The Long-Awaited Auction
At last, the long-awaited auction began. I quickly took my assigned seat and scanned my surroundings. Hmm. She's holding up better than expected.
Contrary to what I'd imagined, Eve looked perfectly fine. Well, it was only natural when you considered her physical abilities and the power of my bamboo spear. After all, Jukchang-i's abilities leaned far more toward mental attacks than physical ones.
"Alright! Before we begin the auction, allow me to explain the rules!"
At that moment, Walker stepped into the glow of the ceiling lights and began explaining the rules. He swept his gaze across the audience and continued.
"The auction rule is simple. If you wish to purchase an item, raise the paddle in front of you and call out your bid. If you win, the items will be distributed after the auction concludes, so please wait patiently."
As soon as he finished speaking, staff members brought an item out from behind the stage. Walker gestured toward it and introduced the piece.
"Yes! Our first item is a necklace once used by a royal family! As you can see, it's made of pure gold and imbued with magical enchantments! Of course, it hasn't been properly appraised yet, so none of us know its exact abilities! We'll start the bidding at 10 gold!"
The moment the words left his mouth, the nobles began raising their paddles and shouting bids.
As expected of nobles. They're all rushing in just because it looks pretty. What do you think of that item?
-Ugh. It's just a pretty piece of trash, Master.
Just as I thought.
Jukchang-i could discern an item's true value at a glance, as expected of a weapon loaded with every kind of enchantment. Since she possessed appraisal abilities in addition to curses and blessings, her assessment was almost certainly accurate. Besides, if she'd lied, I would have noticed immediately.
-That just proves how amazing I am, right?
And the guy who created you is even more amazing.
-You're turning this into self-praise?!
While I was exchanging pointless banter with Jukchang-i, the auction moved on.
"Yes! Sold for 500 gold! Congratulations to guest number 300!"
The pretty piece of trash had been auctioned off at some point. I turned to look at guest 300. The person was shrugging their shoulders, visibly thrilled. It seemed they were quite taken with it.
Kind of pitiful, honestly.
After that thought, roughly an hour flew by.
"Yes! Moving on to the sixth item! This one is different from the rest—it's an elixir!"
At those words, several guests—including me—lit up with interest. It looked like I wasn't the only one who'd come targeting elixirs.
"This elixir hasn't been precisely appraised, so I can't provide detailed information. However, I can tell you this with certainty! Consuming it will cause your body to grow even stronger! And without any side effects whatsoever!"
Walker gave a rough but reasonably accurate explanation based on the appraisal he'd managed. The moment he finished speaking...
"Two hundred gold."
A woman radiating seductive allure raised her paddle and immediately doubled the starting bid.
She must be loaded.
Two hundred gold was roughly twenty million won in modern currency. The casual way she tossed out that amount like she was buying snacks made it obvious she was seriously wealthy.
But...
"Three hundred gold."
Still, it wouldn't be more than I could handle. The Vandesar family held ducal status. We had no shortage of funds, and I'd earned a tidy sum from the arena this time.
"Five hundred gold."
She raised her paddle again, adding another two hundred as if to match me.
I countered without hesitation.
"Eight hundred gold."
"Yes! Eight hundred gold! That's the highest bid so far!"
-Hey, Master.
At that moment, Jukchang-i called out to me in a puzzled voice. She continued in a tone that suggested she couldn't understand my actions.
-We're going to steal it secretly anyway, so why bother buying it?
Well...
It wasn't an unreasonable question. My original plan had been to use the Invisibility Hat to swipe the items while the terror attack created chaos. However, the world didn't always follow my script. Since the future had already changed, there was no guarantee the terror attack would definitely occur.
Therefore, buying it legitimately as insurance didn't seem like a bad idea.
-What? Since when are you this thorough? That's not like you at all, Master.
I've always been thorough, Jukchang-i.
-If that were true, those yanderes never would've appeared in the first place!
I did my best to ignore Jukchang-i's sharp retort.
"One thousand gold."
My opponent called out a much larger sum, clearly refusing to lose. It looked like she needed to be hit hard with cold, hard cash.
The guest number 300 competing with Elric was none other than Windy, who had infiltrated the auction house on the Demon King's orders.
She had planned to purchase the crucial elixir and the Subjugation Necklace with money, but an unexpected obstacle had appeared.
What the hell is with that crazy bastard!
The amount she'd just bid was 7,500 gold—roughly half the funds the Demon Army had provided her. Yet despite throwing out such a massive sum...
"Ten thousand gold."
The guy countered as if it were nothing.
Insane. Who spends ten thousand gold on a single elixir!
She wanted to supplement with her own money, but even if she added everything she had, it wouldn't close the gap. In the end, unable to cover the difference, she was forced to give up.
Then...
◈ Winner: Guest 3
In the end, the elixir slipped completely from her grasp. Seeing this, Windy let out a deep, internal sigh.
