Auction(2)
I went downtown with St. Rebecca.
The ‘Auction’ only started at night when the moon shines alone, so time was still empty.
“Is there anything you would like to eat?”
“… Do whatever you want.”
A well-groomed blonde through the hood obscured her view. Hair flowing down softly as if it had become a stream.
Rebecca grimaced and carefully ruffled her hair to the side. Then, the appearance of Gyeonggukji-saek, which had been hidden with a necklace, caught my eye.
“… .”
I looked at her face instead of trying to place an order. While Agnes’ face contained firmness and coldness, Rebecca had a gentle yet reverent dignity.
If the cardinal who had educated her had seen this, she would have been smiling.
“Let me ask you straight up. How did you find out about me?”
After sipping the coffee made to order, she asked me.
I drank a little coffee with a look that seemed like it would be impossible if I didn’t get an answer right away.
That action alone makes Rebecca impatient.
“answer.”
“sorry. It’s a very obvious question.”
A little, but with a smile on my lips, I explain what I had in mind.
“You must have forgotten where my family is.”
“No matter how much you claim to be the Duke of Philasia, how can even the denomination keep confidential matters… .”
“When Saint Rebecca is in a good mood, her hair shines because of her natural divine power.”
Rebecca’s eyes widened.
Of course it would be. The information that her hair is shiny is a fact that only a small part of the church knows.
It’s not something to hide too much, but it’s not a story that’s likely to be known.
However, this does not mean that people who do not belong to the denomination are not familiar with the information. Because the saint is here now.
After she decides to join the Iliad Academy, the Order controls all information about the saint.
Excluding information already known.
‘Perhaps this information is not known to the current Duke of Philasia, so my father.’
The church’s control was perfect.
Although it may be several years at most, that alone can tell the prestige of the denomination.
But there are no perfect secrets in the world.
There are also irregulars like me who find out about secrets.
Well, I know because I read the original.
Rebecca, unaware of this, had a somewhat worried expression on her face. It must be worrying that information got into the eldest son of Philasia through the control of the Order.
“Lady.”
That’s not what I need to focus on right now.
Rebecca raises her head slightly at my call.
“Have you heard of the night auction?”
“Yeah, isn’t it a rumor that spreads throughout the Empire? I heard that there is also a black shop.”
“It is true. In fact, drugs banned by the church are also being auctioned off.”
She frowned as if she already knew.
where I want to go now.
the background of the empire. back street. And the auction of the night.
It is a place where not only the wealthy commoners, but also the high-ranking royal family participate.
“You must be my lover.”
An auction in which only the most dangerous and expensive items are obtained.
A place where masks are mandatory to cover each other’s origins, and no disturbance is allowed.
Rebecca heard me and her eyes widened.
“I’m not saying that you really want to be a lover. Is it a mask auction?”
“you’re right.”
“A place where you can easily participate… I am not going to tell you.”
“No, that’s not enough for me.”
Originally, you could go in.
There are very few places in this empire that cannot be entered with the value of the name of Phylasia.
But.
“Considering my notoriety, the organizers wouldn’t let me in.”
“but.”
It’s a little sad if you accept it right away.
Nobility’s shame or garbage. My notoriety of being sick doesn’t fit the mask auction at all.
A being who can guess his identity by looking at his sickly figure, and can make a fuss at any time.
Mask auctions are a place where you can participate with confidence because your identity cannot be guessed. What if your identity is revealed or you make a fuss?
‘Their status will fall.’
There is a possibility that tall, blue-blooded people will no longer participate.
Therefore, even the eldest son of the Philasia family cannot participate with this notoriety.
Rebecca knocked down her coffee cup and put it down.
Golden eyes glare at me as they emit a sharp light.
As if piercing through everything.
“So, can you lend me my reputation?”
“If the rubbish of aristocrats enters together with the saint as lovers. The organizers will not be able to deny it if the condition is that the sick enter with a healer of the denomination.”
nor can you refuse
“like. Everything is good… .”
Instantly, a cold air swept over my body.
“Why me?”
