Extra's Fate
Chapter 50: Auction [ II ]

Chapter 50: Auction [ II ]

’It’ll be fine...’

I exhaled slowly, steadying my nerves as the auction moved into the miscellaneous items section.

This was the moment I had been waiting for. Among the rare trinkets, ancient scrolls and cursed relics, there was one particular item I had my eyes on.

The bidding began at a steady pace.

A set of enchanted lockpicks went first, snatched up by a rogue-looking individual seated in one of the lower-tier loges.

Next came a vial of alchemically distilled dragon’s breath, which was claimed by an alchemist guild representative. It was one of the main ingredients needed for a potion that would increase user’s training, so the price was quite steep.

None of these things piqued my interest, however.

Crossing my arms, I kept shifting my gaze back and forth between Aveline and the auctioneer.

Just as the auctioneer finished hammering down the last item, an attendant carefully stepped forward, carrying a small, unassuming wooden box. The crowd murmured among themselves, unsure of what to expect.

With a dramatic pause, the auctioneer gestured toward the box and spoke.

"Ladies and gentlemen, our next item is quite the mystery. Discovered only a few months ago in the outskirts of the empire, this peculiar stone fell from the sky in a blazing streak of fire."

He lifted the lid, revealing a dull, dark-hued rock, about the size of a clenched fist. Its surface was unnaturally smooth, lacking any of the cracks or imperfections one would expect from a meteorite.

A hush fell over the room as the auctioneer continued.

"We have conducted numerous tests on this artifact, but its properties remain largely unknown. However, we have confirmed one undeniable fact - this shard possesses perfect mana negation."

My fingers unconsciously tightened around my arms.

The auctioneer leaned forward, lowering his voice slightly, as if inviting the audience into a shared secret.

"No spell, no enchantment, not even the most basic detection magic has been able to penetrate this stone’s defenses. It does not absorb mana. It does not reflect it. It simply makes magic... cease."

A ripple of unease passed through the attendees. Mages and scholars exchanged wary glances. An artifact like this could be a breakthrough discovery or a dangerous anomaly.

The auctioneer gestured toward the object.

"Given its anomalous nature and unknown potential, the bidding will start at fifty thousand gold."

For a moment, the room fell into silence.

Then, a hand went up. Then another. The bidding had begun.

I leaned forward, fingers curling slightly against the armrest of my seat. My pulse quickened.

I needed to win this.

A well-dressed man in a noble crest raised his hand, his voice calm and composed.

"Seventy-five thousand."

A ripple of movement caught my attention. In one of the shadowed booths, a merchant with sharp eyes and a calculating expression placed a bid.

"Eighty thousand."

I exhaled, my mind calculating rapidly. This wasn’t going to be easy.

Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw something that made my blood run cold.

Aveline moved. She leaned slightly forward and exchanged a glance with one of her silent escorts. The man gave a barely perceptible nod.

And then, she raised her hand.

"One hundred thousand."

A tense silence filled the room. All eyes were on Aveline, waiting to see if anyone dared to challenge her claim.

No one moved. No one spoke.

The princess had made her bid and that was supposed to be the end of it.

But I wasn’t just anyone.

I inhaled deeply, my fingers tightening around the armrest. Then, with a slow, deliberate motion, I raised my hand.

"One million."

Gasps rippled through the audience. The murmur of quiet conversations erupted into stunned whispers. Even the auctioneer, a seasoned veteran accustomed to outrageous sums, faltered slightly before regaining his composure.

Aveline’s expression didn’t change, but I saw it, the faintest flicker of surprise in her gaze. Her escort stiffened, his eyes narrowing as he leaned closer to whisper something in her ear.

Aveline slowly turned her head, her gaze looking directly towards my lodge.

Luckily, from her vantage point, she couldn’t see my face, hidden behind the curtains.

The auctioneer cleared his throat, his voice cutting through the rising tide of whispers.

"One million gold has been bid. Do I hear any further offers?"

