The mornings in Marcade start early.
Adventurers wake up early, but merchants are just as early risers.
They head to auctions before opening time to procure goods, restock their shelves before customers arrive, and restaurants have to add finishing touches to the preparations they made the night before and warm everything up.
A lively atmosphere permeated the air even before dawn, and Gil, feeling restless in this country, sat up and looked at the bed next to him.
He could hear soft breathing from the bed a little distance away. Of course, Lizel wasn't awake yet.
Last night, he had been reading the books he had acquired in Marcade by moonlight.
It wasn't that he couldn't sleep unless it was completely silent, but Gil couldn't recall ever sleeping in the same room with someone else.
He had thought he might not be able to sleep with someone else's presence, but it hadn't been a problem at all.
Whether that was because it was Lizel, or if it would be the same with anyone else, he didn't know.
After confirming that he was completely asleep, he adjusted the blanket to cover his slightly visible feet.
The fact that he was doing something like this felt incredibly strange, but he couldn't help but be concerned.
To dispel the swirling feelings of disgust, he considered going for a stroll outside and slightly opened the wooden window.
"...,"
He felt someone's gaze. It was a watchful gaze, and it was clearly directed at him.
He had pushed his luck with the lord yesterday, and while he had expected this, their response was surprisingly quick.
It seemed best to give up on going outside, he thought, looking at Lizel, who was still asleep.
For Gil, forming a party with Lizel was a natural thing.
Since Lizel would continue to work as an adventurer, and he would be with him, it was only natural that they would form a party together.
Since he wasn't employed, he had no obligation to protect Lizel. It's natural to worry about a fellow party member, but if asked if anything had changed since before they formed the party, I would answer no.
What had changed?
There was definitely something that had changed within Gil, but it was difficult to explain.
Perhaps it was a change in awareness. And with that change in awareness, his very being had changed.
He felt that his current self was a completely different person from the one he was before meeting Lizel, and he was the only one who understood this transformation.
"...Mm,"
He opened the window silently, so Lizel showed no signs of waking up.
However, perhaps sensing his movement, he stirred slightly.
Lizel says he can't sense presences, but humans unconsciously sense them. Gil had simply enhanced this ability for combat.
He approached Lizel's bed, unable to hide the smile that crept onto his face, wondering if he was even more sensitive to presences while sleeping.
He picked up one of the several books placed on the side table.
Lizel often leaves out a few books he's finished reading that he thinks Gil might enjoy.
He assumed all the books on the side table were like that, and without particularly choosing one, he moved a chair to the slightly open window and began to read.
Now, would he be able to finish a book before Lizel woke up?
It was during breakfast.
They were sitting at a table in a bustling public dining hall, eating bread, when a man in a crisp black tailcoat entered and began distributing something to the people sitting at the tables.
He blinked at the combination of Lizel (the refined man) and Gil (the rough-looking man), but smiled and approached them anyway.
"An auction, you say?"
"Well, in a city like this, there are events happening almost every day."
He glanced at the flyer he was handed along with the advertisement.
It seemed to be an auction experience, open to tourists, held at a large event hall nearby.
Don't underestimate it just because it's an "experience"; the items ranged from those costing a single silver coin to those requiring gold coins.
For most people, it would probably be more of an auction viewing than an auction experience.
The flyer prominently displayed the name of the merchant guild hosting the auction, the location, the entrance fee, and the time.
It also featured illustrations of the general types of items being offered, crammed together on the page.
Apparently, a certain merchant guild holds these auctions regularly whenever they accumulate a collection of rare, valuable, and mysterious items.
It serves as good advertising for the store, and while some items might result in a loss, it's probably a good strategy overall.
Lizel finished the last piece of bread while looking at the flyer.
"...Oh, Gil, look. There are books being auctioned."
"You've probably read most of those books already, haven't you?"
"What if it's a valuable book?"
Gil, who had already finished eating, leaned on his elbow and took the flyer that Lizel offered him.
