"Will you remove the hood for me, please?" I asked Nyx after Dovin walked off to hand his proof over to the Merchant.
Nyx's dull purple eyes looked up at me, then slowly, she lowered her hood. Her full face came into view again—her forehead and cheeks decorated with light purple tattoos.
"I don't think these marks look bad at all. Honestly, they look kinda cool," I said with a smile.
"Cool? Cold?" Nyx blinked up at me in confusion.
Right. In Brahim, cool literally just means cold. I almost blurted out that I meant badass, but I caught myself just in time—no point in making it worse. This must be the cultural gap, or more like the world gap in isekais.
"I meant they look… pretty," I said, going for the safer, simpler option, meeting her gaze earnestly.
We held eye contact for a moment before she lowered her gaze again. I couldn't tell if she believed me or not—but at that moment, the sweaty man returned.
I managed to hand him the slip without touching his hand.
"Let me deduct this from your total of 250,000 Nars," he said, wiping his forehead for what felt like the hundredth time. "Michio-sama, once again thank you for your generous bid. Your final amount comes to just 149,400 Nars." He bowed deeply.
I instinctively took a step to the side—just in case his sweat decided to become airborne.
Still, I couldn't blame him too much for his excessive sweating. Because although the original winning bid was just as low as Sherry's—25 gold—but back then, I didn't have the upgraded 40% Discount skill. With it, the price had been slashed down to just 14 gold and 94 silver. Not even a full 15 gold.
As I handed over the 15 gold coins, a small realization struck me—Sherry would no longer be at the bottom in two categories: cost and breasts.
Things were finally looking up for her.
He gladly took the coins and handed me back 6 silver as change, then gestured for us to lift our hands for the ceremony.
Even while the sweaty man chanted the ritual, Nyx kept her head bowed, lifting her hand quietly. It felt a bit awkward for me—there I was, standing in silence, watching her. She looked so petite, like she was barely fourteen, despite being eighteen. Soon, Dovin finished the chant and, of course, wiped his forehead again.
[Nyx – Female, 18 years old, Shadow Caster, Owner: Kaga Michio]
"I will try not to be a burden, Master," Nyx said softly, finally looking up. Her dull purple eyes met mine with a flicker of sincerity.
"You could never be a burden to me, Nyx," I replied, matching her seriousness.
"…Alright," she murmured, nodding slightly before lowering her head again.
[Kaga Michio – Male, 17 years old, Adventurer, Free Man, Slaves: Roxanne, Sherry, Lillia, Anastasia, Miria, Vesta, Setsuna, Ram, Rem, Viviana, Shea, Jasmine, Remu, Shera, Nyx]
She barely glanced at my Intelligence Card when I showed it to her. Without saying much else, we exited the room together. I noticed she had already pulled her hood back up. Remembering the mutterings of "curse" from the crowd earlier, I didn't stop her.
"Fenlow is in the southern part of the Empire," Dovin began chatting as we walked. "All the other cities are quite far from it, and it's really just surrounded by a cluster of small villages—kinda in the middle of nowhere. So, I can't, in good conscience, ask you to visit my establishment."
He chuckled, then added brightly, "But I'll try to visit you in Quratar the next time I'm around! It's rare to meet like-minded people outside of Fenlow, Michio-sama."
I mentally cursed myself for ever asking where his town was. As we parted ways, I avoided shaking his sweaty hand and instead patted his shoulder—through his shirt, of course—telling him that we will meet again, to keep the illusion of friendliness. As I walked away, I muttered under my breath:
"Hopefully never."
As soon as we stepped out of the room, I came to a stop. Nyx halted just behind me, looking up with her dull eyes, silently questioning my sudden pause.
Taking a deep breath, I turned and stepped forward, wrapping her small frame gently in my arms.
Her body jerked slightly, clearly startled.
"From the moment I laid eyes on you, I wanted to do this," I said, slowly caressing her narrow back. "I just felt like you needed a hug. You looked so withdrawn, sad, and alone… I promised myself that this would be the first thing I would do after winning you at the auction. Welcome to my family, Nyx."
I felt her body tremble again in my arms.
Well she wasn't yelling. She didn't speak. Her hands just hung limply at her sides, not returning the hug. Unsure if I had made a mistake, I slowly pulled away, studying her face a little anxiously.
Her dull eyes met mine from beneath her hood. Then, to my surprise, her thin lips curled—just barely—into the ghost of a smile.
"Thank you, Master… I liked it," she said softly, her voice small and her smile slightly crooked.
"Well, I will make sure to give you plenty more hugs in the future," I replied with a grin, though in my head I was already thinking she would be getting many more things than just hugs from me.
Taking her small, cold hand in mine, we walked slowly toward the Auction Hall. I used the time to fill her in on the current situation—what was going on at home, and what to expect here at the auction.
Back at the hall people were still staring, especially at Nyx. Many of them—particularly the elves—were clearly not happy about her presence. But her frame was small enough that I could shield her from their gazes with my body.
As we neared our seats, I hesitated. My first instinct was to have her sit next to Vesta—just in case Shera, being an elf, might react negatively to Nyx. But then I reminded myself: they would be living together from now on. Better to face this early.
To my relief, I didn't have to be worried. As Shera greeted her with a soft smile, and even the others welcomed her without issue. Maybe Shera, who had barely paid attention to the auction, just assumed Nyx was another elf because of her pale skin.
