Tada! It Wasn't Trash After All
Four peaceful days passed after that, and the day of the auction finally arrived. Elenoa had expected the number of participants to be around one hundred to one hundred fifty—nobles from the empire and the surrounding kingdoms. Yet even after we rented an entire large theater in the capital, the nobles had not only filled every seat but packed the aisles completely. No matter how you looked at it, the crowd easily surpassed double her estimate.
I shook my head behind the curtain, listening to the buzzing noise outside. Haa… Maybe this is for the best.
After all, my plan was to collect trash and bleed the guild’s finances dry. The more people who showed up, the higher the chances of truly bizarre junk appearing.
With that thought in mind, I quietly stared at my open palm. Resting on it were three Holy Wing Feathers radiating a brilliant, pure white glow.
Iriniel, who had once told me one feather per month was her limit, had pressed three into my hand yesterday evening with a slightly pale face and said,
Recalling the blind loyalty in her eyes, I swallowed the bitter tears rising in my throat. I really am grateful, but… I don’t need them.
If she ever learned that I was using these priceless treasures for a “ruin the guild by buying trash” shopping spree, she might just split my skull open with her battle axe on the spot.
“…Or maybe not? She did say she hoped they’d help my plan, so trading them away like this should technically count, right?”
After gazing at the snowy-white feathers a moment longer, I carefully placed them inside the wooden box, took a deep breath, and drew back the curtain.
The instant I stepped onto the stage, a roar of cheers threatened to bring the theater down. Nobles forgot all dignity, rising from their seats and craning their necks to stare at the platform. I accepted the magic tool that served as a microphone from Elenoa and offered them a calm smile.
“I thank every distinguished guest from the empire and neighboring kingdoms who has taken time from your busy schedules to visit this humble auction house.”
The nobles in the front rows nodded eagerly at my greeting.
“Before we begin the auction, allow me to share some joyful news. The Holy Wing Feathers of Atonement, imbued with that blessing, are not limited to just one today.”
Three Holy Wing Feathers will be offered today.
Three distinguished guests will have the chance to trade.
I paused, then opened the wooden box on the table. Dazzling radiance flooded the stage, and gasps of astonishment rippled through the hall.
“There are three in total. In other words, I will be conducting trades with three honored guests here today.”
“Woaaaaah!”
The moment I finished speaking, the theater descended into pure chaos. The nobles, who had expected a bloody fight over a single feather, now had eyes sparkling like innocent children at the news of three. They looked ready to yank out their treasures at any second.
After calming the crowd, I signaled Elenoa.
“…Ah! Then let us now officially begin the auction!”
With her declaration, the true auction—or rather, the grand barter—began.
The nobles lined up beneath the platform started placing the finest artifacts and heirlooms their houses could offer onto my table.
“This is the spiritual medicine our family has safeguarded for generations—Millennium Snow Ginseng! I request one feather in exchange!”
“Move aside! Guild Leader Caldia, this is the famous sword once wielded by a hero of the northern front! The magic stone embedded in the hilt alone could sustain an entire count’s estate—”
“You idiots! Guild Leader, I have brought three primordial magic tomes that are our family’s sacred treasures! One of them is so valuable the Magic Kingdom once offered fifteen thousand gold coins for it!”
The endless parade of rare treasures made the corners of my mouth twitch uncontrollably. No, I don’t need any of these valuable items!
I had to devalue them somehow, acquire them for a pittance, and only take useless junk. Yet every single thing they brought was a genuine, high-value piece whose worth had already been proven. If this continued, the three feathers would multiply the guild’s assets several times over.
I wiped the cold sweat from my forehead with a handkerchief and began scanning the items with a predator’s eyes, searching for the most pathetic specimens among them.
After a long stretch of rejections and silence, my gaze finally settled on a few objects tucked away in the corner. I slowly reached out and picked up the first one—a rusty old sword covered in red corrosion, its blade horribly chipped and dull.
“What… is this?”
The elderly viscount who had brought it stammered in panic.
