kscans

Chapter 132 - The Auction's Theme

In the morning, after our nighttime enjoyment, Tina, freed from her bonds, was sleeping next to me, still in her armor.

It was probably around eight o'clock. It seemed she had been quite tired.

I prepared breakfast, and after Tina woke up, we ate together.

After cleaning up, I said, "Tonight's the night of the underground auction. Should I bring something besides the alligator hide?"

Tina thought for a moment before replying, "Let's see. I've seen that alligator in a bestiary, but I'm quite sure there are no red-skinned ones. Let's bring a wolf or a bear."

That decided, it was better to act quickly.

As I was getting ready, Tina asked, "By the way, did you report to the Guild Master that our spying duties are over?"

"No problem," I said, recalling yesterday's events. "The princess gave me her signature on her way out, so I sent it along with a messenger pigeon. I'm sure he's seen it by now."

When she left, the princess had signed her name and stamped the royal seal as proof that it wasn't a forgery. Tina looked relieved. After getting our gear ready, we headed out of the Royal Capital.

There were wolves in this area, so we planned to hunt at least one. And as we searched, we found it: a wolf covered in red fur. A Flame Wolf.

Its red appearance was a sign of a fire-type monster.

There were no lakes or ponds to speak of in this area; at best, there was only groundwater collected in caves. Perhaps for that reason, there were no water-type monsters, but many fire and earth types. Incidentally, lightning types supposedly lived in areas with many caves, and wind types were found in high places like cliffs.

Well then. I drew my sword and went to hunt. The Flame Wolf noticed me and spat fire in my direction. A single fireball, about the size of a basketball. I dodged it with ease.

The fireball exploded on impact, gouging a hole in the ground. It had some decent power. A direct hit would mean instant death.

I channeled magic into my legs and closed the distance in a flash. There was no point in keeping my distance from an enemy with a ranged attack. The only option was to finish it up close. I imbued my sword with lightning magic. It glowed red as lightning crackled across it. A fitting look for 'Red Lightning.'

The wolf, wary of my approach, leaped backward. At the same time, it fired three fireballs. It was pretty good to be able to fire them in succession. Not to be outdone, I sliced through the fireballs with my sword. They had power, but their speed was only about ten kilometers per hour. An easy speed to cut through. After slicing them all, I closed in.

Just then, the wolf unleashed a massive fireball, ten times larger than the previous ones.

"Flame Demon Sword!" I yelled.

I instantly switched from lightning to fire.

The switch was incredibly fast, probably taking about 0.1 seconds. The flaming sword cleaved the fireball in a wide arc. I charged through the middle of the bisected fireball and, upon reaching the wolf, sliced its neck. I felt the sensation of cutting its carotid artery. Blood spurted out, and it died.

Subjugation complete.

"That was a pretty tough Flame Wolf," I commented. "To think it could fire off consecutive fireballs."

"I'm surprised, too," Tina mused. "Normal Flame Wolves can shoot fireballs, but I've never heard of one shooting them in succession. And its physique seems larger, too."

Indeed, I hadn't noticed from a distance, but up close, it was huge. About three times the normal size. I might have hit the jackpot.

"Well, it can't be helped," I decided. "For now, let's head to a disassembly shop. The last place wasn't bad, but I feel hesitant to go there again so soon. Let's try a different shop. It's important to experience how different their service is."

If you frequent only one shop, you're in trouble when it's gone. It's better to visit other shops and get somewhat acquainted with them to avoid future hardship.

Tina responded to my thoughts, "I certainly have no reason to oppose using another shop. If that's decided, let's go."

She loaded the wolf onto the cart with unusual haste.

As I helped, I wondered about her attitude. It was concerning.

As if sensing my thoughts, Tina explained, "It's because we need to hurry to make it to the auction in time. A carcass this size will take a while to disassemble. If there are other customers, it will take even longer."

It was a convincing reason.

We quickly pulled the cart towards the Royal Capital.

We searched for a shop within the capital.

There were several disassembly shops, and we entered one that looked particularly clean. The other shop was larger, but places like that tend to have more customers. In fact, we saw someone going in just a moment ago.

When we entered the shop, a clerk greeted us. "Welcome. Is this for disassembly?"

"Yeah," I said. "Disassemble this Flame Wolf. I'll decide about selling the magic stone after I see it."

The clerk's eyes widened in surprise when he saw the wolf.

He probably had never seen one this size.

"Very well," the clerk said. "It will take some time, so please wait here. As for the magic stone, we will extract it immediately."

He then called several workers from the back, and they began extracting the magic stone.

"You're taking it out quite quickly, aren't you?" I asked.

"A while ago, there was a shop that embezzled a magic stone and sold a different one in its place," the clerk explained. "Naturally, they were taken away by the guards for fraud. Since then, it's been decided that for any monster with a magic stone, it must be extracted on the spot and traded."

It was a satisfactory explanation. As I was nodding, the clerk added, "By the way, that shop was the disassembly shop across from the weapon shop. It had a very small sign. Apparently, they were pretending to be a famous shop known only to insiders."

