38 – Auction (3)
38th Chapter
I couldn’t believe that I would be entrusted with this place. What is Erin thinking, really?
Even if Caius is here, he’s not much better than being at the bottom of the party in terms of power. It was a decision that I couldn’t understand, to entrust me with the most important area…
I should do well what I’m responsible for, given the circumstances. “If you find someone suspicious, report it first. Don’t act on your own.”
“Got it.”
Immediately after discovering him, I ordered to be caught, knowing that he could be unnecessarily troublesome, it was the right decision.
The important thing here was that as soon as I heard the report, I had to judge whether that person was really suspicious or not.
So I was memorizing the VIP list and portraits. It would be the easiest time to invade when the guests entered, so I had to look and filter with my eyes.
“…I miss the photos.”
“What photos are you talking about?”
“You don’t have to know.”
Caesius looked at him with a sense of why he wasn’t teaching, but I ignored it because it was not something I could explain.
Just my soliloquy came out for no reason…
“Allen.”
“Yes?”
At that moment, one of the staff members in charge of this auction approached. He was probably originally one of the officials or one of the servants from the Duke’s mansion.
“Admission will begin in 2 minutes.”
“Ah, I understand.”
“Yes, then please take care.”
The staff member bowed his head and went back downstairs. I entered the room I was assigned to.
The closest room to the hallway entrance was a surveillance room. On the surface, it was not much different from the other VIP rooms, but there was a small mirror covered with surveillance magic that allowed them to see the corridor from inside.
This could be considered a fantasy version of CCTV. There was no recording function, however…
Caesius and I cautiously peered into the magical mirror in the room. Caesius stood by the door in an attempt to read the reactions of those who entered.
And so, the entrance began. Soon, several guests began to enter the third-floor corridor.
“They sure are flashy.”
This did not mean that all of them were pretty or handsome; it meant that they were adorned with luxurious jewelry and clothing. As people who had enough wealth to enter VIP rooms, they spared no extravagance in their appearance.
“Caesius, is there anything strange?”
“Not yet. They’re all coming in normally.”
I used magic to conceal my appearance, and I had instructed everyone to inform Caius if anything like this happened. The faces of the customers who were entering now matched the portraits.
There was nothing particularly suspicious about it. Caius didn’t show any reaction either.
…Come to think of it, maybe the third floor is the least of our concerns.
Those who came after Ser-Aria at the main entrance, Frey on the first floor, and Leticia on the second floor were here for inspection.
Did Erin assign her to the most comfortable place?
…No, why would Meskyn need to do that? It was probably just a coincidence.
With the hero party guarding, it seemed like there wouldn’t be any answers. The auction house was really quiet without any commotion.
“…Allen.”
When such thoughts occurred to me, Cassius blurted out words that directly denied my thoughts.
“There is someone who has changed their face with magic.”
“Who?”
When I showed him the mirror enchanted with surveillance magic, Cassius pointed at a man.
“This man.”
He was a well-built middle-aged gentleman. He was someone I had seen on the VIP list. That means…
“Capture him. And release the spell he’s under.”
“Understood.”
Cassius immediately kicked open the door and soon I heard the man’s short scream. When I followed him outside, I saw the middle-aged gentleman lying on the ground, trampled under her feet.
– Blue Dragon Caius activates [Anti-Magic].
The counter-magic that cancels out magic is activated, and the figure of a plump middle-aged man transformed into a dry and unkempt man with messy hair.
“This, this can’t be…!”
“You’re making too much noise.”
As Caius put more strength into it, the man fainted with a short scream.
…The dragon’s performance is truly remarkable.
“What’s happening here?”
“He is an uninvited person. Please take him away. Verify his identity as well.”
“I handed the man over to the Imperial Guards and spoke to Caius.
“You did well.”
“It’s still easy to see through human infiltration.”
“…….”
I shouldn’t praise an adolescent who has a middle school syndrome.
After that, I didn’t see any suspicious individuals, and soon the entrance was over and the auction began.
“Welcome, ladies and gentlemen from all over! We have brought you some good items for today’s auction!”
Of course, if we’re going to hold an auction, it won’t be just jadeite. Although jadeite is the main item, there will be some other items to heat up the atmosphere before that.
“It’s started. This is where it really matters.”
“After that man, there was nothing suspicious, so can’t we enjoy the auction without worries?”
