WIEDERGEBURT Chapter 19

Nights in the desert were cold. Given how hot it was during the day, I felt it was only natural to assume it was hot all the time, but that wasn’t the case. When the sun went down, the temperature dropped to the point where my body broke out in goosebumps. I thought I might freeze to death.

“Let’s stop here for the night,” Zane commanded his people. Everyone responded with an enthusiastic shout. He then turned to us. “You two said you wanted to help, right? You can help us set up the tents.”

Tents were made from a type of leather hide that was thick and rough. According to Zane, it was the hide of a Sand Crawler, which were giant worms big enough to eat humans. We’d run into one of them ourselves. It had swallowed several of our companions before we managed to escape from it.

I wasn’t sure how I felt about sleeping in the hide of a beast that had eaten my comrades whole, though I knew we didn’t have much choice. In either event, it sealed in heat better than other materials like wool or cotton, which meant people wouldn’t freeze to death when they slept in it, so I guess I couldn’t complain. Apparently, there had been cases of people dying from hypothermia in the Endless Desert.

Kari and I set up our own tent. It was a small tent for two and shaped like a triangle that was longer than it was wide. It was an ugly brown color and it smelled kind of bad, but neither Kari nor I complained. According to Zane, this tent had belonged to a member of their caravan, but he’d been killed last year during a bandit attack.

After setting up our tent, Kari and I were placed in charge of cooking. There were a lot of ingredients that I didn’t recognize. Some of them made me wanted to vomit. The people who lived in the dessert ate whatever they could find, including bugs and these little mice that burrowed beneath the sand. After having eaten this food for several days, I would say that someone definitely needed an acquired taste to appreciate it.

I was still a long way from acquiring a taste for it.

We did what we could, cooking the mixture of mice and grasshoppers in a large skillet and adding the few ingredients this caravan took with them. A really spicy powder called curry powder seemed to be the primary ingredient used to spice up this dish. If nothing else, the intense heat burned my tongue so badly it numbed my ability to taste the mice and grasshoppers.

Everyone sat around the fire after dinner. A moleskin flask filled with wine was passed around. Kari and I declined. Given how much we’d suffered from dehydration, both of us were leery of drinking anything that would further dry us up.

The two of us sat snuggled together, not quite participating in the conversations happening around us. No one had outright told us we couldn’t stay with them. At the same time, I believe we both felt like outsiders.

While I was sitting there, staring into the fire, my ears suddenly twitched as a noise attracted my attention. It sounded like something was shifting across the ground. However, it was very soft. Were it not for my good hearing, I would have missed it for sure.

I stretched out with my senses, trying to feel out where the noise had come from. This feeling was getting closer. It was almost like…

My mind flashed a warning as I leapt to my feet and shouted at Zane. “Behind you!”

Zane turned around just in time to see a figure leap out of the sand, which also meant he had the time to leap backward, dodging a powerful attack. Sand rose from the ground as the figure landed. This person was covered in a black outfit and carried a gleaming silver blade that had purple liquid dripping along the edge. Was that poison?

“It’s the Red Scorpions!” someone shouted.

As if their scream had been a signal, several more figures clad in black burst from the sand like a Sand Shark Demon Beast. It looked like they had been hiding underneath the sand. Each of them was clad in black from head to toe, with only their eyes visible, and they all had those curved blades with poison dripping from them.

The caravan didn’t panic. Everyone pulled the weapons from their waists and prepared for battle. It seemed Zane and the others were quite experienced with danger.

As the battle began, I sensed movement behind us. Kari must have also sensed it. The two of us spun around, lifted our legs, and slammed our heels into the chest of a figure who’d leapt out from the sand. His sword had been raised, so he couldn’t bring it down in time. Our feet crushed his ribcage with a loud snapping sound. Then he was launched backwards, rolling along the sands before coming to a stop.

“We should help the others,” Kari said.

“Right. Are you gonna grab your ranseur?” I asked.

She shook her head. “There’s no time. Let’s go.”

Kari was right. While it was clear that the caravan had some experience in fending off attackers, they were obviously not trained combatants. What’s more, these strange figures in black clothing seemed to specialize in stealth attacks. They would disappear into the sand, then pop out when people least expected it. One of the people from the caravan had already gone down. Blood pooled out of his slit throat as he lay there twitching.

With Kari by my side, the two of us rushed toward the nearest person. It was Zane. He was fighting with a similarly curved blade as his enemies. I guess it was a standard weapon around here. He was fighting two people at once, and while he’d avoided getting cut, he was also being pushed back.

