Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 43
The lighting in the hall dimmed further, and in contrast, the spotlight on the stage grew even brighter.
As the auctioneer reached for the beautifully decorated small box, everyone in the room audibly swallowed.
The box was quietly opened, revealing a lump of deep blue.
The sapphire, still in its raw, uncut state, absorbed the concentrated light and radiated an intense, boundless blue—so deep it seemed to melt into the surroundings.
A blue so vivid, it dyed the auctioneer’s hand in its glow.
The attendees gasped at its brilliance, just as the lighting returned to normal.
“As you have just seen, this uncut sapphire exudes a limitless blue. We have decided to give this treasure a name fitting of its majesty: ‘Eye of the Deep Sea.’ Once, a similarly divine gem called the ‘Eye of the Sky’ was auctioned here. That gem now adorns the royal staff of the princess of our Theocratic Kingdom. I believe it’s no exaggeration to say this sapphire rivals it as its counterpart. Its color and condition are unparalleled. I can say with confidence: this is the highest-quality sapphire ever seen. This gem was found by an unknown adventurer who once conquered a natural dungeon. It was hidden deep within the Scorched Earth Ravine. Without a doubt, it is a national treasure. The starting bid is 5,000 large gold coins.”
As the auctioneer finished their introduction and announced the starting bid, a barrage of intense bids echoed through the hall.
Wait… is it really supposed to get this heated? The elegant atmosphere from earlier was instantly obliterated—everyone was now utterly frantic, desperate to win the gem.
Which meant… the price was skyrocketing at breakneck speed!
“…I’m starting to get a headache…”
“Are you alright, Same-san? Well, well… it turned out like this after all.”
“Even after paying fees to both the auction house and your firm, this is going to be outrageous…”
“Indeed… though to be honest, I’ve got a headache too. We’ll need to rethink our future plans.”
It started at 5,000 coins, right?
So how did we already jump a digit!?
“12,000!”
“17,000!”
Stop! That’s an unspendable amount!
If I get that kind of money, I will fall into vice! I’m doomed if it ever ends up in my hands!
“By the way, Same-san, the ‘Eye of the Sky’ was once auctioned off for 60,000 large gold coins. Though that time, a member of the royal family secretly bought it.”
“I really didn’t want to hear that horrifying piece of trivia.”
“But we have to consider that possibility too, don’t we?”
“Please don’t show me any mansions or estates, okay? Seriously.”
“Hahaha… you’d be able to afford the down payment on one, though.”
A single-family home is more than enough! Preferably somewhere in the quiet suburbs, low traffic… I just want a place where I can protect my privacy. I don’t care if the location is bad—just somewhere secure.
“Hmm, so you want a house, Same-san? Then maybe a clan home that’s currently on the market—”
“No thanks. That’d likely be in a busy area. I’m really private, you know.”
“Haha, yes, that’s true. Still… my father’s getting heated. He’s already offered 30,000.”
“Seriously…?”
Even after fees, I’ll take home at least 100 million yen… no, more than that—maybe over 1.5 billion.
And yet the bidding still hasn’t stopped at 30,000. What the hell is going on?
I mean… it’s just a rock. A gemstone. How can it possibly be worth this much?
As the amount climbed, I found myself growing oddly calm.
“This is the monster of auctions at work. The frenzy has swallowed their reason, and some may not follow through. If that happens, the sale could be voided.”
“Wouldn’t that destroy the auction house’s credibility?”
“Look closely. Only nobles are bidding now. Auctioneers and merchants can’t punish nobles. Sure, they can make things slightly inconvenient for them, but only temporarily. This situation is dangerous.”
“My father, however, will definitely pay. At this point, I can only hope he wins.”
Maybe that’s all we can hope for.
We were already past 50,000 coins now. This is getting out of hand… it’s nearing the record set by the ‘Eye of the Sky.’
And still, multiple people remained in the bidding.
“It’s been an intense battle, but we are approaching the end. Bidding will close in three minutes!”
With that announcement from the auctioneer, the bidding grew even fiercer.
The increments began to shrink—clearly, we were nearing the final price. It was about to hit 60,000.
Then—suddenly—
“80,000 large gold coins.”
From the upper floor came a voice, calm and composed—a stark contrast to the frenzied shouting from before.
The massive leap of over 20,000 coins silenced the entire hall.
And with it, the will to bid from all others seemed to vanish.
“80,000! The lady over there has bid 80,000 coins! Anyone else?”
No one answered.
At last, the gavel sounded, bringing this feverish auction to its conclusion.
“Sold to the lady over there for 80,000 large gold coins! That makes it the second-highest winning bid in our auction’s history!”
80,000 coins… Are you kidding me…?
That’s four billion yen…
I think my heart’s going to stop. I’ve never felt it pounding this hard before…
“S-Same-san! We did it! Even after fees, you’ll clear over 60,000 coins… that’s an insane fortune!”
“Y-Yeah… Honestly, I’m just stunned. I never need to work again at this point.”
“Haha, indeed. How about working at our firm part-time to kill time during your retirement?”
“Well, I’ll still continue adventuring. As for the money… I guess I’ll store it somewhere or entrust it to someone I trust.”
I’ve already confirmed that I can store currency from this world in my menu screen.
I can retrieve exactly what I need from there too. So I’ll just lock it away—no splurging. Honestly, I’d rather forget about this money altogether.