Indeed, "books" were listed among the items, but it was impossible to tell from this alone whether they were valuable or not.
If it was a book from a treasure chest in a dungeon, it would be a unique and valuable item. The dungeon books Gil knew contained accounts of unusual and remarkable events that had occurred within the dungeon.
And for some reason, the adventurers involved were named, so those whose embarrassing moments were recorded would desperately try to acquire the book and burn it.
Of course, not all books were like that.
"I want to go."
"Hmm... I was planning to visit all the bookstores in Marcade today."
"Either way, you're just going to be browsing books, aren't you?"
Avoiding Gil's gaze, who was looking at him with a look of exasperation, Lizel looked at the flyer again.
The event was scheduled to start around the time the three o'clock bell rang and end by the time the six o'clock bell rang.
In that case, he thought, it wouldn't be a bad idea to visit bookstores until then and then attend the auction.
Whether he could visit all the bookstores in half a day was a mystery, though.
"Gil, let's go to the auction together."
"Okay, then I'll meet you at the venue at the appointed time."
"Yes."
Smiling at Gil, who agreed without complaint, Lizel put the flyer into his pouch.
Incidentally, they had been acting separately since this morning.
He knew he was being watched, but endlessly wandering around bookstores wouldn't be interesting for Gil at all.
He didn't know what Gil usually did when they were separated, but he was probably spending his time more productively than browsing bookstores.
He had confirmed that the surveillance wasn't hostile, and Lizel didn't think the shadows would do anything strange here.
"Okay, see you later."
"Yeah."
After paying the bill, they parted ways at the storefront.
The surveillance was probably following Lizel, but if there were two of them, they were probably following Gil as well.
Lizel, who hadn't noticed until it was pointed out, naturally didn't know if they were still following him now.
Thinking that it was easier not to know, something he wouldn't dare say to Gil for fear of getting a sour look, he recalled the map of Marcade.
Looking up at the advertising banners crossing the sky above the main street, he searched for bookstores, sometimes buying something from a stall and asking for directions.
It seemed there were quite a few bookstores. Deciding to explore the nearby area, I followed the directions on a promotional flag and entered an alleyway, finding myself in a small bookstore where books were sometimes even piled on the floor due to the limited space.
The bookstore, exactly as one might imagine an alleyway bookstore to be, looked chaotic yet strangely beautiful.
Lizel reads books everywhere, but if there's a better environment for reading or choosing books, he'll naturally choose that.
Walking through the narrow aisles of the bookstore, run by a single elderly owner, Lizel suddenly spotted a book.
"Ah, a sequel to this author's research book has been released."
He picked it up and checked the publication date on the back.
Although it was a sequel, it had been published several years ago, and it was a continuation of a book Lizel had read before.
It was a research book on magic, but he remembered it being incredibly difficult to read.
This wasn't because Lizel was ignorant, but because the book was written in a self-indulgent style, disregarding the conventions of a research paper.
"Hey kid, are you going to buy that?"
"It's so difficult to read, but in a way, it's interesting because you can clearly see the author's personality."
"You're right about that."
Perhaps because there was only one customer, the elderly shopkeeper seemed to be watching him.
The gaze that had been observing him, wondering if he would buy the book, suddenly changed. He seemed pleased with Lizel's assessment of the book's difficulty.
Contrary to his seemingly robust appearance, his low, muffled laughter was indeed fitting for a bookstore owner.
He began piling up books of genres he hadn't read before.
Lizel had already read over a thousand books since coming to this world. Excluding books with overlapping content, even if he tried to buy books of genres he hadn't read before, he couldn't possibly buy an entire bookstore like he did initially.
Books from completely new genres, and other works by authors he liked, were quickly placed on the counter by Lizel, much to the shopkeeper's surprise. Most of the booksellers Lizel visited had similar expressions on their faces.
After selecting about fifty books, the stack of books on the counter completely obscured the bookseller's face.
"Now... even if the genres overlap, could you recommend some books, Mr. Bookseller?"
