The Black Market Auction
The underground auction house of the black market was arranged like a secret theater. I wondered how on earth they had built something like this beneath the ground, but I decided not to dwell on the details. After all, if I started questioning things like that, the black market itself would make no sense to begin with.
The stage was surrounded by dark velvet curtains, and the lighting dramatically illuminated the relics and elixirs on display, emphasizing their mystery and luxury. The auction participants sat in their seats, silently raising their paddles to bid. On the additional floors extending to both sides of the hall, separate VIP sections had been prepared. A small number of people looked down at the first floor where I sat, participating in the auction from above.
In my personal opinion, the main customers were probably those people up there. ‘The first floor is literally just for the spectators, then.’ I was one of them, but since I didn’t have any money to participate anyway, it didn’t particularly bother me.
From full-face animal masks that almost completely hid their identities to tiny masks that barely covered their eyes, the participants all wore various shapes and colors of masks to conceal who they were. In the vast auction hall, only the auctioneer’s voice echoed.
"The next item we’ll be presenting is the scale of a sea dragon that lives in the depths of the ocean. Its applications are truly endless! We’ll start the bidding cleanly at 300 gold!"
Even though an extremely high price had come out of the auctioneer’s mouth, the bids shot up in an instant. Listening to them, I couldn’t help but feel like I was in a completely different world.
“Wow, that’s several months’ worth of living expenses...”
When I muttered in disbelief at the absurd price, snorts of laughter came from those around me. The people who had been mocking me met my eyes, flinched in surprise, and quickly turned their heads back toward the stage. I hadn’t done anything, yet they were cowering on their own. Feeling a bit awkward, I scratched my chin. Soon the lights dimmed and then brightened again, raising the atmosphere to a fever pitch. It seemed we had reached the final item, as the auctioneer began to set a heavier mood.
When another staff member who appeared to be an assistant wheeled in a cart, a thick cloth covered the display stand. In that heavy, curiosity-filled atmosphere, the auctioneer opened his mouth.
"Now, the final item of this auction is none other than this!"
At the auctioneer’s signal, the other assistants pulled away the cloth. The object on the display stand sparkled under the lights as it was revealed.
“That’s...”
“Hmm...?”
Despite it being the final item of the auction and the auctioneer’s attempt to build anticipation, the atmosphere around us was strangely subdued. It was the kind of reaction that said, What the hell is that? rather than excitement over something expensive or rare. When I subtly turned my head to look at the second floor where the VIPs were gathered, a similar mood seemed to flow from there as well.
Even so, there were a few people who seemed to have quickly recognized the item’s identity. Since I had no idea what it was, I simply watched from afar.
‘It looks like a necklace... or something. What is it?’
As if he had anticipated the silence and subtle atmosphere, the auctioneer smiled behind his mask and began the introduction.
"Do you all remember the black mage group that gained infamy in the southern continent a few months ago? The group that was recently subjugated through the combined efforts of the royal knights, southern adventurers, and the church’s holy knights. This is the pendant used by their leader, Bornis Mael, of the ‘Children of the Night’!"
"Bidding will start at 2000 gold!"
Once the auctioneer’s explanation and starting price were announced, bids began pouring in from the first floor and continued with heated reactions all the way to the second floor. ‘Well, is it that amazing?’ Knowing nothing about it, I began sipping the wine that a quick-witted staff member had brought me, using the straw they had thoughtfully provided. I had wondered how I was supposed to drink while wearing a mask, but the employee had even brought a straw. I watched the pendant’s price skyrocket like crazy while sipping the wine with a loud slurping sound.
‘This... is definitely a variable...’
Elina Lunespear, the academy’s principal, sat in the VIP seats wearing a mask. She let out a low groan at the unexpected turn the auction had taken. Her secretary’s investigation had indeed indicated that a black mage’s item would appear. But for an artifact belonging to the leader of that group to show up—this was clearly beyond expectations.
‘In the worst case, I’ll have to take it by force.’
