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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Mod7
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“Ahem.”
Someone cleared their throat. I turned to see and only the did Sepia step back.
It was the brown-mustached gentleman. A group of city guards stood behind him.
His sword-cane had been useful. I handed it back to him.
“Thank you for your assistance.”
The gentleman tipped his hat. He was wearing a half-face opera mask. I looked at him, and he removed the mask.
“Oh dear, my apologies. I forgot I was still wearing it.”
He then removed his mustache.
A fake mustache?
He had a sharp, intelligent face, pointed ears, and a well-built physique. A half-elf.
A few curious glances were directed at him. One of the guards spoke.
“Where are the attackers?”
“I took care of them.”
“You took care of them? But weapons are prohibited in the auction house. You mean you defeated them barehanded…?”
I snapped my fingers and summoned Runtar. Murmurs rippled through the guards as they looked at the spirit.
Rutea had helped me, but I had summoned Runtar for a reason.
“A… fire spirit?”
“As you can see, I’m a Spirit Summoner. I incinerated them. Or rather, vaporized them.”
The guards looked skeptical, then they noticed the ashes scattered around the auction house and nodded.
“Thank you. It seems you prevented a major incident.”
I nodded and turned my attention back to the gentleman. He was smiling, looking at Tesha, Sepia, and me.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you all. I’m Seyan.”
Ah.
Seyan. Seyan Erze.
I had heard the name before. He was Tia’s uncle.
And the current treasurer of the imperial family. He glanced at Tesha, a silent acknowledgment.
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In Milton’s office.
Milton nervously adjusted his glasses. He had to contain the situation.
Half of the auction participants had been knocked unconscious by the sleeping gas, and most of them didn’t remember what had happened.
He would tell them that it was an accident caused by a graduate student from the magic tower next door.
A part-time student had accidentally released a magical reagent, and it had spread through the ventilation system. He would apologize for the inconvenience.
And offer them a free three-year premium membership as compensation.
The problem was the four people who remembered everything.
Especially the black-haired young man. He had single-handedly handled the situation. Milton had to silence him.
He was currently sitting across from Ethan.
“Mr. Ethan, you’re a premium member of our auction house. First, I would like to thank you for your assistance.”
“You’re welcome.”
I replied curtly. Milton studied my expression.
“I would like to offer you a lifetime membership.”
He emphasized the word “lifetime.” And he offered a monetary reward.
“And 30 million Elleh as compensation. In return, I have a small request.”
“A request? What is it?”
“I would appreciate it if you didn’t mention this incident to anyone.”
“Silence, huh? I don’t need the money.”
A flicker of relief crossed Milton’s face. If I didn’t need the money, that made things easier.
But it was too early to celebrate.
“Then… is there anything else you would like?”
“I don’t need a lifetime membership either. I almost died, and the auction house was attacked. Why would I continue using your services?”
Milton adjusted his glasses again. I wanted something else.
“You’re absolutely right. Is there anything we can offer you?”
“I want all the items I bid on, free of charge.”
Milton quickly calculated the losses. I had bid on over ten items. It would cost him more than 30 million Elleh.
The teddy bear alone had been 20 million.
“S-sir, that would be… difficult.”
“Difficult? Do I look like a fool?”
“Of… of course not, sir!”
He was being ridiculous. 30 million Elleh and my silence for all the items I had bid on? It was insulting.
And I couldn’t forgive him for rigging the auction.
“You planted shills in the audience. Adjusting your glasses with your left hand meant ‘raise the bid,’ and stroking your beard meant ‘that’s enough.’”
Milton’s face paled. He had been caught. He bit his lip, speechless.
He scrambled for an excuse. If logic didn’t work, he would have to appeal to my emotions.
He would start by apologizing.
“…I apologize. I have no excuse. But would you please hear me out?”
Milton, his voice filled with remorse, explained that the auction house had been suffering losses due to bidders colluding to suppress prices.
I didn’t care.
“I understand. But because of your manipulation, I missed out on several items. The losses are substantial.”
It was true. I had missed out on several items because of his shills.
“If you truly want my silence, give me the items I bid on. What’s more important? Money or reputation? I’d rather lose money.”
He was being threatened by a kid.
Milton took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. He had no choice.
“…Very well. I agree to your terms.”
Sepia and Tesha hadn’t bought anything. They would be offered membership renewals.
But I added, as if anticipating his thoughts,
“And compensate the other three. They also fought the attackers.”
