44 – The Auction House

I hid the body nearby where it wouldn’t be easily found, then continued onward.

The corridor was so narrow that a sharp-eyed passerby would likely notice something.

But on the flip side, most people wouldn’t be so observant, so it could remain undiscovered for a time.

So, I decided to gather evidence and intel as fast as possible, and then dismantle this place entirely. I proceeded deeper inside, and what I found was…

A massive door, opulent and luxurious, reminiscent of a casino.

‘Doesn’t seem like your average human market.’

Finding it rather unique, I entered, and a soft, comforting aroma drifted through the air. I was met with a brightly adorned auction hall.

‘…They wouldn’t have gone to such lengths with the decor if their clients were *only* black mages.’

It seemed their clientele included not just black mages, but also wealthy patrons and those who needed a large supply of slaves.

I was realizing the scale was even larger than I had imagined.

A hypothesis blossomed suddenly in my mind.

‘If this place is being run by a dark sorcerer…’

Perhaps they’re raking in immense wealth through fee-based schemes.

If this conjecture held any truth, then we could consider this a glimpse into the vast capital sources of dark sorcerers.

‘Terribly intertwined, it is.’

I chuckled dryly, watching before stepping into the midst of the crowd, all masked and chatting as if at a grand party.

Whether it was right to call it luck, I felt I blended in, more or less, thanks to how deeply I’d pulled my helmet down.

Just then, a rather intriguing conversation drifted from nearby.

“Heard there’s some b*stard going around robbing dark sorcerers lately.”

“Ah… the Karsaril family’s scoundrel?”

“What, it was him? Wasn’t that guy some brat brainwashed by a dark sorcerer?”

They spoke of dark sorcerers with such nonchalance, it seemed they were quite familiar figures to these people.

Thinking I’d stumbled upon something interesting, I whispered to Liana beside me.

“Seems even more people are involved with dark sorcerers than I thought.”

“Yes. You can assume that dark sorcerers have infiltrated nearly any place of significant size, knowingly or not.”

“Is that so.”

Remembering how the Karsaril family was ruined by dark sorcerers, I nodded slowly.

In the distance, I spotted a gathering of figures who looked quite interesting.

‘Clerics.’

I couldn’t help but laugh, I hadn’t expected the Order’s clerics to operate so brazenly.

If they were going to infiltrate a place like this, they could at least change their clothes; their audacity was almost comical.

I watched the scene for a moment before adding to Liana.

“Get a picture of those fellows.”

“Hehe, I started taking them as soon as we came in.”

Giving a small nod to acknowledge her good work, I quickly scanned the area for new evidence and information when, from afar, a voice boomed.

“Then, let us begin with the general slave auction! Starting with 100 young men! Those interested, please write your bids in the spellbooks!”

The auction house darkened as the master of ceremonies spoke, and the clamorous atmosphere quickly quieted.

The attention focused towards the front, which suited me just fine. I began to move through the surroundings, when Siren tugged at my sleeve.

He was about to say something to me.

“I sense a strange flow of mana from over there.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I’m not sure what it is, but it doesn’t feel ordinary.”

Hearing those words, I silently gazed at the spot Syren indicated.

If this were a theater, it looked like a small door leading to the performers’ waiting room.

As Syren said, something seemed to be hidden, judging by the excessively thorough security.

‘Five guards, and it looks like a protective magical circle is in place.’

It was clear that sneaking in would be difficult with that much protection.

I had to choose between two options.

‘Give up,’

or forcefully break through.

While I was pondering which of the two would be best, Syren tugged at my sleeve, offering a suggestion.

“Shall I create a distraction?”

Considering the composed manner in which she made the offer, she must have a remarkable method in mind.

I nodded at Syren’s proposal and asked her to do so.

Syren calmly extended her hand and shattered the colossal statue in the very center.

KWA-AA-ANG!

A place that had been filled with only silence due to the ongoing auction was suddenly thrown into chaos as the statue burst apart with a massive roar, like a bomb exploding.

Liana, witnessing this spectacle, spoke to Syren in a flustered tone.

“Wh-What are you doing?”

“I shattered the statue.”

“No, that’s not what I meant…!”

“Don’t worry. I twisted the mana circuits to activate it, so no one will suspect I did it.”

Syren gazed at Liana with a very triumphant expression.

Liana, as though struck by a headache, clutched her head and spoke to us.

“Ah… my head hurts.”

