Chapter 2-18 : The Collector’s Scheme (part 1)
ーCount Oglan’s perspectiveー
「Dammit! How annoying!」(Oglan)
I was mad.
The reason was that I couldn’t win the item I wanted at the auction held by the Merchant Guild.
I just heard about it from a rumor.
They said there was a one-of-a-kind, extraordinary magic sword that would be put up for auction.
Honestly, I wasn’t expecting much when I heard it. After all, sellers tended to describe their goods exaggeratedly to attract people’s attention and sell them at high prices.
Because of that, many amateurs who were not used to auctions ended up being disappointed when they received the goods and realized that they were not as they expected.
However… It was real this time…
◆◆◆
-About thirty minutes ago at the auction venue-
「Ladies and gentlemen, the next item is a unique magic sword! You might have heard the rumor about it, but soon you are going to see it with your own eyes! Behold!」(auctioneer)
As the auctioneer said that, he removed the cloth covering the sword.
A word popped into my head when I saw it.
“Beautiful”
I was blown away by its appearanceー No. Its presence, to be exact.
At first glance, the sword looked ordinary. There was nothing special with the design.
However, I couldn’t take my eyes off it as if it exuded an invisible aura that strongly appealed to my visual sense.
I could already tell that it was an exceptional piece of work.
That alone was enough to make me want to bid on it, but the auctioneer further described the sword.
「This is not an ancient magic sword. It’s a modern one, but I bet none of you have seen a magic sword like this before. After all, it can create a bottomless quicksand that can swallow an entire enemy army!」(auctioneer)
「Huh?」
「A bottomless quicksand?」
「It can defeat an entire army he said?」(participants)
I could understand why the other participants doubted it. I doubted it too.
I owned many modern magic words but none of them had the power to defeat an entire army at once.
「You might think that I was exaggerating, but, my dear guests, we will show you how powerful this sword is. Please follow me to the backyard.」(auctioneer)
While holding a glass of champagne, I followed the auctioneer and the other participants to the backyard of the building.
There were about thirty big logs stuck in the ground and a muscular man standing in the backyard.
He took the sword, stuck it in the ground, and activated it.
Right after, the ground turned into a large quicksand and swallowed the logs at once. The ground then turned back to normal when the man deactivated the sword.
「Good heavens!」
「I can’t believe my eyes!」
「The sword’s the real deal!」(participants)
Like the other participants, I couldn’t help but drop my jaw.
Not only did it look pleasant to my eyes, but it was without a doubt the most powerful magic sword I had ever seen.
It was like the incarnation of a killing machine in the form of a gorgeous sword polished to the utmost limit.
It exceeded my expectations.
I want it! I WANT IT!!
「Dear distinguished guests, I hope you enjoy the demonstration. Without further ado, let’s begin the bidding, shall we? Starting at 200 gold coins.」(auctioneer)
「250!」
「300!」
「400!」
「450!」
「500!」(participants)
Tsk! It’s getting nowhere.
「1000!」(Oglan)
「1000 gold coins by Count Oglan! Anyone else?」(auctioneer)
「1200!」
「1400!」
「1500!」
Dammit!
For the price of a modern magic sword, it had already far exceeded the average price of rare ancient magic weapons on the market, but there’s no way I will back down!
I will continue bidding even if it costs my entire budget!
「2000!」(Oglan)
「2000! Count Oglan with 2000 gold coins! As expected from one of the biggest weapon collectors in the kingdom!」(auctioneer)
「Damn! Two thousand, huh?」
「That’s Count Oglan for you.」
「There goes my chance…」(participants)
Judging from the other participants’ reactions, no one seemed to want to bid higher.
I raised the edge of my mouth, smirking. I was sure that I had won the bid.
However…
「3500!」(??)
「Whaー!?」(Oglan)
Not only me, the other participants were frozen too upon hearing such an unbelievable amount of money.
It was nearly four times the price of an ancient magic weapon on the market.
Of course, there were goods sold for more than that amount in the past, but they were all thousands of years old rare ancient magic weapons. I’ve never seen a modern magic weapon sold for that much.
I turned my face in the direction where the voice came from, wondering who was willing to spend such a ridiculous amount of money on a modern magic sword, and I saw a familiar face.
「That’s… The son of Duke Balvin!?」(Oglan)
What the hell is Duke Balvin’s son doing here in the eastern region!?
No, it’s none of my business. Doesn’t matter why he’s here, but… I can understand why that brat can have that ridiculous amount of pocket money.
The Balvin Family governs the capital in the southern region. It’s a huge city facing the sea and has a large port which is also well-known as the largest trading port in the south.
They are known as one of the wealthiest noble families in this kingdom because they have been trading with many rich merchants from other countries through the port for decades.
It frustrates me but my wealth is nothing compared to theirs.
「Khh…!」(Oglan)
I couldn’t help but clench my fists while glaring at the brat.
He might have money to buy that sword, but whether he is worthy of it is a different matter!
「He is Duke Balvin’s son, isn’t he?」
「Yeah. I can understand why he wants that sword.」
「He is a knight after all, and a strong one too.」
「But don’t you guys know? He has a disturbing nickname. People call him ‘The Sword Breaker’.」(participants)
It seemed that some participants knew who he was.
Even though he was the son of a rich noble, he chose the path of life as a soldier and joined the army.
He was an extremely skilled fighter and an excellent tactical officer who had survived hundreds of battles. His strength and capabilities earned him popularity within the army.
However, he was the worst man I’ve ever known to handle a sword.
He has no respect for swords. He only sees them as tools that can be easily replaced no matter how valuable they are.
He treats his swords badly and uses them roughly in battles. Even the most durable swords would break after a couple of fights. Sometimes he even threw them at enemies and let them sink into the sea.
That’s where the nickname “The Sword Breaker” came from because he always breaks his swords in battles. I don’t know how many excellent iconic swords have been wasted in his hand so far.
That’s why this brat is distasted and abhorred so much by weapon collectors like myself like a plague in our community.
I can’t let this brat have that quicksand magic sword no matter what!
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Lmao, bet MC can make unbreakable and return to master sword… She would become richest or support from Duke