## Chapter 167 – 167. Midnight Auction (5)
#167. Midnight Auction (5)
As I walked down the hallway following Lina Hessler, my mind was elsewhere.
‘5th Circle, huh…’
Currently, as a mage, I’m at the upper-intermediate level of the 4th Circle, and as a swordsman, I’m aiming for the pinnacle.
Iris praised me for my unbelievable growth rate, but recently, I’ve only been feeling my own shortcomings.
Especially after the encounter with Sylvia, I keenly felt the lack of means to counter opponents using Kanggi.
Of course, it’s unavoidable for a mage, but barriers that could withstand sword ki multiple times were torn apart like paper in front of Kanggi.
It could even cut through magic with Kanggi, so even the spells I threw out for deterrence weren’t very helpful.
And trying to fight with swordsmanship, the reality was that I was already being pushed back in the basics against monsters who had reached the Master level.
‘Iris told me not to be impatient, but…’
I know that raising one’s level as a mage isn’t easy.
It required not only skilled magical knowledge but also a strong mana circle, a solid magic circuit, and an awakening that would serve as a catalyst.
Moreover, the 5th Circle was a realm that could only be achieved with the support of the Astral.
This was why less than 40% of the mages on Earth had reached the 5th Circle.
If a swordsman aims to embody their will in their sword and reveal their ideology to the world, a mage aims to change the phenomena that make up the world as they please.
The very first step to reaching that goal is the small celestial body formed inside one’s own body, the Astral.
I’ve been constantly trying to find a clue to reach the 5th Circle, but each time it only ended in failure.
Iris would only give me a brief piece of advice and then firmly close her lips, saying that anything more would only cloud my judgment.
‘…Is it the same with not being able to grasp the direction of the pinnacle?’
Well, I’ve only just learned how to create proper sword ki, so trying to aim for the pinnacle already would be my greed.
I needed to consult with my master about that part.
Of course, I could ask Sylvia for advice, but it felt like I was admitting that I was weaker, which made me uncomfortable.
It didn’t seem like she would teach me properly either.
“Mr. Henrik.”
Lina Hessler, who had stopped in front of the door as if we had already arrived at the banquet hall, turned to me.
Perhaps because of the maids’ gazes, she only looked at me without saying anything.
I seemed to know what she was thinking and what she was worried about.
-Don’t worry, I remember.
As I sent the telepathic message, a look of bewilderment crossed her eyes. Telepathy was the exclusive domain of high-level mages, so she must have been surprised.
But soon, she seemed to regain her usual composure.
She gestured to a maid, who opened the door to the banquet hall.
Creak-
Delicious-looking food was laid out on the long table, but my gaze was following the men and women sitting at the table.
“Welcome.”
The one who greeted us, sitting at the head of the table, was a man who looked like a corrupt official.
An impression full of greed and a plump physique matched the Lord Hessler that Lina Hessler had told me about in advance.
On either side of him sat middle-aged women with considerable beauty.
Perhaps the picky-looking woman on the right was Lord Hessler’s wife, Lina Hessler’s mother, and the gentle-looking woman on the left was Henriot Hessler’s mother, the commoner concubine.
‘…It doesn’t seem like he’s taking sides because she’s his son?’
Unlike the Lord’s wife, who seemed like she would constantly scratch at her husband’s insides, Henriot Hessler’s mother, the concubine, had a docile impression and seemed like she would boost her husband’s spirits well.
“I am Roman Hessler, the lord of this city. It’s been a while since I’ve met a mage not affiliated with the Continental Magic Association, so I invited you like this, but if it was rude, I apologize.”
Unlike his corrupt official-like first impression, the lord was surprisingly normal.
Honestly, I thought he would treat me like a clown, asking me to show him magic or something.
“I am Henrik. It is an honor to meet Lord Hessler, whom I have always respected.”
The etiquette I had learned from Iris at lightning speed was shining once again.
“Hmm? It’s amazing that a mage knows about me. The wandering mage I met before didn’t even seem to know that this was the Veilhaven Republic.”
“Isn’t it thanks to Lord Hessler’s benevolent rule that the people of this city can live without starving? Magic is a field of study that explores the mysteries and truths of the world, so it’s impossible not to recognize Lord Hessler, a wise leader.”
That’s a lie. The city was full of beggars. There were even quite a few children among them.
It was proof that he was making a crazy amount of money but not even building an orphanage.
And a lord who engages in slave trading is benevolent?
“Haha! A mage flattering me, if I told this to the other nobles, they would all think I was a liar.”
Lord Hessler laughed heartily, as if he liked the words I had thrown out, thinking I had sufficiently buttered him up.
After that, we exchanged various questions, such as why I had visited the territory and what the relationship between Iris and I was.
And so, dinner began in a somewhat amicable atmosphere.
For the record, the food tasted just okay.
