Chapter 85. Auction

“Ah…!”

“…..!”

Both Johann and I widened our eyes.

Perhaps we were making the same expression.

My surprised face was perfectly reflected in his blue eyes, which were clearly showing his own shock.

Feeling a rush of heat, I quickly turned my head to the side. My lips felt as if they were burning.

Why did he have to grab my chin and turn my face like that…!

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Johann straighten his back and correct his posture.

“Ahem.”

An awkward cough echoed through the air.

I bit my lips inward and glanced sideways. He had one hand curled into a fist near his mouth, looking aimlessly out the window.

The fingers that had just brushed against my lips were now touching his own lips.

What is this?

Why am I so unaccustomed to this sort of thing?

If I say I’m thinking about an indirect kiss, that probably means I’m a fool, right?

“Ahem.”

Johann coughed once more.

“What I was trying to say…”

He shifted his gaze from the window back to me. For a fleeting moment, it seemed like his eyes glanced at my lips… Was it just my imagination?

In the blink of an eye, our eyes met.

“Isn’t it enough to make sure you’re not scared?”

Despite already rejecting my resignation, he went out of his way to say this.

Is it because he’s worried I’ll submit another resignation later? Afraid that a valuable purifier might run away?

But what should I do?

I’m planning to disappear soon.

Still, I was curious enough to hear what Johann had to say. So I decided to listen.

“How?”

“I’m thinking of changing your assignment. To somewhere closer to Elmon.”

Johann looked at me with a rather satisfied expression. Like a skilled negotiator making an irresistible offer, he elegantly extended his hand toward me.

“I think making the Agulena Plains your main area of activity would be perfect.”

“……!”

For a moment, I thought I misheard.

What did he say?

Agulena?

Agulenaaaaa?

Despite suggesting something that would send me to my doom, Johann wore an expression like a boy expecting praise.

I stared blankly at his outstretched hand.

…Am I supposed to take this?

Is he crazy?

When I looked up at Johann’s face again, he was gazing at me with eyes as reassuring as a fortress, as if he was telling me to trust only him.

Tens of thousands of troops were captivated by that steadfast gaze, following Emperor Marseus. So I found it even harder to believe.

Why would someone so great, who saved the world, come all the way here, with such a dependable expression, to make the worst proposal ever…?

“Of course, the other two might not be easy to convince, but…”

“It’s okay.”

Gathering my thoughts, I gently lowered Johann’s hand before he could continue with more nonsense.

Johann’s expression twisted strangely.

“Seraphina?”

“You don’t have to go through the trouble of changing my assignment. The Agulena Plains are scary too.”

Even if they changed it, I planned to run away before that, so I was expressing thoughtful consideration by suggesting he not waste his effort.

Of course, Johann still seemed confused.

“…You’re scared of the Agulena Plains?”

He raised an eyebrow and questioned.

“You, who even explored the Grodes Mountains, are scared of plains just five days from Elmon?”

“What I mean is…”

“Uh-ah.”

Don’t interrupt me, you jerk.

Just as I was about to come up with a plausible excuse, Johann raised a hand to stop me, as if something had occurred to him.

He let out a low groan and asked me with a look of disbelief.

“Is it because of the ghoul outbreak on the northern plains?”

Oh.

That was the excuse I was going to use.

I quickly nodded.

“It was really eerie and ominous. It felt like they were gathering to kill me.”

Although the strange phenomenon that day had nothing to do with my resignation, it served as a plausible reason to explain my fear of dying.

At least it was better than honestly saying, ‘Actually, I possessed a character in a book and knew from reading it before that Seraphina was an extra who died in the Battle of Agulena,’ and being treated like a lunatic.

Fortunately, Johann seemed to take my explanation seriously.

A wrinkle formed on his forehead.

Looking down with a serious face, he then gazed at me intently, as if he was deep in thought.

His eyes seemed to pierce through me, making me break out in a cold sweat down my back.

Surely, he doesn’t know how to read minds, right?

