Auction
Auction
A leisurely afternoon.
I sipped my drink, relaxing as I watched the sun slowly dip below the mountain ridge.
It claimed to be 100% orange juice, and sure enough, the slight tartness blended naturally with the fruit flavor, hitting the spot for me.
"Ah... I wish every day could be like today."
Quite some time has passed since I returned to Seoul.
In the meantime, Baek Yeon has been so busy with whatever she's doing with Choi Soo-young that she returns late at night, and not a single day goes by without the smell of blood clinging to her body. Shin Su-ah, meanwhile, has gone back out to hunt for fortuitous encounters.
The way she enters and exits gates every single day, as if trying to make up for the losses caused by the Fiends' rampages and the shortage of manpower, looked almost dangerous.
Honestly, a lot of what she was collecting seemed useless to her right now, so I wondered, Does she really need to gather all that?
But Shin Su-ah's answer to that was simple.
"Elixirs, items, and treasures that future villains will use. I'm taking them all to increase my power and reduce the enemy's."
"It's basic tactics, isn't it? I'm actually disappointed that I can't enter the gates overseas that are overflowing with fortuitous encounters."
Seeing Shin Su-ah smacking her lips as if what she had wasn't enough while looking at the mountain of elixirs, items, and treasures piled up in her personal storage reminded me of a certain greedy dragon I saw in the past.
While Baek Yeon and Shin Su-ah are busy moving about, Linnea is living a life like a sandwich, going back and forth between Asgard, getting chewed out by me, and then getting chewed out by Odin and Freya.
After meeting the Leader of the Fiends, I ordered Odin to find the Fiends' base, determined to kill her once and for all this time.
But for some reason, even using Odin's throne, we couldn't find the Fiends' base, and Linnea is the only one suffering, caught between me telling her to make the impossible possible and Odin shouting that what can't be done, can't be done.
Meanwhile, while the three of them are struggling in their own ways.
Haeryeong is learning how to use magic techniques from me.
Perhaps she felt something after watching my fight with the Fiends, as Haeryeong approached me first and asked me to teach her magic techniques.
I had been planning to teach her eventually anyway, so I figured I'd just start the lessons a little early.
And one fact I learned while teaching Haeryeong.
'If the student is a genius, the teacher has it easy.'
As expected of the Dragon King's Granddaughter, Haeryeong was a genius who understood ten things when taught one.
A true genius, not a half-baked one like me who realized things through the transfer of memories and experience.
How surprised I was on the first day I started teaching Haeryeong.
'Now, I'll show you the basic magic techniques first. First, you do this with your magic power, and if you do it like this, you can control water, even if it's just a small amount.'
'Like this?'
'How did you do that?'
Haeryeong succeeded in the technique on her first try, perfectly mimicking everything from my magic power manipulation to the spell arrangement the moment I showed her.
Seeing her do so well, I even doubted if I had a genius talent for teaching, but Linnea, who was listening from the side, gave me a reality check by scolding me and saying that wasn't the case.
Still, Haeryeong, who understands perfectly even when I explain things poorly, learned the techniques at a rapid pace, and it's safe to say she has now mastered all the basic techniques I know.
While everyone was spending their day in their own productive ways, Shin Su-ah, who came home early today, opened the closet and was taking out clothes that looked somewhat formal, from dresses to suits, comparing them against her body.
I, who was lying on the sofa drinking juice, wiped my mouth stained with the drink and asked.
"What's up? Where are you going?"
"Ah, I forgot to tell you. There's an auction scheduled for this evening."
"An auction? What kind of auction are you going to that you're dressing up like that?"
This wasn't the first time Shin Su-ah had gone to an auction.
Since making a contract with me, she had participated in a few auctions, and each time, she had picked up a few items that are now shoved into storage.
But this was the first time she had been so careful about choosing an outfit for an auction.
That's why I became curious.
Just how grand of an auction could it be for Shin Su-ah to prepare so thoroughly?
"The auction being held this time is none other than 'Monochrome'."
"'Monochrome'?"
"It's an auction where big shots from both the underworld and the upper world gather, which has existed even before gates and Awakened appeared. You can't even go without an invitation, and even if you do participate, you'll be kicked out at the entrance if you aren't wearing the designated formal attire."
"Oh, sounds interesting."
"Sigh. Interesting, my foot."
Shin Su-ah grumbled with a deep sigh.
A deep sense of annoyance, as heavy as her sigh, was etched on her face.
"Why? Don't want to go?"
"Of course not. I told you the upper world and underworld are mixed together, right? No matter how much the auction organizers screen people, it's a place where tons of weirdos show up. Since the gates appeared, there hasn't been a single auction in Monochrome's history that ended without an incident, so I'm sure something will happen this time too."
"Then just don't go. Do you really have to go?"
"I didn't originally plan to go to Monochrome either, but..."
Shin Su-ah, saying that, looked at me with a hint of resentment.
Going to the auction is her own choice, so why is she looking at me like that?
As if she's going because of me.
