23. Auction Banquet (1)
An invitation came to me from the auction banquet held in the city of Fiorene.
The problem is, you can only take two.
It won’t be a big deal, but taking Kati is the safest thing for me.
But then there will be no one to protect the other party.
You also need someone to call in case something happens.
‘Take two of the warriors, it seems like you’re alienating the other… . But if I take Kati and Mercy, it seems to alienate all the warriors again.’
When my thoughts reached that point, a realization came to me that penetrated my brain.
‘Can I go alone?’
Nowhere does it say that you must bring a companion.
Of course, it would be polite to have a companion due to the nature of this kind of place.
I don’t know what kind of etiquette that is, but the aristocratic world is like that.
‘Well, it’ll be fine. Rather than taking only two out of five.’
That’s how I made my decision.
“What are you staring at?”
Mercy, which had descended from Vivian’s chest, flew out.
“Oh, nothing… .”
for a moment.
Aren’t you supposed to show me this?
It was too late when I thought so.
Mercy, who had already grasped the contents quickly, widened her eyes.
“Isn’t it an invitation to a banquet!”
“banquet?”
The Fruit Warriors and Kati turned this way.
Mercy took the invitation and flew towards it as if running away.
While the girls all looked at the invitation, I calmly explained.
“That’s what Princess Grace told you last time. An auction banquet is being held to dispose of the Fiorene family’s items.”
“Two companions?”
“You don’t have to worry about that. I’ll go alone anyway… .”
Five people raised their heads at the same time.
The light shot from the four pairs of eyes was sharp.
The gaze felt through the only eyepatch is even chilling.
“It says there are two people here! Alone! That’s unreasonable!”
“What is essential is… .”
“You know it’s rude to go alone to a gathering of nobles like this without an accompanying person, right?”
I shut my mouth at Lucia’s accurate shot.
“you’re right! No courtesy to the organizers!”
“Ho, by any chance, if you don’t want to go with us… .”
Vivian babbles timidly.
“It’s not like that, but… .”
“Then it’s decided to go!”
Mercy quickly accepted my agreement.
I was dumbfounded and asked again.
“Then who should I go with?”
“Of course I… .”
Mercy, who was about to say something, felt his gaze and looked around.
The eyes of the fruits were entangled in the air.
Among them was Mercy.
Even the hesitant Vivien seemed unwilling to lose.
“No, what the hell is this… .”
It’s not like going to play, it’s definitely part of work.
I’m going to get artifacts.
In the meantime, Kati is staring at me calmly.
It’s as if he had to go, of course.
Helena was not excited, but had a determined expression, like a soldier on the verge of going to war.
Even the posture of raising the hand is a little stiff.
Lucia was, to say the least, quite aristocratic in her eyes.
Mercy was a little taken aback by the momentum of their rivals.
“Anyway, after you become famous, you will have the opportunity to attend several banquets.”
“I still can’t give up!”
“It’s not that great… .”
“If it’s hosted by the imperial family, it’s amazing… . De, wearing a dress… . Hehe.”
Lucia, who was still, tilted her head once and looked at me and asked.
“By the way, who would Ian want to go with?”
At that question, the party’s eyes gathered at once.
… I’m going to suffocate this.
“that… . I don’t really have a preference for someone more or someone I don’t like.”
“Terrible-!”
Mercy exclaimed.
“It’s boring, it’s boring! I didn’t expect such an answer! Like a man… .”
“For now, except for Mercy.”
“… Not doing that is Ian’s charm! Yes!”
Mercy changed her words as if nothing had happened and smiled.
I couldn’t help but laugh at the shamelessness.
“I’ll just look at you once.”
“As expected, Ian is the best! You are even merciful! I believed you!”
Kati glanced at Mercy.
It’s a pity that the competition didn’t decrease… .
“ha… . Then I will have no choice but to do this.”
I can’t decide arbitrarily.
Because all five of us want to go.
