Why is That There?

Episode 38

The Intelligence Department Conference Room.

A chilling air hung heavy and still.

Yet Céline felt her undergarments clinging to her skin with sweat as she frantically sifted through documents.

She wasn’t alone.

The Owls, along with all the other Intelligence Department agents and staff, were sweating profusely, searching for what they had overlooked.

‘What is it? What on earth did we miss?’

‘Find it. Quickly, now!’

‘Is this it? No, but…’

‘Think, think, think, damn it!’

Despite the flurry of his subordinates, scrambling to decipher his intent, the Minister remained silent.

He wasn’t even watching them, to begin with.

Two hours had trickled by since the presentation of their plans to counter the upcoming black market auction.

Throughout, the Minister had remained still, eyes closed.

No familiar fidgeting with his ring, no frustrated adjustments to the projected strategy, typically spurred by his subordinates’ failings.

He appeared, on the surface, to be sleeping.

But they knew better.

They knew the Minister was simmering with barely contained rage.

A rage they, in their own minds, deemed entirely justifiable.

They had been given the conclusion, only needing to articulate it, and still they fumbled. Of course he was furious.

How long had it been then?

Finally, Celine stumbled upon the answer.

“M-Minister! For this auction, we must request the cooperation of the Knight Order and the Imperial Army!”

At Celine’s cry, tinged with desperation, the Minister’s eyes slowly opened.

Whether he stirred because her words were correct, or because his rage had reached its boiling point, was yet unknown. She chose to gamble on the former.

“I-It’s only a conjecture, but this upcoming auction is shaping up to be significantly different! Considering the anticipated scale, and the amount of capital that will be amassed as a result, the items up for bid will undoubtedly be on another level entirely!”

Indeed, it had come to light that the black market auction organizers were keeping several items shrouded in utmost secrecy.

If even one of those items posed a threat to the institution, or worse, the Empire itself, their Intelligence division alone would be unable to cope.

The Minister regarded Celine without a word.

As if urging her to continue.

“I-In the past, whenever a black market auction was held, our Intelligence division would identify the items for sale beforehand, and only participate in the auctions for those which were absolutely critical to acquire! The very existence of these auctions was a necessary evil!”

All manner of things appeared as auction items in the black market.

National treasures lost by the Empire, the complete works of an artist thought vanished, even artifacts supposedly dating back to the Mythic Era.

Furthermore, the black market auctions drew numerous organizations, factions, and powers of considerable influence from all over the world.

Therefore, outright dismantling the auction carried immense risk.

However, no matter how great the risk, the calculus changed if the Empire itself was threatened.

Celine believed the Minister clearly suspected an item that could endanger the Empire would be offered at this auction.

“Hmph, even if the clandestine auctions are no longer held in the Empire, it’s no matter! We can simply move to another country! For us, there’s no particular reason it *must* be in the Empire! So, I shall speak to His Imperial Majesty….”

It was at this moment that Celine, who had been assisting the Minister all along, had a flash of insight.

If they were to request an audience with the Emperor, there was a high likelihood their plans would be exposed beforehand.

If they were to act, it had to be that day. The best course of action was to immediately strike the moment the auction commenced.

“…If we were to do that, the dark auctioneers might catch wind of it and flee, so it would be best if you, Minister, could invoke your rights as Grand Duke to mobilize the Knight Order and the Imperial Army!”

She didn’t know how the Imperial Army would react, but at the very least, the Third Knight Order would certainly move without question, so they could rest assured on that front.

Yes, so far, so good.

Only one step remained.

Just one more step was needed to finalize the plan.

Celine, having repeatedly conjured and dismissed countless possibilities in her mind, spoke the words aloud almost before she realized it.

“Before the Knight Order and the Imperial Army raid the auction house, it would be ideal if you, Minister, could infiltrate beforehand, under the guise of a participant, and observe the situation.”

When the Minister finally nodded, Celine was flooded with elation, while simultaneously drawing intense, envy-filled gazes from those within the conference room.

—

Diary for today.

XX Month, XX Day. Weather: Clear.

I merely dozed off for a moment during the meeting, and now my subordinates have sent me to a dark auction.

If I were to doze off twice, next time I’d likely end up as an item up for bid, so I shall be careful not to doze off during meetings going forward.

Having completed my self-reflection, I closed the mental pages of my diary and presented the entrance ticket, prepared by my subordinates, to the guards standing at the entrance to the dark auction house.

Those participating in the dark auction were all wearing masks, so there was no need to worry about my identity being discovered.

It was best for the auction organizers, as well, if my identity remained hidden.

If a commotion were to break out, Christina, who was currently clinging to my arm, would likely bisect everyone present in this place.

With her bare hands, no less.

“It’s certainly become incredibly large, hasn’t it.”

That was Christina’s exclamation.

After the entrance ticket was verified, we descended into the auction house and were greeted by an opulent underground world that felt completely detached from the unfinished building’s exterior.

Of course, this was my first time directly participating in a dark auction, but even so, it was clear that the scale was vastly different from what had been reported in the past.