“You never know. He might be busy causing trouble on another floor after giving up on the third one…”
Oh, is it possible that I triggered a flag with this?
At that moment when an uncertain anxiety arose, the door of our room suddenly opened on its own. I was startled, while Caius remained unperturbed.
I don’t know who she was, but she was a woman dressed quite flamboyantly. She glanced at me and Caius, raising the corners of her mouth in a smug manner.
Overwhelmed by the atmosphere, I couldn’t say anything and blamed Caius who was standing next to me.
“What are you doing? She just approached us like that without saying a word…”
“I was told only to speak about suspicious people. She doesn’t seem suspicious, so I didn’t say anything.”
“…Ah, right.”
It’s because I didn’t give the command.
“I didn’t see wrong, huh?”
“…?”
Who are you?
#
She, wearing a bright red dress, looked at me and spoke.
“What’s with that dumb face? You’re not saying you’ve already forgotten, are you?”
“……Yes?”
“…Ha, do you think I’ve forgotten the insult you gave me? I’m sorry, but I have a bit of a short temper!”
So, who do you think you are, this woman?
“Hey, Caesius, do you know her?”
“How could that be? It looks pretty clear to me that I’m speaking with her.”
Just as I thought… But I have no idea who she is.
I looked at her with a bewildered expression and spoke loudly but softly.
“Guard, please escort this person out! They’re disturbing my work!”
“Yes.”
“What? Wait a minute! Disturbing your work?”
A few soldiers from the Grand Castle came and grabbed her.
“Wait, let go of me!”
“We cannot do this here, Lady Scarlet Pagoda. Mr. Allen is currently on official duty. Disturbances are not allowed…”
What? “Lady Scarlet Pagoda?”
“Oh, I see recognition in your face now!”
It’s not like that. I just know that she’s not an ordinary person.
The Red Pagoda, which is the largest of the magical organizations that exist on each continent. One of the six pagodas with different colors.
It was a tremendous giant. Perhaps it was because a huge gemstone had been auctioned off that even giants like this were participating.
However…
“Why did the Red Tower Master come to me?”
“Do you really not know?”
“Well…”
I couldn’t claim to know something I didn’t. As I hesitated, she frowned and said,
“Do you not remember insulting me by comparing me with that brat back then?”
“What? Insulting…?”
What insult was she talking about?
I had interacted with the leader of the Red Tower, true, maybe even crossed paths as a member of the Hero Party, but it’s not like there was any significant connection.
“Hah, you’re really shameless.”
It was a time when I was full of questions from the criticism that I couldn’t understand.
“Puhu, it’s loud here ~ ♡”
I heard a voice that I didn’t know why it was coming from here.
Not only me but also Kaisius and the red tower wine seemed to freeze inexplicably.
Of course, where we looked, there was a Mesukaki warrior. There would be more than Erin who talks like that.
“Why are you here?”
“I came up because stupid Allen seems to be making noise.”
I haven’t caused any disturbances, have I?
“But why was an old maiden squawking~♡”
…Old maiden?
“No, old maiden!?”
“That’s right, right? Red-haired Witch Agresia Aunt~♡”
Erin started provoking the red-haired witch with chuckles.
“If you’re in your 30s and still not engaged, then you’re an old maiden, right? Well, with a personality like that, who would want to be together with you~♡”
When Erin, of all people, talked about personalities, it turned into a complete comedy. If you keep acting like that, will you become an old maiden too?
As soon as the red-haired martial artist, Agresia, shouted with a reddened face.
“Warrior Erin, you have been rude since last time!”
“Rude?”
When Erin heard the word “rude,” her expression changed. She stopped her sarcastic smile and looked at Agresia with a cold gaze.
“Of course, you must be the one who is being rude and hindering official duties. Is it okay to interrupt like this while mumbling about what happened in the past? Perhaps the Red Tower doesn’t know how to separate public and private matters~♡”
Although her tone remained the same, her expression and eyes were fierce enough to devour a person. In response, Agresia also looked at Erin with stern eyes.
It seemed like a fight was about to break out.
Even though she was a warrior, I didn’t think it would be wise for Erin to act so defiantly towards the leader of the formidable magic organization, the Red Tower. So, I intervened and tried to stop Erin.
“Hey, stop it. You’ve said enough.”
