Chapter 42 

“That emblem… so that’s the infamous Pigeon Trading Company.”

“I haven’t been told the details, but it seems the highlight of this auction is one of their items.”

“A new trading company offering the main attraction? That’s strange—no, it feels downright suspicious. I’ve heard they’re a major company from Golda, though.”

“A company that fled a country already starting to dry up, right? If it were us, we could’ve taken over that country entirely. Letting that opportunity slip by—how unambitious.”

A carriage arrived at the venue.

As soon as people saw the emblem of the trading company engraved on the carriage, voices from the crowd reached all the way inside.

We were already attracting attention.

This is absolutely going to make me stand out—for the worst reasons…!

“Haha… that’s some pretty painful commentary we’re overhearing.”

“Heh, that’s how it is. Half jealousy, half pride. You could say nobles are practically built on emotions like that. You can trust me on that one.”

“A harsh truth indeed. Yes, I’m well aware… Now then, shall we?”

Exchanging some light banter with Shuris-san, the president opened the door.

He stepped out first, with Shuris-san following him from the carriage.

The stir from the crowd at that moment was loud enough to reach even my ears, still inside the carriage.

“Why is the young lady of the Veil family acting as a guard…!?”

“She’s connected to the Thirteen Knights…!?”

“No, maybe she’s just involved with the item being auctioned.”

“The Veil family is known as collectors, after all—it’s possible.”

“…Let’s see what kind of item they’ve brought. This should be interesting.”

So, Shuris-san really is famous. She herself is super friendly and doesn’t feel very noble-like at all, though.

Well, now that everyone’s interest has probably shifted away from the carriage, I’ll just sneak out quietly…

“Who’s that knight?”

“That’s some impressive armor. Don’t tell me… is that armor one of the auction items?”

“Who’s the guy wearing it? No way… surely they’re not auctioning off people now, right…?”

“Hehe, if I could personally strip him down after winning the bid, I’d love to win him.”

There’s a noble saying some seriously dangerous stuff over here.

“President, Shuris-san—let’s hurry inside the venue.”

“Hahaha, yes, let’s.”

“Hmm… if I could bid on you, I’d like to do that too. What do you say? The price is negotiable.”

“Even as a joke, please don’t. If you’re not careful, I’ll start a rumor saying, ‘Shuris-san tried to buy my body with money.’”

“…My apologies. Please don’t do that…”

Even as a joke, some things should not be said.

The auction venue looked like a massive hall located on the first floor of an art museum.

It seemed to be originally built to display large works, with elevated walkways spanning the higher parts of the space for better viewing. Now, seats had been set up along those paths as well.

The sellers were seated in the front row, closest to the stage, while the high-level balcony seats seemed reserved for people who didn’t want to be seen too much—people with “circumstances.”

“As the guard, I’ll stay beside the Company president. You take the other seat, Same-san.”

“I feel kind of bad about this…”

“Hehe, we may both be in armor, but you’re the official attendee here. And you’re the one selling the star item of this auction, aren’t you? My father seems to have heard the rumors and showed up, too. Look—far right on the upper floor. That’s him.”

I followed Shuris-san’s gaze and saw a man just past middle age, one hand on his beard, glaring at the stage with intense focus.

…Those are the eyes of a hunter. Like he’s thinking, if there’s something worth bidding on, I’m not letting it go.

“…Also, the representative of Curseface is here too. And sitting right beside him, in fact…”

“Ah, you’re right—it’s Gallian-san.”

“Hm? So you already know Gallian-dono, Same-san?”

“We’ve only met twice.”

“Still, it’s rare for someone to know his name. Very few know his real name, and it’s almost unheard of for him to introduce himself.”

“Really?”

“Honestly, this is the first time I’ve learned it myself. Though Curseface being guarded by an insanely strong bodyguard is a well-known fact.”

“Oh, I see… he actually turned out to be pretty easy to talk to, once we got going.”

We met at the art museum, and he told me about the origins of a greatsword I was looking at, and even shared a legend about how the egg of an underworld dragon tasted unbelievably good.

He also gave me the name of a tavern with excellent egg dishes.

“…That’s very good to know. If he’s still—no, never mind.”

“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean? Don’t stop halfway.”

“Well, I actually know what his previous occupation was. But talking about that freely might cause trouble, so I thought I’d hold my tongue.”

“I see. In that case, I won’t pry.”

“Thanks. Anyway, looks like the seats are almost full. It’s about to begin.”

Before I realized it, nearly all the seats in the hall—including those on the upper walkways—had been filled.

Then, the lights dimmed slightly, and the stage lights brightened in contrast.

Into that lit space, one man quietly stepped forward.

“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for gathering here today. We now begin the 48th Auction hosted by the Merchant Guild.”

The one making the announcement was the auctioneer who had been in charge of appraising the Pigeon Trading Company’s item.

In response to his announcement, a gentle round of applause spread throughout the venue.

“I don’t think an explanation of the rules is necessary, but allow me to fulfill my duty properly. Once an item is introduced and the starting price announced, please raise your paddle and call out your bid. While there are no strictly defined rules beyond this, we kindly ask you to avoid overly aggressive or ungentlemanly bidding behavior.”

Hmm… I guess that means don’t act like a fool by calling out bids repeatedly in tiny increments to try and squeeze out the competition?

“Now, although I have also been given a paddle, I have no intention of bidding today. What about you, Same-san?”

“Hmm… I only have about as much money as I made selling items to the company before. I do have a few things I could probably convert into cash, though.”

It was when I answered honestly like that—
That the president’s eyes suddenly sparkled with interest.

“Oh…? Don’t tell me you still have some left?”

“Hahaha, no comment.”

