Chapter 122: Fortune 3
A few days had passed since Eutenia suggested the auction house raid.
During that time, I watched Eutenia and the apostles prepare for the raid on my smartphone.
Maybe it was because they were planning to raid an auction house where nobles gathered.
Eutenia used even a count’s house that she never mentioned before.
The Mayer Count’s House.
It was a noble family that ruled the territory that Roan and the church’s believers had taken over.
Eutenia used them to find out information about the auction house.
I realized that it had been quite a long time since I started the game, seeing Eutenia move the count’s house.
“Come to think of it, there was such a thing.”
Roan and the church’s believers had done many things while I watched.
And while I wasn’t watching, they did even more things.
It seemed like a simple thing to see the characters move, but when I thought about it, it was a moment when many things changed.
It was the charm of an idle game that many things changed in the blink of an eye.
Even if I didn’t pay much attention to my smartphone, the characters were diligently doing their roles.
Someday, they might grow enough to solve everything without me.
-“You’re saying you’ll go to the auction house with me?”
-“Yes. Pluto and I are going to infiltrate the auction house together.”
-“Didn’t you say it was a difficult place where many nobles gather?”
-“It is. That’s why we’re planning to break through with a small number of people. Besides, Pluto, you… It won’t be a big problem even if you show your face to others.”
As I watched my smartphone with such thoughts, speech bubbles appeared above Eutenia and Pluto’s heads in the church building.
They were having a conversation in a large conference room where no one was.
There was also Peter, who always played the role of Eutenia’s servant.
Peter, who was wearing clothes that suited his role, looked at them with an uneasy face.
“Wasn’t he originally a servant? What role is he playing this time?”
He seemed to be joining this operation, seeing him attend the meeting.
It was a rare sight to see the three of them together since they rescued Pluto from the seal.
I was curious about Peter, who was wearing different clothes than usual.
I saw him learn swordsmanship from Evan a few times, but I still had a lot of doubts about his skills.
He wasn’t at the same level as Eutenia and Pluto, at least.
-“But… what do you want me to do by bringing me here…”
Peter didn’t seem to have any idea what his role was either.
He asked Eutenia and Pluto, who were talking.
Eutenia lifted up a ring with the Mayer Count’s seal on it, in response to Peter’s question.
It was something she got from Roan earlier.
She told Peter with the ring in her hand.
-“I have something to ask you, Peter. Of course, it’s not related to combat.”
-“What is it?”
-“Please attend the auction with Bishop Rex Meyer.”
That’s what Eutenia said as she handed over the seal she was holding to Peter.
It seemed that she was looking for someone to gather information from the auction house.
Peter was perfect for that kind of job.
He always acted like Eutenia’s servant whenever he saw her.
But Peter seemed to be shocked by Eutenia’s proposal, as he blinked his eyes and looked at her in front of him.
-“Me, me and the earl are going together?”
-“Yes. It won’t be a hard task for you, Peter. But it’s not an easy one either.”
-“With the earl… Okay, I understand. Then what do I have to do?”
Eutenia answered his question.
-“Please collect information about the situation and the catalog inside the auction house. Of course, you have to be careful not to be caught by the other people there, or it will be dangerous.”
-(gulp)
I chuckled as I saw the emoticon floating above Peter’s head.
Things that couldn’t be expressed in words still appeared as emoticons in speech bubbles.
But seeing an emoticon inserted between serious conversations made me feel like the whole conversation was funny somehow.
In the early stages of the game, there were mostly those kinds of emoticons.
I felt a great sense of accomplishment when I saw different conversations than before.
Especially in Eutenia’s case, since she was a character I raised from the beginning, I had a lot of thoughts as I saw her old self overlapping.
“I feel like the kids I raised have grown up already.”
It was just the other day that I fed Eutenia bread one by one.
Now she was a dignified priest who offered sacrifices regularly.
It was a bit annoying to feed her bread, but it was also fun in its own way.
But when I saw Eutenia, who had grown into one of the top forces of the church, I sometimes missed the days when I stroked her and raised her.
Ah. Of course, stroking her was still something I could do.
Except for the fact that Eutenia would writhe on the floor in pain after being stroked by me.
“What if I win the lottery? Maybe I’ll buy them some equipment and skills.”
They were characters that I had raised with care and effort for months.
And Estelle’s lottery that she told me in my dream was also only a few days away from the draw.
If I won the first prize in the lottery, cars and fine dining would automatically follow.
I planned to include some spending on the game in my happy imagination after winning the lottery.
The wealth to freely draw 89,900 won per 10 times.
I felt like I had everything in the world just by imagining it.
-“And I’ll have to use a skill for them when they break in.”
I felt a surge of care for my characters as my mood improved.
I decided to use a solar eclipse skill for them on the day of the operation, and carefully lifted the lottery paper I had bought before.
If this paper won the first prize, I would have to confess to Estelle in my dream right away.
Of course, if I didn’t win the lottery, it would rain heavily nationwide that day.
***
On the day of the special auction at the Obtos duchy.
The auction house of the duchy was crowded with countless nobles, creating a sea of people.
Setius, who attended the auction, was watching the auction with a satisfied expression.
It was an auction that everyone from the famous ducal families to the humble noble families in the countryside participated in.
Of course, the treatment of the noble families from the prestigious and rural areas was completely different.
