The Elixir Auction
"I'll buy it for 5 gold!" the young noble boy shouted, snapping back to his senses.
Five gold. Considering that the fair market price for one bottle of Elixir—roughly five hundred milliliters—was between two and three gold, it was above average. But for such a bold declaration, the amount felt strangely half-hearted. With the current scarcity driving a full-blown shortage of Elixirs, he was only offering twice the going rate?
Primor hid her smile behind her teacup, clearly amused. "I will purchase it for 10 gold. One bottle will suffice, of course."
"...Kkh! I'll buy it for 20 gold! Both bottles!"
The boy, completely ruled by pride, quadrupled his offer on the spot. Damn. Even Bitcoin didn't swing this wildly.
I waved my hands in protest. "Twenty gold is far too much. I deliberately held back stock from our own share so I could sell one bottle to each of you, yet you intend to take them both? Please, consider my position as well."
"...Ahem!"
The young noble seemed to already regret his impulsive bid. When I stepped in using my own name as an excuse, he simply cleared his throat and let the matter drop. Buying both at twenty gold apiece would total a staggering forty gold—slightly more than Diabolo's entire fortune. Even I had to fight the urge to start headbanging on the table.
I don't know how rich Minerva is, but if I actually sold it at that price, the goodwill I've built up would plunge straight into the negatives.
In modern terms, this was like selling a soon-to-be-commercialized vaccine for four billion won. If I squeezed forty gold out of this spoiled brat, the odds of being labeled a money-crazed lunatic were far too high. I wasn't some potion-peddling scammer. The connections I'd painstakingly built were too valuable to risk by overcharging.
If Veronica came home having paid one silver for a cut of meat, I'd grab a spear and storm the butcher's shop myself.
"...Very well. What price would you consider fair?"
"That is for the buyers to decide. I have no knowledge of your respective assets or financial situations..."
The moment the boy noble spoke, I immediately seized the initiative. Hell yeah. So this is what landing the first strike feels like? This is fucking fun. Of course, the person on the receiving end would call it the most miserable thing in the world, but I was the one selling a scarce item. I hoped they'd overlook this much. It definitely wasn't me venting the frustration of constantly getting sniped by Chinese gold farmers and scammers on some innocent bystanders.
"...Ten gold seems reasonable," the brooding boy said. He appeared to have settled on the figure Primor suggested as his limit. She nodded in agreement, and so the Elixir was sold for ten gold.
Of course, our young noble only now seemed to regain his grip on reality. His lips puckered at the realization that he'd paid the price of four bottles for one. Look at this kid, pouting in front of his elders. The urge to slap a blood demon technique right onto those lips was almost overwhelming.
"Lord Marcello, you mentioned using this for the Lord of Lucregens?" I asked while watching the Hermeion Guild staff carefully package the Elixir.
The boy noble startled, then answered. "Eh? Ah, yes. Why do you ask?"
"I don't know the full details of the lord's condition, but I do know the scar is quite old."
"That's right. What of it?"
"Using a potion to treat an old scar is actually a tremendous waste of its efficacy. In the lord's case, they would likely excise the scarred tissue first and then apply the Elixir directly to the wound."
His face paled. Rich imagination, weak stomach. So that's why Minerva had sent him away on this errand—like removing him from the battlefield.
"E-excise the wound? Is that true?" He turned to the magician who appeared to be his escort. The woman, who looked more like a secretary, nodded.
"Yes. For cases involving decayed flesh or severe burns, surgical removal followed by regeneration is standard. It is simply more efficient."
"Ugh..."
As he shuddered, I saw my opening. "Given the circumstances, you have still purchased one bottle at this price. Therefore, I thought I might share a more efficient treatment method. Would you like to hear it?"
"There's another way?! What is it?!"
Of course he took the bait. I smiled and quickly wrote several lines of text and a magic formula on a sheet of paper before handing it over.
"This spell channels the medicine through the capillaries and bloodstream, concentrating its effect only on the necessary areas. The application is quite simple, so you should be able to reference it easily."