“I’ve got the one on the left. You take the right,” Kari said.

“Okay!”

I darted right and moved in to attack just as my target raised his sword. He must have sensed me. He turned around as I rushed at him and tried to slash at me, but I sidestepped his downward attack, and then launched a rabbit punch that caught him in the throat. My attack staggered him. As he stumbled back, I took several steps forward, channeled Spiritual Power into my fist, and unleashed another punch.

Lightning crackled on my fist as I crashed it into the flat end of the man’s sword. I frowned and circulated my Spiritual Power through my body, unleashing even more power. Pale blue arcs traveled along the blade and into my opponent. The man jerked and twitched as he was electrocuted.

Taking a single step back, I spun around and launched a reverse heel kick that struck the hilt of the man’s sword, knocking it out of his hand. Then I took two steps forward, channeled the lightning element into my palms, and thrust both palms at my opponent. The attack slammed into him with a concussive blast. Arcs of lightning exploded where my palms made contact with his chest, destroying his clothes and sending him flying. He struck the ground, and then shot into the sky as lightning exploded from his body. When he hit the ground again, he was nothing but a smoking corpse.

“You… you are a Spiritualist!” Zane said in shock.

I turned and rubbed the back of my head. “Did we not mention that before? Both of us our Spiritualists.”

“You did forget to mention that,” Zane said.

“Is there a problem with us being Spiritualists?” I asked.

“Of course not. However, had I known this, I would have gotten you two to perform guard duty,” Zane laughed.

I wasn’t sure I liked the idea of doing guard duty, which sounded really boring and cold but that was neither here nor there. A battle was happening. I couldn’t lose focus.

I glanced over to where Kari was fighting her opponent. Perhaps “had been fighting” was a better way to describe it, since she was currently standing over the defeated corpse of her foe. She glanced at me, nodded, and then turned to where the other caravan members were fighting.

Together, the two of us helped kill the remaining members of the Red Scorpions.

***

After getting off a carriage somewhere just outside of the Noble District, I wandered around and did my best to find out where I needed to go. The Auction House was supposedly several dozen kilometers from the Noble District. Fay had given me directions, but I still got a little lost. Not only did I not know where I was going, I didn’t even have a map.

While attempting to locate the Auction House based on Fay’s directions, I heard snippets of several conversations, most of which centered around the upcoming auction today.

“Hey, hey. Did you hear? A rumor’s been spread that the Auction House somehow got their hands on an A-rank Spiritual Technique!”

“I heard about that! Are you sure it’s true? I mean, an A-rank Spiritual Technique is supposed to be rare, isn’t it? That’s what I’ve heard.”

“It’s true. One of my friends works as a servant for the Lumen Family, and he says the Lumens confirmed that the A-rank Spiritual Technique actually does exist!”

“No way!”

“Yup!”

“Heh… I bet that thing is going to make them quite a lot of valis at today’s auction. Damn, wish I’d been the one to discover it. Could you imagine how much I’d make?”

“Ha! You aren’t even allowed into the Demon Beast Mountain Range. How could you ever discover a treasure like that when you can’t risk life and limb to obtain it?”

The people talking weren’t Spiritualists. Judging from their clothing, which was nice but not extravagant, they were probably middle-class citizens, merchants or perhaps government employees.

I stopped listening into the conversation as I turned a corner. It seemed the knowledge about the A-rank Spiritual Technique had spread quite far. I’d been hearing a lot of people talk about it in the last few days, whether that was in the library, on my way home from training, or even when I was shopping. Even Kari had been talking about it when we got together the other day. I wondered if she or her family was going to attend…

After what felt like an hour of walking, I finally arrived at the Auction House.

Perhaps I shouldn’t have been surprised by the immensity of the Auction House, but it was a lot larger than I had imagined it to be. It wasn’t the size of the Valstine’s mansion. Even so, it was a massive structure with towering columns and a pair of gigantic double-doors. There was already a large line of people out front. Only a few were people let in at a time, so it looked like they were trickling in slowly.

I did not go up through the front. I went toward the back of the Auction House, traveling along the wall until I found Fay standing before a door that was much smaller than the one up front.

She had dressed up rather extravagantly today. Her purple gown was strange in that it was larger near the back than it was the front. While the back went down to her ankles, the front moved upward to reveal a very large amount of her milky white thighs. This gown had no sleeves or shoulders. Her bare shoulders, exposed collarbone, and creamy white cleavage was enough that I was sure most men would have been howling at the moon like Dire Wolves in heat. Purple sleeves attached to her arms but not the dress complimented the outfit, which had been finished with a pair of yellow heels.

