The Veltrion incident still lingered in Kael's mind. He had uncovered something dangerous—something that tied House Veltrion to the Divine Order. But the truth was still out of reach.
Using the mercenary guild for information was too risky. They worked for coin, and coin could buy betrayal. He needed something more—something reliable.
As he walked through the dim alleys of the black market district, his thoughts were interrupted by a commotion ahead. A slave auction.
It wasn't uncommon, but Kael usually ignored them. Yet this time, something caught his attention.
A girl, standing among the broken.
She didn't cry. She didn't beg. She just stood there, silent—her hollow eyes devoid of hope, as if the world had already abandoned her.
Unlike the others, she wasn't trembling or pleading for mercy. She had already accepted her fate.
The auctioneer called her worthless—weak, untrained, barely fit to serve as a toy.
Kael ignored the bidding war over the stronger slaves. Instead, he placed a single bid on her.
The auctioneer barely reacted, waving his hand dismissively as if Kael had wasted his money.
But he hadn't.
He didn't buy her for labor. He didn't buy her out of pity.
He bought her because he saw something others didn't.
Potential.