"Oh, sure."
The bookseller seemed to understand that Lizel was a true book lover, having carefully selected nearly fifty books without being haphazard at all.
The bookseller beamed happily, but also braced himself, knowing he couldn't recommend just any book.
He looked at the books laid out before him, and then, realizing that Lizel had already read books in genres not represented there, he groaned.
It's more nerve-wracking to recommend books in a genre the customer is already familiar with than to recommend a completely new genre, because the customer's taste is more refined.
"You, you're buying two books by this author this time, do you like them?"
"Ah, the ones about magical tool research. I like the illustrations."
"Then try reading this one."
The bookseller emerged from behind the pile of books and took a book from the bookshelf.
Lizel wondered how the short bookseller managed to reach the books on the high shelves, but the way he used the stepladder, which he had clearly been using for many years, was completely safe.
A fairly thick book was handed to Lizel.
"This is also about magical tool research, but it overlaps quite a bit... wait,"
"It's interesting, isn't it? It's directly challenging the books you're reading."
The scope of the content was completely the same, but the approach was completely opposite.
While the books Lizel preferred focused on research into simple, mass-producible magical tools that were easy for the general public to use, this book contained research on magical tools that were more specialized and could only be used by a select few experts.
The difference between broad and shallow versus narrow and deep. Both are necessary. "I see, I hadn't noticed," Lizel almost started reading the book right then and there.
"Hey, kid, you can read it after you buy it!"
"Ah, that's right. But this is a good book... Comparing it to others is one thing, but it's incredibly interesting on its own."
"You can't read it without a certain level of knowledge, but that doesn't seem to be a problem for you, kid."
"It's a good book," Lizel added the book to his pile with a beaming face.
The bookstore owner was, in a sense, a book expert. Most people who open bookstores do it out of passion, so they're usually trustworthy.
That's why Lizel always asks for the owner's recommendations in addition to the books he chooses himself.
It's not uncommon to have pleasant encounters like this.
"Okay, I'll take these."
"That's fine, but can you carry them all?"
"I have spatial magic."
"What, kid, you sound like an adventurer."
"Because I am an adventurer."
He was laughed at, so he probably wasn't believed.
"Oh well," Lizel thought, and paid the price. Books aren't cheap, but Lizel never hesitates to spend money on books.
Incidentally, the last book was given to him as a service.
"I know this might be a strange question, but could you recommend any other bookstores?"
"That really is a strange question..."
"Well, I can't complain after you bought so much. I can tell that you young'un are quite the book lover," the shopkeeper said.
Although other bookstores were rivals, they seemed to have a friendly relationship due to their shared love of books.
He recommended several bookstores nearby. While they weren't exactly close, requiring a bit of walking, it seemed possible to visit them all before the auction started.
That is, if he didn't get too engrossed in book discussions.
Lizel thanked him and left the shop. He still couldn't sense any surveillance, but he walked on without worrying about it.
However, Lizel thought about the unseen observer.
They must be incredibly bored, being forced to accompany him on his bookstore tour.
He didn't intend to stop, though, so he simply offered his condolences silently.
Afterward, Lizel visited several more stores and bought a large number of books.
It truly was a commercial nation, Marcade. He had acquired so many different books that it seemed he wouldn't have the opportunity to encounter new books for quite some time.
With a mix of happiness and sadness, he hurried towards the auction venue, his meeting place. He had gotten carried away with book discussions again.
As he approached the venue, Lizel stopped, about to look for Gil.
He stopped because he had already found him, but he tilted his head, wondering what to do.
He could immediately approach Gil, who was leaning against the gate of the venue, but there were two adult women talking to him. They seemed to be tourists, the type who find male companions locally.
Such women usually aim to make their sightseeing more exciting, and they quickly back off if they sense a lack of enthusiasm, but they seemed quite taken with Gil. Watching from a distance, I found Gil's overtly annoyed expression surprisingly amusing, but it seems he noticed me.
