Chapter 48
Chapter 48
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: The Auction House's Big Spender, Sien
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‘In the original story, it’s third-person, so the dealer’s perspective comes up too. That’s how I know the secret of this gun.’
Of course, since Melodya was a saint revered by all, the dealer could hand over the auction house ticket without any game nonsense.
But even so, that dealer hesitated about whether to play the game with Melodya and eyed her with a bit of suspicion.
And right at that point, the original story described what the dealer was thinking.
‘This gun can’t speak, but it’s actually a magic artifact and weapon with half a personality.’
With a personality of its own, it kills humans when it wants to and spares them when it doesn’t.
And the entity inside the gun recognized the dealer as its master. So the gun was programmed never to kill its own master, the dealer.
‘How about using the personality inside this gun?’
I smiled quietly and raised my hand.
“Do you know this, unnie?”
I showed her the gun in my hand. Its surface was slick with heat, and underneath, [Dealer] was engraved in ancient script.
The dealer’s eyes widened in shock. It was only natural.
“……What? This is impossible!”
“Why?”
I asked even though I knew full well.
The dealer’s smug expression turned to bewilderment.
“That gun only shows that ancient script when the dealer holds it……! Did you use magic to manipulate it? But you can’t use magic……!”
“I can’t use mana, but I can use other abilities.”
I beamed brightly and glanced at the boss.
He grinned back at me.
There was a reason the boss had muttered to himself while looking at me earlier. It wasn’t muttering—it was a spell.
Before coming to this casino today, I’d had a quick chat with the boss.
‘Boss, I’m curious about somethin’. If it has a personality, can you control a magic artifact?’
‘With a spell?’
‘Yeah!’
‘It’ll take some time, but probably.’
Today, the boss—the shaman—had lent me his power.
Of course, magic couldn’t be used freely inside the casino. It was designed to block others’ magic.
But……among the abilities that mages dismissed as worthless, there was something called gypsy spells.
I’d used exactly that spell to manipulate the magic artifact.
Unlike magic, spells messed with the psyche.
So they worked on humans, but could also disrupt the psyche of a magic artifact endowed with a human-like personality.
Wearing the look of a victor, I gazed at her.
“Anyway, unnie can’t get hurt, so you brought a healer. But she said healers can’t save their own people…… Worrying.”
I looked at the dealer, loaded the gun, and shot myself in the forehead.
Whish-.
Naturally, this gun couldn’t kill me, whom it now recognized as its master.
The game’s rules. Once the game starts, it doesn’t stop until defeat is declared.
“This magic artifact has a spell on it, so it’ll see me as the dealer for a while.”
I grinned and shook the gun-shaped magic artifact.
My pearly white front teeth gleamed.
“But what about you, unnie?”
“…….”
Both the dealer and I knew the answer.
“Declare defeat, or take the participant’s spot. One or the other.”
At my words, the dealer rubbed her dry face. She looked at me and asked with a sigh.
“……Before I decide, just one question. Fine, other abilities aside—how the hell did you know the secret of this magic artifact?”
I shook my head primly and replied.
“Trade secret.”
“……Ha, unbelievable.”
She looked pretty flustered, but as someone who’d been through hell and back, she grasped the situation fast. She glanced down at the gun I’d handed her and bit her red lip.
“Didn’t expect to get owned by a baby. Nice one.”
I watched her silently. She bit her lip, set the gun on the table, and declared.
“……By dealer’s authority, this round of Russian roulette is over. You win.”
The lights brightened even more vividly.
“You’ve won, so name your prize.”
“Yeah.”
I stood tall, hands on hips, and looked at her.
“Gimme the Dark Auction ticket.”
“Sigh…… That’s what you want? Fine.”
At my bold demand, the dealer shoved her wandering hand into her pocket and pulled out a golden ticket.
I furrowed my brow. Melodya had definitely gotten a red ticket—what was this?
‘What? Palming a card?’
I eyed the dealer suspiciously, and she handed me the golden ticket.
“It’s not your average auction entry ticket. Special guests get special tickets.”
I looked down at the ticket in my hand and blinked.
This was……
The top-tier premium ticket to the auction house—one even the famous saint Melodya hadn’t gotten.
Seeing my slight surprise, the dealer said softly.
“Baby princess, do you think you’ll find happiness and luck in the Dark Auction?”
It was the same question she’d asked Melodya in the original story.
Back then, she’d nodded vigorously with a bright smile. And indeed, she’d bought countless useful items at the Dark Auction, so she probably did find happiness and luck.
But I shook my head.
“Dunno.”
The dealer stroked her chin, intrigued, and asked abruptly.
“Then why are you going into the auction house?”
“Gotta.”
I’d buy stuff sold inside this auction house and get stronger.
I’d make money too.
So……
“Is that…… what you mean by duty?”
She stared at me quietly. I neither nodded nor shook my head, just said softly.
