City ​​of Witches 648

Chapter 648 – #131_Arcana Town(3)

#648

1.
“Choose one thing you desire.”

Upon hearing these words, I felt more wary than lucky.

I know her sword, but I don’t really know what kind of person she is.

Why she became a public enemy.
Why she pushes herself so hard to pursue power.
What she thinks about normally, and what kind of eyes she looks at me with.
It was hard to say I knew anything properly.

In short, I wasn’t keen on accepting a gift without knowing what kind of wrapping paper was underneath.

“I’m fine.”

There’s a best way to handle this.
First, decline once and see what happens.
It’s possible that the gift might disappear altogether, but that’s better than having trouble later, isn’t it?

“I’m already being provided with room and board, so I can’t ask for more.”

Still, I left some room for possibility.

“There’s no need to decline.”
“I’m really fine.”
“I said there’s no need to decline.”

Showing a modest attitude and declining twice.
It was a technique I learned from Takasho when he taught me how to handle guests.

In other words, the real conversation starts now.

“I’m really grateful for your words… but honestly, I don’t know why I’m receiving a gift. I don’t think there’s any reason for it.”

I maintain a slightly awkward expression and make eye contact.
The eyes are the windows to the soul.
If there’s an ulterior motive, or another true intention, I’ll figure it out here and take the gift.

“……”

Underneath her straight bangs, her clear eyes don’t avoid my gaze.
The black lake was a mirror-like surface without even the slightest ripple.

“Before bringing you here, I crossed swords with Tiferet.”

With my teacher?
I reflexively suppressed the momentary worry before it turned into agitation.

“I’ve crossed swords with her before. If we only look at swordsmanship, she wasn’t much different from me, and I thought she had surpassed me recently. But her skills had improved since a few years ago. She surpassed me again.”
“……”
“I thought the reason was your existence. At first, I thought it was because she had a sparring partner.”

My heart sank.
It wasn’t just because her gaze pierced my heart like a sword.
The words ‘I thought’ were in the past tense.

In other words, Rinne’s thoughts changed after experiencing sparring with me.

“You are lacking. For simple sparring, you are not enough to be a whetstone for Tiferet’s sword. That is my conclusion.”

Cold sweat ran down my spine.
I was acting like a fool.

It’s a relief that she seems simple, unlike Dorothy? If it had been Dorothy, she would have seen through me?
It was an extremely complacent mindset.

I was so focused on her outward behavior that I missed the important fact.

Just as I was watching Rinne, Rinne was also quietly observing me.

I tried to hold onto my fading consciousness.
I need to be calm.

The value I thought I had, which was the reason Rinne was being kind, was ‘sparring.’
If Rinne’s attitude doesn’t change even though that value has been denied, one question naturally arises.

“Then why did you take me as your disciple, and even come to an auction for a gift?”
“……”

Rinne closed her mouth.
As if I had poked a sore spot, she frowned and spoke as if carefully choosing her words.

“Because there might be something I haven’t grasped.”
“……”
“My intuition tells me that you changed Tiferet.”

It was a little different from what I expected, but the sudden master-disciple relationship wasn’t without calculation.
I could also vaguely grasp that Rinne had a very different view of discipleship than ordinary witches.

“This gift is an investment in your potential. If we maintain a friendly relationship, you might reveal what you’re hiding.”

Rinne didn’t ramble on with meaningless words or blur the point.
She even bluntly said, ‘If I get close to you, maybe I’ll get something out of it?’

Because she revealed all her inner thoughts and showed all her cards, I felt more comfortable.
Because my position became clearer.

“Okay, I understand.”

Then, today, I need to suck everything dry without declining.

Before Rinne’s expectations for me decrease, I need to gain maximum benefit while at least maintaining a friendly relationship.

The curtain that had been covering the stage was lifted, and the auction began.

2.
Even if they are public enemies and outcasts, they are still witches.
They still need to acquire items and artifacts for magical research.

However, they, who were rejected by the central society of Gehenna, always had difficulty obtaining research materials.

That’s why the auction, which requires a hefty entry fee, was packed with people.
Unlike before, they could easily and safely obtain high-quality materials if they had money.

By the way, the above explanation was from Rinne.

She was indifferent and blunt, but surprisingly, she answered questions well.
Since I had finished calibrating our relationship, I didn’t need to keep my mouth shut to match the mood, so we had a more active conversation than ever.

“Now, let’s start with the first item.”

The auctioneer was a witch with impressive white gloves that reached her elbows and bright blonde hair cut short.

She introduced herself as the ‘Golden Coin Witch’ with a cheerful tone reminiscent of a recreation instructor, and proceeded with the auction after a brief greeting.

I, who had been listening to Rinne’s explanation of the world until the start of the auction, naturally turned my gaze towards the stage.

I was naturally curious about what kind of items they would trade and at what prices.

