Chapter: 195
The Gothic Lolita outfit that the trash brought was incredibly uncomfortable to wear.
If it weren’t for Erin and several others by my side to help, I wouldn’t have dared to put it on at all.
“Nice dress. You can tell the artisan put a lot of thought into it.”
Sure, it’s better than cheap stuff, but why on earth is something like this here?
None of you would wear something like this, right?
I can’t help but think this is just a reflection of that trash’s personal taste, isn’t it?!
As my evaluation of that scum plummeted in my mind, Erin and the people from the Newman family didn’t pause in their work, and before long, my disguise was complete.
In the mirror that the trash brought, I saw a slightly sinister-looking beauty.
My long red hair was hidden under the hat, and my sharp gaze was concealed by the brim; my eyes had color-changing lenses, and my skin was made pale with makeup, making me look like a completely different person.
How is it even possible to change so much with just a little bit of tweaking?
I look like an entirely different person!
That perverted trash may be creepy, but it seems his taste and skills are genuine.
Just to check if the clothes were properly fitted, I turned my body and found myself gasping in awe.
…It actually suits me.
I look like a living doll.
As I was admiring my reflection, the Clumsy Fox beside me licked his lips.
“Oh hooo. This is something else. Slurp.”
‘Could you tone it down a bit?!…’
“Clumsy Fox. Can’t you hold back a little before you stuff Alrn into the knight’s laundry basket?”
“That’s just horrible!”
Of course, my voice and mannerisms hadn’t changed at all.
With the Mesugaki skill, how could I be any different?
It seems even the trash didn’t expect that. Before heading to the auction house, he asked me for a few things.
Don’t speak. Don’t act in front. If you have something to say, write it down and show it.
Summed up, that meant I just needed to stand behind the trash and his group like a doll until we left the auction house.
Easy enough. Just standing there?
Those who didn’t know me well, like Possell or the Newman folks, looked at me nervously, but people like Erin, who knew me well, weren’t too worried.
I’m not the old Lucy anymore. There’s no way I’ll mess this up by suddenly losing it and causing a scene!
[You seem anxious.]
‘Gramps? You don’t trust me?!’
Why is it my grandpa of all people who’s saying that?
You know me better than anyone!
[I’m saying this because I do.]
‘What’s wrong with me?!’
I felt wronged and pressed him, but he didn’t respond any further.
Hmph. If you have nothing to say, just keep quiet.
Watch me! I won’t say a word during this auction!
*
As I stepped outside the Newman family base and walked through the streets, I caught the gaze of many people.
But the meaning of those stares was different from before. When I walked outside as Lucy, people’s faces bore fear.
But now it’s different.
Simply being free of the name Lucy Alrn filled people’s gazes with goodwill.
Must be the effect of my high charm stats.
However, this high charm doesn’t always yield positive effects.
The charm possessed by someone who looks weak can attract the wrong kind of attention.
Amidst the crowd, I saw a man reaching out toward me.
Just a regular trash, really.
In my current state, I could play around with him using one hand.
Avoiding that man’s outstretched hand was easy, but I didn’t move.
I had promised myself to just stay put, and I did have some confidence backing me up.
“Do you want to die?”
Just like I was disguised, both Possell and Erin minimally disguised themselves too.
These two weren’t as distinctive as Lucy, making it easier for them to blend in.
Possell, who had turned into a bulky guy with a bad impression, and Erin, who now seemed like a silent, grumpy woman, glared at the man, causing him to shrink in fear and grovel on the floor.
Could it be thanks to Possell’s intimidation?
After that one remark, a natural pathway opened up, and I hid behind the people and moved forward.
[You said you didn’t want to, but you seem surprisingly calm.]
‘Well, it can’t be helped.’
I had resigned myself to this since otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to enter the auction house.
Plus, I’m not Lucy Alrn right now; I’m a separate person.
What’s the point of holding on to the fleeting daydream in my heart?
[What’s your true feeling on this?]
‘I feel like I’m going to die of embarrassment.’
Even now, I regretted it with every breath.
Why is everyone looking at this way!
Those who couldn’t even make eye contact when I was in my original form!
Ahh. I just want to finish this and throw this dress offooooo.
As I grumbled to myself, I soon found the auction house coming into view.
Getting inside the auction house wasn’t difficult at all.
The trash, despite his sketchy appearance, confidently introduced us to the guards using a complicated noble name. The guard, clearly acquainted with the trash, let us in without a second thought.
Since it was just before the auction began, the auction house was bustling with people.
Many of their gazes landed on me, glancing only to move on.
Admiring my beauty. Curiosity over which noble’s daughter I was. Sticky gazes lingering in silence.
My sharpened senses from countless training sessions captured it all.
Hmm. I see what Gramps meant by why he couldn’t remain silent.