Aveline’s gaze lingered in my direction for a heartbeat longer before she turned back to face the stage. Her hand rose again, steady and unhurried, as if the sum I’d thrown out was little more than pocket change to her.

"Two million."

She said, her voice ringing clear and unshaken.

The room seemed to hold its breath. Two million gold was a fortune, enough to buy a large villa, outfit an army, or fund a decade of magical research. My stomach twisted as I felt the weight of her resolve pressing down on me. She wasn’t going to back off easily.

I shifted in my seat, my mind racing.

I couldn’t let her have it.

That shard, its perfect mana negation, wasn’t just a curiosity. It was the key. The one thing that could tip the scales in a world ruled by magic, where power was measured by the strength of one’s spells.

I needed it, now.

With a steadying breath, I raised my hand again.

"Two million, five hundred thousand."

The murmurs grew louder, a chaotic hum of disbelief and excitement. Heads swiveled between me and Aveline’s shadowed booth, the tension in the air thickening like a storm about to break. The auctioneer’s eyes widened slightly, but he recovered quickly, his gavel hovering as he repeated the bid.

"Two million, five hundred thousand gold. Do I hear another?"

Aveline didn’t hesitate.

"Three million."

She countered, her tone as calm as if she were ordering a glass of wine.

My chest tightened. Three million. The number echoed in my skull, each syllable a hammer strike against my dwindling reserves.

I raised my hand again, forcing my voice to remain steady.

"Three million, two hundred thousand."

The crowd’s whispers turned into a low roar. A few bidders who’d been quietly watching from the sidelines exchanged glances, their expressions a mix of awe and unease. The auctioneer dabbed at his forehead with a handkerchief, clearly unprepared for the escalation.

"Three million, two hundred thousand."

He echoed, his voice cracking slightly.

"Any further bids?"

Aveline’s escort leaned in again, whispering something urgent. Her lips pressed into a thin line, and for a moment, I thought, hoped, she might relent. But then her hand rose once more and my heart sank.

"Three million, five hundred thousand."

She declared.

The room erupted. A few attendees stood, craning their necks to get a better look at the princess’s booth, while others muttered about the absurdity of the sums being thrown around. My fingers dug into the armrest, the wood creaking under the pressure. She wasn’t stopping. She wouldn’t stop. I could feel the shard slipping through my grasp and with it, everything I’d been working toward.

I closed my eyes for a split second, forcing myself to think. Three million, five hundred thousand. I could match it, barely, but anything beyond that would bleed me dry.

But that was the price I was willing to pay for such object.

I needed it, as soon as possible and if it means spending my entire fortune, then so be it.

I raised my hand, my voice cutting through the din like a blade.

"Four million."

The uproar that followed was deafening. Gasps, shouts and the clatter of dropped goblets filled the air. The auctioneer staggered back a step, his gavel trembling in his hand as he struggled to regain control.

"Four million gold!"

He bellowed, his voice hoarse.

"Four million gold has been bid! Do I hear any further offers?"

I felt a cold sweat run down my back, soaking into the fabric of my tunic. Four million. That was it, the absolute limit. Every coin, every scrap of wealth I’d amassed over the last few days was now teetering on this single moment. If Aveline raised her hand again, I was done. I’d have to walk away, tail between my legs and watch her claim the shard that could change everything.

"Please."

I whispered under my breath, my eyes locked on her booth.

"Just let it go..."

The silence stretched on, agonizingly long. Aveline sat motionless, her expression unreadable from this distance. Her escort leaned in once more, his whispers sharp and insistent, but she didn’t move. The seconds ticked by, each one a dagger twisting in my gut.

The auctioneer raised his gavel, his voice tentative.

"Four million gold, going once..."

No movement from Aveline.

"Going twice..."

My pulse pounded in my ears, drowning out the murmurs of the crowd.

"Sold!"

The gavel slammed down, the sound echoing like thunder.

"To the bidder in the upper lodge for four million gold!"

Relief crashed over me, so intense I nearly slumped in my seat. I’d done it. The shard was mine.

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