21
Chapter 21
The developers of Bone and Blood were infamous for being twisted. More in a grotesque way than a lewd one.
A story that changes based on your choices.
Despite featuring elements that would drive any gamer crazy, like expansive freedom, it remained a niche title, likely due to that extreme gore.
After all, they were notorious as a studio that suspiciously loved grinding up orphans.
And right now, I was in the black market.
A place that gathered only the absolute deepest abyss of its already pitch-black world.
"...Ugh."
Bile rose to my throat, but I forced myself to swallow it back down.
Because right now, I was wearing a mask.
A mask given to those who entered using a VIP Entrance Ticket. It was a top-tier item that ordinary Clairvoyance Magic could never pierce through.
There was absolutely no merit in showing my face in a place like this, so I had to keep this Wolf Mask on. Still, I felt a bit reluctant to dirty it.
I spent some time tearing my eyes away from the nauseating scenes before a thought suddenly struck me.
'Come to think of it, are the other kids okay? They're younger than me.'
With that in mind, I looked over at Ciel, but...
...She was completely fine.
Actually, if she were to lose her mind over something like this, that would be even more terrifying.
"Why are you covering my eyes?"
Just in case, I had covered her eyes whenever something disturbing passed by. Yet, that was the question I got in return.
"...No reason. Just saw an Elf."
Elves generally possessed a strong sense of kinship. I didn't particularly want to show her a limbless Elf slave.
"It doesn't matter. I don't really care."
It seemed Ciel lacked that typical sense of kinship.
No, it almost seemed like she actively despised it.
"Besides, that isn't an Elf."
Ciel's abrupt remark.
I looked back at the slave I had seen... and soon realized the truth.
An Elf at that price?
It made absolutely no sense.
And thinking about it a bit more seriously, it was strange for a race like the Elves to be so miserably subjugated and dragged off as slaves.
Even if that had happened, being separated from the World Tree for long enough to heal severed limbs would naturally result in death long before that.
The World Tree and Elves were inseparable entities, absolutely impossible to tear apart.
And if it was a Half-Elf surviving away from the World Tree, the ears were way too long.
Then were those just fake ears glued on?
They certainly put a lot of effort into their scam.
Anyway, Ciel seemed completely unfazed. So, I turned my gaze to Rien, who had a softer heart than Ciel.
A fierce glint shone from behind her puppy mask.
Her eyes, tinged with madness, sparkled dangerously as if they could explode at any moment.
"...Snap out of it, idiot."
I flicked her on the back of the head using a light snap of my wrist.
This one was enjoying it a bit too much, if anything.
I had to keep a close eye on her to make sure she didn't pass out.
As I was thinking that... I soon realized something.
If that was the case, was I the only one chickening out here?
It made me feel a bit pathetic.
Kids like them were holding up just fine, yet here I was.
I walked down the street trying my best to look away from the internal organs and all sorts of bizarre items... until I found a kindred spirit.
Rubia was trembling like a leaf.
Her face was hidden behind a fox mask, but I could easily picture her expression.
Feeling a strange sense of familiarity and solidarity wash over me, I approached her. I figured sharing our fears might make us both a little less terrified.
And yet... her trembling only grew worse.
Just how cowardly was this woman?
No matter when I looked at her, she always seemed to be shaking like that.
*****
The Black Market.
The Black Market was held on a six-month cycle.
However, the locations of the buildings and the surrounding terrain were always similar.
No, 'similar' was an understatement—they were completely identical.
The reason was simple.
Every single one of these buildings was constructed using magic.
A masterpiece created by an Archmage.
It wasn't without reason that the Empire never dared to touch the Black Market.
'...Well, truth be told, that Archmage died a long time ago.'
It was just that their Disciple was using the relics left behind by their Master to reproduce the magic. But the Empire didn't know that.
They didn't want to mess with an Archmage in the first place, and regardless of how much they tried to outlaw it, these kinds of illegal transactions would simply pop up somewhere else.
So, they just turned a blind eye under the guise of surveillance.
There was probably a soldier from the Empire hiding somewhere around here.
Actually, considering the average nature of the Empire, there were probably quite a few soldiers here just to indulge in the filth rather than for surveillance purposes.
After all, every horrifying entertainment facility imaginable was right here.
Places that offered the experience of dissecting living humans, or even venues more atrocious than that.
