"You have a letter, Master," Elyra said as Bastion entered his room after class.
"What is it about?"
"I am not allowed to read your personal letters, Master."
"From now on, you are allowed to read all my letters. This, I declare as your master. Now read it and tell me what it says," Bastion said, removing his clothes.
Smithing was dirty work.
With a sigh, Elyra read the letter and summarized its contents.
"Prince Julius Lionhart has invited you to an auction, followed by a social gathering. The event will be held next week."
"Send a reply accepting the invitation and prepare the necessary clothes."
"Yes, Master."
It had been a month since their first dungeon dive, and the party made it a point to go as often as possible. Given their schedules, they could only manage three dives a week. Even so, they had reached level 15.
Unfortunately, the goblin dungeon was starting to become useless to them, even with the occasional Rank 1 goblin shaman appearing at the end. They would have to choose a more difficult dungeon soon.
As for his status, it was going well.
[Name]: Bastion Diamondhart
[Age]: 20
[Class]: Diamond Knight (Rank 3)
[Ability]: Diamond Body
[Rank]: Apprentice
[Level]: 15
[Health]: 90/90
[Mana]: 65/65
[Strength]: 80
[Dexterity]: 65
[Vitality]: 90
[Intelligence]: 65
[Wisdom]: 80
[Charm]: 50
[Intuition]: 80
[Status Points]: 15
[Arts]: Earth Magic 3, Light Magic 3, Shield 3, Sword 2, Whip 2, Unarmed 2, Heavy Armor 2, Fire Magic 2, Water Magic 2, Dark Magic 2, Wind Magic 2, Smithing 2, Riding 2, Taming 1, Cooking 1, Traps 1
[Skills]: Shield Bash 3, Block 3, Charge 3, Reinforce 3, Amplify 3, Slash 2, Stab 2, Smash 2, Parry 2, Dodge 2, Dash 2, Jump 2, Taunt 2, Summon Familiar(Zephy) 1, Diamond Armor 1, Diamond Edge 1, Diamond Shrapnel 1, Diamond Rain 0, Diamond Steed 0
[Skill Points]: 0
For his skills, he chose Diamond Edge to boost his offense. He disliked sending armored goblins flying when he was supposed to be slicing them apart with his sword.
He also chose Diamond Shrapnel to counter swarms. While Diamond Rain was technically more powerful, it came with a higher mana cost. On the other hand, Diamond Shrapnel was perfect for clearing his immediate surroundings.
He would activate Diamond Armor, coating himself in diamonds, then unleash the shards in all directions. The scattered fragments tore through everything nearby, with enough force to pierce even Apprentice Rank armor. It was an impressive feat, one that would only become more devastating as the skill ranked up in the future.
A week later, Bastion attended the auction with Elyra and Lilia as his escorts. Elyra wore her usual all-black, long-sleeved dress, while Lilia wore a sapphire blue sleeveless dress paired with a white capelet.
The auction venue was quite lavish, despite being primarily used by students. It even featured a private party room with a full view of the auction floor.
Bastion had assumed the social gathering would take place after the auction, not during it. It was a pleasant surprise, as he would not need to move to another venue afterward.
As Bastion stepped into the private party room, he was surprised to find he was the last to arrive. Unlike the last party he had attended, there was no herald to announce his entrance.
He immediately spotted Seraphina and the other duke heirs and made his way over.
"Bastion, you're not dodging my challenge this time," Damian called out, his voice echoing through the room.
"I will, considering we have a competition coming up in three months," Bastion replied casually before turning to Cyrus. "Cyrus, good to see you again."
"Bastion, good to see you too," Cyrus returned the greeting with a happy smile.
"Seraphina," Bastion said, acknowledging her.
"Bastion," Seraphina replied, her usual glare in place.
"One would think you two don't get along," Damian said with a grin, "but I have it on good authority that you've been quite intimate."
Bastion remained silent, deferring to Seraphina. He didn't know what she had planned.
"It's true," Seraphina declared. "He has charmed his way into my heart."
"Congratulations, Bastion. I didn't know you were into 'that' sort of relationship," Damian teased.
"We both know which of us is into 'that' sort of relationship," Bastion said with a chuckle. "Don't project your desires onto me."
"That" being a masochistic sexual relationship.
Bastion scored a point in that exchange, considering Damian was exclusively into wild and fierce demihumans. His women would sooner tear him apart and eat him during mating, much like Elyra tends to do when she truly enjoys herself.
