Chapter 132: The Auction Begins
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 132: The Auction Begins
“Yes, it’s a shame, but it can’t be helped.”
“I understand…”
The four of us spent the night together. That sounds a bit strange, but I just mean we slept in the same suite.
Theodora, Ravi, and Ms. Alfi shared a room with two beds, while I took the room with a single bed. It seems Ravi and Ms. Alfi shared a bed; for some reason, Ms. Alfi’s face looked brighter than usual this morning.
“Will it take a long time?”
“It starts at ten. The morning session ends at twelve, and the afternoon session starts again at one. It’s supposed to finish by six, but I don’t think we’ll stay until the very end.”
“I see…”
The reason Ravi had been gloomy since morning was that Theodora, Mother, and I were heading to the auction house. Unfortunately, Ravi couldn't get in. Even I wasn't going in as a proper guest; I was entering as 'Bodyguard Number 1' for Mother, who was a VVIP.
Seeing Ravi’s dejected face, Mother pulled two slips of paper from her clutch bag and handed them to Ms. Alfi.
“Alfi.”
“Yes, Chairwoman.”
“Take Miss Ravi here.”
Ravi’s eyes snapped wide at Mother’s words. I looked to see what it was—admission tickets to somewhere. When Ms. Alfi handed one of the two slips to Ravi, the girl gasped in surprise.
“The Arcana Magic Expo…!”
I didn't know much about it, but apparently, it was a must-see event for mages. Ravi’s face brightened instantly, and she folded her waist in a deep bow like a Jet Flip. A beggar bowing to the rich? It was a Pulitzer Prize-winning shot, perfectly capturing the dark reality of a capitalist society.
“Thank you so much!!”
“Go and enjoy yourselves.”
“Yes!! Thank you, truly!!”
Mother then leaned in and whispered into Ms. Alfi’s ear.
“Alfi. Buy Miss Ravi some new clothes while you’re at it.”
“Understood.”
And so, we set off for the auction house.
Wispie, unfortunately, had to stay behind to guard the house again today. The silver lining was that the little wisp seemed to find everything outside the forest fascinating; it looked happy no matter what it was doing. Then again, what was there to see in a forest anyway?
By using mana, Wispie could exert a tiny amount of physical force, which it apparently used to read the newspapers piled up in the lodging. It looked like a struggle just to flip a single page, but since it said it was fun, I let it be.
Theodora and I shared one carriage, while Mother traveled alone in another. But the state of Mother’s carriage was…
“What is that?”
“It’s a recent creation from the Page of Arcana. A Four-Wheel Drive Mechanism that moves on mana alone, without horses.”
A horseless carriage… in other words, a car. It had the vibe of a very old classic car powered by mana. Are Calax and Roanmarie even in the same world? How can the Middle Ages and cars coexist?
“The world’s certainly changed.”
“It has.”
Apparently, you couldn't even enter the auction house unless you were a person of significant wealth, as they didn't want anyone 'lowering the quality' of the event. The items handled were expensive to begin with, and they couldn't have some random thug ruining the atmosphere.
Furthermore, each guest was assigned an attendant so the noble rich wouldn't have to strain their voices to call out prices; the attendants did it for them.
Originally, they had tried a system where a Magical Number Pad was placed in front of the buyer so they could input their bids manually.
“But you see, the rich are interested in flaunting their wealth.”
“I can certainly understand that.”
They wanted to show off their affluence and draw eyes by grandly shouting, “One hundred gold!” Just quietly tapping away at a pad was boring. It lacked flair, so the wealthy hated it.
Since it also wasn't transparent who had bid what, the system was quickly scrapped. They went back to having an attendant stand by to hear the buyer’s price and shout it out loudly on their behalf.
Of course, I heard some people still preferred to use their own lungs if they didn't want an attendant.
“Anyway, we’ll use the staff like normal people. I have no desire to go around screaming my head off.”
“Fair enough.”
