Chapter 255

Chapter 255

Hassan Goes to the Auction – Part 3

Clack, thump—splash.

The sound of an abacus clicking can be heard from somewhere nearby. Turning my head, I see a middle-aged Halfling wearing a long robe, sitting at what could be called a jury’s bench, carefully adjusting his glasses.

“So, according to the report—there was a complete loss of one healing facility building. Compensation for the victims engulfed by the flames, damage to a laundry in the East Gate Street, and damage to the garden and its fence.”

The man mumbles some more while making what sounds like various calculations. He’s probably an insurance agent or an appraiser from the city.

I didn’t care about who this man was, and I assumed many others here didn’t as well. What we were waiting for wasn’t him, but rather the amount he will announce.

“The final result is… Defendant Elpride Desmund is responsible for damages amounting to 200 gold, 25 silver, and 12 copper coins to the city of Sodomora, including the costs of this trial.”

With that, the halfling man adjusted his glasses again and concluded. There were murmurs of “whoa” coming from various parts of the room.

Two hundred gold…

Indeed, it is an absurd amount.

Two hundred gold.

This seemed to be the compensation cost for Elpride burning down East Gate Street.

Considering the amount of damage caused by fire, it’s unclear whether the total is rather significant or not, but for me, it’s undoubtedly a sum I’ll never be able to touch in my lifetime.

The judge speaks.

“Does the defendant have the ability to reimburse the 200…uh…”

“The amount is 225 gold, 63 silver, and 12 copper coins, Your Honor.”

“Does the defendant have the ability to reimburse 225 gold, 63 silver, and 12 copper?”

At the judge’s inquiry, Elpride falls into a stiff silence.

“No.”

Of course, the answer comes quickly despite the pondering time; 200 gold is an enormous amount even for an adventurer of the Silver Tier who has toiled hard for years.

Not long ago, Elpride had already spent her savings of 120 gold to pay Hippolyte for rescuing her comrades from the abyss.

Currently, Elpride is completely penniless.

“I see. If the defendant lacks the ability to repay, we will proceed according to schedule.”

The judge solemnly nodded, then struck the gavel with a resounding thunk. At this, the middle-aged halfling polishing his glasses smirked slightly and continued.

“Defendant Elpride Desmund must repay over 200 gold. Therefore, the minimum bid for this auction will start at 200 gold.”

I’ve only participated in human auctions sparingly—at most, twice.

One time, I was the product myself. It’s not something I like to reminisce about, but standing here now, those memories creep up whether I like it or not.

A human who commits grave sins is sentenced either to d*ath or slavery.

The starting bid for a slave is determined based on the severity and compensation amount of their crimes.

Whoever purchases the slave assumes responsibility for repaying the compensation amount, and in return, they gain the rights to exploit the slave—this is my understanding of the kingdom’s legal system, at least.

Of course, if we dive into legal theory, there are more complex and sophisticated rules and ordinances, but I only know this much, and that was enough for me.

In any case, Elpride’s minimum bid starts at 200 gold.

Considering that I had been sold for 10 gold, the difference in price is astronomical.

In my case, no buyers showed up, so the price dropped from 10 gold to 9, then 5, and finally to 30 silver, pushing me to the brink of execution.

But Elpride’s auction begins at 200 gold? I wondered how far the price might fall, but I soon realized how naive I was.

“205 gold.”

Someone raises their hand and says this. In their hand is a peculiar sign with a number they received when entering.

The halfling with glasses responds.

“205 gold from No. 25! 205 gold!”

“210 gold.”

“210 gold from No. 75! 210 gold!”

“215 gold!”

“215 gold from No. 15!”

The price wasn’t dropping but kept climbing higher, leaving me utterly puzzled. What on earth was happening?

Not only me, but it seemed the same for everyone else around.

They’re raising the bids from 200 gold.

The item’s rare—white female elf, at least up to 250 gold will be the baseline. She looks young, too.

She really is a valuable asset.

Listening to people’s conversations, the reaction was split—half of them couldn’t quite believe the price going up, while the other half seemed to accept it reasonably and positively.

To them, 200 gold is already a significant sum, but it’s evident that Elpride, being a white elf, is a rare sight indeed.

“225 gold! 225 gold from No. 27!”

“230 gold.”

“230 gold from No. 15! Now entirely exceeding the compensation amount!”

The price keeps climbing, quickly surpassing the compensation amount.

Alright. That’s settled.

With this, they’ll fully recover the losses.

Some faces brightened, likely victims affected by Elpride’s arson.

Only moments ago, they had been glaring with anger. Now, they watched the situation with renewed interest.

“250 gold.”

Hey, it’s already 250 gold, isn’t it?

