Volume 8 Chapter 5 PaRT 3
「She is certainly not bad.」
Rather, I really want her. I really want to buy her right now because of her beauty and her big chest. However, I am pretending to be troubled, so that the Slave Merchant doesn’t immediately pick up on it and sink his teeth into me like a predator that just sensed its prey’s fresh blood.
That being said, it shouldn’t really matter all that much since I can just bid on her. Or perhaps, he’s going to try forcing me to do something in order to have a higher starting bid for her?
「I am thankful for your time.」
「Thank you very much.」
Vesta expresses her gratitude towards me.
Although it was pleasant, I am not entirely happy since it looks like it is a sentence that she was saying to every customer who walked through the door, like a clerk at the shop who greets all of the customers with the exact same words. 「It all comes down to whether I can make a successful bid or not, so don’t try to sell yourself to every visitor and flatter them if you don’t know if their intentions are genuine.」
I couldn’t stop myself and said that over my shoulder to her since I don’t approve of her doing that to everyone, to which the Slave Merchant grinned.
「Umm, Thank you for your concern, dear customer, but I think it’s alright.」
Alright? How can something like that be even remotely alright?
「As for the other visitors, I will just tell them that I can’t enter the Labyrinth.」
Because another visitor has already entered, I take my leave. Even If you say that, I will still be troubled. That’s why I decided to go visit other rooms in order to take my mind off that situation with Vesta.
As expected, the majority of the slaves are females. Because it’s the auction day, it’s full of beautiful women, which is pretty amazing. Even so, Vesta and the young lady from the room before her are the ones that stand out the most to me, so they might be the ones who’re going to garner the most attention today.
Since I have also made my choice now, it is time to get started.
I step into the next room while thinking that. The room is full of visitors. Is there some good slave being displayed here? I walk to the front to have a look at them and see for myself.
「So, I see that you have decided to participate in the auction after all.」
As I went to the front, a familiar voice that I know all too well greets me. It’s Alan, the Slave Merchant from Vale.
「Oh, it’s you, Alan-san. What are you doing here? I thought that you were not supposed to be taking part in the auction?」
「I never said that I won’t, just that I won’t be able to display my best merchandise. But as you can see, we are exhibiting a Wizard slave this time. It is the best Job to improve the strength of your Party after all. That’s why I can recommend him with absolute confidence.」
「A Wizard?」
Which reminds me, that old man was shouting something like this back at the reception desk when I just came into the Merchants Guild. So, he was right after all and a wizard slave is really going to be exhibited in the auction, huh?
Certainly, Wizard is the best job a Party can have. Even Sherry said that a Party pretty much needs to have a Wizard or a Mage as one of its members if it wants to tackle the higher floors of the Labyrinths.
Well, I am the only one covering for that role in our Party. But if we had another magic user in our midst, our offensive potential would probably get doubled. I would really love to see that, but there is a catch. If Alan’s words are true, then the slave that is supposed to be a Wizard is a guy.
*Sigh* If only it weren’t a guy. Well, I know for a fact that I’m not going to be trying to buy him, but I might as well check him out.
The man standing next to Alan was surrounded by the visitors. His job truly is Wizard. So he is the slave that Alan intends to put on display during this auction, huh? However, 「Identify」does not outright say that it is a man.
Is he really a man?
「Right before the auction, he was suddenly sold by a certain house.」
「To suddenly sell a Wizard who’s a valuable Job, they seem to be in quite a crisis.」
「Lately, his earnings had started to decline, but it wasn’t originally the case. Over time, it reached the point where it was impossible for him to repay his debts, and that’s why he was sold into slavery.」
A certain house, huh? That probably means he’s from the Baradam family.
Alan once said that having sources is important for a Slave Merchant. Roxanne and that woman from the Baradam family who challenged her to a duel were acquaintances in the past, so it is no wonder that Alan managed to get Roxanne if he has connections in the Baradam family.
This Wizard, however, does not have a family name. He doesn’t seem to belong to the Baradam family, which begs the following question: if only the children of royalty and nobility can become Mages and Wizards because of the Orb of Self Destruction, then how could a commoner’s child acquire that Job?
「Having a Wizard for sale is going to attract a lot of attention to you, right?」
「Yes, precisely. As one would expect, it is rare for a slave with a Wizard Job to be exhibited at a slave auction, so now that I managed to obtain one I decided capitalize on the opportunity that presented itself to me. Of course, you’re more than welcome to bid for him as well if you want. If I may ask, what do you think about the Wizard over there, Mr. Michio?」
Is it really that rare for a Wizard to appear on the auction? Well, it is said that only the children of nobles and rich people can become Wizards, so I guess that does make them a kind of a rarity.
That being said, it really is a shame that he is a man.
I guess I could technically try to make a successful bid on him, and offer him in exchange for a female Wizard if I ever happened upon one in the Slave Shops. However, there is a slight problem with that approach: I don’t know of anyone who would have a female Wizard as a slave, and it’s probably next to impossible to have two Wizards of varying genders exhibited on the same auction.
「He will sell for quite a lot of money.」
「Oh, of that I have no doubt. It won’t be surprising even if he goes for more than one million Nars at best.」
Alan sticks out his chest proudly. It will be ridiculous if that happens, but knowing how this world operates, I can totally see someone being both capable and willing to pay so much money for such a slave.
I politely decline his offer to take a further look at the Wizard and try to leave.
「Have you guys prepared your platinum coins?! Because trust me, you’re going to be needing every last one of them!」
When I turn around, the old man from before was still doing the same song and dance number that he was doing before….. Oh. I see now.
Is he making a declaration to everyone that he is absolutely going to get this Wizard slave in order to lessen the competition that would try to get their hands on him as well? Because if so, then I am not sure if it will turn out exactly like the old man is thinking its going to turn out, though.
Still, I don’t think someone who gets scared from just that can compete with him in the first place. At first I was thinking of throwing him out on a loop by saying that I have two platinum coins on me right now, but I have ultimately decided against it.
「The order has been decided via lottery. Please move to the second floor as the auction will be starting shortly.」