Of course, it was obvious that they had used good quality ingredients and expensive spices generously, but overall it was salty and had a strong meaty flavor.
Iris ate mainly salad.
It was a good thing I had told the maid in advance that she was a vegetarian and to be careful in selecting the menu, or she would have had to sit awkwardly throughout the meal.
I pretended to put the meat in my mouth while observing the atmosphere at the table.
‘Is that Henriot Hessler?’
Henriot Hessler, who was sitting across from me, was a clean-cut man who didn’t seem to have anything special about him.
I was being careful and observing him closely, but he was not a black magician. Rather, his magic power was below that of an average person.
This time, I changed my target and turned my gaze to the maid standing behind him.
‘She’s quite beautiful for a maid?’
With a beauty that was hard to see in a commoner and even a beauty mark under her eye, it was exactly as Lina Hessler had told me.
After observing her for a while, she was not a black magician either.
“Speaking of which.”
Lord Hessler, who had put down his tableware with a clatter, spoke up.
“I heard you came to buy slaves, but have you found any slaves you like?”
“I was planning to go around the merchants below the castle and look for them starting tomorrow.”
“Hmm, is that so.”
The lord, who seemed to be contemplating something while stroking his chin, soon raised the corners of his lips and opened his mouth.
“Then how about participating in the auction tonight? It will be a good opportunity to improve your eye for choosing slaves.”
“Father.”
Lina Hessler, who had been silent until now, stepped forward.
“Mr. Henrik has already been invited to the auction by me, so you don’t have to worry.”
“…You?”
The atmosphere in the banquet hall cooled down just by her speaking.
The look in the lord’s eyes as he looked at her was by no means the look of a father looking at his daughter. It was as if he was looking at a bothersome obstacle.
“Well done.”
There was no affection in that short and concise word. With that, the conversation between father and daughter did not continue.
After that, the dinner ended without any major incidents.
Just as people were leaving the banquet hall one by one, starting with Lord Hessler.
“Mr. Henrik?”
Henriot Hessler suddenly spoke to me.
“What’s the matter?”
“If you don’t mind, could you spare me some time?”
He wore a friendly smile.
For a moment, I thought about refusing, but I became curious about what he was trying to say by calling me, a stranger.
Lina Hessler looked somewhat uneasy at the unexpected situation. Of course, she didn’t show it.
-It’ll be alright.
I sent a telepathic message to her.
“It would be an honor.”
And so, I followed him to the annex.
It seemed that everyone except the lord and his wife lived in their own annexes.
The place where he was staying had a different atmosphere from Lina Hessler’s annex.
It felt stiff overall, and the expressions of the resident maids were all heavy and rigid.
“Thank you for taking the time.”
“It’s alright. I was going to be in my room until the auction started anyway.”
After arriving at what appeared to be a reception room, I drank the black tea that the maid poured for me and talked to him about various things.
“To be a 3rd Circle mage at such a young age, you’re really amazing. With that level, you could be treated well enough even in the Continental Magic Association, but is there a reason why you’re living as a wandering mage?”
“I just don’t like being affiliated with anything. Of course, I’ll try to settle down somewhere when I get older.”
“When that time comes, could you please come to our Hessler household first? I would be happy if you could become our exclusive mage, as I promise you generous treatment.”
“Haha, it looks like I’ll be preparing for my retirement if I came to buy slaves.”
I don’t enjoy talking to men, but I thought of this as part of information gathering and answered appropriately.
Had it been about 20 or 30 minutes?
Clang, I dropped the teacup I was holding in my hand.
This was by no means a mistake.
In the first place, it was absurd for a martial artist who could draw out sword ki to make a mistake.
The fingertips holding the teacup were trembling slightly.
“…Poison?”
“You’re amazing.”
The voice didn’t come from Henriot, who was sitting across from me.
“It’s a potent poison that even an ordinary knight would have a hard time enduring for 5 minutes… Are you really a mage?”
It was the voice of the maid who had been standing next to me all along.
As if the expressionless appearance she had shown until now was all an act, the corners of the maid’s lips were raised high.
On the other hand, Henriot Hessler dropped his head as if he were a doll with a broken string and said nothing.
“Hehe, not only did I get my hands on the young master of a noble family, but now even a 3rd Circle mage. No matter how I think about it, I think I’m very lucky.”
Between her lips, which were wearing a seductive smile, I could see a magic circle drawn on her bright red tongue.
It was a magic circle I had seen somewhere before.
“…Was she a black magician?”
Of course, I still don’t feel black magic power from the maid. But circumstantial evidence was overflowing.
The maid, who had been smiling like an innocent girl at times and like a seductive woman at others, approached me.
She suddenly sat on my lap and looked at me with black eyes that seemed to contain an indescribable darkness.
“I am Melissa, a servant of Lady Lavinia, the fourth seat of Malefis.”
