World's Best Protagonist [BL]

The air behind the stage was thick with tension. Lanterns cast dim, flickering light across the worn floorboards and the line of wheeled iron cages.

Noir and Etienne sat huddled with the other captives—children, wounded women, and pretty young men, all stripped of dignity, and consumed by fear.

Two guards remained behind to watch them, stationed lazily near the exit as if they’d grown bored from the repeated cycle of pushing cages and slamming doors. The other two were the ones delivering the wheeled iron cage to the stage.

The sound of the wheels was traumatizing to the victims. Once they heard it approaching, it meant one of them was sold, and the cage was coming back to get the next victim. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Etienne couldn’t bear watching the victims cry, frightened and hopeless, so he buried his face on his knees, biting his lips until they bled. He lost count of the times he wished he were as strong, powerful, and courageous as his other team members, just like his team captain.

"Etienne," Noir whispered, his eyes flicking toward the guards.

They were looking away, distracted by distant commotion.

Noir nodded at Etienne. Etienne nodded back. He took a deep breath and followed Noir’s careful and noiseless movement. They moved in tandem. All the victims’ eyes were downcast, resigned to their fate, so they were unaware of the two brave victims trying to save all of them.

Noir hadn’t thought about how to run away from the building after defeating the two guards, but right now, what mattered to him was to buy time.

"Now!" Noir mouthed, his eyes burned with courage and determination.

As soon as he was given the signal, Etienne surged at the left guard, tackling him by surprise.

"Urgh!" The man stumbled, off balance, and Etienne slammed his knee into the man’s gut.

Noir, quicker and sharper, dashed at the other and rammed his fist to his chin before slamming his knee into the man’s groin.

"Argh!"

The scuffle caught the attention of the other victims, and after seeing Noir and Etienne’s efforts to escape, their hope renewed, and they all ganged up on the two guards. Even if the two men were bigger than most of them, there was strength in numbers, and soon the two of them were battered and defeated.

The victims momentarily cheered, but when they heard the approaching, pounding footsteps, fear clouded their minds again.

Etienne shouted in panic, "Go that way! Run as fast as you can!"

The victims were jolted by his voice. They regained their senses and ran in the direction Etienne pointed.

"What are you doing?! Run with them!" Noir yelled.

Etienne shook his head. "I can’t leave you!"

"I’ll follow you! Go first!"

Etienne hesitated, but Noir growled at him. He had no choice but to run away and leave him behind.

At the same time, the door burst open. It happened before Etienne could escape.

Four more guards flooded the room, surrounding Noir. One pinned Etienne with a cruel shove, pressing him face down to the ground, while two others tackled Noir with brute force. The sword Noir took instantly clattered on the floor.

"Let go, you evil—ngh!"

"Noir!" Etienne struggled upon seeing Noir punched in the stomach.

"You little shits," one of them spat, yanking Noir up by the collar.

"No—wait!" Etienne shouted, struggling beneath a heavy boot.

The auctioneer’s assistant stormed in, face red with fury. "What happened here?! Where are the other victims?!"

"Escaped. Because of these two bastards. But don’t worry, they are already being chased by my men."

The assistant knocked on the chest of the leader once. "You’d better bring those things back! The master had spent too much money acquiring such good commodities!"

"Yes, I will."

"You’d better! Now, no more delays! He’s next!" the assistant pointed at Noir before storming back to the stage.

Rough hands forced Noir into the nearest iron cage, the latch slammed shut. He didn’t resist this time, his jaw clenched, as he forced a reassuring smile to Etienne before they were separated.

Noir breathed in and out and internalized Jade’s usual take on matters. Whatever will be, will be. Thus, just go with the flow and think depending on the present.

If he is bought, then the next course of action is to escape from his buyer. If he fails, pretend like an obedient slave to the buyer and kill them if there’s an opportunity.

At last, the curtain was drawn.

Light—harsh and golden—spilled over him.

The auction hall exploded with sound.

It was a theater of cruelty dressed in royal decadence. Velvet banners and enchanted lanterns glowed above lavish seats. Nobles adorned in silks and gems leaned forward, their eyes gleaming with anticipation behind their fancy, elegant, gem-adorned masks.

Some sipped from goblets, others whispered excitedly behind jeweled fans. But when they saw Noir, the hush was instant.

Noir, hair a soft cascade of light pink, stood calmly behind the bars. His normal purple eyes, which had reverted from crimson, scanned the crowd with a cold, sickening gaze. He was too busy to survive in the palace, so he failed to notice how rotten the core of nobility had been.

The cage didn’t dim his beauty—it amplified it. Like an exotic prize.

And then—a single, excited voice broke the silence, sending the crowd into pandemonium.

"Ten thousand!"

"Fifteen!"

"Eighteen thousand!"

"Twenty-five!"

The shouts grew frantic. Even the auctioneer looked dazed by the sheer volume. A moment later, a satisfied grin appeared on his face.

He raised his hand and announced, "Dearest ladies and gentlemen, this one has exquisite beauty! Skin as smooth and fragrant as a rose. Purple eyes burning with innocence! The starting bid is one hundred thousand!"

"Two hundred!"

"Three hundred!"

The auctioneer’s grin widened. There was regret in his eyes. He regretted setting up the starting bid to only a hundred. He should have said a million!

Etienne, still pinned to the floor backstage, watched with horror as his friend was rolled out like an object, his fists clenching with useless rage.

Then, a baritone voice, firm and clear, drowned the noises.

"Ten million golds."

The crowd fell silent.

At the top tier of the auction hall stood a man cloaked in black and silver, towering with broad shoulders and regal bearing. Jet-black hair fell neatly over one eye, but the other was visible—dark, cold, assessing—behind his purple mask.

He didn’t need to shout. He didn’t even rise from his seat.

The auctioneer, pale yet grinning widely, nodded frantically and slammed the hammer.

"Sold for ten million golds!"

Noir didn’t flinch as the crowd parted and a group of uniformed men approached to collect their master’s prize. He didn’t resist as the wheels turned and the cage rolled into the waiting room, where he was released.

His plan to escape after being bought was impossible because of the group of men guarding him. Then, his buyer finally arrived.

Noir pondered who it was. He was also focused on how to murder the man, until the guy’s jet-black hair brushed his cheek. His body froze, and his eyes widened after realizing that the mysterious man leaned on and whispered in his ear.

"Ten million is not enough to buy you, Your Highness. Your worth is immeasurable."

Noir’s jaw fell. He recognized the voice, but he couldn’t fathom how this person recognized him!