“Ah, th-that is… a farmer near our territory dug it up while tilling the fields. It’s an ancient sword. Although it’s too rusted to use, the scholars thought it might hold historical value, so they planned to study—”
“I’ll take it. The first feather is yours.”
“…Pardon?”
The viscount’s mouth fell open as if he couldn’t believe his ears. The nobles around him stared back and forth between me and the decrepit sword in utter bewilderment.
I handed over the first Holy Wing Feather without batting an eye and pointed to the second item—an old, tattered leather-bound book.
“Is this the one you said was written in the language of the gods?”
The count who had brought it nodded frantically.
“Y-yes! But no one in the world can decipher it, so it has only been kept as a family heirloom…”
A book no one could read was no different from a pot holder. Perfect trash.
“The second one will be this magic tome.”
“No way!”
“How could something that’s basically half-junk get chosen…?”
The murmurs in the hall grew louder. The people who had offered the Millennium Snow Ginseng and the hero’s sword looked completely lost, unable to grasp my criteria.
Paying them no attention, I picked up the final item. At first glance it was simply a fist-sized black stone, but its owner claimed it was an unidentified artifact from the primordial era. No one had discovered its function despite more than a century since its excavation.
A rock whose purpose no one knows—where could I find a better bankruptcy item than this?
I cheered inwardly and handed the last Holy Wing Feather to the marquis who owned it.
“The third trade is also complete.”
With only three trades, the auction ended abruptly. The faces of the nobles who had not been chosen filled with deep disappointment and despair.
The count in the front row holding the Millennium Snow Ginseng finally burst out.
“Guild Leader! I cannot accept this! Why would you choose such scrap metal and a random rock?!”
Of course, I had already anticipated this reaction.
“Does it truly look like nothing more than scrap and a stone to you?”
I shook my head with a genuinely regretful expression.
“Our guild already possesses an abundance of items with proven value. What I seek are objects the world has not yet recognized—items that conceal true meaning. It is thanks to this insight that I have been able to further spread the name of the Caldia Merchant Guild in only three months.”
“But… my Millennium Snow Ginseng and the primordial magic tomes are worth more than ten thousand gold each. They are items that would bring enormous immediate profit.”
“That is also correct. However, my eyes judged these three relics to be of even greater worth. If you doubt my judgment, we can end the trades here.”
At my firm tone, the protesting count flinched and fell silent. Though he seemed to have more to say, his lips twitched once before he finally lowered his head.
‘That person sees the hidden value behind what we cannot perceive!’
Such a whisper rose from somewhere in the crowd. Soon several nobles began sending me looks of blind reverence.
If it’s Ideon Caldia, he’ll surely show us something incredible again…
I had grown somewhat used to this by now, so I simply smiled and met their expectations.
Then a young noble standing at the very back called out desperately.
“Great Caldia Guild Leader! Could you… perhaps hold another auction like this in the future? It doesn’t have to be the Holy Wing Feathers—even top-grade mana stone cultivation fruits or weapons forged by Sir Barundal would be wonderful!”
Every eye in the hall locked onto my lips.
“Hmm……”
Instead of answering immediately, I glanced sideways at the three “trash” items—no, relics—that Elenoa had neatly packaged. Praying fervently that they would prove to be worthless scrap as I hoped, I pondered a little longer before replying.
“If you possess any relics or antiques that catch my interest, feel free to bring them. However, if you disappoint me even once… I will not conduct any further trades.”
“That is more than enough! Thank you so much!!”
And so, my—no, the Caldia Merchant Guild’s—first auction concluded without any major incidents.
Now all that remained was for these relics to prove even more worthless than expected. Then everything would be perfect.
. . .
One week later.
“Ooh…!! As expected of the guild leader! How in the world did you manage to pick up the Heavenly Fall Sword that my father lost while fighting one of the Original Prisoners—the Abandoned Emperor?”
“…What did you just say?”
“That completely rusted sword you brought back from the auction a week ago! Its aura had faded so much I nearly didn’t recognize it, but it definitely carries my father’s power!”
“…Oh, damn it!!”