

The young girl wore only a simple brown linen garment, her feet bare, her slender limbs fully exposed.

Her pale golden hair, streaked with hints of green, cascaded down to her waist, shimmering with a heartwarming glow under the sunlight.

Her exquisite face was adorned with deep, spring-like emerald eyes, her nose a graceful curve, and her lips a soft, alluring cherry-red.

Her skin was as fair and smooth as pearls, her body petite, slender, and fragile, like a doll, utterly devoid of any color.

It was a dreamlike beauty, breathtakingly stunning, as if she might vanish from everyone’s sight the very next second.

Her body trembled slightly, yet deep within her eyes burned an unyielding stubbornness.

In his previous life, not much information about the Calamity Witch’s appearance had surfaced, after all, the Imperial Capital, St. Mir City, had long become a city of the dead.

Even though many adventurers ventured there for its riches, they were never concerned with what the Calamity Witch looked like; rather, they were more concerned with the treasures she possessed.

Though, those who were concerned with treasures invariably ended up as ice sculptures…

Nevertheless, if the Calamity Witch was truly this beautiful.

“Then that rumor…”

Albert’s expression grew thoughtful, almost amused.

The auctioneer, standing beside Fú Nī Yà, saw the expressions of the crowd and beamed triumphantly, shouting in an excited voice.

“Distinguished guests, as you can see, item number eighty-two in this auction is an exceptionally high-quality half-elf s*ave girl.

According to the appraisal of Master Druid Ruby, the auction house’s most professional druid, this half-elf s*ave girl is only sixty years old, which is equivalent to about fifteen human years.

This means that once you bid for her, you can enjoy at least forty years of her youth; if you prefer a more mature type, the time could be even longer.”

With that, the auctioneer offered an ambiguous smile: “After all, as I’m sure you all know, while half-elves only have two hundred years of youth, they boast a lifespan of five hundred years, making it no problem for them to bear several generations of offspring, and there’s no need to worry about retaliation from the elven race.

They are simply the best toys.”

Upon hearing the auctioneer’s words, many in the audience exchanged knowing smiles.

Fú Nī Yà’s expression grew even more disgusted.

The auctioneer’s tone, which treated her entirely as an object, made her profoundly uncomfortable, as if her very worth as a sentient being had been stripped away.

She felt a coldness that pierced her very bones—if she were to live under such gazes indefinitely in the future, what would her future become?

Fú Nī Yà suddenly understood why her predecessor had desperately wished to commit suicide.

“Starting bid is ten thousand Dukale gold coins; each subsequent bid must not be less than one thousand Dukale gold coins.

Let the bidding commence!”

The auctioneer shouted loudly.

****

“Your Highness, Lord Kǎ Dá Lā has arrived.”

The butler’s voice, sounding in his ear, pulled Albert back from his contemplation into reality.

Looking at the old man who had cared for him from childhood until his early departure in Albert’s previous life, Albert couldn’t help but reveal a slightly complex smile, softly saying.

“Let him in, Wǎ ěr.”

“Yes.”

The old butler placed his right hand over his chest, bowed slightly, and then left Albert’s private box.

Meanwhile, Fú Nī Yà’s bidding price had rapidly risen from ten thousand Dukale gold coins to twenty thousand Dukale gold coins in a short amount of time—a price sufficient to purchase dozens of sets of the most basic knight’s plate armor, or twenty enchanted longswords.

This was an extravagant price, yet the wealth accumulated by the Empire’s nobles over hundreds of years was far more outrageous than this.

‘Parasites sucking the lifeblood from the Empire and its people!’

Albert cursed inwardly.

However, thinking that these individuals would soon be drained of their wealth by various factions in the upcoming war, much of Albert’s anger dissipated.

As he pondered these thoughts, the lord named Kǎ Dá Lā, sweating profusely, entered the private box.

“F-Fourth Prince Your Highness… good afternoon.”

Kǎ Dá Lā spoke, performing a chest-bow that was comically awkward compared to Wǎ ěr’s.

Albert, however, was accustomed to such sights.

Due to the continuous development of commerce, the number of wealthy merchants within the Empire was steadily increasing.

To extract their fortunes, the current Emperor, Ulis—Albert’s father—had specifically established a non-hereditary special peerage, ranking above a knight but below a baron: the Lord (TL Note: 勋爵, Xūn Jué, refers to a non-hereditary title often given to wealthy commoners or merchants in exchange for substantial payments, granting them access to noble society but not full aristocratic status).

As long as these merchants offered a seemingly trivial sum of money, they could obtain an entry ticket to the Empire’s high society.

The price of this ticket hovered around several million Dukale gold coins, the exact figure depending on the Empire’s financial straits and the Emperor’s personal mood.

Naturally, the etiquette of such nobles could not be expected to be refined.

Observing Kǎ Dá Lā’s corpulent physique, a result of overeating and lack of exercise, Albert couldn’t help but scornfully furrow his brow.