Passing under chandeliers suspended at regular intervals and through hallways lavishly decorated in gold and black, we entered through a large, open doorway, revealing the auction hall.

Ah, indeed, an incredible number of people have gathered.

Even though their faces were hidden behind masks, one could roughly guess who was who based on their hairstyles and attire.

Hold on. If even I, with my notoriously poor perception, can tell, does that mean others are recognizing me as well?

Is this… is this that thing? Like some unwritten rule of high society, where good manners demand you pretend you don’t know?

“I believe our seats are over there.”

Not long after Christina and I settled into the seats matching the number plates we’d received at the entrance, someone appeared on the massive stage and bellowed,

“Greetings! What a magnificent evening! Welcome, everyone! I am Ricardo, your host for tonight’s auction!”

The emcee’s greeting was met with a storm of applause from all corners.

I had envisioned a heavier atmosphere for a black market auction, but they’re all surprisingly jovial.

“And so, with our deepest gratitude to all who have joined us for this auction, let us commence the proceedings! Our first item is… an Exotic Ear Collection!”

With a flamboyant gesture of his arms, the emcee signaled, and a frame showcasing the severed ears of various species, preserved like specimens, was wheeled onto the stage.

Scratch that. Not jovial. Insane.

And there are people who actually *buy* this?

“Starting bid: 100,000 gold!”

“110,000!”

“130,000!”

“170,000!”

“200,000!”

Watching the auction price skyrocket, I realized the world held far more deviants than I had ever imagined.

Thankfully, or perhaps not, the subsequent items weren’t all as grotesque as this ear collection, but many were dangerous in their own ways.

Maybe that’s why I was so engrossed in watching the auction that Christina suddenly poked me in the ribs.

Ah, right. We were supposed to signal the knight order and the imperial army waiting outside.

A few intelligence operatives are also mixed amongst those attending this auction.

Christina would signal one of those agents, who would then slip out and bring the knights and army to raid the auction house – or so the plan devised while I was sleeping goes.

Hmm. It seems the auction is nearing its end. Should I summon them to clean up?

“And now, we arrive at the final item of the night! Let me assure you, the piece about to be presented is not merely the highlight of this auction, but undeniably the greatest treasure in the history of our dark auction house!”

The greatest treasure in history?

What could it be? I’m immensely intrigued.

I decided to watch this last item before sending the signal, my eyes fixed on the stage. The emcee dramatically whisked away the dark cloth covering the object beside him, and proclaimed,

“This will likely be the first time the world sees it unveiled. I present to you, one of the Seven Stars left to the world by the Moon Goddess! The ultimate artifact! Wrath, shining with violet fury!”

—

The Minister of State returned his gaze forward.

Christina felt a chill and glanced sideways.

A cold draft seemed to emanate from him.

Though his face was hidden behind a mask, Cristina couldn’t discern the Minister’s expression, yet somehow, she felt she knew it without seeing.

Meanwhile, the presenter continued his explanation on the stage.

“I know your concerns! You’re worried it’s just another pretty gem, aren’t you! That’s why we’ve prepared a special demonstration!”

New additions were brought onto the stage – human-shaped mannequins.

The presenter extracted the gem from its glass case, holding it towards the models as he surveyed the audience.

“Now, I will show you the true power of this Lapis! Observe carefully! It will be instantaneous! In mere seconds, it will ‘destroy’ these models before me!”

It was then.

The Minister spoke to Cristina.

“Evacuate everyone here with the agents.”

“Evacuate…?”

Before Cristina could question the sudden order, a scream erupted from the stage.

“aaargh!?”

Cristina shifted her gaze to the stage and beheld it.

The presenter, who had been holding the violet gem, was turning to ash, being ‘destroyed’.

A variety of reactions rippled through the auction house.

Some watched with apparent fascination.

Others screamed in unison.

Still others, paralyzed with fear, clamped their mouths shut.

…Each responded to the presenter’s demise in their own way, but it didn’t last.

Before long, they were all consumed by a single emotion.

The reason manifested itself on the stage once more.

The violet gem, having destroyed the presenter, didn’t fall, but seemed to hover, suspended in mid-air.

For several seconds it hung there.

Then, the gem of rage began to vibrate, unleashing destruction in a radius around itself.

Cristina, numbly observing the impossible phenomenon as it rapidly turned everything around into ash, found herself thinking, without realizing it.

It’s as if this world is being rejected.

“Cristina!”

Snapping out of her daze at the shout, Cristina hastily looked around.

The auction house had already descended into utter chaos.

Those who sought to flee, screaming, surged towards the entrance.

Information agents, striving to maintain order, struggled to calm them as they pushed and trampled each other in a desperate scramble to escape.

‘Still, it looks like almost everyone’s getting out!’

Christina ripped off her mask, intending to lift the unmoving Minister, but he raised a hand to stop her.

“Why?! Hurry, or it’ll be too late!”

“The opposite.”

Denying her words, the Minister removed his own mask, raised his right hand and continued,

“It’ll be too late if we don’t stop *that* now.”

Laas’s destruction reached the location of the Minister and Christina.