There was a polite knock on the door outside of Indra and Lucia's viewing room that alerted him to the presence of visitors.
He made a small waving motion with his hand and the door creaked open of its volition.
Without even looking back, he knew that two people had just entered his room from the smell alone.
One was the boarkin from earlier who he recognized easily due to his instinctive wild odor that was locked in a sparring match with the cheap cologne that also adorned his body.
But the other was a much softer scent; like that of rose water and a small amount salt.
He did not recognize this one.
"Ahem, umm Mr. Indra? I've heard that there was a bit of a problem with the courtesans who were in here earlier?
I assure you that I meant no disrespect and I was only trying to make your visit a hospitable one."
Despite the fact that Indra was not looking at him, the auctioneer lowered his head in the hopes that he would seem more sincere.
He had already heard the testimony of the women from earlier, so now he was extra careful when dealing with this client.
The courtesans sent in earlier were all low talent cultivators at the fifth level of the mortal realm.
This was preferable as it would both enhance their beauty and make their bodies tougher so that they might better handle the abuse of more unsavory clientele.
Therefore, when the five of them said that they were almost attacked by Indra without even being able to see his movements, he knew this strange man was the real deal.
Now, he had to tread even more carefully than before.
Indra did not say anything after the hasty apology and instead continued to stroke Lucia's smooth cheek as she slumbered.
He heard the sound of footsteps coming around in front of him and he found the same woman from before staring at him strangely.
"A-Ah, I don't know if you were watching during the auction but this is the madam who is responsible for the purchase of your item!" The auctioneer explained."
"She wanted to come here personally to meet you and-"
"It is as I thought... you really are quite handsome~" she purred.
Before Indra could say anything, the woman squatted in front of him to analyze his face more carefully.
"Your features are slightly feminine... yet your face has an obvious masculine charm..." She muttered.
Aveena looked down at the sleeping Lamia on his lap who he hadn't taken his eyes off of and she raised a brow in surprise.
"Is she your woman?"
"...No."
'Holy shit, his voice is deeper than I thought.' The auctioneer was almost expecting for Indra to sound like a prepubescent boy since he never spoke.
When Aveena's violet eyes finally met Indra's ruby ones, she released a predatory growl that made him feel like he was standing in front of a rabid lioness.
"No woman then? So it seems that I am free to lay claim to you?"
"You are not. I have a wife."
"Mmh..? W-Who is your wife...?"
Lucia finally started to stir awake and her eyes groggily creaked open.
Once she realized her head was sitting in Indra's lap, her pink cheeks became several shades redder before she sat up and catapulted herself halfway across the room.
"I-I-I'm sorry!" She stammered.
"Lucia... do you even know what happened?" Indra asked with a sigh.
"N-No, but I-"
"Then why are you apologizing? If I allowed you to rest on me then obviously I must not have been upset."
Ignoring the woman standing in front of him, Indra stood up from his seat and dusted off his kimono.
Breezing past the lecherous oni, he moved through the room to tower above the auctioneer.
Without saying anything, he merely held out his hand like he was waiting for his money to be placed in his palm.
"A-Ah, miss Aveena said that she wanted to come and pay you directly, she has already payed our commission fee, so-"
"Eep!"
Indra whirled around when he heard a small yelp escape from Lucia's throat.
He found the bewitching Lamia with her back against the wall, being loomed over by the 6'4 Aveena.
"What is your relationship with this man?"
"W-We live together..?"
"He says he has already been claimed, is that true?"
"Well yes, pretty much everyone in the house has shown some interest in him but he has only reciprocated the feelings of one."
"I see then. Take me to her, I should like to challenge her for him!"
Indra couldn't exactly explain it, but something inside of him just snapped.
When he heard this woman make a claim to harm his precious Enyo, his body moved before he could even tell it not to.
Throwing out a free hand, thin wire-like strings of black blood left his fingertips.
They wrapped around Aveena's neck, arms, torso, and legs.
They dug into her flesh deep enough to cause a small amount of blood to be drawn, which somehow only seemed to excite the oni more.
"You are dangerous… you will make a very good mate indeed." She said happily.
"And you will make a very cold corpse." He retorted.
Just before Indra could tug on the strings and dice this woman up into bloody chunks, the auctioneer ran in between them with his arms stretched wide.
"P-Please good sir, quell your anger! I can assure you that she means no disrespect, the women of her tribe are simply more on the forceful side as they live by matriarchal laws.
Once they find a male they are interested in they take it upon themselves to tame him forcefully if they are not spoken for, s-so it really is more of a compliment you see..!"
The auctioneer laughed nervously in the hopes that he would calm Indra down and chalk this situation up as one amusing misunderstanding, but he was having no such luck.
Indra didn't care in the slightest whether this woman found him attractive or not.
All that he was focused on was the fact that this woman had just levied a threat against his wife.
And that was more than enough reason for her head to roll.
"It seems I've upset you."
Suddenly, parts of Aveena's skin and horns started to accumulate red markings.
She flexed her tight and powerful muscles and Indra's threads immediately snapped.
She casually tossed her hair over her shoulder as she smiled at Indra provocatively.
Her hand went to her bleeding neck and pulled away with blood on her fingers.
The crazed smile on her face became wider as she licked her own blood without breaking eye contact with him.
"You are certainly not as weak of a male as I initially suspected. Conquering you will have more meaning than any other!"