Chapter 28
Chapter 28
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: The Sky-High Bid
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"……."
"……."
Silence.
But even the same silence carried an entirely different meaning from when the main auction had begun.
Right after the auction house's main event kicked off, a strange feverish heat had swept through the crowd at the sight of the beautiful elf.
That heat had cooled somewhat due to the high starting bid.
And the lingering embers had frozen solid the moment the first bid came in.
It meant the bid that man had just called was beyond all reason.
My mind had gone blank for the first time since returning to the past.
The first to snap out of it was, predictably, Norman, the auctioneer who smelled a massive windfall.
"…20,000 gold! Incredible! A first bid of 20,000 gold! Does anyone else wish to bid?!"
As Norman shouted, Saladin whispered to me.
"Hey, aren't we screwed?"
"…I'm thinking right now, so shut up."
I silenced Saladin's murmur.
'Crazy, 20,000 gold?'
Even I, with some foreknowledge of the past, hadn't anticipated this curveball.
The kidnapping of the elf princess was unprecedented in recorded history, so I had no idea who would bid such an insane amount just to claim Millia.
'No, stay calm.'
Few groups across the entire continent had the funds and audacity to drop that kind of money.
No matter that she was an elf princess.
No matter her exceptional beauty among elves.
No one could casually bid an amount that defied common sense.
The first suspects that came to mind were the heads of the continent's five great merchant guilds.
But I shook my head.
They were the sort who could buy a kingdom with that sum, no doubt.
But Millia wasn't just a pretty elf—she was a princess. The queen's one and only precious jewel.
If word ever got out that they'd won her—even if by some miracle—they'd face the wrath of the Forest Queen, who had ruled the forbidden Forbidden Beast Forest for decades.
No one, not even the five great merchant guilds, could withstand the might of one of the continent's eleven throne-holders.
She had more than enough power for that.
'20,000 gold… and the strength to face the Forest Queen's fury…'
That pointed to a group aligned with one of the continent's throne-holders.
A group willing to spend 20,000 gold on a single elf—not for her beauty, but for some 'other value'…
'No way?'
A chilling hypothesis flashed through my mind.
But Norman, oblivious to my dread, pressed on with the auction in a panic.
He was probably terrified the man might change his mind.
"In awe of this generous bidder, I confirm once more! Any other bids?!"
"……."
"……."
No one would dare bid now.
"Very well! 20,000 gold—the highest in Kosax Auction House history! I'll call it three final times and conclude this glorious auction!"
Norman slowly raised his gavel.
"20,000 gold, 20,000 gold…."
Ash spoke urgently.
"Hey, you Shield Family human! This isn't the plan! Do something! Her Highness is about to fall into someone else's hands!"
Despite Ash's words, I kept my face stern, staring at Millia.
And in that moment…
"…20,000 gold!"
Bang!
Norman's three calls ended, and his gavel signaled the close of bidding.
"Sold! This concludes the highest auction in Kosax history! Thank you all for visiting today—safe travels home!"
Fearing the man might back out, Norman hastily declared the auction over.
'Jackpot! Huge jackpot!'
Norman inwardly cheered that his gamble had paid off.
He'd fronted the elves from other slavers, and it had worked beautifully.
Grateful for saving his neck with this success, he bustled off to handle procedures with the winning bidder.
Meanwhile, in one corner of the auction house, a heated argument raged over whether to blow Norman's head off.
"Human, let go! I can't hold back anymore. I found Her Highness—it's fact—so I won't hold you accountable further. But from now on, we do things our way!"
Ash shook off my restraining hand and glared at the ranger unit elves.
They nodded in agreement, slowly nocking arrows.
"No, hold on a bit longer. It's almost time."
"Again? How long must we watch this madness?!"
Tch.
In a hurry, I grabbed Ash by the collar and yanked him close.
"I get that you're blinded by your princess, but cool your head. It's not just her—all those kin of yours. Don't you want to save them all?"
"……!!"
"If you do, follow my lead. Right now, order your rangers to track the winners."
Ash glared silently.
In answer to his unspoken question, I called Saladin.
"Saladin, take Mimi and Nene and tail that guy. Telepathy me if he slips too far."
Aware things were going sideways, Saladin skipped his usual snark.
"Easy enough… but what if his crew has someone with Heterogenous Powers? We'll get made."
Valid concern. But…
"Doesn't matter."
That only applied if we were keeping it stealthy.
"The auction's done—conflict's inevitable now."
Right. Whether my hypothesis was correct didn't matter.
To win over the elves, securing Millia was essential anyway.
I'd hoped to slip away quietly, but force it was.
"Got it. On it."
Saladin eyed my face, nodded curtly, and slipped toward Norman and the bidder.
Unseen, he attached a 'thread' to the man's clothing.
Grinning ear to ear, Norman led the bidder to the auction house office.
Saladin, thread connected, vanished quietly.
Night fell over Mercado. I waited in an inn room near Kosax for the scattered group to return.
Tap, tap, tap.
Maybe my steady finger-tapping on the table irked him.
Bam!
Ash slammed the table, raising his voice. Sixth time? Seventh?
"Human! When are we rescuing Her Highness?! Who knows what they're doing to her right now…!!"
His clothes were splattered with red stains.
While Saladin tailed the bidder, Ash had stealthily followed Norman after the auction.
Those stains were likely the result. No need to ask—the original owner was auctioneer Norman.
He'd kept his word to punish Norman even after Millia was taken.
'Vicious one.'
No.
That he'd gone after Norman in this situation meant, in a way, he trusted Saladin and me.
Not a bad sign.
"Wait. Saladin's on the trail—he'll bring results. We confirm the backers before moving."
Rushing blindly might just alert them. Better to know if we crush, persuade, or silence them.
As I soothed the whining Ash, the ranger units I'd sent after the groups that bought the regular(?) elves trickled back.
Luckily, unlike that bidder, they were amateurs—or the rangers were just that good.
They'd rescued most of the sold elves without much trouble. Good.
No endless tantrums about saving every kin.
Of course, come morning, the robbed bidders would raise hell.
'Saladin, hurry. Time's short.'
Once dawn broke and the other bidders flipped out over stolen slaves, tracking in Mercado would get harder.
How much time passed?
Moneybags with pull in Sharon. Someone who'd bid 20,000 gold off the bat. Then… ah, him.
'Damn, a headache. But not the worst case.'
Fortunate in misfortune.
The chilling hypothesis I'd feared: the Holy Empire snatching Millia.
Capture her, and swaying the Forest Queen would be a piece of cake.
The Holy Empire's sole unconquered northern prize: the Dragon Mountains and Forbidden Beast Forest.
Always diverting forces to the western border.
But leverage Millia to flip the queen, and they could go all-in south.
Strategically, 20,000 gold was a bargain.
Heck, ignoring one border front for that? Practically free.
But the culprit was 'Prince Peter.' My fears were off.
Prince Peter.
Sharon Kingdom's heir, infamous for 'loving' elves—in a different twisted sense than my own moniker.
A prince wouldn't head straight to the palace this late. Probably crashing at a fancy inn.
But Saladin's reply sounded awkward—urgent, even.
Was Prince Peter about to do something awful to Millia?
'The Peter I know wouldn't stoop to thug level.'
'Outside? Some urgent reason?'
As I pondered his route, Saladin's telepathy continued.
His flustered emotions bled through the link.
"…What?"
Saladin's utterly unforeseen telepathy left me forgetting to reply mentally, blurting out like an idiot.