I left the office with the items I had bid on and a lifetime membership. I doubted I would ever use it.
‘The Northvan Auction House is going to go bankrupt. The Erze Trading Company won’t miss this opportunity.’
I had run into Tia’s uncle, Seyan. The Erze Trading Company would definitely take action. They would invest heavily to attract customers from Northvan.
And even if I kept quiet, Seyan Erze would expose the auction house’s fraudulent practices.
They were doomed.
‘I should get a sword-cane. It was quite useful.’
I thought as I left the office.
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A dimly lit laboratory in Southvan.
Magical artifacts and stacks of books cluttered the desk. Daron, sitting at the desk, removed his glasses and rubbed his tired eyes.
The thick book was filled with complex magic circles. Unsolved equations. But he wasn’t worried.
He had time.
He was a lecturer at the magic tower. But he had infiltrated the tower for another reason: to gather information about demons.
It had been three years.
But it was time to go home. He closed the book.
The familiar sight of his home, the familiar feeling of exhaustion… these small comforts were precious to him.
“You’re home. You’re late today.”
A gentle voice greeted him as he opened the door. He walked over to her, kissed her forehead, and embraced her.
“Have you eaten yet?”
“I wanted to eat with you.”
Daron placed a brown bag on the table and unpacked its contents.
Mushroom soup, rye bread, thinly sliced ham. All of Laura’s favorites.
They ate dinner together.
“Daron, tell me a funny story.”
“A funny story… let me see…”
Daron told her a joke he had heard at the magic tower.
“It’s about a married couple. The wife reads in the newspaper that women use twice as many words as men. She proudly tells her husband, ‘See? Women use twice as many words as men. It proves that women are better at communication!’ And do you know what the husband said?”
“Hmm… I don’t know.”
Laura tilted her head, a puzzled expression on her face.
“What did you just say?”
She burst out laughing. Daron, pleased with her reaction, told her another joke.
“Two men are hiking in the mountains when they encounter a bear. A huge grizzly bear. One of the men pretends to be dead, while the other man starts tying his shoelaces. The first man says, ‘You can’t outrun a bear, even if you try!’”
Laura’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.
“And the other man says, ‘I don’t have to outrun the bear. I just have to outrun you.’”
Laura bit her lip, trying to suppress her laughter. The autumn night deepened.
Daron woke up in the middle of the night.
The crickets were silent.
His heart was pounding. It had been a long time since the Queen had lost her heart.
It was the first time in 300 years that he had felt his heart beat like this.
He instinctively knew that Ashron had inherited the Queen’s heart. And he was calling the apostles.
“Ah…”
Daron ran a hand through his gray hair. He could almost hear the voice in his head.
—Keep your oath.
The Queen had told them not to seek revenge. But he had sworn to retrieve her heart and avenge her death.
He heard Laura stirring beside him.
He carefully sat up. She opened her eyes.
“Are you awake?”
“I’m sorry. I must have woken you.”
Daron hesitated. He didn’t know how to explain this to Laura.
300 years. It was a long time, long enough for beliefs to crumble and priorities to shift.
“Laura, I…”
He couldn’t find the words. Laura smiled, as if she understood. She hugged him and whispered,
“You have to go, don’t you? How long will you be gone? A year? Two years?”
“…”
He couldn’t make any promises. He remained silent.
“If you have to go, then go. But don’t leave me alone for too long. And promise you’ll contact me often.”
“I promise.”
Daron kissed her, put on his coat, and ran.
He felt invigorated, energized by the retrieval of the Queen’s heart after 300 years. It wasn’t just a metaphor. He could feel the power surging through him.
He followed the telepathic call to a secluded area on the outskirts of Northvan.
A blue gate shimmered in the air. He stepped through it and found himself on a vast, frozen plain.
It wasn’t the battlefield where they had made their oath.
But Ashron and the other apostles were there. And a black-haired young man he had never seen before.
“I have retrieved the Queen’s heart.”
The moonlight, like a gentle autumn rain, washed over the frozen plain.
300 years had passed since they had made their oath, after losing their Queen.
One of the apostles had become a mage in the magic tower.
Another had become an adventurer, wandering the continent.
And some hadn’t returned.
But they had all been waiting for this moment. The culmination of their long journey.
Ashron placed his hand over his heart.
“My fellow apostles, a new era has begun.”
“For the Queen!”
The apostles and their followers knelt, forming a circle on the frozen plain.
The moonlight bathed them in its pale light.
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