Chapter 51

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 51

Chapter Title: Chaos at the Secret Auction

-----------------------------------------------------------------

—Kletan Imperial Capital, Hessen Secret Auction House.

Late into the night, this place was still buzzing with heat. It was a venue for discreetly trading goods that couldn't be handled out in the open.

And today's protagonist, Baron Pavron, scanned his surroundings with a grim expression.

The seats were packed tight, not a single spot to stand.

"Now, the first item is..."

Eyes gleaming in the pitch-black darkness turned toward the auction stage.

The auctioneer, who had been waiting for the tension to build, extended his hand with exaggerated flair.

"A slave with hair as blue as the sea and eyes sparkling like jewels!"

Led by that dramatic voice, the first "item" of the evening made its appearance on the auction floor.

"Bidding starts at fifteen million tri!"

Those intrigued by the enigmatic figure, whose gender was ambiguously alluring, quickly raised their paddles.

Twenty million tri, thirty million tri...

The price on a living human skyrocketed without anyone to rein it in.

"Ngh."

Baron Pavron shifted a step away to avoid the person encroaching on his seat and let out a stifled groan.

Not content with openly trafficking people, these folks were laughing and chattering about the results—and they were nobles, just like him...

For a noble who valued honor despite his low rank and poverty, it was incomprehensible.

However.

"Ha."

In the end, he could only let out a self-deprecating smile.

After all, he had come here himself to acquire an item up for auction.

Even among fellow barons, Baron Pavron was notoriously dirt poor...

But the reason he had scraped together every last coin to visit this clandestine auction house today was something else entirely.

"Dear, I... I really want that tumbler. Cough, cough! Sob, sob..."

It was to fulfill his sick wife's request for the evening's highlight item: the tumbler.

He had even heard somewhere that it had exceptional insulation.

If that was true, the soup he fed her wouldn't cool down for ages—perfect.

'So it's absolutely essential for me too.'

With that in mind, Baron Pavron had steeled his resolve with all his might before the auction began.

He could already picture his wife's beaming smile as she received the tumbler she'd longed for.

But.

But...!

"Eighty million tri! We've reached eighty million tri!"

The price had shot up in an instant, easily surpassing the cost of a modest manor in some rural province.

Watching the pale-faced slave exit after the gavel fell, Baron Pavron couldn't bring himself to stay optimistic.

'Have you seen these... these lunatics?!'

His tightly clenched fists trembled slowly.

How could a single transaction involve more than five times the money he had to his name?

If a strangely exotic slave fetched the price of a manor, then what would the tumbler—the center of attention—go for?

While Baron Pavron sat there dazed.

The auction proceeded smoothly until the star of the show, the tumbler, finally appeared.

"Ooh...!"

"That must be the Ghost Duke's tumbler."

"Even from here, it seems to sparkle like a magic lantern."

The room erupted in excitement once more.

The tumbler's sleek body gleamed with a luxurious blue hue overall.

That made the illustration of the Haunted Duke's Castle etched on the outside stand out even more. And at the bottom, a small engraved signature of the Ghost Duke himself.

Its refined design made it look priceless, rivaling even the finest teacup brands.

Savoring the murmurs from the stirred crowd, the auctioneer slowly licked his lips.

"Most items circulating on the market are fakes, but we've verified this one as authentic with expert appraisers."

After a deliberate pause, he shouted in a theatrical tone to match the heightened tension.

"Now, the limited-edition tumbler from Safety Rules of the Haunted Duke's Castle—bidding starts at fifty million tri!"

The outcome was predictable.

Fifty million tri was no small sum, but before the auctioneer's voice even faded, the bids soared skyward.

Seventy, eighty, eighty-five... ninety million tri.

Baron Pavron, picturing his wife lying weakly in bed, raised his paddle vigorously too.

'Please...! I have to get that no matter what!'

But there was no way a destitute baron like him could outbid the capital's wealthy elite.

As the final price broke into the hundreds of millions, Baron Pavron lost all will to fight, clenching his fist until his knuckles turned white.

'At this rate, there's no way...'

Just as his shoulders slumped amid the overheated frenzy.

"Wh-what's that noise?"

The faint clash of weapons reached Baron Pavron's ears from afar.

Not just him—others heard it too, starting to fidget and look around.

"Sounds like a fight outside, doesn't it?"

"There shouldn't be any commotion here..."

"Something's gone wrong, hasn't it?"

Their worries weren't unfounded. The minor disturbance from outside grew louder, drawing closer.

Realizing something was seriously amiss, people jumped from their seats in a rush.

"Out! Let's get out!"

"Getting caught up in this means we're done for. Move it!"

"Hey, let go! I need to get out too!"

But before they could flee, the auction house doors burst open, and knights in heavy armor stormed in.

"Everyone freeze! By order of Duke Brail. All involved in this illegal auction are under immediate arrest!"

It hit like a bolt from the blue.

'Why on the exact day I came to the auction...?'

Terrified, Baron Pavron stumbled away with the crowd, trying to evade them.

But the knights swiftly subdued the escapees one by one, bringing order to the chaos.

'What do I do?'

As approaching figures closed in and he flailed about in panic.

Thud.

Not watching ahead, he bumped into someone without checking.

"...Huh?"

In that instant, the heavy weight in his inner pocket lightened.

Noticing the change immediately, Baron Pavron looked up in shock.

"H-hey!"

But the person he'd collided with offered no apology, vanishing swiftly into the crowd.

Baron Pavron stared blankly at the people, then realization dawned.

'A-a-a pickpocket?!'

It had been so seamless that he hadn't thought to react.

No, it was his first time, something he'd never even imagined.

'I've... I've been robbed of everything I own?'

In his despair and the harsh slap of reality, Baron Pavron started toward where the thief had fled, determined to do something.

But catching a pickpocket he'd barely glimpsed was impossible now.

While everyone else headed outside, he alone went the opposite way—and ran straight into a burly knight.

"I-I..."

Baron Pavron stammered, trying to plead his case, but the knight didn't wait, grabbing him roughly.

"Hold on!"

"Take him away!"

Thus, Baron Pavron was dragged out of the auction house by the knights.

There, other nobles who'd attended were already being restrained.

"Separate the buyers and move them out!"

After a few nobles were pulled aside, Baron Pavron was loaded into a prisoner transport wagon.

Eyeing the menacing knights flanking him, he steadied his pounding heart and cautiously spoke up.

"Um, excuse me..."

"Speak."

Gathering his wits at the cold reply, the baron pleaded his innocence.

"I didn't buy anything. And my sick wife is waiting at home... C-could you please let me go?"

Of course, the knight didn't budge.

Instead, came a curt question.

"Are you a noble, by chance?"

"Y-yes... I am Baron Pavron."

Even after revealing his status, the knight's high-handed demeanor didn't soften.

"Nobles are no exception. Since you were only attempting, cooperate with a brief investigation, pay the fine, and you'll be released."

"Pardon? A f-fine?"

"By imperial decree."

"Wh-what...?"

How had everything gone so wrong?

He'd already been pickpocketed—didn't have a speck of dust left to his name?

Thinking of his bedridden wife at home made his nose sting.

In the end, tears like chicken droppings soaked the wagon floor.

"I'm innocent...! Truly innocent!"

He felt so frustrated he might die.

But despite Baron Pavron's desperate cries, the wagon raced on through the night.

'I just wanted to make my wife happy...'

The tumbler for her.

The promissory note for all his wealth.

He'd lost it all. Today was truly an unlucky day.