Auction [2]

"She asks for your forgiveness, but she had a meeting with some special guests and said she would be with you before the auction begins." Sarah breathed coldly when she saw Gilgamesh's gaze fixed on her, like a dragon questioning the decisions of its creations. 

Gilgamesh recognized this woman as a beastkin girl, and the strength concealed in her robust body was admirable. Most likely, she was at the level of a Sword King, something not easily achieved. 

"My apologies for my rudeness, Miss Sarah," Gilgamesh spoke formally, though his expression didn't quite match his words. 

"As far as I'm informed, this is your first visit to our auction house, and you're possibly one of the participants, correct? Then, please follow me to receive a welcome gift!" Sarah was now a bit more composed and simply carried out her duties as respectfully as possible. 

Gilgamesh was intrigued by this welcome gift; no one had mentioned it before, even though he had been to this place repeatedly. Having nothing else to do before the auction, he simply said, "Very well." 

"Then, please follow me." Sarah extended her hand and walked towards the left side where none of the other customers could enter. 

Many of those in the vicinity turned their gaze but remained silent. They had heard the rumors, and confronting Prince Gilgamesh, who seemed to have a penchant for killing, would not lead to anything good. 

Upon entering the room, presumably meant for Elaine alone, Gilgamesh walked to the front and saw numerous seats prepared, with people already waiting for everything to commence. His eyes inspected each of them, and after a while, he returned to a nearby armchair and reclined. 

Simon, who was in charge of security, sat at the back of the room and closed his eyes to meditate. Seconds later, Sarah approached and said, "The first gift prepared for you is a magical crystal sword. This sword was found by my lady, and she prepared this gift for you. Since it's a complex sword to control and incredibly beautiful, Elaina decided not to sell it to strangers." 

Gilgamesh was surprised by this gift. It's worth noting that there weren't many weapons in this world that mattered to him, but he was impressed by this crystal sword that resembled ice. The texture, coldness, and feel were worthy of belonging in his treasury, so having satisfied his tastes, he condensed a bright ripple and stored the sword. 

Sarah, who was about to present the next item, was surprised when she saw that golden ripple and how Gilgamesh stored the sword. Without saying a word, she took out the next item and said, "Next is a bottle of honey wine. This bottle has a history of over a hundred years and is one of the most exquisite ones you can find in the central continent." 

"Oh!" Gilgamesh exclaimed when he saw the dark glass bottle placed next to him. He examined its size, and his expectations soared. "It seems Elaine did her research well. I'll accept this gift as well." 

"The next item is the simplest one. With this, you can bid at the auction without the need to speak." Sarah produced a red button and placed it on the table beside Gilgamesh. She then explained, "You just need to press it to raise your bid. The room you are in is called room zero, so you will be identified by that name." 

"You can go now; don't bother me until my dear Elaine arrives. Tell her that if she doesn't show up before the auction starts, I'll destroy this place," Gilgamesh said in a sarcastic tone with a smile directed at Sarah. 

Sarah looked at Gilgamesh, and a part of her told her he was lying, but the other part knew that Prince Gilgamesh's capabilities were not inferior to that. Therefore, she nodded and said, "Then, I shall take my leave. If you need anything, you can mention my name, and I will appear." 

"Thank you for your services," Gilgamesh waved his hand, and after Sarah left, he took a golden cup from the Gate of Babylon and poured himself a glass of honey wine. 

The color of this wine was golden, with subtle sweet aromas that gave Gilgamesh a different impression compared to the wines he was accustomed to. After pouring himself a glass, he took a light sip. The alcohol was smooth, the palate-feel was gentle, and it definitely made it into his top 10 favorite wines, but it couldn't surpass the godly wine he had in his reserves. 

"A pity, I thought it would be better, but it's not bad," Gilgamesh poured himself another glass and said, "Simon, as a man, you should appreciate wine, although strangely, there are people who dislike it. Would you like to try a glass?" 

"Can I?" Simon was surprised that the prince Gilgamesh considered it, knowing that the wine he had received was incredibly expensive and never thought he would be offered a taste so soon. 

"It's not a big deal. If you manage to become a God of the Sword, I might consider you worthy of trying my godly wine," Gilgamesh didn't look directly at Simon but left him with these words, which, for someone like Simon, meant a lot. 

After waiting for a few minutes and enjoying delicious food, Gilgamesh, with his enhanced hearing, heard footsteps approaching in his direction. Simon, in turn, opened his eyes and furrowed his brows, improving his breathing in anticipation of any sign of an enemy attack. However, Sarah's voice came from outside, saying, "The auction house mistress is here!" 

"I never expected someone of her age to indulge in such high-quality wine. Now I can truly say I've seen it all," Elaine's cold voice came from the door, and then she entered calmly without looking at Simon, who was standing inside. 

"May I ask which bastard made me wait so long?" Gilgamesh asked as he glanced at Elaine, who seemed to have a more lively expression than before. Of course, this was because she was no longer under the curse. 

"I apologize; I was talking to some slavers who were contacted by my people to take all their slaves. Since you want to take control of all the slavery that enters the city of Ars, I have to handle these trivial matters," Elaine showed more respect than the last time, but her comments remained provocative as always, something that didn't displease Gilgamesh. 

Women with character who don't lower themselves to his level were what truly fascinated Gilgamesh, although that wasn't the only detail that typically interested him. Still, Elaine was an incredibly talented woman whom Gilgamesh would benefit from having by his side. 

"It's a pity that my body is that of a child," Gilgamesh thought with a certain pain within his body, but this was for the best. Being a child allowed him to experience the life he had lost in his previous lives, although certainly, with all the things he had done since arriving here, it didn't reflect that benefit at all. 

"What did you say?" Elaine seemed confused by what she had just heard but decided not to inquire further, as it could create an unwanted misunderstanding with the person who had saved her future. 

"It's nothing, but you must be decisive with those damn slavers. If they don't respect the normal price, if they decide to ignore it and sell slaves within seconds, they will be killed in a single night. At the same time, the slaves that were purchased will be taken from the buyers, and the buyers themselves will also be killed." 

If others were to say such a thing, she would despise them for uttering such words with their mouths. However, Elaine looked at Gilgamesh's incomparably calm expression, and his tone of voice demonstrated confidence as he uttered the most arrogant words in the world. 

Of course, this was not something to admire but something to fear. This only reinforced Elaine's suspicions that Gilgamesh was not a ten-year-old child but a being who had taken over the body of the prince Gilgamesh. 

"So, what is the real reason you're doing this, Gilgamesh?" Elaine looked into his eyes and awaited his response. This time, she didn't want a random answer but a genuine one to determine if it would be worth following someone like him.