Chapter 106. Lawless City (7)
“The moment you’ve all been waiting for, the highlight of Bates’ black market, the unlimited auction begins now!”
Unlimited auction. It’s exactly what it sounds like: unlimited. There are no ceilings—or floors—for the final bid on any item. With a bit of luck, a world-class treasure could be yours for a mere gold coin. And in another sense, it means there are no limits on the items up for auction.
“Our first item, as always, is stolen goods. But these are quite special stolen goods,” said the auctioneer, with his extravagant gestures drawing attention to the display.
“Look at this blade. Even though it’s broken in the middle, its presence is so formidable it transcends the display case.”
Eto couldn’t help but be impressed. He didn’t have the eye to judge the sword’s craftsmanship, but even to him, the aura emanating from the blade was crystal clear. And it was a broken sword, at that!
“The sword of a tragic swordsman who vowed to conquer the lands of warriors but never returned. A proud genius who trained under the prestigious Al-Cerad empire and obtained his swordsman’s license at thirty-seven. This sword, his lifelong companion, is our first item!”
“Wow…”
“Incredible. I can feel its energy from here.”
Eto found himself glancing at Pavel and Maya, curious about their reactions. After all, they lived by the sword. However, their reactions were quite unexpected.
‘Not interested, huh?’
Even Pavel, a bronze mercenary, looked dazed as if his soul had been captured by the relic of the swordsman. Meanwhile, Maya, a renowned silver mercenary, seemed to show no interest in the magnificent sword at all. Instead, she seemed busier observing the surroundings, her eyes darting around.
‘Maybe it’s because she uses a spear…?’
As Eto pondered in curiosity, bids for the swordsman’s relic began, and in the blink of an eye, the price soared to dozens of gold coins.
“Exactly one hundred gold coins! It’s sold for one hundred!”
The settled price was neither cheap nor exorbitant considering the grand introduction. Despite the initial fuss, the item sold for a far less impressive sum than expected. The reason became apparent as the auction progressed.
“A staff of a red mage, who, while being hunted by the Mage Tower, self-destructed due to spell overload! Merely holding it reduces spellcasting time and enhances the firepower of red spells! A treasure no mage could resist… Ah, sold for one hundred and fifty gold coins! What a stroke of luck!”
“The diary of a gray mage who conducted illegal experiments in the north of Argon kingdom and was beheaded by a barbarian, with his body never recovered. A timely find during the recent rebellion turmoil, surely even the Mage Tower would envy… Ah, another steal!”
“Did you know? The Argon Kingdom, having evaded dragon attacks so far, now faces dire straits from a dragon assault. This could be good news for some of you. We’re expecting a shipment of rare dragon materials. Although we don’t have the material here yet, it’s an opportunity not to be missed for those interested in rare materials. We will arrange… Oh, sold for two hundred and seventy gold coins! Quite a bargain, don’t you think?”
Not just the first item but all items were being auctioned off at reasonably low prices. There were no exceptions!
“Could it be… Everyone here is…”
“Aiming for the same item, it seems.”
“Damn, is competition even possible in this?”
Amid the group’s expressed concerns, it seemed the auction for contraband had completely ended. Following the organizer’s instructions, men armed with swords cleared the display cases from the stage. Then, what was to come next, something Eto had a rough guess about, caused him to frown deeply.
‘Slaves…’
Yes. The next item on the auction’s list was the trade of slaves. A taboo strictly forbidden by the Pantheon Church, which, upon discovery, would summon the Templars to cleanse the sin. And yet, it was happening openly, in a gathering filled with nobles and wealthy individuals from numerous nations.
“Ladies and gentlemen, unfortunately, today’s auction does not have the quantity that might satisfy everyone. Recent, shall we say, complications in hunting have led to this shortage. Those in the know will understand why, right? But fear not! We’ve selected only the best quality, so no worries!”
“Ho. That does sound promising.”
“Were there that many noble families that fell recently…?”
“Oh, and here I am, already tight on funds…”
From all around, exclamations of admiration made Eto feel nauseous. The way these people casually appraised fellow humans as if they were mere goods filled him with pure rage.
‘How can they act like this?’
Not every human on the continent was a follower of the Pantheon Church, but most learned its teachings and lived by the grace bestowed by the gods of the Pantheon. Especially the nobles and wealthy, who donated vast sums to the church annually in exchange for blessings.
‘And yet!’
“Stay calm.”
“But…!”
“What changes if you step in? Do you have the power to change anything?”
“…”
Eto clenched his teeth. He wasn’t angry at Maya for stopping him, but at himself for not being able to refute her words.
“This place… must vanish. The gods in heaven will surely punish these people.”
“Ha, what a joke. Do you think the Pantheon is unaware of this place? I don’t think so.”
“Pavel…!”