In contrast, Seraphina was putty in Bastion's hands. Quite literally.
"Announcing item number 232, a Rank 1 Rockbird," the auctioneer called.
"Oh? A Rockbird? Interesting," Cyrus said with excitement.
"You don't need it, brother. You'll make Emberlyn and Ignis sad," Seraphina warned, prompting Cyrus to sulk a little.
Ignis was the name given to Cyrus's summoned phoenix.
Summons were typically godlike beings from other realms that maintained contracts with Gaia, allowing their projections to assist summoners in exchange for mana. Depending on the summoner's rank and the level of their summoning skill, more powerful versions of the same creature could be summoned.
The minimum threshold of power required for such beings to be summoned in this manner was Rank 5 or above, as they needed to be strong enough to manifest for multiple summoners simultaneously.
The same principle applied to summoned objects. Gods would use their power of creation to generate the object and send it to the summoner in return for mana.
Bastion wasn't sure how the math worked, but considering the results, he had no complaints.
Suddenly, Julius made his way over, still bearing the same pompous attitude. Bastion had assumed that, as a capture target, Julius would be better mannered, but perhaps he was one of those men women found pleasure in training to their liking.
"Bastion, I could not help but overhear you had conquered this young phoenix's heart," Julius said.
"It is true," Bastion replied, wrapping an arm around Seraphina's waist.
"Congratulations," he said, voice strained.
"Thank you," Bastion replied dismissively.
"I trust your promises still hold?" Julius asked, glancing at the duke heirs.
It seemed he still had not realized how insignificant he was in the grand scheme of things.
"Of course, Your Highness," all three replied in unison.
"Very good," Julius said before striding back to his posy.
"Are you sure he's a capture target?" Bastion whispered to Seraphina.
"Yes. He becomes very cute once the protagonist accepts his abuse and gets him to open up about the stress of royalty. I get what you mean, though. He really is just an asshole."
"What about Damian?"
"Just pure honesty will melt the big brute."
"What about me?"
"Constant effort, I tell you. You are by far the most annoying to get."
"I'm wife hunting. I don't see how I can be that annoying. I'm even the one chasing after Lilia here."
"You two never sat next to each other, so you never developed a relationship."
"Any recommendations on future wives? I trust your judgment, after all."
"How can you trust me so much? You barely know me."
"I like to think I'm a good judge of character, and from the bottom of my heart, I want to make you happy."
Tears began to well in her eyes at Bastion's words.
"I know a broken soul when I see one. It was time someone made you whole," Bastion whispered gently, holding her closer.
"Ahem," Lilia coughed. "Not in public."
"Ah, my apologies. I will be back after freshening up," Seraphina said as she made her way to the ladies' room.
"You two are made for each other," Lilia commented.
"Cut her some slack. Her story is sadder than you realize."
"Announcing item number 236, a Rank 1 enchanted witch's hat for water mages," the auctioneer called.
"Wow, it has mana regeneration and reduced mana cost for water magic," Lilia said in awe.
"Eli, buy it for her."
"Yes, Master."
"What! No, I didn't mean—"
"Buy anything else she sets her eyes on, limited to Rank 1 items."
"Yes, Master."
"Wait!"
The auction proceeded as planned. By the end, Lilia had purchased a brand new Rank 1 water mage outfit, complete with robes, pants, shoes, a bracelet, a hat, underwear, and a water focused staff.
Meanwhile, Elyra acquired Rank 1 underwear designed to enhance dark magic and stealth, perfect for assassins. Typically worn as is to further amplify its effects and increase flexibility, it could also function as regular underwear.
Bastion, meanwhile, found nothing of interest. Given his unique requirements, only custom-made Rank 1 equipment would suffice.
Whip swords were rare and difficult to find at that rank. His shield needed to be tall and narrow, a far cry from the standard wide and heavy greatshields. As for his armor, it had to be a perfect fit, not something mass-produced.
It was yet another reason Bastion had chosen to study smithing at the academy: so he could forge the best possible gear for himself, tailored precisely to his needs.
However, he did purchase a temperature-controlling shirt and underwear that would go under his Rank 1 armor. Enchanted underwear was quite popular right now and Bastion could see why.
As the auction continued, an item was called out that finally peaked his interest.
"Announcing item number 341, a Rank 2 Space Stone," the auctioneer called.
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