Chapter 167: The Midnight Auction (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 167: The Midnight Auction (5)
Even as I walked down the hall behind Lina Hessler, my mind was elsewhere.
The 5th Circle...
Right now, I'm an upper-intermediate 4th Circle mage and a swordsman on the verge of the transcendent realm.
Iris had praised my unbelievable growth, but lately, all I could feel was my own inadequacy.
My duel with Sylvia, in particular, had made me painfully aware of how few options I had against an opponent who wielded Aura.
While that might be unavoidable for a mage, a barrier that could withstand Sword Qi multiple times was torn apart like paper before Aura.
She could even slice through magic with it, so the spells I cast to keep her at bay were of little use.
And when it came to swordsmanship, the reality was that my fundamentals were no match for a monster who had reached the master level.
Iris told me not to be impatient, but...
I knew that advancing a mage's circle was no easy task.
It required not only profound magical knowledge but also a powerful mana circle, a sturdy magic circuit, and an epiphany to act as a catalyst.
Moreover, the 5th Circle was a realm that could only be achieved by constructing an Astral in the mental plane.
This was why not even twenty percent of the mages on Earth had reached the 5th Circle.
If a swordsman's goal is to manifest their will and ideals in the world through their blade, a mage's goal is to reshape the phenomena of the world according to their will.
The very first step toward that goal is the Astral, a small celestial body formed within oneself.
I had tried relentlessly to find a clue that would lead me to the 5th Circle, but every attempt had ended in failure.
Iris would only offer me brief hints, sealing her lips and saying anything more would only cloud my judgment.
...And it seems I'm just as lost when it comes to the transcendent realm.
Then again, I've only just learned how to properly form Sword Qi. It would be greedy of me to already be aiming for the transcendent realm.
I needed to consult my master about that.
Of course, I could ask Sylvia for advice, but it felt like admitting I was weaker than her, which left a bad taste in my mouth.
Besides, it's not like she'd teach me properly anyway.
“Sir Henrik.”
Lina Hessler, who had apparently reached the banquet hall, stopped at the door and turned to look at me.
Perhaps because of the maids' gazes, she simply looked at me without saying a word.
I had a good idea of what she was thinking and what she was worried about.
-I remember, so you don't need to worry.
A look of bewilderment flickered in her eyes as I sent the telepathic message. Telepathy was the exclusive domain of high-level mages, so she was likely surprised.
But it didn't take long for her to regain her usual composure.
She gestured to a maid with her eyes, and the maid opened the doors to the banquet hall.
Creeeak—
A long table was laden with delicious-looking food, but my eyes were fixed on the man and women already seated.
“Welcome.”
The man who greeted us from the head of the table looked like a corrupt official.
His greedy expression and portly build matched the description Lina Hessler had given me of the Viscount.
On either side of him sat two rather beautiful middle-aged women.
The stern-looking woman on his right was likely Lina Hessler's mother, the Viscountess, and the gentle-looking woman on his left must be Henriot Hessler's mother, the commoner-born concubine.
...I don't think he favors his son just because he's his son.
Unlike the Viscountess, who looked like she would constantly nag her husband, Henriot Hessler's mother, the concubine, seemed gentle and likely to boost her husband's ego.
“I am Viscount Roman Hessler, lord of this city. It has been a long time since I've met a mage who doesn't belong to the Continental Magic Association, which is why I extended this invitation. If it was rude of me, I apologize.”
Despite his corrupt-official-like first impression, the lord was surprisingly normal.
Honestly, I'd expected him to treat me like a clown and ask me to perform some magic on our first meeting.
“My name is Henrik. It is an honor to meet the esteemed Viscount Hessler, whom I have long admired.”
The etiquette Iris had drilled into me was once again proving its worth.
“Hm? A mage who knows of me? How curious. The last wandering mage I met didn't even seem to know this was the Veilhaven Republic.”
“Is it not thanks to Viscount Hessler's good governance that the people of this city can live without hunger? Magic is the study of the world's mysteries and truths; it would be impossible not to know of a wise leader such as yourself.”
A lie. The city was filled with beggars, many of whom were young children.
Proof that he was raking in money like crazy without building a single orphanage.
Good governance from a lord who dabbles in slave trading? What a joke.
“Haha! A mage who flatters? If I told other nobles about this, they would all think me a liar.”
My words, which I'd tossed out with just the right amount of flattery, seemed to please him, as Viscount Hessler laughed heartily.
After that, a series of questions followed: why I had come to his territory, what my relationship with Iris was, and so on.
And so, dinner began in a relatively amicable atmosphere.
For the record, the food was mediocre.
