Chapter: 195
The sloppy outfit brought by the Sloppy was quite uncomfortable to wear.
If it weren’t for Erin and several others around to help, I wouldn’t have even dared to put it on.
“Nice outfit. It’s clear the artisan put a lot of thought into it.”
It’s better than cheap stuff, but…
Why the heck is it here?
None of you are going to wear something like this.
Isn’t it just the Sloppy’s personal preference?!
As my opinion of the Sloppy fell through the floor, Erin and the people from the Newman Family kept their hands moving, and before long, my disguise was complete.
In the mirror the Sloppy brought, I saw a slightly sinister-looking pretty girl.
My long red hair was hidden under the hat,
my sharp gaze concealed by the brim,
I changed my eye color with lenses,
and with a little makeup to make my skin pale, I had transformed into a completely different person.
I hardly touched anything, and yet I changed this much?
I’m practically a different person!
That creepy pervert Sloppy sure has some serious skills and taste.
To check if the outfit fit well, I turned my body and couldn’t help but gasp.
…It actually looks good.
I look like a living doll.
As I was admiring my reflection, the Sloppy Fox beside me licked its lips.
“Ooooh. This one’s good too. Slurp.”
“Could you tone it down a bit?…”
“Hey, Sloppy Fox. Can you not embarrass yourself before the Allen Family’s knights throw you out?”
“Such horror!”
Of course, my voice, tone, and actions were the same as always.
With a Mesugaki Skill, there’s no way I could act different.
I guess the Sloppy didn’t expect it, as before we headed to the auction house, he asked me a few things.
Don’t speak. Don’t stand out. If I have something to say, write it down in a notebook and show it, etc.
In summary, I just had to stand like a doll behind the Sloppy and the others until we left the auction.
Easy. Just standing there is all I have to do.
Though Possell and the people from the Newman Family glanced at me uneasily, those who knew me well, like Erin, weren’t worried at all.
I’m not the old Lucy anymore. There’s no way I’d suddenly freak out and mess things up just by standing still, right?
[You’re feeling uneasy, huh.]
‘Grandpa? You don’t trust me?!’
Why’s it always grandpa acting this way!
He knows better than anyone about my true self!
[Because I know, that’s why.]
‘What’s wrong with me!’
I protested, but grandpa didn’t rebut any further.
Hmph. If you’ve got nothing to say, just stay silent.
Look! I won’t say a single word at this auction!
*
Even as I walked outside the Newman Family’s stronghold, I attracted the attention of many people.
But the meaning behind their gazes was different this time. When I walked outside in Lucy’s outfit, people’s faces were filled with fear.
But now, it’s different.
Simply having Lucy Allen’s name vanish led to looks full of goodwill.
It must be the power of my high favorability.
But this high favorability doesn’t always have good effects.
Charm exhibited by someone who looks weak often invites bad attention.
Amid the crowd, I noticed a man reaching out toward me.
Just some ordinary trash.
Right now, with my power, I could toss that low-level monster around with one hand.
Avoiding his outstretched hand wouldn’t have been difficult, but I chose not to move.
I made a promise to do this, and there’s something to believe in.
“Do you want to die?”
Just as I changed my appearance, Posell and Erin also did minimum alterations.
Neither of them had features as strong as Lucy’s, so disguising was easier for them.
With Posell looking like a brutish old man and Erin looking stern and ill-tempered, the man glanced nervously at them and prostrated himself on the ground.
Was it thanks to Posell’s intimidation?
After that remark, a path naturally opened, and I sneaked forward behind the others.
[I said I didn’t want this, but it seems much calmer than I thought.]
‘It’s unavoidable.’
I had to give in to enter the auction house.
Right now, I’m not Lucy Allen; I’m a separate character.
What’s the point of holding on to fleeting dreams?
[What’s your true intention?]
‘I feel like I want to die from embarrassment.’
I regret that every second, like breathing.
Why’s everyone looking this way!?
Those who couldn’t even meet my gaze when I was my true self!
Ahh. I want to finish this quickly and toss this getup away!
I grumbled inside as I walked and soon the auction house came into view.
Entering the auction house wasn’t too difficult.
The Sloppy, standing at the front, presented a complicated titled noble name to the guards as he introduced us, and since it was clear he knew them well, they let us in without a second thought.
Maybe because the auction was about to start, the inside was bustling with people.
Among them, many gazes landed on me before sliding away.
Admiration of my beauty. Curiosity about which noble lady I belonged to. Sticky looks lingering in silence.
My sharpened senses from countless training couldn’t miss any of it.
Hmm. I think I understand why grandpa couldn’t stay quiet.
