The Auction Master's Gratitude
"Wow. I really almost died back there. Thanks to you, I'm alive now."
The plump man tapped his shoulder a few times, as if still unused to having one arm immobilized, then smiled as he spoke. That smile carried a faint but unmistakable mix of fear and suspicion.
"Uh... that's a relief, then." I could roughly guess the source of that fear, so I hid my bewildered expression behind my mask and swallowed hard. It seemed this man believed I was the one who had turned the corridor into a slaughterhouse and taken the pendant. He probably thought I was brazenly pretending not to know anything about it. Of course it was a misunderstanding, but the situation had spiraled so strangely that I never got the chance to correct him. Before I knew it, I was sitting here in the auction house owner's office, facing him one-on-one.
He had reattached his severed arm with healing magic. It was clearly just emergency treatment, though; he sat in his chair wearing a protective brace, as if to remind himself not to overexert it yet. In the oddly awkward atmosphere, I kept my mask on and spoke.
"...So, may I ask why you called me here?"
I glanced around the room. It was every bit as ostentatious as the man's own appearance. I had been waiting for the owner to arrive, killing time until he did. Fortunately, after the emergency treatment and some additional healing, he regained consciousness soon afterward. The mage had been right—the auction house owner's skills were no joke. His office was packed with luxurious, high-end objects. The space itself seemed far too large for a single person. Expensive rugs covered the floor in perfect condition, and priceless artworks decorated every wall. I had no idea who the artists were, but I doubted this man would hang counterfeits in his own office. Even the chair and table I sat at were crafted from premium wood, adorned with intricate carvings.
"Hmm... I can tell what you're worried about, but there's really no need. I plan to forget all about that pendant."
"...Pardon?"
His response caught me so off guard that I couldn't hide my stunned reaction. He studied my face carefully before continuing.
"I made a hasty judgment, thinking that since the organization had already collapsed, it wouldn't matter. But those bastards were far more deranged than I realized. No matter how much money is on the line, you still need to be alive to enjoy it, right? So I'll trust that you'll handle the pendant... appropriately."
The man scratched his chin and sighed. Given his position as auction house owner, I'd imagined someone utterly obsessed with money. Instead, he turned out to be surprisingly rational. Replicating the exact same killing method in an instant was no easy feat. It hadn't been wide-area magic that swept everything before it, but a precise strike aimed only at vital points. That made it nearly impossible to gauge the caster's true skill. And right now, the man before me clearly believed I was that mage. That was likely why he chose not to press the issue of the stolen pendant.
No, but I really didn't do it. And I definitely didn't take the pendant...
Still, the mage had deliberately vanished before the man woke up. It was obvious they had no desire to reveal their existence. Having been saved twice now, I decided there was no point in correcting the record. I let out a quiet sigh and chose to keep playing along.
"In that case... since the subject has come up, would you be willing to grant me a small favor?"
My sudden shift in tone made the man offer an awkward smile, but he eventually nodded.
Since things had reached this point, I might as well collect what I needed before leaving.
"Are you truly all right with this?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Those items you gave the young lady. I don't think they were things you could simply hand over for free."
"That's what I'm asking. What exactly are you trying to say?"
"Don't play dumb. You can't possibly be unaware of what I know, boss."
The subordinate's puzzled question earned him a look from the boss that seemed to ask what on earth he was going on about. The subordinate sighed and pressed on.
"The person you said saved your life. Aside from that pendant belonging to the warlocks, you handed over quite a few expensive items for free. Did you really need to go that far?"
The exchange was far too casual for a conversation between boss and subordinate, but neither seemed to mind. There was deep trust between them, and after working together for far longer than a day or two, each assumed the other had their reasons. So the boss continued without showing any irritation at his employee's tone.
"Do you know anything about the big players in the Black Market?"
"...Sir?"
"I'm talking about the people who pour money into not just the auction house but the entire Black Market. How many of them do we actually know by name and face?"
"Well... I don't know the details, but thinking about their families or titles, a few names do come to mind."
"And even then, they're few enough to count on one hand, aren't they?"
"Yes, exactly. They usually wear masks anyway, and unless they're the type of noble who enjoys showing off, most of them cast recognition-dampening magic. Our staff doesn't go out of their way to uncover guests' identities either."
Of course, learning their identities and exploiting weaknesses might help grow one's wealth, but it would also be like tying one's own life to a burning fuse. Following the boss's creed—take what you can eat, grab what you can carry, and restrain excessive greed—the employees simply kept an eye out for guests who looked wealthy. All in hopes of earning even the smallest extra tip.
"So why are you telling me this? It doesn't seem related to my question at all."
"It's just... just a gut feeling."
"What the hell does that even—"
"A feeling, I said. A feeling. My gut tells me this might become a connection to someone important."
"...Sigh."
When the boss fell silent after that, the employee let out his own sigh and closed his mouth as well. He knew from experience that this kind of reaction meant no further answers would be forthcoming, so he let the matter drop. As usual, he figured the boss must have his own thoughts on the matter.
The boss, fully aware of his employee's mindset, sighed as well.
There was definitely one more person.
The part about fainting wasn't a lie. At that moment, the bleeding from his severed arm had been so severe that shock had sent his consciousness reeling. Fortunately, the magic tool on his hand had desperately clung to his fading mind, and without the emergency treatment from that suspicious mage, he might truly have died.
That mage had appeared in an instant, slaughtered the enemies in a single breath, then vanished just as quickly after claiming the pendant. Like a machine completing its task, the mage had exchanged a few words with the young lady before disappearing entirely. Since the mage clearly hadn't wanted to reveal themselves, the owner hadn't pressed the remaining young lady for answers. Besides, she hadn't seemed eager to talk about it either.
I don't know what their relationship is, but at least they don't seem to be enemies.
Thinking of it as a small insurance policy, the auction house owner had given the remaining young lady several items for free. After all, if they had been enemies, the mage probably wouldn't have bothered saving his life in the first place.
With that thought in mind, the owner picked up the paper on his desk once more and scanned the list.
I told her I'd give her a few items she liked, but... why on earth did she ask for these particular things?
Looking over the list of items given to her, the Flower of the Fire Demon—which had been auctioned separately—made some sense. But the other items she requested were strangely varied.
Winter herb from the Plumbe region... Eastern fragrant oil? Incense from Arugon?
At first he'd assumed she wanted medicinal herbs to brew some kind of elixir, but the oils and incense that followed made him tilt his head. These were things nobles used... Ah.
Recalling the primary purpose of those items, the owner decided to wipe the thought from his mind entirely. If he started thinking of them as tools for young ladies nervous about their first night, he doubted he'd be able to keep a straight face the next time they met by chance.
"This should be enough to use not just on Chloe, but on the other girls too."
The auction house owner had been far more generous than expected. He gladly handed over nearly everything I had asked for. Of course, I had been careful to select items that didn't appear excessively valuable. Although I hadn't been the one to resolve the actual incident, he had still suffered losses during the cleanup. I decided to consider this my compensation.
With my materials now securely gathered, I returned to the shop run by that half-elf with the irresistibly tempting body and knocked on the door.
"What are these?"
"You said you'd do it if I brought the materials. So I went out and got them."
I confidently pulled out every item I'd acquired and showed them all to her.