“Let’s draw lots.”
I just have to leave it to luck.
I prepared five sheets of paper, drew circles on only two sheets, and folded them several times.
“The person who pulls out the paper with the circle on it will go.”
Vivian, Helena, and Mercy nodded their heads nervously.
Lucia glared at the paper carefully, and Kati was carefree.
“As I said, if you become famous later on, you will be invited to banquets a lot even if you don’t want to go, so don’t be too sad if you can’t go this time.”
I started pulling out the paper in order.
The first one to choose was Kati.
Katie looked carefully at the box containing the paper, then put her nose to it and started sniffing.
Soon after, he removes his eye patch and stares at him intently.
“… What are you doing.”
“If I had painted something, the owner would have touched it for a long time, so the owner’s scent would be thicker. And things like fingerprints and pen marks… .”
“Hey, you’re cheating, man.”
He’s wasting his good sense on things like this.
Eventually, after reshuffling the papers, Kati turned around and made them draw.
Before I pulled it out, I laughed out loud because it was shameless to pout my lips and stare at it so that only I could see.
Like that, 5 people each pulled out a piece of paper fairly.
Now all that remains is to check.
One by one, they carefully unfolded the paper they were holding.
***
The shadow sharply cut through the air and crashed.
A scream erupted at that destination.
“Keah-!”
Sylvia, who was looking elsewhere, turned her head in surprise.
“Kylie?”
It was Kylie’s scream.
It is impossible.
Arya should have been protecting her from the center?
The flying monster that appears in this S-class dungeon, the Blade Harpy, rode on top of the fallen Kylie.
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Just looking at the blade-like feathers made my spine chill.
Sylvia ran quickly and memorized an incantation.
“Lightning Whip.”
A whip made of lightning appeared at the tip of her finger.
The moment the harpy’s steel wings lifted high to take a picture of Kylie.
He quickly stretched out his whip and grabbed the wing and pulled it.
A pulled harpy flew at her.
Sylvia spread her other hand forward.
“Ice spear, spread.”
A blue magic circle formed from the palm of your hand.
From there, high-density ice spears sprang out like bullets, turning nearby harpies into honeycombs.
“Kiik-!”
But the harpy wasn’t one.
When Sylvia tried to react to the screams coming from the upper rear, it was a bit late.
In the past, it wouldn’t have been like this.
However, there are often cases where the reaction is delayed after the performance has declined.
Annoyed, but okay.
Arya’s protection will be there.
-Hook!
obviously should have been
“uh… ?”
The harpy’s feathers shot through his side.
“Ari… ah… .”
You don’t even have time to check what you’re doing.
Harpy was gliding to the finish.
“Ice wall, reverse ice wall… .”
The harpy was imprisoned by a wall of ice rising from the floor and ceiling in succession.
But this alone doesn’t kill it.
‘If it was in the past, it would have been enough.’
Even now, there is no hero anywhere who can do this much, just careless.
It’s just a relative difference.
When that person is with Ian, it is just miserable that he is his past self.
“Flame Strike, River Flow.”
The ice wall was solid despite the dull explosion.
It will be filled with lava flowing inside.
Sylvia didn’t bother to check and quickly got up and turned around.
The lava will take care of melting the monster.
“aria… .”
Arya, who was discovered belatedly, was kneeling beside Kylie before she knew it.
Kylie, who had suffered a deep cut in the shoulder, was receiving Aria’s healing while frowning.
Sylvia asked while pressing on her side to stop the bleeding.
“Are you feeling unwell today?”
“… yes?”
Arya was stunned like a child who was caught hiding something wrong.
“Ah yes… . I’m sorry, today, a little… .”
“Tell me before you leave… .”
I didn’t want to blame, but the sharp tone came out.
Because he believed in Arya, he neglected his rear guard.
Had I known she wouldn’t protect me, I wouldn’t have been hurt.
“I’m sorry… .”
