Chapter 91: The Auction House (1)

That night, Damian left the castle before midnight.

When he arrived at the tavern, Carmen greeted him.

"Thank you for the invitation."

"It's an opportunity to serve you, Lord Damian, and I couldn't let it pass."

Carmen smiled, his skill at flattering the other party was exceptional.

"I'll escort you to the auction house."

Carmen led Damian to a carriage that was waiting. The carriage, with the two of them inside, began to speed through the night streets.

"Where is the auction being held?"

"It's been prepared at the Malverin Theater."

At this, Damian was slightly surprised.

The Malverin Theater was the largest theater in the Apple Kingdom and a symbol of the capital.

While the Green Fragrance's influence was significant, he hadn't expected them to rent the Malverin Theater.

"The scale is larger than I thought."

"Many nobles are participating in the auction, so we were able to rent a good location."

This indicated that many nobles were connected to the Green Fragrance.

A short while later, the carriage arrived at the theater. The two of them got out.

Despite all the lights being off, quite a few people were gathering at the theater, all of them apparently nobles attending the auction.

"Please follow me."

Damian followed Carmen inside the theater. It was a passage used by VIPs.

Carmen led Damian to a luxurious room. The floor was covered with a red carpet, and expensive-looking artworks were displayed everywhere.

"This room is only used by the theater's leading actors. You can rest here until the auction begins."

Damian nodded, admiring the artworks in the room.

"Lord Damian, I heard you had a conflict with Lord Alexander recently."

Suddenly, Carmen brought up this topic. Damian looked at Carmen with interest.

"You have good ears. To know such news already."

"For a weakling like us to survive, it's inevitable."

Carmen approached a corner of the room and tapped on a seemingly empty wall.

"Lord Damian, this wall is particularly thin, so you can hear the sounds from the next room very clearly."

"Looks like the construction was poor."

Carmen chuckled softly.

"Even if it's noisy, I hope you can understand with a broad mind."

With that, Carmen left the room.

Damian sat on the sofa, trying to guess Carmen's intentions.

But a few minutes later, he realized there was no need to do so.

- It's a great honor to serve you again.

The voice of Carmen came from the next room.

- Lord Alexander.

* * *

Alexander.

The moment he heard the name, Damian immediately suppressed his presence and pressed his ear against the wall.

- I'm not particularly pleased.

- If you tell me the reason, I'll make sure to correct it immediately.

- Don't act innocent. It's because you messed up the job!

Something broke. Alexander must have thrown an object.

- I've told you many times. To capture Oliver, that fool!

- Regarding that matter... I have nothing to say.

- You should have nothing to say! There shouldn't be anything to say! Stupid girl. You even failed to please that brat as I ordered.

Previously, Carmen had said that providing entertainment to Oliver Apple was to manage connections.

But from their conversation, it seemed the truth was different.

- Do you know what that brat did? He said he was going to exterminate orcs! That fool who was obsessed with alcohol and women!

- Even if I had ten mouths, I have nothing to say.

- Damn! If you had done your job properly, that fool would have been expelled and rotted away!

Heavy breathing could be heard. Alexander was breathing heavily to calm his anger.

- Lord Damian Hassen warned us not to let him approach the Crown Prince, so there was nothing we could do.

- Oh, so that arrogant brat is scary, but I'm not?

- That's not what I meant...

- What do you mean, not?

Bang.

This time, a piece of furniture was knocked over.

- We will do whatever it takes to make up for it.

- Who would entrust a job to fools like you again? I will make sure to exact a heavy price for this failure!

- Please calm down...

- Get out of here now!

The sound of something being thrown again was heard, followed by the door closing. Carmen had left the room.

'So, he's a different person from what he appears to be.'

In the castle, Alexander Apple acted as a knight dedicated to the kingdom.

In reality, he was just a man who played tricks on his nephew.

'The king has only one child, Oliver. Does he think that if Oliver is expelled from the position of Crown Prince, he can inherit the throne?'

While Damian was lost in thought, the door opened again.

- Your Excellency, you seem very angry. It was noisy even in the hallway.

A woman's voice.

Her tone was extremely stiff and cold. Though her face couldn't be seen, she seemed like a statue, maintaining a blank expression no matter what.

- Leona! Am I not supposed to be angry? All my plans are ruined because of these fools!

Alexander Apple shouted in great anger.

- Calm down. What's done is done. Getting angry won't change anything.

