An Irresistible Bait
Ching, ching.
Ringing the small bell in his hand, the auctioneer announced, "The rules for bidding are as follows: two small bells are placed on each table. Ring the silver bell to place a bid, which will double the current price. Ring the gold bell, and your bid will leap to ten times the current amount."
It was far too big a fish to ignore.
At the very least, they would want to verify whether the sword up for auction was genuine. When they targeted young Count Phlux, hadn't they blown the entire black market to smithereens? He certainly wasn't the only victim, yet somehow they had hushed everyone up, and the illicit auctions had quietly resumed without missing a beat.
Which meant there were almost certainly collaborators among this city's nobility. Even if those nobles didn't know the full picture, they were likely being manipulated from behind the scenes. Either way, our target would use an intermediary to verify the rumors, and once convinced it was real, move to claim it.
Strictly speaking, the Emoticon Sword wasn't one of the storied divine weapons carrying the power of the gods.
Yet, even if its true prowess was restricted to its contracted master, its performance was honestly absurd. Anyone looking from the outside could easily mistake it for a sacred relic of divine might.
House Castrein already held Flamberge's Rage and Gloriana's Insignia. And Chloris's Necklace, presumed lost to history, had originally been an heirloom of House Castrein as far as I knew. In short, among all surviving factions, Castrein possessed the greatest arsenal of god-imbued weapons.
Whether someone dreamed of destroying the empire or merely toppling House Castrein to reign supreme, if a chance arose to seize such a weapon, they would stop at nothing to possess it.
One of my ultimate goals was to gather every single ancient divine weapon, fully restore the Barrier that was weakening by the day, applaud a secure future for the empire, and bow out into a quiet retirement...
Yet with each passing day, I had a sinking premonition that it wasn't going to be so simple. I narrowed my eyes and watched the scene unfold before me.
"Now, onto our first lot! In honor of our grand reopening after such a long absence, the item we present to you today is..."
Setting his bell aside, the auctioneer lifted the cloche from the tray, revealing a tiara encrusted with iridescent gems gleaming in five hues.
"Behold! A storied tiara handed down from antiquity! Every gem set upon it is a genuine Magic Crystal! Regrettably, their latent magical power has long since run dry, leaving them mere decorative stones for now—yet perhaps some exceptionally gifted guest among you may unlock the forgotten secrets slumbering within!"
It was a classic warm-up item meant to stir up the crowd. Debbie mumbled with a disappointed pout, "Sheesh, everyone knows a spent Magic Crystal is practically trash. Listen to him dress it up."
"So what you're saying is, it's pretty garbage?"
"Pretty much. Not that anyone can come back to complain about what they buy in a place like this..."
Yet, far beyond expectations, the pretty antique garbage drew an enthusiastic response and was hammered off at a surprisingly steep price.
Then came the next lot.
From the edge of the stage appeared a woman wheeling out a cart with a tray draped in red velvet. Like the myriad 'esteemed clientele' seated in the room, half her face was concealed by a mask. Clad in a form-fitting crimson gown that accentuated her curves, she was the picture of voluptuous allure.
A wolf whistle echoed from somewhere in the shadows, but the woman paid it no mind. Unhurried, she set the tray down beside the auctioneer.
The auctioneer let out a hearty laugh.
"Now, it may still be early to reach a fever pitch, but today! Today we have an extraordinary lineup of treasures! And this item... yes, indeed. Even for us, acquiring this was no small feat. Words fail to do it justice—allow me simply to show you!"
With a flourish, the auctioneer drew back the red velvet cloth.
Resting upon the tray was a massive stone.
Or rather, calling it a mere stone was an insult. A faint interplay of vermilion and violet drifted through its depths, catching the lantern light like shimmering stardust.
"...Yes! Gaze upon this breathtaking luster! Some of you may have already guessed the moment your eyes fell upon it. Unable to blindly trust its authenticity ourselves, we utilized our own... exclusive channels to have it examined directly by a priest! Indeed! Uncovered for the first time in over two centuries—a genuine Holy Relic! Capable of healing mortal flesh, banishing vile fiends, and radiating divine sanctity! Look upon its magnificent scale! Even within the Holy Temple itself, a relic of such caliber is almost impossible to find!"
Murmurs erupted across the hall. Flustered voices and hurried whispers broke out as patrons leaned in toward one another.