It was clear they'd used high-quality ingredients and expensive spices generously, but overall, it was too salty and the meaty flavor was overpowering.
Iris stuck to the salad.
It was a good thing I'd told a maid beforehand that she was a vegetarian and to be careful with the menu selection. Otherwise, she would have had to sit there awkwardly through the entire meal.
I pretended to put a piece of meat in my mouth as I surveyed the atmosphere at the table.
So that's Henriot Hessler.
The man sitting across from me, Henriot Hessler, was clean-cut and unremarkable.
I observed him carefully, but he wasn't a black magician. In fact, his mana level was even lower than that of an ordinary person.
This time, I shifted my gaze to the maid standing behind him.
She's quite beautiful for a maid.
With a beauty mark under her eye and looks far too stunning for a commoner, she was exactly as Lina Hessler had described.
After observing her for a while, I concluded that she wasn't a black magician either.
“Speaking of which.”
Viscount Hessler put down his utensils with a clink and spoke to me.
“I heard you came to purchase a slave. Have you found one to your liking?”
“I was planning to start looking tomorrow by visiting the merchant guilds below the castle.”
“Hmm, is that so.”
The Viscount stroked his chin, seemingly pondering something, before the corners of his mouth lifted into a smile.
“Then how about participating in the auction tonight? It will be a good opportunity to sharpen your eye for choosing slaves.”
“Father.”
Lina Hessler, who had been silent until now, spoke up.
“You needn't worry. I have already invited Sir Henrik to the auction.”
“...You did?”
The moment she spoke, the atmosphere in the hall turned icy.
The way the Viscount looked at her was not how a father looks at his daughter. It was as if he were looking at an obstacle in his way.
“Well done.”
There was no affection in his short, concise reply. With that, the conversation between father and daughter ended.
The rest of the meal passed without incident.
Just as everyone began to leave the banquet hall, starting with Viscount Hessler...
“Sir Henrik?”
Henriot Hessler suddenly spoke to me.
“Yes?”
“If you don't mind, could you spare me a moment of your time?”
He wore a friendly smile.
For a moment, I considered refusing, but I grew curious about what he wanted to say to someone he'd just met.
Faced with this unexpected situation, Lina Hessler looked somewhat anxious, though she didn't show it.
-It'll be fine.
I sent her a telepathic message.
“I would be honored.”
And with that, I followed him to a separate annex.
It seemed that, aside from the Viscount and his wife, both children lived in their own annexes.
The place he lived in had a completely different atmosphere from Lina Hessler's.
It felt rigid, somehow. The maids stationed there all wore heavy, stiff expressions.
“Thank you for your time.”
“It's no problem. I was just going to wait in my room until the auction started anyway.”
We arrived at what looked like a reception room, where I drank the black tea a maid served and made small talk with him.
“A 3rd Circle mage at such a young age, that's truly incredible. You could surely receive excellent treatment from the Continental Magic Association. Is there a reason you choose to live as a wandering mage?”
“I simply dislike being tied down to one place. Of course, I'll probably settle down somewhere when I'm older.”
“When that time comes, would you please consider the House of Viscount Hessler first? I would be delighted if you became our exclusive mage, and I promise you would be treated well.”
“Haha, I came here to buy a slave and ended up planning for my retirement.”
I don't particularly enjoy conversing with men, but I considered it a form of information gathering and responded appropriately.
About twenty or thirty minutes passed like that.
Clang. I dropped the teacup I was holding.
It wasn't a mistake.
In the first place, it was absurd to think a martial artist capable of wielding Sword Qi would make such a clumsy error.
The fingertips holding the cup were trembling faintly.
“...Poison?”
“How impressive.”
The voice didn't come from Henriot, who was sitting across from me.
“It's a potent poison that an ordinary knight would struggle to endure for even five minutes... Are you really a mage?”
It was the maid who had been standing beside him the whole time.
As if her expressionless face until now had been an act, the corners of the maid's lips were curved into a wide smile.
In contrast, Henriot Hessler's head was slumped forward like a puppet with its strings cut, and he said nothing.
“Huhu, first the young master of a noble viscount's family, and now a 3rd Circle mage. No matter how I think about it, I must be very lucky.”
As she gave a seductive smile, I could see a magic circle drawn on her bright red tongue.
It was a magic circle I had seen somewhere before.
“...A black magician?”
Of course, I still couldn't sense any dark magic from her. But the circumstantial evidence was overwhelming.
The maid, who could smile like an innocent girl one moment and a sultry seductress the next, approached me.
She suddenly sat on my lap and looked at me with black eyes that seemed to hold an indescribable darkness.
“I am Melissa, servant to Lady Lavinia, the Fourth Throne of Malefis.”