Chapter 67
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: Unexpected Fact (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Eight days had passed since the Nellis Party arrived in Tridia.
During that time, the party's growth had been remarkable.
Scarlet could now properly cast her spells even when five monsters rushed at her all at once, and Aria only started showing faint signs of trauma when she used about half of the immense holy power befitting a saintess candidate.
But the most striking growth of all was in Nellis herself.
She still couldn't take down a lizardman easily on her own, but at least now she no longer trembled or felt terrified facing one alone.
Compared to the killing intent Kalt unleashed, a mere lizardman was nothing.
The courage she'd cultivated through training with Kalt was suppressing her fear of monsters stronger than herself.
And as a result, Nellis could now properly activate her Blessing against a lizardman and smoothly take it down.
Lizardmen had become monsters she could defeat smoothly.
Once that realization took root in her mind, lizardmen were no longer a challenge for her after the first clean victory.
Of course, Scarlet and Aria, her own party members, were amazed by Nellis's rapid progress.
And when they noticed the change, the first thing they thought of was Kalt.
On the fourth day, before dinner, Scarlet went to Nellis's room with Aria and asked.
"Nellis, did you maybe get some advice from Kalt?"
"Ah, yeah!"
"So it really was him?"
"Why didn't you tell us!"
"Ah, it just slipped my mind..."
"There's more important things to forget!"
"S-Sorry!"
"So, what kind of advice was it?"
"Hmm~ It wasn't really advice so much as special training?"
"Special training? What kind?"
"Well..."
Nellis couldn't just blurt out the details of the training in response to Scarlet's question.
Because thinking back on it now, the method was a bit vulgar and awkward to describe.
So she stuck to the fundamentals.
"Mr. Kalt faced me and unleashed this super scary aura that I had to endure! What should I call it? Oh, right! Killing intent! It was killing intent endurance training!"
"Killing intent endurance training... Yeah, that'd definitely help you, Nellis."
"Kalt's killing intent... Weren't you scared, Nellis?"
"At first, yeah, it was scary and my body shook... But I pushed through because I wanted to be more helpful to everyone! And Mr. Kalt would praise me afterward, saying I did well. Hehe."
"Well... good for you."
"Let's overcome this together, Nellis."
"Yeah!"
And so, the bond among the women of the Nellis Party grew even stronger.
Then came the eighth day.
The Nellis Party took a break from subjugation quests.
To visit Tridia's morning auction house.
Reservations were required to enter the auction house.
Of course, Kalt had handled that in advance at the inn before deciding on the day they'd go.
As they entered the building hosting the auction, Kalt showed the token he'd received after applying and getting approval from the guards out front.
"All confirmed. Welcome, Nellis Party. Please head inside and pick up your numbered paddles."
Inside the building, a woman at the reception desk was handing out paddles.
"Welcome to Tridia's auction house. Here are your paddles."
The Nellis Party's paddles were numbered 38.
More participants followed them into the building.
"Ooh~ Ka~lt! You really came~!"
Of course, the Freezing Hero Smoothie Party entered as well.
"I said I would."
"Hahaha! I heard you've been dungeon-crawling lately, so I thought you'd forgotten~!"
"As if."
After a brief chat with Smoothie, Kalt led the Nellis Party to their seats.
"Whoa... So this is an auction house. It's so grand."
Nellis sat in her chair, eyes sparkling as she looked around the place.
As an auction house in the commercial city of Tridia, the space was vast.
Stepping into one room revealed a wide, tiered amphitheater dug out underground on purpose.
It was clearly morning, yet the interior was dimly lit.
But magical lanterns emitting soft light illuminated the space gently.
Wide steps had chairs labeled with paddle numbers so participants could easily find their spots.
There were even dedicated seats for entire parties.
And at the very bottom of the tiered structure.
The most eye-catching area was obviously where the auctioneer would emerge to display and explain items.
Nellis and Aria, who had been ordinary village girls, never imagined anyone would dig out space underground just for auctions.
