Chapter 16
“How much… should I lend you?”
Was it because she was a filthy rich heiress, or did she genuinely feel sorry for me?
Yuri casually showed her willingness to lend me money.
“All you have to do is win the auction. Please, I beg you.”
Please. You must have seen it too. I’m a guy who can easily make a few gold coins.
“Got it. I’ll help you.”
I wonder if this shout reached Yuri as well.
With a friendly smile, she loosened her grip and picked up my number tag.
“The final countdown begins! 5! 4! 3…!”
“30 gold coins!”
“3, 30…?”
Well, I did ask to borrow some money.
But no matter how I look at it, my opponent was clearly reaching her limit… and now she raises by a whopping 10 coins?
‘Oh, she must be aiming for clarity. She didn’t mention how much she wanted to borrow, afraid she’d look foolish in case she backtracked…?’
Ten gold coins. It’s not exactly pocket change, but it’s not something I can’t earn either.
…Oh, surely, as the commander of the knights, she wouldn’t just start throwing around loan agreements and interest rates, right?
“3, 30 has been announced! If there’s no one else wishing to bid…!”
“40 gold coins!”
“Commander of the Knights???”
That hope shattered when she began a personal duel with herself.
“…Yes. 40 has been announced…”
“45.”
“Why on Earth are you doing this…!!”
Should we really call this a lack of self-control?
Yuri wasn’t easily satisfied and continued raising her bid. She was really putting on a show of deep contemplation, even pretending to stroke her chin.
“Now that I think about it, 50 would be a better number.”
“Starting the count! 5! 4! 3!”
“6…”
“21 gold coins! Sold! It’s sold…!!”
Thankfully, Knight Commander Yuri’s lonely struggle was halted by the host, who noticed something strange.
If they hadn’t stopped her there… how far was she planning to go?
“The winning bidder is requested to come down to the stage to pay the amount and collect the item…”
Despite not being part of the action, I was sweating profusely following the host’s call as we went down the stairs.
Yuri, bouncing with excitement, matched my pace.
Watching her do that while clasping her bag is downright adorable… but do others realize this is advanced teabagging? The sound of gold coins jangling could be heard in every corner.
“50 gold coins… I definitely received it.”
It was quite a process to become a penniless soul that wasn’t originally so miserable.
It felt even worse knowing that kids, even combined in age, were paying a staggering 80% of the total amount.
“Um… Commander of the Knights.”
“Yes. Did you call, Ai?”
Now this ‘Ai’ sounds a bit like an insult to me.
“I believe I could have won the bid even without spending 50…”
“So, you aren’t going to pay me back 30 gold coins, then?”
“Of course, I never actually stated how much I wanted to borrow…”
“So, you’re really not going to pay it back?”
“Honestly, I had already secured the win, but the Knight Commander decided all on her own…”
“Are you sure you’re not going to pay it back?”
“…I will pay it back.”
“I won’t charge you interest. Take your time repaying it, little by little.”
I paid 30 gold coins and walked away with a valuable lesson learned.
If you treat the lovely Yuri Caesar rudely, you’ll find yourself in deep trouble.
Feeling a bit melancholy, I turned my head towards Maria.
“Oppa. I think it’s wrong for Maria to own you, a living being, like an object.”
How cruel. That’s not why I was looking at her.
…You wouldn’t kick me out of the house, right?
*
“Are you the master of this body?”
After a lot of twists and turns, I finally met the Heavenly Horse.
“I’m a child. I hope to get along with you from now on.”
“Maria is Maria.”
“My name is Yuri Caesar. Currently, I hold 60% of the shares.”
“I am the Heavenly Horse Astrea. This body is the most precious in the world, so feel free to handle it however you wish, my master.”
At first sight, it looks like a narcissistic lunatic who thinks they’re a genius.
Both her attitude and her speech pattern give off the vibe of someone just mimicking what they’ve heard.
“Hmm. You seem to be staring at my chest intently. Do you want to touch it?”
‘Did she just read the gaze under my robes?’
She even has those eyes drawn as just two lonely circles.
This alone significantly raised her rating. At least she’s on the level of a Heavenly Horse representative.
“Oppa, you pervert. …There’s still hope for Maria.”
“I heard you were looking for Senior Izuri…”
The girls’ slander was lightly brushed aside.
No, look at those gigantic breasts. They’re impossible to ignore, no matter where I look. Is this really my fault?
And let’s be honest, it was Maria who found Izuri first.
In any case, this is how the official schedule within the system came to an end.
*
Yuri returned to the palace without any qualms, leaving only a teasing reminder about the debt. If it seems like it’ll take too long to return to the original world, I’ll need to think of a way to make a big score soon.
Before heading straight to Yeopeum-aul, we stopped at a tavern for a moment.
