## Chapter 163 – 163. Night Auction
#163. Night Auction
Iris and I retraced our steps.
It was the road leading from the Great Forest to the north gate of Wavele.
“Are you sure you don’t want to visit the village?”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
The village Sylvia and the three sisters headed to was a gathering place for those resisting Resilia’s tyranny, led by someone called the Sixth Elder.
And the Sixth Elder was apparently once Iris’s history teacher.
“The Elder was known to be more stubborn than anyone else. Thanks to him, the class time was always longer than scheduled, and the other teachers often complained.”
Iris looked back at the Great Forest with a wistful gaze.
During Resilia’s rebellion, the Sixth Elder was the only elder who sided with Iris.
“We could at least say hello.”
“…It’s okay. We need to hurry on our way. Besides, it’s better if fewer people know that I escaped.”
I followed Iris down the road as she forced a smile and took the lead.
It wasn’t that I didn’t understand her feelings.
With a time limit in place, if Resilia found out about Iris’s escape, there was a high chance we’d be held back.
Maybe a pursuer that even I couldn’t handle right now would come after us.
‘…I guess I could pawn it off on Sylvia.’
But we always have to assume the worst.
Especially those mysterious aura masters Resilia brought with her on the day of the rebellion. If they were part of the pursuit team, Sylvia alone wouldn’t be able to handle it.
I didn’t want to head to the Santala Kingdom with a pursuit team hanging over our heads.
“Besides, for an elf, a few months of waiting is like a blink of an eye. Even if it’s a few years of waiting.”
Iris, who was walking ahead, turned to me with a bright smile.
She came right up to me and affectionately wrapped her arm around mine.
“Of course, if I had to be apart from Hyunwoo, even a day would feel like hundreds of years or more.”
“…Ahem.”
I couldn’t help but cough at Iris’s sudden display of affection.
A smile spread across Iris’s face, as if she was satisfied with my reaction.
“Oh, right. Iris. There’s a magic spell you told me about last time. There’s something I don’t understand.”
I floated a magic circle above my palm.
“Yes? Oh, are you talking about the ‘Perception Inhibition’ magic?”
The Biart Royal Family’s secret magic, ‘Perception Inhibition’.
The reason she was able to be less noticed in Wavele, and the reason the three sisters didn’t recognize Iris last night, was thanks to this magic.
It has the disadvantage of being less effective against people who have met you before, but it also has the advantage of low mana consumption.
If I could master this magic, I wouldn’t have to cover my face with a mask or veil like last time.
But it’s a royal family’s secret magic, so it’s damn difficult.
“Hmm… you seem to have memorized all the formulas, would you like to try using it? I’ll take a look.”
Even though it’s just a 3-circle common magic, the complexity of the formula is so absurd that even I, with the app’s buff, am fed up with it.
I raised my mana and calculated the formula. Then I felt a slight sense of discomfort on my face.
“How is it?”
I don’t have a mirror so I can’t see it, but if it went as I intended, I would have turned into a man who could be seen anywhere.
Iris is so pretty to begin with, so even if she uses magic, she’s still a beauty, but that can’t be helped.
“…What do you think magic is, Hyunwoo?”
“A supernatural phenomenon using mana.”
Magic exists because mana exists.
Mana exists even without magic.
“Haa… this is my mistake…”
Iris rarely sighed.
“Magic is mystery.”
“Mystery?”
“Something that cannot be understood by human wisdom. Something that transcends theory and perception. That is the essence of magic. It’s the most basic part of magic… I don’t have any experience teaching someone, so I guess I didn’t tell you that, Hyunwoo.”
“Basic…”
Hearing Iris’s words, something seemed to flash through my mind.
Most of the Earth’s magicians go through the magic tower’s training center. There, they prove their qualifications as a magician, learn the basics of magic, and then enter the magic tower.
That’s the basic procedure.
But I didn’t go to the training center.
Of course, I learned a lot from Iris, but as she said, the ability to acquire something and the ability to teach are separate.
“What should humans do first to explore and freely manipulate mystery?”
“…Study?”
“Imagination.”
A small spark appeared on Iris’s palm.
“Hyunwoo’s fire magic is more vivid and beautiful than other magicians. It’s as if the form of fire you’re imagining is fixed.”
“Is that so? I haven’t really been conscious of it.”
“Maybe it’s because Hyunwoo came from another world. You’re unconsciously applying what you’ve experienced in life to magic.”
“Experience…”
I began to understand the meaning of what Iris was saying little by little.
On Earth, you can see flames burning fiercely just by turning on NewTube. Moreover, vivid lightning bolts are often seen in cartoons and animations.
Not only that, but other people’s imaginations about how to handle fluffy winds, how to draw out the power of the earth, and about light and darkness are easily shown in pictures and videos.
“The first step for humans to approach mystery is imagination. Imagine with your own will, not leaving it to the unconscious.”
“Imagine…”
“Hyunwoo needs to accept the Perception Inhibition magic a little more naturally. How about lightly thinking that you drank alcohol the day before and your face is swollen?”
The discomfort covering my face gradually disappeared.
It was as if misaligned gears were meshing together and turning.
Beyond the subtly changed vision, Iris was smiling.
“Hmm… I still like Hyunwoo’s face better.”
