MintChocoIsDelicious

Still, being a replica, there remained a slight regret that my own worth still could not be verified.

"Incredible. Spending four hundred million gold on the first day of the auction!"

"You're in first place, aren't you?"

"We've never met. Which city are you from?"

People crowded around Hudson. All of them were auction participants. Spending four hundred million gold alone on the opening day was more than enough to cause a stir — of course it was.

Hudson stood at the center of the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠outsiders who had sat on the right. And among the imperial nobles were Lord Darkhan and Young Lady Dercian. Even they, however, kept stealing glances at Hudson.

"Four hundred million from day one…"

"Where did he get that kind of money?"

"He's probably overreaching for nothing."

The words were mocking, but even that was a form of interest. Imperial nobles did not so much as glance at anyone who failed to catch their eye. Naturally, curiosity rose of its own accord — whether he could keep this momentum going. And above all, which city had invited him here.

This banquet was a social arena where people got to know one another after the auction ended. Naturally, everything revolved around those who had stood out during the bidding.

Just who the hell is that guy?

Young Lady Dercian was smiling on the surface, but inside she was crumpled beyond repair. No matter how much money someone had, there was no way they could throw around that kind of sum without a second thought. So where had he pulled it from? And from the city of monsters — the Labyrinth, no less.

She was supposed to be the main character of this gathering. At some point, that man had drawn every eye in the room.

Number One is nowhere to be seen.

Paying no mind to those stares, I scanned the surroundings, searching for Number One — the one who had held a seat ahead of even Lord Darkhan and Young Lady Dercian. More than anyone else, I wanted to know who Number One was. But he was nowhere.

"Ah, I truly wonder what will come up in tomorrow's auction."

"This is something. I'll have to register an auction item by tomorrow if I want to participate even a little."

"Number Fifty-Five, you must have registered something as well, yes?"

"Ohhh, I'm extremely curious what you've put up."

Hudson drew attention and led the conversation. Just as the atmosphere was reaching its peak—

…A message suddenly floated before my eyes.

"Nngh!"

In that instant, one man let out a low sound. Not a large reaction — but he had made a noise the moment he saw the news of Delphian's fall.

Number Sixty-Eight.

Exquisite timing. If it wasn't coincidence, Number Sixty-Eight was a Player. Fortunately, Hudson showed no particular reaction. Aside from me, almost no one had noticed Number Sixty-Eight's response.

…That aside.

Delphian has fallen.

Baal had taken Delphian. Word that three thousand warriors had gathered there had only spread yesterday. And in a single day?

Thud!

Soon the banquet hall doors opened and several knights strode in. They murmured quietly into the ears of the nobles enjoying the party. No doubt delivering the news of Delphian's fall.

"…What? Is that truly true?"

"Yes, my lady."

At the same time, Young Lady Dercian's expression shifted strangely — half unconcealable joy, half fluster. The faces of the nobles who heard the news were not much different. The weight of shock was large, but in the end these were cities that had nothing to do with the Empire.

"Hahaha!"

The banquet hall quickly recovered its original atmosphere.

The next day, the second Special Auction began. But something had changed from the day before.

The numbers.

Number Two.

I had jumped from Fifty-Five to Two — moved over to the seats of the imperial nobles on the left.

So the seating is rearranged by how much money was spent the previous day.

A privilege of sorts, if one could call it that. Young Lady Dercian sat in seat Number Three.

Yesterday's Number Sixty-Eight… is gone.

Every participant had gathered, yet only the one who had reacted yesterday was missing. Had they noticed he was a Player and eliminated him? Or had something else happened?

"…Black Goat."

That was when it happened. The man seated in Number One slowly opened his mouth, looking at me. Looking precisely at me — not Hudson.

The man in Number One had not participated in the auction even once the day before. Even though I had spent the most money, he still held the Number One seat. A figure cloaked head to toe in a tuxedo and a white mask. He spoke into my mind.

—Yesterday's Number Sixty-Eight was a Player. You already knew that, didn't you?

A voice transmitted into my mind. As if someone were speaking from inside my own head. It was not a whisper. It was far removed from skills of the Sound Transmission type as well. If it had been that kind of skill, I would have noticed first.

A thread of the Golden Rule.

A golden thread of light connected him and me. Conversation using the Golden Rule — something only those who were linked could speak and hear. So this, too, was possible with fragments of the Golden Rule?

