Episode 115 – You’re too young.
115. You’re too young.
Leon and Aria moved according to the guidance of Manwol staff.
2Nd floor of lodging facility. After going through complicated security procedures, the wall was pushed aside, revealing a hidden space.
It was a square-shaped room that could accommodate about five or six people.
A magic circle was drawn on the floor. I could feel the mana flowing gently.
The employee said.
“Please come inside.”
Leon and Aria went inside and stood.
Aria sent a mana message to Leon.
— It’s a short-distance teleportation magic circle.
It may be a short distance, less than 100 meters, but it is still a teleportation magic circle.
‘Are they putting something like this in every entrance? The number of entrances must be quite large.’
This was a part where we could get a glimpse of Manwol’s power.
Once everyone came inside, the employee closed the door and said.
“I will check your admission ticket.”
The employee who received the ticket tore both sheets at the same time.
uuung-
Then, the magic circle that detected the signal connected to the table began to respond. A blue glow leaked out, and the mana inside shook.
Soon.
Paging-!
They leapt through space in an instant.
The heavy, cool air touched my skin. It was a long hallway made of dark granite. A golden light embedded in the ceiling illuminated the path ahead.
A dead end road with only a wall behind it. It was a place that could only be reached through teleportation with precisely assigned coordinates to the magic circles on both sides.
Ttogak- Ttogak- Ttogak-
After walking down the hallway for a while, I came across a door with the number ’78’ written on top.
The employee unlocked the door, opened it, and lowered his head.
“You can just go inside. “I hope you have a comfortable time.”
Leon asked slightly puzzled.
“Aren’t they even keeping the armed forces in charge?”
“We at Manwol do not inspect our customers’ belongings.”
“Hmm.”
You will regret it. Leon nodded and muttered to himself and went inside.
“Ah, if it’s structured like this, it’s probably not worth taking on.”
Private room with a comfortable design. There was a leather chair where you could properly recline, and all three walls except for the door you entered were full of glass.
A vast view of the auction house unfolded beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows.
An amphitheater-shaped underground cavity deep beneath the ground. It was as wide and tall as a large stadium.
There was a stage at the bottom, and 100 rooms like the one Leon was assigned to were lined up along the common wall.
Rooms 1 to 10 are on the 1st floor, rooms 11 to 30 are on the 2nd floor, rooms 31 to 60 are on the 3rd floor, and rooms 61 to 100 are on the 4th floor.
Accordingly, room 78, which Leon entered, was located at the highest level and had a clear view of the interior.
The interior of the other room has not been confirmed. Although it was made of glass, it was covered with a black curtain that prevented the outside world from seeing inside.
Only a silhouette was vaguely visible, which could only be known to contain people.
Leon and Aria, standing in front of the window, looked closely at the internal structure of the auction house. They exchanged opinions over the phone for a while and reviewed the plan.
After that, the two sat down, ate the drinks and snacks that were placed there, and waited.
About 20 minutes passed like that.
Boom!
All the lights turned off in an instant and the entire hall was immersed in pitch black darkness.
Soon, a strong spotlight fell on the stage and focused attention.
In the illuminated place, a man with his hair combed back was standing erect. The white mask on his face revealed only the lower part of his nose.
He brought the object in his hand close to his mouth.
[Hello. My name is Ivan and I am the host of this auction. First of all, we sincerely welcome all the distinguished guests who visited our Manwol Auction House.]
Ivan’s voice, amplified by the magic tool, echoes throughout the auction house.
[As always, I feel there is no need for trite explanations and introductions. Since we are all busy with construction, we will proceed immediately without any long delays.]
Good speed. Leon muttered.
[This time, a lot of items that may be of interest to you have arrived from the Southern Continent. You can look forward to it. Now, here’s the first item.]
Ivan clapped his hands outstretched behind his back. Two men brought out a glass box and carefully placed it on the stage.
What was inside was a sword whose blade had a large curvature, curved like a crescent moon. A eerie black energy was flowing out from the province. It was eerie and ominous.
[This is unusual from the beginning. This is said to be the way used by the chief of a cannibalistic tribe deep in the jungles of the Southern Continent, who cut people into pieces and chewed them alive. Can you see this eerie ghost energy flowing around the Tao? Wow, I can even hear the victims’ vengeful spirits crying next to me.]
Ivan gave a frightened expression as he rubbed his shoulders.
[But don’t worry. Is our Manwol a third-rate group? Of course, it was thoroughly sealed to prevent ear energy from leaking out. If you don’t bother opening the box, there won’t be any problem. Oh, of course, there are people who buy this just to tear it apart.]
