The Fox at the Auction
Galimar (4)
Some time had passed. Following the sun as it dipped below the horizon, stars began to peek out one by one. The alley lay shrouded in strange shadows, as if a black fog had settled over it, making it impossible to see even a step ahead. The scene carried a dreamlike quality, reminiscent of the hazy veil of sleep that falls at dawn.
Yet that atmosphere shattered in an instant.
Tap—
A light flick of the fingers. With that crisp sound, the fog that had swallowed the alley vanished without a trace.
"Haa······."
Once the darkness receded, I let out a breath. Perhaps it was because I had used my ability after so long—my fingertips stung. I had gone a bit overboard.
I brushed the lingering shadows from my sleeve. As I moved my hand absentmindedly, faint groans reached my ears.
"Ugh, uuurgh······."
"Uuuuurgh······"
Two figures sprawled across the ground—the pig and his knight escort. Their wretched bodies twitched, eyes rolled back in their heads. I had slammed them directly with Lie, and the result was exactly as expected. From now on, they would live as vegetables. Mindless idiots, spending the rest of their miserable lives unable to do anything.
I regarded them with quiet regret.
"······I didn't intend to go this far."
I had wanted to settle things amicably. After all, I am a generous person. But the moment that name—Legia—left his mouth, I could no longer hold back.
"That's what happens when you forget your place."
An extra like him had dared to lay hands on our protagonist. That was something I could never allow. Cross the line, and you pay the price.
"Consider this the price I'm collecting from you."
A sneer curled at my lips. Leaving the blooming mockery behind, I turned my back. The threat had been dealt with. It was time to return to my lodgings.
As I took a step—
"······."
Something brushed against my foot. I looked down, then quietly knelt.
It was a boy, no older than ten. Or rather, his corpse. His face was covered in blood, the features crushed—perhaps from a blow laced with mana. Had he been caught in some petty outburst? Only clear tear tracks remained on his starved cheeks.
I reached out and gently wiped the now-cold corners of his eyes.
"······How cruel."
The slums were always like this. A place where the weak and the young were killed simply for existing.
"You had to die because you were young."
Every adult was once a child. Yet most forget what it was like to be one.
"Poor Leon Wert."
Even the right to forget your childhood was never yours. Your time stopped before you could ever become an adult.
May these streets remember you. And in place of the adult you never became, may they forget the child you once were.
Swish—
I covered the boy's face with the handkerchief from my pocket. A brief moment of mourning. Then I rose, brushing myself off.
'I really should head back now.'
There was much to do. Only a week remained until the academy entrance. And tomorrow, in particular, an important event was scheduled. Preparations were necessary.
'That aside······ I've been sensing someone for a while now.'
I tilted my head at the faint presence in the distance. I furrowed my brow and stared, but my senses were dulled—likely a side effect of using my ability. Still, there was no need for caution. The presence carried no killing intent, nor any sign of unnatural mana flow. Probably just some drunk wandering the area.
I dismissed the thought and quickened my pace, eager to leave before anyone saw this scene.
Once the snake had left the alley, a figure emerged from around the corner.
"······."
It was a girl who looked somewhat out of place in the slums. Her eyes were the color of the sea, and her platinum hair, falling to her shoulders, shimmered even under the night sky. Though she wore a robe to conceal her identity, her innate elegance could not be hidden.
The girl glanced around cautiously, as if wary that the snake might still be nearby. Seeing no suspicious signs, she finally released her grip on the sword at her waist.
Thud—
She sank to the ground, strength leaving her legs. Cold sweat beaded on her forehead. Her expression remained blank, but it was clear she was shaken.
"······What was that?"
She muttered to herself, eyes growing distant as she recalled the scene. It had been a nightmare made real. Her shoulders trembled, and she clenched her fists.
"I've never heard of anything like that."
There had been rumors about the slums lately, but nothing about a monster like that. What was happening here?
She pressed a hand to her throbbing head and stood up. It seemed she had decided an investigation was necessary—starting with the man she had just witnessed.
"I should head back for now."
Charlotte Little von Staufen, First Princess of the Empire. In the original game The World Seen by the Little Prince, she was known as another protagonist—the Little Prince, Charlotte. She moved quietly, careful not to let anyone notice her presence.
After a day filled with events, I returned to my lodgings and lay on the bed. I wasn't particularly tired. I was simply recovering the portion of power I had used so suddenly.
"As expected, it's a difficult ability to handle."
The words slipped out unconsciously. My fingertips still tingled from the aftereffects. I slowly clenched my fist.
"Hmm."
Difficult to control, yet undeniably powerful. With enough intent, it could erase the entire continent.
'Unique Ability: Liar.'
The power to twist natural laws through spoken lies. I could deceive anything I wished to deceive, deny anything I wished to deny. It allowed me to manipulate not only people, but objects, magic, nature······ even the laws of the world itself.
For example, one only needed to recall the final battle between the protagonist's party and Judah in the original story.
—Hahaha! No matter how you swing that sword, it won't reach me.
—Because I'm denying you.
The Sword Saint's strike missed. The snake dodged it by a hair's breadth, as if toying with him.
—Hmm~ Magic is rather troublesome. Shall we establish a rule here?
—From now on, magic won't work on me.