I was planning to do it anyway, but it looks like I'll have to resort to the final option.
With that thought, she secretly ordered her subordinates to prepare the terror attack.
I had finally obtained the item I wanted. Maybe that was why I felt pretty good.
-Of course, you also lost a ton of money!
If only you hadn't said that, it would've been perfect.
Honestly, even I hadn't expected to spend ten thousand gold. No matter how valuable an elixir was, almost no one ever paid that much for one.
Most elixirs aren't even that great anyway.
-Master. So what now?
Well, I'll have to wait until the terror attack starts.
While I was chatting with Jukchang-i in my head, the auction continued.
"Alright, now for the seventh item! This time it's the Subjugation Necklace that everyone here is familiar with!"
Walker explained the next product. To summarize, it was a necklace capable of enslaving any target its owner desired.
Since it had nothing to do with me, I didn't need to pay much attention.
Just as I was thinking that so casually...
"One thousand gold!"
A familiar voice rang out nearby. When I turned my head toward the sound...
Wait... what the fuck?
The person holding their paddle high came into view. And it was none other than...
Eve?!
It was Eve—the very same woman Jukchang-i had beaten earlier! As I stood there stunned by the unexpected development...
"One thousand five hundred gold!"
Someone else raised their paddle high, refusing to back down. Wondering who it could be this time, I shifted my gaze again.
Uh... why do I feel such a strong sense of unease?
A woman who triggered an instinctive wariness appeared in my sight. The neat black bob haircut I'd seen somewhere before. The overwhelming chest that naturally drew the eye. And the black pupils that matched it perfectly. For some reason, one of my students came to mind.
-Master. Isn't that the yandere saintess or whatever her title is?
Jukchang-i had voiced my exact thoughts. The cognitive impairment magic had its weaknesses after all. If recalling someone's appearance caused this kind of discomfort, it usually meant your guess was correct.
In other words...
That's Sena! Why the hell is she here?!
-Master. I don't think this is the time to be worrying about that?
While I was still processing Jukchang-i's words...
"Two thousand gold."
Yet another familiar voice came from somewhere. When I turned to look, sure enough, a woman with a very familiar aura was visible. The moment I realized who it reminded me of...
Fuck.
It triggered the same sense of unease!
-Isn't that your personal maid, Master?
Why is Jane here too?!
Since she'd lived her life as the family's assassin, it wasn't strange for her to operate in the shadows. Still, I'd never imagined she'd be in a place like this.
-Master. Why couldn't you spot her back at the arena?
How was I supposed to find her, you idiot?
Now that she'd raised her paddle and drawn everyone's attention, I recognized her instantly. But during the arena matches, there hadn't been any spotlight like this to make her stand out.
As I was making excuses in my head...
-Master. But is it really okay to just sit here?
Jukchang-i spoke in an unusually serious tone. When I tilted my head in confusion, she dropped an unexpected bombshell.
-If you stay like this, that necklace might end up in the hands of those yanderes?
......Huh?
I unconsciously let out a stupid response. I briefly imagined them obtaining the Subjugation Necklace. The scene of them placing it around my neck. The image of them making strange demands while locking me away flashed through my mind.
Shit. That absolutely cannot happen.
Just picturing that worst-case scenario sent goosebumps racing across my entire body. To prevent that nightmare ending, I began participating in the bidding war as well.
Roughly five minutes passed after that.
Jane let out a deep sigh as she watched the Subjugation Necklace slip far beyond her reach.
Haa... In the end, I couldn't obtain it.
Honestly, she'd expected to secure it within five thousand gold. After all, the average price for a Subjugation Necklace was only one thousand gold. That's why she'd thought the amount she'd brought was more than enough.
"Fifteen thousand gold!"
As if she wasn't the only one targeting it, three people raised their paddles and joined the fray.
"Fifteen thousand gold! We have a bid of fifteen thousand gold!"
Walker jumped in surprise. Soon the nobles around them began murmuring among themselves.
Fifteen thousand gold for a Subjugation Necklace?
Is there something special about it?
Hmm. I heard it was just a slave collar.
It was only natural for the nobles to react that way. Who in their right mind would pay fifteen thousand gold for a Subjugation Necklace?
Just who decided to buy that for fifteen thousand gold?
With a puzzled expression, she turned her gaze toward the person who had raised their paddle. A man with a strangely familiar aura caught her eye.
Hmm. Isn't that the person I believe to be the young master?
His movements, his breathing—everything was far too similar to Elric. However, she couldn't be certain. His skill far exceeded what she'd seen from the young master in the previous timeline. Even if the future had changed, his technique had grown even more outstanding. That was why she couldn't definitively conclude it was him.
Did the young master have a teacher?
The thought crossed her mind briefly, but this wasn't the time. She needed to obtain the Subjugation Necklace. If she couldn't acquire it through legitimate means, she had no choice but to resort to underhanded methods.
And that moment was none other than...
—Kwaaaaaang!!