Late at night, a small door on the side of the palace, used by maidservants, suddenly opened, and two sneaky figures emerged from inside.

"Why does this trading event have to be held in the middle of the night? It's so tiring to get up at this time... Ah-choo!" Aya sneezed while speaking. The weather had been getting colder recently, and it was probably going to snow in a few days.

"Quiet down, do you want to alarm the guards?" Tiran turned around and gave Aya a white look.

If it were possible, Aya really wanted to, so that he could go back to his room and cuddle with his pillow.

Aya felt quite uncomfortable. Originally, he thought Tiran wanted to go to that underground trading event on her own, so it had nothing to do with him. But a few minutes ago, Tiran forcibly pulled him out of bed.

As for why Aya was dragged out, the reason was simple.

Because it was troublesome for Tiran to sneak out on her own. The security level of the palace was top-notch, with eighty percent of the access restricted using advanced products from the Sains Magic Kingdom. Speaking of which, why did it have to be this brand again? It felt like a personal grudge!

With the strength of the Silver Battle Maiden, it would be a breeze to cut through guards and create a path, but if someone like Mimi or Dad asked why, he couldn't say it was to go to the market to buy books...

Although Tiran thought of himself as thick-skinned, he couldn't bring himself to say something like that.

So he found Aya. As long as the restrictions were slightly loosened, Aya could easily disable the access control using his mastery of the Magic system, just like the day they broke through the barrier.

In addition, when encountering guard dogs on the way, they could use a little dragon's power to intimidate them. No matter what breed of dog it was, when it sensed the aura of a creature at the top of the pyramid, it would immediately shrink its head in fear and let them pass unhindered, making it very convenient.

"So, can I go back now?"

After escorting Tiran outside the palace, Aya let out a long yawn, feeling drowsy. No, he couldn't hold on any longer.

Smack.

His sleeve was grabbed.

"Since we're both out here, why not go together?" Tiran extended an invitation.

"No, let go of me, I want to go back to sleep." Aya yawned and only wanted to go back to his bed and his beloved pillow...no, the Chirpy Chirp plushies.

"You already danced the first dance with me, so, uh, you should take responsibility, right?" Tiran's expression was a bit awkward, and his eyes evaded.

"No, King Sama has already clarified that it was just a misunderstanding, and besides, it was your plan in the first place." Aya tried to free his hand from Tiran's grip.

"Accompany me, Aya~" Tiran even used a bit of a coaxing tone. Damn, this transformation in image was too sudden!

"..." Aya tilted his head and sighed. "Tell me the truth."

"I don't have money." Tiran looked at the dark street, feeling a bit empty inside.

...

The capital at night was not as bustling as during the day, especially in the more remote areas of the city, where it felt like a ghost town once night fell.

"Is this place really okay? What kind of idiot would come to this kind of place to sell things?" Aya followed Tiran from behind, feeling a bit scared as he scrutinized the surroundings.

Based on the generally low-rise buildings and overall dim color scheme, it was clear that this was a residential area for commoners, and a quite remote one at that. The streets were empty, and a single street lamp that stood far away created a perfect atmosphere for a horror story. And occasionally, a cat's meow could be heard...

It was so scary! That's why I'm afraid of the dark the most! Aya tightly held Tiran's hand, trembling. Back when he was in the wilderness, at least his pile of treasure had a few items that emitted light. If things got really bad, he could find a small grove and set a fire, which was better than now!

"I told you it's an underground market. In general, it belongs to the black market, so it needs to stay low-key. Of course, it won't be held in a commercial street." Tiran held an invitation in her hand, which was arranged by Blade.

"It's so dark. How much longer until we get there?" Aya couldn't complain about anything else anymore. As long as they could reach a brightly lit place as soon as possible, it would be better than anything else.

After numerous twists and turns, a brightly lit gate finally appeared in front of them.

There were two strange figures standing outside the gate, wearing half-masks like those at masquerade parties and fluorescent yellow vests. In their hands, they held a signboard with a cute cat girl drawn on it.