“That’s Okay. Please look at my scars. When healed adequately, the rest of the dungeons are by myself… .”
As Sylvia approached Arya, she felt a sense of incongruity.
Arya is different from usual.
On the outside, there was a sense of emptiness.
‘… I don’t have a necklace.’
There was no holy relic necklace in the shape of a blazing fire that he wore all the time.
“Did you lose your necklace?”
It was given to me by Ian.
“yes? Ah, this, lost… It’s not… .”
“So what? Forgot to get out of the garage… There’s no way you can do it. Even when it’s not time to go to battle, he always wears it.”
“… … .”
Arya’s eyes shook anxiously.
Sylvia felt uncomfortable beyond discomfort.
Arya, unable to bear the pressure of her eyes, finally confessed.
I wrote a letter to Ian and said that I sent the necklace at that time.
“… What did you say now?”
“Lee, put a necklace on the letter I wrote to Ian… .”
Arya couldn’t finish her sentence.
-match!
A sharp scraping sound echoed through the cave.
“ah… .”
Arya shrugged and looked up.
Sylvia, who had been slapped on the cheek, huffed with angry eyes.
“Anyway, what an alternative idea… . To Ian… .”
Sylvia couldn’t say anything straight because of the emotions boiling inside her.
Arya wrote a letter to Ian.
‘What did you do well?’
He wanted to do that too, but he endured it more than once or twice.
I wanted to send a letter because I blocked myself from visiting.
I don’t even need a reply, just sending.
But he refrained from persevering.
It was the moment it had to be.
That’s why there are so many unsent letters in Sylvia’s drawer.
‘Me too, I’ve been holding back… . I didn’t want to get in the way of Ian, but who the hell are you… . Without loving… .’
Those words lingered in my mouth.
After all, it’s all because of you.
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Just because I love Ian when I don’t even love him.
because i heard that
The resentment springs up again.
“ha… .”
Sylvia brushed her bangs to shake off her sense of shame.
Haven’t you already come to a conclusion?
It wasn’t Arya, it was her fault.
It was then that we faced a more fundamental problem.
“I was already weak, but to send that relic. I’m sane, really… ?”
“Ha, but, I never thought this would happen… .”
“Do you think it’s a situation where you can say you didn’t know?”
“… … .”
3 weakened.
It wasn’t as easy as before, but it wasn’t so painful.
If only Arya hadn’t done that.
“If you do something wrong, you might get seriously injured and die.”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry… .”
Arya apologized with her fingertips trembling.
Sylvia didn’t even want to see that.
“Please heal quickly. Take care of it and go back.”
I was just tired.
And, I wanted to see Ian.
Picture Ian’s reaction when you are hurt.
‘I don’t think I raised you to come back after getting hurt.’
Even if you say it so bluntly.
Every day, checking how much the wound has healed and taking care of it to make sure it’s not uncomfortable, that harsh kindness is cute and lovable.
I missed him so much
Those hand gestures and eyes that looked after her with utmost sincerity, everything.
These are things that are no longer theirs.
*
“You worked hard.”
The person in charge of the imperial family, a woman who introduced herself as ‘Gallon’, smiled lightly at Sylvia.
“I’m glad we got it sorted out sooner than planned. You even got hurt. How are you?”
“… it’s okay.”
My side still hurts, but it didn’t show.
“What a relief. There will be no work around here for a while, so take a good rest.”
“… Yes. I will be waiting for your next order.”
Galen was the person in charge of delivering words between Sylvia and the imperial family.
Besides her, there were 4 more people in charge, and they took turns managing the first party.
Most of them didn’t like the first party, or they didn’t show it, and treated it stiffly.
However, a few of them send Sylvia a friendly smile like this.
Was it because he was acquitted?
It was hard for Sylvia to see that smile.
Because he doesn’t deserve a smile like this.
‘What did I do to Ian… . Why are you smiling at me… .’
