Two days later.

To attend the secret auction at the Arco Mansion, which started at 7 PM, I met Carl in front of the carriage.

I held my mask in my left hand and handed Carl’s mask to him with my right.

“Here, this is yours.”

“……”

Carl’s face seemed to twist slightly as he checked the mask design.

“Don’t you like it?”

“How could I?”

“We have no choice. That’s the only mask available, so just wear it.”

“But—”

“Let’s go, bondservant.”

I gestured for him to get on the carriage, showing that I wouldn’t accept any complaints.

Carl sighed, took the money bag from Mandy, and got in.

True to its reputation as a secret auction venue, the Arco Mansion was located in a rather secluded area.

The road leading to the mansion was narrow, and it became congested like a rush hour boulevard due to the carriages gathering from all directions.

We got off in front of the mansion wearing our masks.

I wore a simple cat mask.

Carl wore…

“Oh, it suits you better than I thought?”

A rabbit mask.

And it was adorably pink.

“You’re cute.”

“Are you serious?”

“We’re outside.”

“…Miss.”

“Yes, I’m serious. My bondservant is the cutest in the world right now.”

When I gave a thumbs-up, the lips under the mask covering half his face twisted.

The veins in his hand holding the bag bulged as he gripped it tightly.

Hmm, I should stop teasing now.

We showed our invitations to the guard at the entrance and entered the mansion.

Tables were set up throughout the vast hall. Staff in silver masks moved around, offering drinks and finger foods.

“Carl, let’s sit here.”

We settled at a vacant table in the middle with my bondservant.

The staff didn’t care where people sat, but they stuck close to some attendees, offering them front-row seats.

Those tables, unlike the ordinary ones, had bright rose vases on them.

‘They must be VIP seats.’

Judging by their lavish attire, it seemed like a gathering of high-ranking nobles.

Their masks were quite extravagant too.

Of course, many others wore unique and eye-catching masks as well.

‘Wow…’

I was curiously staring at a man wearing a mask with multicolored feathers when I accidentally knocked over a drink with my elbow.

Clang—!

The sudden crash drew everyone’s attention.

“Oh, sorry…”

Feeling embarrassed, I instinctively reached out to clean the shattered glass, but Carl stopped me by holding my shoulder.

The staff rushed over like lightning, insisting they would take care of it.

They quickly cleaned the floor and brought a new drink.

I felt bad for causing them trouble.

As I awkwardly tried to take a sip of my drink, Carl quietly handed me a note.

The rascal, trying to comfort his embarrassed master—

<Don’t draw attention to us. Miss.>

“……”

He looked at me with eyes urging me to respond quickly.

This rascal of a bondservant.

“…Okay, I got it.”

I don’t want attention either.

How much must he hate it to express it in writing instead of words?

While grumbling inwardly, it happened.

“What a splendid evening, everyone.”

A man wearing a red ribbon tie stood on the podium at the front of the hall and spoke.

He was the owner of the mansion and the host of the auction.

Lord Arco.

The chattering people fell silent and focused on him.

“Thank you for visiting Arco Mansion today. We have many specially prepared auction items, so I hope you enjoy your time.”

Lord Arco spread his arms wide. In response, fireworks went off beside the podium.

It was the signal marking the start of the auction.

The rules of the secret auction at Arco Mansion were simple.

Each auction item had a predetermined starting price, and those who wished to bid would raise their paddles.

If someone wanted to bid higher than the auctioneer’s call, they could raise their paddle and speak directly.

Once the auctioneer called the bid three times, the sale was confirmed and could not be canceled. It also could not be transferred to another person.

All successful bidders had to pay in cash on the spot, and refusal would result in automatic cancellation.

I decided to quietly watch the auction until the Barron Silver Mine came up.

Soon, the first auction item appeared on the podium.

“Now, the first item of the day! Known as the Millennial Stone because it appears once in a thousand years, the multicolored diamond!”

The jewel inside the glass case shone with a dazzling rainbow light.

It was so intense that I was momentarily overwhelmed by its brilliance.

The world in the game is truly different. Such diamonds are actually real.

“We’ll start at 1 million gold.”

As soon as the auctioneer announced the price, paddles shot up from everywhere. The front tables were particularly active.

Thanks to this, the auction price soared rapidly.

“We have 10 million gold. Is there 15 million gold?”

From the million range to the tens of millions.

“We have 200 million gold. Is there 250 million gold?”

From tens of millions to hundreds of millions.

“We’ll conclude the multicolored diamond at a highest bid of 520 million gold.”

“Oh yeah!”

The final winner of the bidding competition stood up and cheered.

The competition was fierce from the first auction item, so the atmosphere heated up.

The overly excited people pounced on the next auction item like a pack of dogs.

“Hey! Why have you been blocking me since earlier?! Do you know who I am?!”

“What? You got pushed out because you don’t have money! Do you know who I am?!”

They raised their voices or got into fights, prompting the knights stationed for safety to intervene.

I endured the series of interesting and flashy yet uninteresting auction items for a long time.

“Now, the next item is the Barron Silver Mine, originally owned by Viscount Dominic!”

Finally, the auction item I had been eagerly awaiting appeared.

Perhaps because the rumor that the Barron Silver Mine was on the verge of closure had spread, not many showed interest.

Everyone seemed to see it as a break, sipping drinks or eating food to relax.

But I!

“We’ll start at 70,000 gold. If anyone is interested—”

Before the auctioneer could finish speaking, I raised my hand high.

Me, me. Please, me. It has to be me!

Carl, glancing at my earnest gaze, quietly handed me the paddle.

Oops, my mistake.

When I properly held the paddle, the auctioneer continued the auction.

“Do we have 75,000 gold?”

Please let there be none.

However, contrary to my wish, a competitor appeared.

It was someone at the table next to mine on the right. And they were wearing a dog mask, of all things.

“Yes, we have 75,000 gold. Do we have 80,000 gold?”

Of course, I raised my paddle again.

And so, our intense battle began.

“Do we have 95,000 gold?”

When I raised the paddle.

“We’ll now increase by 7,000 gold. Do we have 102,000 gold?”

They raised theirs too.

Compared to previous auction items, it was modest, but the price soared as we competed.

“Do we have 800,000 gold, 800,000 gold?”

After going back and forth, we reached the estimated price the system had informed me.

But neither I nor my opponent showed any sign of backing down.

‘Isn’t this going to exceed the estimate? Surely not…?’

Feeling anxious inside, the system blinked in front of me.

【Well, the estimated price I provided was calculated assuming the auction proceeded with only the ‘Barron Silver Mine’ itself, without any variables.】

…So there’s a chance the estimated price and the actual final price could differ?

A strong sense of crisis made my mind spin rapidly.

If we kept competing like this, it could easily surpass 1 million gold.

By then, my opponent would likely feel competitive and unwilling to give up after coming this far.

‘I can’t let this drag on. I need to make a decisive move now.’

Resolutely, I raised my paddle and spoke up.

“1.1 million gold.”

I bid the amount equivalent to my entire fortune.

Clearly and loudly.

“W-what, suddenly…?”

Raising the price abruptly, I heard a flustered voice from my right.

It must have been because the amount far exceeded what they had anticipated for the Barron Silver Mine.

“We have 1.1 million gold. Does anyone wish to bid higher?”

I maintained a calm exterior while trembling inside.

Please back down now.

Please, please!

“If there are no more bids, we’ll conclude at 1.1 million gold.”

The auctioneer raised the gavel. The murmurs from the opposite table grew louder.

I watched the situation with bated breath.