“Fay,” I greeted with a smile. “You look pretty amazing today. Are you going to be in the auction?”

“Ah…” Fay’s face burst into a vibrant red to match her hair. She looked away and grabbed the hem of her dress. “Y-yes. Father said he thought it would be a good idea if I helped auction off items with him.”

“Hmm…” I cupped a hand to my chin. “Well, I definitely think having a beautiful girl up on stage will loosen mens’ wallets. Your father has a good business sense.”

“I-is that so? Well, I suppose it can’t be helped.” Doing her best to hide her embarrassment, Fay coughed into her hands several times. “I’ve been waiting for you. Father told me to take you up to our VIP lounge since you’re the guest of honor today.”

“I understand. Please lead the way.” I gestured for her to proceed me.

Fay walked through the door, which I also entered. We found ourselves standing in a hall. Beckoning me to keep following her, Fay led me to a set of stairs, which we ascended until reaching the last of three floors.

The hall in the third floor was much nicer. I think it wouldn’t have been innacruate to say it was a lot ritzier than what I was used to. The carpet was a royal purple, the VIP booths were sectioned off by lacquered doors, and there was a tasteful amount of artwork present on the walls, portraits and landscapes and such.

Fay led me to one of the doors, smiled, and opened it for me. “This is where you’ll be staying for the duration of the auction.”

Her words made me frown. “You won’t be staying with me?”

Shaking her head, Fay’s smile turned apologetic. “Father has asked me to help him present some of your alchemy pills today, so I will be down there with him.”

“Ah, right. I forgot about that. You can’t help him out if you’re spending time with me.” I was a little disappointed that I’d be in this VIP booth by myself, but I didn’t let her know that as I smiled. “I’ll just be here then. Good luck.”

“Yes,” Fay murmured. “Good luck to both of us.”

I didn’t know quite what she meant by that, but I could hazard a guess that she was wishing for my success in selling my alchemy pills and her successfully not making a fool of herself. Her arms and legs had been shaking a bit since I’d arrived. Given that she’d be going on stage, I guessed she was nervous.

The VIP booth was smaller than I expected. It was a balcony that was about a meter in width and didn’t extend very far out from the interior, maybe a quarter of a meter. There were only four seats, two in front, and two behind that were slightly elevated above the front pair. I walked over and sat down on the front right seat. At least the view was nice. The balustrade that kept people from falling didn’t hinder my view of the stage.

Quite the crowd was gathered below—a literal sea of people, the many different colors of their hair and clothes blending together in the low lighting of the Auction House. I could hear the rumble of thousands of voices from up here. However, none of what they were saying was very distinct. All of it was garbled nonsense to me.

I looked to my left, then to my right. There were several other balconies aside from mine. However, perhaps by design, I could not see them because there were curtains in the way. I could only guess that this was a way to allow nobles and VIP guests their privacy. I suppose I couldn’t complain. Besides, I would likely be able to figure out who was in those booths once the auction got underway.

As if my thoughts had dialectic powers, the large curtain covering the stage suddenly pulled back, revealing a middle-aged man and a young woman. They were Stelys and Fay Valstine. While Stelys looked perfectly comfortable standing there in his dark robes, Fay was doing her best not to squirm.

“Welcome, one and all, to the Auction House!” Stelys’ voice boomed across the Auction House, causing all those who hadn’t realized the show was starting to quiet down. “It has been a long time since this Auction House was opened. I’m sure everyone knows it, but due to a lack of new items coming in, we have been unable to hold an auction. However, here, today, I have several extraordinary items that are sure to turn your heads.”

The crowd was paying rapt attention to the old man, who now had them held by the nose. Not a peep could be heard.

Leaning back in my chair, I clasped my hands together, placed them in my lap, and waited for the fireworks to start.

The auction had officially begun.

***

Kari remained as unmoving as a statue as she sat in the viewing booth with her mother, three fathers, and three brothers. The chair was soft underneath her, causing her bum to sink into the seat. The high quality upholstery ensured that she had a comfortable place to sit while the auction happened. However, she was honestly quite bored.

“You should not wear such a dull expression,” her mother said with a chiding look.

“I think she’d rather have her nose buried in a book,” Geirolf said with a laughing sneer.

Kari ignored her youngest half-brother, the same as she always did these day. Geirolf had been increasingly mean as the days passed. She didn’t know why, but he was making more rude comments about her recently. He would insult her choice in clothes, insult her love of books, insult her desire for adventure. If it wasn’t because she knew of Geirolf’s strength and didn’t want to cause trouble, Kari would have already challenged him to a duel.

