Chapter 30

“The item up for grabs is the Immortal’s Stone Mask, famously known as the Desert’s Catastrophe. This genuine artifact was retrieved from the ancient tomb of this land, and we will start the bidding at 250 Talents!”

“260!”

“280!”

“300!”

The auction house was heating up more and more with each bid.

Listening to the sound of various relics and weapons being sold for high prices from all over the world, she finally arrived at the entrance of the central hall where the auction was taking place…

Elkana honestly felt a pang of envy.

Not for the lucky bidders carrying away the goods, but for the merchants hosting this auction.

“Naturally… when it comes down to it, the profession that handles the most money is the merchant.”

Having once been the squad leader of a renowned bounty hunter group, she had been able to seize tens, even hundreds, of Talents in a single expedition.

Yet, despite that, she couldn’t hold a candle to the financial success of merchants, who were able to rake in profits by merely moving their tongues instead of engaging in bloody battles with their bodies during expeditions.

This realization had continued to fuel her admiration for merchants.

In fact, the reason she had been diligently saving every penny was to one day escape the unstable life of a bounty hunter and operate as a merchant.

Ultimately, that dream had fled her grasp when her savings were wiped out, yet Elkana still held on to her ultimate goal deep in her heart.

One day, she vowed… she would become a tycoon who sails the seas freely and makes a fortune.

As she recalled this unexpected dream she had buried for a while, Elkana intended to enter the auction house where the sound of money being made was echoing, alongside Ambasha.

At that moment…

“Wait! Not this way, follow me.”

“Huh?”

Achroiel was leading them away from the clear entrance of the auction house to somewhere else.

The two, feeling puzzled, cautiously asked, “Um… isn’t this the auction house? Where are we going?”

“I think we can just walk in now. Wearing this navy uniform, it won’t be hard to blend in.”

It seemed like a situation where they could easily disguise themselves as guards just by wandering inside.

However, Achroiel slowly shook her head and said, “Even so, I can’t let outsiders like you roam freely inside. Remember what we promised? Once you’re in here, you agreed to follow my instructions without causing trouble.”

“Umm…”

“Well… that’s true, but…”

Achroiel spoke firmly.

Then, with a warm smile, she addressed the two, “I know it’s frustrating, but for now, just wait elsewhere. After all, your goal is to get your hands on the item, not to ogle at what others are bidding on, right?”

“…”

“…”

Reluctantly, they followed the tightly wound Achroiel into a room that seemed to be meant for guards on duty.

Undoubtedly, this place looked like a barracks, where plenty of navy soldiers were already seated.

“Well then, I’ll get back to work, so please wait here quietly. The item you’re after is definitely called ‘Sea’s Tear’, right? I’ll let you know as soon as it appears.”

With those words, Achroiel left the two behind among the navy soldiers and exited the room.

In this situation, where they were almost trapped with no options, they couldn’t help but frown.

‘This is problematic… What do we do now…?’

‘Ugh…’

They had initially planned to sneak backstage and snag some treasures amid the chaos from the auction house.

However, with the random item they seemed to be after possibly taking ages to emerge, Ambasha and Elkana found themselves surrounded by navy soldiers, unable to move.

‘And the soldiers here… they’re not ordinary. They all seem to be at least Grade 4 Intermediate Warriors…’

Since Elkana’s combat ability was Grade 6, she could potentially manage to fight, even against the odds, but peacefully settling things quickly without drawing attention was another story.

Moreover, if a fight broke out, they would need to protect Ambasha, who was only Grade 2, which would guarantee their defeat then and there.

From a practical standpoint, their situation was essentially a stern warning to stay out of trouble.

In that moment, a certain piece of advice flashed through their minds…

Franklin’s words began to surface.

“Elkana… Could this be what my sister warned me about…?”

“Maybe… But I still have my doubts…”

They spoke quietly, their brows furrowed.

In an instant, it felt like Franklin was right in front of them saying, ‘D-Don’t go there!’

*

“What about the two?”

“They’re still calm. They look a bit tense, but they aren’t displaying any particularly suspicious behavior.”

“…Really? Even so, keep monitoring them until the end. If they try anything funny, report it immediately.”

Achroiel spoke in a composed tone while observing the auction from her seat of authority.

And that focus was not exempt from her old friend and his young companion, either.

She didn’t have any concrete evidence.

The only thing that raised suspicion was only the presence of those two among the familiar members of Demanes.

