Chapter 52
‘……So that is where that bastard head of the house was running around. He went to Denimarad to check whether there was any news about Quija’s Smile.’
Only then did Aquila recall the fact that, in a previous cycle, the head of House Raiesel had admitted to traveling back and forth between several places multiple tis during this period.
He clicked his tongue silently.
Perhaps mistaking Aquila’s furrowed brow as sothing else while he was lost in recollection, rien lowered her gaze.
“……If you are not interested in the auction, that is perfectly fine. I may be shaless, but not to that extent. I only ant to ask whether you might consider my proposal, if you happened to be planning to attend.”
“Do you absolutely have to attend that auction?”
“Well, that is…….”
rien could not answer right away.
That was only natural, since the last news that Quija’s Smile had been discovered was already several years old.
They said that it should be about ti for the flower to bloom again, but no one could be certain whether it truly would.
“Honestly, I am not sure. There is sothing we are looking for, but I do not know if it will appear…….”
rien murmured in the smallest voice she had used so far.
A parasite that fed on minerals.
If bitten by that insect, part of the body would gradually turn into mineral, until eventually it could no longer move.
However, that insect was rarely encountered.
It lived only on extrely rare and valuable minerals.
And yet, the youngest son of House Raiesel had seen it after following his father to a mine.
The mineral that the insect favored.
That was…… mithril.
‘It is as if they traded both legs for mithril. If word spreads that they are searching for Quija’s Smile, scavengers will co running the mont they hear that House Raiesel has found a place with mithril.’
The disease of mineralization did not simply an that a part of the body hardened.
It ant that it changed into the sa substance as the mineral on which the insect had fed.
In other words, the youngest son’s legs were currently in the process of turning into mithril.
That ore coveted by all.
Once the mineralization was complete, people would put House Raiesel’s youngest son up for auction.
That was why they were now desperately searching for Quija’s Smile while hiding their nas.
rien for the sake of her younger brother, and her father for the sake of his son…….
And to put it bluntly, they would fail to find Quija’s Smile before the mineralization of the youngest son was complete.
No, they had already missed it.
The Quija’s Smile they were searching for would be put up for sale at this year’s Old Items Auction, but House Raiesel would be unable to participate.
Because they could not find a noble willing to offer a companion slot.
They had brushed it off lightly, thinking that it probably would not appear anyway.
And the cause of that was…….
‘Aquila Reschenhardt. Because Aquila died at House Raiesel, all the parties were canceled, and they could not secure a noble to accompany them.’
He barely suppressed the sigh that nearly escaped.
After going in circles, it led back here again.
The death of Aquila Reschenhardt.
But this ti, he could not avert his eyes and tell himself that it was unavoidable.
After that incident, House Raiesel withdrew from the mine.
Leaving behind all that mithril that could only be seen as their son’s legs…….
‘If I want to enter the main scenario more smoothly, I need that. And if I want to stop listening to that bastard whining later on, too.’
Aquila ran his red hair back repeatedly, then hardened his gaze.
Given all that, he had no choice but to say it.
“……What do I need to do to participate in the auction?”
***
Once he expressed his intention to register for the Old Items Auction, everything proceeded swiftly.
rien Raiesel would handle all the procedures herself, and she promised that her side would pay the entrance fee in full.
Since they had secured a companion slot, such a fee was nothing to her.
Before standing up from her seat, she offered her thanks and apologized for every discourtesy she had committed there.
“Then I will contact you the day before the auction. Up to four companions are allowed. Will two people besides be enough, or should we register the maximum number just in case?”
“……I would appreciate that.”
Only one person’s na would be recorded as the representative, but the number of companions still had to be registered.
The auction house needed to know how many people would be entering for things to proceed smoothly.
Without much deliberation, Aquila decided to exclude Heinen from the auction party.
It was certain that the work at the Grand Temple would be finished before the Founding Festival, and even so, it was unreasonable to bring the temple knights all the way to the auction house.
Heinen agreed.
He knew he would not be able to participate in the auction anyway.
“Until we et again soon.”
After exchanging farewells, Aquila boarded the carriage.
The sun was still blazing.
The appointnt had been set for one in the afternoon, and not much ti had passed since then.
Aquila briefly took in the main gate of House Raiesel through the small window of the carriage, then looked away.
“Will you be all right?”
As soon as he turned his gaze, Shen asked.
“All right with what?”
“Well…… everything.”
The intent behind the question was clear.
After all, it was true that his young master had suffered heartbreak, was it not?
But Aquila waved his hand with an indifferent expression.
There was no way he would develop feelings for the daughter of that head of the house.
“Enough. Send word that we will be staying in Portplum longer because of the Founding Festival. It will be better to remain here than to travel back and forth.”
“……Yes, Young Master. But is it truly all right for you to participate in the auction?”
“Which side are you asking about? Them, or ?”
“Um…… both?”
Aquila replied leisurely.
“For now, it is a legal venue, and you do not need to worry about security. Expensive items change hands there, so security will be strict. And…….”
He paused briefly, recalling House Raiesel where he had been just monts ago.
“Well, they should not pose a problem either. They will be desperate.”
“Desperate…… for what?”
“There are things like that.”
Aquila answered shortly and leaned back against the cushion.
From what he had observed over countless cycles, the ddleso and sociable bloodline of House Raiesel did not treat debts lightly.
They did not forget what they had received, and they repaid what needed to be repaid.
Whether it was a favor or a grudge.
‘Even the reason that bastard betrayed was part of repaying a debt…….’
