Chapter 77
Chapter 77
“…Am I seeing things?”
I rubbed my eyes, but it was still there.
“…Why?”
When I asked someone nearby, they told me that while I was in the hospital, the residents of the one-room apartments had gotten into a fight over noise from the floor above.
A mercenary mage had lost his temper and cast Fire Magic, starting a fire that burned the place to the ground in an instant.
Did I become a disaster refugee overnight? Wait, what about my deposit?
I hurriedly looked into it, only to learn that the mercenary mage and the building’s owner had fled in the middle of the night.
I’d become homeless and penniless overnight!
—Bba! Bba!
As I stood there, stunned and devastated by the shock, Mari flew busily around me, putting on a little show as if to cheer me up.
The great dragon’s adorable antics were powerful indeed. I barely managed to pull myself together.
…I was going to move anyway because of the noise from upstairs, so let’s look on the bright side. The deposit was pocket change, too. So it’s fine. I’m fine. Khh.
Where was I going to get money?
I’ll earn it.
As it happened, I had a week off.
“…You want me to find you a short-term part-time job?”
“Indeed. Find me the highest-paying position possible, one suited to my Great Existence.”
Even as a disaster refugee, the Black Flame Dragon refused to relinquish his dignity.
Lairan, one of the rulers of the Four Dragon Fortress, an executive of the Rebel Army, and a Watcher, blinked at me.
Lairan was an information broker, and she also arranged many high-level jobs.
“I do happen to have a suitable one. Have you ever heard of the Dark Auction?”
I flinched for a moment.
Of course I’d heard of it.
It was an auction run by the Dark Magic Tower, the Magic Tower of the black magicians.
Along with the Abyss and the Cult, it was one of the major villain factions in this world.
Naturally, it wasn’t an ordinary auction.
Dealing in illegal goods was a given, and—
It’s the most horrifying auction in the world, run by demons.
Black magicians were people who wielded the world’s negative energies through magic.
As a result, they were easily tempted by demons, and most black magicians eventually made contracts with them.
The true purpose of the Dark Auction, held by these black magicians, was to provide demons with amusement. So they deliberately set things up to make all kinds of vile events happen during the auction.
But that was precisely why such extraordinary treasures went up for auction, and so many people did whatever they could to obtain an invitation.
“You want me to act as someone’s agent?”
“As expected of my benefactor. Yes, that’s right. Given the nature of the auction, many people find it difficult to attend in person. They often seek out agents they can trust.”
I fell into thought for a moment.
The job itself wasn’t bad.
All I had to do was buy an item on someone else’s behalf.
The Dark Magic Tower guarantees the safety of the attendees, after all.
If anyone attacked an attendee, they would make an enemy of the Dark Magic Tower, so there was no need to worry about that danger.
But it wasn’t something I could consider so simply.
The Dark Auction’s purpose wasn’t money. It was a demon’s “amusement.”
In other words, there was sure to be an “event” that would delight a demon.
The events are different every time, but in the end, they always pull some trick to stir up the attendees’ vile natures.
Perhaps she had been thinking along the same lines, because Lairan said:
“Personally, I wouldn’t recommend this Dark Auction job. The pay may be somewhat lower, but why not take a different one?”
“What other jobs are there?”
“Please wait a moment.”
She rattled off the details, but none of the conditions were suitable.
Either the work was too grueling, the pay was far too low, the danger was completely unreasonable, or it would take too long.
Making money really isn’t easy.
Reluctantly, I asked about the Dark Auction job.
Not that I was saying I’d take it. I was only asking.
“Tell me a little more about the Dark Auction job, too.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’ll make the decision. Just explain it.”
The moment I heard Lairan’s next words, I couldn’t help but be startled.
“The job is to purchase the Gray Sacrificial Book and verify whether it’s genuine.”
The name of an item of such incredible importance, one I’d never expected, had come up.
The Gray Sacrificial Book is being auctioned at the Dark Auction? The thing that could bring this world to ruin?
Hero Academy didn’t have only happy endings.
There were several bad-ending routes, and one of them was caused by the Gray Sacrificial Book.
The world reached a bad ending when an existence from the Otherworld was suddenly summoned into it.
Wait, then who was the person who commissioned this job?
I asked cautiously:
“Who’s the client?”
“I’m not supposed to tell you, but since you’re my benefactor, I’ll give you a hint. The client’s identity is also one reason I didn’t want to entrust this job to you. They’re a dangerous being whose identity you must never learn.”
I swallowed a groan.
It has to be the King of Defying Heaven, one of the Ten Demons.
The Ten Demons.
The term referred to the ten most horrifying and worst villains. For reference, Massacre Maniac and Linden would both become Ten Demons in the future, according to the scenario.
The King of Defying Heaven had reached the End of the Eighth Level, the realm of the Seeker, and was one of the most formidable among the Ten Demons.
The Lord of the Abyss.
The Black Tower Master of the Dark Magic Tower.
The Cult Leader.
He was the most powerful villain, regarded as even worse than those three.
For reference, the Abyss, the Dark Magic Tower, and the Cult were separate villain factions, independent of Ouroboros.
Just as Lairan said, this was a job I absolutely shouldn’t accept.
And yet—
“This is a little troublesome.”
“Yes, you’ve made the right decision. The pay is high, but it’s best not to take a job like this.”
“…How much is the pay?”
“Fifty thousand Pena.”
“…….”
For a moment, my head went around in dizzying circles.
With 50,000 Pena, I could buy a house in the Free City, couldn’t I?
A home of my own!
It was a dreamlike wish.