If this works out, we could make a big profit.

As the amount increases, the victims’ feet might start to itch. Because the remaining amount after covering the compensation is distributed among them.

Since around 30 people were harmed by Elpride, the surplus of 25 gold from the compensation of 225 will be evenly distributed among them.

“270 gold.”

And the price keeps going up. For those who were bemoaning their losses just moments ago, it’s only natural to start feeling good, considering they could make more than they lost.

Dang, if only the fire had spread to my house. There’s that broken pottery from before—should I just claim the damage came from this fire too?

If you’re found out, you’re dead, idiot. Just keep your mouth shut and watch.

“270 gold from No. 15! Bid is now 270 gold! Oh, we have 275 gold from No. 30!”

The competition heats up, and the price is soaring. The price is mostly being driven up by a man with a bowler hat (No. 15) and a distinguished-looking woman in a white dress (No. 30).

Is No. 15 Sir Lak Jun, the baron? He’s putting up quite a fight.

He’s making lots of money from the recent mining business. A nouveau riche with a freshly acquired noble title, boasting his wealth here.

He has a hobby of collecting rare races as servants. So, is this true?

The man with the bowler hat and glasses seemed to be a noble. A mining noble, possibly? I’ve heard there’s a mine near Sodomora.

From what I’ve heard, this man’s interest in purchasing Elpride stems from a mixture of vanity and collector’s ambition.

“300 gold from No. 30!”

Now attention shifts to the woman who’s competing against the baron. It was a woman dressed in white, with long, flowing amber hair.

I felt like I’d seen her somewhere, but given that such an elegant lady wasn’t likely to be someone I personally knew, I dismissed it as a mistaken impression. Right when I thought this, someone around me spoke up.

Who’s No. 30? She’s new around here, but she’s quite pretty. Is she a noblewoman?

This person really has no idea about the world. That’s Lady Sarditch.

What? This woman is Count Sarditch’s wife? Dang, how could someone that young-looking have a daughter over 20 years old?

Being the countess, she probably consumes the best of everything, hence why she looks so youthful. I’ve also heard she was known for her beautiful complexion even in her youth.

Indeed, as the group nodded in agreement, so did I. I remembered where I’d seen her—she was at the banquet hosted by the Gold Beard Dwarf Count of Sodomora.

She’s Enya Sarditch, the count’s daughter, who forcibly conscripted me into the army. And she’s the mother, right? She looks to be in her late twenties.

But why is this woman trying to purchase Elpride? As I harbored this curiosity, whispers from the crowd answered my question.

Why is this woman trying to buy a female slave? Is she going to use her as a handmaiden or something?

Shh, quiet down, idiot. Don’t get beaten. Didn’t you know that the dwarf count beats up anyone who talks badly about his wife?

Well, but I’m curious. Why would she spend such a huge sum to buy this female elf?

It’s probably because of this.

What?

They say the countess’s daughter became a paraplegic after the war. She was cursed or something. And now they’re seeking healers and potions everywhere.

Oh, I’ve heard about that story. It was in the newspaper too.

I, too, was familiar with that story.

Hawkins Count, who handled many affairs in Sodomora, and his daughter Enya Sarditch. It was said that after returning from the war, the young lady suffered from fever and eventually became partially paralyzed.

But what does her condition have to do with this auction?

Haven’t you heard about the famous elixir mentioned this time? The one with Nymph water. Since elves are somewhat akin to outsider Nymphs, and white elves, in particular, use mana, the thought is that boiling water infused by a white elf might be able to break the curse.

Ah.

Of course, this is just my speculation. I don’t know what those high-status individuals are thinking, so it’s better not to go around spouting this everywhere.

That’s true. But, your guess has a lot of merit, doesn’t it?

Indeed, it made a lot of sense. Everyone knows the famous story of the count of Sodomora cherishing his daughter deeply.

If his young daughter returned from the war at such a young age as a paraplegic, of course, he’d want to cure her no matter the cost, using any method, and spending any amount of money.

My father, for example, gave me whatever he could to restore my health. d*mn. It’s horrifying.

Rather, what about boiling this elf?

I imagined Elpride being boiled in bubbling water. An elf soaking in a hot spring.

While I’ve heard about water nymphs from ditches and streams, the idea of an elf infused in boiling water feels intriguingly different.

“300 gold from No. 30! Bidding raised to 300 gold! Let’s hear it for 300 gold!”

“320 gold.”

“Three hundred and twenty gold!”

Just now, the price was increasing by 5 gold coins at a time, but now it’s jumped by 20 gold.

At this point, people can’t help but feel tense about how this power struggle will end.