"Ohh! Truly?! Thank you!"
The boy noble, whose speech didn't match his age at all, accepted the paper as reverently as if it were a holy relic. No doubt the secretary magician's confirmation that the formula was legitimate had helped.
"Thanks to you, I shall heal my beloved's long-standing wound! I will never forget your name! Ah, and this is a letter from Minerva together with a gift for you!"
"...A gift?"
"Indeed!"
What he proudly presented was a small wooden box about the size of a computer mouse. My interest, which had been waning during this tedious conversation, suddenly surged. Nobody hates expensive presents—especially when they come from rich people who care about appearances.
"It is already an honor that you would remember my name, yet you even bestow such a treasure! I hardly know how to express my gratitude! May I open it?"
"Such an enthusiastic response! By all means, open it!"
With his permission, I opened the gift from the stubborn lord. The moment I saw its contents, my eyes narrowed instinctively.
A jewel? No—tree sap. Amber, perhaps?
Definitely not ordinary. I can feel mana radiating from it.
I almost examined the thumbnail-sized orange gem with Odin's Eye, but stopped myself. If someone spoke to me while I was using it, I'd probably start spouting nonsense. This damn penalty kept getting in my way.
"It is the Amber of Twin Star. As the one presenting it, it would be proper for me to explain its nature, but reading the letter would likely be faster than listening to me ramble!"
Having neatly dodged all responsibility, the boy quickly gathered the Elixir and hurried back to Minerva as if he had urgent business. I stood there holding the box, momentarily stunned, before letting out a hollow laugh.
Whether it's a bestowal or a gift, he should've offered this first. It might have earned him a better deal on the Elixir. Of course, the gift was technically unrelated to the previous transaction, but human psychology doesn't make such neat distinctions. When money lands in your account or an envelope appears in your pocket, you inevitably start reading the giver's mood.
He's surprisingly naive for his age.
Snickering, I lifted my tea and took a sip. Fortunately, this batch was a pleasantly bitter black tea. Although he'd claimed to have dodged responsibility, an instruction sheet was included, so there was no need to detain him with questions.
Whatever it is, it's clearly no ordinary item. The mana it contained was on a level that couldn't be ignored. My heart was pounding with anticipation. Of course, considering nothing unusual had appeared even during the fight with Diabolo, it probably wasn't an object meant for immediate combat. But not every good item has to be used in battle.
Anyway, it was free. I decided to accept it with pure gratitude.
"Does administering the Elixir require special magic?" Primor asked once the boy had left, her curiosity plain. Since she would be drinking it herself, it made sense that she'd be concerned.
"It's not strictly necessary, but it's better to have it. Just some miscellaneous knowledge I picked up by chance."
I'd learned it thanks to Diabolo. More precisely, by thoroughly examining the book that bastard had delivered to me, but it amounted to the same thing.
That must have been how they made the ice-preserved Tirsi absorb the Elixir. They'd surrounded her with a magic circle while she was trapped in ice and poured the Elixir over her, allowing the medicine to penetrate. They'd apparently discovered a magic circle in the annex where she'd been held.
"In that sense, Lady Primor, when you consume the Elixir, please ensure that either I or another magician is present to assist you."
I spoke with deliberate gravity, hammering the point home. She seemed slightly startled by my serious tone but nodded.
"I understand. I will drink the Elixir after returning to my family. I'll ask for your help then."
"You're not drinking it now?"
"No. The family head must be furious. Shouldn't I at least earn a little sympathy?"
Fuck, don't say things that make even me feel uneasy about what's waiting.
My expression must have soured, because Primor let out a small laugh.
"You needn't worry, Lord Nord. The curse of the ring has been resolved. We'll depart as soon as the family carriage arrives."
"Understood."
With that, Primor left the reception room with her escort as well. Once only Selena and I remained, she set down her teacup and spoke as both the representative of the host and the mediator.
"Hehe. If it had been me, I would have sold it for twenty gold."