The nobles from the prestigious families could bid from the special seats, while those who couldn’t had to try bidding from the general seats of the auction house.
Even though the general seats of the auction house were furnished with high-end furniture for the nobles, it was still a different level.
“So far, so good. If we finish this successfully, maybe the duke will see me differently.”
Maybe it was because there were unusually many people and money gathered today.
The items exhibited at the auction house were all sold at more than their value.
The more expensive the items sold at the auction house, the more commission the auction house would take.
This situation where the participants lost their reason and spent money was a great opportunity for Setius to turn into a huge achievement.
Not to mention, he couldn’t even guess how much commission he would get for bringing in a top-grade magic crystal to the auction house.
As he looked at the nobles who participated in the auction with satisfaction, his secretary next to him spoke with a bright smile.
“As expected of Setius. The duke will surely admire your ability.”
“Of course, of course! You have a good eye for people!”
“You’re too kind. My talent is nothing compared to Setius’s discernment.”
Setius, who felt good by his secretary’s words, lifted up his wine glass in front of him.
Gulp. Gulp.
He didn’t even have time to enjoy the wine as he felt his throat burning.
But it was a charming wine with a bitter grape flavor that lingered in his mouth.
It was a product prepared for the nobles of the conference hall, so it was incomparable to the cheap wine that was rolling around in the market.
Setius, who quenched his thirst with wine, tapped his finger on the table and spoke to his secretary.
“Good. We should start preparing to move that item soon.”
There was only one thing that could be called that item in the special auction.
A product that existed only a few in the empire, a top-grade magic crystal.
He was preparing to put it up for auction.
It was a product that had been locked up in a magic vault until now, but now it was time to show its appearance to the audience sitting in the auction house.
He had placed a pile of excellent knights in the auction house for that one item.
The secretary nodded his head and answered Setius’s words.
“I’m already keeping an eye on it with strict security. Should I order them to transport it?”
“Yes. We have to prepare from now on if we want to put it out on time, so it’s better to take it out of the vault right away.”
“Understood. I’ll do as you instructed.”
When the top-grade magic crystal came up as the highlight of the auction, everyone in the auction house would be sincerely amazed.
But sweet fruits always attract many insects.
He had to protect the item thoroughly until it came up for auction.
Taking out the item from the vault just before the auction was also for that reason.
As he gave orders to his secretary, Setius tried to pour wine into his glass to moisten his throat.
Suddenly, all the magic lanterns in the auction house started blinking at once.
“Are you all enjoying the auction?”
At the same time, a gentle voice echoed through the auction house.
Everyone who was watching the auction turned their eyes to a corner of the auction house.
Everyone’s eyes were drawn to a place where a girl holding a thick book was walking towards the direction of the host.
Setius’s hand trembled roughly at the sight of the girl walking to the front of the auction house.
He had not received any prior information about the girl he saw in front of him.
“Wha, what…?”
“Setius, what is that…?”
“I don’t know either. Wasn’t it your preparation?”
Setius’s bewildered eyes turned to his secretary.
But the secretary also shook his head in confusion.
It was then that Setius realized the situation.
An unexpected situation was happening.
And it was a situation that Setius himself did not want at all.
“I’m also enjoying this auction.”
Tap. Tap.
The girl’s light footsteps echoed on the stage.
The host who was conducting the auction also looked flustered.
As the girl who came up on the stage took her place in front of the host, he moved forward with a magic device that had amplification magic on it.
The host, who held the magic device, had a puzzled expression on his face.
He looked at the girl who came up on the stage and delivered his voice through the magic device.
“Excuse me, but it’s troublesome if you come up here without permission.”
“You might die if you say one more word?”
But the girl didn’t care about the host’s attitude, and just smiled with her finger on her lips.
The host then realized his situation and was startled.
Before he knew it, a shadow that sprang from the floor had grabbed his head firmly.
A fearful voice soaked in fear came out of the host’s mouth.
“Uh… uh uh…”
“Shh.”
“…”
Setius, who was watching the silent host, got up from his seat.
It was a situation where a magician who handled bizarre magic had invaded the auction.
Anyone who saw the spectacle in front of them would know that it was an emergency situation.
Setius got up from his seat and pointed his finger at the girl on the stage.
He gave an urgent order to the security forces that were sitting in the auction house.
“Get, get that woman down–!”
“You too.”
As soon as the gentle voice from the stage ended,
Setius sensed that something had happened to him as well.
Swish.
He felt a cold sensation on his neck.
A shadow that sprang from the floor had grabbed Setius’s neck.
Setius’s heart, touched by the black shadow, began to warn him urgently.
“Ahh…”
“Please be quiet, everyone. You’re interrupting me from introducing the auction items.”
“…”
Silence fell over the conference hall as soon as the girl’s words ended.
In silence, the girl looked down at each of them in the auction house.
The girl who held two people’s lives was very relaxed.
Thud.
The girl picked up a magic brooch that came out as an auction item and pinned it to her chest.
And then she spoke to the nobles hiding among the standing knights.
“I’ve prepared a special item for a fun auction.”
There was no item that could be called a product in the girl’s hand.
She had even pinned the brooch that existed to her chest.
Yet she opened her mouth imitating the host who had been conducting the auction until then.
She spoke about the only auction item she could offer to those who attended this place.
“The item I’m going to show you this time is… your lives.”
A short and simple threat.
Right after that, a pitch-black world descended on the entire auction house.
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