Receiving Gil's resentful gaze urging me to hurry, I approached the venue.
Gil, who had been leaning against the gate, noticed me, and the two women followed his gaze and looked at me as well.
"My companion has arrived."
"Oh, what a shame... It seems we won't be able to spend time together."
Upon closer inspection, it was clear they were both quite beautiful women.
It was understandable that Gil, who made no attempt to hide his annoyance, was receiving envious glances from the men around him.
The women, who had smiled at me, waved their hands casually and left without showing any signs of disappointment.
The fact that they gave up so easily after persistently trying to engage with Gil was probably because they saw me.
They likely thought of Gil as "a bodyguard hired by the obviously well-born Lizel for the auction." In short, they figured it was unavoidable since he was on the job.
"You were watching for a while, weren't you?"
"You can tell?"
"Hey!"
"Well, it's good that they were such thoughtful women, isn't it?"
They judged that he was on the job in an instant after seeing me; they were probably women from good families who were familiar with bodyguards and attendants.
To Lizel's suggestion that it would have been nice to get to know them better, Gil simply replied "Idiot," and entered the venue.
Following him, I entered as well, and my eyes were met with a stage and numerous chairs arranged in a fan shape around it.
The place was filled with elegant props to create the right atmosphere, resembling a real auction house, and many people were already seated in their chairs, as it was almost time.
From people who were seriously competing to those who were just there for sightseeing, a variety of people could be seen.
"Welcome. Will you be participating or observing this time?"
"Participating, just me."
"Then please take this 'Number 37' tag. Please enjoy yourselves."
Upon closer inspection, it was the same man who had given Lizel and the others the flyer that morning.
He was still wearing his impeccably tailored black tailcoat, but unlike earlier in the day when he seemed somewhat out of place, he now blended in surprisingly well with his surroundings.
The man seemed to remember Lizel and Gil, and he broke his serious expression slightly to give them a wink.
Lizel smiled faintly at his playful demeanor and headed towards the seats he had been shown to.
The seating wasn't assigned; it was simply divided into two sections: the front half for those who wanted to participate, and the back half for those who only wanted to observe.
They sat down in two empty seats next to each other.
"This is my second time participating in an auction. It brings back memories."
"Well, if you were still in your old place, you wouldn't need to come to something like this; you could get anything you wanted, right?"
"Not exactly anything... But yes, that's true. I wouldn't have come here either if my former student hadn't unilaterally put a national treasure up for auction just to get some pocket money."
"There weren't any books that could only be obtained at an auction," Lizel said with a relaxed smile.
Thinking that what he was saying was quite outrageous, Gil casually replied, "Hmm."
The fragmented stories Lizel told about his student were certainly interesting to listen to, but they were usually too unbelievable to be taken lightly, so there was no other way to respond.
Of course, he liked these exaggerated tales of heroism, and he didn't dislike the smile Lizel wore when talking about his student—a smile he only showed to Gil—so he had no complaints.
"—Thank you for your patience."
Suddenly, the lights dimmed, and a spotlight illuminated the stage. It seems the time has come.
Perhaps because auctions are strongly associated with nighttime, the host, dressed in a tuxedo, confidently declared the start of the event from the center of the stage.
"We will now begin the 23rd annual Marcade Specialty Auction!"
"They've been doing this for quite a while, haven't they?"
"Yes."
As applause rang out following the declaration, Lizel also clapped, saying this.
Gil, of course, remained with his arms crossed.
Lizel wondered inwardly, glancing at him, if he ever got excited about anything.
Speaking of which, Gil often wondered the same thing about Lizel: "Does he ever lose his composure?"
"Now then, please enjoy yourselves and participate! The first item: 'Healing Potion (Small) from the Labyrinth,' starting at four silver coins!"
"Four silver coins and fifty copper coins!"
"Five silver coins!"
It seemed they were starting with less rare items to entertain the people participating as part of their sightseeing.
Healing potions, while not mass-produced due to the effort required by apothecaries, were still relatively common.