As Iris’s slender fingers touched my face, the Perception Inhibition magic disappeared with a slight wave of mana.
“…I finally succeeded.”
“Then you need to practice even more?”
“…”
Even with her power sealed, she’s still an 8-circle archmage.
The magic circle of the magic I used with all my might was broken in an instant.
***
We arrived at the Wavele gate and stood in line to receive new identification cards.
Iris and I both changed our faces with Perception Inhibition, so we couldn’t use the identification cards we had issued before.
Of course, there weren’t even any photos attached, but I didn’t want to leave any room for trouble.
Instead, I didn’t want to attract attention with unnecessary commotion like last time, so I looked for Balan, the captain of the guard.
He was sitting at his desk in his office, sighing as he greeted me.
“Hoo… are you trying to enter the city after causing such a ruckus last night?”
“I still have things to do.”
“Then just come in, why did you bother looking for me?”
“Can’t you tell by looking at my face? I’d like you to issue a new identification card as well.”
“…Confessing a double identity in front of the captain of the guard.”
“Are you going to arrest me?”
“Are you going to get caught?”
When I silently put my hand on the hilt of my sword, Balan made a gesture of raising both hands.
“It takes some time to issue an identification card.”
“Then you can tell me about the situation in Wavele in the meantime.”
“…Can’t you see the documents filling the desk right now? I have to write a letter of apology for ignoring the city guard’s support request.”
“Instead, I didn’t kill the city guards as you asked, so isn’t that good enough?”
“Damn it! If you were just going to knock them out, it would have been better to go out and support them!”
Bang, Balan slammed his desk with a troubled expression. You could see that he was controlling his strength so that the pile of documents wouldn’t collapse.
“Any news about the lord is fine.”
“…Tonight, there will be a party at the lord’s castle.”
“Party?”
“Even though there was such an accident at the auction house last night, the citizens don’t know about it. In the first place, things that happen in the noble district are easy to control. The biggest problem is the nobles and merchants who participated in the auction that day. They wasted a day of their precious time.”
“What does that have to do with the party? They’re not gathering to drink and laugh, are they?”
“I heard that an impromptu auction will be held at the party.”
I was dumbfounded by Balan’s words.
To hold an auction the very next day after going through such a mess last night, it was hard for me to understand with my common sense.
“Well… they missed the elf slaves, but the other slaves are fine, so the lord wants to make up for the losses as much as possible while keeping the guests.”
“Then I need a party invitation.”
“You’re crazy. The lord of Wavele is a baron. A wealthy one at that, enough to make even a count bow their head. You don’t believe that the guards of the auction house and the knights guarding the lord’s castle are at the same level, do you?”
“Do they use strong energy… no, aura blade?”
“This isn’t some fairy tale, you don’t think all knights use aura blade, do you?”
According to Balan’s explanation, the knights of this world refer to those who can handle sword energy, that is, aura.
Only a small number of knights use aura blade, and most of them serve the dukes or the royal family.
“That’s enough.”
Besides, there’s also a formidable woman here who can fire strong energy from a distance. She won’t be pushed back in terms of strength.
If necessary, there’s also a curse, so I can threaten the lord. Of course, I need to delve deeper into the curse for that.
“Haa… I’ve been wondering since last time, how do you trust me and tell me all your plans? What if you run to the lord as soon as you leave and tell him everything?”
“Then I’ll be in trouble.”
“…”
Balan looked at me with an expression that seemed to say, ‘What the hell is wrong with this guy?’
“Besides, I think I’m good at seeing people.”
“Tsk, get your identification card on the first floor and leave quickly. If you want to leave work on time for once, you’ll have to work non-stop from now on.”
“Don’t you know how to get a party invitation?”
“You’re asking the captain of the guard for something like that?”
“I asked because you have a last name, unlike others.”
Balan Herschel, that’s the captain of the guard’s full name.
Bella and Grace, as well as the Elmar merchant who cast the curse, didn’t have last names.
In this world, only nobles and royalty have last names.
Balan rummaged through his desk and put a cigarette in his mouth.
“…I’m just a fallen noble.”
I smelled the bitter cigarette smell that I had smelled before.
“I see, so how do I get an invitation?”
“…Ma’am, I’m asking seriously, what’s so good about that guy that you married him? Did he use magic to seduce you?”
Balan, who made an expression that said, ‘What the hell is wrong with this guy?’ looked back and forth between Iris and me.
“Hehe, of course not. On the contrary, is there any woman in the world who wouldn’t fall for a man who is reliable, cool, and always saves me?”
“…I’m going crazy.”
Balan, who roughly crushed the cigarette in the ashtray, grabbed his head.
“I’ll say it again, I don’t know how. But if you become a guest of the lord, you might be able to participate in the auction.”
“Guest?”
At that moment, something flashed through my mind.
“If you’ve heard what you wanted to hear, leave now. If possible, don’t come back.”
We left the office with Balan’s eviction order and received our identification cards on the first floor.
Henrik and Seria, that was our identity.
“Hyunwoo, what are you planning to do now?”
“To become a guest of the lord, I have to go to the lord’s castle.”
“Is it possible for us, who are neither nobles nor merchants?”
“It’ll be difficult.”
I looked at the magnificent lord’s castle in the distance, along the road of Wavele, which was crowded with passersby today.
“If we’re a guest of the lord, I mean.”
