Chapter 16
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Auction (1)
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It was a mountain dense with forest.
A whooshing sound echoed as winds clashed in the air, whipping through the leaves as they passed.
The chirping of grass insects lingered quietly in the stillness.
I looked around.
No one was there.
I wondered when I had ever come to a place like this alone.
It was unfamiliar since it was somewhere I'd never seen before.
Even in the original story, I'd never encountered a place like this.
The sky was dark.
What was peculiar was the purple clouds drifting lazily across the ink-black heavens.
Gazing at that alien sky, I pressed forward.
A straight path cut through the forest, as if urging me onward.
For some reason, it felt like I had to go.
My breath grew short.
Even though my body was frail, walking this much shouldn't have tired me out.
Strangely, my body felt heavy.
Panting, I kept climbing the mountain.
Occasionally, ink-black lightning struck the slopes.
No fires broke out.
Eventually, when I reached the summit.
A woman stood there.
Her black hair, streaked with hints of purple, hung straight down as she gazed up at the sky.
Even as I drew close, she didn't notice me, so I cautiously peered at her face.
Wondering if she might be someone I knew.
Her upward-gazing eyes held a cooled, blackened heat, and her face was etched with lament.
The expression of someone drifting through days without purpose or meaning.
Yet, a beauty bold enough to call stunning.
Seeing her face, I flinched and started to step back.
Then, suddenly, purple lightning crashed down.
Boom!
At the same moment, she seized my wrist in a tight grip.
Her eyes had shattered their shell, now brimming with molten lava.
The woman, her pupils slitted vertically, left me with just one phrase.
"The current you absolutely cannot wield my power."
Her voice scraped like claws on my insides, and I grimaced.
As I opened my mouth to speak, the ground caved in, and I plummeted endlessly.
The last sight before my eyes closed was her staring at me, utterly expressionless.
My eyes snapped open.
A familiar ceiling filled my view.
My whole body was damp. I'd broken out in a cold sweat.
"What a weird dream..."
I didn't know what it meant, but it sure wasn't a good one.
I rose from the bed and headed to the chair.
Petra had left a cup of coffee there for me.
Sipping the steaming brew, I sorted through recent events.
Life had been more peaceful than expected.
I'd thought Luberic Keias would come sniffing around soon, but for some reason, he hadn't shown up. I'd been waiting with full preparations, and yet...
"Has it really been a month already?"
Now I had 234 days left.
I could consume the spirit medicines nearby, but they weren't things I could obtain right now.
At minimum, I needed to reach advanced rank for those.
So instead, I'd just enjoyed ordinary academy life. It had been fun going to school again after so long.
Or more precisely, the academy's curriculum had been engaging?
Thanks to the Genius trait, I could focus on reworking the professors' standard theories.
For example.
Whoosh.
Splitting a 1st-circle spell like Fireball into arrowhead shapes, then infusing them with lightning to stun foes.
Deconstruction and fusion.
Discovering new methods was more fun than I'd imagined.
Plus Professor Ardin's practicals.
I could match low-rank speeds without burning lifespan now, so I got better looks at Agnes Bayern's swordplay.
While I refined my magic, she'd already touched the 3rd-circle realm.
Her Ice Palace had grown larger, and the ice itself was tougher.
A talent others would call monstrous or genius.
But Agnes didn't seem satisfied.
Lenoc's treasured blade.
Even with Absolute Shadow aiding her growth, mid-3rd circle apparently wasn't enough.
I wondered what the other students would say if they knew her worries.
"Young Master. A letter from the Duke has arrived."
"Leave it there. I'll read it in a bit."
Petra bowed at my words and placed the letter on the table.
Her neatly braided hair swung toward the floor.
Her unusual hair color struck me again. Black hair was rare around here.
Anyway.
After Petra left, I stood from the chair.
Father sending a letter? He didn't have much to say, usually.
Puzzled, I picked it up.
Sealed with the family crest he used when speaking as Duke, not Father.
I carefully broke the seal without tearing it and read the contents.
Just one line was written there.
『The contract is over.』
I knew exactly what that short sentence meant, so I flung the letter away.
It fluttered in the air before falling to the floor.
"What the fuck!"
The contract was over already?
It'd only been a month since I entered the academy. Ending it now—what the hell?
I hissed in frustration, glaring at the fallen letter.
Or rather, recalling the condition the Duke had set instead of letting me attend the academy.
'Make the name Deron—not Phillasia—spread through Iliad Academy.'
He'd initially opposed my enrollment but relented after persistent convincing.
On the condition that my name, Deron, reach him without borrowing the Phillasia name.
To that end, he'd declared no Phillasia support once I settled in at the academy.
He was a man who calculated efficiency and gain, who valued dignity and honor.
Promises from the Duke's mouth were ironclad.
Everyone in the Empire knew that.
"This is a headache."
I scratched my head.
No more Phillasia backing meant no hidden support, sure.
But also no more spirit medicines supplied.
I had personal funds, but not enough for regular purchases.
From now on, I'd have to extend my lifespan solely on my own power.
234 days left.
I had to figure out how to procure spirit medicines within that time.
The Duke had assured me my name's value remained intact, even without Phillasia support.
In other words, I was still Deron Phillasia.
Places I could access with the Phillasia name...
There was one spot.
"Ugh, but I really don't want to go there..."
In the original story, the protagonist stormed in angrily and rescued the fifth heroine.
A dark market for slaves, spirit medicines, and artifacts.
A masked auction held only in the back alleys.
Still, relying solely on the Phillasia name felt risky.
Back-alley dealings without info were dicey...
No choice.
I grabbed the doorknob and stepped out.
Petra hurried after me with quick steps.
"Where are you headed, Young Master?"
"Meeting someone."
I told her not to follow.
Petra pouted a bit but nodded in understanding.
It was a method I really didn't want to use.
But I'd bring the Saintess along.
Adel was indulging in delicious food for the first time in ages.
The church rations were tasty enough, but still religious fare.
Nothing compared to market or noble cuisine.
With each bite, her hair shimmered faintly.
It was her unique constitution.
The cardinal had helped conceal her natural golden hair and eyes as the Saintess, but even he couldn't suppress the divine power's sparkle when she was in a good mood.
Fortunately, it was subtle, and only the cardinal and pope knew of her trait.
As Adel ate heartily, the surroundings grew noisy.
A strange aura prickled the air.
She reflexively turned.
A refined energy enveloped her. People stepped back, and silence fell.
Adel set down her food and stood. Few could pull this off.
Especially sealing lips and clearing space so naturally—only one person she'd seen.
"Deron Phillasia."
"Don't call me by my full name and title so casually."
His black eyes flashed.
Adel flinched involuntarily and took a step back.
"Wh-what are you doing here?"
If she were openly the Saintess, it might've been fine, but now she was a disguised commoner with a necklace.
The Saintess hiding as Adel to live normally at the academy.
Deron stared at her wide-eyed surprise before speaking.
"I'm here to pick you up."
"Me? Why?"
"We have a place to go."
His arrogant assumption she'd follow made Adel grit her teeth inwardly.
Even as a commoner, she was an Iliad Academy student like him.
With the church as backup, she didn't need to obey...
"Saintess."
Adel's eyes went wide.
Saintess. How did Deron know?
"H-how?"
"Follow me, and I'll tell you."
Deron's lips curved into a slight smirk as he said it.