The artifact was dangerous enough to warrant such measures. A black mage of unknown origin had suddenly appeared at the edge of the southern continent. He had absorbed an entire group of black mages, vagrants, and even the shady mercenary bands that handled illegal work. Introducing themselves as the ‘Children of the Night,’ they had quickly become the nightmare of the south in a very short time.
Just hearing about the number of members might make it sound ordinary, but Bornis Mael’s exceptional skill in black magic, combined with his rat-like ability to cause trouble and vanish instantly, had made life hell for the southern nobles, the adventurers’ guild, and the merchants who made their living there. Caravans were frequently ambushed and looted when moving between regions. The adventurers’ guild lost high-ranking personnel, and the black mages grew rapidly in size by attacking villages and conducting what amounted to human experimentation.
In the end, the royal family had dispatched their knight order, forming an alliance with the adventurers’ guild and the church’s holy knights to completely wipe out the group. Of course, the detailed explanation and the exact effects of the artifact would only be clear once she saw it for herself, but it was unlikely that a black mage’s tool would have any beneficial effects.
“Haa... What a headache.”
With a sigh, Elina scratched her head and immediately began participating in the bidding by moving her paddle.
3400—!
3700—!
4000—!
As the price continued to climb, Elina let out another sigh. But suddenly, something caught her magic detection. She whipped her head around and stared toward a group on the first floor. The group that received her gaze was huddled together in a noisy atmosphere, seemingly plotting something.
‘Those are... black mages...’
Feeling the unique, viscous and unpleasant flow of their magic, Elina tossed aside the paddle she had been using to bid with a sigh. Seeing them preparing to cast spells, it was clear they were also after Bornis Mael’s pendant. And not through peaceful means. In that case, she would respond in kind.
Clicking her tongue lightly, Elina left the VIP seats. If they caused a disturbance, the auction would be halted immediately, and the auction house owner would move the items to a safe vault for security. The owner wasn’t a fool; there would be security personnel. But these black mages who were openly causing trouble wouldn’t be half-hearted in their abilities.
Deciding it would be better to sweep away the black mages and secure the item herself, Elina left her seat without hesitation and began chanting a spell. It was an invisibility spell to hide her body from others and a silence spell to mute any sound. Translucent letters sparkled above her palm before vanishing. Confirming that her now-transparent palm was invisible, Elina stepped out into the corridor and began moving.
—Then, the pendant of Bornis Mael goes to—!
Wait, stop those bastards...!
Hearing the commotion from behind her, Elina recalled the location of the auction house’s vault in her mind and immediately quickened her steps.
“Kill those bastards right now! Anyone, just kill them!”
“Stop them! We must take Lord Bornis’s pendant!”
“Kyaaa! S-Save me!”
“Damn it, where are the staff?! How the hell do they manage security?!”
“All guests, please exit immediately! The exit is that way!”
The already chaotic atmosphere of the auction house grew even more tumultuous in a different sense. The sound of people raising their paddles to bid was replaced by screams and the clash of weapons as mysterious attackers suddenly appeared. The unidentified assailants, wrapped in suspicious black cloaks that covered even their faces, swung their weapons and clashed with the auction house’s security team. In the end, the interior of the auction house turned into a battlefield in an instant.
The glass display cases containing relics and elixirs worth hundreds or thousands of gold were quickly retrieved by the auction house staff. The masked participants, terrified, pushed each other aside as they fled toward the exits. The beastman guards I had encountered in the corridor appeared to block the attackers, but they were swiftly taken down—apparently some of the assailants included quite skilled mages.
‘That’s black magic.’
Not all black mages were criminals. The academy had professors who properly taught black magic, and its value as a field of study was recognized. Of course, the public perception wasn’t great, but that couldn’t be helped.
Seeing the attackers using black magic, I too left my seat and quickly ran down the corridor. But after running around in the maze-like basement, I found myself lost.
“Where am I?”
It was stupid, but I had completely lost my way. Thinking that this was becoming a serious problem, I started to retrace my steps. Then—
“What is this?”
I frowned at the sparkling door that appeared before my eyes.