36
Chapter 36
So, it starts at 10,000 gold.
It's a cheap price for the Bloodline of the Wolf King, but these people are merchants. Merchants are those who seek profit regardless of the situation.
There's no way they'd set a low starting price for no reason.
"Number 65! 10,500 gold!"
"Number 90! 11,000 gold!"
"Number 5! 13,000 gold!"
"Number 14! 13,700 gold!"
"Number 11! 15,000 gold!"
"Number 51! 17,000 gold!"
"Number 6... 65! 17,800 gold!"
"Number 51! 20,000 gold!"
The auction house stirs as the price doubles in an instant. A sly smile spreads across the host's face.
Ah, so that's how it was.
Auctions, after all, are a game of stimulating competitiveness.
By setting the starting price moderately low, they ensure as many people as possible bid.
They won't want to lose. The demon race is born with a competitive streak that reaches the heavens. After all, there isn't much difference between a test of strength and a battle of wealth.
Since the price will skyrocket because of them anyway, the organizers have nothing to lose. In fact, they only stand to gain.
Merchants truly are an interesting lot. They become smarter than anyone in the world when money is involved.
I feel a sense of pleasure as I decipher their psychological games.
Alright, then let's see just how high this can go.
"Number 9... 90! 21,000 gold!"
"Number 37! 22,000 gold!"
"Number 53! 24,300 gold!"
"Number 76! 25,000 gold!"
"Number 74! 27,000 gold!"
It keeps climbing even without my intervention. However, it's still far from enough.
"27,000 gold! Does anyone else wish to bid!"
"Number 1."
Oh, here we go.
"50,000 gold."
""".........!!"""
Finally, she appears.
Lilith Clanaein. Currently the eldest daughter of the Western Duke Family, but the great female demon who will become the Western Grand Duke and carry the title of Succubus Queen.
The auction house freezes at the sound of that piercing, cold voice. With a single person, the price has jumped nearly five times from the original starting bid. At the steep sum of 50,000 gold, some give up, some grit their teeth, and some are simply appalled.
The host seems quite surprised as well; he shouts loudly without even putting the amplifier to his lips. Even so, his voice is booming and clear.
"5... 50,000 gold! Is there anyone else!"
His eyes tremble. He realizes that the sudden jump in price has crushed the competitive spirit of the other bidders.
Of course, 50,000 gold is by no means a small sum, but this is the Bloodline of the Wolf King. The organizers likely expected at least a hundred thousand gold.
Think about it; a single scale from Dragon King Derous sold for 4,999 gold. And the Wolf King was a being who once stood on equal footing with Eagle King Horus.
It's a legendary tale, and the bloodline has likely faded significantly, but still.
In fact, Wolf King Lua later becomes as powerful as the Dragon King. Her nickname, 'The Ideal of the Shadow Swordsmen,' didn't come from nowhere.
After all, she's the one who assassinated the Emperor of the Empire, so what more is there to say?
"(Stimulate her more! Keep it hidden from the audience! Make her go wild!)"
Amidst the ensuing silence, the host looked toward the back of the stage and urgently gestured with his expression.
Understanding the signal, one of the people behind the stage held a long skewer, poked it through the bars, and jabbed the wolf girl.
The girl, who had been curled up with her head tucked between her knees as if dead, reacted violently to the sharp stimulus.
"Kyaaaak! Craak! Bark! Bark bark! Grrrr...!"
In an instant, she shifted into a wolf's combat stance, leaning her back against the corner and glaring forward.
"Bark! Grrr! Bark bark bark! Grrrr...!"
That overflow of savagery deeply captivated the hearts of the observing demons.
An unyielding fighting spirit that does not collapse even if the body is mutilated or the heart is torn out. The very trait the Demon God is said to have poured the most effort into when creating demons.
Right now, the wolf girl was powerfully pumping that demonic instinct within them.
"Ugh...! Number 73! 53,000 gold! I have to buy that!"