“Be quiet, Geirolf.”

The words had not come from Kari, but from her blood father, Valence Astralia. The man with the overbearing presence stared at the young man, his half-son, with an unwavering gaze. There was a cold gleam in his eyes that caused the 18 year-old Spiritualist to swallow his own saliva.

“It seems our youngest son is becoming rather unruly these days,” Rainer said with a sigh.

Dante chuckled. “What did you expect? This is what happens when you spoil a child rotten.”

“I suppose.”

While the conversation between their three fathers went on, Geirolf released a soft growl within the back of his throat and leaned back in his chair, arms crossed as he scowled. Kari watched him out of the corner of her eye. She wanted to make sure he wouldn’t do or say anything else before turning her attention back to the stage.

“Before we get to the main event of the auction, I have several other unique items that have not been seen in Nevaria for many years,” Stelys announced, causing a rumble within the Auction House.

Kari’s attention was not on Stelys Valstine at the moment. It was on his daughter.

Fay had been decked out on a truly elegant gown that seemed to reveal her splendor from every angle. She was sure every man in the crowd was gawking at the other girl. Despite the fact that she appeared uncomfortable, Fay was doing her best to smile at the audience.

Kari was aware of her own looks. She knew from the hundreds of thousands of compliments people gave her that she was considered beautiful, but she had always thought Fay was even more gorgeous than her. Seeing the girl in a gown only made this more clear to her.

Her heart trembled.

She and Fay had been friends once, long ago, but an incident years ago had caused them to have a falling out. What’s more, the Valstine Family had fallen on hard times and their status had declined. They were barely considered nobility these days.

Not having her friend around had broken Kari’s heart. When she’d heard that the Leucht Family was trying to convince the Valstine Family to marry off Fay to Grant Leucht as his Second Wife, Kari had honestly been a little happy. The Leucht Family was ambitious. Not only did they dare to pressure the Valstine Family, but they were also pushing for marriage talks for her and Grant. Kari had thought that the shared position of being the center of Grant Leucht’s unwanted desires would have brought her and Fay closer together.

Sadly, she couldn’t have been more mistaken.

“The first item we are going to auction are these!”

Stelys made a gesture to Fay, who stood before a table situated on the stage. The table was covered in several cloths. She removed the cloth on the furthest side, revealing a small glass bottle filled with what appeared to be…

“Alchemy Pills?” Kari muttered in a soft voice unheard by her family.

“This alchemy pill is known as the Tender Healing Pill. If you are ever injured and there’s no Spiritualist with a water element, you can consume this and it will heal minor to serious injuries. This includes broken bones and even stab wounds.” As a low murmur swept through the crowd down below, Stelys grinned. “We have tested this pill ourselves and confirmed that it does work.”

The murmuring became louder as the people down below spoke. Kari didn’t hear what was being said, but even if she’d been close enough, she wouldn’t have paid attention. The entirety of her focus was on those alchemy pills. Could those be something Eryk had made?

“Tender Healing Pill, is it?” Valence muttered as he rubbed the stubble on his jaw. “I’ve never heard of such a pill before. Were those made using alchemy? I had always assumed alchemy was only good for creating beauty products and basic healing salves.”

“That might be the case now, but it hasn’t always been so,” her mother chided, eyes staring at the bottle. “I’ve been told by the previous Emperor that Alchemy had been far different over one hundred years ago. There had been many alchemy pills that created a variety of different and useful effects. Alchemists back than had been revered for their enviable refining talent. However, a fire several hundred years ago broke out at the Alchemist Association, a number of their top alchemists died, and the knowledge of those pills was lost.”

“Do you think someone was able to recreate some of those pills then?” asked Rainer.

“Who can say?” Her mother shrugged, eyes narrowing in thought. “However, if those really do as Stelys Valstine says, then it could greatly increase the strength of Nevaria.”

Her mother’s three husbands nodded, and even her brothers seemed to understand what these pills could mean for Nevaria. Geirolf and Mikkel were gazing at the pills with hunger in their eyes. Only Earland, ever the silent young man, did not stare at the pills like they were a gift from the heavens.

“Because these alchemy pills are brand new and no one but my family understands the effects, the starting bid will be 200 valis.”

“That starting price is quite cheap,” Rainer muttered, his mien thoughtful.

