Chapter 141. Auction House (1)
'I want to run away.'
Samwell truly thought so.
His pride as a guide had already disappeared without a trace. It was because he had overheard the conversation between Derick and Verden.
He did not know who his client was. The name Asher, he had heard it for the first time. Samwell was terribly vulnerable to rumors outside the underworld.
But from their conversation, he could easily infer what sort of deeds the man had done.
'That Calia actually helped capture Count Plishr.'
In other words, one of the reasons the Union suffered such a heavy blow was standing right there.
Honestly speaking, this fact was not of great concern to Samwell. Vintert supported the First Prince, while the Union supported the Third Prince.
There was hardly any connection between Roafra and the Union.
But then the name of Ruin Costa came up.
They said that some illegitimate child of the Union was borrowing his strength to take revenge on his client. This was the biggest problem.
'If they come to hold me responsible....'
Perhaps he would end up a slave, nothing more than Costa's plaything. Simply because he had guided a client. No matter how much he pleaded it was unfair, Costa would never listen. This was Roafra, after all.
If possible, he wanted to flee right away to Aurofl and disappear.
He had some money saved, so he could probably hide for about a year. By then, maybe everyone would forget about him.
'But.'
The two people behind Samwell.
One was a Mage who had ignored a warning that his life was in danger, the other was a monster who had floored the head of casino security with a single punch.
They did not seem concerned about Ruin Costa in the slightest.
If it was simply ignorance, then perhaps that was fine, but... if the two were that dangerous themselves, then abandoning his duty and fleeing might not just make him a slave — he could very well be killed on the spot.
Cowardly Samwell sank into deep thought.
Meanwhile, Verden and Galliark were conversing.
"Hey, Asher."
"...?"
"Where did you put your money? Did you arrange some transport or something?"
"No."
Verden pointed to his waist.
Galliark, staring blankly, opened his eyes wide.
"No way, that's a spatial bag? What the hell did you do, for your appearance from head to toe to be so different?"
"Just living life."
"Living life? Then the rest of us aren't living?"
In Galliark's hand was a heavy bag. Inside was the cash to be used at the auction. In contrast, all Verden had was the small bag hanging at his waist. The difference in equipment alone made Galliark's expression twist.
"Lucky bastard."
Verden neatly ignored him.
Following Samwell's guidance, they arrived at the center of Roafra.
A massive square building stood there, so large it swallowed an entire block of the street.
"This is the auction house?"
Ah, Samwell, coming back to his senses, quickly answered.
"Yes, that's right. If you have an invitation, you may enter."
Verden and Galliark presented their invitations to the guards.
Only after Verden confirmed that Samwell was his guide, could they enter the building.
They passed through a heavily guarded corridor and arrived at the registration desk.
"I will write on your behalf."
That was part of a guide's job.
Samwell filled out the various tedious forms on Verden's behalf, while Galliark scribbled, glancing sideways at the letters.
"Is this how I should write it?"
"Yes, that's correct."
After completing the paperwork and verifying their identities, the registration process was finished.
For an underworld auction house, there was nothing crude about it — the system was surprisingly orderly.
Next was the deposit of the cash to be used in the auction.
This was something only the depositor could handle. Leaving Samwell behind, they followed a guard into some underground chamber, where a small counter stood embedded in the metal wall.
If they placed the cash on the counter and pushed it through the wall, the fund manager on the other side would record the amount and store it. The retrieval process was the same in reverse.
The guard spoke.
"Then, for security reasons we will proceed one at a time, so the others should wait...."
"I don't care about that crap, just get it done."
Boom!
Before the words were even finished, Galliark slammed the heavy bag onto the counter.
Releasing the lock, bundles of compressed bills sprang free. Security procedures had to be observed, but since the depositor himself said he did not care, the guards had no choice.
Stacking the bundles like a tower and pushing them through, a moment later a voice came from the other side.
"A total of 1.134 billion Elk. Is that correct?"
"Yes, that's right."
Even for a Platinum-rank adventurer, this was no easy sum to accumulate.
It was the result of monster subjugations as an adventurer, and of completing requests in Gray.
Galliark grinned and looked at Verden.
"Your turn. If it feels awkward to be compared to me, you can always step aside. Shall I give you that chance?"
Verden, unconcerned, opened his spatial bag.
He began stacking neat bundles of cash, each worth one million Elk.
'Ho, he's gathered quite a bit.'
