Chapter 15
Chapter 15
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: Haruna - [3]
The central auction house in the capital, Golden Gate. This was the hall of desire where the empire's rarest and most expensive items were traded.
Gorgeous chandeliers lit the place up like broad daylight, and the floor was covered in plush red carpet.
Everyone coming and going was either a noble in silk robes or a high-ranking mage.
Haruna and I were utter outsiders amid all that splendor.
Of course, we'd changed into clean clothes... but maybe they could still smell the commoner on us or something.
"Hold it."
A burly guard at the entrance blocked our path with his spear. His gaze raked us up and down.
It was blatantly contemptuous.
"No peddlers allowed. If you're delivering goods, go around to the back."
"We're here to participate in the auction..."
"Ha! Participate?"
The guard snorted.
"Sure, anyone can join an auction. But do you even know how much the entry fee is? You two look like you couldn't afford it..."
Just as the guard was about to really lay into us, Rozina appeared.
Rozina took a deep breath, snapped open her folded fan with a flick, and approached the guard. She tapped his shoulder lightly with the fan's edge.
"Step aside."
"What, who the hell are—Gasp?!"
The guard turned irritably, then froze at the sight of the family crest on Rozina's dress.
Black background with a red rose and sword.
"L-Lady Bellua?!"
"These are my 'precious' guests."
Rozina emphasized "precious," looking incredibly dignified.
My legs were shaking just watching from the sidelines.
"Treating my guests like peddlers—are you insulting the Bellua family? Should I tell the manager your name?"
"H-Hiiik! S-Sorry! I didn't recognize you!"
The guard paled and stepped aside, practically bowing to the ground.
I slipped past, thinking to myself.
'Noble connections really are something...'
The auction house interior buzzed with excitement. We took seats in the second-floor VIP terrace.
Unlike the general seats below, these were top-tier with plush sofas and refreshments.
"R-Really, for me...?"
"Of course."
Rozina replied to Haruna. It felt like she was going all-in to win us over now that she'd started.
Haruna flipped through the catalog, practically drooling.
"Aiman, check this out. Insane. 'Mithril alloy plate' and 'top-grade magic crystal' too... I want it all."
"Calm down. We're only buying what we need. You already checked what items are coming up, right?"
I held Haruna back while glancing at Rozina. She sat in the corner of the sofa, trembling.
The auction began.
"Deep sea siren's voice crystal! A rare material that maximizes sound resonance!"
The auctioneer's shout sent the bidding soaring.
"100 gold!"
"150 gold!"
"200 gold!"
That was one of the items we needed. Meaning Rozina's face grew paler with every bid.
No matter how noble she was, unless she was the family head, there were limits to what she could spend...
And then Haruna shot to her feet. Rozina had handed her the reins to try bidding.
"500 gold!!!"
"...?!!"
The auction house fell silent in an instant. Current market price was 200 gold—jumping to 500 was insane.
"Haa..."
I let out a deep sigh. This dwarf had zero sense of money.
Was it because it was someone else's money? Or did she just suck at numbers?
'Sigh.'
I clamped a hand over Haruna's mouth.
"Mmph mph!"
"Hey, easy does it. Easy."
I sat Haruna back down and turned to Rozina. She looked half-dazed.
I bowed politely.
"Sorry, milady. She's a blacksmith through and through—no economic sense at all."
"N-No, it's fine. That's..."
"How about this from now on."
I tried the gentlest tone possible.
"You handle all the bidding and set the price ceilings yourself."
"P-Pardon...?"
"As a noble, you've attended countless auctions, right? Your eye for value and judgment on fair prices are beyond us commoners."
Her pride must be bruised, so let's stroke it.
"We'll just tell you what we need, and you decide with your expert eye. We trust you."
"...!"
Rozina's eyes widened.
"Ah..."
Tears welled up in her eyes.
'This one's got mood swings too.'
Every noble I'd met so far had them—inductive proof that noble = bipolar.
"Understood. Leave it to me, Aiman."
She wiped her tears and nodded solemnly.
"On the name of Bellua! I'll snag the best items at the lowest prices!"
She snapped open her fan and hit the bid button. Her eyes sparkled with life.
Felt like I'd gaslit her successfully.
I'd been keeping Haruna's mouth covered the whole time, but then a thought struck me.
'Wait, with Haruna's strength, shaking me off would be nothing...'
That realization hit me oddly.
In the end, the auction was a success.
Thanks to Rozina's performance, we scored the siren's voice crystal and various other items at prices way below expectations.
Of course, that was because hardly anyone else wanted them.
Even if they were art pieces, who buys semi-finished products over completed ones?
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ We lugged our haul back to Haruna's workshop.
"Ehehehe, ehehehe heh."
Haruna cackled like a madwoman as she started disassembling the piano.
I was a bit nervous at first. Disassembling and reassembling a piano takes time.
'No need to worry.'
Haruna's work speed made it clear my concerns were unfounded. Thanks to magic.
'Total cheat. Just.'
Why couldn't I use magic? What a waste. Seriously.
Anyway, I retreated to a corner to avoid getting in Haruna's way.
Rozina sat demurely beside me, like her job was done.
Awkward silence. The only sound was Haruna's clinking and clanking.
Feeling embarrassed, I broached a topic.
"You worked hard, milady. Thanks to you, we got great stuff."
"No, it's what I should do."
Rozina answered meekly.
The silence dragged on. Was this crossing a line?
But... I had to say it.
"By the way... why did you do it?"
"Pardon?"
"To Serika. Why torment her like that? Someone of your standing, picking on a commoner girl."
Rozina's shoulders stiffened at my question. She bowed her head, twisting the hem of her dress with her fingers.
After a long silence, she spoke.
"Jealousy..."
A small, trembling voice.
"I was born the eldest daughter of the Bellua family, bearing all its expectations. I memorized magic formulas sleeping only four hours a day, swung my staff until my fingers blistered."
Moisture crept into her voice.
"But... Serika was different. Even without half the effort I put in... she was always ahead."
"..."
"A genius who didn't try. I hated that. It felt unfair. Here I was bleeding to keep up, and she passed me like it was a stroll."
Rozina bit her lip.
"A commoner... shining brighter than me. It scared me. So I wanted to keep her under me."
An honest confession. Pathetic, if you want to call it that.
The root of hating someone is always your own inferiority complex.
I nodded.
"I see."
"Sorry. Laugh if you want."
"You shouldn't apologize to me."
"True."
And quite a bit of time passed. Like... three hours?
We didn't talk at all, just watched Haruna work.
'Does she love it that much?'
Haruna looked like she owned the world, geeking out over the piano. Watching her, it was funny and relatable at the same time.
"Done!!!"
Haruna's shout burst out. Grinning ear-to-ear with grease smeared on her face, she pointed at the piano.
"Perfect! The sound's gonna be way more powerful now!"
The piano looked slightly different. The glossy black body was the same, but a faint blue glow now lingered around it.
"Play it! Come on! Gotta tune it while you play!"
Haruna urged. I stood, walked to the piano, and sat. The keys vibrated faintly, like welcoming me.
'...'
Before touching the keys, I turned to Rozina. She still sat with a cowed expression.
"Milady."
"Yes?"
"You can't change the past. What's done can't be undone."
Rozina's face darkened again.
"But... you can start over."
"Start over?"
"Yes. Not racing against others, but at your own pace."
I placed my hands on the keys.
"I won't tell you to ask Serika's forgiveness. That'd disrespect her."
"..."
"But I can tell her you're regretting it. Listen to this and run again."
I began playing Second Run.