After buying the shoes, I personally knelt down and placed them on each of the girls' delicate feet. Many of them blushed, some flinched, and almost all looked terrified by the gesture—but Roxanne managed to calm them down with gentle words and a steady presence.
This wasn't just about giving them shoes. It was the first thing I was giving them, and I wanted it to carry meaning. Just tossing them a pair wouldn't have felt right.
Before this, I only had one spare pair of Steel Boots in my bag—ones with three empty skill slots. But now, I had gone ahead and bought twelve more. Out of those, only two pairs had two empty slots. The rest had just one slot, and none had three, unfortunately.
Still, it wasn't money wasted. The total cost came to 3 gold and 60 silver, thanks to my discount skill. And even the ones with fewer empty slots could be enhanced later by Sherry using skill crystals, then sold at a much higher price.
Maybe one or two girls would have preferred leather shoes over steel boots, but I could see none of them were about to voice that. I would leave that to Roxanne to figure out later—she could have a talk with them to figure out their needs and preferences.
"Master, are you and Anastasia going back to the auction?" Roxanne asked as we headed back towards the hall.
"Yes—hopefully it will be a short one," I said with a smile, rubbing Lillia and Roxanne's heads affectionately. "Take care of them until then, alright?" I added, glancing at the rest of the girls. Both nodded, visibly pleased.
"Come, Anastasia," I said, walking to the wall with her silently following behind.
"We wish you a successful auction, Master," Roxanne said, bowing low. The others followed her lead.
Looking back, I paused for a moment. That surreal sight—so many unique, beautiful girls bowing to me—it hit me harder than I expected. A wave of pride and warmth surged through my chest.
It gave me such a rush, it almost made me not want to go.
Is this what they call happy pain?
Sigh... I couldn't wait for the night to come.
"Do you think they've all left by now?" I asked Anastasia in a hushed voice as I opened the warp gate to the Quratar Merchant Guild.
"I doubt it, Master," she replied, shaking her head. "After all, you might be the most famous Adventurer in the Empire right now."
I smiled wryly and took a deep breath before stepping through the portal.
What greeted me on the other side was the noisy, crowded lobby of the Merchant Guild—until the moment I arrived. The noise abruptly died. Dozens of heads turned toward me.
Then came the flood.
"Ah, Michio-sama! I'm the merchant who introduced himself earlier—"
"—I have multiple shops in the Imperial Capital, please come by sometime—"
"If you ever need carpets, I offer the finest rugs in the entire western region—"
"—The Knights' Guild of Quratar is always seeking powerful adventurers like yourself—"
"Michio-sama, if I may, how did you amass such wealth at such a young age?"
"I'm not familiar with the Kaga family name, but judging by your presence, it must be a distinguished house—"
"Is it true you didn't bid on the Wizard because you were low on funds—?"
"—My merchant group would be honored to hire you and your party—"
"—Would you allow me to host you for a meal, perhaps tonight?"
"—I have a dinner party this week; you would be the guest of honor, of course—"
"—Hehehe, a man of refined taste like you... I know a high-class brothel you would love..."
From Merchants to Knights to Sex Maniacs, everyone wanted something from me. A connection. A deal. A favor. A glimpse into my supposed wealth.
I tried to handle it all as politely as possible, offering smiles where I couldn't give answers, and deflecting the more inappropriate offers.
Anastasia stood silently beside me, feeding me names and background info through the party link—who was who, who had power, who was worth remembering. Though even she was not familiar with all of them.
This was quite similar to the chaos that occurred after the auction had ended. Back then, I had managed to slip away from the crowd under the excuse of needing to escort my girls home. But I had also made the mistake of telling them that I would attend the noon auction.
Which resulted in a good number of them still waiting here for me.
It was understandable why they were all so eager to speak with me. Anyone paying attention could figure out that I had just spent five to six platinum coins in a single auction—without even flinching.
Even Anastasia had reminded me repeatedly just how insane that amount truly was. No Adventurer party could hope to amass half that sum in their entire lifetime. Even major merchant groups would struggle to gather that much capital on short notice.
I had also overheard plenty of whispers, thanks to my sharp hearing. Rumors ranged from me being the son of a Noble to a powerful adventurer who hit the jackpot in a labyrinth hunt. Some went darker—suggesting I had murdered a Noble family and stolen their wealth, using Field Walk to vanish without a trace.
Of course, none of them knew the truth: I had actually spent far less than they thought, all thanks to my Discount skill.
There was even malicious gossip floating around—claims that I was a foolish young man who wasted his fortune on pretty girls instead of acquiring the valuable wizard that was on auction. Naturally, most of them assumed I was now broke since I didn't bid on the wizard.
Unfortunately for them, my decision to attend the noon auction had thrown a wrench into that theory.
All in all, I had become something of a celebrity, quickly becoming known as one of the richest Adventurers in the Empire. And that meant everyone wanted to meet me, greet me, or latch onto me.
Sadly... they were all men. And their endless chatter was wearing me down. One after another, I had to talk with everyone in the lobby. And it was getting harder and harder to politely excuse myself.
"Hell, they just keep coming," I muttered under my breath, walking away after wrapping up yet another overly long conversation with a merchant. My excuse? Attending the noon auction.
"Hehe, it almost feels like Master is running away from them," Anastasia said with a soft chuckle.
"I've got a headache from listening to all of them jabber one by one. I don't even remember half their names," I grumbled, rolling my eyes at her.
"Don't worry, Master. I will remember them on your behalf," she said with a grin.
"Thanks," I said, flashing her a quick smile as I turned away—hurrying towards the shorter queue to enter the Auction, already spotting two more people waving at me in the lobby.
