Chapter 172 – Pertinax Auction House (1)

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Translated by Jinmu

Read only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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“If you have an auction-house membership card, then you can bring one accompanying person with you? For a secret auction house, is that even possible?”

[Yes, no matter how much of a secret auction house it is, in the end they still have to keep attracting new customers, you know.]

“So existing members also play the role of middlemen who draw in new customers.”

[Yes! That’s right.]

Even a secret auction house had to keep attracting customers. It had to keep generating profit. Because what underworld bastards liked most was money. For them, a steady influx of cash was essential.

But then a dilemma arose: they couldn’t exactly advertise openly.

So they must have chosen a policy of `referral by acquaintance` for that recruitment.

[But are you really going to go to the Pertinax Secret Auction House? A lot of nasty people come there……. That place really doesn’t discriminate among customers. Murderers, whoever, even villain executives come there now and then.]

I had known it already, but hearing it directly made it ridiculous.

“No, then couldn’t the nation do something about it? Why do they just leave it alone?”

[As far as I know, I think the government gave it quiet approval. It’s like a casino. Casinos are gambling halls too, but they leave them alone, right? Same kind of thing. If they pay tribute, the people above hush it up. To begin with, high-ranking people go there from time to time too.]

In the game, the Pertinax Secret Auction House had appeared only as a single episode location.

But with all these little details accumulating like layers of flesh, it felt like a nest of vermin. It was revolting.

This world too, just like Earth. Even with the demon race, a public enemy, standing firm, rotten humans were scattered everywhere.

It was a moment that made me feel once more that this world was reality.

Hoo- I exhaled the anger welling up inside mixed with a sigh. First, calm down. At this rate, I felt like I’d draw the sashimi knife the moment I entered the auction house.

‘Endure, endure, endure, endure, endure……’

I calmed my flushed chest. Then I continued the call.

“That thing I asked before. How much do you have in savings?”

[I’m really totally broke. Like I told you before, academy instructor pay is garbage, and after they take life insurance and taxes and all that, the amount that actually falls into my hands……]

Choi Seol-ah started making excuses. I lowered my voice and pressed her.

“If you have a Pertinax membership card, that means you’ve got money.”

[(Th-that, th-that is.)]

Even over the phone, I could picture her face turning blue. I kept pressing the flow.

“And what kind of person without money goes around bragging about luxury goods on Starstagram? Didn’t you buy a new Roy Vuitton bag just recently too. Does that even make sense on an instructor’s salary?”

[That was with Bitcoin……]

“Don’t you know an academy instructor moonlighting in crypto would count as embezzlement? You’re lying to the end. All of that money is black money, isn’t it.”

[……]

No answer came back. Silence was as good as a yes. Soon a sniffling, teary voice soaked with dampness came through from the other side.

It seemed like a little bit of humanity might have returned to her, but Choi Seol-ah was not the type to cry tears of repentance in a situation like this. This was fake. Crocodile tears.

‘She still hasn’t shaken off her habits from when she was a villain.’

I clicked my tongue. The humidity in Choi Seol-ah’s voice rose. She had begun openly squeezing out tears.

I was about to give her another round of mental discipline, but then shook my head. I’d threatened her enough already, so now was about the time to soothe her a little.

In any case, this matter too was one in which I needed Choi Seol-ah’s help. If I only scolded her, she might come out with an uncooperative attitude. Even a loyal dog could get sullen.

For the record, I deal with Choi Seol-ah by substituting her for a pet dog in my mind. Once I did that, the answer to how I should handle her came out more or less on its own.

I spoke in a tone somewhere between hard and soft.

“You said before that you wanted to keep being an instructor all the way until retirement. If that’s the case, the right thing is to spit out all the dirty money. Think about it. Are you really confident you can keep all that money hidden forever? If an audit comes down or anything like that, you’ll get fired from the academy for sure.”

[Sniff… that’s true.]

“So at this point you shake all the dust off and move on. And it feels weird even saying this, but I saved your life too, didn’t I. You’re the kind of person who takes out multiple life-insurance and funeral plans, and you can’t spend even that much money on me? On your lifesaver?”

[……]

The sound of her swallowing. Silence flowing over the line.

Choi Seol-ah squeezed her eyes shut and opened them again, like someone making a major decision. She put force into her eyes and nodded.

