Chapter 32
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: Chapter 32
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: Chayuri Floridel
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Chayuri Floridel
Now's the time. Start bidding.
What the hell is this old man suddenly saying?
Looks totally senile;;
Lmao the auction's already over lol
The replies pouring in under Antique Collector's comment.
Everyone was treating Antique Collector like some senile old grandpa.
"How...?"
But as someone who knew the truth, I couldn't help but be shocked.
At that moment, the auctioneer began explaining the newly introduced item.
"The very last item is an 'extremely old bracelet.' It's an artifact discovered in ruins in the southern continent. Rumor has it that it bears a very rare enchantment. Starting bid is 5,000 gel."
It was a dramatic entrance, but the crowd's reaction was lukewarm.
An artifact bracelet with unknown magic attached.
It was the epitome of a mysterious antique.
Title: What’s up with Antique Grandpa?
Writer: Kim Muggle
(Photo of a dusty bracelet)
Thought it was over, but they urgently added a new item and this came out.
Did he know about this and tell us to wait?
Antique Grandpa, who the hell are you...
????
For real?
How do you even know this?
You're there in person, right Antique Grandpa?
?
Does that even make sense ffs?
Not every good item shows up at auction. Useless junk and mysterious old relics always appear too. But there wasn't any this time. Especially no antiques.
Usually, auction houses have a set strategy for that. If there's just one antique, they save it for a dramatic finale to drum up interest. It's probably not a last-minute addition but was planned all along.
If antiques keep popping up mid-auction, they're just treated as junk. But one dramatic appearance at the end makes it seem like it holds mystical power.
So he was just waiting for an antique to show up?
This dude just loves antiques lol
Dunno if it's a lucky guess or the real deal. Still, go buy it. Won't be as pricey as last time.
If it was real, then Antique Collector was undoubtedly a true auction expert.
His explanation about just waiting for an antique made sense too, though.
For now, I joined the bidding.
Just as Antique Collector said, the price on this mystery bracelet was climbing higher than expected.
"47,000 gel!"
"47,000 gel! No higher bids? Counting down!"
Thud thud thud-
In the end, I won it for a price nearly ten times the starting bid.
Pretty expensive for a dusty bracelet.
But after selling the Chain Changelings' spinal fluid and making bank, I could invest boldly.
Mysterious antiques like that often hold profound secrets. That bracelet is surely no ordinary item.
Hold up, isn't this old man just telling us to buy every antique? Lol
Even if it makes infinite mana he's still picking antiques lol
So what exactly is that bracelet anyway?
I'm cumming...!
In the gallery, the other archmages were mocking Antique Collector.
Yet Antique Collector stubbornly stuck to his guns.
He seemed confident about this item.
Bought it. Got it for 47,000 gel.
Cheap compared to the 2 mil you made.
Ah, if you'd had this much left I should've grabbed that protective magic armor earlier.
So what's the effect on this thing?
Ancient relics like that often have dormant magic. Modern folks don't recognize their value. It'll awaken, and you won't regret it.
Hmm. That's true.
Better than something ambiguous. Saved money and got a good deal.
Lol so how do you even use this bracelet?
From the looks of it, it'll need some preparation to awaken. Head back for now.
It was about time to head back to the academy.
I decided to grab a carriage for the return trip.
But while hailing one, I spotted two familiar figures over there.
"Those two..."
It was the middle-aged woman and the delicate man who had bid on the 'Chain Changelings' Spinal Fluid.'
Still wearing masks to hide their faces, they boarded a carriage.
The crest on the carriage looked familiar.
Upon closer inspection, it was the crest of the Floridel Archmage Duke Family that Hisenna had told me about before.
No way. The delicate man's identity was becoming more and more suspicious.
For now, I hailed my return carriage.
Even if I had a hunch about that guy's identity, I still needed to get back to the dorms.
I was starving and wanted to get back quick to eat.
Now that I had money, I could order whatever without worrying about Hisenna's side-eye.
I grinned, imagining posting proof of a successful muggle's feast in the gallery.
But,
'That carriage is heading the same way.'
The Floridel Archmage Duke Family carriage carrying those two was heading in the same direction as me.
Quite a distance ahead, but on the same road.
As suspicions grew, we arrived at the academy before I knew it.
The Floridels' carriage parked far off in the lot, standing still.
That direction was toward the dorms, so I had no choice but to pass by it.
And as I drew near the Floridels' carriage,
Suddenly, the door opened, and one person stepped out.
The Floridels' carriage hummed and departed after dropping them off.
But the person, upon making eye contact with me, froze in place.
"Uh."
"Y-You..."
It was Chayuri Floridel.
My hunch had been spot on.
"You, that..."
In Chayuri's hand was the vial of 'Chain Changelings' Spinal Fluid' that I had sold at auction.
Chayuri's and my gazes crossed awkwardly in the air.
The eight Archmage Duke Families each had their own distinct traits and cultures.
Among them, the Floridels' defining feature could be summed up in one word: 'beauty.'
Beauty comes in many forms, but for the Floridels, it was the flower-like, peerlessly exquisite kind.
