Chapter: 15
The last day in the palace has dawned.
“Maria. If you don’t wake up, I’ll tickle you?”
“Maria is fine as long as it’s not the soles of her feet… sob.”
The auction wouldn’t start until around lunchtime.
We’ve been stuck inside the palace the whole time, so the commander of the Glass Knights suggested that we head out for a while to check out the royal grounds.
I gladly woke up our little one who had been telling me about her weaknesses with her own mouth and agreed to join her.
“Brother, that’s so sneaky! You’re going to put in your best effort even against elementary students at the academy.”
“Maria, you don’t even go to the academy.”
I bought her snacks to ease her sulking.
Spicy chicken skewers. A food that didn’t even exist 100 years ago.
‘Wow, things have really changed.’
While touring the royal grounds, I felt the dramatic changes that had happened over the years.
In the Yopheral region, there were at least a few buildings that had been maintained for generations, but here, they only shared names and had been expanded to the point where they looked practically different.
Seeing my hometown booming felt good, but I also felt a strange sense of loneliness.
It’s like everyone has changed except me.
‘But… what is this odd atmosphere?’
After surveying the buildings, I shifted my gaze to the people. To be precise, I was drawn to them.
There seemed to be an invisible barrier surrounding us—not magical, in a figurative sense, of course.
‘Is it because of Yuri?’
The knight commander wandering about the streets. Even I, unless I were a hardcore fan, would go out of my way to avoid him.
Izuri was a different case; she was Yuri’s junior and seemed much more gentle. Why is that?
“Are you curious why I’m being feared like this?”
“Huh? Oh, no… not really…”
Yuri was so blatant that she ended up bringing up the topic first.
“It’s fine. When I think about it, it’s rude of me to walk around with my hands behind my back in front of guests, and I should’ve let you know ahead of time. I was quite clumsy. Please forgive me.”
And then after an apologetic statement, she headed towards the nearby bushes, saying she needed to excuse herself for a moment.
The sight of the crowd rearranging itself as she walked by elicited gasps of awe.
“My ability is…”
Swipe—
“I possess the ability to cut anything I touch.”
The top surface of the bush her fingers brushed against was cleanly severed in a precise line.
The sight of it dancing in the wind and swirling around her was quite poetic, but small gasps of “Eek!” could be heard among the onlookers.
“Mithril, adamantium, none are exceptions. To me, matter is simply something to be cut.”
Even those precious to you.
The girl’s face, which was trying to convey a smile, twisted in an instant.
“My hands are particularly sensitive, you see. I can use my ability through anything I hold in my hands, and while I’ve improved a lot since then… in the past, I struggled to control it.”
This explains why she usually has her hands behind her back, hence why people avoid her.
Worried that everyone might be having a tough time, the girl’s scrunched-up face transformed back into a bright smile.
“I’m so sorry! I only talked about dark things.”
“No, you really don’t have to feel sorry…”
“The only one who accepted someone like me, shunned even by my family, is your Majesty.”
But then the next part of the tale sounded truly uplifting.
The girl continued, smiling sincerely as if she were never depressed.
“On the day I was appointed as the commander of the knights, your Majesty held my hand tightly in front of everyone.”
‘Oh ho… that rascal did that, huh?’
“He caressed each of my fingers as if they were precious treasures.”
“… ? Oh, um, yes…”
From that point, the story started to veer into a weird direction.
“And then he hugged me. It was genuinely the warmest feeling I had felt in years.”
‘No way, right?’
“Moreover, he touched every part—from my head, shoulders, back, waist, buttocks, and thighs. Not a single area was left untouched!”
‘That’s just the Emperor risking his life to sexually harass someone…!’
While Yuri was lost in her own world, I couldn’t help but take in her appearance. She’s now 11 years old… I think.
She’s noticeably smaller than 14-year-old Izuri and barely a head taller than 8-year-old Maria when you think about it. Imagining she was even smaller at the ceremony…
The Emperor was practically squatting down, openly touching a child in front of everyone.
“Brother. No matter how I see it… ewww.”
“Shh.”
