Published: September 10, 2025
This is Satou. I like Hollywood movies. The breathless, rollercoaster-like combos of escaping one crisis after another are irresistible. But I think real life can be much calmer and still be good.
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The auction has begun.
In the first floor of the venue, shaped like a university lecture hall in a bowl shape, about 300 people are seated.
The VIP seats where we are located jut out like balconies from the middle of the hall, and there are several of them.
There seem to be about 30 seats in total.
According to the guide attendant, who serves as a pamphlet substitute, the auctioning of the precious pearls will happen near the end of the first part, so there will be about an hour or so of downtime.
“Ladies and gentlemen! This ‘Distant Viewing Tube’ was excavated from a treasure chest in the third section of the Selbira Labyrinth—”
At the center of the large stage, the auctioneer holds a microphone and explains the item up for bid.
There is no mention of who the seller is.
Soon, the bidding begins—
“10 gold coins.”
“10 gold coins and 2 silver coins.”
“10 gold coins and 4 silver coins.”
“11 gold coins.”
The bids are very conservative.
The lighting in the auction hall is somewhat dimmed, with spotlights focusing on the auctioneer and the bidders raising their paddles.
It seems the bidding paddles emit light when raised, so the person raising the paddle can be identified immediately.
When multiple paddles are raised, the earliest bid takes precedence.
“14 gold coins.”
“…Since there are no other bidders, the item is sold. The purchaser of the ‘Distant Viewing Tube’ is bidder number 921!”
When the auctioneer declares the sale, the hall bursts into applause.
Since the hand movements and sound don’t quite match, it’s probably a magical artifact creating the sound effects.
The winning bidder is announced by number rather than name.
This is likely not to avoid unnecessary confusion, but to prevent others from knowing who the bidder is.
By the way, my bidding number is 3. Probably because I entered the venue as a representative of the Duke Mitsukuni family.
Still, possibly because most attendees are military personnel or lower-ranking nobles, the prices are only about 30% of the market value.
Most likely, the attendees’ real target is the “Blessed Orb.”
There seem to be many rivals.
There were some interesting magical items on display, but without wavering, I quietly waited for the “Blessed Orb” to be auctioned.
“Mr. Kuro, please calm down. You’ll definitely win the bid, so there’s no need to worry so much.”
The manager sitting next to me admonished me with a warm, motherly gaze.
Maybe it was because I let out a frustrated “grr,” or because I kept nervously casting glances over the VIP seats… or maybe it was my foot tapping restlessly…
Clearing my throat, I replied to the manager in a dignified voice.
“I am not worried. I am calm.”
“Of course.”
The manager nodded and handed me a glass of carbonated fruit water.
Her motherly expression was a bit unsettling, but I was just thirsty.
I downed it in one gulp, feeling the refreshing tingle slide down my throat.
“I’ll have another.”
“Certainly.”
After finishing the second glass, I felt more at ease.
I had probably been overthinking it.
I need to calm down more before the main event.
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Then, the long-awaited auction for the “Blessed Orbs” began.
Up for auction this time are the “Water Magic” and “Paralysis Resistance” pearls we possess, “Light Magic” and “Chanting” pearls from Jeryl’s group, and four others—“Transportation,” “Greatsword,” “Arithmetic,” and “Horticulture.” In total, eight “Blessed Orbs” are being auctioned.
According to the plan, the lesser items were supposed to be auctioned first, but due to the cautious bidding, the organizers apparently decided to stir things up.
They put the spotlight item, “Light Magic,” up first.
Their tactic seems to have worked—
“150 gold coins!”
“153 gold coins!”