Preparing for the Auction (1)
Ssssshh.
As soon as my answer left my lips, silence descended upon the hallway.
Heukgol stared at me blankly, and Pokryong shut his mouth.
Even Arwen, who rarely doubted me, furrowed her brow and looked back and forth between my face and the scabbard, as if trying to verify the truth.
Well, that's the normal reaction, honestly.
A custom-made relic.
It was the reward granted to a challenger who successfully cleared the Forge of the Single Fire.
Normally, a challenger would receive a powerful weapon that maximized their traits and abilities, like Pokryong's giant flame sword, the Pokyeomdo.
But a scabbard?
Out of all the things to receive from a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, it just had to be a scabbard...!
"..."
"..."
"..."
Yes.
Everyone was staring at me with deeply complicated expressions.
Except for Adelia.
"...?"
For the record, Adelia was just blinking blankly, looking as if she didn't see the problem at all.
Pokryong glanced at her and spoke up.
"Hey, Adel-whatever."
"..."
"You received a perfectly fine new sword, but your master got nothing but a measly scabbard. Are you really okay with that?"
Adelia scratched her head.
"Uh... well..."
After hesitating for a moment, she replied with absolute confidence.
"Wouldn't Master find a use for anything? Even if it's just a scabbard."
"..."
"I don't know the details, but I'm sure my master has a plan."
Pfft.
Hearing her answer, Pokryong let out a dry laugh. He looked genuinely dumbfounded by Adelia's words.
"Fine. Setting aside the girl with her head in the clouds..."
Pokryong shifted his gaze to me.
"Gaon, aren't you frustrated? You showed off such an overwhelming strike, yet all you got was a single scabbard?"
I kept my mouth shut. I offered no answer, no reaction whatsoever.
"Tsk. I guess you have no intention of answering this time either."
Pokryong shook his head and clicked his tongue. The look in his eyes was closer to pity than mockery.
"Of all those who have cleared the Forge of the Single Fire, you are the most pathetic. No, those who failed are probably better off."
Pokryong glanced at Heukgol as he spoke.
"Don't you think so too, Heukgol?"
"W-Wait a minute..."
Heukgol, who had been standing dazed until now, spoke in a trembling voice.
"I really don't understand... This is a joke, right? Huh? It is, right?"
"..."
"I-Is there actually something inside the scabbard? Are you just hiding your new sword to mess with us...?"
"It's the Feather Sword."
I cut Heukgol off.
Heukgol stared at me blankly, muttering in disbelief.
"What...?"
"What's inside the scabbard is the Feather Sword."
"..."
Heukgol stared at me, utterly speechless.
After a brief silence, he suddenly reached out.
His skeletal fingers were trembling, showing just how shocked he was.
"H-Hand it over. Let me check it myself."
I silently handed over the scabbard.
Heukgol took the Mokgwe and examined it from all angles.
Clack, clack.
He shook it up and down as if weighing it, then turned to Arwen and Pokryong in bewilderment.
"I-I don't feel... any weight at all...?"
"Let's draw the sword inside first," Arwen suggested from the side.
Heukgol nodded.
"R-Right. L-Let's take a look, shall we?"
He gripped the end of the scabbard with one hand and wrapped his other hand around the hilt.
"Here goes the reveal! Dun, dun-dun, dun... drumroll, please..."
Schwing!
The sword was finally drawn. The familiar ring of the blade and its brilliant light filled the hallway...
"...It really is the Feather Sword."
"..."
"..."
After that, no one could deny it anymore. The fact that the reward I received from the Forge of the Single Fire was indeed nothing but an empty scabbard.
"Sigh..."
Heukgol handed the scabbard back with a sigh. His usual playfulness was completely gone, replaced by a look of genuine pity.
"I'm sorry, my friend."
"..."
Pat, pat.
He patted my shoulder. It was meant to be comforting, but the sensation of bare bones tapping against me wasn't particularly pleasant.
Pokryong, who had been watching quietly, chimed in cautiously.
"Still, it's supposed to be a relic... Does it really not have any special abilities?"
I shrugged.
"The Feather Sword is also a relic."
"..."
"But it has absolutely no abilities other than having zero weight."
"Then don't tell me this scabbard is also..."
Pokryong trailed off, as if the words were too painful to speak aloud.
"Yes."
"..."
"It's just a weightless scabbard. That's all."
When I finished the sentence for him, everyone looked at me with even deeper pity. Their faces showed they were at a loss for words.
It was only natural.
Anyone would feel bitter if they thought they had squandered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity like this.
Of course, that's a lie.
The True Name Awakening of the Feather Sword boasted performance that surpassed almost any other blade. Even more so than Pean's Frost Sunset or Adelia's Meteor Sword.
Of course, to those who didn't know, it would look like trash. But I knew the value of the Feather Sword better than anyone... Ah, explaining this over and over is getting tedious.
Anyway.
The same went for the Mokgwe.
The true value of this scabbard wasn't its zero weight or its silencing effect.
The core of its power lay in the authority engraved within it—the ability to temporarily borrow Pean's Super Sensory skill.