It was a technique a step beyond the "auto-translation" function Hudson had told me about. Then again, Hudson, who had shut himself away in his castle, could hardly have known about the hidden conversational function of the Golden Rule.

So you can load words onto the thread and send them.

I did not immediately transmit the thought that had risen unbidden. The content of what I thought floated up as text before my eyes, and I could choose what I wanted and load it onto the thread — a form that called to mind a string telephone.

…He knows about Players.

If I hadn't misheard, the other party had clearly mentioned Players. And more than that — he very likely knew why Number Sixty-Eight had disappeared. On top of it all, he was asking me, You knew as well, didn't you?

For what reason? Why ask me?

What's certain is that he's someone above even Lord Darkhan.

Lord Darkhan, who hosted the auction and put his own territory forward, was naturally first priority for the Special Auction. A man who sat ahead of even that Lord Darkhan, and whom the imperial nobles regarded without particular suspicion.

From the dispositions of the imperial nobles I had observed during yesterday's auction, most of them absolutely could not stand having someone inferior in front of them. That left four possibilities that immediately came to mind.

Highest-ranking nobility. The Imperial Family. The Death God Religion… or a special Player.

Handling the Golden Rule is not exclusive to Players. Pangenia natives have been filtering into the Abyss Labyrinth one after another as well. Still, as one possibility, it's enough.

Even monsters handled fragments of the Golden Rule. Handling it did not guarantee he was a Player — but it did not rule it out either.

—Who is Number Sixty-Eight?

So I played dumb. Number One was still looking at the auction floor. Feigning complete disinterest in me, he sent his reply.

—Do you truly not know? Or do you mean there is no need to know?

A tone as if asking how I could not know something I ought to. I deliberated inwardly. Then I reached a conclusion.

Number Sixty-Eight was dead. He had not vanished somewhere, had not fled the territory — he was dead.

—There is simply no need to speak up for someone who is not here.

Meaning I would not bother defending a person absent from this place. Presently Number One's voice spread through my mind once more.

—I am a Player.

I frowned inwardly.

………What is this bastard saying?

Suddenly claiming to be a Player? Was he testing my reaction? He had probed whether I knew Number Sixty-Eight was a Player, and now he was just throwing out that he himself was one, watching for a response. Did he think I would react if he tossed it out this absurdly?

But the words that followed nearly made me flinch for real.

—Ah. I suppose I should put it this way for you to understand. I am MintChocoIsDelicious. A pleasure to meet you.

Delphian had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠fallen!

Everyone who ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠heard the news could not hide their shock. Over three thousand people. And a great number of Transcendents had participated — yet it had fallen in a single day!

The Players on Player Talk were also in a cauldron of shock. It had only been yesterday that the Players participating in the Four Calamities subjugation had been projecting confidence. Looking at the scale and the participants, losing should have been the strange outcome.

And it was Delphian, of all places. One of the three most famous blacksmith cities! They had put forward high-grade equipment to recruit participants, and had prepared so thoroughly that they transformed the city itself into a "siege city" — which only made the shock greater.

Among them were people worked up enough to pick a fight. Utter chaos itself.

That was when it happened. Posts of simultaneous panic began flooding up one after another.

The sudden notice only piled more chaos onto the chaos. The possibility that Four Calamities Baal could cross over to Earth. A monster Pangenia itself had failed to stop — if it came to Earth, the result was obvious without looking. And above all, there was no way to predict where it would strike.

At the news that Gracia had started a live broadcast on his own channel, everyone piled in to check on him. But those who saw Gracia could only tilt their heads.

……MintChocoIsDelicious?

A nickname only Players would know. A name no native of Pangenia could possibly be aware of — and Number One had spoken it. On top of that, introducing himself as that person.

MintChocoIsDelicious is connected to the Empire?

The Empire openly despised Players. So had he infiltrated in secret? Or perhaps even this was a fishing attempt.

I showed no particular reaction. Thanks to the Hidden Trait Heart of the Eternal Monarch. An immovable heart that never wavered.

That was the moment.

Just like yesterday, a message floated up once more. Perfect timing. If he were a real Player, he would mention this notice as well.

—…So Four Calamities Baal may cross over to Earth. How do we stop this.

Amazingly, Number One referenced the notice directly. There was no way he could have known about a notice that had just appeared in advance. Did that mean Number One was a Player? Was this bastard the real MintChoco?

But I could not keep dodging forever.