Chapter 20
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: Auction (5)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I remember the Saintess's grasp.
The warmth and softness enveloping my hand, like the sunny side of late spring.
The divine power, considered proof of the gods' existence.
The feeling when that reverent energy flowed into my body.
"Deron? Pull yourself together, Deron!"
[Stupid bastard.]
The Saintess's cry and that unfamiliar voice snap me back to reality.
It feels like my brain is flipping upside down. Vomit erupts from my mouth.
"Guweeeek!"
Food mixed with clumps of blood comes up.
It's still an unpleasant sensation. But I'm used to it, so I don't show it.
Still, I have no idea why I'm coughing up blood.
Rebecca looks at me with a worried expression from the side.
Her hand glows with divine power.
Ready to bless my body with the grace of the gods at any moment.
But I wave her off and swallow the Great Tiger Pill right in front of me.
The auctioneer just stands there dumbfounded, unable to stop me.
About a month's worth of lifespan flows into my body, adding to my strength.
Thanks to the elixir's effect, my muscles swell.
My head doesn't clear up, though.
It seems each elixir has specific healing properties.
The Azure Jade Pill for the head, the Great Tiger Pill for the body.
I casually checked my lifespan.
264 days.
No reduction in lifespan.
Meaning it's not bad enough to drain me that much.
The current situation is similar to when my lifespan was in the double digits.
The world spins around me, and everything gradually darkens.
At that moment.
A light brightens my vision.
Rebecca was gently holding my hand.
The blessing of the gods flows into my body.
It's definitely a warm energy.
It feels just like basking in the sunlight.
However.
"Kuhuk!"
Blood spurts out again.
It's not as dark-stained as before.
Instead, it's tinged with a golden glow—pure and clean.
So that means...
"Let go."
"Deron! I'm infusing divine power right now, just hold on a bit..."
"I said let go!"
Only when I snap at her does Rebecca finally release my hand.
At the same time, the warm energy vanishes, and the bleeding stops.
Now I was certain.
My body rejects divine power.
The moment it enters, it gets expelled.
I had to abandon my clumsy idea of using the Saintess to heal my lifespan.
Rebecca stared at me in bewilderment.
From her perspective, she was just trying her best to save me.
"It seems my body rejects divine power."
"No way... There can't be a body that rejects divine power."
"Didn't you just see it?"
I wipe the blood from my mouth and stand up straight.
Without the divine power, my body returns to normal.
Damn it.
Does this mean I can't even receive healing?
As my head starts working properly again, I recall the voice that woke me.
Not familiar, but definitely one I've heard somewhere before.
'Where have I heard it?'
As I pondered, the auctioneer approached me.
"Um... Young Master?"
"Ah, here's 500 gold."
I ate the Great Tiger Pill without permission, so I should pay for it.
I tossed him the pouch containing 500 gold from my pocket.
He catches it but rolls his eyes, clearly not satisfied.
As if he wants something more.
That's when I notice the slave in my sight.
"Ah, sorry. My head's a bit muddled right now."
"No problem. I saw what happened, so I understand completely."
The auctioneer waves his hands frantically.
He's not in a position to complain to the eldest son of the Phillasia Duke family anyway.
"How much was that slave?"
"She went for 8,000 gold."
He rubs his hands together like a typical merchant.
I look at him and ask,
"You have a communication orb, right?"
"We have orbs, yes. But why?"
"Mind if I borrow one for a sec?"
"Ah, sure! Help yourself."
Someone brings a blue orb from beside the auctioneer.
I take Rebecca and head into an empty room where no one can see.
From here on, I really need to choose my words carefully.
"Saintess."
"Yes?"
"I'm about to contact my father."
"What?!"
Rebecca's eyes widen.
She's understandably flustered. I get it.
"Nothing major. Just show your face and act like you have a connection to me."
"Why would... Ah, no way?"
"My father's a bit of an unusual man."