I was deep in thought, afraid to shatter that fantasy.
“Even after Her Majesty the Empress was shocked and tried to dissuade him, he later secretly came to me and said he could touch me anytime I wanted! Aaaaah♡︎ I’m so flushed…”
How can I possibly tell her the truth while she’s blushing like that?
“I swore that day. I would dedicate my abilities, my life, everything to you, your Majesty, and be loyal.”
Would she really believe me if I told her the truth?
She might think I’m spouting nonsense and promptly cut my head as cleanly as she had done with that bush.
Apparently, the Empress had partially given up on the Emperor’s behavior, so I guess I’ll just keep quiet.
‘You’re a crazy bastard.’
I figured as much; even Emperor, you’d have to be that crazy. Watching him raise a loyal subject… it makes it hard to just say he’s gone off the rails.
I’m already curious about what kind of character the prince, whom I haven’t seen yet, will be.
…I thought about it again and said to myself, “No need to get involved.”
Clutch—
“Huh? Maria?”
“Miss Maria?”
Maria, who had been lost deep in thought listening to the story, barged in between us and grabbed Yuri’s hands on either side.
“Maria is still young and doesn’t know the way. We have to be careful not to lose each other.”
Yuri’s hand flinched reflexively, and Maria clung on even tighter.
So that’s your choice, our Mariemon—quite the strategist you are.
“With this, we look a bit like a newlywed couple, huh?”
Maria swatted Yuri’s hand away and took me by the arm, leading the way.
“Oh.”
“Huh… Maria?”
“Wooww…!!”
Left behind without comprehension, Yuri stood far back, unable to keep up with the situation, only for her to hurry after us, panting.
It seems they wouldn’t be holding hands again any time soon.
*
Before I knew it, it was time to enter the auction house.
A spot on the third floor with a great view of the stage. During the game, I couldn’t feel the difference from the regular seats, but seeing the crowd down below definitely made me appreciate that VIP seating.
‘Alright, let’s gather some intel.’
I leaned back against the seat and focused on the murmurs around me.
This wasn’t your typical auction; only items above a certain caliber would be up for bidding. My keen eye for items would surely sense the vibe right away.
A 100-year gap—something needs to be filled. In any auction, there are usually certain notable elements.
“Hey, did you catch wind of the news?”
“Ah. Are you talking about the woman who’s been put up for sale?”
As I zeroed in on a suitable target, an unmissable topic popped up.
“Excuse me, Commander? But wasn’t the slavery system abolished 100 years ago?”
I even helped execute that reform myself.
If they couldn’t wait and reinstated slavery, I’d be sorely disappointed in the Empire, particularly that guy.
“Are you referring to the individual who put herself up for auction?”
“Her self?”
“Yes. As you rightly mentioned, slavery has been strictly banned for nearly a century. However, some individuals have insisted on being treated as such, calling themselves the Heavenly Horse, among other things. It’s unfortunate really… it seems they’ve been given a special exception in hopes of finding good owners.”
‘Wait, Cheonma? Cheonma?’
There’s no concept of celestial horses in this world; in fact, there’s no martial arts concept here at all.
There might be skills similar to martial arts, but their names and principles are on a completely different level.
“Do you happen to know what Cheonma is?”
“Nope. Just heard about it recently.”
“What about Maria?”
“Maria is also hearing about it for the first time.”
Of course, the higher-level adventurers and knights find it mysterious too.
Listening further, it seemed everyone around also had no clue about what Cheonma was.
What if it were just a coincidence of names? In a world where many slang terms mean the same thing, the odds of “Cheonma” being unique is slim to none.
“…The woman named Cheonma will show up at the end of the auction, right?”
“Yes, she’s bound to attract the most attention at this auction.”
“Brother… are you really buying a woman?”
“Well, it’s not completely wrong but do you mind tweaking that wording a bit?”
The strategy totally flipped. Observing the potential key player or other important details became unnecessary.
“You’ve all been so patient! Now, let’s get started! The 3,149th institutional auction begins now!!”