Tina and I exchanged glances.

So it was that place. I thought they were conscientious, but it seems they just wanted to get rid of us quickly because it wouldn't be profitable. They put on such an air of craftsmanship that I let my guard down. That was a close call; I'm glad we didn't go today.

As I was thinking, the magic stone was placed on the desk. It was the size of a soccer ball and glowed a brilliant red.

"Hmm," the clerk mused. "For a magic stone of this quality... I can buy it for twenty gold coins. Of course, that's after deducting our labor costs."

To the clerk's offer, I replied with a serious expression, "Twenty-two gold coins. I'll sell, how about it?"

After a brief staring contest, the clerk said, "You win. We will purchase it for twenty-two gold coins."

He gave in and handed me the money.

Even after deducting the fees, it felt cheap for a stone of this size and brilliance. But they were running a business, so I couldn't push my luck. I decided to settle for a reasonable price. After waiting for an hour, the Flame Wolf's hide and meat were brought out, filling a bag to the brim.

The clerk handed me a bill. Thirty small gold coins. Not bad at all. I paid.

We loaded the bag onto the cart and left the shop. It was just past noon.

We hadn't eaten lunch, but we had meat. I decided to head back to the base and grill some. After that, with nothing particular to do, we strolled around town, and by evening, we returned to Earth.


Late at night.

For dinner, I ate a nourishing meal to fully restore my stamina and magic power.

The return trip from the underground auction is always dangerous. Tina and I met in front of the familiar building, gave the password, and went inside. The atmosphere in the waiting room had changed even more. There were now free drinks, and a large quantity of snacks were laid out, free to eat but not to take home. The lighting, which had been somewhat dim, was now brighter. The treatment was so good it was hard to believe this was the underworld.

Kuroda appeared, gave his usual explanation, and we waited for our turn.

When my turn came, I entered.

"Fufu. The atmosphere has changed even more, hasn't it?" Kuroda said with a wicked smile. "The other day, a certain investor made a large donation. Apparently, a new component was discovered in the bear fur, and he made a considerable profit. He said it was his way of saying thanks. I'm truly grateful... for products from a different place."

So he'd figured it out. No, it would be stranger if he hadn't. And yet, he still gave me preferential treatment. He probably thought I was the only one who could go there. That made sense. In current manga and anime, only the chosen ones can go to another world.

Without a word, I presented the bags containing the alligator and wolf materials.

Kuroda's eyes went wide.

"Isn't it unusual?" I asked.

"No," Kuroda replied. "I just think things are going to get quite heated."

I had a vague idea of what he meant.

I was given a number tag, and after a short wait, I was given new ones. Numbers ten and eleven. These might become quite the featured items. Through the window of the waiting room, the auction began.

The auctioneer announced, "Ladies and gentlemen gathered here tonight, you are truly fortunate. A featured item has been submitted for this auction. Please, enjoy."

With that, the first item was brought out.

"First up is a USB containing the formula for a medicine developed by a certain company. The contents appear to be a new gastrointestinal drug. The results of its efficacy are excellent. However, these are data-based results. We will start the bidding at ten thousand."

It was completely confidential company data.

It ended up selling for a hundred thousand. The auction continued, and finally, it was my turn. The alligator hide was brought out.

"And now, for today's featured item," the auctioneer announced. "An alligator hide! As you can see, its color is red, as if representing fire itself. Moreover, this hide is exceptionally heat-resistant, capable of withstanding temperatures of one hundred degrees Celsius. Furthermore, the hide's composition is different from conventional materials, making it of high quality. It has more than enough value to be used not only for bags but also for shoe material. Let's start the bidding at ten thousand."

It seemed to be a good product.

The price climbed considerably, and it eventually sold for ten million yen.

And then...

"Next up, an item that surpasses even our featured item—a grand feature! A wolf's fur! Just like the alligator hide before it, this fur is also red, and its composition surpasses any wolf fur we've seen before. Furthermore, like the alligator hide, it is exceptionally heat-resistant, and its effect exceeds that of the alligator. Please, take a look at this."

As he said that, a man with a flamethrower appeared, and a piece of the fur was attached to the wall.

The man fired the flamethrower at the fur. It was a spectacular and ruthless display of scorching heat. After a while, the fire was extinguished. The wall was scorched black, but the fur was not only intact, it wasn't even singed.

As the customers murmured in shock, the auctioneer touched the fur, showing off its fluffiness as if nothing had happened.

"As you can see," the auctioneer declared, "it is completely unscathed even after being bathed in the two-hundred-degree flames of a flamethrower. An item of this caliber is a rare sight indeed. You are all truly fortunate people. Now, let's start the bidding at ten thousand."

The performance ended, and the bidding began.

Did they go that far because it was so rare? Tina and I looked at each other and sighed.

The bidding became fierce, reaching thirty million yen. From there, after some detailed bidding, it was finally sold for thirty-nine million, nine hundred and eighty thousand yen.