It might be better to get insurance.
While I was lost in thought, Penny shuddered and shouted.
“Ugh, I didn’t want to go this far……!”
I hadn't ant to refuse, but it seed I had unintentionally played hard to get.
Penny took out a basket from under the display shelf.
“This is my aunt’s new product, but I’ll let you have a sample.”
A bottle filled with black water, surrounded by branches, radiating a sinister aura.
“It’s alchemy used on objects tainted with grudge.”
“Objects tainted with grudge?”
“There used to be a trend of casting spells to bring misfortune to soone you envied.”
Everything seems to trend these days.
“Don’t worry! At worst, it just ends in an injury. It’s a simple spell.”
Penny continued with a bashful smile.
“But after that, a lot of people started suffering from nightmares. The spells never failed, but those who cast misfortune felt guilty.”
Shouldn’t they have just not done it, then?
“This alchemy is for those kinds of people. They often see illusions and think things are moving. They claim grudges are haunting the objects.”
Penny handed the basket to .
“If you’re bored, give it a try. The older the item, the more effective it is.”
“I’ve never cast misfortune on anyone, so what effect am I supposed to expect?”
“An effect that makes life more interesting?”
I couldn’t hide my suspicious gaze.
“At 9 p.m., pour the black water on the object and shake it five tis with a zelkova branch. The entire process must be completed precisely at 9 o’clock.”
“No matter how I look at it, this seems ominous.”
At my words, Penny puffed up her chest confidently.
“Don’t worry. I don’t ss with people who pay .”
“…….”
“Do you think I’ve lived my whole life getting fooled? I’ll even bet all the money here!”
Only then did I accept the basket.
Penny clasped her hands together and looked at with twinkling eyes.
“Do you finally feel my warm affection for you now?”
It’s probably for the money……
* * *
The next morning.
“A magical item that can maintain beauty and youth? We’ve never made such a thing.”
Lily pressed her brow as if she had a headache.
“……Is there sothing similar, perhaps?”
“There is, but it’s a type of hallucinogen.”
So it just makes you think you look that way.
“There was once an empress obsessed with youth. A retainer plotting rebellion used that desire to uncover the emperor’s weakness.”
“…….”
“But the rebellion failed, and the empress was executed. Since then, the hallucinogen disappeared.”
Lily sighed.
“Then how did it end up in the Magic Tower?”
“Apparently, the empress’s nanny had it. It was passed down through her descendants, and recently soone brought it to us saying it was an ominous item and asked us to dispose of it.”
A hallucinogen.
Hardly fitting of the great archmage Eileens.
The very person responsible for all the Empire’s magic.
“Anyway, we never intended to put that item up for auction, but now things have gotten tricky.”
Lily nervously fiddled with the coin in her hand.
“……Given how things are, I’m thinking of changing the date and location of the auction. What do you think?”
“Hmm.”
I thought about it for a mont.
“Let’s go as planned.”
Lily pursed her lips, surprised by my response.
“Only guests we’ve invited can enter the Moon’s Shop. Most guests feel special just being allowed into such a secretive place. If soone uninvited shows up, we could lose their trust.”
“That’s true.”
“And you still…….”
Lily clicked her tongue as if regretting asking.
“If we change the date, we won’t know what might happen on the original auction day.”
“What do you an?”
“There might be a fake auction.”
At my words, Lily paused.
If the goal is to spread Eileens’s na, it doesn’t necessarily have to be at the Moon’s Shop.
Those holding invitations by now must be prominent nobles of the Empire.
“But the trust of our original guests is just as important.”
“…….”
“Let’s proceed as planned, but hold the real auction for the true guests of the Moon’s Shop on another day. Then even if sothing happens on the first day, it won’t matter, right?”
But since this was all just my speculation, I decided to take a step back.
“Of course, the choice is yours, Lady Lily.”
* * *
And so the auction was decided to be held over two days.
Lily, following down the stairs, spoke up.
“Lord Peril mustn’t be upset.”
“Then he shouldn’t have disappeared.”
She ruffled her hair in frustration for a mont, then quietly asked .
“Hey, Bianca. One of the guests at the Moon’s Shop has heard rumors about the necklace. Is that going to be okay?”
The hallucinogen turned out to be the necklace.
A magical item that made it seem like you had returned to your most radiant youth and beauty.
But it was nothing more than an illusion.
If the Empress had asked if she looked more beautiful, her maids would have had no choice but to lie.
Lily continued nervously.
“Actually, the head of the Hinas rchant Guild contacted the shop earlier. They asked if the necklace was really going to be up for auction.”
“The head of the Hinas Guild?”
It was the guild that discovered a new trade route connected to the desert. Probably the wealthiest in the Empire.
“They’re the biggest investor in the shop. So I couldn’t give a proper answer.”
Regret filled Lily’s face.
…Well, money sources are important.
I answered as lightly as I could.
“My guess is, the rumored necklace will appear on the first day.”
“The first day?”
“Yes. They even used Peril’s na, so they’ll have to show a magical item worthy of it.”
You can’t make Eileens’s na known with a re hallucinogen.
“They’re probably aiming for the free auction ti……”
After the official auction prepared by the Moon’s Shop, there was a ti for guests to present their own items.
That would be the only ti for the necklace to appear.
“Let’s buy it ourselves and then put it back on auction.”
“Oh my, that would work!”
“But there’s a problem……”
I’d like to do that if it were up to .
However,
‘Hestia is the problem.’
Our opponent was a princess of the Empire.
She must have astronomical wealth.
“Ah, Lady Lily!”
When we reached the first floor, the mages huddled together scattered like the tide.
“……The Duke of Hessen?”
At Lily’s words, I snapped back to reality. And sure enough, Ricardo was really standing there.
With a rather awkward look on his face.
“What brings Your Grace all the way here?”
Lily couldn’t hide her surprise and approached him.
“He ca to express his gratitude regarding the Kingdom of Orphen!”
A mage exclaid as she grabbed Lily’s hand.
“Co outside, quick.”
“Uh, huh?”
Looking dazed, Lily was dragged away by the mage.
“I’m Brown, Lord Peril’s direct disciple! Duke, I…!”
“Co on out! I was the one Lord Peril loved most……”
It was utter chaos.
Thinking this might be my only chance to break the ice with Ricardo, the mages rushed to greet him without being told.
‘In a way, it’s impressive……’
How can they still approach after seeing that terrifying face?
I was about to quietly slip away after watching the scene for a bit.
“Hey, where are you going!”
A resentful voice called out.
Ricardo reached out toward as if I were his savior.
“I’m going ho.”
“……!”
“You, Your Grace…”
I smiled brightly.
“Please enjoy yourself.”
Hmph, this was payback for last ti!
A mage unfit for the tower takes her leave.
After offering a graceful bow, I left the Magic Tower.
Then I saw Lily.
“This is all……”
She stamred, staring at the rocks piled high in the carriage.
“What’s all that?”
“Magic stones.”
Ricardo, who had sohow followed outside, answered my muttering with a side glance.
“Oh, the mage you worked with must’ve done a great job.”
“I had no choice. I had to show Lady Lily so sincerity.”
Ugh, he just can’t lose a single word!
Ricardo chuckled and extended his hand to .
“Would you grant the honor of returning ho together?”
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