Extra's Fate
Chapter 51: Auction [ III ]

Chapter 51: Auction [ III ]

"I’ve done it..."

Slumping into my seat, I sighed in relief.

Almost my entire fortune was now gone in an instant, traded for a single object. But it was worth it.

I turned my gaze toward the stage, watching as the auction employees carefully retrieved the mysterious shard. Even now, as they handled it, they seemed uneasy, as if touching it might unravel the very essence of their being.

Moments later, a steward arrived at my booth, bowing respectfully before handing me a sealed parchment.

"A receipt for the item, sir. The payment shall be processed immediately and the artifact will be delivered to your quarters shortly. If you wish for additional security, the auction house can provide an escort."

I waved him off.

"That won’t be necessary. I’ll handle it myself."

The steward bowed once more before departing, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

Four million gold.

A number so absurd that even now, it didn’t feel real.

But what next?

I leaned forward, pressing my elbows against my knees.

That shard I just bought was actually one of rarest and most powerful materials in this world. Its ability to completely negate mana and magical effects was unparalleled, rendering it an invaluable asset in the right hands.

And those hands were mine.

...

The auction carried on, but I had no interest in it any longer.

Rare artifacts, enchanted weapons, and priceless heirlooms paraded across the stage, each one fetching its own absurd sum. Yet, none of it mattered to me. My attention was fixated solely on the fragment I had just acquired.

I rose from my seat and made my way out of the private booth. The hushed murmurs of the crowd barely registered as I descended the grand staircase leading to the lower levels of the auction house.

The corridors leading to the storage chambers were dimly lit, a stark contrast to the opulence of the main hall. Velvet carpets muffled my steps as I approached the heavily guarded chamber where high-value purchases were stored before delivery. Two armored sentinels flanked the massive iron doors, their expressions unreadable beneath polished steel helmets.

One of them, a broad-shouldered man with a halberd resting against his side, stepped forward.

"Sir, may I see your receipt?"

I retrieved the sealed parchment and handed it over. He scrutinized it for a moment before nodding to his companion, who turned and rapped his knuckles against the iron doors in a precise rhythm. A moment later, there was a heavy clank from within, followed by the slow creak of the doors opening.

"Right this way."

The guard said, motioning for me to enter.

Stepping inside, I was greeted by the sight of a grand vault filled with all manner of treasures, each resting within protective casings or enchanted seals. And there, set upon a dark velvet pedestal, was my prize.

The shard.

An attendant, clad in ceremonial robes, approached and gestured towards the artifact.

"Your item has been secured and prepared for transport. Shall I have it packed for you, or will you be taking it as is?"

I stepped forward, my gaze locked onto the shard.

"I’ll take it as is."

The attendant hesitated for only a moment before nodding and stepping aside.

My fingers brushed against the cold, smooth surface of the fragment and a shiver ran down my spine.

I lifted the shard from its pedestal, cradling it carefully in my hands. The weight of it was unremarkable, lighter than I’d expected for something that had cost me four million gold. Yet, as I held it, a strange sensation, or rather, the absence of one settled over me.

I couldn’t store mana. Never had been able to. A quirk of my character, a defect that left me an outsider in a world where magic flowed through nearly every living soul.

Where others could draw upon their reserves of power, channeling it into spells or skills, my body was a void, an empty vessel incapable of holding even a flicker of that ethereal energy.

However, although I couldn’t wield mana, I could somehow feel the presence of one, subtle vibrations that told me how much power someone carried.

Artifacts, too, gave off their own signatures, some faint, others overwhelming, like a storm bottled in glass. It wasn’t precise, not like a scholar’s measurements, but it was enough to pinpoint the strength of someone or something with reasonable accuracy.

Yet, as I stood there, the shard clenched between my palms, I felt... nothing.

No hum. No pulse.

No whisper of power brushing against my senses.

It was as if the shard didn’t exist at all, a dead, inert thing carved from the void itself.

I frowned, turning it over in my hands.

The surface gleamed faintly under the vault’s dim light, its edges sharp and jagged, like a piece of shattered obsidian.

While it could negate mana entirely, unraveling spells and silencing even the most potent magical forces. But to feel nothing from it? Not even the barest trace of presence?

I narrowed my eyes, focusing harder.

With anything else, an enchanted blade, even a living person, I’d sense something. A faint tickle, a ripple of energy, a hint of life. But this shard was a blank slate, a hole in the world. It didn’t just negate mana, it seemed to erase its very existence, leaving nothing for my senses to grasp.

"Curious."

I muttered under my breath, my voice echoing faintly in the vault.

The attendant shifted uncomfortably behind me, his robes rustling.

"Is something wrong, sir?"

"No."

I replied, though my mind was already racing.

"It’s exactly as I’d hoped."

I reached into my coat and withdrew a small, folded cloth I’d kept tucked away for this very purpose. Carefully, I wrapped the shard within its folds, ensuring the jagged edges wouldn’t snag or pierce through. The last thing I needed was for it to tumble out unexpectedly.

Satisfied, I slipped the bundled shard into the inner pocket of my suit, patting it once to confirm it was secure.

With that, I turned on my heel and strode out of the vault, offering a curt nod to the attendant as I passed.

The iron doors groaned shut behind me, the sound reverberating through the corridor as I made my way back toward the auction hall.

The dimness of the storage chambers gave way to the faint glow of chandeliers as I ascended the grand staircase once more, the velvet carpets softening my steps.

The main hall was still alive with the hum of voices and the rhythmic cadence of the auctioneer’s calls. Bidders leaned forward in their seats, eyes glinting with greed or desperation as another artifact, a gilded chalice pulsing with faint enchantments, crossed the stage.

I paid it no mind. My business here was done.

I wove through the crowd, keeping my head low to avoid drawing attention. The exit loomed ahead, a set of ornate double doors framed in gold leaf. My pace quickened, the murmur of the hall fading into a dull roar as I rounded a corner and promptly collided with what felt like a brick wall.

"Ouch."

I stumbled back a step, rubbing my nose as a dull ache pulsed through it.

Blinking, I slowly opened my eyes, expecting to see an actual obstacle.

Instead, a man towered before me, broad-shouldered, clad in dark leathers with a sword strapped to his side. His face was stern, chiseled, and... familiar.

Wait...

My stomach tightened as recognition flickered in my mind.

He was one of Aveline’s escorts!

Before I could process further, another figure stepped into view, similarly armed, similarly imposing.

And then, there she was.

Princess Aveline herself. Her dress shimmered faintly in the color of midnight blue that seemed to drink in the glow around her. Her black hair was swept back, pinned with a red circlet that caught the chandelier’s gleam.

She stopped dead in her tracks, her piercing crimson eyes locking onto mine.

For a heartbeat, time seemed to stall.

Thousands of thoughts raced through my mind like a chaotic torrent that I could barely grasp.

It wasn’t her beauty that made me freeze.

It was fear.

’She doesn’t know.’

I told myself first, clinging to the thought like a lifeline.

’She doesn’t know I’m the one who outbid her for the shard.’

The auction had been anonymous, bids placed through proxies and sealed booths and from her vantage point, she couldn’t see my face. There was no way she could connect me to it.

I forced my expression to soften, tugging the corners of my lips into a small, disarming smile. My hand drifted to my chin, scratching idly as I tilted my head.

"Hello?"

The word came out casual, almost playful, as if I hadn’t just walked into her entourage like a fool.

Before she could respond, I seized the moment. With a quick sidestep, I slipped past her escorts, brushing by the second man’s arm as I darted around the corner.

"Goodbye!"