“It’s not like he can bid unknown pills at a high price.” Dante leaned back in his chair and stroked his chin. “I bet you anything these pills are just here to whet the appetite of everyone else before the main event.”

“Probably,” Rainer conceded.

No one spoke for a long while. It seemed everyone was reluctant to bid on these pills, which none of them knew the effects of. Even if the Valstine Family claimed to have tested the pills themselves, there was still a risk involved. What if they were lying? Of course, lying would be stupid, but a lot of people couldn’t help but doubt the sincerity in Stelys’ words. Kari believed it was because these people secretly thought he was desperate thanks to his family’s financial situation.

“Mother?” Kari turned to her mother. “Can you bid on those for me please?”

“You want those pills?” Her mother blinked several times in confusion. “Do you mind if I ask why?”

Kari bit her lip. “I just… have this feeling they will prove useful to me. Instructor Brynhild has been increasing my training and our spars are getting more intense. I’ve gotten injured several times. While I can use my light element to heal myself, I’m still not very good at it. These would go a long way toward helping me.”

It was a very logical and well-thought out answer, or so Kari hoped. The truth was that Kari believed those alchemy pills had been made by Eryk. If for no other reason than that, she wanted them.

“Very well,” her mother said after staring into her eyes for several seconds. She sighed and raised a brass megaphone to her lips. After which, she took a deep breath and spoke. “I bid 300 valis on those pills.”

Her voice resounded across the Auction House, startling many people and causing them to look up. Kari could actually see their heads turning toward their balcony. Unfortunately for them, the balcony was cast in darkness from that angle, making it impossible for anyone to actually see their faces.

“That’s 300 valis,” Stelys said. “Would anyone else like to make a bid?”

It was a few seconds before another person down below raised their hand and increased the bid to 350 valis. Kari frowned at that person. She glanced at her mother, who saw her look and sighed.

“400 valis,” her mother announced.

Unfortunately, despite her mother upping her bid, it did little good because someone else made another bid, increasing the price from 400 to 500 valis. Kari could only sit there in frustration as the bidding rose several more times. She glanced at her mother again, who merely shook her head, signaling that she wouldn’t spend more valis on a bottle containing only four pills of unknown origin.

“1,000 valis!” a voice from another balcony suddenly announced. Kari glanced over toward the balcony, but she couldn’t see anything because of the curtains.

“We’ve got 1,000 valis,” Stelys said. “Does anyone else wish to place a bid?” There was only silence. “That’s a bottle containing four Tender Healing Pills sold for 1,000 valis to the Leucht Family!”

The Leucht Family?!

Kari’s head whipped back toward the balcony, but she still couldn’t see anything. Stelys could only see because he was on the stage. These VIP booths were meant to provide privacy to the bidders, but she guessed it wasn’t really meant to protect their identity. After all, what did it matter if people knew who bid on what item?

She would admit to feeling a little resentful toward the Leucht Family for outbidding her mother on those pills. However, just as a sense of anger was settling in her heart, Fay removed the next cloth and revealed another set of pills.

“The pills you see in this jar are called the Spiritual Booster Pill. As the name suggests, these pills temporarily increase a person’s Spiritual Power to twice the amount he or she has. It is a great pill to have when you are in combat and need extra power,” Stelys explained the pills’ properties to the crowd.

An even bigger buzz was created than when he introduced the Tender Healing Pills, though Kari could understand why. Spiritual Power played an important role in both the number and rank of Spiritual Techniques that a Spiritualist could perform. A Spiritualist with a lot of Spiritual Power would be able to perform many high-ranking Spiritual Techniques without depleting his or her reserves too quickly.

Most Spiritualists could only perform, at most, one or two C-rank Spiritual Techniques, nevermind an A-rank technique. Having those pills meant they would be able to cast more Spiritual Techniques than before.

Kari glanced at her mother, who noticed the look she was giving her. The empress could only sigh.

***

“1,000 valis!”

“1,100 valis!”

“1,250 valis!”

I listened as the price of the Spiritual Booster Pill continued climbing. While the Tender Healing Pills hadn’t done too well, it seemed the allure of a pill that could boost a person’s Spiritual Power was too great for people to ignore.

“2,000 valis!”

I almost choked when the bidding price suddenly raised to 2,000 valis. That might not be a lot of money for a noble, but 2,000 valis was enough for a peasant to live off of for at least a month. It was also over ten times more than what it cost to buy the ingredients for me to make those pills. Back in Midgard, a jar of 20 Spiritual Booster Pills would have been about 4,000 valis. They were only a mid-tier pill and weren’t that difficult to refine.