“Now, Young Lady, you may go in there.”
The Sloppy, despite his shabby demeanor, handled things quickly and efficiently.
He led us to a private room of the auction house.
A place where we could relax away from the crowd.
“You can relax here, but please no loud noises. You never know who might hear.”
Having escaped some of the people’s gazes, I let out a long sigh and leaned back in my chair.
“Greetings! I’m the host of this auction, Pflugh!”
Not long after, the curtains above the stage parted, revealing a figure.
The middle-aged man with a tidy mustache announced the start of the auction in a voice that pierced the ears.
The items at the beginning of the auction were things the old Lucy would’ve been crazy about.
Luxury items. Rings and necklaces adorned with rare jewels.
The noble ladies participating in the auction tossed gold coins, but I merely watched in boredom.
From a gamer’s perspective, those items were just junk items.
As the early phase passed, several usable items came up on the auction block.
Among them were the items I had in mind to gift to others.
However, I let even those slip by.
To save my budget for unforeseen circumstances.
So I waited and waited until the item I sought finally appeared.
A shining plate that glowed with the Divine.
“This plate is no ordinary item. When someone devoted to God adds their faith, it emits a warm light. It’s an item imbued with the great Lord Jushin’s will. Also, if you look here, there’s a phrase carved from a distant past that remains clear…”
The host was doing his best to promote the item, but I didn’t pay him much attention.
Instead, I used my Emotion Skill.
There was quite a distance between me and the auction stage, but the long-skills I had honed over time did their job.
[Plate that glows with the Divine.]
[An ordinary item that glows brightly with the Divine. Inscribed upon it is the phrase: ‘Protect and Preserve.’]
As I read that inscription with widened eyes, I clenched my fist with a smile.
That’s the key.
The key to discovering hidden items.
An item to open the door that nobody among the users would think to look for in such an ordinary place.
Here I am, dressed in gothic lolita, ready to create a dark history! Well done!
If I had run away embarrassed, I wouldn’t have gained that precious item!
Confident now, I tugged at the Sloppy’s sleeve, and he whispered,
“That item will probably be quite expensive. What’s your budget?”
‘Three hundred gold.’
“Three hundred gold.”
That money was ripped from the Georg Family.
I asked for that in exchange for the trouble their son caused, alongside saving Menestel from destruction.
Originally, I intended to take something reasonable, but when Karia intervened in the negotiation, the story changed.
Once the queen of the underworld, she was quite familiar with transactions.
Karia leveraged her position as my proxy and drained the Georg Count of goods.
As a result, I received various potions, scrolls, enchanted items and an immense amount of gold from the Georg Family.
At that time, it felt excessive, but now the situation is different.
The rewards Karia brought are now supporting me.
“Are you definitely going to purchase?”
‘Of course!’
“Are you joking?”
“Understood.”
“Such a divine item related to the great Lord Jushin starts with a high price! Starting at ten gold!”
The auction price shot up rapidly.
Starting at ten, the price quickly reached one hundred, and before I realized, it was at two hundred.
At that point, those targeting me seemed to be feeling the pressure as they hesitated to raise their signs.
The Sloppy, noticing this, raised his sign high for all to see.
“Two hundred fifteen!”
“Yes! Two hundred fifteen gold!”
As the price jumped up drastically, the signs from the seats in the auction house started to drop one by one.
I’m not sure why, but it seemed the Sloppy’s shout broke their purchasing spirit.
“Is there anyone else? I will now call three times! Two hundred fifteen!”
Two hundred fifteen gold, huh.
That’s a big expense, but it’s okay.
Considering the cost for that plate, it’s not bad. Ah, I’ll have a lot to do during vacation now.
“Two hundred fifteen!”
After buying Benedict’s gift, I should ask to go on one more trip while handing it over.
Oh, but given my current condition, it might be tough.
Hmm. In that case.
“Two hundred ten!…”
“Two hundred fifty.”
As I was sure the plate would end up in my hands, my thoughts were interrupted by someone raising a sign on one side of the auction house.
Two hundred fifty gold?!
Raising the price by that much at once!?
Even the host was surprised, and the auction house went silent; I focused on the sign holder, eyes glued to comb out who was targeting me.
And the moment I spotted a woman sitting up straight in the private room with a stern expression, I cursed inwardly.
Isabel Arteia.
The lady of the Arteia Territory on the coast, who amassed immense wealth through her possessions.
Though scorned for her unseemly greed as a noble, she demonstrates that most things in the world can be solved with money.
And the most defining trait?
That person has a tendency to obsessively collect anything related to the Lord Jushin.
…
This feels like it’s going south fast?
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