“Here are six recently hard-to-find Kashmir blue sapphires. These are natural sapphires that have not been heat-treated, and they have been rated as top-tier in terms of transparency, color density, and brilliance.
Blue sapphires have excellent magical conductivity, making them suitable for the core of magic circles. They are also perfect as ornaments.”

The witch opened a box and showed off the sapphires, which were packaged like high-end chocolates.

“The minimum bid is $1 million.”

She smiled brightly and announced the exorbitant price.

The witches sitting on the first floor held up signs with their desired prices, and the witches sitting in the royal boxes upstairs, like me and Rinne, called for attendants who would deliver their desired prices instead.

“$1.3 million has been bid. $1.5 million has been bid. Are there any other bidders?”

Since this was not an auction for charity or donation, it proceeded quickly without unnecessary words.
The auctioneer didn’t make silly jokes or wait for long.

“$1.7 million has been bid. $1.7 million going once, $1.7 million going twice, $1.7 million sold. Congratulations.”

Of course, there was no applause.

“The second item is a perfume that has recently been loved by many witches. It is a unique perfume personally blended by the Perfume Witch. It doesn’t have any special magical effects, but I think you know the value of this small bottle.”

Amelia.
I never thought I would encounter her perfume here.
Recalling my memories of working as an assistant at her perfume shop, I felt depressed and at the same time, a desire to return to Gehenna grew.

“Five bottles of 2.5 fl.oz each. The minimum bid is $400,000. $650,000. $650,000 going once, $650,000 going twice, $650,000 sold. Congratulations.”

Even though it wasn’t a custom perfume with individual characteristics, it was much more expensive than the price it was traded for in Gehenna.
It seems that there was a premium attached since the perfume shop was in Gehenna.

The auction continued without a single failed bid.

Most of the items were magical materials such as jewels, alchemy catalysts, and magical crops, or artifacts, but there were also items that reminded me that this was another city of witches.

“The 21st item. If you are interested in human experimentation, you will be very interested in this. 520 male death row inmates from the People’s Republic of China. Drug offenders have been excluded, so they are all healthy and strong. In addition, they have been officially transferred from the judiciary with their prisoner lists, so they are clean and without any issues. The minimum bid is $10 million.”

Receiving death row inmates from the state and using them as slaves…
It’s a scene I’ve seen a lot.

The difference is that one witch will use that enormous number of humans entirely for experiments.

As I bit my lip with a bitter aftertaste, I felt Rinne’s gaze piercing my cheek.

“You still haven’t chosen.”
“Because there’s nothing else to buy.”

In fact, I was waiting for something.
The auction at the Almak Club is held once a week.

It hasn’t been 7 days since I came to Hexennacht.
Then, maybe there’s a chance.

“The last item of the day. I think many of you came to see this item.”

The auctioneer suddenly gathered attention with a lively voice.
The witches, who had been indifferent when items they didn’t need were on the auction block, all turned their gazes to the center.

“This is the first Great Witch item in the history of the Almak Club. The legitimate successor of the 20th-tier fluid magic, the ‘Mercury Witch’.”

Unlike the previous slave trades, which were mostly done on paper, this was different.

Alice, wearing a fancy dress, was led out by the auctioneer, bound by a chain like a dog collar.
Her eyes, mixed with humiliation and fear, scanned left and right anxiously.

“Take it off!”
“Why is she wearing clothes!”

The violent jeers and ridicule towards the silver-haired Great Witch echoed loudly in the hall.
The auctioneer calmed the rising heat and continued the explanation.

“It’s good to study or extract the brand, but as you can see, she has quite a noble appearance, so she is also suitable as a sex slave. Of course, there is also an economical way to use her for research after playing with her for a while. If you purchase her, you will receive a dedicated artifact that limits her magic power. The minimum bid is $80 million.”

It seems like an absurd price, but even if you simply compare her combat power, a Great Witch far surpasses the latest fighter jets.

Considering that you can own everything about such a Great Witch, the starting bid price itself is a bargain.

As if to prove it, the signs with the desired prices went up like crazy.

A more heated competition than ever.

The already expensive price also skyrocketed.
There were several witches who showed a strong will to buy her even if they had to sell all their assets.

“$150 million has been bid.”

However, no matter how determined you are, there are limits.
When the price doubled from the minimum, the speed at which the signs went up gradually slowed down.

I was worried.
Is this the right investment? Is my choice the right one?

I finished organizing my thoughts.
I have to speak before it’s too late.

“Teacher.”
“Speak.”
“I want that woman.”

Rinne’s eyes changed.

I don’t know if it was a reproachful look at me for asking her to buy the most expensive item, or a compliment for boldly seizing a good opportunity, or for some other reason I couldn’t even guess.
Maybe I’m being suspected.

Alice was in the same place as me when she was kidnapped.
Then, her serious gaze turned to me.

“Why?”

Now, all that’s left is to come up with a plausible excuse.

It all depends on my tongue.