Chapter 163: The Midnight Auction
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 163: The Midnight Auction
Iris and I walked the same path we had taken before.
It was the main road leading from the Great Forest to the north gate of Wavel.
“Are you sure you don't want to visit the village?”
“Yes, it’s alright.”
The village Sylvia and the three women had gone to was a settlement for those resisting Resilia's tyranny, led by a man called Elder Six.
Apparently, Elder Six had also once been Iris’s history teacher.
“The title of ‘most inflexible person’ suited the Elder perfectly. Thanks to him, my lessons always ran longer than scheduled, much to the other teachers' dismay.”
Iris glanced back at the Great Forest with a wistful look in her eyes.
During Resilia's rebellion, Elder Six was the only elder present who had sided with Iris.
“We could at least stop by to say hello.”
“...It's alright. We need to hurry. Besides, the fewer people who know I've escaped, the better.”
I followed Iris as she forced a smile and led the way down the road.
It wasn't that I didn't understand how she felt.
With a time limit hanging over us, we’d be in serious trouble if Resilia found out about Iris’s escape.
We might even attract pursuers I couldn't handle at my current level.
‘I suppose I could just dump it on Sylvia.’
But one must always assume the worst.
Especially those mysterious aura masters Resilia supposedly brought with her on the day of the rebellion. If they were assigned to a pursuit team, Sylvia would be overwhelmed on her own.
The last thing I wanted was to travel to the Santala Kingdom with a burdensome pursuit team on our tail.
“Besides, for an elf, waiting a few months is like a fleeting moment. Even if it were a few years.”
Iris, who had been walking ahead, turned to face me with a bright smile.
She immediately came to my side and affectionately linked her arm with mine.
“Of course, if I had to be separated from you, Hyun-woo, even a single day would feel like a wait of hundreds of years, or even longer.”
“...Ahem.”
Iris's sudden display of affection made me clear my throat involuntarily.
A smile spread across her lips, seemingly satisfied with my reaction.
“Ah, right. Iris, that spell you taught me the other day. There's a part I don't understand.”
I summoned a magic circle above my palm.
“Hm? Oh, you mean the ‘Perception Inhibition’ spell?”
Perception Inhibition, an esoteric spell of the Baiart royal family.
It was thanks to this spell that she had managed to attract less attention in Wavel, and why the three women hadn't recognized her last night.
It had the drawback of being less effective against those who already knew your face, but it also had the advantage of consuming very little magic power.
If I could master this spell, I wouldn't have to bother with masks or face coverings like before.
But since it was a royal esoteric spell, it was damn difficult.
“Hmm... It seems you’ve memorized the entire spell formula. Would you like to try casting it? I can watch over you.”
For a mere 3rd Circle common magic spell, the complexity of its formula was absurd enough to make even me, with the app's buffs, want to give up.
I drew up my magic power and calculated the formula. A strange sensation washed over my face.
“How is it?”
I couldn't see it without a mirror, but if it worked as I intended, I should have transformed into a common-looking man you could see anywhere.
Iris, of course, was so beautiful to begin with that she was still a beauty even with the spell, but that couldn't be helped.
“...Hyun-woo, what do you think magic is?”
“A supernatural phenomenon that uses magic power.”
Magic exists because magic power exists.
But magic power exists even without magic.
“Haa... This is my mistake...”
Iris sighed, a rare occurrence.
“Magic is a mystery.”
“A mystery?”
“Something that cannot be understood by human wisdom. Something that transcends theory and perception. That is the essence of magic. It’s the most fundamental part of magic... but since I have no experience teaching anyone, I must have forgotten to tell you, Hyun-woo.”
“Fundamental...”
Hearing Iris’s words, something seemed to click in my mind.
On Earth, most mages go through the Magic Tower's training institutes. There, they prove their aptitude as mages, learn the basics of magic, and then enroll in a Magic Tower.
That was the standard procedure.
But I had never attended a training institute.
Of course, I had learned a great deal from Iris, but as she said, the ability to learn something and the ability to teach it are two different things.
“What is the very first thing a human must do to explore and freely wield a mystery?”
“...Study?”
“Imagination.”
A small flame flickered to life in Iris’s palm.
“Your flame magic, Hyun-woo, is uniquely vivid and beautiful compared to other mages'. It's as if the form of fire you imagine is fixed in place, so to speak.”
“Is that so? I’ve never consciously thought about it.”
“It's probably because you're from another world. You must be unconsciously applying your life experiences to your magic.”
“Experiences...”
I began to understand what Iris was saying.
On Earth, you can see roaring flames just by turning on NewTube. Not to mention, you often see vivid lightning bolts in comics and animation.
And that wasn't all. There were easily accessible images and videos depicting others' imaginations—how to handle the formless wind, how to draw out the power of the earth, and everything related to light and darkness.
“The first step for a human to approach a mystery is imagination. Not leaving it to the subconscious, but imagining with your own will.”
“Imagination...”
“You need to embrace the Perception Inhibition spell more naturally, Hyun-woo. Try lightly imagining that your face is swollen from drinking last night.”
The strange sensation covering my face gradually faded.
It felt like misaligned gears finally clicking into place.
Through my subtly altered vision, I saw Iris smiling.
“Mmm... I still like your real face better.”