Syren, whether Liana was alright or not, left her be and looked up at me, asking.

“Was it something I shouldn’t have done?”

I shook my head at the question and replied.

“You did well.”

“Mhm.”

As I praised Siren, Liana groaned again, but I lightly dismissed the insignificant reaction and looked ahead.

‘Certainly, with the focus drawn over there, the number of guards has dwindled.’

The number, once five, was now down to two.

Judging that it was possible to deal with them quickly and enter, I asked Siren for a silencing spell, and drew out the hammer I had been carefully carrying in my bosom.

‘As fast and stealthily as possible.’

Aiming to remain undetected, I strengthened my body with Solar Mana and dashed forward, bringing the hammer down once on the heads of each guard.

The movements of an Expert, far exceeding the realm of ordinary humans, amplified by the Solar Mana.

The guards couldn’t even properly react before collapsing, almost absurdly easily.

I immediately shoved their bodies behind the curtain.

Then, telling Siren to release the protective magic, I surveyed the surroundings.

‘Thankfully, it seems no one is paying attention here because of the statue Siren destroyed.’

Even if there were, it wouldn’t be a major problem as I could manage it.

Still, drawing attention would be quite bothersome, so I decided to enter as quickly as possible and continue the search, stepping inside.

*

What greeted me inside was a prison, filled with countless slaves.

Actually, it was arranged more like a display case than a prison, creating a somewhat bizarre scene.

But this was no time to dwell on such things, so I shook my head and spoke to Siren.

“Where are you feeling that strange flow of Mana I mentioned?”

Siren calmly looked around, then pointed to one side and said to me.

“Over there.”

Then, gesturing for me to follow, she started moving forward quickly.

As I followed Siren, rapidly scanning the things around me, I spotted a blue door ahead, covered with countless papers.

The door itself was an ordinary wooden door, nothing particularly special.

However, the door’s color, a blue reminiscent of Mana, and the intense Mana emanating from the papers affixed to it, made it impossible to think of it as just an ordinary door.

Seeing this, I let out a short whoop of joy and said to Liana and Siren.

“What do you think of that door?”

It looked as though you shouldn’t simply touch it recklessly at first glance.

I asked, wondering if they knew anything, and received different opinions from each of them.

“That… that’s the fabled Philip’s Barrier Gate I’ve heard so much about. Legend says it was a masterpiece woven from mana in twelve layers by high-ranking mages, unbreakable except by an Archmage.”

“Seems like it’s secured with twelve layers of magical protection. Given time, I think I can unravel it.”

“…You? You can unravel *this*? That…that can’t be possible, can it?”

Riana’s emotions are unusually varied today.

I waved a hand at Riana, as if to calm her, and spoke to Siren.

“How long will it take?”

“…An hour?”

Shorter than I expected, certainly, but an hour is still plenty of time for the situation to escalate and enemies to swarm this place. I hesitated, considering the odds.

Hearing this, I turned to Riana, who was still looking bewildered, and asked, “If we just smash it, is there a chance it’ll explode or anything inside?”

“It won’t explode… but I heard that it instantly teleports to a location designated by the contractor who made a pact with Philip’s Barrier Gate.”

Sadly, a demolition resulting in a ground zero explosion seems out of the question.

I sighed, resigning myself to asking Siren to unlock it.

‘Guess I’ll just have to hold this place for an hour, then.’

Guarding this place for an hour wouldn’t be too difficult, but…

The problem would be if a powerhouse like Lorraine showed up again, like last time.

‘Anything weaker than me is manageable. But if someone as strong as Lorraine appears, I’ll die without even knowing why I died.’

So I couldn’t let my guard down. If things got too dangerous, I’d escape immediately. Just as I resolved to do so,

a rather interesting thought popped into my head.

‘Come to think of it, is there really any need to fight them head-on?’

The important thing is to keep people from getting inside, right?

The moment that realization struck me, I turned my gaze to the countless individuals imprisoned in the cells.

These weren’t ordinary cells, but more like display cases, and the fact that they were hidden away so carefully suggested these weren’t ordinary slaves.

From the auction house’s perspective, each of them was likely considered a “product” of immense value.

‘Which, put another way…’

The moment I unleash all of them, the auction house will have to go to great lengths to capture them without causing harm, and that’s bound to cause quite the headache.

That thought struck me as quite amusing, and I immediately started smashing every single iron bar that confined them.