Damn it. I might have just tipped him off that I still have some of those gems left.

Still, I wasn’t pressed on it, and the auction began.

“Now then, the first item up for auction is from the ‘Baraclan Trading Company’: the painting ‘Swordsman Standing on the Hill of the Blue Moon’! This is a work by the famous artist—”

The first item up was a painting rich with a vivid, beautiful blue.

Apparently, the artist was quite popular, and the opening price was set at 40 large gold coins.

“Ah, what a beautifully balanced use of color. You can feel the glow of that blue from here.”

“Indeed. I’d love to hang it in my clan home, but alas, I’m not a participant this time. A shame I can’t place a bid.”

As I listened to the two of them talk, I kept my eyes on the auction.

Thankfully, nothing had happened yet—no disturbances, no shouting from the distance—
Peaceful, in a way. Even if the amounts of money flying around weren’t exactly “peaceful.”

“Same-san, is there anything you’re hoping to buy?”

“I haven’t really decided on anything yet.”

Even after a few items had gone up for bid, nothing had particularly caught my interest.

The truth is, I only have about 400 large gold coins worth of funds that I can freely use right now.

It’s a lot of money—but in this kind of auction, it feels like it might not go very far.

“Next, from the House of Count Pachel, we present: ‘Magical Tools from Another World’! These items were originally displayed as antiques, but apparently no one claimed them during the estate division. While the term ‘another world’ may be questionable, experts unanimously agree: ‘The materials and uses of these items are completely unknown.'”

What was brought to the stage next looked like nothing more than a pile of junk.

But upon closer inspection, they resembled items you’d find in a junk section of a secondhand shop on Earth—no doubt, these were Earth-origin artifacts.

Hmm… I do want them, just in case… But I’ll wait and see how the starting bid looks.

“We’ll start at five large gold coins.”

That’s about 250,000 yen! Hmm… tough call.

“Six large gold coins!”

After a moment of hesitation, I called out my bid.

“We have a bid from the knight over there! Any other offers?”

…Sadly, no other bidders appeared.

So they really do think it’s junk, huh?
Well, to be fair… it probably is junk.

“You actually want that stuff?”

“Hmm? Any particular reason?”

“Just curiosity. I often go into dungeons and the like, and I sometimes find items like that. They’re kind of fun to take apart.”

I made up a plausible excuse.

“Ah, like a kind of puzzle, then?”

“That’s about right.”

Well, realistically, the most I’ll probably learn from this junk is what country it might have slipped in from.

Still, information is valuable in its own way.

The auction continued, and before long, items that stirred audible murmurs from the audience started to appear.

“Next, from the Curseface Trade Guild, we present: the magical sword Galehorn! This massive sword was forged by the famed master craftsman, Sairyu Sunada. It was crafted from the horn of a magical beast living in the distant western nation of Kaburagi. This is a true magical weapon.”

With that, the auctioneer lifted the massive sword—which looked incredibly heavy—with one hand, effortlessly raising it toward the ceiling.

“As you can see, despite its size, it feels weightless. It’s also been confirmed that when swung, it can generate powerful gusts of wind, capable of toppling trees depending on the user.”

Oof… I seriously want that…!
But there’s no way it’s within my budget.

“We’ll start at 300 large gold coins.”

Yeah, no way!

“Hmm… I’d love to have that. It’s a shame I’m not eligible to bid.”

“Um… should I bid on your behalf?”

“Would you? president, would that be alright?”

“Yes, I see no issue.”

“In that case, Same-san, please bid 400 coins for me.”

I began bidding on Schris-san’s behalf.

But—as expected—the auction turned into a fierce battle.

It was a beautiful weapon, had proven performance, and the fact that it could be easily wielded with one hand made it hugely popular.

“Same-san, bid 900 coins.”

“Got it. Are you sure you can afford it?”

“No problem.”

As the bidding continued, it became clear that only one other person and I were still in the competition.

“1,200 large gold coins.”

“1,200 large gold coins! Any other offers? Anyone else?”

“Schris-san, what do you want to do?”

It was probably someone on the upper floor. The voice had been coming from above for a while now.

“…2,000 coins. Same-san, place the bid.”

“Seriously…? Got it.”

I raised the paddle and stated the amount.

“2,000 large gold coins!”

“Oh! We’ve finally hit the 2,000-coin milestone! Is there no one else?”

A brief silence followed.

And then… the dry sound of the gavel striking echoed through the hall.

“2,000 large gold coins! Sold to the knight over there!”

“Whew… That turned into an outrageous sum, didn’t it…”

“No, it’s worth it. It’s a powerful magic sword. Letting some random noble win it would have been dangerous. I’ll have someone from my clan use it eventually.”

“I see.”

So the bid was made with security in mind too…
It did seem to contain quite a bit of power.

But 2,000 coins… That’s roughly 100 million yen…

“The payment isn’t due today, so I’ll be there on the delivery day as well.”

“Please do. Honestly, my heart’s pounding from announcing a bid for a ridiculous amount of money I don’t even have on me.”

“Heh, sorry about that. I promise I’ll make it up to you.”

After that, more items from the Curseface Trade Guild went up for auction. Each one was alluring, with a dangerous vibe.

Things like a “statue that bends space and expands the interior of any room it’s placed in”, or a “necklace that gradually rejuvenates the mind but simultaneously ages the body”… If these items were real, they were absolutely insane.

As various trading companies and noble houses continued to show off their prized wares—

Finally, it arrived:

“Now, allow us to introduce today’s highlight item! This is a consigned entry from the Pigeon Trading Company! Please, take a look!”

In the next moment, the lighting above the stage dimmed sharply, and a spotlight focused intensely on a small box being brought forth.

When the box was eventually opened—

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