Chapter 101
Chapter 101
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 101
Chapter Title: Cupid's Ring
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“…Customer number one takes it again! C-Congratulations…!”
The auctioneer’s voice was thick with barely concealed bewilderment.
Maybe he was starting to fear the identity of the one sweeping up all these auction items.
Or perhaps… he just pitied Carnel’s habit of blowing money on utterly useless junk.
“…….”
Whatever the case, I glanced sideways at Carnel—who was no doubt smirking behind his mask—and quietly swallowed a sigh.
“Heh…! Another win!”
Carnel adjusted his mask and let out a satisfied chuckle.
It had started with the 【Seraphim’s Crown】, followed by one worthless trinket after another—items that brought only one word to mind: “lookism.”
Shiny, sparkly things that were miles away from practical.
Yet Carnel kept snagging them at perfectly timed bids.
…I could only watch him, clinging to my fading sanity.
“Hmm…….”
If Duke Delbar ever found out about this…
Even though I’d been right there, he might rip my limbs off for not stopping Carnel with a “What the hell are you doing?”
“…How much has he spent?”
I folded my fingers one by one, tallying it up.
First, 1,000 gold for the lookism bait 【Seraphim’s Crown】.
Then 500 gold for the 【Tralaleo Figure】—a figurine of a magic beast with a surprisingly cute design that even got official merch.
And… a bunch of other miscellaneous crap.
My fingers folded up completely; no more left to count.
“Roughly… 7,000 gold?”
7,000 gold.
Enough to buy a mansion outright. The number floating in my head made me swallow hard without thinking.
“This next item is… the 【Twilight Brooch】!”
With the auctioneer’s shout, spotlights converged on an ornate glass case.
Inside gleamed a small brooch, bathed in twilight hues.
“Oh….”
“The 【Twilight Brooch】… It’s been ages.”
“Years, right? Gotta be at least two.”
“This’ll get competitive.”
Murmurs of admiration rippled through the crowd.
The auctioneer pressed on with even more vigor.
“The 【Twilight Brooch】! A brooch said to have been worn by mages from long before the Empire’s founding!”
【Twilight Brooch】.
An ancient relic from mages predating the Empire’s establishment.
Legend has it that it turns the wearer’s emotions into a subtle fragrance.
Its actual effects are negligible, but its rarity and craftsmanship make it hugely popular among collectors.
“Ooh…….”
Beside me, Carnel’s hand twitched.
…I knew it instantly.
‘Another lookism piece.’
Why were mages as a species so obsessed with appearances?
They craft this pointless junk and make it impossible not to want.
“A brooch worn by pre-Empire mages…! I can’t leave without it!”
And Carnel, being a mage himself, was already buzzing with excitement.
‘…Tch.’
Fine.
If he wants it, let him have it.
The effects were iffy, sure—but the design was killer.
A gem that shifted between day and night glow depending on the angle.
A brooch shaped like a swan with spread wings, infused with that enigmatic twilight hue.
[Pretty, huh]
“It’s not just pretty! This was made before the Empire was even founded!”
[Yeah, sure]
“The light of twilight! Emotions turned to fragrance—pure romance!”
Carnel, face alight with thrill, didn’t hesitate to raise his numbered paddle.
“Yes! Customer number one again! Starting at 500 gold!”
Carnel crossed his arms, snorted confidently, and leaned back in his chair like victory was assured.
But…
“1,000 gold.”
I turned my head… and there, far off, sat a potbellied noble with his gut hanging over his belt.
Three layers of gold necklaces, ruby and sapphire studs crammed onto his belt buckle.
The epitome of flaunted wealth and bluster.
I shook my head slowly.
“Aah…! We have 1,000 gold!”
Even the auctioneer sounded flustered.
The 【Twilight Brooch】 was rare, sure—but it shouldn’t command this kind of premium.
“Grr……!”
Carnel clamped his lips shut, then thrust his paddle high.
“1,500 gold!”
“Aah…! 2,000 gold…!!”
The potbellied noble raised his hand with leisurely ease.
His demeanor oozed superiority.
He shot Carnel a look that screamed, “You think you can beat me?”
I watched their money fight in a daze.
“I won’t lose……!!”
The bids climbed into insanity.
The whole auction house buzzed harder with each jump.
“Oh man….”
“The Twilight Brooch… at 2,000 gold…?”
Sure, artifacts could hit this when they showed up.
But a lookism brooch? Overkill.
[Chairman, maybe call it quits?]
“…….”
Carnel clearly saw the words on my whiteboard but just nodded vaguely and ignored it.
“2,500 gold…!”
The potbellied noble upped it again.
A victorious smirk played on his lips.
He seemed convinced it was over.
“…Tch.”
Carnel clicked his tongue.
For a second, I thought he’d given up—and relaxed a bit.
Whoosh!
Carnel’s hand shot skyward.
“Five th—!! 5,000 gold…!!”
He’d doubled it outright.
The potbellied noble finally turned to look at Carnel.
A flicker of defeat crossed his eyes, realization dawning.