Lizel himself owned a few, having purchased them at Judge's shop.
The "(Small)" designation referred to the degree of healing; it could heal minor cuts and burns.
"(Medium)" could instantly heal a cracked bone, "(Large)" could instantly heal a completely broken bone, and "(Special)" was an extremely rare, legendary item that could even reattach a severed arm.
However, healing potions were very expensive, even the (Small) ones costing five silver coins, so only adventurers who faced constant danger rarely bought them.
And above all, they stung terribly. A chef who used one after cutting his finger with a knife, because he couldn't afford to miss work, cried like a baby, regretting using it because of the pain. However, the healing potions from the labyrinth are strangely completely painless, so they are highly valued when they appear in treasure chests. The effect is the same, though.
This kind of item continued to be offered for a while, but none of the books Lizel was looking for appeared.
That's understandable. Most of the books treated as rare items are from the labyrinth, and each one is unique.
Naturally, their rarity is high, so they would likely appear later in the auction.
One book did appear early on, but it was considered rare because it had the author's signature, so Lizel passed on it.
"Next up, of course, is an item from the labyrinth—a painting, collected by a wide range of people from nobles to commoners! This is a miraculous moment captured by a rising star party that recently achieved the first successful exploration of the labyrinth in the royal capital of Parteda!"
The appearance of such a valuable item so early in the auction caused a stir in the hall, but the moment the cloth was dramatically removed, an air of understanding filled the room.
The painting depicted adventurers standing before a branching path, just about to proceed down one of the paths. Most of them had already disappeared behind the wall, with only the last person barely visible.
The composition wasn't exactly artistic, but after hearing the auctioneer's explanation, one couldn't help but think it was indeed a rare item.
Lizel stared intently at the painting, recognizing the situation, and involuntarily lowered his head.
"Heh..."
"...Why are you suddenly laughing?"
His posture, as he lowered his head and covered his mouth, was elegant, but his shoulders were undeniably trembling.
Gil also noticed, of course, that the last person depicted in the painting was Aign.
His face was mostly obscured by the wall, but the two of them, having actually met him, could recognize him. With a smile playing on his lips, Lizel gently leaned closer to Gil, who subtly tilted his head to listen.
"Aign, is going the wrong way. You're supposed to go forward."
Gil glanced at the painting again.
With the cipher positioned right in the center, its contents were clearly legible.
He stared at it for a moment, then let out a snort of laughter. Gil was neither uneducated nor slow-witted, so he could easily solve even moderately complex ciphers.
The solution indicated that the correct direction was to the right, yet Aign and his group were confidently heading left at the first corner.
"It's probably a maze, but they really did try every single path, didn't they?"
"That's probably the fastest way for them,"
Remembering something he had said before, Lizel was now genuinely impressed, realizing how hard they must have worked to overcome the challenge.
The passages depicted in the painting were narrow, but since the first floor of the labyrinth was quite large, it must have been an incredibly complex maze.
How much time did they spend wandering around trying to solve it without deciphering the code?
He nodded several times, feeling satisfied that he had praised them earlier.
After a short break, the first half ended, and the second half began.
Sipping his drink, he watched the participants, who were suddenly becoming more animated.
Thanks to sitting towards the back of the participant section, he could see almost all of them. Those who had been participating in the mock auction were now genuinely excited about the real competition, and those seriously intending to acquire rare items were straightening their postures.
Lizel was also about to throw himself into the competition, but his demeanor remained unchanged, without any sign of anxiety.
Two young women, still with a touch of childishness about them, who had been bidding against each other earlier, were happily chatting during the break, holding the treasures they had acquired after paying for them. She looked delighted to have obtained the signed book, which was truly a one-of-a-kind item.
She spoke excitedly about wanting to meet and talk to the author even more than getting the autograph, and she truly seemed like a big fan of the author. Lizel recalled that the author's works, which he had also read, were aimed at young adults but were nevertheless considered legitimate, high-quality literature.