Galliark was secretly impressed.
Seeing that Verden had even changed equipment, he thought the amount wouldn't be that much, but already it had exceeded 500 million Elk.
Still, he was confident it wouldn't reach his own.
But then.
"...The fuck, what is this."
What else could it be.
5.1 billion Elk in cash.
***
They had finished registering and depositing funds at the auction house.
As soon as Verden's party stepped outside, Galliark immediately demanded.
"Hey, I won't report you, so be honest. You robbed some bank transport ship, didn't you? Right?"
"Do I look like a thief?"
"Then what, did you rob some marquisate in the principality and take a hundred billion Elk? Otherwise how the hell did you, in less than a year, swap out all your gear, raise your magic tier, and also pile up tens of billions?"
"I never said my tier went up."
"You're at Third Tier now, right? The fuck, you're not. Then how the hell does this make sense?"
Galliark was deeply confused.
Last year he had introduced an information broker to a Mage unknown even in Gray, almost out of pity, and yet in less than a year Verden had not only caught up with his income but completely surpassed it.
Galliark favored the strong.
But even so, this was hard to accept. He wanted to just shrug it off, but this overturned all common sense — it was impossible to understand.
Pressing both temples, Galliark raised his head.
"Ah, whatever."
Galliark gave up on thinking.
In the meantime, Samwell spoke to Verden.
"That completes your registration for the auction house. On the day, there will be guidance at the entrance. Do you need any other information about Roafra? Perhaps some sightseeing?"
Sightseeing.
Verden shook his head. Entertainment held no interest for him.
"Rather, I'd like you to recommend a decent inn."
"Ah, an inn? That's simple."
Samwell pointed out the locations of several inns in detail, briefly explaining their features. Verden chose one that seemed suitable. It was not far from here, close enough for him to walk alone.
Then Samwell's face brightened inwardly.
"Is that so? Then, I suppose I should be going..."
At that moment, Galliark suddenly cut in.
"Hey, Asher. Don't you feel like going to the casino with me? If we're lucky, we could make a killing..."
"Not interested."
"Bah, knew it. Boring bastard. Hm, in that case."
Galliark fixed his gaze on Samwell.
"You just said you don't need a guide anymore, right? Then can I take him?"
"That's not something you should be asking me."
"Is that so? Hey, what's your name."
"S-Samwell, sir."
"Samwell? Good, Samwell. If you've got nothing to do, come with me to the casino. Didn't you get some money from that old geezer earlier? That's free money, isn't it? Don't you want to flip your life around with it? Hm?"
Galliark grabbed Samwell's shoulder.
He thought he was holding back, but even so, the monstrous strength pressed down. Samwell's body was a little crushed.
'I'm doomed.'
Samwell had never gambled in his life. Of course, he did not want to accept Galliark's proposal.
But he couldn't refuse. If he did, he might be crushed into a meatball right here by that arm. On top of that, Galliark's face was far too frightening.
Cowardly Samwell swallowed his true feelings and nodded.
"Y-Yes, understood."
"Good! Do you have any casino experience?"
"N-No..."
"No? Then I'll teach you well. You see, gambling is all about bringing just the right amount of money, so you don't end up ruining yourself..."
Galliark led Samwell off to the casino.
Left behind, Verden watched their backs for a moment, then turned toward the inn Samwell had recommended.
***
"Hoo..."
A deep sigh fell.
Verden, lightly dressed, sat in the center of the wide inn room with his eyes closed. Beads of sweat clung to his face and neck.
Fwoooosh.
Verden activated his mana circuits. At the same time, he drove magic power into his body. His expression wavered slightly at the unpleasant resistance, but this much he could easily endure.
Preparations complete, Verden cast a spell.
A Fifth-tier enchantment magic that consumed a great amount of magic power to amplify the body's overall physical ability. Its effect was literally on a different tier compared to the enhancement spells he had used until now.
His heart thudded violently, a surge of exhilaration coursing through his body.
Verden rose from his seat.
He steadied his stance and moved lightly. These were movements he had learned last year while participating in the Rodron Knight Order's training under Count Rodenmeyer.
He shot out his fist quickly, then just as quickly retracted it. At the same time, shifting his weight, he rotated his body. A sharp kick sliced through the air.
Powerful.
Compared to the Rodron knights he had sparred with, he felt he could hold his own even in close combat.
But this spell had a drawback.