As Iris’s slender fingers touched my face, a faint pulse of magic power washed over me, and the Perception Inhibition spell vanished.
“...I just barely managed to succeed.”
“Then you’ll just have to practice even more, won’t you?”
“...”
So this is an 8th Circle Archmage, even with her power sealed.
The magic circle of a spell I'd cast with all my might was broken in an instant.
*
Arriving at the Wavel city gate, we got in line to receive new identification cards.
Both Iris and I had changed our faces with Perception Inhibition, so we couldn't use the IDs we'd been issued before.
It wasn't as if they had photos on them, but I didn't want to leave any room for potential trouble.
However, not wanting to attract attention with another commotion like last time, I sought out Balan, the Guard Captain.
He was sitting at his office desk and greeted me with a sigh.
“Hoo... You're trying to enter the city after causing all that trouble last night?”
“I still have things to do.”
“Then you could have just come in. Is there a reason you sought me out specifically?”
“Can't you tell by looking at my face? I'd like you to issue new identification cards while you're at it.”
“...Confessing to having a dual identity in front of the Guard Captain.”
“Are you going to arrest me?”
“Are you going to let me?”
When I silently placed my hand on the hilt of my sword, Balan made a gesture of raising both hands.
“It takes some time to issue new IDs.”
“Then you can tell me about the situation in Wavel in the meantime.”
“...Can't you see the documents piled high on my desk? I already have to write an incident report for ignoring the city watch's request for support.”
“But I didn't kill any of the city watch, just as you asked. Isn't that enough?”
“Dammit! If you were just going to knock them out, it would have been better if I'd sent support!”
Thump. Balan slammed his hand on the desk, looking exasperated. I could see he'd controlled his strength so the piles of documents wouldn't collapse.
“Any news about the Lord will do.”
“...There's a party at the Lord's castle this evening.”
“A party?”
“An incident like that happened at the auction house last night, but the citizens don't know about it. Things that happen within the noble district are easy to control, after all. The biggest problem is the nobles and merchants who attended the auction. We made them waste a day, and for them, time is money.”
“What does that have to do with a party? It's not like they're gathering to drink and laugh, are they?”
“I heard they're holding a mini-auction at the party.”
Balan's words left me dumbfounded.
To hold an auction the very next day after the chaos of last night was something I couldn't comprehend with my common sense.
“Well... they may have lost the elf slaves, but the other slaves are fine. The Lord probably wants to recoup his losses as much as possible while keeping his customers.”
“Then I'll need a party invitation.”
“You're insane. The Lord of Wavel is a Viscount. A rich one at that, one that most Counts would have to bow their heads to. You don't really believe the guards at the auction house are on the same level as the knights guarding the Lord's castle, do you?”
“Do they use Aura Blades or something?”
“This isn't some fairy tale. Surely you don't think every knight can use an Aura Blade?”
According to Balan, a knight in this world was someone who could handle aura.
Only a very small number of knights could use an Aura Blade, and most of them served ducal families or the royal family.
“If that's all it is...”
Besides, I had a woman with me who could launch devastating Auras from a distance. We wouldn't be outmatched in terms of power.
If things went south, I still had the curse. I could probably threaten the Lord with it, though I'd need to delve deeper into it first.
“Haa... I've been wondering since last time, but how can you trust me enough to tell me your whole plan? What would you do if I ran to the Lord and tattled the moment you left?”
“Then things would get complicated.”
“...”
Balan stared at me with an expression that seemed to say, 'What the hell is wrong with this bastard?'
“Besides, I like to think I'm a good judge of character.”
“Tch. Get your IDs on the first floor and get out of here. If I want to get off work on time for once, I'll have to work nonstop from now.”
“Do you know how to get a party invitation?”
“You're asking the Guard Captain that?”
“I'm asking because, unlike the others, you have a surname.”
Balan Hersel. That was the Guard Captain's full name.
Bella and Grace, and even the merchant Elmar who had cast the curse, had no last names.
In this world, only nobles and royalty had surnames.
Balan rummaged through his desk before putting a cigarette in his mouth.
“...I'm just a fallen noble.”
I smelled the same bitter scent of tobacco as before.
“I see. So, how do I get an invitation?”
“...Ma'am, I'm asking in all seriousness, what part of a bastard like that made you want to marry him? Did he use some kind of spell on you?”
Once again wearing that 'What the hell is wrong with this bastard?' expression, Balan looked back and forth between Iris and me.
“Huhu, of course not. Is there any woman in the world who wouldn't fall for a man who is reliable, handsome, and always comes to her rescue?”
“...I'm losing my mind.”
Balan roughly crushed his cigarette in the ashtray and clutched his head.
“I'll say it again, I don't know a way. But if you become a guest of the Lord, you might be able to participate in the auction.”
“A guest?”
At that moment, something flashed through my mind.
“You got the answer you wanted, now go. And preferably, don't ever come back.”
With Balan's order to leave, we exited his office and received our new IDs on the first floor.
Henrik and Seria. Those were our new identities.
“Hyun-woo, what are you planning to do now?”
“To become guests of the Lord, we'll have to go to his castle.”
“Will that be possible for us, since we're neither nobles nor merchants?”
“It'll be difficult.”
I looked down the road of Wavel, bustling with passersby as always, toward the magnificent lord's castle in the distance.
“But not for a guest of the Lord.”