When their eyes met, he smiled, and she, perhaps embarrassed by her earlier excitement, blushed and smiled shyly.
"Now, we will begin the second half of the auction. We hope the audience will enjoy the intricate negotiations between the connoisseurs, and that those participating will enjoy encountering our prized items!"
The applause was even louder than before.
The items presented were significantly rarer, including the fur of monsters with unique colorings that only occur through accidental mutations, beautifully decorated antiques, and numerous artifacts from the deepest levels of the labyrinth.
Many of the items were things Lizel had never seen before, and he found them very interesting.
"Speaking of which, Gil, you've gone all the way to the lowest level of the labyrinth, but you don't bring back any monster materials, do you?"
"It's too much trouble."
"But look, the scales of a subterranean dragon are worth twenty gold coins!"
"I do bring back materials from boss-level monsters. I even used them to get your equipment made, didn't I?"
"Ah, that's right... It's definitely cheaper to commission the work with your own materials. Even with all those rare materials, it only cost about two hundred gold coins."
"It's more trouble to try and gather the materials yourself."
"That's right. They're rare, and when they do appear, they're put up for auction, driving the price up."
Gil also possesses containers enhanced with spatial magic.
Therefore, the materials he obtains are from high-difficulty monsters and are quite expensive, so he sells them, but he keeps extra stock just in case he needs to remake his equipment.
This ended up being a service to Lizel, but he doesn't regret it at all; he can just get more. This is the kind of thinking only a skilled individual would have.
The materials used in Lizel's equipment are so rare that even experienced adventurers would struggle to gather them, and if you tried to acquire them with money, it would take several years and easily cost over five hundred gold coins.
As Lizel said, it's definitely a bargain.
"It's a bit late to ask, but should I pay for the materials?"
"No need."
"Now, next up is a one-of-a-kind item! Introducing a genuine 'strategy guide' from a labyrinth's treasure chest!"
To Gil, who denied it so casually, it didn't seem like a big deal.
As Lizel was feeling grateful for having formed a cooperative relationship with such a good adventurer, the long-awaited word reached his ears.
While calmly listening to the bidding prices, Lizel tilted his head.
"A strategy guide...?"
"It's a book for conquering the labyrinth where it was found, a strategy guide for short. It contains maps of each floor of the labyrinth, the monsters that appear on each floor, their movements, and the materials that can be obtained."
"That's amazing. But, the people who want it don't seem to be adventurers."
"You understand, right? They're collectors. Because of them, adventurers rarely get their hands on them. Moreover, the books almost always appear near the lowest levels of the labyrinth, making them practically useless to the adventurers who actually find them."
What good is a strategy guide when you only have one floor left to conquer? Most adventurers would be overwhelmed with the urge to yell "It's too slow!" and slam the book against the ground.
The only reason they don't is because it sells for a high price.
"Even if it says what monsters appear, it doesn't tell you when, where, or how many will appear, and if you can't win a fight normally, you won't win even with this book."
"Then the only useful thing is the map, right? But didn't the guild sell maps?"
"They do."
"Then what's the point...?"
"As you can see, it's very rare, and it sells for a lot of money."
Currently, it seems only one copy exists per dungeon, so its rarity is undeniable.
Apparently, it can even be found in dungeons that have been thoroughly explored and whose maps are readily available at the guild. For adventurers, it seems completely worthless.
It might be useful when exploring a dungeon for the first time, but that's about it. Even then, buying a map of all the floors from the guild is faster and cheaper. Besides, it's not the kind of place where you can explore with a book in your hand.
Looking at the ever-increasing price, one can't help but think that they don't really care about its practicality.
"Sixteen gold coins and thirteen silver coins! Are there any other bids besides thirteen gold coins?"
"Then, fifteen gold coins."
But I can understand their feelings. Even Lizel wants to read a book he's never read before.
He calmly raised his hand holding the numbered bidding paddle and declared his bid, drawing the attention of everyone to the new voice that hadn't participated in the bidding war until now.