Direct descendants of the Floridel Archmage Duke bore remarkably delicate features, even the men.
This extended to their magic as well.
Females went without saying, but even males excelled in affinity, precision, and imagery factors.
Conversely, they were relatively weaker in output, multiplicity, and order.
Thus, those who had cultivated those three through effort held key positions in the family.
In that sense, being born male was advantageous for Floridels.
They were innately talented in most factors.
And Chayuri had the misfortune of being born the only daughter of the Floridel Archmage Duke's fifth wife.
Each Archmage Duke had unique ways of continuing their line.
The Floridel Archmage Duke was infamous as a playboy.
With multiple wives, he had more direct heirs than most families.
Hence, competition among them was fierce.
Chayuri's mother, Harora, fell out of the duke's favor after becoming pregnant with her.
With so many wives, rivalry among them for primary status was intense.
Harora, having lost that battle, had to bear Chayuri alone.
The Floridel Archmage Duke didn't even care if Chayuri lived or died.
She was just one of many children from wives whose novelty had worn off.
Harora resolved to raise Chayuri well to regain the duke's attention.
As a woman, she had already been discarded.
She believed if Chayuri stood out among the direct heirs, he'd take interest again.
But Chayuri was a girl.
The duke wanted a male successor.
And due to the Floridel bloodline, males were magically superior.
Yet the duke no longer shared her bed.
Unable to bear more children, using Chayuri was her best bet.
So Harora raised Chayuri as a boy.
In secret, hoping for the day the duke would notice her again.
One day, Harora received word from an auction house.
'Chain Changelings' Spinal Fluid' was up for auction after a long time.
She rushed there immediately.
Even dragging Chayuri from the academy to join the auction that day.
"Chayuri. The Chain Changelings' Spinal Fluid has finally appeared. We must buy it this time. Once you gain true male factors, the duke will look at us again...!"
Other direct heirs from rival wives had already consumed the spinal fluid.
Naturally, no wife shared it with her rivals' children.
Weak Harora had taken years to secure it.
She lobbied nearly every auction house on the continent to notify her if it appeared.
After losing out several times over years, she finally got another chance.
This time, she'd saved plenty of money and wouldn't miss it.
And she succeeded, winning it for 2 million gel.
"It's done...! Done, done, Chayuri! Now we can finally catch the duke's eye...!"
"Mother..."
"Drink it right now. Become a boy quick...!"
"Mother, but I have to go to the academy first thing tomorrow morning."
"What's the problem? Just go as a boy, right?"
"They say the first dose is really painful. I might not wake up in time."
"Oh, right. Yeah, that. Can't risk being late by accident. The duke wouldn't look at a delinquent child. Then, next weekend it is."
Chayuri swallowed a sigh watching her mother tremble like she was having a fit.
Of course, Chayuri knew her situation was dire.
Around age eleven, she realized something was off.
That she was a girl living in disguise as a boy.
True to Floridel blood, unlike Harora, Chayuri was sharp-minded.
She hated the disguise. It didn't improve her magic either.
Sometimes she wanted to live as a girl.
Following one's natural identity was the truth of nature, after all.
Yet Chayuri kept obeying Harora out of a sense of responsibility.
Feeling like her mother's breakdown was her fault.
Harora always muttered, 'If only I'd borne a son, the duke would...'
She hoped the academy would help, but surveillance only intensified.
Registered as male, monitored by servants.
Would consuming the spinal fluid end this charade?
It would grant male magical advantages, closing the innate gap.
"Mother. If I drink this, do I no longer need to dress as a boy?"
"...What are you saying?"
But Harora thought differently.
"The duke wants a male heir. Of course you should become a boy."
"The duke wants a great mage as successor, not necessarily a boy..."
"Kyaaaaah!!"
"...!"
"The duke wants a boy! So become a boy and beat the other directs. Just drink this!"
Harora's was a form of mania.
In these fits, she even forgot the spinal fluid was one-time use.
And even lucid, she wouldn't let Chayuri stop disguising.
On the carriage ride back, Chayuri stayed silent.
She promised to drink it next weekend and got off.
But honestly, Chayuri didn't want to drink the Chain Changelings' Spinal Fluid.
It was something she'd done forever, and she knew it was just 24-hour temporary,
yet the thought filled her with horrific revulsion.
Afraid that even briefly becoming a real boy would shatter her fragile sense of self.
That her mind would change along with her body.
Even gaining male superior factors wouldn't stop the disguise.
Imagining drinking it brought a strange urge to tear off her skin.
Like bugs crawling all over her. Wanting to twist joints, crush skin. She hated it so much.
Chayuri loathed the idea of herself as a boy with utter disgust.
No, I'm not a boy.
I hate doing this. Hate it... Hate my body-
"Uh."
At that moment, a man's voice snapped Chayuri back to reality.
Someone was staring at her as she stepped off the carriage.
"Y-You..."
It was none other than Ian Isaac.
The commoner cadet with bizarre magical talent.
"You, no way..."
Ian eyed the glass vial in Chayuri's hand with a subtle gaze.
Then scanned her suspiciously and asked a strange question.
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