Unless some item comes out that suddenly returns my main character’s specs, I’m all in for that Cheonma.
A mysterious girl suddenly shows up with meanings that are worlds apart. This is definitely no coincidence.
Perhaps she’s the key connecting me to my original world, or at least that’s the hope—if her name is any indication, she could very well be a trustworthy ally.
“And the first item is this! A staff made from the dragon bones used by military wizards during their active duty! Let’s open it up with a starting price of 10 silver coins!”
I can’t even use that due to job restrictions. Pass.
“Behold, the Cross blessed by the Pope!”
If I, a monster, touched it, my hands would just melt away. Pass.
“The great sword said to have been used by the dragon slayer Louis Vuitton!”
That’s a replica. Pass!
“And finally… the highlight of the day.”
Here we go. I calmed down Maria, who was puffing up her cheeks while poking my arm, and focused all my attention.
“Introducing Astrea, the self-proclaimed Heavenly Demon Girl, who has put herself up for auction!”
A girl appeared on stage.
In name only a slave, the system itself has been abolished—she walked up freely, without any restraints.
Her waist-long hair was dark, deep black, purer than white. Her striking red eyes sparkled without losing their shine, even from a distance.
Moreover, this oriental-style black martial arts outfit boasts a commanding presence in this medieval setting.
‘Heavenly Demon indeed.’
That thought struck me naturally. If she isn’t a Cheonma, then who in this world could possibly be?
Astrea, reaching the center of the stage, gazed over the entire audience before plopping down into her seat.
She nodded her chin, as if to say it was time to start.
“Well then, let’s set the base price starting at 50 gold coins…”
“One gold coin.”
“O-Oh, a gold coin…?”
“Did you just double the starting bid??”
The crowd, momentarily in shock at Astrea’s bold behavior, rapidly buzzed to life.
Momentum is key in a fight. To dominate with presence can prevent unnecessary bloodshed.
“One gold coin, ten gold coins…”
“Two gold coins.”
In an instant, the price quadrupled. Those participants, realizing they’d met their match, would likely give up seeking ownership beyond this point.
“Three.”
Someone was stepping up to challenge. It became a one-on-one showdown.
As the noise faded, all you could hear was the sound of dry swallows.
“Four gold coins.”
“Five.”
‘How much more is this going to shoot up…?’
“You are currently at five gold coins! Would anyone like to top that?”
“… Seven gold coins.”
“Eight.”
The prices just kept rising rapidly, and the onlookers’ fervor was thickening with excitement.
Meanwhile, my finances consist of the single ten gold coins I received from the Emperor before this; the initial competition feels trite as I’m already up against my limit.
“Ten gold coins…”
“Fifteen.”
Then, as if to take my cue, they boldly shot straight past ten coins.
“Twenty gold coins.”
“…Maria?”
What to do now? Think about giving up? Just when I was pondering that, Maria calmly announced twenty and flashed me a peace sign.
…Now that I think about it, it seems like it’s right for me to be raised by you.
“…”
Even the opposing bidder began to hesitate, sensing pressure on themselves.
If it becomes overly burdensome, just halt here. What’s the point of burning through twenty gold coins for just one woman? My own fate is on the line here!
“Twenty-one gold coins.”
Contrary to those thoughts, the opponent called out the next bid. Even with Maria stepping up for me, I really was out of ammunition this time.
…But, I’m not so sure that this girl is my savior; if I lose, nothing will happen, right?
But even so…
“Twenty-one gold coins have been announced! Is there anyone who wishes to bid higher? If there isn’t, we will begin the final countdown!”
“…Commander of the Knights.”
“Huh? Did you call for me?”
“I’m truly sorry to ask, but…”
I know it’s a mad thing to do.
But I heard from the girl beside me—only by doing crazy things can you achieve remarkable outcomes.
Hence, this action is no different from fulfilling the Emperor’s will. To possess the Cheonma, a certain amount of guts is required.
“Could you lend me some money…?”
Yuri looked at me as if to say, “What on earth is wrong with this kid?”
No… you make plenty of money… I’ll pay you back later…
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