That alone could be explained by the simple fact that members had changed over time.

But there was still an undeniable psychological element at play.

Having lived her life on the battlefield, Achroiel had seen countless faces twisted in terror amidst rivers of blood.

Thus, she could instinctively discern if the person before her feared her or not.

And from the faces of Elkana and Magellan, who she had seen just yesterday…

She sensed it.

‘Those bastards… they looked at me with fear, as if… they had something to hide…’

Though she couldn’t pinpoint it exactly, during these critical times, small details mattered greatly.

Especially if the individuals were strong, like Grade 8 Advanced Warriors and their companions.

‘I’m not in the mood for any annoying complications… I hope this worry is just a needless fear…’

With these thoughts, she sipped her tea by her side, hoping this tense situation would come to an end without incident.

Despite having urgent matters to attend to, it was currently tea time, an important right for Britannians.

If she didn’t sip her tea, her mood throughout the rest of the day would inevitably plummet, so regular top-ups of black tea were essential.

Serious yet elegant…

Achroiel appeared like a delicate flower as she enjoyed her tea.

A few of her subordinates even took discreet glances at her.

But she paid no mind to it, her thoughts entirely elsewhere.

‘Ah~ Black tea… So delicious black tea~ The aroma is also delightful black tea~ Elegantly consuming black tea~ This is the happiest moment of my life…’

With a melody she dared not speak out loud playing in her mind,


Achroiel unwound her stress, savoring the sweetness of local Charlotte region black tea and some simple snacks.

At that moment…

“Ad… Admiral!! There’s a… a big problem!!”

A frantic sailor burst into the room, interrupting her precious tea time.

With a frown, Achroiel questioned in an icy tone, “What’s going on?”

“Th-that…”

“!”

*

The sky was clouded over with a slightly gloomy aura.

It felt like it might rain at any moment. Amid the weather, navy soldiers patrolling the port’s warehouse area began to scowl.

“Ugh… It looks like it’s about to pour.”

“Yeah, and of all days, today happens to be the day of the Great Auction. What a hassle.”

The navy soldiers grumbled.

The area they were in wasn’t just any warehouse; it housed military supplies, including weapons, gunpowder, and food.

Rain or shine, they had to keep doing their jobs here.

In other words, even if a torrential downpour started, they were expected to work in it without a special order.

While the city of Benessa was surrounded by water, working soaked in the rain was something they wanted to avoid as much as possible.

Already feeling miserable in this humid place, getting drenched would only ruin their mood for the entire day.

And on a day with such an important event, the ones who would suffer the most would be soldiers like them.

Having to stand drenched all day under a huge maintenance banner or dealing with high nobility’s carts stuck in mud, or heaven forbid, actually getting stuck and having to dig out of the muck would be the worst-case scenario.

If something major happened that required emergency clean-up, they’d find themselves working tirelessly while cursing internally.

None of these were things they wanted to do, yet they were all unavoidable realities they couldn’t escape.

As they genuinely regretted joining the damn navy in the first place, they accumulated what little faith they had left and prayed that it wouldn’t rain.

At that moment…

“Huh?”

“What are those two doing over there…?”

The navy soldiers spotted a masked pair of men and women approaching them.

Realizing civilians had unexpectedly entered the military area, the navy soldiers sprang into action.

“Hey you! What do you think you’re doing here?!”

“This area is off-limits to civilians. Turn around now!”

Trying to keep the situation amicable, the soldiers attempted to send them back.

However, the woman wearing a dog mask responded in a shadowy yet strangely awkward voice, “Um… does this lead to the military supply warehouse?”

“What? If you knew, you should be leaving right now!”

“If you annoy us further, we’ll throw you in prison.”

The soldiers mixed annoyance with a hint of threat in their admonishments.

They figured after this, the pesky visitors would take the hint and leave.

But then…

“Good to know. We found the right place.”

“Yeah, exactly.”

“Huh? What do you mean by th—?!”

In an instant, an eerie sensation prickled through the air.

The leading navy soldier unconsciously reached for his throat.

And then…

-Thunk.

His head thudded to the ground.

With a spray of red blood erupting forth, the other soldiers fell into a moment of shock and confusion.

And standing before those navy soldiers, the two figures…

Wielding a blood-stained butchering knife, Franklin, and brandishing the Black Blade Calaborg, Magellan immediately set the plan in motion.

“We have 50 minutes left.”

“Let’s hurry up; those guys inside must already be waiting impatiently.”