Just thinking about it made bile rise in my throat again, so I frantically erased the images from my mind.
Anyway, that wasn't any of our business right now.
I wandered all over the streets, searching for my destination.
We passed by shops where I absolutely didn't want to know what went on inside... and finally stepped into the largest building.
"Thank you for visiting our Auction House."
A polite greeting.
A man dressed in a sharp suit bowed to us respectfully.
This place housed the largest Auction House, which served as the main attraction.
Naturally, it was crowded with people.
So much so that the massive building was completely packed.
However, that didn't matter to us.
VIP status wasn't given out for nothing.
Guided by a staff member, we walked through an exclusive hallway that was not only deserted but practically empty, avoiding the main corridor that looked ready to burst from the crowd.
A massive glass window.
A highly elevated position.
From the private box, the entire view of the Auction House was visible at a glance.
"If there is an item you wish to bid on, please press the button in front of you at any time."
Along with his friendly service, the man brought over some drinks.
......I was a minor, so I couldn't drink it anyway.
Regardless, after offering some courteous words and telling us to call him if we needed anything, the man left his post.
The more I looked around, the more amazed I became, so I asked her.
"How on earth did you get ahold of this?"
VIP Entrance Tickets were genuinely hard to come by.
Knowing how much hell I had to go through to get one in the original story, I couldn't help but find it astounding.
"......."
The gaze directed back at me was piercing.
Rubia didn't say a word, and though I couldn't even see her face... it felt like I could hear a resentful voice from behind the mask saying, 'You're the one who asked me to get it.'
Well, I did say a VIP Entrance Ticket would be nice if possible. But I didn't know she would actually be able to get her hands on one.
I did have a conscience, you know.
There were less than three days left. I only said it because I never expected her to actually acquire something so precious.
It felt like my heart was being poked and prodded.
"Let's buy a few things on our way out after the auction ends later."
Being human, those were the only words I could ultimately bring myself to say.
It was a recipe I had been saving, but after receiving such a huge favor, not repaying her would make me worse than a beast.
I might as well take this opportunity to start a Potion brewing business with Rubia.
"......."
I said it with that in mind. Yet, the gaze returned to me was even fiercer than before.
Her eyes seemed to ask just how much more she had to lose before she would be satisfied.
I tried to quickly explain myself, but.......
"The first item up for bid is the eyeball of an Elf who lived for 300 years!"
Drawn by the voice, I looked back out through the glass window.
The auction had finally begun.
Though it was a rather useless item to me.
"Ciel?"
While I was waiting for the next item to come out, Ciel suddenly pressed her forehead against the glass, staring intently at the object.
When I asked her what she was doing, the answer I got back was incredibly simple.
"I thought it might be my mom."
...I honestly didn't know how to respond to that.
I pondered for a long while before finally managing to speak.
"Um... do you want me to buy it for you if you're that concerned?"
Ciel just shook her head.
"It's okay. I don't think it's her."
"Right... that's a relief."
...No, is 'relief' really the right word here?
I suddenly felt a bit dizzy.
'Why do I feel like I came here for nothing?'
I had planned to acquire some Artifacts and gather some allies.
But how should I put it... there's been no real harvest.
Not the second item, nor the third.
Were they rare? Sure, they were rare.
But they were things I had absolutely no use for.
I wondered if I should have just gone to an auction house that specialized in slaves.
It was at that moment, just as I was letting out a deep sigh of frustration.
"This next item is a bit special."
The man spoke, trying to sound imposing.
Well, since his job was to sell things for as much as possible, he'd use any flowery language he could.
But this time, something was different.
The man introducing the items began moving something while clad in all sorts of Protective Gear.
Ciel suddenly wrapped her arms around me.
Rubia went beyond trembling; she collapsed onto the floor.
The same strange phenomenon was happening to everyone in the Auction House.
Yet, I was completely unaffected.
The meaning of this was clear.
Something was currently polluting the minds of these people.
The employee, fully armored in expensive Protective Gear, presented the item to the crowd.
And in that instant, I was speechless.
It was only natural.
That design.
That blade.
It was an object I had seen countless times while playing the previous game.
"A Demon Sword that radiates an ominous, unknown Curse!"
It was a Holy Sword.
The Holy Sword used by the protagonist of the previous game.
...A Holy Sword that was broken and radiating a dark, black light.