SMASH or PASS

"Item No. 1"

The attendant placed the glass lantern onto its base. It was small enough to hold in both hands. Inside the transparent glass, crimson light swirled slowly.

"The Lamp of Sylvanneth. Made in a workshop outside the wall, in the elven forest. The light inside was ’poured’ in the forest. No fuel is needed, and its lifespan is approximately 100 years. ...Isn’t that romantic?" Linnet’s voice described the item as she was stroking it.

A murmur rippled through the venue. Goods from outside the wall. In this world, that alone can change the price.

"Starting with three gold coins"

"Five!"

A voice came from the first floor.

"Six." A fan rose from the second floor.

"Eight!!"

The voice belonged to a red-haired woman in a wine-colored dress. It was Marchioness Selvane. She leaned over the table, pointing her finger upwards.

"Isn’t it just a shiny lamp? Why are they spending much on a fancy toy? I don’t see any profit in this..."

"Bringing profit and loss into hobbies is a commoner’s way of thinking." Karen smiled.

’I’m sorry, for being such a commoner.’ I rolled my eyes.

Linnet’s mallet struck.

"At twelve, into Marchioness Selvane’s hands."

The lamp, at twelve gold coins, fell to Marchioness Selvane.

Applause erupted in the hall.

The Marchioness responded by holding her fist up. What is that valor for? It’s just a fucking lamp.

"I told you she’s the one who ignites the bidding wars," Karen whispered from behind her fan. "Whenever she raises her voice, the price skyrockets. She’s just enjoying it, though."

"...yeah."

◇◇◇

"Item number two"

A tarnished metal mass rested on a small pedestal. It was smaller than a fist and shaped like a coat of arms.

"It’s a seal. The crest is... illegible. The date is before the Convergence."

The atmosphere in the hall changed dramatically.

The festive atmosphere from earlier has subsided, and the movement of the fans has slowed.

Before the Convergence.

A relic from before this world became ’this way’. I don’t really know much about it myself.

This time, no one screamed.

A female attendant quietly descended from the second balcony from the right on the third floor. She handed Linnet a bid slip.

"...I have a bid of six. Are there any others?"

Silence.

Even Marchioness Selvane remained silent, stroking her new lamp.

"Then, at six."

The mallet struck. And it was over so easily.

Nobody dared to compete with that balcony.

This even made me more curious about who was there.

Why? Are they scared? Is it a matter of courtesy? Is there some kind of agreement?

◇◇◇

"Item number three."

A transparent crystal rested on a pedestal. It was about the size of a fist, with fine streaks of light running through it

It looked... familiar?

"This is a mana resonance crystal, top-grade cut. Its transparency is three levels higher than the standard crystals used in the academy’s practical training. How about giving it as a gift to celebrate your child’s enrollment?"

"Starting with five gold coins"

"Six!"

"Seven!"

"Nine!"

The competition was between two women on the second floor. One pulled back, and the other who had a girl in a school uniform, presumably her daughter, sitting beside her said last.

"Eleven."

I actually needed that item.

It would’ve been great help in the academy but...

Eleven.

I did the calculations on my lap, without moving my fingers.

I can’t buy it. Nor can I ask Karen for it.

Maybe If I didn’t leave the mansion I could’ve made that request for free, but now she will demand something in return.

Someone in this room just paid more than three times what I needed as a "gift for their daughter’s school entrance," treating it like a piece of jewelry. The mother is stroking her daughter’s head, and the girl is smiling happily.

My entire fortune isn’t even enough to cover the cost of this wine from the cart.

The number quietly sank to the depths of my stomach. I needed to start completing quests as soon as I could.

I cannot be weak.

"You’ve gone quiet."

Karen was watching me from behind her fan. Her red eyes held a look that was neither appraising nor worried.

"Did you want that item?"

"No."

Karen laughed.

It was the first genuine laugh she’d had all day. She lowered her fan and laughed only with the corners of her lips.

"This pride... I like that about you. No wonder Onee-sama wants to keep you around."

◇◇◇

The three pedestals were taken away.

The atmosphere in the venue changed again.

The fan’s movement stopped. The mercenaries on the first floor sat up from their seatbacks. The sound of chairs being pulled could be heard from behind the curtains on the third floor.

A woman came out from the wings of the stage, pushing something.

It’s huge. Taller than a person. And it’s covered with cloth from above.

From beneath the hem of the cloth, I could see the iron bars.

It’s a cage.

Fenra’s fur suddenly stood on end beside my knee, half a second before the fabric moved.

Linnet took a puff from her pipe and slowly exhaled the purple smoke.

"Thank you for waiting, everyone."

She smiled.

"Now, this is the main event of the day."

She spread one hand out. The fingertips of her long black glove pointed towards the cage.

"They are live specimens. All the necessary paperwork is complete. Some of them even possess great talent."

...!?

’Tsk. As I expected.’

◇◇◇

The cloth fell.

There wasn’t just one cage.

Wheeled cages lined the stage in a row. Inside were a catkin, a foxkin, and two cowkin with documents attached. They were what you’d call "domestic stock."

The first few sold in no time. Two gold coins. Three. It was like a routine auction. I mentally compared it to the going rate for guild breeding contracts.

Buying is cheaper than renting.

If it’s long-term, that is.

The system fired prompts for each cage. I minimized them all.

But there was one foxkin with silver eyes who was staring back at the second floor.

Did just... our eyes met?

