The Tin Knight-Chapter 16: The Tin Knight and The City of Pleasure (10)

Money excited people.

Greed excited people.

Competitiveness excited people.

The desire to show off excited people.

It was, in a sense, natural that an auction house created by gathering all these elements would be a crucible of desire.

Moreover, if this auction house was built not in an ordinary city, but in Albert, the city of pleasure where all kinds of criminals and corrupt nobles gather, its depravity would be beyond words.

The intensity of the environment was clearly conveyed to the girl in the “product waiting room” behind the auction house.

“Huu... Huu...”

The heir of Friedel. The only daughter of the kingdom’s greatest swordsman. The “young lady” Ronnie was devoted to saving.

The girl with various titles desperately repeated deep breaths.

It would be difficult to maintain her sanity otherwise.

It couldn’t be helped.

Even if she had visited the auction house as a “guest”, she would have felt nauseous from the malice and excitement overflowing around her, but now the girl was here as a “product”, making it all the more overwhelming.

It would be abnormal not to feel fear when she was about to be sold like an object to a stranger she didn’t even know, determining the course of her life.

That message... It definitely said today was the day of action.

A message had been delivered to the girl on the day she was handed over to the lord’s castle.

That message, mentioning Ronnie’s name and saying they would rescue the girl, was the last hope left for her.

The mysterious red jewel described as a “pill” in the message.

Although it was extremely unpleasant to put in her mouth and swallow something that was held inside the bizarre existence of a “mouse skeleton moving as if alive”, the girl had no other choice.

All that was left was to wait, but...

...Is it not time yet?

The girl was anxious.

The auction had already passed its midpoint, and nearly 80% of the products that had filled the waiting room had disappeared.

Even if she was the final product to be exhibited, the remaining time was not long.

Could the operation have failed?

Or were they aiming for after she was sold, not before?

As she spent her time resenting someone she didn’t even know the face of, who hadn’t told her anything about the specific plan.

Swish.

Suddenly, in a corner of the girl’s vision, a wisp of purple smoke appeared.

The girl looked at the smoke wondering what it was, and soon realized an astonishing fact.

The billowing purple smoke had filled the floor of the waiting room.

“What is this?! Where is it coming from?”

“Open the door, no, not that one! If it leaks to the front stage, we’ll all die! Open the back door! The back door!”

The smoke, which at first only reached the ankles, rose to cover her entire vision in the blink of an eye—shouts and screams erupted from all corners of the waiting room.

It’s now!

The girl’s face brightened.

Thinking that the rescue operation had finally been implemented, the girl tried to raise her body that had been crouching.

No, she tried to raise it.

Huh?

Thud.

The girl’s legs gave up, causing her to collapse to the floor.

Her vision spun due to severe dizziness.

“Cough! Cough!”

Something surged up from deep inside her body, and the girl reflexively vomited it out.

It was blood—brilliant crimson liquid.

What on earth is happening?

How is this unfolding?

No one answered the girl’s queries.

The girl lost consciousness right there.

And whether the girl lost consciousness or not, the red blood she vomited began to fulfill its purpose.

The blood, which had been bubbling like stew in a cauldron, gradually increased in size and eventually transformed into the shape of the girl.

It was a truly amazing transformation that reproduced not only the simple form, but also the skin, hair, and even the clothes the girl was wearing, perfectly replicating the girl.

“Cough! Cough! Damn it, which bastard did this...!?”

Finally, as the smoke cleared, one of the auction house staff approached the cage where the girl was confined.

The staff member sighed in relief as he saw the blood mass—now in the form of the girl— inside the cage.

“Hey! Is the main product safe?!”

“Yeah! Damn, I was so nervous thinking someone might have snatched her.”

“We still haven’t found the culprit who spread the smoke, so don’t let your guard down. If anything happens to that young lady, we’ll all die at the lord’s hands.”

“You don’t need to scare me, I know that too, bastard.”

Perhaps because they had confirmed that the “product” was safe, the staff members chatted in a more relaxed manner.

It was truly a bizarre scene.

The appearance of the girl collapsed on the floor seemed completely invisible to them.

A short while later.

When it finally became time for the highlight of the auction, the staff dragged away the blood mass that had taken on the girl’s appearance.

Security was only necessary to protect something.

There was no need to guard an empty waiting room.

As manpower was also needed to find the culprit who had emitted the purple smoke, the waiting room, which had been full of slaves and staff, was left completely empty and abandoned.

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Leaving only the girl sleeping peacefully in the cage and...

Peek.

...a small bone mouse hiding in a corner of the waiting room.

Rattle.

A purple bead fell out from between the bone mouse’s ribs and crumbled the moment it touched the ground.

The auction house staff, who frantically searching for the culprit behind the purple smoke, could never have imagined they were hidden in such a place.

The bone mouse, which lightly leaped through the gap of the open cage, slapped the girl’s cheek with its tail.

The girl’s eyelids twitched, and then her closed eyes fluttered open.

“Uh, umm, eek!?”

The girl faithfully followed “the behavior a normal person would show when waking up to find a skeletal mouse sitting on their face”.

In other words, she screamed and reflexively swatted away the bone mouse on her face.

The bone mouse, which had been spinning in the air, landed gracefully on the ground as if performing in a circus. It was an unnecessarily excellent skill, as if it had done some somersaults in its lifetime.

Click, click.

The bone mouse, rattling its mouth as if protesting to the girl who had swatted it away, made a gesture as if telling the girl to follow.

It was a clear and disciplined movement that even the girl, who had no experience communicating with rodents, could understand.

The girl cautiously began to follow the bone mouse.

***The moment the golden-haired, violet-eyed girl stepped onto the stage, the heat of the auction house rose to the point where one might wonder if it would physically burst into flames.