His black eyes sank briefly, as if sketching the distant past, then returned to the present.
‘Still, forming ties with House Raiesel at this point is not bad. If I secure Quija’s Smile for them, the chances of being betrayed will drop as well.’
For now, that was sufficient.
Other matters could be considered after everything was settled smoothly.
Feeling the carriage sway, Aquila closed his eyes for a mont.
***
“Young Master! It has been so long!”
Yujelia returned to the lodging after running about busily to help with the work at the Grand Temple.
Chelsey had urged her to rest.
Perhaps because she had been seeing blazing red hair so often lately, she had found herself missing them.
Today as well, Yujelia entered cheerfully, her brown hair tied tightly up.
“Oh, Lady Yujelia! It has been a while!”
Shen waved energetically with a bright smile.
Yujelia approached him first, habitually checking whether he was in poor condition, then sat down on the chair Shen brought over.
“Has nothing happened? There are truly so many people, perhaps because of the Founding Festival. Have you gone outside at all?”
She said this while looking at Aquila, whose face appeared pale, perhaps because he had stayed indoors most of the ti.
Aquila and Shen exchanged a brief glance, then explained what had happened two days earlier.
“Is it really all right if you return late? Um, it is just Ershan and i…….”
Yujelia had promised to return to Igrail to help with the morial service for Ershan and i once things in Portplum were settled.
It seed to be weighing on her mind.
“Oh. That should be fine. We just received a reply, and it does not seem like they have made a decision yet.”
“I see…… there is still plenty of ti, then.”
Yujelia nodded.
“But an Old Items Auction, you say. Were you interested in auctions, Young Master?”
“At first, I had not even been thinking about the Founding Festival, but since I am here, I thought it might not be bad to experience it at least once.”
“Now that I think about it, you said you have rarely left Igrail, did you not? Even so, you seem to know quite a lot…….”
“Thanks to books.”
Aquila replied calmly, having experienced just about everything over many cycles.
“Still, I worry that if you go to such a place, your health might worsen again.”
“I do not collapse at random.”
“Um, yes…… of course.”
Yujelia answered sowhat awkwardly.
She did not sound particularly convinced.
And she was not the only one, since Shen also glanced at Aquila before looking away.
“There is one companion slot left. Would you like to co along?”
“?”
“Yes.”
At Aquila’s rare offer, Yujelia hesitated briefly.
“……I know it is a legal auction. But I do not really want to go to places where expensive items and money change hands. I am sorry.”
In the end, she shook her head.
Judging by her tone, it seed that Martio’s influence still lingered within Yujelia.
Knowing that, Aquila did not press the matter further.
“Thank you for the offer, Young Master. Still, we will be traveling together when we return to Igrail anyway.”
Shen, who had returned with tea, nodded vigorously.
“Yes, of course!”
***
Late that night, on the sa day Yujelia had visited.
Ianpel finally erged after completing the prayer ritual for the peace and well-being of the Delvion Empire.
After finishing three full days of prayer and stepping out of the prayer chamber, the Saint was said to have shown not a single trace of disarray, still radiating holiness.
At least, that was the rumor circulating among those who visited the Grand Temple and among the priests.
And the following afternoon, Aquila t Ianpel.
Upon seeing him after a long ti, the Saint spoke.
“I heard that you are participating in the Old Items Auction. May I co as well?”
“……What?”
That was the first thing he said after sitting down on the sofa.
Aquila raised the corner of his eyebrow.
“You said there was one companion slot left, did you not? I thought that ant I could co.”
Aquila’s gaze naturally shifted backward.
The thick lips visible beneath his chin showed not the slightest crack, and, befitting soone who held a place among the temple knights, he maintained a perfectly upright posture while staring straight ahead.
‘……He ca out last night, and the news traveled quickly.’
Letting out a sigh, Aquila turned back.
“You are a Saint in na. Should you really be participating in such an auction?”
“There is no reason I should not. It is a legal venue where nas are registered and only items with clear provenance are listed.”
“I am the one registering the na, not you. And it is a place where money and valuables are exchanged.”
“Bribery and money laundering are prohibited, and one’s reputation would suffer if discovered, all at the Old Items Auction?”
Ianpel smiled faintly.
His words were not wrong.
Though there were those who tried to hide themselves in various ways, no one would allow wrongdoing at an event where the nas of houses were recorded.
If they did, it would an that everyone attending the auction was an accomplice.
That was why, if any such signs appeared, the attendees themselves would step in before the auction administrators did.
‘Even so, it is still the nobles’ money. The problem is that one cannot be completely free so long as the source of the funds is unknown.’
Aquila clicked his tongue softly.
“Why do you want to go?”
“I have never been before, so I thought I might look around. I hear many rare items appear.”
Aquila looked at him as if asking whether he was serious.
“If you wish to go, find a different representative or companion. I can fill the remaining slot with soone else.”
“Ah…… if you are concerned that the other companion might be uncomfortable, what if I obtain their permission?”
Aquila beca indifferent without even turning his gaze back.
He assud everything had already been said.
“Yes, well. If you can.”
“Hm…… sounds good. All right. If I obtain permission, you will include , correct?”
Aquila answered without much sincerity, but Ianpel seed to think there was no chance he would be refused.
Not long after sitting down, he rose from the sofa.
“Then let us postpone our conversation for later…… shall we be on our way?”
Ianpel accepted a square-shaped key from Chelsey and lightly shook it.
“To the Grand Temple’s prison.”
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