He casually deflected the mages' attacks. Their razor-sharp mana left not even a scratch on the snake.
—Whoops! You almost killed me, Lady Legia.
—Your summons are dangerous, as expected!
—Shall I send them away for a while?
The protagonist's summon vanished, as if it had never existed in the first place.
—This is getting rather dull.
—Shall we make the world a little more interesting?
He denied the laws themselves. With a single clap, gravity across the entire continent reversed. People plummeted toward the sky. It was a scene worthy of being called the end of the world. Amidst the swirling black fog, Liar wore a sinister smile.
"······."
It was a scene that triggered my trauma. Damn it. Why couldn't he have been strong in a reasonable way? Who the hell thought it was a good idea to make this bastard the final boss? I hadn't attempted the fight 1,943 times for nothing. The difficulty was absurd. One misstep meant a wipe. One yawn meant a wipe. One blink meant a wipe. Watching the protagonist's party get slaughtered so miserably, I couldn't help but curse.
Still, I had eventually cleared it. The problem was that I had been dragged into this world before I could even see the ending.
"What a shame."
=This sucks.
Anyway, that was the ability this body possessed. The power to erase the world single-handedly. Of course, it wasn't without weaknesses. Its immense power came at the cost of poor efficiency—it couldn't be sustained for long. In the later parts of the original story, Judah seemed to have overcome this issue, but I had no such luxury. I was still only three years into my possession. Comparisons had to be fair.
In short, something like "reversing continental gravity" was impossible.
'I could try, but······ my power would run out first.'
This ability was like a battery. Once all the lies I could tell were used up, the ability would no longer activate. The reason I couldn't become a massive-scale Liar like Judah was the same reason you couldn't run a computer on AAA batteries.
Furthermore, after each use, I had to recharge before using it again. A dead battery couldn't do anything, after all.
The method of charging was as follows.
"I confess to myself. I didn't cause any trouble today."
Right after the short sentence, a blue screen appeared before my eyes.
—Ding!
[A small amount of lies has been recovered.]
[Current remaining output: 57%]
It was an ability true to its concept. Charging by telling lies. The more perfect the lie, and the greater the emotional impact on the listener, the more effective it was.
"I had stew for lunch today."
—Ding!
[A small amount of lies has been recovered.]
[Current remaining output: 57.5%]
"I'm currently outdoors."
—Ding!
[A small amount of lies has been recovered.]
[Current remaining output: 57.8%]
"I hate games."
—Ding!
[A small amount of lies has been recovered.]
[Current remaining output: 58.4%]
"I am not human."
—Ding!
[A lie has······]
That was roughly how it worked. These trivial lies didn't provide much charge, but it was still better to keep doing it. I needed to be ready to use the ability at any moment. There might be a better method in time, but for now, this was the best option. It also served as training to keep lies on the tip of my tongue.
I lay on the bed, muttering lies for a while.
'Come to think of it······ tomorrow is already the day that event happens, isn't it?'
The thought surfaced suddenly. A sly grin crept across my lips. Tomorrow would be interesting. Ripples spread across my once-calm heart. I savored the rising anticipation and ended the day.
A full day later, I left my lodgings only when the sun had begun to set. I was heading toward the event. Hiding my excitement, I walked slowly.
Whoosh—
Even as the sunset painted the sky, spring remained spring. Flower petals clung to the passing breeze. It was a peaceful scene. Before long, I arrived at my destination.
I hadn't simply walked the entire way. I had used Lie to deny space itself. The distance that would normally take over an hour by carriage had been shortened to less than ten minutes.
—Ding!
[Current remaining output: 81.7%]
Leaving the mechanical chime behind, I looked up. Through my blurred vision, a massive building came into view. Its exterior was far too extravagant for a structure built in such a remote location.
'Just as I saw it in the game.'
The largest slave auction house in the empire—Apple Tree. An illegal facility run by the underworld's "Businessman." It was also the stage where a certain character's story began.
I approached the grand entrance. The guard blocked my path, asking for my name to check the guest list.
"Only those with reservations may enter Apple Tree. May I have your name?"
Of course, I had no reservation. Instead of answering, I raised my right hand slightly.
"Could you look this way for a moment?"
"Pardon?"
The moment our eyes met—
Crack—!
I flicked my prepared fingers. The guard's eyes lost focus. Like a broken doll, he twitched before going rigid, his mind gone. I whispered to those vacant eyes.
"Step aside."
"······Reservation confirmed. I will escort you to the premium seats."
"How kind of you."
"Please enjoy your time."
I stepped leisurely into the auction house. The brainwashing had taken hold completely—the guard had given me one of the best seats. A high-class seat with a clear view of the stage. I hummed a tune as I sank into the plush backrest.
—Thank you all for visiting the finest auction house, Apple Tree, once again today!
—Before we begin the main auction, a few announcements······
The host's energetic voice echoed, but my attention was entirely focused downward. Beneath the auction house lay an underground prison. A place where kidnapped demi-humans were kept before being sold as slaves. The person I was looking for was likely down there as well.
A character from the game The World Seen by the Little Prince. A supporting figure who aided the protagonist and would one day become a Sword Master, becoming a great asset.
"It's time to meet the fox."
From this moment on, I intended to turn this auction house upside down. To rescue her.