Like, reading expressions perfectly to detect lies…

While I was lost in such useless thoughts, Johann spoke.

“If you want, Marseus can go with you.”

“What?”

“I said I’ll go with you.”

“…To the Agulena Plains?”

I asked, bewildered.

Wait a minute? This seems weird?

Did Johann participate in the Battle of Agulena in the original story?

Since the death of an extra wasn’t detailed, I couldn’t know exactly what happened during the Battle of Agulena.

There was only a brief explanation that I had died because I fainted while unleashing a powerful purification ability. This, too, was glossed over in a single line, simply because Aveline had the same weakness as a side character used for the male leads’ flashbacks.

Anyway, it didn’t seem likely that Johann participated in the Battle of Agulena…

Seeing my suspicion, Johann spoke again.

“If I adjust my schedule, I can go with you once. It’s just over two weeks away now.”

Mercenaries were gathering one by one.

Of course, since I planned to run away before then, having someone like Johann accompany them would be a great help to the mercenaries.

Marc said he would go too.

Recalling that fact, I nodded.

“Alright. Go with us.”

* * *

The auction that the gentleman introduced me to was a very private event, accessible only to invited guests.

Not all auctions were like this, but it seemed they screened participants because they dealt only with rare relics.

Well, the starting prices were beyond what ordinary people could even consider.

Here, even the salary of a purifier seemed to fall within the realm of ordinary, so that said it all.

Anyway, I dressed appropriately for the occasion and confidently entered with the invitation the gentleman gave me.

The atmosphere was both luxurious and secretive.

Since it was my first time being a guest at such a place, I felt awkward and pressed my cloche hat down. Covering my face somehow brought a bit of comfort even in unfamiliar surroundings.

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome. Today is the day many of you have been waiting and waiting for. That’s right. The relics of the historic Charbon Kingdom are here today. No less than four.”

The host announced the start of the auction.

I straightened my back and recalled what the gentleman had said.

<Just win one. Just one.>

Right.

I only need to win one.

There are only four relics…

It seems like there are about a hundred people here…

I focused my mind to stay sharp.

In fact, this auction was far beyond my means. I had to draw on the gentleman’s financial resources.

But I had no other choice.

Regular art transactions were under a real-name system, heavily taxed, and tracked both buyers and sellers, which didn’t suit my purpose of diverting funds.

People were using art to hide wealth so much that Johann, that guy, thoroughly reformed the law.

And I didn’t have time to wait for another auction.

There were only a few auctions conducted beneath the surface like this one, where you could launder money.

It was such a relief there was one before the Battle of Agulena…!

Oh, Seraphina, you lucky girl!

Praising my own luck, I looked at the first item.

It was a relic that survived from the Charbon Kingdom, said to have vanished in black flames. It was a head ornament made of a magic stone.

Wow.

The Charbon Kingdom must have been really prosperous back in the day.

Using magic stones as ornaments?

While I was admiring it, I observed the auction atmosphere.

“Two million.”

“Three million.”

“Four million.”

Wow…

The 2 million shillings I saved up over two and a half years of hard work…

It’s already doubled. Haha.

Feeling somewhat empty, I laughed soullessly.

But I have a strong backer!

Now, receive the gentleman’s financial power!

“Seven million.”

“Eight million.”

I boldly called out a large amount to assert dominance, but immediately someone raised it by a million.

I instinctively glared at the back of the man sitting in the middle of the second row of the auction house. Not wanting to lose, I quickly raised my hand.

“Ten million.”

“Eleven million.”

This guy?

“Fifteen million.”

“Twenty million.”

Hmm…

He seemed to be quite a wealthy person.

I hesitated, thinking it might be disrespectful to buy at too high a price with the gentleman’s money. Meanwhile, the host announced the result with a bang.

“Number 13. Twenty million shillings, sold.”

Polite applause echoed around.

I was very disappointed, but not wanting to lose my composure, I quietly clapped my hands together a few times.

But why does the back of number 13’s head look so familiar?

As I was intently staring, number 13 turned around.