'Master, are you sure?' Anastasia asked doubtfully through the party link. 'Even for a normal sword, 100,000 nars is a lot. And this is a defective weapon a Weapon Merchant can't even appraise. It could just be a decorative sword with no real value,' she added.
'Just match their bid,' I replied, not wanting to explain too much right now.
"100,500 nars!" Anastasia obeyed, raising the bid by 5 silver.
As soon as she did, the crowd—who had been eyeing the cloaked figures curiously—now turned their attention toward us. Even the two cloaked individuals turned around fully to look in our direction.
My eyes were fixed on them, but the distance and their cloaks made it impossible to see anything clearly. A moment later, the smaller of the two faced forward again and calmly raised her hand.
"120,000 nars!"
She had bumped the bid straight to 12 gold.
"One more time," I said to Anastasia without looking away.
"120,500 nars!" she announced, increasing the bid by another 5 silver.
I could hear whispers starting to ripple through the crowd—speculation about whether the sword had some hidden value and if they should start bidding too. At the same time, I could feel the larger cloaked figure glaring at us from across the hall.
Then, the smaller figure raised her hand once again without hesitation.
"150,000 nars!" she declared, jumping the price to 15 gold.
'Master, should I raise the bid again?' Anastasia asked through the party link.
"Don't," I muttered with a small smile, still watching the cloaked pair. "Let it go."
As we stayed silent, the larger cloaked figure finally turned forward again.
Rosten began his final call for the item, and after a brief pause, he shouted, "Sold!"
I watched closely as the Weapon Merchant took the sword away, and the next moment, I saw both cloaked figures stand and head toward the side door.
'I will be back soon. You continue bidding on the items we discussed earlier,' I told Anastasia through the party link, patting the back of her hand before standing up.
She looked up at me in confusion but nodded obediently.
I exited through the back of the auction hall and descended the stairs, arriving at the corridor lined with exhibit rooms. At the far end was a door leading directly to the waiting room where Merchants gathered after presenting their items on stage.
After finalizing a purchase, exhibitors or buyers could exit straight from here instead of returning to the main hall.
There was a chance those two would be leaving through this path—or maybe the stairs I just came down from. Of course, they might also return to the auction hall, and if so, I would just head back after waiting here a little while.
Leaning casually against the wall, I couldn't stop questioning whether this move of mine was smart or reckless. Appraisal had given me some very interesting information about those two. But whether confronting them because of it was a wise idea… that I wasn't sure about.
Still, I couldn't let this opportunity slip away. Who knows if I would get another chance to see them again? I had to try. I just hoped this wouldn't come back to bite me.
I scanned the corridor anxiously. A few scattered people were standing around, chatting or negotiating—likely staff members of the Merchant Guild.
Just then, the door beside me opened. The tall cloaked figure stepped out first, followed closely by the smaller one—now holding the dull silver sword in her hand.
The taller one immediately tensed upon spotting me. She stepped forward, shielding the smaller figure with a protective stance, her body positioned for combat, eyes locked onto me sharply.
"Hey, no need to get jumpy," I said quickly, raising my hands to show I meant no harm. "I am the other bidder—the one who was competing with you for that sword in the auction."
"You lost the bid. Now get lost too," the taller figure said, her voice rough and clearly female.
"Okay, that was a bit rude," I replied with a wry smile. "How about I introduce myself first? I am Michio Kaga, an Adventurer." I waited, hoping they would return the courtesy.
"We are not interested. Just go away," the tall one snapped, her tone sharper now as she balled her fist.
"Alright, alright," I said, keeping my calm smile even as my heart pounded in my chest under her intimidating gaze. "I will leave you ladies alone. I just wanted to ask a small favor, that's all."
The taller figure looked ready to bark another rejection, but the smaller one reached out and gently grabbed her arm, stepping forward to face me instead.
"What do you want?" she asked. Her tone was soft but firm.
Now that we were standing closer, I could make out more through their veils. The smaller one had beautiful, light blue eyes, while the taller figure's eyes were golden and quite piercing.
"I am really interested in unique items," I said, gesturing toward the sword she held. "So I was hoping you would let me take a quick look at that sword of yours."
At my request, both their expressions sharpened. The taller one clenched her fist tighter, clearly on edge.
"And why would I do that?" the smaller figure asked, her grip on the sword tightening. "I won the bid. It's mine now."
"Of course," I nodded. "I am not trying to take it from you. I just wanted to see it up close. That's all. You are right—it's yours now. But if you don't mind, just a quick look?"
She didn't respond, instead preparing to walk away.
"Wait—just a second, please," I said quickly. "Look, like I said, I am into unique things. I could have pushed harder and outbid you. I have still got plenty of platinum coins to spare."
"I doubt it," she said flatly, with clear confidence.
"But I didn't," I continued, undeterred. "I could tell that you really needed that sword, so I backed off. I just want to examine it for a moment. No tricks. And in return, I would owe you one. Trust me—it would be in your favor to have a friend like me."
