Chapter 371: An Intruder at Home

The only woman in the group nodded as she rested an arm on the table, observing the number of new faces filling the room.

"Yeah, I don’t understand why they come to such a remote and dangerous place," the woman said with a hint of doubt, remembering how close they were to the demonic territory.

The second man in the group, who was sitting right across from her eating a plate of meat, let out a soft laugh as if the reason were obvious to everyone.

"What do you mean you don’t understand? The reason is obvious," the second man replied, gesturing toward the center of the city.

The third man in the group leaned forward across the table to support his friend’s comment.

"Yeah, it’s just like Tofu says. If there’s so much activity in this place, it’s because they’re here for the auction of Demon King Ryan’s house," the third adventurer stated, drawing his companions’ attention.

Hearing that title, the first man frowned, clearly struggling to believe the rumors circulating lately.

"Can you believe it? A human demon king? How did the other demon kings allow that?" the first man asked, crossing his arms in disbelief.

Tofu immediately shook his head and lowered his voice a bit, adopting a serious tone to share what he had heard on the streets.

"Don’t you know? That demon king isn’t human. He’s actually a monster," Tofu stated with absolute certainty in front of his friends.

The third man nodded enthusiastically, eager to add his own version of the story and impress his companions.

"Yeah, I once saw him rip a holy knight in two with his bare hands," the third man said, raising both hands to dramatize the story.

The woman in the group glanced at him sideways and let out a sigh of annoyance upon hearing such a massive exaggeration come out of his mouth.

"You’re such a liar," the adventurer scolded, not believing a single word of what he had just made up.

With his pride wounded by his companion’s disbelief, the third man tapped the table to defend his story.

"It’s no lie. I’m telling you he’s about two meters tall, and that weapon, the boomerang he supposedly has, is actually his monster horns," the man insisted, trying to convince the rest of the table.

Just a few steps away, Ryan listened to every word of that absurd conversation, keeping his face completely serene.

’How the hell did they make up so much? And what house are they auctioning? Are they talking about the one the Count gave me?’ Ryan thought, surprised by the sheer amount of nonsense people were saying about his appearance.

Just then, one of the employees walking among the tables approached and stopped beside him.

"Sir, what would you like to eat?" asked one of the women waiting tables, politely taking his order.

Ryan glanced at the nearby dishes and ordered the exact same thing the group of three men and the woman talking about him were eating. None of the adventurers present could have imagined that the real Demon King, an SSS-rank powerhouse, was sitting so calmly among them.

Once the woman returned from the kitchen and brought the food to his table, Ryan took the opportunity to ask her where and when the auction would take place, as he was genuinely curious to know what they would do with his old house.

But the woman naturally replied that the auction was actually that very day, and she gave him directions to the location where it would be held within the city.

After finishing his meal and paying the bill, Ryan got up and headed toward the location the waitress had indicated.

However, upon arriving at the venue, he noticed the place was already closed with no one around. There was only one guard stationed at the main door, who informed him that the auction had already ended.

Ryan stopped in front of him and asked who had ultimately acquired the demon king’s house. The guard kindly explained that the property hadn’t sold today and that they would try again in a week.

Seeing his interest in the property, the guard asked Ryan if he was interested in participating on the next date, but he shook his head.

"Not at all, thanks for the information," Ryan replied calmly before turning around.

With those words, he walked away from the building, but inwardly he thought he had absolutely no intention of spending money to buy something that was already his.

Even so, as one last act of curiosity before leaving the city, he decided to go visit that place that was supposedly his house.

When Ryan reached the street and examined the property from outside, the place looked quiet and peaceful. It was immediately obvious that no one was living in the vicinity.

Although it wasn’t completely night yet, the sun was already setting on the horizon, and the streets were beginning to fall into twilight.

Moving too quickly for anyone to notice him, Ryan circled the property and headed straight for the back of the house.

He grabbed the doorknob and tried to open the door, but his immense physical strength caused him to accidentally snap the handle off. He then stepped inside.

Once inside, he took a few silent steps and looked all around the place. Standing there filled him with a strange nostalgia for the days when he had been an ordinary human.

He remembered how he had been seen as scum, a simple support whose basic healing skill was despised by the other adventurers who didn’t know his true power.

But suddenly, amidst the silence of the house, a firm voice behind him pulled him from his thoughts.

"Who the hell are you? This is a private place," someone demanded from the darkness of the hallway.

The voice belonged to a woman, speaking in a serious tone that seemed to come from someone used to having authority.

Ryan froze in place for a second, frowning slightly at the unexpected interruption.

’How did I not realize there was someone inside?’