Chapter 7

Chapter 7 - Finding What I Need (1)

 

The next morning.

In the hands of the Baron, who opened the door to the office and entered, were documents with something written on them.

"Your Highness, I have brought what you asked for here."

"Yes."

I nodded and received what the Baron handed me. As expected, it was the information I was looking for.

But there was no need to read it. The documents, which were quickly scanned once, were then carelessly thrown onto the desk, and I merely replied in a dry voice.

"Where is the fellow?"

"......The fellow? Ah, are you talking about George?"

For a moment, a deep furrow formed between the Baron's eyebrows. It looked like a habit that came out when he was remembering something or agonizing over something.

Soon, the Baron spoke with a look of realization.

"I heard that he received permission to go out around dawn and left the royal castle. He is probably moving for the information collection you ordered."

"......I see."

I pulled the corners of my mouth into a smirk at the unexpected answer.

Since I knew his personality, I thought he would surely procrastinate, but unexpectedly, he showed a faithful appearance to the command.

Well, it was not that I could not guess the reason.

Is he saying he will continue the act until he finds out my true intentions?

Surprisingly, George had never once brought up the story about his family since that day.

Neither about the treatment I promised to make for his biological mother, nor about the family members he was supposed to bring.

He did not say a single word, as if to say that his words about giving his full loyalty were not a lie.

Of course, that was also an obvious story.

He could escape from here at any time if he wanted to.

This was no different from an intention to say that he would be bound by my will for now, but would run away if he did not like it.

But I did not care.

No, I knew that he would not be able to do that.

Because the existence of family to him was the entirety of his life, which made him risk becoming a criminal despite his young age.

George Hegmes.

The one who knew that sincerity better than the fellow himself was me.

"But I quite like that calculating attitude."

"Yes? Was that directed at me?"

"It is nothing."

At that incoherent statement, the Baron tilted his head momentarily.

Soon, the Baron, who seemed to have vaguely understood, nodded and asked a question again.

"......Um, by the way, Your Highness, what is the reason you suddenly asked to receive information from the Argon Knights?"

"Did you check the content?"

"Yes? Ah, yes. Is it not about the illegal auction held in the shadows? The time and place are not listed, but......."

Intelligence about an illegal auction that would be held for specific wealthy nobles.

On the documents the Baron brought, the items to be exhibited at the auction were listed.

The problem was that his eyes, which were asking back while pretending not to know, were shaking greatly.

I looked at the Baron and threw a nonchalant answer.

"Your thoughts are all visible."

"......."

"Do not worry. I will not have him rob it or anything."

"......Whew."

Only after I gave that confirmation did the Baron's expression relax.

The fact that I revealed George's criminal record earlier and looked for him out of the blue seemed to have acted as a great sense of anxiety.

Of course, I truly had no intention of having him rob the auction.

Yes.

I had no intention of having him rob it.

"The one attending the auction is not George, but me."

"Ack!"

Just as I expected.

As expected, the Baron let out something like a scream and was appalled.

Regardless, I stroked the corners of my mouth, which were wearing a smile, and began to recall the content of the intelligence.

The night one week from now.

To me, who already knows the knowledge of the future, there was no problem even if the time and place were not written. That was the reason I did not check the documents in detail after receiving them.

However, my gaze was concentrated on one place.

On the familiar-looking things hidden among the items of the colorful auction.

An ability to help my path. A power that will become solely mine.

I had to find what I needed for the current me.

***

If an association refers to a public institution or group supported by the state, a guild was merely a fence created by an individual.

Anyone could create a guild as long as they paid taxes along with a report, and this was a matter specified in the kingdom's laws that it was impossible to refuse establishment regardless of its purpose and scale.

"......T-But Your Highness, t-this place is."

A certain night in March, which bloomed after overcoming the harsh winter of the north.

Baron Vidor, looking at the old building before his eyes, had an expression of utter dismay.

Yes.