"Originally, this Monochrome was supposed to be held in Russia. But in the aftermath of Nidhogg-nim opening the gate, the venue changed to Korea."
"I opened the gate?"
"Yes. You opened the gate where Nidhogg-nim's main body is to the humans, didn't you?"
"Ah, that. But what does that have to do with Monochrome?"
"Monochrome has a tradition of being held in the country with the highest value of items submitted to the auction."
According to Shin Su-ah, who was grumbling but explaining it well, the original venue for this Monochrome was Russia.
It is said that by registering various resources and items obtained by clearing a whopping 4 S-grade gates until last year, they surpassed China, which had registered the equivalent of 3 S-grade gates, and became the almost certain sole contender.
But this year, with my appearance, an Immeasurable-grade gate appeared along with me.
As guilds registered the various rare resources that poured out of it for sale, the venue supposedly changed from Russia to Korea in an instant.
Since it was originally an auction to be held in Russia, she had no intention or schedule to participate, but with it changing to Korea, an invitation arrived, she had to preemptively grab items that villains might take, and who knows what kind of incident might occur.
From Shin Su-ah's perspective, it's understandable that she'd be stressed.
However.
"Wait. Opening the gate where my main body is to some people was an idea you and Ratatoskr came up with, wasn't it?"
"Ugh! W-well, I didn't know things would turn out like this back then..."
"Anyway, it means it's your own doing."
"Sigh. That's why I was trying to go without telling you separately."
"That's hard to believe, considering you were so blatantly showing off your outfit selection..."
As if you wanted me to go with you.
Was she struck by the truth of my words?
Shin Su-ah couldn't offer any rebuttal.
No wonder she insisted on bringing it out and checking one by one, even though there was a full-length mirror inside the dressing room.
"You should have just asked me to go with you from the start."
"Ugh... But Nidhogg-nim, you've done so many things for me recently, and you're even teaching Haeryeong, so I felt bad asking you for this too."
"Certainly, I have handled a lot of things."
While Shin Su-ah or Baek Yeon handled various miscellaneous tasks and clean-up, as she said, I was the one who stepped up and dealt with the real enemies of most incidents, like Odin, Apophis, and the Leader of the Fiends.
I didn't get hurt in the process, but having seen me suffer from body aches firsthand, it seems she felt burdened to ask me.
To think she was worrying about something like this.
I would have agreed even if she had just asked for this much.
"Anyway, I've taught her all the basic knowledge and techniques now, and after hearing you, I'm curious too. I'll go with you."
"Really?"
"Yeah. When have I ever gone back on my word? Get ready to go."
"Yay!"
As soon as I said I'd go with her, Shin Su-ah cleared away all the clothes she had been trying on and came out wearing a black dress.
And in her hand was a black bowtie.
"...No way, right?"
"Hehe."
"Ah, please."
That's just not right.
Incheon Airport in the middle of the day.
A group of people who had just gotten off a plane crossed the airport lobby.
Their muscular bodies and the dark tattoos drawn all over them made onlookers feel intimidated, and people naturally stepped aside as the group passed by.
As soon as they exited the airport, the man in the lead put his hand into his coat, took out a thick cigar, and put it in his mouth.
Then, among the men following behind, a bald man with a shaved head approached and lit it for him, saying.
"Boss. There's quite a bit of time left until the auction starts. What would you like to do?"
"Huuu. What about those gloomy Northerners?"
"It seems they plan to arrive right on time."
"They're guys who don't know how to relax. Is there any need to be so punctual even for an auction like this?"
The man called Boss, Viktor Orlov, the boss of Krasniye, the largest mafia organization in Russia, and a famous S-grade Awakened, laughed at the rival organization while brushing back his red hair.
Compared to Krasniye, which acts according to instinct and has a flexible organization, the rival organization, Severniye Teni, is somewhat gloomy and has strict discipline.
Thinking about their strict and inflexible rules for a moment made Viktor feel like his stomach was turning.
For him, who has lived more freely than anyone else since childhood, their rules are no different from torture.
"We've come all this way, we can't just leave. Igor, what about the task I gave you before we left?"
"I've found over 100 places that sell the high-quality liquor you asked for and made a list."
"Good. Then let's enjoy ourselves in our own way until the auction starts."
Following Igor, who led the way, the mafia members boarded multiple vehicles and sped down the road in search of bars.
It was an act that ignored laws and rules, but there was no one here who could stop them.
While they were speeding down the road like that.
One subordinate said.
"Boss! But is it really okay to do this?!"
"What!!"
"You heard it before we left! They said there's a 'Dragon' in Korea right now, so don't go there and cause trouble!"
At the subordinate's words, Viktor thought of a woman.
Elena, the organization's financial manager and practically the second-in-command.
She, who handles information, had left the same warning to Viktor, the boss.
And his answer to that is the same now as it was then.
"As if a proud son of Mother Russia would be scared of a mere lizard! If I cause trouble, I'll think about it then! Got it?!"
"Yes! Boss!!"
Act first, think later.
That was Viktor's life philosophy.