The woman spoke in a stiff tone. Surprisingly, Alexander Apple began to calm down as she spoke.

- They say a crisis is an opportunity. We can use this opportunity to achieve what you desire more quickly.

- More quickly?

- The original plan has already failed. We tried to ruin Oliver Apple's reputation and get him expelled, but... the king's support was too strong, and we've had no results for years.

- That's... true. The fool has been a troublemaker for years, but my brother remained steadfast.

The woman continued.

- Now that the Crown Prince has volunteered for the orc extermination, if he fails, he will lose his position as Crown Prince this time.

- Do you think I haven't considered that? Oliver has Damian Hassen by his side! Not to mention, there are also the knights of the Goldfairy Dukedom and Michael Ryanbloom!

- They are indeed formidable, but there's no need to worry. We can mobilize all our resources.

- Do you have a plan?

Just as Damian was focusing to find out what the plan was,

- The auction is about to start. I'll explain in detail later. We need to buy certain items to proceed with the plan anyway.

The two left the room, and Damian couldn't hear any more about the plan.

Feeling disappointed, Damian clicked his tongue when Carmen entered the room.

"Did you bring me here to hear this?"

Damian asked Carmen. Carmen only smiled quietly.

"If what Lord Alexander Apple said is true, we can't leave you alone. It means you intentionally interfered with the Crown Prince."

"There's no denying that. But please understand this: when someone like Lord Alexander makes a request, we have no choice but to comply."

No matter how powerful the Green Fragrance was, they couldn't stand against the royal family. The Green Fragrance had no other choice.

"What do you want from me?"

"We just want to stay out of this troublesome conflict."

"Wouldn't you benefit if Alexander Apple gains power?"

At this, one corner of Carmen's mouth twisted.

"Lord Damian, the Green Fragrance was formed by a group of the weak. Our only goal is to survive."

For the largest organization in the Apple Kingdom, it was a humble goal.

"We've seen many powerful people fall. From our experience, Lord Alexander is not a reliable person."

It was a wise judgment. In the future, Alexander Apple would not leave a name anywhere.

"Do I look reliable?"

"That's why we arranged this meeting."

Damian couldn't help but laugh at Carmen's words. She was truly a woman who could sweet-talk anyone.

"Do you know who the woman with Alexander Apple was?"

"I know nothing about her. I've investigated her several times but found nothing."

Even the Green Fragrance couldn't find out, which made it even more suspicious.

If the Green Fragrance didn't know, Damian would have to find out himself.

"I need your help one more time."

"Please tell me."

"Since the entire theater is being used as an auction house, VIP customers are seated in the box seats, right?"

The box seats were completely separate from the theater's regular seating, perfect for private conversations but expensive to rent.

"I'd like to be seated next to Alexander Apple's box."

* * *

Carmen kept his promise to Damian.

The box seats in the Malverin Theater were quite spacious, with tables and chairs for a comfortable viewing experience.

Looking outside, people were taking their seats. Since it was a secret event, the number of attendees wasn't very high.

- Leona! Speak up. How do you plan to make the expedition fail?

The voices of Alexander Apple and the woman came from the next room.

Damian used magic to enhance his hearing to clearly hear their conversation.

- Please wait a moment. Since this is a dangerous conversation, we need to take precautions.

A strange wave spread through the wall, and the voices of the two people became inaudible.

Damian's eyes widened in shock.

'...Black magic?'

He couldn't have misheard. The woman had just used black magic.

'And it's not just any level.'

The black magic used to silence sound was only known to high-level black mages.

'Alexander Apple is working with a black mage?'

In his previous life, Oliver Apple overcame a rebellion and ascended to the throne, but he kept everything secret.

If the leader of the rebellion was Alexander Apple, everything would make sense.

If it were known that a royal family member was collaborating with a black mage, the Apple royal family's reputation would be ruined, and they would face interference from the church.

'To think a royal would work with a black mage.'

The thought of a black mage being right next to him made something rise within Damian. He struggled to suppress his emotions.

It wasn't the time to let his emotions explode. There was still much to uncover.

'Even though it's high-level black magic... there's still a way to eavesdrop.'

The black magic used by the woman created a barrier to absorb sound. Even if Damian enhanced his senses, he couldn't hear anything.

But Damian could use black magic as well.

Damian slightly released the black magic from his bracelet, using it subtly so the woman wouldn't notice.