[Yep, understood. I’ll think of it as settling my bad past too, and I will offer my liege the one billion won I saved up.]

“I know you have more.”

[T-two billion!]

“……”

[T-two point three billion!]

“We’ll handle the bidding after we get to the auction house, so speak honestly. If you don’t want your tongue cut out.”

Kiriring- I drew the sashimi knife by a handspan and let the blade ring.

[Three billion……]

Choi Seol-ah, this girl was seriously rich? Just what kind of life had she been living back in the day? Still, whatever it was, this was more than enough ammunition.

In one phone call, I had secured both the `membership card` and the `bidding funds.` The corners of my mouth lifted on their own.

Unless the third fragment turned out to be the only diamond in the world, three billion and five million won ought to be enough.

Lucky.

[(Um, I have one thing I’m curious about.)]

“What is it.”

Choi Seol-ah asked cautiously. I answered readily with an excited expression.

She was Choi Seol-ah, the one who had just shown the resolve of three billion won. A question or two was something I could answer easily.

[Could it be that my liege is on his second life? No matter how I think about it, you don’t seem like a teenager…….]

Click.

I ended the call at once. Feeling faintly uncomfortable, I looked up at the night sky.

“This is why quick-witted brats are trouble.”

* * *

Friday, the day before our departure to the Pertinax Auction House. We held a travel club meeting again for the first time in a while.

The place was Starbocks, and as always, I ordered the cheapest thing on the menu, an espresso.

Weapon, clearly excited, chattered on about his own great exploits.

“When chief was having a hard time at the market, I appeared at just the right moment, you know. Like, `Excuse me, what exactly do you think you’re doing right now? Everything has to go through me first, does it not?` That’s what I said.”

Ryozo blew gently on her sweet-red-bean dolce latte and brightly chewed those words apart.

“Hey, Saki! Are you even listening to me?”

“No? Not at all, actually. And Weapon, you were such a huge fan of All Mute, so are you really that happy she got totally crushed by Geom-ma?”

“……”

At Ryozo’s retort, Weapon became mute like someone with honey in his mouth.

His drooping eyes sent a plea for support toward Hana sunbae. Sunbae answered him with a soulless smile.

“Wow! As expected of Weapon! Oh! You totally turned the market upside down. Seriously! Best support ever!”

“If you’re going to do that, just don’t comfort me at all, sunbae!”

“Sorry. Was it too obvious?”

Hana sunbae stuck out her tongue cutely. Looking miserable, Weapon sadly wet his lips with coffee. It tasted unusually bitter.

After sipping from her mug once, Ryozo glanced sideways at me.

She quietly pulled her chair a little closer. Then she whispered softly.

“I was thinking of treating you to Korean sushi to pay you back for the kimchi jjigae from before. Are you free tomorrow?”

“Sorry. I’ve got plans already.”

I awkwardly scratched around my eyebrow. Ryozo’s cheeks puffed out like balloons.

“At this rate, after the Hoakin Catastrophe, I’m gonna have to take a number ticket just to meet you.”

While grumbling with puffed-up cheeks, Ryozo soon let out a deep sigh. Her puffed cheeks deflated too.

“Well, now that I think about it, you also went to the Association with the Headmistress before, didn’t you. With all these things pulling you around every weekend, you must be tired too. And tomorrow, it’s probably one of those kinds of meetings again, right.”

“Ah… it’s something like that. Anyway, thanks. You’re the only one who worries about me.”

Dimples faintly pinkened in Ryozo’s cheeks.

“Ahem. I don’t know what kind of thing it is, but be careful. And if something happens, call me any time! There might be something I can solve remotely!”

* * *

A day passed. I got into the car Choi Seol-ah was driving and headed to the city where the auction house was said to be.

The destination was a city called Geodam, which didn’t exist on Earth. The motif was blatantly that place from the bat-man comic.

…We followed the navigation down the road for several hours. At last, lantern lights flickered like fireflies on a gloomy road where there had been nothing but darkness.

Soon after, a pleasure district appeared that was enough to stop passersby in their tracks. The alleyway, packed full of indulgence and entertainment, flaunted neon lights in five dazzling colors. My impression was this.

‘What a shithole.’

At a glance, nobles soaked in corruption roamed the main street. Without exception, they hid their faces behind masks or hoods. But the rotten stench vibrating from beyond those disguises could not be hidden.