Our first stop was the Roanmarie branch of the Golden Glove Syndicate, also known as the ‘Golden Square.’ In Calax, the Lymain family occupied a fairly large estate as an independent entity, but the economic market of Roanmarie was several times the size of Calax’s.
The building of the powerful Golden Glove Syndicate was, of course, magnificent by Calax standards. However, in Roanmarie, buildings of this scale were popping up like mushrooms. It was inevitable that its prestige felt slightly diminished here.
“You have arrived, Sir Lymain.”
“It’s been a while, Lord Lobirat.”
The man who appeared before us, accompanied by three bodyguards, was…
Is he a rat beastkin?
It was Urgen Lobirat, a rat beastkin elder with an impressive long mustache and surprisingly cute, large ears that didn't quite match his age. He was the head of the Lobirat family within the Golden Glove Syndicate, an elder who held a position similar to Mother’s.
Since all purchases at this auction would be made using the corporate funds of the Golden Glove Syndicate rather than the Lymain family’s private coffers, it was to be a joint investment involving several families, including the Lobirats.
Of course, the Gargoyle Statue was a 'mere' trifle in the grand scheme of things. And if they were just going to pluck the wings off the gargoyle to use, it wasn't a big deal for the Lymain family. If anything, Theodora’s independent purchase of the Dragon Heart had been the real catastrophe.
Contrary to my expectations, Mother said she wouldn't be attending the morning session. The reason we came to the Golden Glove building was for Mother’s one-sided 'plundering show' of the other families, which would be officially recorded as a 'meeting.'
It was a rare occasion where Mother, the Chairwoman of the influential Lymain family, personally stepped out to handle the auction. Since it was a joint purchase by numerous families under the Golden Glove Syndicate, the items acquired through the auction had to be distributed fairly afterward.
The meeting was essentially a schedule for her to commit highway robbery on those distribution ratios without using a blade. That was why the heads of the participating families, like Urgen Lobirat, had to show up in person if they wanted to protect their shares.
If a low-ranking member or some middle-manager attended as the family representative, they’d be torn apart by Mother’s silver tongue and have their shares stripped bare.
“Let’s go change our clothes.”
“Do we really have to?”
“Are you really asking that?”
“No, I was just wondering.”
* * *
Although the building was owned by the Golden Glove Syndicate, that didn't mean it didn't generate profit. Within the syndicate, there were families that dealt in textiles and others that handled the food industry.
“This place is good.”
“The Belletnare family is one of the top food distribution families even in Roanmarie. This restaurant is under their wing.”
The Golden Square had seven floors. From the sixth floor up, it was used as offices for the Golden Glove Syndicate, but the first through fifth floors were open to the public. After changing clothes, we were having lunch at a delicious restaurant on the fourth floor when…
“Oh, if it isn't Lady Theodora!”
A voice called out to Theodora. It was a young man’s voice. Theodora, who had been eating, took a napkin to wipe her mouth and looked around.
Beyond the partition blocking our side, there was a man with orange hair. He was waving and smiling brightly; he looked like a typical young master from a wealthy family.
“It’s been a long time! I heard you’ve been very busy managing Calax lately.”
“Adues? It really has been a while.”
Judging by the way Theodora greeted him, they were clearly acquainted.
“Ah! I see you were in the middle of a meal. But might I ask who the gentleman sitting across from you is…?”
“Mmm, I suppose it’s your first time meeting. Aven, this is Adues Marqued. As you might have guessed, he’s from one of the families belonging to the Golden Glove Syndicate.”
“I see. Nice to meet you.”
“Adues, this is Aven.”
Adues is ‘this gentleman,’ and I’m just ‘this person.’ That’s a bit sad. Maybe I should have been born a noble after all.
“Hmm, it’s hard to explain. Should I call him my partner?”
“Partner! Aha, I see. I understand the implications perfectly!”
“Pfft, Adues. You’re as energetic as ever.”
“Indeed! My, this brings back memories. It feels like only yesterday that Lady Theodora was a child. And now, a partner!”