Before I knew what was happening, Stelys sold the Spiritual Booster Pill.

“Sold for 3,200 valis to the Kriger Family!”

I perked up when I heard the name of the family who’d bought the Spiritual Booster Pills. If I wasn’t mistaken, they were one of the Three Heavenly Families. I didn’t know much about them. In my previous life, I had just been a librarian and had never been involved with the nobility beyond my relationship to Kari. The only other noble I’d met had been Grant Leucht.

An unbidden sigh escaped my lips as I realized I would probably have to learn more about the Heavenly Families at some point. Given what I was trying to do, I couldn’t remain ignorant.

After the Spiritual Booster Pill came the Temporary Enhancement Pill, which enhanced a person’s physical strength. This one did not sell for as high a price as the Spiritual Booster Pill. However, I still felt like 2,500 valis was a pretty good amount of money. The group who bought it was a minor noble family called the Bellator Family.

I used the auction to judge how well-received each different pill was. The Spiritual Booster Pill and Elemental Pill ended up selling for the highest price, which I guessed made sense. Both of them were more useful to Spiritualists and people who traveled into the Demon Beast Mountain Range. The Endurance Pill and Temporary Enhancement Pill were the second highest sellers at 2,300 and 2,500 valis respectively. In last place was the Tender Healing Pill and Clarity Pill. They were only sold for 1,000 and 900 valis.

In terms of usefulness, I think the Tender Healing Pill would actually be the most beneficial, but that one hadn’t sold high because it was the first one being auctioned. The next time I went to the Alchemy Association, I would inform Feinrea to have her people refine mostly Tender Healing Pills, Spiritual Booster Pills, Endurance Pills, and Temporary Enhancement Pills.

“Now that we have auctioned off all of the alchemy pills, it is time for the main event.” Stelys wore a large smile as Fay walked off stage. “As many of you know, the Valstine Family recently got their hands on an A-rank Spiritual Technique. The technique is called Five Finger Fire Whip. By using it, Spiritualists can create a powerful whip of compressed fire that’s hot enough to melt through steel. A particularly skilled Spiritualist can even change the density and temperature of the flames to make it non-lethal.”

Stelys’ words caused a fervent murmuring to rise from the crowd as Fay walked back on stage, a wooden chest with gold engravings decorating the surface in her hands. Even though I wasn’t down there in the crowd, I could feel the hunger from them, the desire. This was the moment all of them had been waiting for.

Stelys opened the chest and showed everyone the scroll that was resting on the light purple pillow inside. The scroll was made from goatskin and had a slightly brown and aged appearance. I’d done that on purpose. Using the lightning element, I’d lightly dried the goatskin to give it an older look. My hope was that people would assume it came from a ruin or a dungeon located in the Demon Beast Mountain Range.

“As you all know, A-rank Spiritual Techniques are rare,” Stelys said. “There are barely a hundred here in Nevaria. That being the case, the bidding for this will start at 30,000 valis.”

Placing my hands on my elbows, I leaned forward and stared intently at the stage. I wondered how much this Spiritual Technique would sell for.

***

“30,000 valis as the starting bid for a Spiritual Technique Scroll?” Geirolf scoffed as he leaned back. “Does that old man take the people here for fools? There’s no way someone would pay that much for one Spiritual Technique Scroll.”

“That is not the case,” Earland said with a shake of his head. “We might have no need for a new Spiritual Technique, but that is because our family already has a number of powerful Spiritual Techniques in our library. Very few families outside of our own and the Three Heavenly Families have a Spiritual Technique of this quality. An A-rank technique is a gem that could go for as high as 90,000 valis. Even the Spiritualist Academy, which has many powerful techniques, would gladly pay triple the price for something like this.”

“W-whatever.” Geirolf blushed bright red as Earland, who rarely ever spoke, talked him down. “I still say it’s overpriced.”

“An A-rank Spiritual Technique, huh?” Dante looked at the stage with a wide grin. “That really is quite the haul. Even if those pills turn out to be duds, coming here to see this technique makes it all worthwhile.”

“Even our family has precious few A-rank Spiritual Techniques,” Rainer admitted.

Kari remained silent as she listened to the conversations happening between her family. She didn’t particularly care about this technique. An A-rank Spiritual Technique of the fire element might be something that attracted others, but she was of the light element. That was one of the reasons her training as a Spiritualist hadn’t progressed very much. There simply weren’t that many Spiritual Light Techniques available to learn.

“Are you going to bid, My Lady?” asked her father.