I held her gaze, my expression calm and confident, locking eyes with those cool, light blue irises as I waited for her answer.
She seemed to think it over for a moment before finally speaking. "Alright."
"But—" the taller figure began, clearly still against the idea.
"It will just be for a moment," the smaller one said, already extending the dull silver sword toward me.
"No funny business," the tall figure warned sharply.
I nodded silently, my full attention already on the sword in my hands.
Its handle was rough, the metal cold against my fingers. The blade was slender and carried a muted, dull silver sheen—unpolished but strangely elegant.
"This sword is oddly beautiful, don't you think?" I murmured, my fingers trailing along the hilt, then slowly up the spine and over its blunt edge.
"Yes," the smaller figure replied softly.
I had already switched my Jobs in anticipation, waiting for something to trigger… but nothing happened. A bit disappointed, I was about to return the sword when the tall figure suddenly stepped forward.
"Get behind me," she muttered to her companion, voice edged with tension as she moved protectively in front of the smaller figure.
Alarmed, I followed her line of sight—and saw a group of people approaching us with heavy footsteps and hostile energy.
At their front strode a striking young woman with long silver-gray hair and a confident bearing. Her gaze locked ahead, ignoring me entirely as she addressed the cloaked figures.
"Why didn't you tell me you were visiting the Quratar Merchant Guild, dearest sister?" she asked with a faint, sardonic smile.
Behind her were five imposing men. Four looked like proper thugs—muscular, dressed in loose clothes with swords on their hips. Two were Catkins, the other two Wolfkins.
Standing directly behind the woman was a single man clad in full knight armor. He at least looked human.
Having already used my Appraisal skill on them—especially after reading the details about the grey-haired woman—I had discreetly placed the silver sword behind me, leaning it against the wall out of their line of sight.
"What are you doing here?" the tall cloaked woman asked, her voice tight with irritation.
"Was I talking to you?" the grey-haired woman snapped, folding her arms. "Step aside. Or do you really think you could stop me if I wanted to do something to her?"
The thugs behind her chuckled darkly, baring feral smiles as their hands drifted toward their weapons.
This was only the second time I had seen people openly carry weapons inside the Merchant Guild building. It seemed almost customary to keep them away here. The first had been Azur, who was carrying her sword at her hip.
I could sense the tall cloaked woman seething with restrained fury, but once again, the smaller figure placed a calming hand on her arm and stepped forward.
"Hello, Big Sister," the smaller woman said with a respectful bow. "It's a surprise to meet you here, so far from the sea."
"I was just as surprised," the silver-haired lady replied with a smirk. "My sweet little sister, abandoning the Silver City to visit a noisy place like Quratar."
"I only came to attend the Merchant Guild's famous Auction, nothing more. I am sure it's nothing that concerns you," the smaller figure replied, lowering her head slightly.
"Oh, but I was curious—what could interest my little sister so much outside of books and scrolls?" she said, her smirk widening as she turned her eyes toward me. "Now I see. You must have come to meet this cute boy."
Her tone seemed mocking. "I should have known my little sister wasn't so little anymore—meeting secretly with a man, even in such a public place, no less."
"I don't know him at all," the smaller figure snapped, her tone sharper now. "He is just a bystander. Please don't involve him in this, Big Sister."
"That just makes him sound even more involved with you," the grey-haired lady said with a smirk. "If you're so interested in pretty boys, I have got a whole collection of good-looking slaves back at my estate. Ryan, when we return, send her the prettiest ones."
"As you wish," replied the blond man in armor, bowing respectfully.
"I don't need any slaves or servants, Big Sister," the smaller figure replied firmly.
"Oh? So this one's special, then?" The grey-haired woman cocked her head, clearly enjoying herself. "Is it because he doesn't know who you really are? Does he even have the faintest clue? Is that why you are sneaking around in cloaks, hiding your faces—afraid someone might recognize you and tell him the truth?"
She turned to me now, eyes gleaming with amusement. "Tell me, boy. Do you even know who I am?"
"He must know," Ryan added with a smirk. "With that grey hair? It's not exactly subtle."
I had been silently observing everything from the side, not interfering. And of course—I knew exactly who she was. My Appraisal skill had already told me everything I needed to know.
She had long grey hair and lightly tanned, fair skin. Her white shirt and black trousers were simple yet sharp, a rapier resting at her hip. Her blue eyes locked onto mine, and when she folded her arms, her generous bust became even more noticeable—she was undeniably stunning.
Without Appraisal, I never would have guessed her true identity just by looking at her. But thanks to that skill—and the murmurs rising from the small crowd gathering nearby—I had confirmation.
"Is that really her?"
"What's she doing here?"
"So the rumors were true… the Quratar Merchant Guild is connected to her…"
Their whispers confirmed what I had already learned—she was a well-known figure. Which meant it wasn't odd for me to admit I knew her.
"I have heard of you, Pirate Queen," I said, meeting her gaze steadily before offering a short, respectful bow. "And of your beauty... princess."
I added the last part with a grin.
***
[Forest has redeemed an Extra Chapter from previous week]