Carnel was no one he could handle.
The noble lowered his hand.
“Heh….”
Carnel snorted triumphantly.
Mask or no mask… that smirk had to be ear-to-ear.
[Chairman]
“No one can beat me.”
[A 1,000-gold trinket just hit 5,000. Chairman.]
“Victory’s victory.”
[Yeah, sure.]
I nodded silently.
Logic always crumbled before the lady of Duke Delbar’s house, drunk on triumph.
***
Right as the auction hit its fever pitch.
Something caught my eye—something I absolutely couldn’t ignore.
“A bit modest this time, folks! The 【Ring of Love】!”
The auctioneer’s voice rang out as lights hit another ornate case.
Inside sat a dainty little ring.
“Ah, customer number two! 5 gold! Anyone higher?”
Interest vanished in an instant.
A ring like that? You could snag better cheaper elsewhere.
But… I knew that wasn’t just some cheap 【Ring of Love】.
✦━━━━━━━━━━━━✦
【Cupid’s Ring】
Rarity: Heroic (Epic)
The heart is invisible, so reading it may be a blessing—or a curse.
: Reads the target’s psyche.
Is that smile sincere?
Or a meticulously crafted mask to hide true feelings?
For you who crave love, this ring grants eyes to discern truth from lies, love from pretense.
But remember.
Once you know the truth… you may never see that person the same way again.
✦━━━━━━━━━━━━✦
One of Cupid’s three-piece set.
The final piece to complete the 【Cupid’s Arrow】.
“You… into stuff like that?”
[No misunderstanding, Chairman.]
Carnel eyed me with a subtle glance.
Total misread.
I wasn’t into jewelry or anything—but I needed it for that effect.
Wish he’d drop the look.
“Customer 77! 50 gold!”
But…
That same potbellied noble—three gold necklaces, belt loaded with rubies and sapphires.
Him again.
From lookism brooch to rings now.
Consistently tacky tastes.
‘Ah.’
50 gold.
Of course I didn’t have that on hand.
…No choice.
‘Levi.’
“Munch?”
I poked the mimic levi dozing on my head.
‘Get ready.’
“??”
I scooped up the mimic levi and took aim at the potbellied noble.
Even with ‘lowest’ talent, it’d get close enough.
‘Just knock him out.’
Just toss it.
Toss…
Whoosh!
“Aah…! Customer number one again! 500 gold!!”
The mimic levi spun from my fingertips through the air…
Then plopped right back onto my head with a soft thud.
“…….”
I glanced sideways… and there was Carnel, calmly lowering his paddle.
[?]
Even through the mask, his expression was crystal clear.
Smug smirk, eyes gleaming with pride.
“Hmph… It’s a gift.”
I stared at Carnel wordlessly.
Intently… with utter confusion in my eyes.
Carnel shrank back, flustered.
“W-What…!”
[Thanks?]
500 gold.
A bit pricey, yeah.
But…
‘Yeah… thanks?’
For real.
I almost fell for him right there.
***
“Sir Mikael. How would you like to handle payment?”
After the auction, in a private room for settlements, Carnel was sorting his bill.
Over 7,000 gold wasn’t something you paid in one go.
“Hmm… Put it on Delbar’s tab.”
“D-Delbar, you say!?”
“Yes.”
“U-Understood.”
The staffer paled at the name Delbar.
But he quickly composed himself and bowed to us both.
“…We sincerely thank you for your patronage of the Black Market. Masked sir, Sir Mikael.”
“See you next time.”
Carnel floated his auction haul beside him as we exited.
We slipped out of the gray zone and back to the cradle.
“Not bad entertainment… Ahem… Quite satisfying…!”
[Sure was.]
Carnel, walking ahead, halted and turned to me abruptly.
He held out his hand.
[?]
“Hand.”
Like commanding a dog. I silently placed my hand atop his.
Carnel gripped it and flipped it palm-up.
Then… he started piling his auction wins onto it, one by one.
“Gifts.”
From the 【Seraphim’s Crown】… to the 【Tralaleo Figure】.
And finally…
He picked up the 【Cupid’s Ring】, held it to my left ring finger for a moment… then paused.
“Mm…….”
I felt his face flush.
Carnel hesitated forever before finally setting the ring in my palm.
[Thanks.]
So many reasons to be grateful today.
What even was this situation…
“Useless to me anyway…!”
7,000-plus gold torched on junk swirled in my mind…
But I stowed them in my inventory anyway and slipped on the 【Cupid’s Ring】 right away.
[You have equipped 【Cupid’s Ring】. ]
The equip message popped up, and I instinctively looked at Carnel.
✦━━━━━━━━━━━━✦
[ Carnelia von Delbar ]
Affection: 【■?□】
Status: 【■Static】
■□■□■□■□■□■□■□■□■□■ (?$#/!@#?)
Info:
[Imagining Adel has fallen for her.]
Psyche:
[Heh… With this, she’s totally fallen for me, right!?]
✦━━━━━━━━━━━━✦
…Yeah.
Seems so.