'A small hole should do.'

Using black magic, he secretly created a hole in the barrier. The voices of the two people began to be heard again.

- ...It's a shame. I gathered a large group of orcs for your Excellency.

Damian clicked his tongue at the woman's words.

'You intentionally caused the orc incident?'

There was only one school of black magic that could do this.

The Heretic School.

A school that not only controlled monsters but also mutated them for battle.

It was known to be the most difficult school of black magic.

- Damn, I was going to use this to get a substantial grant from my brother. Who would have thought that fool would intercept it?

From the conversation, it seemed they planned to deliberately cause the orc incident and have Alexander lead the expedition as a staged event.

'Now that I think about it, Alexander Apple has benefited a lot from solving incidents in the kingdom.'

Perhaps all the other incidents Alexander Apple solved were also staged.

To boost his reputation and expand his influence.

- I've told Noctis to gather more orcs and mix in other large monsters.

- Orcs and ogres? Can that make the expedition fail? There are two mid-class warriors on their side.

- That's why I told Marina to prepare poison.

It seemed Alexander Apple had another black mage with him.

'Given the mention of poison, the other one must be from the Poison School.'

A school of black mages that dealt with poisons and had a connection to alchemy.

'This is getting complicated.'

Poison was a terrifying weapon. A single drop of a powerful poison could kill even a strong person.

Damian wasn't worried about dealing with poison, but the other knights were a concern.

- However, it's very difficult to make poison that can affect mid-class warriors. That's why I said we need to participate in this auction.

- There are items you need me to get?

- Quite a few. It will be a significant burden.

- Don't worry about that. I brought a lot of capital just in case.

Alexander Apple boasted.

- In return, you must promise to make this expedition fail.

- There's no need to worry. I swear by the name of Pandemonium that this plan will succeed.

At that moment, Damian felt a shock as if an arrow had pierced his head.

Pandemonium.

The largest, strongest, and most dangerous group of black mages, centered in the empire.

A group that could destroy a country with all its resources.

Due to its immense danger, it was closely monitored by both the empire and the church.

'This is interesting. Extremely interesting.'

In his previous life, Pandemonium was the most powerful supporter and force of Dorgo.

This made his anger rise. The hatred he had buried rose and shouted.

To immediately storm into the next room and tear that woman apart.

But Damian clenched his teeth and suppressed his hatred.

Killing that woman named Leona wouldn't be difficult, but it would mean losing the other two black mages.

He had to wait until he could kill all three of them.

"I'll be right back."

At that moment, a man in a tuxedo entered the box seat where Damian was.

"These are the items up for auction."

The man handed Damian a booklet and left. Damian opened it and looked through the contents.

"Hmm."

Unfortunately, there were no items that caught his interest. Still, he flipped through the pages just in case.

Then, one item caught his eye.

"Mana cultivation techniques and related skills. 50% destroyed by fire?"

This was the mana cultivation technique Damian had been looking for.

The starting price was very low due to the fire damage.

"Should I bid on it?"

Although it was damaged, Damian's experience and knowledge could restore it.

"Is there anything else?"

As Damian flipped through a few more pages, a peculiar item caught his eye.

"Unknown, provides immunity to cold, and can block cold-based magic?"

Damian exclaimed in surprise as he read the description.

"...It's the Heart of the Elemental?"

If his guess was correct, this would be a windfall.

The Heart of the Elemental was still undervalued, so it could be bought cheaply.

- Your Excellency, look here. The Heart of the Elemental is up for auction.

But Damian wasn't the only one who recognized the Heart of the Elemental.

The black mage from Pandemonium also recognized it.

- We must get this. It's not easily obtainable.

- Understood. I'll bid on it.

- I'm grateful for your generosity, Your Excellency.

Damian stroked his chin. The situation wasn't favorable.

While Damian had considerable wealth, his opponent was a royal.

There was no guarantee he could outbid them financially.

- What other items do you need?

- Bundles of Moon Grass, Basilisk eyes, Mandrake powder, Heart of the Seven-Pointed Star, and the fruit of the withered tree.

- With these, you can make poison that can kill mid-class warriors?

While listening to their conversation, an idea came to Damian.

The Heart of the Elemental was listed at the back, while the items the woman mentioned were at the front.

Anyone could participate in the auction and bid on the items. Damian knew what items they needed.

'Let's see if I can cause some trouble.'