Chapter 54
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 54
Chapter Title: Black Friday Appraisal
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"It's just a nominal engagement, that's all."
"Come on in, have a seat."
Oblivious to our exchange, Osberg casually gestured for me to sit.
"Right, care for some coffee or snacks? It must have been a tough journey from Cascadia all the way here."
He kept smiling endlessly, offering me one thing after another.
Is this old man seriously reacting this much?
As I pondered and stared at him, I finally asked,
"Looks like you've made some progress."
My single remark made his eyes widen in surprise.
"Hah... Hahaha! As expected, my judgment was spot on!"
He burst into laughter and slapped his knee with a thwack!.
"Indeed, it's all thanks to you. I could finally see that wall I'd been unable to surpass and even cross it to some extent. I don't know how to express my gratitude."
Even at a glance, the change in his aura was unmistakable.
Someone at the Sword Saint level knows full well how hard it is to overcome even a single wall.
Of course, crossing that wall wouldn't elevate his realm entirely, but even that alone was a massive achievement.
For a human who couldn't even live a full century, reaching such heights was astonishing.
[In the end, you have reached a higher place. But humans cannot obtain the temporal leeway to reach that realm.]
As if responding to my bittersweet emotions, the Bookkeeper's text appeared before my eyes, but I ignored it.
"By the way, who's the young lady with you?"
Keeping her robe's hood on indoors was rude.
I nodded to her, and she flipped it back.
"Well, now..."
"Oh my..."
Two sighs escaped them simultaneously.
"This won't be easy..."
He muttered something under his breath.
"She's Luna Basilyn Raphaelia, my healer and also a freeloader at the Cascadia estate."
"A healer? Are you unwell?"
"Just... a bit of insomnia."
I explained flatly, and he wore a complicated expression.
"A beauty that could topple kingdoms... I need to stay on my toes."
"What do you have to be tense about, sir?"
"Ahem. Nothing at all. Anyway, since you're here, there's something I wanted to discuss."
"I'm listening."
Regardless of my original goal, the Mielephons had already provided plenty of hospitality.
Besides, for my future objectives, I needed to accommodate their requests to some degree.
"I was planning to give you a sword."
"A sword? Ah, the betrothal gift list... That was just for show, wasn't it?"
"No, handling it sloppily would give us away immediately. So I prepared one, but there's no issue with the betrothal side..."
The sword's the problem?
"What's the deal with the sword?"
"It's just one of the family heirloom swords. The problem arose during the export process because the family head opposed it."
That makes sense. A sword handed over from the Mielephons via the betrothal list wouldn't be ordinary.
"I don't particularly need a sword."
I already have Black Night Sword No. 1.
Though it's so fragile it creaks every time I draw an aura blade and shatters at the slightest mistake.
Berus the craftsman would probably yell that I can't help it without better materials.
Seeing my lack of reaction, he clicked his tongue.
"How can you have no greed at all? I guarantee you won't regret it."
"But sir, if I may say so, with the family head opposing it, is it okay to hand it over?"
"Don't worry about that."
It was clear this Sword Saint had caused the Mielephon family head no small amount of heartburn.
"Right, we were supposed to discuss details when you arrived. You said you needed the Mielephons' help."
He dropped his smile and spoke to me with a serious face.
"Yes. To be direct, I have business at Black Friday."
Getting into Black Friday, let alone even making contact, is no easy feat.
But a top imperial family like the Mielephons—one of the continent's Thirteen Great Houses—would surely have a way.
That said, Black Friday deals in illegal goods at times, so I wondered if the Mielephons would welcome it.
"Fine. That's not hard."
"Is it really okay to agree so readily? Black Friday auctions illegal items, so the imperial family doesn't look kindly on it."
"What's not to do? Besides, the royals attend occasionally to buy things themselves."
Ah, so they keep it under the table?
"As long as they don't cross the line, there's no reason to dismantle it."
Perfect.
"So, what are you planning to buy?"
"Not buying—selling something."
I didn't bother pulling out the Queen's Twilight just yet.