Rumors had indeed circulated that the 'sword lost by the Imperial Princess' would appear at auction. However, virtually no one had expected an authentic, bona fide Holy Relic to be placed on the block.
A slow smirk tugged at my lips.
"We must apologize, but by the strict principles of our auction house, we can disclose neither its origin nor the identity of its former owner. We can only assure you of one thing: this artifact is genuine. And only the patron willing to offer a sum worthy of its glory shall claim it...!"
Clap, clap.
At the auctioneer's signal, the woman who had brought the tray stepped forward beside the stone. Reaching into her bodice, she drew forth a tiny glass vial—no thicker than a child's pinky finger. Uncorking the stopper, she let a single droplet of pitch-black liquid fall onto the stone's surface.
Fsssssh!
The moment the liquid grazed the stone, it vaporized into thin air like boiling water bursting into steam.
The auctioneer gestured theatrically at the spectacle.
"Look! Venom extracted from a Demonic Beast, purified and eradicated in the blink of an eye!"
One of Navira's eyes subtly twitched as she took part in this elaborate farce.
Yes, that was Navira.
And why was that genuine Magic Crystal—the replacement Holy Relic provided by House Castrein for the Offering Festival—sitting up on that stage? Because I had put it there.
In reality, the 'Holy Relic' used in the Offering Festival served merely as a conduit to reinforce and sustain the Barrier carved into the temple. It possessed no innate miraculous healing abilities or grand mystical wonders. Which meant the priest who had whispered to Count Cortez, "With this Holy Relic, your son can be cured," had been spouting utter nonsense—knowingly or not.
In other words, dripping Demonic Beast venom onto an oversized Magic Crystal wouldn't purify a damn thing on its own.
That was why Navira had concealed a miniature device etched with a purification magic formula right in the palm of her gloved hand. As she dropped the venom, she subtly drew upon the crystal's ambient power to trigger the spell. Her sleight of hand was so flawless that even the auctioneer standing right beside her had been completely fooled.
"Now, an incomprehensible treasure such as this! It is truly beyond valuation, yet... a starting bid must be named! Yes! We shall begin at three hundred thousand gold!"
Right out of the gate, the opening bid was enough to easily purchase a lavish mansion in the Imperial Capital. Yet the crowd began ringing their silver bells like madmen.
"Six hundred thousand gold!"
"Nine hundred thousand!"
"Dammit, stop nickel-and-diming! Three million gold!"
Under normal circumstances, the bidding would have proceeded with refined decorum—a polite chime of a bell followed by stationed attendants echoing, "A guest has rung the gold bell! Three million gold! Are there any further bids?"
Instead, the buyers threw themselves into the fray with unbridled frenzy. I watched the unfolding spectacle with cool composure.
Inevitably, as the bidding war heated up, the price skyrocketed into insanity: 3.6 million, 6 million, 9 million... and finally, twelve million.
Even for an illicit auction, twelve million gold was an astronomical fortune. Anyone hearing it would doubt whether the bidder could actually pay. It was an amount capable of purchasing forty grand estates in the capital.
"Incredible! Absolutely magnificent! Twelve million gold! We have twelve million gold! Are you... certain you wish to place this bid, sir?"
The buyer who called out twelve million was drenched in cold sweat.
Like the rest of the patrons, more than half his face was concealed behind a mask, obscuring his exact features, but the tortured grimace beneath was unmistakable. And no wonder—twelve million gold was a sum even House Castrein couldn't throw around lightly. To part with such wealth without hesitation, one would have to be Imperial Consort Cleo, who controlled the palace coffers and hoarded illicit bribes, or one of the merchant magnates whose wealth held the empire in its palm...
Or perhaps...
"...I bid twelve million!"
A man like Priest Cronen, who had spent decades quietly pocketing kickbacks in this prosperous southern metropolis, and who would rather drain his life savings than botch the Offering Festival and ruin his entire existence.
Yes. Between a lifetime of ill-gotten wealth and secret slush funds, he just might scrape together that staggering sum.
"Honored guest, our humblest apologies, but given the magnitude of the bid... to claim the lot, the full balance must be settled today—"
"I told you I'm placing the bid, didn't I?!"
Cronen shrieked like a cornered beast. Watching him squirm, I let out a soft chuckle.