Chapter 164: The Midnight Auction (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 164: The Midnight Auction (2)
Wavel, a border city located in the southernmost part of Count Euclid’s territory in the Veilhaven Republic.
Viscount Hessler, the lord of the city and a vassal of Count Euclid, had two children.
His eldest son, Henriot Hessler, and his eldest daughter, Lina Hessler.
Having come of age a few years ago, the two had been working tirelessly in their respective fields to produce various achievements, all in the hopes of inheriting the viscounty.
Ordinarily, the eldest son, Henriot, would have been the natural successor, but the Veilhaven Republic was one of the few nations where women could also inherit titles.
Moreover, there was a stark difference in their parentage: the eldest son was born to a commoner concubine, while the eldest daughter was born to the viscount’s wife, the precious only daughter of Baron Harkle, another of Count Euclid’s vassals.
Lina Hessler’s background was more than enough to overcome the difference in gender.
“Sigh... My father always picks the most useless things to do.”
Lina sighed, her gaze falling upon the mask lying on the table.
“What is the matter, my lady?”
“What do you think? It’s because that man I call my father seems intent on siding with his son again.”
Her expression was grim as she vented to her maid.
Although the Veilhaven Republic was one of the few countries where a woman could inherit a title, the preference for male heirs was an inseparable part of noble society.
Her father, Viscount Hessler, was no exception.
Holding an auction within the mansion is something Father would never dream of, given his usual personality.
Until now, he hadn't named his son as the heir out of consideration for his wife's family, but Viscount Hessler always pushed for his son whenever he had the chance.
The guests invited to the auction were all either nobles or merchants who boasted considerable wealth.
And her brother, Henriot, was to be the host of such an event.
It’s tantamount to publicly declaring before all the guests that the next viscount will be his eldest son.
Even if the viscount didn't say it himself, the rumor would spread throughout the entire territory in no time.
Nobles and merchants alike would start trying to curry favor with her brother.
Her mother, enraged upon hearing the news, had gone to see her father this morning, but Lina held little hope.
That concubine bitch had probably whispered poison into his ear again.
Haa...
Though she appeared composed on the outside, Lina felt like she was burning up inside.
If, by some chance, Henriot were to ascend to the viscounty, she would, in all likelihood, be married off to a suitable noble as if she were being sold.
...Because I would have done the same.
Only three options remained.
Assassinate her father, Viscount Hessler, or assassinate her brother, Henriot. If not, her only other choice was to secure an engagement with a high-ranking noble and aim for hypergamy.
Any ordinary person would have naturally chosen to marry up, but her thoughts were different.
For the past six years, she had run herself ragged day and night with the sole goal of becoming the viscountess. She had pursued both martial and scholarly arts and had even aggressively recruited talented individuals.
Her pride wouldn't allow her to give up now.
“...I don't have enough people.”
But paradoxically, she was currently short on talent.
To be precise, she lacked anyone capable of dealing with the high-level Aura Expert knight who protected Viscount Hessler and Henriot.
Assassination by poison was also problematic, thanks to the magic tool they possessed that could neutralize toxins.
If she made a clumsy attempt and failed, there would be no second chances.
But she couldn't just let things be.
Should she take the risk and strike first, or sit back and watch the title be snatched away?
She was being forced to choose between two options, both with a bleak future as the price.
“...How nice would it be if a talented person just fell from the sky right about now.”
Lina knew better than anyone that this was an impossible wish.
Knock, knock.
“Come in.”
The one who entered was one of the butlers she had bribed.
“What is it?”
“You have a visitor, my lady.”
“A visitor? I don’t recall having any appointments...”
“He said he did not make an appointment. He told the guards he was here to see you, my lady.”
“...A merchant?”
Occasionally, shameless people would show up seeking her investment. Among them were audacious swindlers who thought they could cheat a noble lady ignorant of the world.
Of course, the latter always ended up as dew on the executioner’s block.
“Well... it seems he is a mage.”
“...What?”
*
After leaving the guard building, we headed straight for the lord’s castle.
Of course, there were various procedures to follow to enter the lord’s castle in the noble district, but surprisingly, a few displays of magic got us through quickly.
It seemed the status of a mage was quite high in this world as well.
“...It’s huge.”
Up close, the lord’s castle was much larger than I had expected, so much so that I wondered if it really belonged to a mere viscount and not a high-ranking noble.
Though, Iris seemed more fascinated by the street stalls.
The guard who had been wary of us rushed off somewhere after I showed him my magic and said I was here to see the viscount’s daughter.
Not long after, a man who looked like a butler approached.
“I am Birman, the head butler of the Hessler family. The young lady has requested to see you at once, so would you grant me the honor of guiding you both?”
The excessive politeness was a bit burdensome, but Iris simply nodded as if it were perfectly natural.
Following the butler, we arrived at an annex surrounded by a beautiful garden and were shown into a reception room.
The viscount family’s black tea was quite good. At least, not so bad that I wanted to throw the cup against the wall.
I enjoyed a rare moment of leisure with Iris.
Knock, knock.
Soon, a knock on the door signaled the arrival of the person we had been waiting for.
“It is an honor to meet a sage who delves into the mysteries. My name is Lina Hessler.”
The woman who introduced herself as Lina Hessler exuded the air of a noble lady from head to toe.
Objectively speaking, she was a beauty, but she was a couple of tiers below Bella and Grace.