It was definitely something that people like warlocks and witch doctors would be thrilled about. I don’t think it will ever be completely asleep in the box.
[The starting price is…50. Bidding will begin.]
Of course, the unit is gold or gold coins.
60, 70, 80, 100······. Prices soared through the roof. Money that commoners could barely earn after working hard for years was coming out every second. The winning bid was 250.
The auction proceeded like that. The products were mainly unique and novel items that came across the sea from the Southern Continent. It was enough to stimulate the possessiveness of the wealthy.
“······.”
There were some things that piqued Leon’s interest, but there was no point in buying them now anyway, so he just stayed quiet.
[The next item. This was discovered in the same place as the friend that will be discussed later, and according to analysts, it is a fruit with extremely strong positive energy.]
A red-black, pear-shaped, fist-sized fruit appeared on the stage.
Leon’s eyes brightened.
“It came out.”
This was necessary. For what would happen a little later, I had to secure that first.
Leon immediately put his hand on the signal in front of him.
[Elixirs containing this level of positive energy are very rare, and the feeling is that they have been growing with enormous heat for more than 300 years at the most… Yes, bidders have already come out! Customer number 78, one hundred! That’s one hundred gold! Is there anything more?]
— ······.
The atmosphere was somber.
The type of group that would want something like that would be a warrior who uses extreme amounts of mana and psychic techniques, or a wizard who is full of curiosity and likes research.
Both cases are rare. The very few people who correspond to this are not here right now.
When Leon suddenly called out 100, my interest completely cooled. The starting price of that fruit was probably less than 10. There was only a little bit of interest left in the monster who paid 100 gold for something like that.
[······Yes! Then, this fruit was sold for 100 gold.]
Employees walked off the stage carrying fruit.
A question was asked about how to deliver goods using a signal. Leon replied that he would receive it right away.
Not long after, there was a knock on the door. The employee who opened the door handed Leon some fruit and disappeared.
— The next ‘thing’.
While listening to Ivan’s voice, Leon stuffed it into the wooden box he had brought with him earlier. With this, preparations are complete.
“Okay, it’s done…”
Leon, who was sitting on a chair, turned his gaze back to the stage.
It was immediately after that that his face became as hard as stone.
Ivan was frantically reciting the rising prices.
From Noble mtl dot com
[Customer number 23 is 250, 250. Yes, number 44 is 270 – number 90 is 300! Ah, customer number 34, 400!]
And there was a white-haired girl on stage.
Height barely reached Ivan’s waist. His whole body was shaking, and his head, which was being held by an employee, was forcibly lifted up to reveal his face.
Shackles on his ankles, handcuffs on his wrists. His clothes and face are decorated like a wrapped gift.
“······.”
Leon’s eyes sank deeply. The endless bidding competition also added to the burden.
Aria’s cold voice fell.
“You act like a robber. In the end, Manwol was a third-rate group.”
Yes. If you do something like that, you can’t escape the third class. How absurd the statement Ivan had just made was.
Or, are you saying that they only produce high-quality people who are not third-rate?
Leon let out a low laugh.
“Human trafficking in the middle of District 4…”
This is something I never imagined I would see when I came here. No matter how famous the system is, human trafficking is clearly illegal in the empire.
But in the middle of the capital city, the heart of the empire, the high-ranking members of society are acting like this. Rather, do they live without the law because they are high-ranking people?
“······.”
One moment.
Down there, he felt as if he had made eye contact with the girl.
I saw eyes full of fear, despair, and pain.
Afterwards, I saw watery eyes and twitching around the eyes. He saw the mismatched white powder and beautifully braided hair.
Leon’s hand that ran through his hair became rough.
What crime is that girl guilty of?
What is the crime that brought me from the southern continent to the islands and makes me stand in a place like this?
What was the sin that caught the slave trader’s eye? The crime of having a pretty face? The crime of having too weak a guardian?
Yes. Although it is illegal, secretly buying and selling slaves is frankly common. I’ve seen it a lot. It is similar to using practical black magic.
······But.
“You’re too young.”
There are degrees to that too. There is such a thing as good and right.
Leon slowly looked around him. He looked at the rooms surrounding the stage one by one.
Why are prices still rising? Why on earth are they so fierce about buying that little child?
Even though the curtain is clearly drawn, why is it that I can see the greedy face beyond it?
Why is Ivan getting more and more excited, and what are the employees holding the girl thinking?
“You crazy bastards.”
Well atleast mc’s has some level of morality