"What are you going to do with it...?"
"I just want to see it, the strategy guide."
Although he knew the answer, Lizel smiled gently at Gil's question.
He doesn't intend to collect them, so one copy is enough. He's simply curious about what kind of book it is.
"Sixteen gold coins!"
"Twenty gold coins!"
"Damn... twenty-two gold coins!"
"Then, twenty-five."
The person Lizel was currently bidding against was someone who had won several bids in the latter half of the auction.
Unless they were a collector specializing in strategy guides, they probably wouldn't be able to spend that much on a single book.
When Lizel countered their gradually increasing bids with a confident voice, the opponent seemed to realize their disadvantage.
Lizel's appearance probably played a part too. He exuded an air of wealth. If people knew he was an adventurer, they might accuse him of fraud! But appearance is also part of the strategy.
"Lot number thirty-seven, twenty-five gold coins, sold!"
Lizel responded to the applause with a casual wave of his hand.
The opponent looked disappointed, but didn't seem like the type to hold a grudge.
Incidentally, the woman sitting next to him had a look on her face that suggested she didn't know whether to be impressed, intimidated, or simply captivated, but Lizel, who was talking to Gil, didn't notice.
After that, two more books were put up for auction, and Lizel bid on them.
One was a book of "Adventurers' Candid Conversations in the Dungeon," a dungeon artifact. It contained a month's worth of conversations from all the adventurers who had explored that dungeon, from battle cries to casual chatter, all with names attached.
The other was a book considered the world's oldest mystery. It was apparently impossible to find anywhere now, so he bid on it. Even Lizel, who frequented various bookstores, had never seen it before.
"Gil, is there anything you want?"
"Ah... a strong enemy that would give me a challenge. Lately, I've only been fighting weaklings, and my skills are getting rusty."
"You're saying that at an auction house...? Well, how about that 'Authenticity Unknown! Ancient Map Showing the Dwelling Place of a Legendary Monster'?"
"Don't need it."
He received an immediate reply. "That would be interesting if it were true," Lizel muttered, lowering the number tag he had been about to raise.
In the end, he didn't win any bids at the auction except for books, but Lizel seemed satisfied.
After all, a life where he could encounter new books from morning till night would be like a dream for him.
Of course, after leaving the auction hall and having dinner, it goes without saying that he devoted himself to reading until bedtime.
"Report."
"Yes, sir—"
In a certain mansion, the man who had been monitoring Lizel all day and Shadow faced each other.
The content of the report was completely different from what Shadow had expected, and a vein almost popped out on his forehead.
"What can you deduce from that report besides the fact that he's a book lover?"
"Well, I don't know..."
"You don't actually think he's just here for sightseeing, do you...!"
Lizel had said many suggestive things and stirred things up, but his actions that day were undeniably those of a tourist.
It was a day heavily focused on his hobby for a tourist, but the report showed that he was enjoying himself in Marcade.
He showed no signs of trying to contact Shadow, and there was absolutely no suspicious activity.
Shadow had only been making assumptions, but the fact that he had assigned his highly capable subordinates, who were skilled in stealth, to follow a person who was simply enjoying a leisurely day of sightseeing was gnawing at his conscience.
The man, who had been watching nervously, cautiously asked Shadow:
"Count, should we continue the surveillance tomorrow...?"
"...Rejected. Return to your normal duties."
He no longer thought that today was a ploy to distract them.
It wasn't wise to take their eyes off him, but he couldn't keep assigning his few highly skilled personnel to a single tourist.
Because Marcade was a country where many different kinds of people gathered, such personnel were always in short supply.
Seeing his subordinate leave the room, Shadow pressed his hand to his eyes, looking tired. The dark circles under his eyes, etched deeply into his face, hadn't faded in years.
"...They're quite conspicuous. If anything happens, the information will spread quickly," Shadow thought.
According to the information he had obtained, their stay would be for three days.
He decided to avoid going out into the city during that time and resumed his never-ending work.