By the way, when it came to finding a place to talk, it was Maria who recommended this one and told the staff how to handle our entrance. So, could you kindly stop making that expression at the corner table? I’m not ordering any drinks, alright?
“Three beers.”
“Please give me anything but beer.”
“Boo.”
Astrea rested her chin on her hand and curiously observed us both.
“Are you and Ahae in a romantic relationship?”
“Something like that.”
“Are you out of your mind? She’s only 8 years old… What did Maria say?”
“Hmm.”
It’s not that I don’t have my prejudices… but I guess the mood has lightened up. Still, I did reveal that I’m just a puppet.
I poked Maria’s cheek, which seemed inflated with indignation, and turned the conversation back to the main topic.
“First, I have to ask you this. Why did you put yourself up for auction?”
“I was trying to establish a foundation by relying on someone who would buy this body for a high price.”
“So if that was the case, a tough guy would have won the bid… It wouldn’t have been such a big deal, right?”
Even if one is a slave, there are no restraints anymore. The slave system has been abolished, after all, so they can’t just mistreat anyone.
Plus, being a girl who placed herself on the auction block garnered a lot of attention, enough for the news to even reach the Knight Commander’s ears.
While being in the spotlight and receiving protection, there’s always room to exploit relationships tied to financial dealings.
“Maria thinks that even looking at breasts is already a harsh act.”
“Well, even if that’s not quite the case…”
I poked harder at Maria’s cheek with curiosity.
“The next question is this: Astrea, how did you become Heavenly Horse?”
“It’s a simple story. This body took it upon itself to become the Heavenly Horse, and since no one has ever tried to challenge me, I am therefore the Heavenly Horse.”
Well, if they didn’t even know what a Heavenly Horse was, who would bother to stop her?
Even I would find it wild if someone claimed ownership of a bikini city under the sea.
“Well…Anyway, let me rephrase that. How and where did you come to learn about ‘Heavenly Horse’?”
Even Maria, who had been nibbling on bread while licking her lips, seemed interested in this question.
Astrea, who had been maintaining her composure, showed a small flicker of instability in her gaze as well.
“Hmm. I seem to have to respond to your question with a question first. Your inquiry isn’t about what Heavenly Horse is, but rather where I found out about it, correct?”
“…Correct.”
“Oh. So that’s what you meant.”
Astrea smiled as if satisfied with my answer.
A crimson moon gazes from within her curving eyes. The parted corners of her lips held a hint of anticipation.
“That’s amusing. I might fall for you.”
“…!! No cutting in line…!!”
“Didn’t the child just get rejected by their master?”
“Uuugh…!!!”
knock knock knock –
I didn’t know why it suddenly felt like I was the one being attacked, but I was urged to finish my reply.
Maria quieted down as I placed her on my lap.
“…Huh, huh.”
“About 100 years ago.”
“…100 years ago?”
Meanwhile, Astrea seemed excited like a child talking about a pop idol as she began to speak.
“The first Heavenly Horse formed a group known as the Heavenly Horse Faith with a few talented people who followed him.”
The story that followed was still the basic premise you’d find in the typical martial arts novel.
However, it looked like there would be a lot to explain at first glance, so I sat quietly and listened.
“At first, there were hardships such as persecution. However, after dealing with the Frost Dragon in the North, the number of people accepting the doctrines of the Heavenly Horse Faith increased.”
“Hmm?”
“After achieving numerous feats, the first Heavenly Horse declared in front of the entire world, ‘The Heavenly Horse is the highest and strongest’.”
‘Wait a second…’
“Is the name of that Heavenly Horse by any chance ‘Tae-geun’…?”
“Oh. You knew that much?”
‘That’s the ranker who had the Heavenly Horse concept.’
Heavenly Horse Faith is the guild name, and the Frost Dragon is a guild raid. That Heavenly Horse boasting about being the best and strongest was just a victory speech from a guild battle.
That might be why I remember the guy as he incessantly tried to recruit me despite my solo-playing.
“I was inspired by his tales of heroism and dreamed of becoming a Heavenly Horse, thus I ended up walking that path.”
Tae-geun, are you watching? You’ve inspired a gorgeous Heavenly Horse. And yes, her breasts? They’re huge!
“Astrea, you’re not like a hundred years old or anything, right?”
“Just twenty, exactly.”
“Then it makes sense that you would’ve seen that in some sort of document?”
“Of course. It was in a deserted building believed to be the original site of the Heavenly Horse Faith. That’s where I saw it all.”
‘It must be the guild building.’
The direction is completely different from what I expected, but I’ve found a clue that connects me just a bit closer to reality.
Since the guild building of the Heavenly Horse Faith would have been in the system, I got up from my seat without hesitation.
“Let’s go check it out together.”
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