Plundering the Black Market (3)
My original goal had been to screw over the Apocalypse cult, but after finding this new entertainment, I decided to watch the auction for the necklace.
Alright, Crown Prince, who exactly are you trying to hook?
I wondered what massive— no, ultra-massive—bait this fisherman called the Crown Prince had prepared with Brisingamen to reel in his big catch.
"Aren't you joining the auction, Ijun?"
Esil gave me a sly smile and asked casually.
"Nah, I feel like if I bid on that, shit's gonna hit the fan."
"?"
Esil couldn't make heads or tails of what I meant.
"20 million gold!"
"25 million gold!"
"32 million gold!"
The nobles started frantically driving up the price one after another. No matter how rich they were, Brisingamen wasn't something you could just buy on a whim, which was why they were so fired up.
"200 million gold."
"The bid has jumped dramatically. Bidder number 31 has called 200 million gold."
"200 million gold?!"
"That's like five years' budget for a mid-tier territory!"
"Who the hell is the guy who just bid that?!"
The price had been climbing steadily toward 30 million, but it skyrocketed to 200 million in an instant, sending the nobles into a frenzy. All eyes turned to bidder number 31, who'd thrown out the massive bid.
That guy's... I was wondering who Zeld was trying to hook, and it turns out it was this bastard.
I couldn't help but smirk when I saw bidder 31. I now knew exactly who Zeld was targeting.
The guy looked like the epitome of greed, with a massive gut spilling out, and his mask couldn't hide the glint of his greed-fueled golden eyes. I recognized him immediately.
Zento Goldis Mamon, third son of the Mamon family—one of the Seven Deadly Sins clans of the demon world.
The Mamon family, who embodied avarice and stinginess among the demon world's Seven Deadly Sins houses, ran the largest trading company in the demon realm and the continent's biggest slave operation among humans. Their hallmark was eyes that literally burned with the flames of greed—not metaphorically, but for real.
Zento handled the continent's slave trade and disguised himself as Viscount Glaras in the Empire.
Zeld not only knows Zento's true identity but has been gunning for him.
Zeld had been after Zento for a while now. The reason? Zeld's fiancée, the first princess of Lordmier Kingdom, Lasent Dorma Lordmier—her youngest sister, the seventh princess, Loire Latos Lordmier—had been kidnapped by Zento.
Loire had come to the Empire's capital to meet her sister and was sightseeing in the city when she caught Zento's eye and got snatched.
Zento might run a slave business, but any woman who caught his fancy became his bride. The Lordmier Kingdom was known as the kingdom of beauty for its stunning royals, and Loire was right up there with Lasent as the kingdom's top beauties.
So yeah, once she caught Zento's eye, that was that.
Zeld and Lasent might have started as a political marriage, but they're actually dating. And since Lasent's in S-Class, they get plenty of chances to hang out.
That's why Zeld was chasing Zento—to rescue Loire, the little sister Lasent cherished most.
But even knowing his identity, he lacked justification. Guess he came up with this clever ploy. Interesting.
No matter that Zeld was the Crown Prince, second only to the Emperor—he couldn't just grab Zento without cause. The guy was a demon and a slave trader, but publicly, he was an imperial noble.
So Zeld's strategy exploited his psychology.
The necklace Brisingamen, with its infinite multiplication power, was a trophy the Human Emperor seized after slaying LK—one of the original seven great demons who stood shoulder-to-shoulder with 666. It was a long-standing Mamon family obsession to reclaim it.
The Mamon house currently had no clear successor. If someone brought back Brisingamen in that situation? They'd be the heir apparent.
Zeld, knowing this, had used Brisingamen as bait to lure Zento in.
Sure, Brisingamen originally belonged to the Mamons, but now it was an imperial national treasure. National treasures couldn't fall into anyone else's hands—not even a great noble from one of the five major families—without punishment.
"Guess I'll join in too?"
I was about to make my move.
"300 million gold!"
Bidder 31—Zento—was breaking out in a cold sweat.
Who the fuck is this guy?
He'd called 200 million, a price no one could easily top, savoring his victory. Then someone else jumped in.
"350 million gold."
"Bidder number 42 has called 350 million gold! If no higher bids, we'll go three times."
"4—400 million gold!"
Zento blurted out 400 million in a panic. But even for a wealthy merchant like him, that was his limit.
400 million should be enough...
That thought shattered when bidder 42 spoke up.
"1 billion gold."
"Bidder 42 calls 1 billion gold!"
1 BILLION GOLD?!
Zento couldn't hide his shock at the number from 42's mouth. 1 billion gold matched a mid-sized nation's annual budget. Even with infinite multiplication, sinking that into a necklace made no sense—not even to Zento.
Auctioneer Labra called three times, and Brisingamen went to bidder 42.
"Wait just a damn minute!"
Zento shot to his feet and yelled.
Labra looked at him. "What is it?"
"I object!"
"Object to what?"
"I'm questioning whether bidder 42 can actually pay 1 billion gold."
Zento couldn't let Brisingamen go—he was challenging the payment ability.
"Objection denied."
"What?!"
But Labra shot it down flat.
"Why deny it?!"
"Because payment has already been made. Objecting to a processed transaction is pointless."
"You... you...!"
Zento couldn't contain his rage. And he was a demon.
"Kuhahaha! You humans think you can strut around just because we play nice!"
His father, the family head, had warned him not to cause trouble on the continent unless necessary. But this was Brisingamen—one of the Mamon family's greatest desires. He couldn't let it slip away, so Zento decided to go all out.
His body began glowing golden, transforming into his true demonic form. Golden wings sprouted, horns grew, and his already huge frame swelled even larger.
Zento was shedding his disguise, revealing his true face as a demon.
"This guy's really going off the rails."
Bidder 42 twirled the freshly acquired Brisingamen on his finger and taunted Zento.
—You bastard! Hand it over right now!
"Nah, don't wanna? It's mine now."
—Then I'll kill you and take it!
Zento swung his fist at bidder 42. Demonic physical prowess was dozens to hundreds of times human levels—even if Zento wasn't combat-specialized, a puny human like that should burst like a watermelon.
"What, you just gonna punch the floor for nothing?"
Zento whipped around at bidder 42's scoffing laugh. He'd been right in front—when did he get behind?
—Human... a mage?!
"Nope. If I had to say, maybe a liar?"
—What bullshit are you spouting?!
Zento swung again at 42, but the result was the same.
"I lied and said your attacks would never land on me. Copied it from some manga. You heard of it? GER."
—No such power exists in this world! Even gods can't touch truth itself!
Zento punched again and again and again, desperately trying to smash 42's skull, but his fists never connected.
"You can't die yet, though. And if you make too much noise, he might bolt... Esil, handle it."
"Got it."
Thwack!—A dull, thunderous impact echoed through the auction house.
The source of that brutal sound? A single girl driving her fist straight into the golden demon's solar plexus.