“Who are you trying to stop now, dummy~♡”
“So you want me to stop talking to Matapju? We’re not even friends…”
“…Are you saying that only you and I are close?”
Of course, compared to someone I’m seeing for the first time, you have a closer relationship. I don’t understand what they’re saying.
“I guess you think that way.”
“…What?”
“It’s nothing, just a silly remark, Allen.”
“……?”
After lightly mocking me, Erin looked at Agresha and spoke.
“If you came to the auction, buy something nice and leave our work alone, understood?”
“…It’s such a strange sight to even use porters as guards. But what about that lizard? Is it a new pet they’re raising?”
As the leader of the magical organization, Agresia seemed to have immediately recognized Kaisius as a dragon.
Kaisius didn’t seem pleased with her talking about him as a lizard or a pet and quietly asked me:
“Allen, can I kill this woman?”
“…Don’t say strange things.”
Agresia didn’t say anything more to us and turned away. It seemed she couldn’t ignore Erin’s warning.
“She’s gone.”
“Yeah, she’s gone.”
It felt like a storm had swept through.
“But the Red Marquis seemed to know me…”
“Really, you’re such a fool~♡ Did you forget about that too? Your memory is worse than a goldfish’s~?”
Erin chuckled softly.
“When we collaborated with the Red Marquis before, because she said she liked you, you blatantly rejected her, saying you didn’t like older women~♡”
“… What?”
Me?
“Yeah, hehehe~♡”
At the thought of that moment alone, Erin burst into laughter. It was quite amusing to imagine, but still, she really liked it…
‘Come to think of it, he said he insulted me by comparing me to that kid…’
There was no one in our party who could be called a kid except Erin. The other members of the party were all average height. While Leticia was slightly shorter, she couldn’t be called a kid either.
It seemed like he had rejected me while comparing me to Erin, my childhood friend. I had taken that as an insult from the Red Mataru, or rather, an enemy.
“…So why are you here? What about Yongok?”
“She’s going to be on the auction soon, so I let her go~ Do you really think I left her carelessly~?”
“But you still have to take care of her, don’t you?”
“Yongok is in the warehouse managed directly by the Duke. It’s a place where no one can enter without the Duke’s permission, so it’s fine for now.”
So, it’s dangerous when moving her again, that’s what he’s saying.
“But how did you know and came here?”
“Did you come because you heard the commotion?”
It seems that the Scarlet Marten entered this room freely and Erin came shortly afterwards. So, it can be inferred that you came after realizing it in advance.
It contradicts Erin’s explanation.
“Why tell lies?”
Although I was puzzled, I nodded my head to indicate that I understood for now.
“Just be careful not to pick a fight with that woman for no reason. She can really hold a grudge, you know~♡”
“Uh…”
Erin spoke like that and descended the stairs.
From Noble mtl dot com
Well… anyway, thanks to that guy Erin, it seems like I managed to pass on the work smoothly.
“Stay inside.”
“Alright.”
I went back to the room with Kaisius and continued the guard duty.
#
“Erin, did you take care of that woman?”
Erin lightly chuckled in response to Frey’s question about whether she had handled it.
“Yeah, I took care of it.”
The reason Erin was able to know about this incident was because of Frey’s tip-off. While watching the people going up to the 3rd floor, she spotted Agresia, the Scarlet Matopju, and called for Erin.
“That woman didn’t provoke Allen again, did she?”
“Well, did you think she would?”
“Wow, it’s really persistent.”
Frey said, shaking her head.
“I don’t understand why she keeps doing that even though she’s over 10 years older than us.”
“Yeah, true.”
Erin made her way down to the Grand Duke’s underground warehouse, feeling somewhat refreshed. People were starting to descend as well, getting ready to move to the auctioneer’s stand.
“Ah, Sir Knight has arrived. Shall we proceed with the transportation?”
“Yes, Master.”
“We must carefully and safely move it. Under no circumstances should it be damaged, everyone.”
“Yes!”
The butler, who had received the key from the Grand Duke, opened the door to the warehouse. As the sturdy warehouse door swung open, the laborers entered to start moving the opal.
“?”
“Huh? The opal….”
The opal had vanished in an instant.
“Oh?”
Erin replied confidently that it was okay when Allen asked if he could vacate his seat. He had affirmed that it was a warehouse that no one could enter or exit.
“I didn’t expect this to happen~♡”
It seems that Erin said something to Allen after all.