It felt like the corrupt air was piercing through my skin and entering my body. My sense for energy had become too developed, so even a hideous sight like this made my stomach churn.

Choi Seol-ah parked in a suitable place. Just before getting out of the car, she handed me a hooded mask. It was a beaked mask, like a bird’s.

“From here on, you need to wear a mask. It isn’t strictly mandatory, but my liege is famous, and your appearance stands out a lot too.”

I nodded, then pulled on the mask and hood. Looking in the mirror, I looked exactly like a crow.

At the sight, Choi Seol-ah gave a faint, suppressed laugh, then put on her own mask as well. Hers was a squirrel mask with a ribbon on it.

Once our preparations were done, we headed toward the auction house. Soon we reached an unremarkable building. I had been imagining jewels decorating it on all sides, but the exterior almost felt restrained.

At first, I wondered if we’d come to the wrong place. But seeing the line of masked people standing there, it looked like we’d come to the right place after all. We joined the queue.

Suddenly, I asked Choi Seol-ah:

“All the other buildings are flashy, so why does the important auction house look like this? It looks way too old.”

“It’s because this is the childhood home of Pertinax, the emperor of the underworld from two hundred years ago. Apparently he said that after he died, they should use his house as an auction hall of darkness.”

What kind of ridiculous person was that? Rather than some emperor of the underworld, wasn’t he just some middle-schooler afflicted by a black flame dragon?

While we waited, Choi Seol-ah explained the underworld to me. None of it was especially nutritious information, so I just responded with occasional nods of the chin.

The number of heads in front of us visibly dwindled, and finally our turn came.

At the entrance to the auction house, a man in a rabbit mask greeted us. Placing one hand over his chest, he bowed his head and said:

“Welcome to Pertinax Auction House. If you would excuse me, may I see your membership card first?”

Choi Seol-ah held out her membership card. The gesture was unnecessarily elegant. After inspecting the card closely, the rabbit bowed again.

“Your membership has been confirmed, Princess Squirrel.”

Princess Squirrel? I reflexively turned my gaze to the side. At once, Choi Seol-ah whipped her head around. Looking embarrassed, she gave a whistle.

At the subtle atmosphere, the rabbit tilted his head.

“And may I ask what sort of relation this gentleman here has with Princess Squirrel……”

“You do not ask about an accompanying guest’s privacy. I suppose Pertinax Auction House doesn’t manage its staff very well these days?”

Choi Seol-ah cut him off sharply. At her icy tone, the rabbit waved his hands and protested.

“Of course that isn’t the case. It’s just that lately there have been ugly rumors going around that those Shadow fellows have been stirring things up, so the auction house policy has changed a little.”

“How?”

“We do not ask the identity of the accompanying guest, but they must at least be someone closely related to the member.”

“For example?”

“At the very least, a close relative. Ideally, they should be family. If a problem arises, we will need to verify the member’s identity records.”

Put simply, the accompanying guest did not serve the original purpose of bringing in a new customer, but rather acted as a guarantor.

The man scratched at his rabbit mask as he spoke.

“But according to the results of the membership-card inquiry, there are no other family members listed in Princess Squirrel’s personal information. No matter how much I continue checking… it appears you do not have any siblings either.”

As the situation started heading in an awkward direction, Choi Seol-ah let out a sultry little laugh. She wrapped herself around my right arm as though embracing it.

The moment her skin touched my arm, goosebumps prickled all over it. My instincts rejected it.

Pressing herself even closer to me, Choi Seol-ah said coolly:

“This man is my husband. We filed our marriage registration today and came here as a little outing. Princess Squirrel, Young Master Crow. Doesn’t the picture look lovely?”

“……?”

I glared at Choi Seol-ah with my eyes wide round. Both of the arms linked through mine were trembling. Since she had already crossed the line, she decided to keep riding the momentum.

“Or should we take off our masks right here and give you a truly steamy scene? That’s not a bad idea. But if we do, bring the auction-house manager over as a spectator too. Good things should be shared with everyone, shouldn’t they?”

The effect was tremendous. The man hurriedly straightened his mask, which had begun to tilt crookedly, and smoothed the situation over.

“My, my, I’ve been rude several times today. Please, go on in, Princess Squirrel, Young Master Crow.”

We entered the auction house with our arms linked snugly together.

Bearing names fit for some fairy tale, Princess Squirrel and Young Master Crow…… Fuck.