Her mother looked down at the stage with intelligent eyes before slowly nodding. “I might have to. Given our current relationship with the Leucht Family, having another A-rank Spiritual Technique in our grasp could be a good bargaining chip.”

Her mother and father glanced at her, but she tried to ignore their intent stares. She knew they were talking about the marriage talks. However, she didn’t think having another A-rank Spiritual Technique would help her. After all, if Grant Leucht married her, then the Leucht Family would get access to the Astralia Royal Family’s library, which contained many Spiritual Techniques.

No, it wouldn’t be this technique that helped her. That much she knew.

***

“45,000 valis!”

“55,000 valis!”

“62,000 valis!”

I could only shake my head as the A-rank Spiritual Technique’s bidding price exceeded the price the Spiritualist Academy’s Head had paid for the technique I’d sold him. Not only had the price already gone past that. It was still continuing to rise.

“65,000 valis!”

“73,000 valis!”

All of the bidding was now coming from the balconies, those VIP booths where prestigious people sat. I didn’t know who was in all of those booths, though I had at least memorized which balcony belonged to the Leucht Family. Currently, most of the bidding was coming from that balcony and another one where a regal, female voice continued upping the bid.

“76,000 valis!”

“80,000 valis!”

Five Finger Fire Whip was a Spiritual Technique that was useless to me. I didn’t have a fire affinity, so I couldn’t even use it. It also didn’t go well with my fighting style. Too much finesse was required to use it, and I also wasn’t a big fan of using whips during combat. However, an A-rank Spiritual Technique was still an A-rank Spiritual Technique, and as such it would definitely garner the attention of others. Even in Midgard, a place where many powerful groups gathered, a Spiritual Technique of this level was something to covet.

“120,000 valis!” that cold, regal female voice cried out, shocking me out of my thoughts. I stared at the balcony even though I could not see through the curtains. When did the price rise so dramatically?!

“That’s 120,000 valis.” Stelys could barely contain his ecstatic expression. He was clearly happy to see how much this Spiritual Technique was selling for. I was too. “Are there any counterbids? No? Then the A-rank Spiritual Technique, Five Finger Fire Whip, is sold to Empress Hilda Astralia!”

Once those words left Stelys’ mouth, my eyes grew wide as I swung my head toward the balcony. So that cold voice that could freeze lava had been Empress Hilda? I had no idea. While I knew of her like everyone else, I had never met her back in my previous life, much less heard her speak. However, now that I knew this voice belonged to Kari’s mother, I could hear the slight resemblance. Her voice was cold and regal, a far cry from Kari’s polite and refined but still warm manner of speaking, but the pitch and timbre of their voices were quite similar.

“With this, the auction is officially over.” Stelys spread his arms wide in an encompassing gesture. “Would those of you who successfully bid on one of the items we auctioned please come to the back room? I will have several people escort you there, should you wish it. To the rest of you, thank you very much for attending.”

With the auction now over, the sea of people down below swelled as everyone stood up and began making their way outside. Excited voices reached me as I continued sitting in my chair. I was waiting for the other VIP guests to leave before I left myself. Even though I didn’t think anyone would think much of me if they saw me, I also knew that a young man of 17 having a balcony to himself would draw attention—perhaps the unwanted kind of attention.

I wasn’t strong enough to protect myself yet. Therefore, keeping a low profile until my strength had risen was the best action I could take.

I’m not sure how long I remained sitting in my chair, but the door eventually opened, causing me to turn my head. Fay entered the balcony, walking forward with light steps. She was wearing a bright smile that seemed quite cheerful. I think she was happy that the auction was now over.

“You looked awfully uncomfortable on that stage,” I teased a bit as she came up to me.

Fay’s footsteps halted. “That… you would be too if you had so many people staring at you.”

“Maybe. Maybe not. I wasn’t the one standing in front of several thousand people, so who can say.” I saw Fay’s cheeks swell up like squirrel with a mouthful of acorns and decided to stop teasing her. “Have the bidders finished the exchanging valis for the items they won?”

“They have. The last bidder, Empress Hilda, just left a few minutes ago,” Fay confirmed. “That’s why I came to get you. I assumed you’d still be up here.”

“It seems you know me too well.” While I said this with a slightly teasing tone, the truth was that her words shook me a little. Fay seemed to have grasped my character a little too well. I wasn’t disturbed, not quite, but the sensation of butterflies fluttering in my chest also caused an unpleasant sensation of guilt to well up inside of me.

“I’ve been watching you for over a month now,” Fay said with a slight smile. “It’s only natural that I would know you.”