"Number 44! 55,000 gold! Follow me if you have the guts!"
"Number 36! 56,000 gold! As if I'd be intimidated!"
"Number 24! 60,000 gold! If it's the bloodline of the Wolf King, that blood alone is a precious experimental material!"
What a bunch of vultures sucking everything to the marrow and fools being dragged along. I let out a smirk at the ridiculous sight.
"Number 1."
"N-Number 1 customer?"
"One hundred thousand gold."
"...!"
At least, until I heard Lilith's second bid.
At the staggering price of a hundred thousand gold, joy began to swell on the host's face. He had finally made his profit.
The bidders turned their heads to glare in the direction of the voice. I followed suit and turned my head.
"One hundred thousand gold. Any objections?"
A girl with skin as white as a snowflake, hair as black as charcoal snow, and crimson eyes that looked as if blood were flowing.
At a glance, her appearance is similar to my sister Adela, but she is different. The feeling is different.
Adela is pale. Her complexion, her tone, everything is. But this succubus girl is not. Dressed in a high-end black dress and flanked by several bodyguards, she exudes an aura of haughtiness.
A haughty noble of the Demon Realm, Lilith Clanaein. In her previous life, she was a conscientious demon who forgot her duty after owing a debt to the Saint.
Her apparent age seems similar to mine. Roughly 15 to 16 in human terms? Since the Demon King, Lilith, and I were around the same age, she's likely between 9 and 10.
Demons grow faster than humans. This calculation takes that into account.
"L-Lilith! What brings you here...!"
"Lilith? Lilith of the Western Duke Family? Dammit...!"
"Hah... how are we supposed to beat a ducal family with capital...!"
"Dammit... if only I hadn't spent more than planned because of that guy, number 99 or whatever..."
Almost every demon is despairing before a wall they cannot climb. The weight of Lilith's name—more accurately, the 'Clanaein' family attached to it—is simply too great.
The auction pattern in the previous life was similar.
What would happen if one dared to snatch away something Lilith Clanaein wanted and earned her grudge? Ordinary demons cannot handle the wrath of one of the greatest families in the Demon Realm.
They yielded not to money, but to the power backing her. It was a truly unsightly scene.
Auctions are supposed to be a virtue of competing solely with wealth and psychological warfare.
"O-One hundred thousand gold! Going once! Are there any other bidders!"
The host, having finally secured the price he hoped for, shouted in excitement. No other demon responded.
At this rate, Lilith's purchase was guaranteed.
"Hmph."
Lilith, who rarely smiles, let out a small laugh. It was a smirk of mockery.
It was a smile drenched in the sense of victory and superiority that heavily settled over the auction house.
"Hehe."
What should I do? I'm suddenly dying to knock that arrogant nose of hers down a peg.
If you act that haughty in front of a troublemaker like me, you leave me with no other choice.
"Hey, number 99."
The man sitting next to me spoke up. As I turned my head slightly, he spoke, his W-shaped mustache twitching.
"You've been interfering in every auction since the start; are you planning to keep your mouth shut this time?"
I replied in a clear, bright voice.
"Hehe, you must have been watching me quite closely?"
"You're hard to miss. That mask, too."
"I suppose my presence just can't be hidden. Ah, it should be a headache, but why does it feel so good?"
"...And, despite all those bids, you haven't won a single item. It's almost as if your only goal was to drive the price up."
"Oh, you're absolutely right. But let's talk about that a bit later."
"...?"
"I have to bid now. A real auction, unlike the fake ones before!"
And that's before the host declares the sale final.
"Yes! Since there are no other bidders, the descendant of the Wolf King goes to customer number 1...!"
"Number 99!"
All eyes shifted. The spotlight that had been solely on Lilith now poured onto me. I stood up confidently, spreading my arms wide as I shouted.
"One hundred thousand and one gold!"
"...! A bid! Customer number 99! One... one hundred thousand and one gold!"
Those who had merely glared at me until now now looked at me with shock. They likely didn't expect me to have this much capital.