"Here we are." Tiran carefully examined the map printed on the back of the invitation, compared it with the surrounding buildings, and finally turned his gaze to the two strange guys in front of the door.

"Hey, hey, didn't you just say it's a black market? What's with these eye-catching outfits? Isn't that the opposite of low-key?" Aya exhaled in relief, but was startled by the two weirdos and the signboards they were holding at the entrance.

"Ah... Haha..."

The two guards also noticed Tiran and Aya and walked towards them.

"Excuse me... Are you here to attend the trade fair?" When Aya and Tiran walked into the light, the two gatekeepers were surprised by their appearances and asked somewhat uncertainly.

"That's right." Tiran handed them the invitation in his hand.

"The invitation is fine, but..." one of the gatekeepers hesitated, "one invitation can only allow one person to enter. Are you planning to..."

"Only one person?" Tiran was stunned for a moment and looked at Aya beside him.

"Huh? Huh huh?" Aya blinked her eyes and turned around to look at the endless dark street behind her. She swallowed nervously and turned back.

"Brother! Please let me in, I beg you! If not, I can pay for another ticket!" She bowed ninety degrees with her hands on her knees.

"Oh, that's unnecessary, and looking at the outfit of this miss, she must also be a fan of doujin culture, right? This outfit and the sword... If I'm not mistaken, they must be a portrayal of 'Glitter,' right? In that case, we can make an exception and allow one person to enter."

Huh? Meow meow meow? What's a portrayal of 'Glitter'? And who is this 'Glitter'?

Before Aya could ask, Tiran covered her mouth and said, "Ahaha, it's nothing. This guy is indeed a fan of 'Glitter.' Thank you, brothers. We'll go in now."

He took the invitation from the gatekeepers and pushed Aya, who was wearing the same kind of mask, into the door.

What was surprising was that inside the gate was a spiral staircase leading down, and judging from the surroundings, this place should be similar to an underground sewer network.

"I mean, what was that just now? And who is this 'Glitter' they mentioned?" Aya said with a bit of annoyance, pulling the corners of her mouth.

"Ah, it doesn't matter. Anyway, it's good that we can enter!" Tiran looked very excited. "And I heard that Cold Garments Master will also be here this time. We must not miss it!"

"I feel like we've come to a really extraordinary place."

As they walked down the stairs, their vision suddenly opened up when they reached the bottom.

Contrary to the general impression of a dark and gloomy underground sewer, what appeared in front of them was a large open space, roughly the same size as the courtyard of a palace. The dome was even equipped with powerful lights, making this underground square as bright as day.

There were many passages connecting to farther places all around the square. It was more appropriate to call this place an underground city than a sewer.

The open space was divided into several areas, with makeshift stalls set up on supports. Pedestrians wearing various masks, just like Aya and Tiran, were coming and going, occasionally stopping at the stalls to make purchases.

Ah, yes, it was indeed a trading market. As for what was being traded... Aya walked to a stall and casually flipped through a thin booklet. Sure enough, it was in the same series as those guarded by the artificial intelligence.

She also saw many people dressed in strange outfits. There were heavily armored gun-wielding knights, cute beast-eared girls, and even Elf archers and dragon maids...

"These... are not real, right?" Aya tentatively asked. Even from a distance, it was obvious that the cool-looking plate armors, guns, and longbows were mostly made of paper or tin foil, with too many impractical decorative patterns. They were clearly not meant for actual combat.

"Of course not. Most people who come here are just otaku. How many otaku do you think can actually withstand wearing real knight armor?" Tiran spread his hands.

I don't know about other otaku, but I do know that there is one otaku right in front of me who can single-handedly slay a dragon... Princess, can you really live up to the title of an otaku?

"Anyway, for now, I'll go shopping. Aya, you can wander around, and I'll find you later." Tiran patted Aya and casually took the pouch containing the Babylonian gold coins from around her waist.

"Hey! Wait a minute, I have no idea what there is to see here!"

Turned around, and the figure of the princess had already disappeared into the bustling crowd.

Damn it, this guy is really such a jerk!