However, the engraved authority could only be used by the relic's owner. Others couldn't even perceive its existence.
Thus, to anyone else, it could only look like a useless scabbard.
How shocked would they be if they knew I could temporarily borrow Pean's Super Sensory through this scabbard?
Of course, there was no need to reveal that.
In fact, letting them misunderstand was better.
A hidden card only shines when played at the decisive moment.
But still...
It was actually quite funny.
Even Heukgol and Pokryong, notorious for their eccentric personalities, were genuinely pitying me.
I could barely hold back a chuckle looking at their ridiculous expressions.
Since they were guys who only had fighting and swords on their minds, did they react even more sensitively to this kind of thing? They really were amusing bastards.
"Ahem!"
Just then, Heukgol cleared his throat, trying to break the awkward atmosphere.
"By the way, Adelia, what kind of relic did you get? It looks pretty unique."
"...Ah."
Schwing.
Adelia lifted the Meteor Sword and spoke.
"This is... the Meteor Sword."
"The Meteor Sword?"
"Yes. I was told how to use it by a great person, but I haven't actually used it in practice, so I don't know its detailed abilities yet."
"Then let's head to the training grounds and test it out."
The one who made the suggestion was Pokryong.
Though he spoke with a gruff expression, a faint trace of anticipation lingered in his voice.
Seeing how often he sparred with Adelia, he seemed to find fighting her quite enjoyable.
Of course, he was probably curious about the new relic's abilities as well.
By the way...
Pokryong's gaze was a bit suspicious.
How should I put it?
It was the exact same look Strawberry Latte gave when he saw a newbie attending a Lost Elder offline meetup for the first time...
...Is that bastard trying to steal Adelia?
Well, it wasn't surprising.
In the original game, Adelia had indeed received instruction from Pokryong.
While they weren't in a formal master-disciple relationship, I recalled them maintaining a decent rapport as sparring partners.
But...
Sorry, Pokryong.
—This is ridiculous. Do you blindly believe everything Gaon says?
—Yes.
—Ha! Then if he told you to die, would you—
—Of course I would.
In this playthrough, things are going to be a bit different.
Adelia had already sworn loyalty to me down to her very bones.
"..."
Well, Pokryong didn't need to be disappointed.
I knew of a disciple who would suit him perfectly.
It's about time I look for her...
The Sisterhood of the Abandoned.
A secret community that took in girls exiled from the Holy Sisterhood.
There was a girl there who would eventually blossom into an incredible talent. A genius who would grow like a monster if Pokryong took her under his wing.
...I must bring her to our side somehow. Before she falls into the hands of "them."
Ah, of course.
There was something I had to resolve before that.
The illegal auction in the lawless city of Dawnguard.
Only after the plan there succeeded could I proceed with the next steps regarding the Sisterhood of the Abandoned.
Time flew by.
While staying in Midtemple, I watched the Council transform day by day.
Led by Arwen and the reformists, Midtemple was changing rapidly.
*Clang, claaang!*
Meanwhile, Adelia immersed herself in sparring with Pokryong.
Every day, the training grounds were packed with paladins eager to watch their duels.
"Bwahahaha! Not bad...!"
"Ugh!"
Through three days of non-stop combat training, Adelia managed to grasp the basic abilities and applications of the Meteor Sword.
I stood among the crowd, watching the battle between Pokryong and Adelia.
Oh, not bad.
Of course, she hadn't fully unlocked the Meteor Sword's potential yet... but even at this level, she would be a greater asset than expected at the Dawnguard illegal auction.
"Bwahaha, how's that? Your skills have exploded over the last three days, haven't they?"
"Thank you, Sir Pokryong. I have learned a lot."
"Yes, yes! You truly are talented! Why don't you dump Gaon and become my official disciple instead..."
"I refuse."
"..."
Pokryong repeatedly tried to scout her, but Adelia flatly rejected his offers every single time.
Heh.
I let out a soft chuckle and fell into thought.
Although I was currently staying in Midtemple, I had to keep coordinating the situation outside.
I had to prepare for the Dawnguard auction, contact my connections scattered across the continent, and mentally review my future plans.
In particular, I frequently communicated with Strawberry Latte through the private message system.
Of course, since Strawberry Latte couldn't use the reply function yet, it was mostly me sending one-way instructions...
But we could still communicate to some extent using the reaction feature.
Ah, he just read what I sent.
The checkmark next to the message indicated that Strawberry Latte had acknowledged it.
As I've mentioned before, a wide variety of factions were bound to gather at this illegal auction. After all, it was the first time the corpse of a Divine Beast would be put up for sale.
The Wintersield Magic Academy was one of those factions.
Naturally, Strawberry Latte was included in the delegation Wintersield was sending. I had sent a carrier pigeon to Chancellor Biorf instructing him to make it so.
*Ding.*
The moment I sent the message, it was marked as read. Coincidentally, it seemed Strawberry Latte had his message window open as well.
Not long after, a new reaction emoji popped up.
Well. I mean...
If he has the energy to react like this, I guess he's doing alright.
Normally, grad students shouldn't even have the time to react to messages. I should tell Biorf to work him a bit harder next time.