*Grit—*
Or perhaps, it was because I had just cracked the pride of that haughty succubus girl.
"Number 1, one hundred and ten thousand gold."
"Number 99! One hundred and ten thousand and one gold!"
"Number 1. One hundred and thirty thousand gold."
"Number 99! One hundred and thirty thousand and one gold!"
"Number 1. One hundred and fifty thousand gold...!"
"Number 99! One hundred and fifty thousand and one gold!"
The key is to never lose my composure.
By doing so, I'll make young Lilith feel the unknown terror of not knowing the extent of my wealth.
No matter how well they are treated, as long as they are demons, they know fear. They simply refuse to admit or realize it.
With a bright, innocent smile plastered on my face, I keep raising the price without a hint of shadow. The secret is the repeated increase of exactly one gold.
The psychological pressure: 'No matter what price you bid, I'll just raise it by one gold. You can't possibly beat me.'
The attrition method involves raising the bid by one gold all day long, but would the prideful Lilith ever tolerate that?
"How dare you! To defy me, Lilith Clanaein, the heir to the Clanaein family! Do you think you have multiple lives to spare!"
Lilith clenched her fist and snapped at me in anger.
I believe she acted similarly toward the Saint when I visited her in Tartarus.
Direct threats are not permitted in a sacred auction house, but the host didn't have the guts to stop Lilith.
Lilith threatened me precisely because she knew that.
"Multiple lives? How can a demon have more than one?"
"Of course not! I mean, are you not afraid of death!"
"Hahaha! I'll just make sure I don't die!"
"You brat! The moment you leave this auction house, I'll have your limbs severed and your body crushed!"
"Wow, that's way too cruel, don't you think? But why are you talking so much? Aren't you focusing on the auction? Oh, are you already getting nervous?"
"...! Two hundred thousand! Two hundred thousand gold!"
Flushed with rage at my sarcasm, Lilith jumped the price significantly. Perhaps she wanted me to realize the gap in our capital.
You'll soon realize that this is all just a meaningless struggle, Lilith Clanaein.
"Number 99! Two hundred thousand and one gold!"
"Number 1! Two hundred and fifty thousand gold! Go on, keep following me! I'll drain every last drop of your assets until you're bankrupt!"
"Oh my! You want to eat me? I'm curious about a sweet night with a succubus, but... we're both ethereal forms! A forbidden love! An unauthorized escapade!"
"...! W-w-what nonsense is this! A... a sweet night!"
"Huh? Do you actually want a sultry night? Sigh, I wonder how I'll have to employ my masterful techniques... but then Lady Lilith might not be able to forget her night with me and fail in her duty as a succubus... Anyway, two hundred and fifty thousand and one gold!"
Lilith's face, previously a mixture of rage and disbelief, gradually turned bright red. Haughty noble ladies are usually inexperienced in the arts of the bedroom. This holds true even for a succubus who feeds on male essence.
Moreover, she slowly began to harbor doubts at my cheerful shouts, which showed not a single trace of hesitation.
Two hundred and fifty thousand gold is a massive sum, so how can he bet it as if it were nothing? That was the question written all over Lilith's face.
Her hidden bewilderment was also plain to see. She was a rarity—beyond a mere hothouse flower—whom no one had ever dared to treat poorly. Now she was flustered by the appearance of a freak like me, who openly rebelled against her.
Hehe, if this were the adult Lilith who knew how to use a poker face, things wouldn't have gone so smoothly. She really is just a child.
*****
Too loud.
It hurts.
It hurts so much.
I'm scared.
Everyone, please stop.
Ten thousand gold, a hundred thousand gold... why is something inedible treated as having the same value as me?
I am a king, the King of Wolves.
Who do you filthy demons think you are, deciding my value as you please?
I'll kill you all.
Though I am currently trapped in cold iron, I will tear you all to pieces.
I'll kill you in the most horrific way imaginable in this world.
So.
Please stop before I kill you....
It hurts so much.......