“Yes, ladies and gentlemen! The highlight of today’s auction has finally arrived!”

Smiling as if satisfied with that heat, the host continued his explanation in a cheerful tone, “A descendant of the renowned Lion Duke bloodline, considered the continent’s greatest martial arts family! Although she’s from a branch family, not the main family... Behold! At this brilliant golden hair and bewitching violet eyes! While golden hair is common, and violet eyes can be found rarely, only those who inherit the blood of the Lion Duke possess both simultaneously! This is none other than proof that this girl has strongly inherited the blood of her illustrious ancestors!”

At the host’s words, murmurs of admiration flowed from various parts of the auction house.

“Oh, so the rumor that the heir of Friedel domain was sold as a slave was true.”

“Indeed, the color is surprisingly vivid. Her eyes are like jewels.”

“Hmm, isn’t the risk too high? The power held by their bloodline in the Empire must not be insignificant.”

As if reading the hesitation harbored by the guests, the host raised his voice even more, “It is said that the legendary hero, the Lion Duke, had a very special constitution. Overwhelming physical abilities and robustness that wouldn’t budge to any disease! His descendants also inherited some of their ancestor’s abilities, which is why they have been praised as the greatest martial arts family for a long time. And bloodline, as you all should be aware, can always be inherited anew!”

The implication contained in the host’s words was clear, and it was enough to arouse the greed of the participants.

Voices hoping to purchase rang out from here and there, and in response, the winning bid price kept rising.

Dorothea watched this scene with a cynical expression.

It’s good I didn’t bring Ronnie.

If she saw her master being sold like a market item, Ronnie would undoubtedly be tremendously shocked.

She might even grit her teeth and say she would kill everyone here.

Although Ronnie was infinitely polite to Dorothea and the Tin Knight, who could be called her benefactors, she was also a warrior who could coldly kill a bandit or two.

That was not what Dorothea wanted.

Smashing everything and gaining notoriety wasn’t her style. Moreover, if things escalated that way, Dorothea wouldn’t be able to receive the product she had won by bidding with her money, or more precisely, the money she had “received” from Colombo.

Looking at the girl on the stage, or rather “something in the shape of the girl”, Dorothea wore a faint smile.

***After the auction.

The lord of Albert City found it hard to suppress the corners of his mouth from curling up.

“Hahaha, I didn’t expect there would be so many passionate participants. When news reaches the Lion Duke’s main family, they won’t let this slide easily. To think they want to have her even at the risk of that.”

Not only the price at which she was sold, but the sight of participants straining their neck veins as they rushed to get their hands on a single slave was what satisfied the lord.

Enjoying the disgraceful behavior of self-proclaimed “noble blood” was one of the lord’s perverse pleasures.

In that sense, he might even be grateful to Colombo for providing such a pleasant sight, but...

“My lord. Colombo has been persistently requesting an audience with you.”

“Soothe him and send him away.”

That was that, and this was this.

If the girl was sold at a price satisfying to the lord, he would support Colombo’s “independence”.

That was the contract the lord had made with Colombo, and indeed, the girl was sold at a high price.

All that was left was for the lord to keep his promise, but the lord had no intention of doing so.

It wasn’t to ignore or disrespect Colombo, no, his decision was made in recognition of his potential.

He’s bowing his waist now, but if he grows, he’ll be someone who could devour me and have plenty left over.

Of course, it would take quite a long time to actually reach that level, and the already old lord was unlikely to live until then... but that didn’t mean he needed to feed a young wolf.

From Colombo’s perspective, he probably thought the lord wouldn’t act so pettily and damage his face after even writing a contract, but originally bandits were shameless, and they became even more shameless as they aged.

Needless to say, the old man who was an old bandit was no exception.

Well, he’s not the type to back down easily like this. He’ll keep looking for my weak points, so this should keep me entertained for a while—

—Bang!

“S-stop them! Intruders!”

At the sudden commotion, the eyes of the lord, who had been lost in thought, widened.

Wondering what was happening, he looked down towards the main gate through the window and saw Colombo and his gang trying to invade the interior while cutting down the gatekeepers.

But it was a futile action.

The lord had invested heavily into protecting his body, and the interior of the castle was full of skilled experts.

Two knights in heavy armor firmly blocked the main gate, and as other soldiers rushed in indiscriminately, Colombo’s bandit group found themselves in a situation where they could neither advance nor retreat.

“B-Boss! Why are you doing this?!”

“W-wait a moment! I didn’t know! I have nothing to do with this!”

Some of the bandit group shouted something with bewildered expressions, but the castle soldiers didn’t listen to them and calmly exterminated the bandit group.

Realizing there was no way out, the bandit group resisted reluctantly, but from the start, the difference in their levels was too great.

Colombo and some executives showed their fighting spirit, literally not sparing their bodies, but that was only for a moment.

Soon, they, too, became cold corpses before the soldiers’ blades.

Watching this scene, the lord clicked his tongue.

“...Did I overestimate him? Unable to endure even a momentary humiliation.”

Perhaps Colombo had acted preemptively, fearing the lord might silence him, but even so, it was too hasty and foolish an action.

While feeling disappointed that his judgment had been poor, the lord didn’t neglect his duties.

“Dispose of all the Colombo bandit group members within the domain. Make it clear to the riffraff of the city what it means to raise a sword against me.”

“Yes.”

After the bowing retainer left the room, the lord was left alone with his thoughts.

For some reason, he couldn’t shake off the feeling that he was being played, but it was fleeting.

After all, the lord hadn’t suffered any loss from this incident.

A day later, however...

He heard complaint of the girl sold at the auction turning into a puddle of blood. Only then did the lord realize the true nature of the uneasiness he’d felt.