I don't go into details, but Rebecca seems to get it somewhat.
The Phillasia Duke's personality is widely known, after all.
A man who strictly separates public and private matters, and always repays favors properly.
Anyone who does something beneficial for the Duke receives due compensation.
His calculations are so precise, he's said to carry scales in his hands.
That is Deron Phillasia's father.
The orb emits a green light for a moment.
I knew the direct line to the Duke, but now wasn't the time.
The green light soon reveals an elderly man's face.
"Who might this be?"
"It's me, the butler."
"Young Master!?"
The old man looks slightly surprised.
Yut, the butler who has served the Phillasia Duke family his entire life.
"Weren't you at the academy? How's life there? Managing alright?"
"Hm. Better than expected. It's a bit tiring without a butler, though."
"Even with Petra there, I was still worried. Glad to hear it."
After a brief exchange of greetings, I feel the Saintess's gaze.
She's listening to our conversation with a dubious expression.
Not wanting to endure that gaze any longer, I get straight to the point.
"Butler, where's Father?"
"In his office, working. Shall I connect you?"
"Yeah, please."
Yut nods.
At the same time, the orb glows green again.
It seems to take a bit to connect.
"You seem close. He's the head butler?"
"Yes, the chief butler of the Phillasia Duke family. He's served since before I was born."
"...I see."
The Saintess looks down at me with slightly cold eyes.
Golden—no, softly lemon-tinted irises.
Deron as the patient.
Deron as the eldest son of the Phillasia Duke family.
Her eyes perfectly distinguish between the two.
That gaze sends a slight chill down my spine, and I instinctively turn away.
ZZZzt.
With a bit of static, a middle-aged man's face appears on the screen.
"What is it."
A majestic voice accompanies an appearance that irresistibly draws the eye—flawless features, impeccable formal attire.
A possessor of overwhelming elegance that even holds my gaze as a man.
...Katrell Phillasia.
He scans my face like he's inspecting merchandise.
His eyes are sharp and refined, like a well-honed blade.
"I asked what it is."
"I need help."
"Help?"
Father Katrell frowns slightly.
"Have you forgotten the contract we made when you entered the academy?"
"I remember."
"And yet you ask for help."
His blue eyes, flickering with a dark light, fix on me.
Even from afar, his presence makes me grit my teeth.
"It's not just for me."
"...Explain in more detail."
I glance at Rebecca and nod.
She nods back and positions her face in front of the orb.
"The Saintess?"
"Pleased to meet you. Duke Phillasia."
He scans her just as he did me.
Thoroughly, as if discerning genuine from fake.
Finally, Katrell speaks.
"Does the Saintess have business with me?"
"I bid on an elf slave at a black market auction."
"An elf slave. Is that part of your shallow ideals?"
Katrell's voice stabs at Rebecca like a dagger.
Her brow twitches slightly, but she nods.
"I never imagined the rumors of you rejecting even subrace slaves were true. So, what do I gain from this help?"
The Phillasia Duke holds scales.
They signify reliable rewards, but also that no work means no reward.
To receive help, we must place something of equal value on those scales.
"What do you desire?"
"I'm the one asking for something. You're the one answering, Saintess."
He won't tell us what to put on the scales, even if we ask.
Rebecca grits her teeth, deep in thought.
"Do you remember the contract?"
That's when I spoke up.
Referring to the agreement we made before entering the academy.
Katrell nods lightly.
"You told me to make a name for myself not as the Phillasia Duke's son, but as a student."
"I did. But have you done anything?"
"I have."
I don't want to say it, but no choice.
"Lenoc's Cave. I conquered the hidden cave of the magic swordsman that's only been rumored until now."
Katrell's eyebrow twitches.
Rebecca looks shocked.
And for good reason—it's Lenoc.
The magic swordsman's cave, shrouded in rumors for so long.
"Is this enough?"
I looked down at my father with a confident expression.