Encore 42 — Comrades (VI)

We made our separate ways. My job was to stop Deliano at all costs, whether we got the stone or he did.

He's the type to get whatever he wants by force. All I have to do is stop him. However, I can't attack unless he shows intentions of doing so. It would cause problems later down the line.

Elizabeth and Myraliana went to the auction room while I made my way to the VIP room, where Deliano should be.

Deliano, the Iron Giant or so they call him. Deliano is a Russian giant whose greed knows no bounds. A few years ago, he rushed a mafia union meeting because he wanted all of their riches and expenses. He left it, murdering everyone there and was left with gruesome scars.

He's no Streia but can handle one easily. I haven't quite grasped the basics of mana yet, even if I do possess the knowledge, so I'll stick with Sacred Lightning when we fight.

I guess, for now, I'll see how the auction itself goes.

·———·

[Hello, everybody and welcome to the Underground Auction! Today is the first day of a week full of items! And, as I'm sure most of you know, the first day of the auction is always the best!]

People in the auction room clapped and cheered as the auctioneer bounced around the stage. Elizabeth and Myraliana sat quietly near the back of the room.

[We'll get right into it! The first item is...]

From the stage, the ground shifted and a stand rose onto it. It was holding a pristine sword. It had runes engraved into the curved blade.

[This is a magic scimitar from the Middle East! It had been adjusted by a runesmith, so not only does it absorb and release magical attacks but it releases flames when the runes are used! The starting price will be ¥4,000,000!]

"Sis, is that not a—?"

"Yeah, it's a fake."

Myraliana confirmed with Elizabeth.

Even from a distance, the two could tell that it was not authentic in a single aspect.

"Well, it's not fake, per se. The whole thing with it being a magic scimitar is fake. It can't absorb and release magical attacks. The only thing authentic about it is the runes."

Elizabeth sighed as she watched people foolishly bidding on a parlour item.

(This item is such a rip-off. Anyone could get an item like this for under ¥1,500,000. They're milking the amount here. They must have a Streia on their team who can temporarily change the appearance of things. I'm guessing for a limit of about a week or so. They wouldn't want to be exposed during the auction.)

Elizabeth surmised.

[We're now at a total of ¥5,750,000! Does anyone else have a price?!]

"¥6,000,000."

A young man said from beside the two women. He rose and showed his number.

[¥6,000,000! The subordinate of Kim Yohan has put a price on this!]

Both Myraliana and Elizabeth glared at the young man brandishing his number.

He had brown hair and green eyes. He wore a suit and had a placid smile placed on his face.

"He's most likely Kaito Hasegawa, Sis."

"Mhm."

[¥6,000,000 going once! Going twice! And sold to one of the gentlemen representing Kim Yohan!]

The man sat down and glanced over at the two women looking at him. He gave them a cheeky grin.

"What? You two want to have a go with me?"

"Go die, idiot."

"Fucking pest."

They turned back to the front and left Kaito completely speechless. He clicked his tongue and also turned to the front.

"Is my charm not enough...?"

He muttered to himself.

[Now, for the next item! It's a grimoire! One from the Spiritual Athenaeum! This one is a grimoire of water that can increase one's affinity by a lot! The starting bid will be ¥10,000,000!]

"A grimoire, huh... This is more of your speciality, Myra. What do you say?"

Elizabeth waited for a response but never received one. She turned to her sister. Myraliana was focused on the grimoire itself.

"Myra?"

"It's authentic, alright. My eye... No, my entire being can tell. It may not be one of the Zodiac Genesis but it's powerful. Powerful enough to make someone who knows no water magic into a prodigy with a simple read."

That was when Myraliana noticed. She began shaking her sister.

"We need to buy that! That'll be so good!"

"No, since we can't take back the mission we received. We made a Binding Pledge, remember?"

Myraliana sulked.

"I know it pains you as a magic fanatic but a philosopher's stone is much better, right?"

"It's not like we'll be getting it..."

"¥500,000,000."

[O-oh my god! ¥500,000,000!]

The entire room went silent after the auctioneer's shout. Everyone looked up at the VIP balcony. A giant stood with a giant grin on his face.

He was over 190cm tall with a massive bulk. He was pale and covered in tattoos and scars. His eyes were pale blue and the little hair he had was blonde.

"The Iron Giant..."

"Kullo Deliano..."

[¥500,000,000 once! Twice! And sold to the Iron Giant, Kullo Deliano!]

Deliano sat down in his seat and crossed his legs, satisfied with what he brought. Meanwhile, Elizabeth and Myraliana furrowed their brows.

"He can afford to waste that much money on a grimoire? He may outbid us when it gets to the item in question..."

"We just need to try our best. We should just assume that a lot of his money has been wasted from that one spend. He may have more money than we have, but how many things is he willing to buy? If he buys a lot of things, then we may have more money than him by the end of it."

"Yeah, the philosopher's stone is the last item."

Myraliana agreed.

"It'll be a war of money until the end, assuming that he'll be able to afford everything. There are 12 items on the list. We'll have to hope he blows all of his money until the end."

"We can only hope."