I swallowed my saliva at the sharp gaze that didn’t feel like a saint at all.
Again, I have to speak well.
“There are rumors that elf slaves are coming to this ‘product’.”
“what?”
elf slave.
Those two words change Rebecca’s momentum.
Slavery itself is illegal within the Empire, but for the people of the Empire.
There are many cases where people of different races are kidnapped and made slaves. Even in the Empire, some nobles use such slaves a lot, so it is a tendency to pass implicitly.
Among them, elf slaves are the most precious and popular slaves.
Although it is a noble clan that never comes out of the forest, I heard that many nobles drool because of their transcendent beauty.
Besides, if you’re unlucky, an elf who has been around for hundreds of years will sneak in and destroy the family, so it’s natural to be careful.
“Is this reliable information?”
“I can’t promise. Rumors are just rumors.”
Rebecca brushes her teeth.
As I said before, Petra already knew that elf slaves are coming out of the auction house now.
Although it may not be the character in the original that I know.
Fifth heroine.
An elf spirit warrior and princess.
She will appear in this mask auction a little later from this point.
So then… Was it when you became close with the princess?
I don’t remember very well.
“I will go.”
Rebecca interrupts my thoughts and mumbles.
I smiled and asked again.
“Are you sure you want to go? You may not be sure.”
“Because there is no way you could have brought vague information under the name of Phylasia.”
You talk as if you’ve known me for a long time.
I got a strange feeling, but once I nodded my head.
At first, she had no choice but to follow me.
Because the saint is in a position to reject slavery, whether formally or informally.
I don’t know the exact reason, but when she hears that she’s a slave, she hates it so much that it causes seizures.
The background to the original didn’t come out at all, so it’s original.
I got up slowly.
If you’re going to the black shop anyway, you’d better take care of the saint’s outfit a little bit.
Even if the face is covered with a mask, even the dignity is not covered, and the costume gives a glimpse of a person’s level.
The mask auction is open to participants and their partners, and you will need to dress up a little considering your status.
I reached out to her sitting there.
Because from now on, I had to postpone the romantic relationship.
“Let’s go.”
“… .”
Rebecca grimaced and grabbed my hand without saying a word.
Contrary to her gaze, her hands were warm.
**
On the way to the mask auction, I bought a suitable outfit. The price was a little high, but the funds I had accumulated so far were sufficient.
Rebecca was terrified and refused to wear it, but she wore it while complaining that she might not be able to enter if the outfit was too shabby.
Meanwhile, the sun had set and the sky was getting dark.
People enter the house, and the brook begins to subtly illuminate the magic.
It was a street at night.
Unlike modern times, the quiet capital of the empire.
It was a dark place in the midst of this quiet place where I had to take Rebecca.
Taqing back alley.
A shady and closed place where 70% of imperial crimes could be said to take place here.
Even in the imperial family, things that happen in the back alleys don’t touch unless you’re an aristocrat, so it can be said that it’s at the level of a lot of talk.
Even in this back alley, the artificial light welcomes us as we go further inside.
Rebecca then took off her hood and revealed her appearance to the world.
A face that immediately catches the eye.
But it doesn’t come easily.
It’s because I’m next to you.
She had arms with me, so from a distance it would look like a lover.
And there was no one in the back alleys full of grassroots enough to touch the eldest son and saint of Philasia.
“My eyes are drawn to it.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
It was a fact we both knew that what happened in the back alley never spread.
This means that even if we pretend to be lovers, we will never be caught outside.
As we went a little further, a guide wearing a bear mask blocked our way.
“You must wear a mask to participate in the mask auction.”
“There is no need for further explanation. Because I already knew everything.”
“Oh, I see. Then, choose one of the masks placed next to it.”
On the table were elaborately crafted masks. Things that are so neat that you can guess their identity, but can’t be sure.
I picked a wolf shape from them, and Rebecca picked a rabbit shape.
After confirming that they were both wearing masks, the bear-shaped masked guide stepped aside.
Looking at the dark but round passage, I took Rebecca’s hand and said.
“Come in. Lady.”