“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 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 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 while I worked at 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 were 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 Family’s mansion. Even so, it was a massive structure with towering columns and a pair of gigantic double doors. The gabled roof was made of weathered red tiles. While that made it look old, it also possessed a very austere appearance. I could see now why the Valstine Family had become a noble family.
There was already a large line of people out front. Only a few people were 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 completed the outfit, and a pair of simple gold, heeled slippers sat on her dainty feet.
“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 men’s 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 inaccurate 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’s 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 way she always did these days. 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 eighteen-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 in 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 gorgeous redhead. 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 were 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?” Dante muttered as he rubbed his jaw with a contemplative look. “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 then had been revered for their enviable refining talent. However, a fire over one 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 Mykkel 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 as to whether or not they really worked. 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 since it would ruin their reputation, but a lot of people couldn’t help but doubt the sincerity in Stelys’s 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, though part of her was afraid her mother would mention Hilda’s water element. 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?”
WIEDERGEBURT: Legend of the Reincarnated Warrior: Volume 2 Page 11