Yet, it was merely that; after all, this fellow possessed wealth.

“Rise,” Albert commanded, then raised an eyebrow: “So, Lord Kǎ Dá Lā, for which item have you come to this auction?”

“Yes, Fourth Prince Your Highness.”

Kǎ Dá Lā stood up, and in response to Albert’s question, he slightly gestured towards the display platform outside the private box.

“Of-of course, it’s that item…”

‘That item?’

Albert nodded slightly.

The item currently being auctioned, of course, was only the Calamity Witch.

If that was the case, then that rumor must be true.

Albert’s thoughts couldn’t help but drift back to his previous life.

In his past life, the Calamity Witch, having transformed a million people into undead, was synonymous with catastrophe across the entire continent.

Yet, even so, some scholars still wondered: why did the Calamity Witch turn the Imperial Capital, St. Mir City, into a dead zone, and why, after doing all this, did she make no further moves, remaining quietly motionless within the Imperial Capital?

A million undead, regardless of the era, constituted a terrifying force, not to mention her own formidable power.

Thirty years after the Calamity Witch breached the Imperial Capital, through the efforts of countless adventurers, her story was finally pieced together.

The Calamity Witch’s true name was Fú Nī Yà Istareluna Long Fieldkerom, a descendant of the Empire’s former Marquis Feldkellom family.

This family had been annihilated by the elven race for secretly harboring an elf.

Although the half-elf Fú Nī Yà, being an elven offspring, was spared death, it was impossible for her to be taken back to the Elven Forest.

Thus, she wandered alone in human society, eventually being adopted by a self-help organization for half-elves during her travels.

Later, in an unfortunate incident, she was captured by s*ave traders, became a s*ave, and was purchased by Lord Kǎ Dá Lā at an auction.

Those days, naturally, need no further elaboration.

Albert himself had heard rumors about Kǎ Dá Lā.

‘This fellow took pleasure in torturing slaves.’

In less than a year, Fú Nī Yà became a corpse in the mass grave on the outskirts of the Imperial Capital.

Afterward, she was resurrected by an unknown necromancer, becoming an unremarkable banshee.

During this period, her magical talent was discovered for the first time.

In merely one year, Fú Nī Yà killed the necromancer in retaliation, and then, relying solely on a few simple spell notes left by that necromancer, she became a legendary undead lich at a speed that would make all mages want to resign.

Finally, taking advantage of the great war in the Imperial Capital, she infiltrated the city and unleashed an undead catastrophe.

According to adventurers who had explored the Imperial Capital, Kǎ Dá Lā’s corpse was found hanging in the most conspicuous spot in front of the Imperial Palace, covered in wounds and having died a truly horrific death.

Albert, in his previous life, hadn’t believed this rumor, as adventurers rarely spoke the truth, and it sounded suspiciously like an attempt to whitewash the Calamity Witch’s reputation.

Before coming today, Albert had arrived with the thought, ‘Let’s give it a try; what if it’s true?’

But now, it seemed, that rumor was entirely true…

Albert sighed inwardly, his gaze towards Kǎ Dá Lā now tinged with a hint of murderous intent.

‘This very being!

If it weren’t for him, the Calamity Witch would never have emerged!

If the Calamity Witch hadn’t emerged, then I wouldn’t have suffered a crushing defeat in the Imperial Capital back then!

If I had successfully breached the Imperial Capital and become Emperor, then Lochris wouldn’t have become a scattered mess, an arena for various factions on the continent.

The population wouldn’t have plummeted from two hundred eighty-five million to thirteen million.

This fellow is the root of all evil!’

Albert clenched his fists.

However, now was not the time for his revenge.

Albert took a deep breath to compose himself, then lifted his face, speaking in a tone tinged with disdain.

“Ah, so your target is also that half-elf s*ave girl?”

“Also… then Your Highness, you…”

Kǎ Dá Lā’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Indeed, that half-elf s*ave girl, I want her.”

Albert nodded, then abruptly changed the subject.

“However, I’m sure Lord Kǎ Dá Lā is aware that this prince is still some time away from being formally enfeoffed and therefore lacks a stable source of income.

I wonder if…”

Albert left his sentence unfinished, but he deliberately emphasized the word ‘Lord’.

Kǎ Dá Lā’s eyes widened, and his breathing quickened slightly.

It was well known that the title of Lord was a special non-hereditary peerage established by the current Emperor, ranking above a knight but below a baron, and required hundreds of thousands of gold coins to obtain.

Therefore, from its very inception, this title signified ‘a fat sheep ripe for the shearing.’

Whenever the Empire’s powerful nobles found themselves short on funds, they would hint at them in various ways to provide funds.

And at this moment, Albert’s deliberate emphasis on the word ‘Lord’ made his meaning abundantly clear.

‘I want this half-elf s*ave girl, and you will pay for her.’