Even in my previous life, when I’d become the Sales King, I hadn’t managed to buy a home.
The best I could afford was a decent place to rent with a hefty deposit.
No, but it’s still dangerous. My target is the King of Defying Heaven!
Greed and fear fought wildly inside me.
Soon, a decision was reached.
Greed won.
“I’ll take the job.”
“Benefactor? It’s dangerous!”
“How foolish. Do you not know that I am Ban Ecclesia, creator of miracles, and that no matter what danger approaches, I will never yield?”
“Ah…”
For the sake of owning a home, even an ordinary little man like me could find the courage.
That said, I couldn’t carry out the job exactly as it had been assigned.
If the Gray Sacrificial Book really reaches the King of Defying Heaven, it could lead to a bad ending.
I had to take the payment while also preventing the Gray Sacrificial Book from being delivered to the King of Defying Heaven.
In other words, I had to pull off a kind of scam.
The problem was the danger.
If he finds out I interfered, the King of Defying Heaven will tear me to pieces and kill me.
Just imagining it made my body tremble, but I steeled myself and summoned my courage.
Fight on for the sake of owning a home!
Once I’d accepted the job, I realized I didn’t have to think of it as an unmitigated disaster.
It seemed like I might be able to take care of it surprisingly easily.
There’s no way I can smuggle the Gray Sacrificial Book away without the King of Defying Heaven noticing anyway.
I came up with a different plan.
A practical, simple one.
I would buy the Gray Sacrificial Book at the auction as planned, then secretly alter its contents before handing it over to the King of Defying Heaven.
The Gray Sacrificial Book ending didn’t happen until the protagonists were in the second half of their second year, anyway.
In other words, even if the King of Defying Heaven got his hands on the Gray Sacrificial Book now, it would take him nearly two years to decipher it.
It was that difficult to understand, so if I used my Grandmaster of Magic ability to alter it without leaving any trace, he would have a hard time noticing.
If things go well, I might even be able to make the King of Defying Heaven fall prey to a Heart Demon. Then I’d be taking out a powerful villain without lifting a finger.
What’s more, this plan had a huge advantage.
Since I’d be completing the job, I’d get to keep the entire payment!
I could finally buy a home!!
“Pa! Pa!”
I steeled my resolve and stepped through the Portal.
No one knew where the Dark Auction was held.
When you activated the ticket you’d received beforehand as you passed through the Portal, it altered your coordinates and transported you to the auction site.
A flash of light!
I passed through the darkness of subspace, and my vision brightened.
Bright sunlight stabbed at my eyes.
An island?
It wasn’t an island in the Empire.
Exotic southern plants, including palm trees, grew there.
The scenery was beautiful, like a vacation resort on Earth.
The sort of place that looked as if it belonged on a computer’s Windows wallpaper.
I’ve seen places like the Maldives that look like this. Of all the places they could’ve chosen, they had to pick somewhere this tasteless.
The vile things that would take place in a spot that looked like paradise.
I could see the Devil’s taste in it.
[Welcome. May I see your invitation?]
A masked figure approached me.
A Black Mage. One of the people running the auction.
I could clearly sense the aura of a demon.
Not every Black Mage had a contract with a demon.
Some Black Mages studied the world’s negative energies purely for academic purposes.
But most Black Mages were demon contractors, and every single person running this auction in particular was one.
[It checks out. To protect the privacy of all our guests, please wear this mask.]
I obediently did as I was told.
[The auction begins this evening. The Portal back will open in five days, so in the meantime, please enjoy the festivities.]
“Does that mean I can’t leave before then?”
[That is correct. It is one of our auction’s rules.]
It was a scheme meant to amuse the Devil.
There’ll be events over the next five days to stir up the ugliness in people.
It didn’t matter to me.
All I had to do was keep quiet, pretend I didn’t know anything, and leave when the time came.
If anything, I was glad I had five days. I could use that time to alter the Gray Sacrificial Book.
The Black Mages escorted me to the mansion at the center of the island.
It was where the auction would be held, and quite a few guests were already there when I went inside.
Just from the auras they give off, every last one of them is a big shot. Exactly who’s attending?
I swallowed hard.
So much for keeping anyone’s identity secret.
This mask didn’t conceal who you were completely.
If your cultivation is higher than your opponent’s, you can see through the mask with magic. It’s a ploy by the Devil to deliberately provoke discord.
So, the moment I appeared, every guest turned their gaze on me, trying to figure out who I was.
Don’t even think about it. Not a chance. I won’t lose at this kind of game to anyone.
I used my Grandmaster ability to disrupt their gazes.
No one managed to identify me, and a quiet astonishment spread among the guests.
“Someone blocked my sight?”
“Even you couldn’t see through it? A great figure whose identity we don’t know has appeared.”
As I’d just said, if your opponent’s cultivation was higher than your own, you couldn’t see through their mask.
That meant every guest had mistaken me for someone at a higher level than themselves!
If I want to avoid needless trouble, I absolutely can’t let them find out what a nobody I am.
The Dark Magic Tower protected the guests’ safety, but that didn’t mean it prevented legitimate “transactions” between them.
In other words, as long as no one’s safety was endangered, things like “threats” and “robbery” were all perfectly legal, and every kind of horrific thing could happen.
To make absolutely sure I stayed safe, I opened my mouth.
‘I need the Black Flame Dragon’s help.’
“I find it unpleasant, so remove those worthless eyes. Unless you never want to see the light again.”
“!!”
Fwaaash!
The attendees’ faces stiffened.
Under the Black Flame Dragon’s fierce pressure, their misunderstanding of me deepened even further.