Fortunately, Black Friday was being held in Mielephon territory.
Auction houses existed in every territory, but whether by luck or because the Mielephons had a major event coming up, it was set for their lands.
Still, it would take time before the auction started, so I agreed to stay with the Mielephon family in the meantime.
Of course, our goal wasn't participating as a buyer.
To consign an item, I needed to prove its value first.
"Right here."
See? Not just any ordinary maid.
I gave a wry smile to Misha, the head maid of the annex guiding us.
Annex head maid, and this annex was where Luna and I were staying.
The issue was that this "annex" differed greatly from the well-known ones.
Every servant here was exceptionally skilled.
At this point, I recalled what Melissa had told me in the past.
The Mielephons had a secret execution squad.
Misha led me to what looked like an ordinary shop.
"Small for a famous auction house."
"Obviously a branch. You didn't think they'd hold it here, did you?"
Luna nodded in understanding after my explanation.
The Black Friday reception was surprisingly plain and ordinary.
"Welcome. How may I assist you?"
A middle-aged man wearing a monocle over one eye asked, and Misha promptly showed the Mielephon crest from her bosom—specifically, the Sword Saint's emblem.
"Oh, a VIP."
With those words, he lightly tapped the desk, and magic enveloped the windows like clockwork mechanisms.
"Illusion magic?"
"Sharp eyes. From outside, the interior looks different. It's quite valuable. Plus, with layered protective spells, no need to worry about leaks."
He spoke calmly, maintaining his smile.
"So, what's your business? Attending the auction? Or consigning an item?"
Most come to bid.
"Consigning. I heard secrecy is guaranteed here."
He nodded at my question.
"We pride ourselves on continent-top anonymity, however modest. But due to recent events, please note we discourage illegal items."
He cleared the desk as if inviting inspection.
Misha bowed to me.
"I'll step out."
"Too late. Leaving now would dispel the surrounding magic."
Misha eyed the old man awkwardly at my explanation.
"Then what I see here goes to the grave with me."
I'd only known her briefly, but I'd gauged her personality well enough.
I tossed some snacks to Luna, who was gawking around, then pulled a small box from my spatial pouch.
"Jewelry?"
"Yes."
"Hm. Most jewelry floods the market, so I'm not sure it'll fetch a proper price here. Keep that in mind..."
"No worries."
I opened the box calmly.
"I doubt this will be outshone by anything else."
Click!
The old man peered inside and tilted his head.
Beautiful jewelry, but unfamiliar.
Of course, countless pieces existed in the world, but for an auction like this, it needed a story.
An appraiser who knew most items being stumped was perplexing.
"This is... something I've never seen."
"Truly?"
"What do you mean?"
To his question, I chuckled and recalled recent news.
"A painting of this sold for 2 billion cell."
"2 billion cell? 2 billion... Wait."
He jolted in shock and shot to his feet.
Trembling, he stared piercingly at the item, then rushed off to fetch a magnifying glass.
"M-May I inspect it? To confirm if it's authentic, the one I know..."
"Go ahead. Though my judgment is that an item laden with immense blessings can't be fake."
"Exactly. An Archangel's blessing isn't some dog's name. I dare say, even if this were fake and the real one had mediocre blessings, this would be more valuable."
Luna chimed in, munching snacks in agreement.
Of course, it wasn't public knowledge that the Queen's Twilight bore an Archangel's blessing.
That was confirmed by Luna Basilyn Raphaelia, an angel I hadn't even known existed.
Luna surprisingly disliked Archangels but rated the blessing highly.
"Good heavens... The central gem is definitely Bartnel."
His hands shook as he reached out but hesitated, fearing it might break.
Head maid Misha looked equally stunned, though she didn't show it outwardly.
"Y-Young master... Where on earth did you get this...?"
"Do you need to know that?"
"...No, of course not. We don't pry into provenance. This seems authentic. Then, the contract..."
He hastily pulled out a document.
At that moment, Misha's eyes flashed.
"Manager, never forget the Mielephons are watching."
"W-Why would I, Lady Misha? No fool here would cross the Mielephons."