No matter how there were no restrictions on creating a guild, if that purpose was truly illegal, the story was different.

The royal family would try their best to prevent it from taking root, and the illegally built guild would try their best to hide into the shadows.

For example, one could count the merchants of the underworld who could sell not only others but even their own lives if it meant money.

I looked at such a Baron and grinned.

"Yes, this is a secret auction house operated by a black-market guild."

"T-This is terrible!"

The Baron closed both eyes tightly.

"Of all the many auctions, to think you would come to a place like this......."

Just because he was the frugal and upright Baron Vidor did not mean he did not know about the shadows. No, conversely, it could be said that he knew the fear and harm of it better because of that.

"I have had an uneasy premonition since the time you left your guards behind......."

"I told you I dislike cumbersome things. It is fine that you are discouraged, but there is no time, so I would prefer it if you would go inside and do that."

"Y-You are too much!"

"It is not that big of a deal."

I shrugged my shoulders and walked past the Baron.

Then, I hid my silver hair, which was as cold as the northern snow, with a deeply pulled-down robe.

At this, the Baron watched my reaction and hurriedly followed behind me.

"By the way, Your Highness, is it really okay for you to move like this?"

"What do you mean?"

When I asked while casting a glance, the Baron looked around vigilantly.

"The black-market guild that hosted the auction was so concerned about security that they even hid the place and time. If that is the case, would they not normally exchange something like an invitation that can prove one's status?"

"Normally, that would be the case."

"But you do not have such a thing, do you?"

Because the black-market guild was more exposed than any other shadow group, they could not help but be sensitive to security.

In fact, did the fact that an auction was being held not get caught in the intelligence of the Argon Knights? The Baron's worry was natural in a way.

However.

"It does not matter. I already have something that could be called an invitation."

"Yes?"

"Hey, you guys over there."

"Hmm?"

At that moment.

A man of huge stature blocked my path as I was entering the auction house.

A physique that would easily exceed 2 meters. And countless sword wounds carved into his burly muscles.

When I raised my gaze a bit and looked at that face, the fellow's fierce-looking face gave a smirk.

"Ah, it is nothing much. I just had something I was curious about."

The fellow reached out his hand and grabbed the Baron's shoulder as if to check something.

Then.

"Pre...... no, Young Master. This person is just......."

GRIP.

"Ack!"

In an instant, he gripped that shoulder with his muscular arm and shook it.

An action that was humorous and natural, as if treating a friend. But the Baron's body began to sway and stagger here and there like a reed being swung.

"W-What is this behavior!"

"A middle-aged body that has never held a sword. The Young Master over there is holding a sword, but it seems he is still a greenhorn. The inside is not a place for softies like you to enter."

"......."

"It is no use hiding with a robe. It means the black-market guild has a developed sense of smell for prey despite pretending to be sincere."

The fellow said that and then tapped his own bridge of the nose. Then, the deepened smile became prominent.

The meaning given by that subtle action and threat was one thing.

"Did you come to participate in the auction? It just so happens that I am out of money, and if you pay just enough money for drinks, I have a mind to escort you safely until your business is finished."

"Blackmail?"

"It is disappointing if you say it that way."

For a moment, the face of the Baron, who felt absurdity, turned roughly dazed.

To dare threaten a prince of a nation when he looks like a mere mercenary? And to the First Prince of the kingdom of knights, who is reputed to have a talent for swordsmanship?

However, it did not take long for that absurdity to turn into bewilderment. There truly was no other way to express it.

Because I pulled something out from inside the robe and placed it on my hand.

SLIDE.

"A-Ah, just what?"

A pocket watch that could be commonly seen anywhere.

Yes.

If there was a problem, it was the fact that it was nothing more than a simple pocket watch, not something like money or defensive equipment.

But the moment the lid covering it opened, the atmosphere turned around.

CLICK.

"......!"

The eyes of the mercenary, following my hand, were wide open with shock.