“Am I wrong? Those zealots hunting down demon worshippers with fire in their eyes, missing such a blatant black market? Even a passing dog would laugh.”
Pavel’s remark sharply pinpointed the hypocrisy of the Pantheon Church. Eto wasn’t exactly a devout follower of the church; he had only indirectly benefitted from the blessings the priests gave. But deep down, he did somewhat see the church as a guardian of peace.
However, faced with the grim reality of Bates’ black market, that belief started to crumble.
“Pavel. Shut it yourself. I didn’t bring you here to spout nonsense.”
“… I’ll do as I’m told.”
“And you too, Eto.”
Instead of replying, Eto slightly nodded his head. Amid this unexpected confrontation between the two, Maya frowned under her mask as if irritated.
In the silence that dominated the trio, “Ha-ha…! You’re really splurging this time! I suppose that means the quality of the merchandise is high, right? Don’t miss this opportunity, everyone! No one knows when the next chance will come!”
The auction, originally featuring only a few slaves, had ignited a bidding war among the participants. Those who had initially attended out of interest in the artifacts but had early on decided to bow out, now threw their hats into the ring. Their participation alone drove the auction prices to several times the starting bids.
And so, the madness of the auction escalated to its peak.
“…”
“…”
“…”
The trio had no choice but to quietly observe.
***
The awkward tension between them eased when the much-awaited segment finally began.
“Today’s main event. In truth, everyone’s been waiting for this item, haven’t you?”
The auctioneer’s dragging tone drew a fierce round of boos from the participants, to which he laughed, savoring their reaction.
“Seems like we’ve got some impatient folks here. Sadly, the item you’ve all been waiting for hasn’t come up yet. Let’s take a look at the other items we’ve prepared first!”
With smooth progress, the auctioneer calmed the grumbles of the crowd and, following his clap, more than ten robust men appeared, pulling a large cart from behind the stage.
On top of that cart was a giant cage, the kind used to contain enormous beasts, covered so what was inside remained a mystery.
However,
Bang! Bang! Bang!
It was clear that something alive and immensely powerful was trapped inside.
“Ha-ha. That guy sure has strength, doesn’t he? We had quite the struggle capturing it. Someone from the city went on a journey and caught it. To spice up this event, they’ve graciously donated it to us. Let’s give a round of applause for our anonymous donor watching from somewhere!”
The response from the audience was chilly. With the order of the anticipated item being delayed, a warm reaction was hardly expected.
“Heh. Just the reaction I anticipated. But, after seeing what this item truly is, you’ll be so surprised you’ll give a standing ovation. Now──!!”
Reveal the blanket! On the auctioneer’s energetic shout, the men moving the cart pulled off the blanket.
‘Gasp!”
“Scream─!”
“Are you people insane?!”
The reaction was immediate and intense.
“Could it be?”
Even Eto, who had been silent until now, was no exception.
The presenter, pleased with the response, began to explain.
“Among our guests today, there may be collectors, but also those deeply knowledgeable in magic, right? For them, this specimen is indeed a precious research material. Because—”
A living fallen one, where could you possibly find another? The presenter’s cheerful comment plunged the room into chaos.
A natural reaction.
The face, horribly distorted, continuously bubbled with sickly froth, and through skin blackened and cracked like charred wood, veins and organs could be glimpsed. Moreover, its limbs were not human, but demon-like in their enormity. Most notably, in place of hands, there were maws akin to those of beasts.
“A fallen one, a live sample that has directly received demonic energy! How about it? Doesn’t it awaken a fierce curiosity in researchers?”
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Realizing it was being discussed, the captive fallen one thrashed even more violently within its cage. Yet the cage, made of an unknown material, showed no sign of breaking.
“Of course, it goes without saying that we’ll provide you with a beast cage made from the Empire’s dark iron to ensure safe transportation. And we’ll take the necessary measures to prevent it from lashing out during transport.”
Still, the chaos hardly subsided. It was partly due to the horrific appearance of the fallen one, but also the innate repulsion and fear at the mention of demons spreading throughout the auction house.
Yet there were exceptions.
“A fallen one… Certainly, it might be worth researching.”
Those whose eyes gleamed with interest through the gaps in their masks.
“If I lock it up in my mansion’s basement, it could become a quite special collection…”
Those whose collector’s passion overcame their fear.
“……”
Maya, twitching as if she was about to rush forward and pierce the heart of the fallen one herself.
And then:
“I’ll offer five hundred imperial gold coins. If you accept cheques from Paradise Bank, I can go up to fifteen hundred.”
Someone actually intended to bid in the auction. Amidst the auction hall filled with chaos and madness.
“Isn’t there something odd about it?”
“Damn. That monster itself can’t be normal—”
“No! It looks like it’s convulsing!”
Screech────!
With a roar, the fallen one’s body swiftly inflated, engulfing every living being on the stage.