That said, I couldn’t tell her not to laugh at the smiling face.
On the way back from the report.
She heard people talking.
“I heard there is an auction on Fiorene Street this time?”
“right. They said it was hosted by the imperial family. I heard that the collected money will be used to rebuild villages and cities damaged by the dungeon.”
“As much as he was an SS-class hero, there are going to be a lot of pretty rare items.”
It was such an obvious rumor, so there was no need to worry.
The moment Sylvia was about to step away.
“It’s about Philip. No, was Ian the right name?”
That name caught Sylvia.
“Anyway. There was talk that Ian was participating in the auction.”
“You say you are raising a new warrior. Then you might want something like an artifact or equipment.”
Sylvia stood still and repeated the story to herself.
‘Ian… . In the city of Fiorene… .’
“But is he really Philip?”
“Great. Didn’t the imperial family also admit it after the trial?”
“Because it’s hard to believe… .”
Sylvia clearly caught the voice that flowed like background music.
I’ve heard exactly when the auction will be held.
“But that Philip is really like that with Grace-sama… .”
Sylvia went back the way she came.
It came back in front of Gallon.
“Sylvia?”
“You said you wouldn’t be working for a while, right?”
“Well? Ah yes.”
“If so… .”
Sylvia hesitated for a moment.
Can I do this?
I’m still atone
I guess I shouldn’t have met him yet.
Although he was acquitted, the guilt in his heart did not go away.
Wasn’t the reason I stayed here in the first place to atone for my sins and not to go looking for him?
I couldn’t even guarantee what I would do when I was free.
though, but… .
‘I’m going crazy to see you…’ .’
How will he react when he sees me sick?
I won’t take care of you like I used to.
Wouldn’t it be a little shaken or sympathetic?
It’s so mean and selfish.
I miss you more because it hurts.
The injured body weakened the mind and will.
It was even more so when he remembered that Arya had sent the letter at will.
‘Last time, I tried to just watch it from a distance, but I couldn’t because of Kylie. This time, I’m just watching from afar… .’
i hurt
take care of me
I can’t be foolish like that.
Seeing him from a distance seemed to ease the pain a little.
Sylvia could not stand it and opened her mouth.
“Wait a minute, do you have enough time to go to Fiorene?”
Galen checked the schedule and replied.
“That is enough.”
***
I came to Ruby Taylor’s clothing store after a long time.
I came here once when I was fitting Lucia’s clothes the other day, but since I didn’t stay long, it feels like it’s been quite an ebb and flow.
That means that I will have to stay here a little longer today.
‘A dress… .’
I already have the clothes I matched for a banquet, but I thought the two of us going together would need new clothes.
A dress suitable for a banquet.
“Welcome~”
When I opened the door and entered, the clerk greeted me and recognized me.
“ah. Are you here to meet the manager?”
“Yes.”
“Wait. I’ll call you soon!”
While waiting, the two people who came with me turned their heads and looked around the store.
It’s not the first time for both of them, but it seemed like they were looking forward to it because that was their purpose today.
The twinkle in her eyes is dazzling.
Ruby came out to greet me right away.
“Oh my, Ian. Do you see them often?”
“Somehow I feel like it’s been a while. It is true that I see it often.”
“What is it? Do you have any repair work to do?”
“It’s not like that, it’s because I’m participating in a banquet.”
“Aha~”
Ruby nodded as if she understood right away.
Then I noticed two women waiting expectantly behind me and nodded.
“Just leave it to me.”
She can make clothes that are strong and functional enough for warriors to wear even with ordinary materials.
Although it made her famous, there was actually something else she really liked.
Right away, it is to decorate a pretty or wonderful object according to one’s taste.
She has become famous for making clothes that are functionally excellent and also take care of aesthetic elements.
“Because I’ll make you stand out more than anyone else.”
She had a bright smile on her face.
Like a child looking forward to playing with dolls.