Three hundred and twenty gold is a really d*mn large sum.

Considering cheap rice porridge costs around 3 copper coins, 320 gold would buy you 100 bowls for 3 silver coins, or 10,000 bowls for 3 gold coins. Seriously, the math gets out of hand quickly. A million bowls of rice porridge? d*mn, that’s astronomical.

The price of Elpride alone could feed the citizens of Sodomora for days.

If she were sold at this price, the kingdom’s poorest could be fed for at least a week. The absurd amount left me dizzy. Is Elpride really worth this much? Honestly, I wouldn’t think she could be valued so highly.

Seemingly, the same thought occurred to those around me, as when the bid passed 330 gold, the entire crowd started murmuring with a sense of helplessness.

Isn’t the auction getting out of hand?

I’ve heard that Sir Lak Jun and Count Sarditch don’t get along. Does that factor in somehow? I’ve also heard they’re the most contentious pair in the council.

Are these two families now competing here?

It seemed that more than just a need for Elpride, their rivalry involved reasons and enmity between them that I couldn’t possibly understand.

Perhaps sensing this, the judge knocked the gavel twice to regain control of the assembly and spectators.

“Well, well. This auction seems to be heating up a bit too much. 330 gold? In the history of Sodomora, only discarded lightning that didn’t hit anything sold for 350 gold.”

The judge cleared his throat and continued.

“But do think about it. If Jupiter’s lightning was worth 350 gold, are we really comparing Ms. Tomato-sprinkler here to that?”

At the judge’s words, everyone’s attention was drawn back to Elpride. Seated on the floor, she merely licked her teeth with a disdainful cluck.

Even though her price was going up, she didn’t seem happy. Of course, it makes sense since she would need to repay the purchase price to regain her freedom, meaning the higher the price, the higher the difficulty.

“Anyway, rethink your bids.”

The judge’s statement ended there. With this, those in the victim’s gallery who had just been smiling at the thought of a hefty share of profit became somber again. Just at that moment, someone raised their hand.

“Honored judge, may I say a word?”

“Galad of the laundry victims’ representative. Go ahead.”

“Regardless of the gravity of her crimes, perhaps it’s a bit pitiful to see her sitting there in such a soiled state. Would it be possible to clean the tomato stains off her for a small act of mercy?”

“You’re the ones who threw tomatoes earlier. Moments ago, you wanted her on the gallows. What’s with this sudden change of heart?”

“Don’t we hate the sin but love the sinner? We respect your wise judgment, Your Worship, and wish to extend some mercy to this white elf.”

“Hmm, well. This is a story of reconciliation and forgiveness, quite a touching tale, isn’t it? Scribe, take note of this situation. ‘The Beautiful Forgiveness of Judge Porfir’—this title works splendidly.”

At this, there was the sound of papers being written by reporters all around. Shortly after, female servants came out carrying damp towels and a set of new white garments.

With these, they cleaned Elpride’s face and hair and dressed her in fresh clothes.

“Changing here?!”

Even Elpride seemed uncomfortable shedding her clothes in front of so many people.

Thus, a thin curtain was set up around her, and she began changing clothes with a soft rustling sound. Somehow, the silhouette revealed by this strange sound seemed even more stimulating.

“My chest feels a little tight.”

Splash, splash.

Were her shoes off already as well? The sound of her bare feet against the floor was loud.

“400 gold.”

At that moment, Baron Jun Lak announced it.

Four hundred gold.

No one argued with that statement. Even me, if I had the money, I might have been tempted to bid even higher. Everyone seemed to share similar feelings.

Somewhere behind that thin curtain, a mystical white elf is changing her clothes.

This fact had completely overtaken the chaotic courtroom, creating an almost sacred atmosphere.

Around the room, the only sounds were people breathing and swallowing.

It seemed as though Baron Jun Lak would take Elpride after all. But then, a man approached the judge and whispered something into his ear.

The judge, known as Porfir Something-or-other, frowned for a while as he listened and then addressed the room.

“Due to unforeseen circumstances, today’s trial ends here. We will reconvene in one week, in this same location. Court dismissed! Everyone, take the time to reconsider.”

Bang, bang-bang.

Confusion broke out as everyone failed to understand. To abruptly end this trial which opened with Jupiter’s authority, how could someone make this possible?

[Author Notes] Lord Harc! Thegodenel! Caffuccino! Seummul! Porponjogyu! Chaegoyeonjuppo! Gimoreuga! Baekworyangmyo! CCM! BtumberOne! CheE! Kimjnm2001! Ttaeguni! Qaisha! Joyjang! Potetoseobeo! King Huwonyeon of Gaiuz! Thank you all for your coupons and support!

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