“Alright, Young Lady. You can go inside now.”
The trash, looking scruffy, handled everything quickly and efficiently.
He led us to a private room in the auction house—a place where we could relax away from the crowd.
“You may relax here, but please keep your voice down. You never know who might be listening.”
Once I was relatively free from the people’s gazes, I let out a long sigh and leaned against the backrest.
“Hello! I am Prugh, the host of this auction!”
Not long after, the curtain in the middle of the auction house lifted, revealing a person.
The middle-aged man with a neat mustache spoke in a clear voice that pierced the air, announcing the start of the auction.
The items presented in the early stages of the auction were luxury goods that, in Lucy’s past, would have driven her crazy.
In other words, they were extravagant items—rings or necklaces adorned with precious gems.
Noble ladies participating in the auction tossed gold coins at them, but I simply watched in boredom.
From a gamer’s perspective, such things were just junk.
As the initial phase passed, finally, some items of value started coming up.
Among those were items I had considered giving as gifts to others.
However, I let all of them pass too.
I opted to preserve my budget for any unforeseen circumstances.
So, while waiting and waiting, the item I had been hoping for finally appeared.
A tablet that shines when infused with divine power.
“This item is no ordinary object. When infused with the faith of one who reveres the Gods, it shines warmly. It is said to embody the will of the Almighty God. Also, if you look here, there are inscriptions from the distant past that remain legible…”
The auctioneer was doing his best to hype the auction, but I wasn’t really listening.
Instead, I used my appraisal skill.
There was a good distance from the stage of the auction to me, but my long-trained emotion skill did its job effectively.
[Tablet that shines when infused with divine power.]
[Tablet that emits bright light when infused with divine power. The inscription reads, “Protect and guard.”]
As I read that inscription with my eyes wide open, I clenched my fist in excitement.
That’s a key.
A key to obtain hidden items.
An item to open a door that exists in an exceedingly ordinary place that no user could ever think something would be there.
I, who dared to dress in Gothic Lolita while prepared to create a black history! Well done!
If I had fled out of embarrassment, I would have never gotten this precious thing!
Confident, I tugged at the trash’s sleeve and he whispered.
“That item is likely to be quite expensive. What’s your limit?”
‘Three hundred gold.’
“Three hundred gold.”
This money came from the Georg family.
They made me suffer thanks to their son, alongside paying me back for saving Menestel from the brink of disaster.
Initially, I thought I’d just settle for a reasonable amount, but Karia got involved in this negotiation and it changed.
Having once ruled the underbelly of the kingdom, she was certainly very experienced in dealings.
Karia, leveraging her position as my proxy, drained the Georg family dry.
As a result, I secured numerous potions, scrolls, enchanted items, and even a massive amount of gold from the Georg family.
It felt a bit excessive back then, but now the context had changed.
The rewards Karia brought were now working in my favor.
“Will you definitely purchase it?”
‘Of course.’
“Is that so?”
“Understood.”
“Starting high as expected! The opening bid is ten gold!”
The auction price climbed rapidly.
Starting from ten, it quickly reached a hundred, and before I realized it, it hit two hundred.
By that time, those who were aiming for me seemed to be feeling the pressure, contemplating whether to raise their signs.
At that, the trash boldly raised his sign, declaring loudly.
“Two hundred fifteen!”
“Yes. Two hundred fifteen gold has been recorded!”
As soon as that price shot up, signs from the auction house seats began to come down one by one.
Not that I knew for sure, but it seemed the trash’s shout had diminished their desire to buy.
“Anyone else? I’ll count to three! Two hundred fifteen!”
Two hundred fifteen gold, huh?
That’s a hefty expense, but it’s fine.
If I think of it as the cost of getting that tablet, it’s not bad. Ah, this means I have quite a lot to do during the vacation.
“Two hundred fifteen!”
After buying Benedict’s gift, I should probably ask to go on another trip while handing it over.
Ah, but with my current condition, that might be tough.
Hmm. In that case…
“Two hundred ten!…”
“Two hundred fifty.”
Sure that the tablet would be in my hands, as my mind began to whirl with thoughts, someone across the auction house raised their sign.
Two hundred fifty gold?!
Raising the price by that much all at once?!
Even the auctioneer was surprised, and in that moment of silence, I focused on the divine concentration in my eyes and locked onto the person holding the sign.
I needed to find out who was aiming for it.
And the moment I caught sight of a woman sitting upright and looking solemn in the private room, I cursed to myself internally.
Isabel Artea.
The lady of the Artea territory, bordering the coast, who amassed her enormous wealth through her possessions.
Though often criticized for having an un-noble avarice, she exemplifies that most of the world’s issues can be solved with money.
And one of her prominent tendencies?
She has a mania for collecting items related to the gods.
…
Oh no, this is bad!
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