Chapter 12: The Auction House (2)

The carriage was filled with a heavy silence.

The only sound breaking the stillness was the scratch of a pen.

Resting my chin on my hand by the window, I rolled my eyes to glance at him. Abel was busy, reviewing documents and checking something off. 

Who does paperwork in a carriage, anyway? With the usual jostling, it would be impossible—but Abel was clearly no ordinary person.

The carriage was under some kind of magical enchantment; there was no hint of shaking. Perhaps Abel himself had arranged for the enchantment.

“What is it, Adele?”

I flinched as Abel looked up from his documents, his gaze fixed on me.

“No… I was just wondering what the Imperial Auction House would be like.”

“Don’t get your hopes up. From what I’ve heard, it’s mostly for buying magical catalysts and slaves.”

‘…Slaves.’

Now that I thought about it, slavery was legal in the Arie Empire.

A bitter smile crept onto my face. Coming from a modern world, the idea of slavery was an alien concept to me.

“So, why are you going to the auction house, Abel?”

“I heard there’s a rather useful catalyst up for auction. With you here as well… I thought it might be worth a visit.”

“I see.”

With those words, the carriage fell silent once again. Next to me, Lily, who seemed tired, leaned back in her seat and dozed off.

I had no idea how much time had passed.

“We’ve arrived!”

At the coachman’s voice, I shook Lily awake. She blinked sleepily at me, then shook her head to clear the drowsiness.

“We’re here already?”

“Yes. Get ready to go.”

“Understood!”

Lily straightened her clothes and looked at mine. Abel conjured a storage space in mid-air to place his documents and spoke to me.

“Finish up and come out. I’ll be waiting outside.”

“Yes.”

Once he closed the door, Lily began to adjust my clothes. After tidying every little detail, she let out a satisfied breath.

“Hm. Perfect!”

“Thank you, Lily.”

“It’s my duty!”

With a cheerful smile, she stepped out of the carriage. As Lily exited, Abel offered his hand to me. I took it and carefully climbed down.

“Here are your masks. They’re enchanted with perception-distorting magic, so there’s no need to worry.”

Abel pulled two rabbit masks from the air and handed one to Lily and one to me. He then produced a wolf mask from his coat and placed it over his face.

Strangely, his appearance was now obscured, as if his face were shrouded in mist.

‘…Fascinating.’

As a mere third-rate mage, perception-distortion magic was beyond my abilities. I paused, mask in hand.

“…Abel?”

“Hm?”

“Why is my mask a rabbit mask?”

“Doesn’t it suit you?”

“I’m not sure.”

He gave a mischievous smile and stepped closer. Although he was wearing a mask, it felt as if I could see his face right in front of me, and I instinctively leaned back.

Perhaps it was because of what happened last night—or maybe it was the humiliation from this morning—but I felt uneasy facing him up close.

Seeing my reaction, Abel spoke.

“Your timid look fits a rabbit perfectly, especially when faced with a wolf.”

“…When did I act timid?”

“Of course, it was not fear but embarrassment… But isn’t it the same in the end?”

“Ugh… Let’s just go.”

I quickly suggested, unsure of what else he might say if I stayed. Abel chuckled softly at my reaction.

“Let’s.”

Once Lily and I put on our masks, Abel took the lead. As we left the gathering of carriages, we found ourselves before a massive building, easily over ten floors tall.

‘…Magic?’

In a medieval world like this, constructing a building of this height without magic would be impossible. As I mused over this, Abel opened the building’s doors and entered.

The interior was surprisingly clean.

The marble floors were spotless, and the plain white walls seemed well-maintained. It made sense; the Imperial Auction House would certainly require upkeep.

“By the way, from now on, do not address each other by name. Anonymity is standard at the Imperial Auction House.”

“Understood.”

Lily nodded beside me as we followed Abel down the corridor. After a short walk, we reached a large wooden door.

A knight clad in armor stood guard in front of it.

“Please present your pass.”

Abel retrieved a pass from his coat and handed it to the knight. The knight examined it briefly, then returned it along with a small numbered plaque.