"Oh, Michio-sama, may I please have a moment of your time?"
I was surprised to see that the one calling out to me was Mina. She stood up from her seat in front of the small queue so suddenly that her breasts jiggled with the motion.
"Sure," I nodded, noticing the eyes of several people in the queue turning toward us.
"Please, right this way," she said, gesturing to another girl to take over her spot at the desk.
Anastasia and I followed her down the corridor, bypassing the line entirely. She stopped in front of one of the exhibition rooms where the slaves had been displayed earlier and knocked on the door. After getting no response, she gently opened it.
"Please come inside, Michio-sama," she said, bowing politely and gesturing for me to enter.
The room was plain—bare except for two chairs placed off to the side. I stepped in, still a little puzzled by her overly formal behavior.
"I apologize for the state of the room. We haven't had time to rearrange everything yet," she said, closing the door behind us and bowing again.
"Why are you being so overly polite, Mina?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Ah, tha–I just… thought…" Her brown eyes darted downward in panic, her hands fidgeting nervously.
'Master, she must have found out about the amount of money you spent at the auction. It is understandable that she would be this nervous in front of you,' Anastasia told me through the party link, her tone tinged with sympathy.
'Well, I guess it must've been a big shock for the girl,' I replied with a sigh, stepping closer to her.
"I told you to call me Michio, didn't I?" I said, reaching out and placing my palm gently on her cheek. "Did you forget already?"
"N-No, sir… I-I mean, Michio," she fumbled, her eyes fluttering closed as my hand rested against her face.
"I like it when you say my name with a smile, Mina," I added, tracing her chin lightly with my fingers, a grin forming on my lips.
"A-Alright… Michio," she said softly, her brown eyes looking up at me shyly.
Realizing I might've gotten a little too carried away, I took a step back and cleared my throat. "So, you wanted to tell me something?"
"Ah, yes! It was about the information you asked for earlier," she said quickly, her eyes flicking to the figure behind me.
"Oh, right. This is Anastasia—if I am ever not available, you might need to meet with her," I said, gesturing towards the purple-haired beauty. "And this is Mina, the information broker I mentioned before."
"Nice to meet you, Mina-san," Anastasia said with a polite bow.
"Likewise," Mina replied, bowing in return.
After a brief hesitation, Mina stepped closer, rising on her toes to whisper into my ear. Her hand hesitatingly rested lightly on my chest for balance.
Did she think I only liked exchanging information this way after our last meeting? Well… she wasn't exactly wrong. Especially with the view of her deep cleavage I was getting from this angle.
"Michio… about the information you requested," she whispered, red-faced, "I have found out some of the basics—at least about one of them. The Nakiri family."
"Oh? That fast?" I asked, genuinely surprised.
"Yes, because it's almost common knowledge within the merchant circles," Mina said with a wry smile. "Would you like me to share what I have found now?"
"Yes," I nodded, my curiosity piqued.
"From what I have gathered, about a month ago the Nakiri family was involved in an incident at the Imperial Castle," she began, her tone turning serious. "Someone from the Royal Family fell gravely ill after dinner. Upon investigation, it was discovered that the food served to them had been poisoned."
"Hm," I muttered, having already speculated something along those lines.
"The Royal Cook responsible for that dinner was Azami Nakiri—a commoner who had married into the Nakiri family and is also Erina Nakiri's father," she added with a sigh.
"Huh." I was genuinely surprised to hear that name. I suppose it made sense—if I found Erina here, then her family from the show might come up in this world as well.
"After that, the Nakiri family was charged with treason," Mina continued. "Azami Nakiri was sentenced to death, but there are rumors that he escaped capture. And then to make an example of the family, the Royal Assembly punished the rest—Senzaemon Nakiri, the renowned Royal Cook, was sentenced to life imprisonment. And his granddaughter, Erina—the famed 'God Tongue'—was sentenced to slavery, as a way for the Nakiri family to atone for their crime."
She looked up at me, guilt flashing in her eyes as if apologizing for delivering such harsh news.
"So he really was the reason," I muttered under my breath, my gaze narrowing. I remembered well the kind of man Azami was from the original story—cold, manipulative, and utterly detestable.
"Michio… there are many people, myself included, who believe the Nakiri family might not be at fault," Mina said, carefully. "Especially the God Tongue—there is no way someone like her would ever poison anyone. It must have been just her father. She had to be innocent."
"That makes sense," I nodded, smiling. She clearly understood why I was asking—because I had purchased Erina.
"Thank you, and great work, Mina," I said, patting her gently on the shoulder.
"It's my job as an information broker," she replied, her tone proud but warm.
"Can you keep digging? Especially about Azami, and any other Nakiri family members. Also, if possible, try to find out exactly who was poisoned... and their current condition." I leaned in slightly, lowering my voice. "It might not be as simple as it looks."
Her big brown eyes flicked up at me again as my fingers traced along her chin, brushing softly against her lips. "And remember—your safety comes first."
"Yes, understood," Mina said shyly, stepping back quickly, her neckline bouncing slightly with the motion. "I should have another piece of information by the end of the Noon Auction. I will contact you then, Michio… Anastasia… goodbye," she added quickly, cheeks still flushed as she opened the door.
I couldn't help but smile wryly, realizing I had probably gotten a bit carried away again, forgetting that she wasn't one of mine.
"Oh, Mina! There you are—I've been searching everywhere for you. Oh? Who are these people?"
I froze, stunned by the breathtaking woman who now stood in the doorway.
***
[Franz Corral has redeemed an Extra Chapter this week]
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