“You’ve been watching me?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Er…” Fay’s cheeks suddenly became stained red. “That… I mean, it’s not like… let’s just go. I need to escort you to Father so you can receive your share of the profits.”

“Right…”

I decided it was best to ignore her words. There was nothing I could do about them anyway.

Following Fay out of the balcony, I was led down the hall. We took a staircase to the first floor, and then she led me through several hallways near the back, coming upon a door located within its own mini-hallway.

“Father?” Fay knocked on the door. “I’ve brought Eryk.”

“Come on in,” a gruff voice said.

Fay opened the door and walked in, holding it open so I could follow after her. The room we found ourselves in was plain but nice. There weren’t many decorations, but the limestone floor was freshly polished, there was a shelf filled with tomes, and a desk that currently had several large bags of valis sitting on top of it.

Stelys sat behind the desk. He looked up when we entered. A smile split his face upon seeing us.

“We did fairly decent with this auction,” he mused. “While the money is not significant compared to what the Three Heavenly Families make, it is more than sufficient to help keep the Valstine Family afloat for awhile. Certainly, it’s more than enough to keep us alive until our deal with the Alchemist Association is put into effect.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” I said. “The Alchemist Association’s alchemists are currently able to produce some of the pills you just auctioned off, which means they should be able to begin making them in bulk within the next few days.”

“Good. Good.” Stelys nodded before grabbing the slightly larger bag of money and presenting it to me. “This is the money you’ve earned from the auction. It is 60% of the cut, which should come out to 77,900 valis. You may count it here to make I have given you the correct amount.”

I took the bag and slowly shook my head. “You are Fay’s father, so I’ll trust you on this.”

The man laughed. “It seems you have a good deal of trust in my daughter. You know something? I like you. You’ve got a good head on your shoulders, and you seem strong. How would you like to marry my Fay?”

“F-Father! What are you saying?!” asked Fay, who looked like she’d been broadsided by a Demon Beast.

“What are you getting so worked up over?” asked Stelys. “This boy is a much better catch than Grant Leucht, and if he agrees to marry you, then we can successfully back out of the marriage talks with the Leucht Family. I’d get a good successor, you’d be with the boy you like, and we wouldn’t have to worry about the Leucht Family pushing us. It’s killing three Demon Beasts with one Spiritual Technique.”

I glanced at Fay, who seemed to notice my gaze and looked away, though her eyes kept flicking over to me. There was a hopefulness in her gaze. That made what I was about to say all the more difficult.

“I’m sorry,” I said, glancing away. “However, I can’t marry Fay.”

The look on Fay’s face when I said that made me want to flinch. I kept my outward appearance firm, but my heart shook when I saw the look of shock and dejection that flashed across her eyes. Even so, this was for the best. I couldn’t give her what she wanted. That was what I told myself, at any rate.

“Do you mind if I ask why?” asked Stelys.

I sighed. “I’ve already given my heart to another. I do not think it would be fair to Fay if I married her when I have feelings for someone else. She deserves someone who will give her love and happiness, and I do not believe I can do that.”

I had dedicated my entire life to a single woman, and not even going back in time could change that. It wouldn’t be fair to Fay if she was forced to play second fiddle to Kari. What’s more, I wasn’t sure Kari would approve of me marrying both her and Fay, especially considering what Grant Leucht was trying to do.

“I see.” Stelys released a heavy sigh. “Well… I suppose if that’s how it is, there’s nothing to be done. That said, I am awfully disappointed that you aren’t interested. I think you two would make a great couple.”

Those words were like a spear to my gut, but it was because I could honestly see Fay and I as a couple. It was easy to imagine within my mind. However, I ruthlessly squashed those feelings and that vision. No matter how great a pair she and I would make, no matter how much I respected and liked her, my heart belonged to another, and I wouldn’t betray Kari, nor would I force Fay into a position where she was forced into a loveless marriage. I was already working hard to help her gain the strength she needed to stop the Leucht Family from forcing her into a marriage with their heir. I wasn’t going to turn around and become the very thing I was attempting to stop.

I glanced back at Fay, who was on the verge of tears. Moisture gathered in her eyes but didn’t fall. Seeing that caused another shudder to race through my heart, making me realize that I needed to leave.

“I am sorry,” I murmured to Fay before turning around and swiftly exiting the door.

As I journeyed back home, I couldn’t forget the look on Fay’s face as I admitted to having feelings for someone else. I didn’t want to admit it. However, my heart had been shaken by the expression she wore and the tears she refused to shed in my presence.