“I got people I gotta pwotect no matta what.”
With these hands, I’d save my idiot dad and idiot friends from the villains.
I’d protect the precious people of House Mirmod, who’d get massacred otherwise.
Even though my two hands were smaller than white dumplings.
Maybe she read the solemn sincerity on my young face, because she smiled brightly. Then, as the floor she stood on opened, she said to me.
“Come on in—the auction’s probably started already. You’re a bit late.”
Just as she said, rowdy noises rose from below.
I nodded vigorously and reached for Deadri unnie. Quick on the uptake, Deadri unnie scooped me into her arms.
As we descended the ladder in the maid unnie’s embrace.
Before Acid and the boss came down, the dealer’s voice rang from above my head.
“Lovely baby princess, may you find what you seek and protect your loved ones. Good luck.”
I looked up in surprise. Those words were a blessing even Melodya hadn’t heard in the original story.
The joy in her voice reminded me of someone, oddly.
‘……She’s like Delphia unnie.’
Shaking off the fleeting thought, I climbed down the ladder and entered the auction house interior.
***
Just as the dealer said, the auction had already begun.
The rosewood land would be up for bid early since it was deemed useless. The thought made me anxious.
So, standing before the Dark Auction entrance underground after climbing down the ladder, I hurriedly handed my ticket to the guard at the door.
The guard took my ticket and gave me a bidder’s paddle for the auction.
He’d stuttered and trembled slightly upon seeing the ticket, bowing deeply—it was weird, but participating in the auction was what mattered.
The guard opened the door, and our group of five stepped inside.
Sure enough, the auction house was already buzzing with heat. The auctioneer seemed to have been hyping something up.
“……No more bids? Moving on, then.”
No time to wonder what item had just failed to sell—I shouted loudly.
First, buy anything!
“Me!”
Amid the solemn crowd, all wearing masks.
My shrill voice—less than a meter tall and held by a maid—drew every eye. Whatever, I quickly pulled the paddle from my pocket.
“Not me—Number 1!”
Even I panicked after saying it.
‘Huh? Why am I number 1?’
Murmurs rose around me, matching my confusion.
“Number 1…… Isn’t that permanently retired in this auction house?”
“How’d a kid like that get a permanent number?”
“Mispronounced? Probably 11.”
“……Eh? Even 11 is impressive.”
My eyes widened too.
I knew what number 1 bidder meant. But I hadn’t expected the paddle from the dealer to be number 1!
[Permanent Number].
Auction houses like this had a permanent number system.
For the big spenders or truly VIP guests.
They got special privileges.
Normally, to prevent one person from hogging everything, there was a quota system—no one could bid on more than two items.
But…… ‘Number 1’ permanent numbers were different. They could bid unlimited, as long as their money held out.
And here I was, not just with a golden ticket, but with a permanent number too.
As excitement built, the auctioneer and everyone focused on me.
The auctioneer saw my paddle and said in a trembling voice.
“It’s real…… Number 1 bidder.”
His reaction heated the auction house even more.
Whispers flew: What is that kid? Royalty? Never seen the face.
I ignored them, found my seat with a bright smile, and sat down, staring at the auctioneer while shouting.
“I bid!”
“How much, sir?”
“Whateva the last bid was, plus 1 gold!”
No baby talk this time.
I looked at the auctioneer smugly.
But the curiosity about number 1 bidder didn’t last. The auctioneer’s low chuckle cut through the air.
“……Haha, number 1 bidder is surprisingly…… clueless.”
Was the auctioneer allowed to say that?
I narrowed my eyes, and he cleared his throat.
“This item is a pacifier.”
Laughter exploded from the crowd.
“Puhaha! Bidding without even knowing that.”
“How’s a little kid got number 1?”
I looked a bit flustered too. The auctioneer nodded knowingly at my expression.
“As expected, going to a child.”
His mocking tone sparked snickers around the room.
They tittered that the Dark Auction was full of junk, and a clueless kid like me had no eye for value.
Some said she didn’t look like the pope’s envoy—why was she number 1?—they’d complain to the dealer after leaving.
Of course, the loudmouths shrank when the boss and maid unnies glared once.
Acid especially whispered to me, worried I’d feel bad.
“Th-that pacifier’s kinda, kinda cute. Pr-probably useful too.”
No need to say that much—I knew the major magic artifacts from this Dark Auction roughly.
‘That’s the pacifier that can tame a dragon hatchling!’
The odds of meeting a dragon in life were near zero, but who knew. It might come in handy far in the future.
Those idiots mocking me didn’t know that.
I lifted my chin haughtily and yelled.
“Anyone else? No other bidders?”
I scanned around with eyes that said I’d kill any competitors. Luckily, no one cared about junk.
“SOLD to number 1 for 1 gold.”
Snagging a dragon hatchling leash for 1 gold—a steal. A great start.