Either way, pleased with how things turned out, I contently took my beautiful girl by her waist as I settled into my seat in style. She dutifully began giving me a rundown of the past auction and her analysis of the current one.
As the auctions progressed, I found myself enjoying our little game—listening to her predicted winning bids, then making my own guesses. I was wrong many times. She was wrong a few times too. But we were both having fun, and I even caught her grinning smugly when she beat me. To soothe my wounded pride, I would gently caress her soft waist—so honestly, it was a win-win for me.
It was also mildly amusing how Shera kept chatting away with Remu and Nyx. I couldn't see their faces from where I sat, but I was pretty sure Remu was completely irritated… and Nyx might have just fallen asleep.
Suddenly, I felt Anastasia straighten up a little in my arm as she whispered that the next exhibit was one I had been waiting for.
"Next one!" Rosten called out loudly.
An old man stepped up onto the stage—a Level 48 Slave Merchant—and behind him walked a tall young woman dressed head-to-toe in a crisp white chef's outfit. Her honey-blonde hair flowed behind her in soft waves as she strutted confidently to the center of the stage, wearing a composed, elegant smile.
It was Erina.
For a moment, the entire Auction Hall fell silent.
"I hope everyone bids sensibly," the old man said, giving a slight bow.
I raised an eyebrow. Why did that sound like a veiled threat?
Rosten cleared his throat and quickly continued, "The next exhibit is a fifteen-year-old female with the Cook job. The minimum bid is two hundred thousand Nars. Begin the bidding."
Instead of shouting bids, the hall erupted into low murmurs and whispers. Thanks to my enhanced hearing, I clearly caught the words "Poison" and "Nakiri" being passed around more than once.
Yet Erina stood there, completely unfazed, her soft purple-pink eyes scanning the restless crowd with nothing but calm disinterest.
'Master, I have to win her for sure, right?' Anastasia asked through the party link. She had been sitting upright since Erina arrived, no longer leaning against me.
'Yes. Definitely,' I replied without hesitation.
Anastasia gave a small, resolute nod before raising her hand high.
"200,000 Nars!" she called out clearly.
This time, nearly everyone in the hall turned to look at her in shock—and a heartbeat later, all eyes shifted to me. I simply sat there, casually looking at the stage.
Even Erina glanced in our direction, her eyes widening slightly in recognition. A faint grin tugged at her lips.
'Master, I didn't think anyone else would bid on her,' Anastasia said telepathically, clarifying her actions. 'If no one did, her auction would have failed and she would be sent back, so I decided to start things off myself!'
'No one would bid? Isn't that a bit much? Just being a God Tongue should make her fetch a premium price—never mind her looks,' I replied, surprised. I had been looking forward to other bidders getting crushed by Anastasia's relentless bidding.
'Master, you're underestimating how terrifying Nobles can be for us commoners. I am sure most people here don't know the full details, but just hearing the words Poison and Nakiri together—especially with that family being Royal Cooks—would make anyone panic.' She sighed.
'Then aren't you afraid?' I asked, genuinely curious.
'My Master is the Hero. Why should I be afraid of Nobles?' she replied, a smug smile curling her lips.
I felt a flutter in my chest. Being praised with that much faith by such a beautiful girl… it felt too good. Though, to be fair, that praise was a little empty—Hero was just a Job, not some divine title that made me invincible.
Still, I had to win Erina either way, so it was fine. But I would definitely need to have a serious talk with Anastasia later. She needed to stop placing blind confidence in my Hero title. A healthy fear of Nobles was still necessary—at least until we had enough power to no longer care.
"Sold."
I was a bit surprised to see Rosten hurry the bidding along. After only two calls for any further offers, he stamped the gavel and announced the sale.
As Erina and the old man began leaving the stage, I stood up and made my way down. The crowd was still murmuring in shock—wild guesses flying about my true identity, refusing to believe I was just a wealthy Adventurer.
"Congratulations, sir, for winning the bid," the Level 48 Slave Merchant greeted me with a small, respectful bow.
"Thank you… Master," Erina echoed with a graceful dip of her head.
I returned the gesture with a nod and introduced myself.
"Michio, sir, I am Slave Merchant Ordan," the old man said politely. "We can wait here if you would prefer to return to the auction."
The waiting hall was already overcrowded with people, so I made it clear I wanted to proceed with the ceremony first. That seemed to please Erina, who let a small smile play on her lips.
"Very well, let's proceed then," Ordan said, gesturing ahead.
As we walked, I decided to ask him about his establishment. A man of his level clearly should hold a high status among the Slave Merchants.
"I do not have an establishment, Michio sir," he replied with a small, knowing smile. "I simply maintain certain… connections with select families. When there's a special case, I am called to handle it."
His words caught me off guard. Was he implying that he was a specialist in noble affairs? Or perhaps he served exclusively under certain houses?
Frankly, I wasn't too interested in the old man's background. Most of my attention was on the elegant blonde walking behind us, her every step brimming with grace and jiggling of her breasts.
"I'm genuinely grateful to you, Master," Erina said softly, once Ordan went to the Merchant. She bowed again, her calm face showing a hint of distress. "If you hadn't bid, my auction would've failed… and after that, I don't know what fate would have awaited me."
"Hey—chin up and smile," I said gently, lifting her chin with a finger and giving her a charming grin. "Sadness doesn't suit a pretty face like yours."
Erina's lips curled into a shy smile, her cheeks warming slightly.
***
[Gorama27 has redeemed an Extra Chapter from previous week]