Is this guy trying to mess with me? Flaunting that he’s known Theodora since she was a kid?
“You seem to be quite close with Theodora, Mr. Marqued.”
“Ahaha, how could I claim such a thing! Not when Lady Theodora’s partner is right here!”
His expression was so bright and cheery it reminded me of Lance. Beside me, Theodora was just smiling serenely as if nothing was wrong.
“Pfft, Aven. Are you misunderstanding something?”
“Huh? Misunderstanding what?”
“If you say so~”
“Ahaha! Lady Theodora! Don’t be like that! Your partner won’t like it!”
Adues laughed loudly with exaggerated gestures as he watched Theodora. Based on this reaction, Adues was definitely flaunting his closeness with Theodora on purpose.
Sigh, let’s bear with it. He’s a noble too.
“Haha…”
“Adues. By the way, where did your wife go?”
“She should be coming up from the clothing store on the second floor about now. Children really do grow up fast, don't they! The clothes I bought for my daughter didn't even last two months before she outgrew them!”
“Oh.”
No way, he was married? When I made a surprised face, Theodora added an explanation.
“Ah, Aven wouldn't know. Adues is a quarter-elf. He looks very young, doesn't he? But believe it or not, he’s over thirty.”
“No, I had no idea. I didn't realize you were my senior.”
“Haha! It’s quite alright! I prefer it this way; it makes me feel young!”
A quarter-elf. Now that I looked closely, his ears did seem a bit long. I thought he was some young bachelor, but he was a married man. Not long after, Adues’s wife and their rabbit-like daughter approached from a distance. No, wait—both the wife and the daughter were actual rabbit beastkin.
Adues picked up his daughter, who came running energetically, and introduced her to Theodora and me. What a lovely family. What was I even thinking about a married man?
“Oops, I’ve taken up too much of your time! Well then, Lady Theodora and Mr. Aven, please enjoy your meal!”
“Yes, Adues. It was good to see you again.”
“Have a happy day.”
After Adues walked away with his wife on his arm and his daughter on his shoulders, Theodora looked at me and let out a snicker.
“Aven, were you jealous?”
“What… No, I wasn't.”
Theodora covered her mouth and giggled. This is embarrassing…
“Pfft… Hurry up and eat. Mom’s meeting will be over soon.”
“Tsk… Fine.”
* * *
Of the auction houses operating in Roanmarie, this one was located in the second-largest building.
“How are you supposed to read that?”
“It’s pronounced Labros.”
It was ‘Labros,’ a massive auction house operated by Megingjord, one of the three great explorer clans of Roanmarie. It didn't just handle auctions; it was a building with a grand indoor stage and theater-like facilities, where cultural events like plays and operas were held.
It was located slightly west of the wealthy northern district of Roanmarie, around the 11 o’clock direction from the center.
“There are a lot of people.”
“It’s usually like this. Actually, there are probably fewer people than usual today. Auctions aren't exactly like plays that everyone enjoys.”
“I see.”
After waiting in the lobby for a short while, Mother entered through the entrance, flanked by several wealthy individuals who practically smelled of money. She wore a faint, expressionless face, containing about 0.0000007% of a business smile—like a hint of truffle.
We were properly dressed, and our entry was confirmed. When Mother showed a hint of discomfort, the surrounding 'wannabe rich' folk scattered, and it was finally time to enter.
—Attention, the 144th Labros Auction will begin in ten minutes in Room 4. All participants, please make your way inside.
“Let us go.”
“Okay.”
“Yes, Mother.”
“Ahem. You mustn't call me Mother here. Call me Chairwoman.”
“Ah, understood.”
My role here wasn't Theodora’s partner, but Mother’s bodyguard. Though I wondered how I was supposed to protect Mother, who was dozens of times stronger than me.
“This way, Chairwoman.”
As I stepped forward to clear a path and spoke to her, she smiled with satisfaction.
“Heh, a fine sight indeed.”
Finally, the auction was beginning.