During its duration, the strain piled up on the body, layer by layer. Even more so if the caster lacked proficiency.
"Ah."
Thud!
Verden's uncontrolled punch left a mark on the wall.
Of course, he wasn't injured. He always wore gloves made from the hide of the magical beast Chamelios.
'Sustainable time is about thirty seconds, I suppose.'
Though his magic power overflowed, his proficiency was far too lacking, making the duration unstable. As a result, the burden on his body was considerable.
Still, for a Fifth-tier spell he had learned only a few days ago, it was quite the achievement.
'With enough proficiency, I could probably maintain it for one to two minutes.'
Verden released the spell.
There was almost no recoil. With enchantment magic, the higher the tier, the more the gap between before and after casting diminished significantly.
Wiping himself with a dry towel, he approached the window frame.
"..."
There were watchers surveilling Verden's room.
By their standards, they thought they were hidden well, but they were far too lacking to escape Verden's senses.
Verden closed one eye.
Above the inn's roof, an eye of magic formed.
From his observations while staying in the room, there were seven in total who lingered around the inn all day. They were clearly agents sent by Ruin Costa.
Since there were no signs of an imminent assault, it seemed, just as Derick had said, that they intended to make their move after the auction was over.
'If possible, I'd like them to come properly.'
Since reaching Fifth-tier, Verden had not fought anyone aside from the Elder Lich.
To gauge his current combat power more accurately, nothing was more important than real combat. Against a capable opponent.
A measuring stick of battle power.
That was all Verden considered Ruin Costa to be.
Time passed, and the day of the auction arrived.
***
Roafra's auction was conducted anonymously.
After confirming the identity of participants, they drew lots at random to receive a number.
Then, each participant was assigned a corresponding room. These were not open spaces — designed so that only the auction items displayed at the center could be seen.
The reason for this seemingly troublesome method was simple.
It was to prevent the competition from being swayed timidly by power or status.
In Roafra, strength was order.
But in the auction house, money was power.
At least while the auction was underway, no matter how strong, no matter how noble one's status, none of it mattered. Only money spoke.
Verden arrived at the auction house.
Just as he was about to step inside the entrance, he encountered familiar faces.
The Butcher Galliark.
Beside him, yawning long, was Samwell. His appearance was gloomy, like someone who had neither eaten properly nor slept nor washed.
Surely not.
"You've been at the casino all this time?"
"That's not a casino, it's heaven. Isn't that right, Samwell?"
"Yes, Lord Galliark. Hehehe..."
In just four days, Samwell had become a gambler.
But judging from his cheerful expression, it seemed he hadn't lost money. Regardless, the sight of Galliark and Samwell was utterly pathetic.
"Then I'll be waiting inside, Lord Galliark!"
Fearing that Ruin Costa might target even him, Samwell decided to wait inside the auction hall. At least there, during the proceedings, no one would dare act rashly.
Having lost his chance to flee after being dragged along by Galliark, he instead chose to stick with him for safety.
The quick-witted survival tactic of a guide.
Leaving Samwell behind, Verden and Galliark proceeded deeper into the building.
After confirming their participation, they drew numbers. The slip Verden received bore the number 43. Following the guide, they separated, each entering their own private assigned room.
Room 43.
A cozy, darkened space.
At the center was a luxurious chair, and on the desk in front of it lay a microphone. It was a magically amplified artifact, with a voice-altering function woven in.
Sitting down and waiting briefly, Verden watched as the host stepped onto the stage.
Bathed in light pouring from the ceiling, he raised the microphone. The transmitted vibrations amplified by magic power, his voice boomed across the hall.
[Ladies! Gentlemen! Welcome, from the great Vintert, to this year's Roafra Auction! We thank you for filling every seat! And now, let us begiiiin the auctiooooon!]
As the host's voice cut off, the center of the stage shifted.
From below, a glass case rose, revealing the accessory within.
[The first item we present is 'Maybel's Earrings'! Its effect is none other than Expanded elemental magic range of mid-to-high level, with an inherent integration ability that conceals whether it is worn. For an elemental Mage, this is an incredibly useful item! The starting bid is 500 million! Minimum increment, 10 million Elk!]
One of Verden's target items.
'I won't let it slip from the start.'
He pressed the button, activating the microphone.
[510 million Elk.]
[Number 43! 510 million Elk bid!]
The competitive bidding had begun.