No... must be my imagination.

◇◇◇

"Now, everyone, from here on, we’ll be looking at very special stock from far away."

Linnet’s soft voice became a little sweeter.

The female attendants pushed in a cage with carvings on the bars.

The carvings faintly lit up.

Inside it was an elf.

The real thing. Not some painting from a fantasy story.

Her golden eyes were fixed somewhere far away. Her long ears bore the marks of old cuts. A carved restraint bracelet adorned her wrist. Each time she breathed, the carving faintly glowed.

"Raised in the Sylvanneth Forest, this little gem was captured beyond the second ridge. She possesses a great magical talent. The bracelet is also included in the price."

The venue buzzed with excitement.

"Hey, I heard that elves stop aging once they form a bond with their master."

"Oh, I heard that if you become an elf’s master. You wouldn’t need to eat anymore. You’d live on pure magic!"

...I feel like neither of those women is right, but no one corrects them.

"Do elf masters really live on magic?" I asked.

Karen laughed. "Not really. Some high-tier mages can link their life force to their slaves’ souls, granting a sort of immortality. However, this usually leads to the slave’s death within a few years, and the ritual is quite expensive, too."

"...I see."

"But don’t we trade with the elves forest? Why do we still kidnap their lost children?" I said.

"It depends on the party that finds her," Karen said from behind the fan. "If she’s sold inside the wall, the price will be tens of gold coins. Whoever catches her won’t keep her or send her home. They’ll just sell her to the highest bidder."

"Aside from this, if someone had a man to breed her, all of her children would be sold for a dozen gold coins as well~," Karen smiled as she looked at me.

"Say, Noel~?"

"...What?"

"Are you up for a deal~?"

I had a bad feeling about this.

"What kind of deal?"

Karen opened her fan. "I’ll buy her if you agree to breed her. My family will handle everything; all you need to do is mate with her. You’ll receive a 20% cut of every child sold."

"...!?"

It felt as though someone had dumped a bucket of cold water over me.

That’s right. I almost forgot why I left those sociopaths’ mansion.

"No," I said, my tone colder than usual.

"...Eh? Why?" Karen stared at me, clearly confused.

"Is your share too low? Fine, I’ll raise it to 40%... No, 50%! But I can’t go any higher! You have to understand that my family will literally cover every other cost of her upkeep."

"No. I’m not interested. Besides, wouldn’t she cost a dozen of golden coins? Where would you get that sort of money?"

Karen smiled. "I’m the second eldest daughter of House Vellmont. My father allows me to pursue any purchase I consider reasonable, provided it doesn’t exceed fifty gold coins."

Tsk.

"Still no. I don’t want to."

Karen gave me a disappointed look. "That’s really disappointing, Noel. I thought someone like you would be willing to do a little work to gain wealth, but it seems I was mistaken about you. Truly disappointing."

I gave her a cold look.

Undeterred, her crimson eyes stared back at me.

"It’s not my hobby," I said.

"...huh?"

"It’s not my hobby to fuck elves."

Karen looked confused. "What does it matter whether it’s your hobby or not? The profit—"

"Bringing profit and loss into hobbies is a commoner’s way of thinking, isn’t it?"

"...Oh." She let out a sigh and nodded in defeat.

"Very well, Noel, you got me there. But I would truly recommend reconsidering my offer later, even if it wasn’t elves. There are many other races that I’m sure will suit your taste."

"I’ll consider it." Not in a million years.

Being curious, I checked the elf’s status.

[SMASH / PASS]

[Target: Unknown (Sylvanneth)]

[Rare / 3rd Rank]

[SP: 155]

[Mana Recovery +8]

155? That’s seven to eight Helenas right?

After a couple of minutes, she was sold for Forty-two gold coins. For Marchioness Selvane. "I wanted a new concubine for my son," she said.

◇◇◇

The next cage was wider horizontally than vertically.

The lamia entered while still coiled up.

Her scales were oily black, except for the area around the hood, which is bronze colored. The upper body of a human stands straight up from the center of the coil.

Her tongue flicked against the air.

...That’s the same movement as Lina’s. I guess it’s a racial quirk.

Fenra remained completely still. Her tail was flat against the floor.

"...?"

I don’t think It was hostility. It was more of a sign of respect one predator would show to another heavyweight predator.

[Rare / 3rd Rank]

[SP: 130]

[Stamina +6]

The bidding took place at the mercenary table on the first floor. They were bidding on her as equipment. She went for twenty-eight gold coins, to a mercenary company captain.

"Thank you for your bids, Viscountess Harrow."

◇◇◇

"Next up~ in groups of 20."

The rabbitkin came out in two columns.

Ten, ten girls. All wearing matching gray uniforms. Even the angle of their ears was the same.

Then all twenty of them bowed at the same time.

"These maid units have been trained at the Vehlmere Academy since the age of five. They are sold only as a complete set. If the unit is separated, the warranty will be void."

The warranty will be void...

They had warranty on them?!

"Buying them all at once is cheaper than training five maids individually," Karen said. "It’s more efficient, isn’t it?"

"...very"

Those words seemed uncomfortable in my own mouth.

The system rang twenty times.

Individually. Common, 6 to 9 SP.

The angles of the twenty bows were perfectly identical.

No.

Only the youngest one at the very end was off by half a degree.

They sold for sixty gold coins. On behalf of Sister Ostrey.

Although everyone in the hall pretended not to know.