Chapter 44
The Church currently held enormous power within the Aen Empire.
There was even a saying that after the Emperor...
The Saintess stood second.
Saintess Fern of the Church of Light.
She was one of the main reasons the Empire and Church had become so corrupt.
And right now...
Someone was driving her mad.
“10,000 Coins.”
Number 18.
The man wearing the black bull mask.
Lee Suhyeok.
Black shouted,
“Haha!”
“30,000 Coins!”
Then slammed the hammer.
“Number 18 wins again!”
At first...
Fern thought it was coincidence.
Then ordinary competition.
But soon...
“60,000!”
She shouted.
Suhyeok answered immediately.
“80,000.”
Fern clenched her fist.
Her face twisted beneath her mask.
Again.
And again.
Every item she wanted...
Suhyeok took.
Soon...
Everyone began watching the competition between Number 52 and Number 18.
One guest whispered,
“H-How many Coins does that man have...?”
Another immediately gave up.
“I’m not getting involved.”
He leaned back.
“I’ll just wait for the final item.”
Fern glanced behind her.
Number 18.
Who was he?
The underground auction only accepted verified VIPs.
Every person here wore a special mask.
Of course...
The masks were not simply for hiding identities.
[Rare - Mask of Truth (Animal)]
·
While wearing the mask, the user can only speak truth regarding the configured value.
·
·
Configured Value: Coins.
·
·
While equipped, the perception of others regarding the user is distorted.
·
A bidder could only name an amount they actually possessed.
In other words...
The man in the bull mask truly had that many Coins.
Possibly...
Far more.
The bishops waiting behind Fern leaned toward her.
“Give the order.”
“We can remove him from the auction.”
Fern immediately stopped them.
“...No.”
Her voice was cold.
“If we do that here...”
She turned slightly.
“We may as well announce that I personally attended.”
Her eyes sharpened.
“Is that what you want, Bishop Melson?”
Melson flinched.
Then immediately lowered his head.
“No.”
“My judgment was poor.”
He bowed.
“Please forgive me.”
There was a reason Fern had personally come to this underground auction.
Her Trait...
Sacrifice.
It allowed her to heal any injury.
Even incurable illnesses.
Even congenital disabilities.
But a miraculous ability like that carried a terrible price.
Sacrifice.
True to its name...
The user suffered overwhelming headaches in exchange for healing others.
The more severe the illness...
The worse the pain.
Black shouted,
“Number 18! 40,000 Coins!”
Another item went to Suhyeok.
Fern bit her lip anxiously.
The final item would appear soon.
The headache is returning.
Her fingers trembled slightly.
I can give up the others.
But not the final item.
“I have to obtain that one.”
Black suddenly smiled.
“And now...”
He raised both arms.
“The moment everyone has been waiting for.”
The audience immediately prepared their signs.
Fern gripped hers tightly.
Black continued.
“As I said at the beginning...”
“I told you that tonight’s final item was worth expecting.”
Then he smiled mysteriously.
“But for this final auction...”
“We prepared a small event.”
The sound of chains echoed.
Someone was dragged onto the stage.
An elf.
The crowd looked disappointed.
Black smiled as though he expected that reaction.
“Hehe.”
“I understand.”
He pulled the elf toward the center.
“You must be wondering why we suddenly brought out a slave of another race.”
He laughed.
“You don’t care about a cheap side item.”
“You want the final item.”
The elf was breathtakingly beautiful.
Several people immediately gave her lustful looks.
Black grinned.
“However...”
His expression became excited.
“If you knew who this elf is...”
“Everyone here would be shocked.”
He grabbed the elf by the arm.
Then announced proudly,
“She is the daughter of the Elven Chief!”
The room erupted.
“Beautiful appearance.”
“Outstanding combat ability.”
Black laughed.
“She is a top-class product any one of you would desire.”
Then his grin became cruel.
“Although...”
“She is rather prideful.”
The elf clenched her teeth.
Her eyes were filled with contempt.
Black grabbed her chin.
The elf glared.
Black touched a rod to her side.
ZZZZT!
“Urgh...!”
She collapsed.
Black sighed.
“My, my.”
He smiled.
“A slave giving that kind of look?”
Then he turned toward the audience.
“Of course, before delivery...”
“We will place a master’s oath on her.”
He spread his hands.
“So there is no need to worry about resistance.”
The atmosphere changed instantly.
Many guests raised their signs desperately.
Taesu’s and Yumi’s expressions turned ugly.
Taesu clenched his teeth.
“I know we need to wait...”
His fists tightened.
“But every single one of these people is disgusting.”
Then...
The spotlight returned to Black.
Black smiled.
“As I said earlier...”
“This is an event.”
The crowd fell silent.
“This elf is not for sale.”
Immediately...
People shouted.
“Then why bring her out?!”
“We don’t care about the event!”
“Just sell us the elf!”
The atmosphere became heated.
Black calmly raised one hand.
“Everyone.”
He smiled.
“Allow me to introduce tonight’s final item.”
The stage darkened.
Then a black box appeared.
Its surface carried a clockwork pattern.
Black announced,
“The Box of Reincarnation.”
Even Fern’s gaze sharpened.
Everyone stared.
Black continued.
“No matter what item you place inside...”
He raised one finger.
“Once.”
“Only once.”
His smile widened.
“It will miraculously return to its original state.”
The audience gasped.
Then Black pointed toward the elf.
“And to whoever wins this final item...”
He smiled.
“We will also give this noble elf slave as a bonus.”
The room erupted.
“Isn’t that exciting?”
The bidding started instantly.
“50,000!”
“60,000!”
“80,000!”
The price climbed rapidly.
Then Fern calmly raised her sign.
“250,000 Coins.”
Silence.
No one dared immediately challenge such a number.
Of course not.
The Church had spent hundreds of years extracting wealth from the Imperial family and common people.
Fern smiled beneath her mask.
Number 18.
No matter how many Coins you have...
More than 200,000 should be impossible.
Black stared in shock.
“T-Two hundred and fifty thousand Coins!”
His voice trembled with excitement.
“This is the largest bid I’ve personally seen!”
He raised the hammer.
“If no one else bids...”