As time passed, people filled the auction house, and the auctioneer appeared at the bottom stage.
"Thank you for waiting, everyone. I am Serphraz, and I will be conducting today's auction."
The man, neatly dressed in a suit, bowed politely to the participants.
"Without further ado, let's introduce the items up for bid. First up today."
Items appeared one by one as the auctioneer's explanations continued.
He fluently described their origins, functions, and value.
"We'll start the bidding at... 3 million mold."
Mold was the common currency.
"Th-Th-Three million mold!?"
3 million mold for a single item.
It was an astonishing amount to Nellis.
"Why so surprised? For auction items, that's actually cheap."
"Th-That's cheap!?"
"Three million mold is cheap..."
Scarlet, used to such places, shrugged nonchalantly, while Nellis and Aria were dumbfounded by prices beyond their common sense.
But the real shock was just beginning.
"3.5 million!"
"4 million!"
"4.1 million!"
"5 million!"
"6 million!"
"Wh-Wh-Wha..."
"Th-Th-The price just keeps climbing...!"
As bids soared, Nellis and Aria clung to each other, trembling with inexplicable fear.
"D-Don't make such a fuss..."
Scarlet felt a bit embarrassed for her companions.
Because they were the only ones reacting like that here.
Kalt chuckled at the sight and said.
"See? Good call coming to watch early, right?"
"Good call? I'm embarrassed!"
"Better to experience the vibe now than freak out when we actually need to buy something later, no?"
"Well... true..."
And as Kalt predicted, Nellis and Aria gradually calmed down as time passed.
As items sold one by one, their reactions grew subdued.
Or rather, it bordered on enlightenment.
"There are all kinds of priced items in the world..."
"A sum that could sustain a simple commoner's life forever... spent on one object."
"Nellis, we might use this place someday, so get used to it now, got it?"
"M-Me, spending that kind of money!?"
"Today's items are on the pricier side. Normal auctions are a bit lower, right, Scarlet?"
"Yeah, the lots today were above average."
"I-I see. So it was high-end?"
"My sense of value wasn't wrong."
"Still, let's get accustomed so you're not shocked next time, okay? Aria too."
"Yes..."
"I-I'll keep that in mind."
After finishing with Nellis and Aria, Kalt turned his attention back to the auction.
'I was thinking of buying something useful if it came up... but looks like nothing we need yet.'
That was when.
"Next item, please. This one is...!"
The cloth was dramatically unveiled, and Kalt's eyes widened at the revealed item.
"A demon's essence!"
'A demon's essence?'
If monsters carried magic stones in their bodies, demons—those trying to revive the Demon King—carried essences akin to ultra-pure magic stones.
The essence inside a demon acted like a mana generator.
Unlike magic stones, which became mere ore after mana extraction, essences refilled with mana over time.
In a way, with enough time, they could produce mana indefinitely.
However, demon essences weren't widely used.
Though theoretically infinite, extraction rates were limited, and recharge times were long.
They were impractical for large-scale magic research given the difficulty of acquisition.
Cheaper to just buy bulk magic stones.
Sufficient for everyday magical devices, but no one fought demons just for that.
In short, demon essences were troublesome items—valuable for prestige or collectors, but hard to utilize otherwise.
But.
"This isn't just any demon essence! From two hundred years ago—the essence of the demon that annihilated an entire city, barely felled by the Holy Knights! Of immense historical value, and a must-have for essence collectors!"
The moment he saw the demon's essence, Kalt's heart raced.
He felt an inexplicable pull.
"This demon essence starts at 5 million mold!"
A powerful impulse surged: he had to have it.
"15 million mold."
Kalt raised his hand and declared.
"!?"
"Mr. Kalt!?"
"Kalt!?"
The auctioneer was stunned by the bidder jumping straight to triple the starting price. The Nellis Party, who hadn't expected Kalt to bid on it, stared at him in shock.