As long as I get a secure, private home, I’m more than happy.
“So you have someone you can entrust such a fortune to? Hehe, you really are an interesting one.”
“Hehe, yeah. Even I’ve never had that much money to freely spend.”
As I stood there, heart still racing at what was to come, the auctioneer spoke up once more.
That’s right—the auction wasn’t over yet.
There were still more items being presented by the Pigeon Trading Company.
“Now then, continuing on, we have another item from the Pigeon Company. It’s smaller than the previous one, but—”
Afterward, the smaller sapphire ended up being sold for 9,000 large gold coins, and surprisingly, the sword’s scabbard fetched an even higher price—13,000 large gold coins.
The Pigeon Trading Company must have made an incredible profit just today…!
“Whew… More than profit, having our name recognized is the bigger gain here. Our trading company is still relatively new, but starting today, we’ve officially become a merchant house known among the nobility of this city, Lindblum.”
“That’s true. I’m glad I could be of help.”
“To be honest, the scabbard was the only item we originally planned to put up for auction. I’m quite proud of its quality, but by itself, it wasn’t strong enough to make an impact. I sincerely thank you for your cooperation and for trusting our trading company.”
“Ha ha, don’t mention it. The auction isn’t over yet—let’s stick around until the end.”
“Indeed. Actually, the order of the auction also reflects the strength of the merchant houses. While Curseface has power, they aren’t openly favored by the nobility. In other words, the merchant house providing the final item is considered the weakest. It may sound elegant to ‘close the show,’ but it really means you’re at the bottom.”
“I see… So a merchant house needs more than just strength to rise up.”
Well, the Curseface Merchant Association does have a shady reputation. They’re kind of like a semi-gangster outfit. No wonder the nobility doesn’t want to deal with them publicly.
“Now then, we move on to the final item of today’s auction. The last item comes from the ‘Elcud Church Trading Company.’ It is said to have been discovered beneath an old chapel during demolition—an ancient magical artifact. It bears engravings similar to those in the ancient Elcud script, and its historical value is believed to be genuine. We’ll start the bidding at 400 large gold coins.”
What appeared next looked like jewelry at first glance—dull gold items like collars, brooches, and tiaras.
Too plain to be regular accessories, but clearly magic tools that would shine beautifully if polished.
Hmm… Are they religious items? But they did call them magic tools, so they must have special effects of some kind.
“…Same, I must ask you once more. You’re about to come into a great fortune. Could you use that power to win this bid?”
“Shuris-san?”
“Depending on how high it goes, I may not have enough funds myself. But even so, I must ask you. You must win this item.”
Shuris’s voice sounded different from before—more urgent, more desperate.
What is it? Is this like the cursed sword from earlier? Something dangerous if it falls into the wrong hands…?
“500 large gold coins.”
“The knight over there bids 500! Any other bids?”
“700 large gold coins!”
“700 from the Curseface Merchant Association!”
“900 large gold coins.”
“Same knight bids 900!”
Apparently, this magic tool was attracting a lot of attention. Not only Curseface, but other nobles and merchant groups were also joining the bid, causing the price to rise rapidly.
Why…? Is its origin that valuable?
“Same-san, this is truly worth winning. It might be related to the ancient Elkhmesia Continent, which is now said to be submerged. And it’s well-preserved. It has value for both research and as an antique.”
“I see… 1,500 large gold coins.”
Still, something about Shuris’s behavior was off. She looked almost frantic, like this was life or death for her.
“2,500 large gold coins.”
“2,500 from the Curseface Merchant Association! Any more bids?”
Maybe they’re trying to scare off the competition by raising the price all at once.
…Even so, Shuris was still looking at me with pleading eyes.
In that case…
“5,000 large gold coins.”
I declared the doubled amount without hesitation.
“Wha…! The knight bids 5,000 large gold coins! Anyone else?”
A long silence followed.
…And then, the sound of the gavel rang out.
“Sorry, Same. You really saved me there. That amount was just within what I can manage to pay, so I’ll settle it—along with the payment for the demon sword—at the time of the handover.”
“What exactly was that magic tool?”
“Hmm… I can’t really say. Just know that the government is involved.”
“I see. After this, I’ll be helping the company president return the sapphire we put up for auction to the warehouse. What about you, Shuris-san?”
“Let’s see… I’ve left the warehouse work to Letty and the others, so I think I’ll head back to the clan home—or rather, to my family estate—to secure the funds. Honestly… I took on this escort job to repay a debt, but it looks like I’ve ended up owing you even more now.”
As people gradually left the auction venue, I talked with Shuris about what had just happened.
If it’s something involving the government, then I guess I can’t press any further.
“Well, what a heated day this has been. Shuris-sama, would you like to use one of our company’s carriages?”
“No need. Luckily, my father is here, so I’ll ride with him. And thank you for your help as well. Pigeon Trading Company—I’ll be sure to place an order for some supplies for the clan next time.”
“O-Of course! We’d be honored! I’ll give you a very generous deal!”
We’ve relied on the Pigeon Trading Company in many ways, so I’m truly glad we were able to introduce them to such a promising new opportunity.
After watching Shuris-san leave, I headed to the back of the auction venue with the company president to retrieve our items.
In the end, there were no disturbances or attacks.
The underground warehouse is empty for now, so Melt is probably safe too.
Well, there is a chance something might happen when we return the items to the warehouse…
…But we’ll be fine, right?