The man in the black robe was holding his forehead.
“It’s one thing that Simon’s a Cardmaker, but is that viscount sick in the head?”
“You’re a Duelist. Why are you buying materials?”
“And showing up in person to buy undead-type materials, no less. Is he planning to stand on the very front line against the Luminous Order?”
The woman in the black robe spoke up. “Shivier, don’t get worked up over them. If this won’t work, we’ll find another way in.”
The man, Shivier, rubbed at his brow. “I’m not worked up over them.”
“If anything, they’re helping us muddy the waters even more.”
“It’s just... we might not have enough money anymore.”
Who could’ve guessed the reason this mission might fail in the end would be a lack of funding?
Shivier felt miserable.
They were just hired hands in The Academy. There was no way they could be as rich as this pack of nobles, so all the money they brought for the auction was mission funding.
They’d originally thought this material was bound to go unsold. It shouldn’t have cost much.
Who knew the competition would be this fierce today?
“One hundred thousand!”
Simon shot his bidding paddle up in a flash.
He looked like he was fully fired up now.
For a B-rank material, reaching one hundred thousand was already absurd.
Even a complete B-rank card would only sell for a hundred-something thousand, maybe two hundred thousand at most.
Tidelys watched Simon throw money around like water, and huge tears were already about to spill from her eyes.
Oh no. If the manager ends up poor, he won’t cut my meal budget, right?
Hearing that price, even Shivier hesitated again and again before finally deciding not to raise his paddle.
He’d wait and see who won it.
Then find a chance to snatch it.
“One hundred ten thousand!”
Krazer kept butting heads with him.
Seeing that smug, arrogant look on his face, Simon couldn’t take it anymore.
He raised his paddle.
“I withdraw!”
Krazer: ?
Wait, what? Why aren’t you bidding higher?
“One hundred ten thousand, going once. Going twice. Going three times...”
“Then congratulations to guest number 79 for winning the fortieth auction item.”
The sweet voice of the young hostess made Krazer feel like he’d fallen into an ice pit.
What am I supposed to do with this thing? Take it to the grave with me?
Simon looked at the dumbfounded Krazer and revealed a faint smile.
If Krazer had only joined the bidding, the Luminous Order naturally wouldn’t make things too hard for him.
But actually winning this thing was a different story.
Just wait for them to come knocking at your door.
Tidris patted her chest.
Thank goodness. We won’t have to live on scraps after all.
But when she thought about Simon failing to win the bid, she still spoke up to comfort him.
“Manager, don’t be discouraged. If it really doesn’t work out, maybe you can see if some other material can replace it.”
“It’s fine. No replacement needed. When the duel starts later, I’ll just win it back with a wager.”
Tidris’s eyes lit up. “Would that viscount agree to bet with you?”
“You kidding? Right now, he probably can’t wait to hand it over to me.”
Simon was a complete amateur in politics, but Krazer wasn’t.
The noble status he took pride in had become an inborn political stance.
Nobles were loyal to the royal family. By nature, that already put them faintly at odds with The Order.
Add one more charge of “suspected ties to the Demonology Sect,” and the label of anti-Luminous Order would basically be nailed onto him for good.
Just as Simon started thinking about how to propose a wager naturally, the auctioneer’s next words made him freeze.
“The forty-first auction item: B-rank material, Corpse Shroud. Starting price is also thirty thousand gold coins.”
There’s another expert in the game?
Simon sat up straight.
Viana covered her mouth. “Another B-rank necromancy-type material?”
Simon tapped the armrest with his fingers, then suddenly frowned. “These two auction items were probably consigned by the same person.”
Which made the consignor’s identity highly suspicious...
He had every reason to suspect this was a fishing line.
A line cast for the Demonology Sect.
Two consecutive materials, both necromancy-type. You could say the hook was straight and the bait was obvious.
But even knowing full well it was a hook, Simon still wanted to bite.
If Simon had only strongly desired the High-Grade Ghoul Skull, then the Corpse Shroud was something he absolutely had to get.
Only...
Simon glanced at the still-unwilling Krazer, then at the black-robed figures already preparing to bid.
He was numb.
Hey, consignor. Great fishing job.
Next time, don’t.
“Thirty thousand!”
...
At that moment, inside a secret room somewhere in the auction hall,
a young man in white robes sat upright in the main seat. Beside him was none other than the staff member who had stopped the duel earlier.
“Bishop, both auction items have already been brought onto the stage.”
“I know. I heard it all.”
After replying, the bishop muttered to himself, “I’m numb...”
The staff member looked confused. “Is the chair uncomfortable?”
“No, not leg numb. Person numb.”
That’s right. These two auction items had both been sent to the Grand Gold Trading House by the Luminous Order.
And the purpose was obvious.
Fishing.
According to their information, something seemed to have gone wrong with The Labyrinth controlled by the Demonology Sect that produced necromancy-type materials. They were now in urgent need of high-grade necromancy materials.
And this was the perfect chance to lure them out.
However...
“Why are three sides still bidding?”
To avoid hooking the wrong target, they had deliberately sent in two separate materials.
If someone bid on only one, it might still be a coincidence. But if they bid on both, then they were very likely from the Demonology Sect.
But now what was this?
How did one hook pull up three fish?
“How am I supposed to explain this?”
The bishop’s head started to ache.
As the bishop of the Royal Capital region, he had the Holy Maiden and the Pontiff above him. Normally, he didn’t need to handle much himself.
It was rare for him to actually get work to do, so how had it turned into this mess?
Sigh. He really was better suited to fishing actual fish.
Just as the bishop was trying to comfort himself like that,
the priest accompanying him thought for a moment, then spoke.
“Look on the bright side, Bishop.”
“At least you didn’t come back empty-handed this time.”
The bishop’s face darkened even more.
...
“Eighty thousand!”
“Forget them. Keep raising it!”
“If we don’t get even one of these, that old man won’t let us off!” Shivier gritted his teeth.
The moment he thought of the “old man” he was talking about, all his usual carefree attitude vanished.
The woman in the black robe frowned. “There’s no helping it. This was a last-minute task added onto us. We weren’t prepared.”
“That old man doesn’t care about any of that.”
Shivier looked at the silent Lai. “Do you have any spare gold left?”
Lai shook his head. “I can’t use the family’s money. The moment I do, I’ll be exposed.”
“One hundred thousand!”
“One hundred twenty thousand!”
“One hundred thirty thousand!”
Simon’s bid finally crushed Shivier into silence.
One hundred twenty thousand was already their limit.
And Krazer had long since stopped daring to bid.
“One hundred twenty thousand, going once. Going twice. Going three times...”
“Sold. Congratulations to guest number 156 for winning the forty-first auction item.”
Guest number 156 was naturally Simon’s number.
As the small wooden hammer fell, Simon finally let out a breath of relief.
It might look like this only used up one-fifth of his funds, but this still wasn’t even a complete card.
“After we leave, contact your maid and have these materials prepared for me.”
Simon passed the sheet he had just written to Viana.
“Why the rush?”
“I have a feeling... those black-robed people bidding against us aren’t simple. I need to break through as soon as possible.”
Simon stared at the black-robed figures, who were now just waiting for the auction to end.
If his guess was right,
he might be dealing with people from the Demonology Sect before long.