“Enjoy the auction.”

As the knight opened the door, Abel, Lily, and I stepped inside. The layout was similar to a modern movie theater, except the seats were paired with ample space between each set.

“Wow…”

Lily couldn’t contain her amazement at the vastness of the auction hall. Abel surveyed the surroundings, then moved toward an empty seat.

“Sit here. The maid can sit in the chair beside us.”

“Chair? Where’s the chair…?”

Lily looked around in confusion, and Abel gestured to a chair that had appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, between us. He must have conjured it with magic. But why would he go to the trouble?

Sensing my puzzled look, he explained.

“It’s because she is someone you personally cherish. Any objections?”

“No… Just… Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Abel responded indifferently and turned his gaze toward the stage where the auction was about to begin.

‘…Unpredictable.’

He was a man who could be unexpectedly considerate at strange times.

‘…Well, I suppose it’s fine.’

For now, I should focus on the auction.

Abel said I could buy anything I wanted if I found something appealing. But honestly, would the Imperial Auction House even have anything I wanted? As I pondered this, a man took the stage.

He was wearing a jester mask.

“Alright, everyone, please take your seats. The auction will begin shortly.”

The man spoke through amplification magic, glancing around at the seated audience before continuing.

“Very well. Let’s begin the auction.”

With his words, several men carried something onto the stage.

“Our first item is a deep-sea monster scale. This scale is the only intact piece from a monster that lived 400 meters below sea level. It has been verified by the Mage Tower as a magical catalyst, so keep that in mind.”

When the cloth covering the item was pulled back, a bronze-colored scale was revealed. Rare monster materials like this were often sold as magical catalysts, I’d heard.

As soon as the item was revealed, about six people raised their number plates.

“The starting price is 10 gold.”

Since 1 gold is roughly worth 1 million won… That means bidding starts at around 10 million won. Quite an expensive item.

“Twelve gold!”

“We have twelve gold.”

“Fifteen gold.”

“Fifteen gold, any higher?”

“Twenty gold!”

With intense bidding continuing, the price of the deep-sea scale was already approaching 100 gold.

“One hundred and two gold. Any further bids?”

What could make that item worth such a high price? As if reading my thoughts, Abel leaned over and answered my unspoken question.

“Most magical catalysts are around that price. For a mage, catalysts are essential to advancing their abilities.”

“…I see.”

So that’s why my magic skills haven’t been improving quickly. If only I’d known that before… I sighed, feeling like I’d been struggling in vain.

Meanwhile, the deep-sea scale was sold for 120 gold, and the next item was brought in.

“Our second item is an ancient gauntlet.”

When the black cloth was lifted, a dark, tarnished gauntlet was revealed. It looked quite old, with some crumbling areas, but overall, it was in remarkably good condition.

“The starting price is 50 gold.”

“Fifty-five gold!”

“We have fifty-five gold.”

“Sixty-five gold.”

“Sixty-five gold, any higher?”

“Eighty gold!”

“Eighty gold.”

“Two hundred gold.”

I was momentarily stunned when Abel raised his number plate. Was he really planning to spend 200 gold—about two billion won—on that gauntlet? I knew, of course, that this amount was like pocket change for a duke’s household.

But still, did that gauntlet truly have such value?

Despite my questioning look, he offered no explanation.

“Any further bids?”

Others who had been raising their number plates hesitated at the steep 200-gold bid. Only one person among them raised their plate.

“Two hundred and ten gold!”

“Two hundred and ten. Any higher?”

“Three hundred gold.”

“…Ugh.”

The challenger quickly lowered his number plate.

‘I don’t get it.’

Why would anyone spend three billion won on that item? I couldn’t comprehend it. Abel must have his reasons. The auctioneer seemed slightly flustered as he announced in a hesitant voice.

“Three hundred gold… Any higher?”

After counting five seconds, the auctioneer nodded.

“The ancient gauntlet is sold for three hundred gold.”

– – – The End of The Chapter – – –

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