Perhaps it looked like he was even more surprised than the Baron, who had witnessed his superior's sudden behavior before his eyes.

This was not a matter of handing over a pocket watch to a trivial threat.

"This is......."

"If your business is finished, do not be persistent and move aside."

"W-Who are you?!"

The voice that flowed out immediately afterward was very polite.

At the same time, the fellow unknowingly reached out his hand, trying to lift the robe that covered my face.

At that moment.

"Do not touch me."

The mercenary's body stopped still at the cold voice that sounded like frost would fall.

That I would kill him, or that I would cut off his wrist. No such gruesome warning followed other than the words "Do not touch me."

However, the mercenary was currently feeling a more certain killing intent than any warning.

To the point that his face turned pale with a fear that cast over him unconsciously.

"I-I am sorry. Please go in."

The fellow took a step back from me and slightly retreated, then began to leave the place as if he were practically running.

It was a pathetic behavior to the point that his huge body looked ridiculous.

CREAK.

As the passage toward the auction house finally opened, the Baron, who had been unable to close his jaw, asked.

"Just now, what was......."

"It is the invitation you mentioned."

"Yes?"

"Well, to be precise, I should call it a pass."

There was no need to explain.

But because the expression of the Baron, who was asking that, looked quite serious, I let out a hollow laugh and said suggestively.

"If one comes as a guest, it is right to move according to the customs."

Soon, I walked past the Baron and slowly moved my steps toward the inside of the auction house.

***

A huge figure exceeding 2 meters pushed his body into a room where darkness had fallen heavily. It was the guard who had been greeting those who came for the auction.

However, the expression and appearance of lowering his posture with discipline felt quite different from the time he was acting as a loafer.

"D-Did you see it?"

The general manager of the auction house, who was sitting inside, nodded.

He had been watching the entire series of situations.

Because he was a guard made for that purpose, and a thug established for that purpose.

Naturally, he also was not unaware of the meaning of the suspicious behavior shown by the man.

"......That pocket watch was certainly Asus's pass."

They were shadows hidden deep in the underworld, but the black-market merchant guild was more exposed than anyone.

Furthermore, since all sorts of rare things were exhibited at this auction, it was bound to happen that those who heard the rumors that spread by word of mouth and tried to disturb the waters would visit.

And the way to filter out such riffraff was very simple.

Whether or not they possessed the unique "pass" granted by the guild.

If they ignored the blackmail and showed the pass, it meant they were a guest of the black-market merchants and a big hand of the auction who would become a source of money.

Conversely, if they showed even a slightly contradictory reaction to it, they would be lured to another disguised location to control their entry.

In that sense, the token the man showed was a certainly proven pass.

However, the problem would be the fact that it belonged to Asus, who was already dead and gone.

"B-But the other fellow looked like he certainly did not know of the existence of the pass."

"......You fool. If it were you, would you tell a mere subordinate of the existence of the pass?"

"I-I am sorry."

Tsk.

The general manager clicked his tongue softly and began to use his brain.

"Did you check the fellow's face?"

"Since it was night and he was even wearing a robe......."

"Then how many people are there who would know of the existence of the pass Asus possessed?"

"......As of now, there are none other than the nobles who used to associate with Asus."

"Che! You are no help at all."

If only he could have checked the face at least.

Who are the ones who visited? Furthermore, he cannot even guess what their purpose is.

"Damn it, at a time like this......."

The general manager nervously bit his fingernails and spoke.

"Damn! For now, monitor those bastards until the auction is finished. I will meet them separately after that."

"I-I understand!"

"You may leave now."

"Yes."

As the burly guard left, the general manager's expression crumpled even more miserably.

He would not have worried so much if they had visited normally. Even if he was not entirely honorable, there would have been nothing weighing on his conscience.

But was there not more shady business than ever right now?

"......They are surely not the bastards who visited from that place, are they?"

Anxiety began to sprout in the general manager's heart.