The Dragon's Mirror
A hand mirror adorned with dragon bone.
How on earth had something like this ended up at auction? Dojun had no idea.
Even more baffling, the auctioneer seemed completely unaware of its true value. The man kept spouting empty praise about its artistic beauty and dazzling elegance, layering on useless flowery language.
I have to get that. No matter what.
He still had no idea what he would actually do with it once he had it. But the pull he felt was undeniable—like his very soul was calling out to the object. That alone was more than enough reason to bid.
Auction starting bid is 80 gold!
Dojun nearly swore out loud.
That trinket is more expensive than an elixir?
A near mid-grade elixir had started at 50 gold. What made this thing so ridiculously overpriced? To him it held meaning, but to everyone else it was just a shiny mirror!
“Eighty gold.”
A woman who appeared to be a noble lady in a lavish dress placed the first bid.
Dojun couldn’t let her have it. “One hundred gold.”
Bidder 77 has offered 100 gold!
The moment he bid one hundred, the noblewoman countered with one hundred thirty.
Her face was hidden behind a mask, but Dojun glared at her anyway. What kind of person threw money around like that?
“One hundred fifty gold.”
“One hundred eighty!”
As the bidding war between Dojun and the noblewoman intensified, the auctioneer’s smile stretched ear to ear.
Oh! It seems the noble lady intends to use it herself, while our mage friend must be planning to gift it to someone special?
Items like this were considered minor side pieces, so the auction house hadn’t expected much profit. A fierce bidding war was a pleasant surprise. The other participants had already dropped out, deciding the price far exceeded the mirror’s worth. Only Dojun and the noblewoman remained.
The contest dragged on for some time…
Bidder 77 has offered 560 gold! Any higher bids?
In the end, Dojun emerged victorious.
The funds left behind by the returnee were substantial, and since this wasn’t one of the main items, 560 gold was well within his means. The auctioneer glanced toward the noblewoman, but she only ground her teeth in frustration, unable to raise the price any further.
Understanding the situation, the auctioneer struck his gavel.
—Bang! Bang!
The hand mirror is sold to bidder 77!
The auction continued for quite a while. Finally, the long-awaited final item was about to appear. Just before that, however, a short break was announced. The manager who had first guided Dojun approached him.
“Sir Mage, is everything to your satisfaction?”
His attitude had changed completely from earlier—now extremely polite. It made sense. Dojun had just spent 560 gold on a single mirror. From the auction house’s perspective, he was a valued customer who had delivered unexpected revenue. Such treatment was only natural.
“Yes. Quite comfortable, thank you.”
Dojun’s expression was still bright with lingering joy from his victory. The thrill of winning the bid had yet to fade.
The expenditure was large, but I still have plenty left. I should be able to participate in the main auction as well.
Watching him, the manager chuckled. “Haha. It seems you plan to gift it to your beloved. That mirror really was quite beautiful.”
At those words, Dojun recalled the hand mirror once more. Just thinking about it made his heart race again. He was truly glad he had won it. If he had lost it, he would have regretted it for the rest of his life.
“A gift? No, I’m going to use it myself.”
“…Pardon? Ah—ahaha. It, it suits you very well, sir.”
“Doesn’t it?”
“…….”
The manager struggled desperately to keep his expression neutral.
They say every mage from the towers has at least one screw loose… I guess it’s true.
His taste was certainly unique, but from the organizers’ point of view, it didn’t matter. As long as he had money, that was enough. They had roughly gauged the depth of his capital. A man willing to spend that much on a mere mirror would likely prove an excellent customer for the final auction as well.
Soon the short break ended, and the highly anticipated final auction began.
Ladies and gentlemen, to be honest, I have been looking forward to this moment from the very beginning. Everyone here today must be blessed with incredible fortune! It has been years since an item this precious has appeared at auction!
The auctioneer’s excited words drew every participant’s full attention. He didn’t drag it out.
Allow me to present—the sword of the former Count of Rodonos and the family’s secret swordsmanship manual!
The curtains parted, revealing an antique longsword and a thick tome.
As you all know, this is the legacy of the fallen swordsmanship house, the Rodonos family. It is the genuine blade once wielded by the former Count himself, along with a manual recording their secret sword art. Although only the first half of the manual remains, its value is still tremendous!
The participants began to murmur excitedly.
“The Rodonos family? That famous swordsmanship house?”
“I heard their heir escaped instead of dying. So he didn’t take the family sword after all.”
“The Rodonos sword art… Every knight on the continent will be drooling over that.”
“The Bellangs auction house really knows what it’s doing. To secure an item like this…”
Voices of surprise rose from every corner of the room. The relics of a once-great family ruined by political intrigue were tempting to anyone. While the sword itself was undoubtedly valuable, the real prize was the secret manual. If it truly contained the hidden techniques of a house once called the pinnacle of swordsmanship, its worth was immeasurable. Since such treasures could never be obtained through normal means, greed burned brightly in every eye.
But after hearing the full explanation, Dojun actually felt disappointed.
A sword and a sword technique. It sounds like the legacy of a great house, but…
He doubted acquiring it would grant him any achievement points. If it could, he would have received points the moment he learned the rather excellent Barkmong Mana Control Method from the Blue Magic Tower. On the other hand, the mirror made from dragon bone held far more promise. An item connected to a dragon should be more than enough to count as a significant achievement.
