Chapter 14

Chapter 14. "The Thing Bought from Them with Money." (8)

Sure enough, it was a shabby warehouse on the outside, but inside, guards were lined up everywhere.

As we stepped into the warehouse, a man who looked to be the captain slowly approached us, gave a polite greeting, and said,

"What brings you here?"

Exel answered him in a disinterested tone.

"We came to kill some time."

"Is that so? Then please, come inside."

That was simple enough.

We followed slowly in the direction the captain led us, and the place he brought us to was a staircase leading underground.

But when we tried to head down just like that, the guards standing watch over the stairs raised the sheathed swords they were holding and blocked our way.

"We will conduct a brief search. We ask for your understanding."

I quietly looked at them, then pulled out the gem I had set aside separately from my pocket and handed it to the captain standing behind them.

"I dislike other people putting their hands on my body. My body is not mine alone, you see."

The captain took the rough gemstone, which was about the size of one finger joint, and looked down at it in surprise. Exel lightly pushed aside the sword blocking him with his hand and said,

"It is only an uncut gemstone, but it should still fetch a decent price. You look like you are working hard in the cold, so buy yourselves some liquor and something to eat."

With that, Exel pushed past the sword barring our path and went inside. The captain must not have been too rigid a man, because he cleared his throat and said,

"Ahem! Well then, boys, aren’t you hungry? Let them through."

I gave the captain a grin and went down the stairs. As we descended underground, the dim interior gradually grew brighter. Just how many candles were they burning? Impressive.

And the wallpaper reflecting that light, along with the interior decorations, looked quite luxurious. I supposed that was because the humans who came here were high-class humans.

...Though who knows what they were like on the inside.

Once we came down the stairs and went farther in, we found many people gathered there, murmuring among themselves.

Every one of them was dressed neatly, with an emphasis on wealth and refinement, and I wanted to believe that was the exact opposite of the character of the people wearing them.

If these were the sort of people who came to a place like this, then character was probably something best set aside.

Exel, who had been waiting for me ahead in a black longcoat with his long silver hair flowing all the way to his waist, naturally drew people’s eyes, and as I walked over and spoke to him, I also found myself attracting their attention.

We ignored whatever they might have been saying, and after a short while, a man in a clean uniform approached us and said,

"Welcome. We are honored to receive you here. Do you have an invitation?"

Exel turned his head slightly and looked at me, and I took out the leather pouch containing the gemstones I had received from the Lizard Men and showed it to the man.

Just in case, I had even stopped by a jeweler on the way here and obtained a certificate of quality, and it really was proving useful.

When I opened the pouch and showed him its contents, the man immediately straightened his expression and bowed his head.

"So you are guests. Then, this way, please."

Guests? Oh, I see. It was a membership system.

I looked at Exel, and Exel was looking around at the people nearby. The place we were guided to had about ten fine tables lined up in neat rows.

We sat at one of them, drank the tea the uniformed man brought us, and waited for the auction to begin.

A little later, as the murmuring crowd began taking their seats, a middle-aged man wearing a slightly different uniform from the one who had brought the tea stepped onto a somewhat raised platform, bowed politely, and said,

"We offer our deepest thanks to all of you for coming to the Alcantria Auction House. We will now begin the auction. If there is anything you require, please raise your hand and call for one of our staff. Then, let us begin."

The man clapped his hands, and another uniformed man came out from behind carrying a framed painting set on a stand. Soon, the auctioneer’s explanation followed.

"Now then, the first item we have to present to you is a portrait of Princess Zelsia XII of the Kingdom of Aaron, which fell two hundred years ago. Through the use of preservation magic every year, it has remained in its original condition until this day. It is such a famous work that I need offer no further explanation. This painting formerly belonged to Count Brio, who is seated over there, but due to circumstances, he has decided to place it up for auction. We will begin at the starting bid of four million woni."

Once the introduction ended, hands rose here and there, and the price of the painting began to climb.

Exel, who had been quietly watching both the painting and the people around us fervently immersing themselves in the bidding, let out a low chuckle and said softly,

"That is a fake."

"What?"

"I have the real one at my house. A long time ago, I used to frequent a bookshop that dealt mainly in old books, and the owner gave it to me as a gift. In the real one, there is no background behind the place where the princess is sitting. And it is not painted prettily with pigments like that, either. It is just sketched with a pencil."

After hearing that, I looked at the people shouting out prices at the top of their lungs in order to buy a fake, and felt strangely hollow.

What kind of expressions would they make if they knew it was fake?

...I would like to see that.

"Seven million!!"

"Yes! We have seven million! Is there no seven and a half? Seven and a half! Yes! Sold to Marquis Jergal for seven million woni! Please give him your applause, everyone!"

Waaah~ Clap clap clap~

Idiots....

The marquis, who looked a little plump and seemed kind-hearted, waddled up, took the painting from the auctioneer, raised it high above his head atop the platform, and the people all cheered and applauded him while saying one thing or another.

And....

Exel and I turned our heads away from them and smiled bitterly.

Thus, time passed tediously. Countless items were brought out and welcomed by their new owners, and no small amount of money left the hands of those owners in return.

...This is dull. What time is it by now? Is there not even a clock here?

While I was lazily applauding for the person who had just won some sort of wine cup, Exel, who had been reclining comfortably in his chair and watching the show, remarked as though it were nothing,

"It should be around dawn by now. The people waiting outside must be bored too."

"Ah. I suppose so."

Then, all at once, the auctioneer changed. The new man wore armor over his body, and even had a longsword hanging at his waist. He stepped onto the platform like that and said,

"Good evening. The goods we will now be showing you are monsters. Some of you may already know this, but among this round of auction goods, there is also a beautiful elf. I hope you all enjoy yourselves."

The moment the man said that with a smile, the eyes of those who had grown weary from the late hour of the auction flared up at once.

So that was their true purpose after all.

If Rene had heard this, she really would have been heartbroken. It was a good thing she had not come with us.

Thinking that, I turned my head slightly, and beside me, Exel had his arms folded and was nodding.

And then the auction began.

The first thing brought out was a troll. I had no idea how they had managed to tame it, but it seemed to understand human speech.

When the auctioneer told it to sit, it sat. When he told it to stand, it stood. It even seemed able to understand a few simple commands.

"Trolls are strong, so they may be used for guard duty, or for other purposes as well. We will begin the bidding at ten million woni."

A little later, after a heated contest, the troll ended up in the arms of some baron.

The next item was a slime contained inside a large glass case. It did not look domesticated yet, but strangely enough, it sold for more than twice the price of the troll to someone who looked to be a mage.

And the thing they brought out after that was....

Frid’s mother.