“I am Henrik.”
I stood up and performed the etiquette Iris had given me a crash course on. It felt awkward even to me, as I wasn't used to it.
“May the blessings of the arcane be with you. I am Seria.”
Unlike me, Iris greeted the viscount’s daughter naturally.
Even to my ignorant eyes, her movements were so elegant and refined it was jaw-dropping.
Though she had hidden her appearance with perception-hindering magic and was dressed in commoner’s clothes, it seemed she couldn't hide the grace ingrained in her very being.
I wasn't the only one who thought so. Both the viscount’s daughter and the maid beside her stared at Iris with surprised eyes.
“...By any chance, Lady Seria, are you a noble?”
“No, I simply had an opportunity to learn etiquette for a short while. I am pleased that my small effort seems to have paid off, hearing you say so, my lady.”
The viscount’s daughter stared at Iris with a look of utter disbelief.
“A-Ahem, I see.”
Well, it was understandable. To be that proficient after learning for just a short while...
Even I would have had a hard time telling if she was bluffing or being sincere.
After the introductions, Iris naturally took the lead in the conversation.
The two chatted away, starting with the weather, then moving on to the magnificence of the lord’s castle, the beauty of the garden surrounding the annex, and compliments for the viscount’s daughter.
After about ten minutes of such conversation, the viscount’s daughter was the one to change the subject.
“If it is not too much trouble, may I ask why you mages have come to see me?”
At first, hearing she was a viscount’s daughter, I thought she’d be some sheltered rich girl who didn't know the ways of the world.
But the woman I met, Lina Hessler, had the eyes of a merchant rather than a noble lady.
There was no wavering in her gaze as she looked at Iris and me.
“First, I must apologize for visiting without any prior notice. It is only proper.”
“You don’t have to apologize for that...”
“No. It would be best for you to accept my apology.”
“Pardon? What do you mean...”
Leaving the bewildered viscount’s daughter behind, I shot up from my seat. The face of the maid beside her instantly contorted.
“Even if you are a mage, you must show the lady proper respect...!”
“I don’t show respect to filthy things.”
Thwack. In an instant, I was behind the maid. I gave a light chop to the back of her neck, knocking her unconscious.
Of course, I wrapped an arm around her waist to keep her from falling to the floor.
“What is the meaning of this?!”
The viscount’s daughter raised her voice at the sudden violence and frantically shook a bell on the table, but strangely, it made no sound.
It seemed she was trying to call the knights outside, but the room was already enveloped in a ‘Silence’ spell.
“I am in the middle of giving you a gift of apology, so please wait a moment.”
Sitting back down with the maid in my arms, I suddenly lifted her skirt. It wasn't something I was consciously looking for, but she had rather pretty legs.
She didn't seem very tall, but her skin was fair, and her legs were long like a model's.
“W-What are you doing?!”
“Shh.”
Placing a hand on the maid’s thigh, I drew upon my magic power.
It was limited to this world, but I could use a faint amount of divine power.
I wasn't sure if it was thanks to the World Tree's blessing Iris had given me or because I was chosen as a hero by the World Tree, but my magic power was now imbued with a slight divinity.
It seemed I couldn't use it on Earth, likely because the World Tree, the source of that divine power, was in this world.
“Th-That is?!”
Szzzz— As my magic-infused hand touched the maid’s thigh, a black magic circle appeared on her skin with a sound like searing flesh.
Just looking at it was enough to make one feel disgusted.
“It’s black magic.”
On the way to the lord’s castle, I had told Iris that I had met a black mage in the underground auction house.
He was only a 1st Circle mage, but I felt I should mention it.
At the mention of black magic, Iris’s expression had immediately turned grave.
She explained that black magic was a forbidden art that was never to be permitted. In the past, all nations on the continent sentenced black mages to death without question.
However, her knowledge was frozen 200 years in the past, so there was no guarantee things were still the same.
“Black magic...”
But judging from the viscount’s daughter’s reaction, it seemed not much had changed.
“I am not well-versed in black magic, so I do not know what effect this spell has, but I can remove it for you if you wish. Of course, the caster might notice.”
“...To think that Jessie was under a black magic curse.”
Our original reason for seeking out the viscount’s daughter was because of the rumor Balan had told us about.
She was said to be interested in anyone with outstanding abilities, regardless of their status. If we proved we were mages, we could stay at the lord’s castle as guests, which might give us a chance to meet the lord.
What I wanted was to negotiate with the lord.
Control over the Great Forest. If that could be guaranteed, I planned to leave this place as soon as possible and head to our next destination.
But I doubted the lord would readily agree to my demands.
Just look at this auction—the moment news of a captured elf spread, the wealthy came running.
To the lord, elves were a product he would never want to let go of, even if it meant taking on high risks for a slim possibility.
If negotiations failed, threatening him with a curse like I did with Elmar seemed unlikely to work. I doubted a man said to be wealthier than most counts couldn't find a single priest to remove it.
At first, I considered participating in the auction to find a way. If that didn't work, I could always just destroy the larger slave caravans.
Even an uninvited guest is still a guest, after all.
If I did that, they wouldn't have the luxury of paying any attention to the Great Forest for a while.
But what could be more certain than controlling the situation in the lord’s name?
Of course, negotiating with the current lord would be difficult.
But what about the next lord?
“Lady Lina Hessler. Would you be interested in making a deal with me?”