The auction for this lot begins at 2,000 gold!
“Two thousand five hundred gold!”
“Three thousand… no, three thousand five hundred gold!”
Dojun remained calm even as the bids for the final item skyrocketed. As a former soldier, he was curious to see the sword, but he had no desire to jump into that bloodbath.
Bidder 39 has just set a new record! And—oh! The moment I speak, bidder 50 has—!!
The bids climbed so rapidly that the auctioneer could barely keep up. He laughed with pure delight as the hall’s excitement reached its peak.
And then—
—BOOM!
—BANG!
An explosion rang out, followed by thick clouds of smoke.
For a split second everyone froze, wondering what was happening.
“I-it’s an attack!”
“The items—?!”
“Guards! Team One, protect the guests! Team Two, secure the merchandise!”
Chaos erupted as explosions and screams overlapped. Dojun shot to his feet in alarm.
The stage was completely obscured by smoke. The auctioneer had already snatched the sword and manual and retreated behind the curtains. Masked assailants were rushing toward it.
Flames ignited in Dojun’s eyes.
“My mirror!!!”
He didn’t care about any of the other items, but that mirror could not be lost. With a furious roar, he leapt toward the stage.
* * *
I will absolutely reclaim my father’s legacy.
Vex, the young master of the ruined Rodonos family, had attended the auction with iron resolve. He had received word—by pure coincidence—that his family’s heirlooms had surfaced here.
When he first heard the news, his rage had been indescribable. These were not mere keepsakes. They were the literal history of his house, developed and passed down by his ancestors over countless generations. Even more importantly, they concealed a vital secret.
Even if the sword art is lost, I must recover the blade at all costs.
The leak of their secret swordsmanship stung, but it was bearable. Only the first half had been recorded, and the latter half remained safe. The complete knowledge existed only inside Vex’s own mind. The real priority was the sword that had been handed down from one Count to the next.
A secret known only to the family head and his heir.
Vex, listen carefully. Inside the hilt of this sword lies information about a secret trading company owned by our house. That company was built in the shadows, and it will become our lifeline should our family ever face a great crisis.
Many noble houses maintained at least one such emergency measure. No family could prosper forever; this was their insurance against inevitable decline.
Unfortunately, Vex had lost the sword during his escape. By some miracle, he had learned it was now in this very auction house.
I had hoped to win it quietly and leave…
But seeing the feverish greed filling the auction hall, that seemed unlikely. Spending a fortune here would cripple his efforts to rebuild the family. Besides, he had come to take back what was rightfully his. Why should he pay thieves for his own property?
—Rustle.
During the break before the final auction, Vex casually moved about while signaling his disguised vassals who had already infiltrated the venue. A masked noblewoman, two elegantly dressed elderly gentlemen, and a large man wearing a deep hood.
His gaze lingered on the noblewoman for a moment.
Still… I don’t understand why Lady Olivia became so obsessed with that hand mirror.
They had infiltrated for the sake of their family’s legacy, yet she had fixated on a single vanity item. Olivia normally showed interest in nothing but magic. Had the mirror truly captivated her that much?
—Nod.
Regardless, his vassals had understood the signal.
And so, in the middle of the final auction, the plan was set into motion.
—KWAANG!
Together with the few surviving vassals, they launched their assault on the auction house!
Explosions rocked the venue as the vassals moved to block the guards. Taking advantage of the chaos, Vex—face hidden behind a mask—dashed onto the stage. He saw the auctioneer fleeing behind the curtains with the heirlooms.
“Stop right there!”
Vex swung his sword, slicing the curtain to shreds, and closed the distance in an instant. Several guards tried to block him, but the sword energy surging from his blade cut them down like lightning.
The auctioneer’s face filled with terror. A powerful intruder was one of the auction house’s greatest fears—and now that fear had become reality.
“N-no! Protect it at all costs!”
Yet the auctioneer could not retreat. Every item here had already been sold and belonged to someone. Especially the final lot—it was an incredibly valuable treasure. If they lost everything, the auction house would be finished, and the lives of its staff would be forfeit.
“You scoundrel! Take your filthy hands off that!”
Vex’s fury boiled over when he saw the auctioneer clutching the sword and manual. How dare this wretch lay hands on his family’s treasures? In a single stride he closed in and severed the man’s neck.
“Guhk!”
As the auctioneer collapsed, Vex snatched the sword and tome from his grasp.
“I’ve finally found you…”
The moment he gripped the hilt, overwhelming emotion surged through him, but there was no time to indulge it. He could reflect later once they had reached safety. He tucked the manual into his coat, sheathed the sword, and quickly grabbed a few other expensive-looking items. Among them was the hand mirror Olivia had desired. She would be pleased.
And at that exact moment—
—Crackle!
Ice spikes erupted from the floor beneath his feet.
“!”
Vex leapt into the air to dodge, but he had noticed the spell too late and lost his balance.
A spell so subtle I couldn’t even sense it coming?
Most magic gave some kind of warning before activation. This one had shown nothing. Vex tensed, realizing a truly formidable mage had appeared. His eyes scanned the distance. Mages usually kept their distance from warriors, so he looked there first.
Because of that, he was a moment too late in noticing Lim Dojun rising directly beneath him.
“Leave my things behind!”
Dojun, radiating bone-chilling cold, swung a hand covered in thick ice.
—KWAaaaang!