While taking a sip of wine out of his glass, Yves said,
âGive me a sandwich, too.â
Irritated, Radis placed the entire basket on Yvesâ lap.
Yves took out one large sandwich from inside, gobbled it up, then looked alternately between the other sandwich and Radis.
ââŠYou can have it.â
âReally?â
âI had dinner already. Iâm not hungry.â
âYou already did? I didnât even eat dinner because I was busy working. I asked Marcelâah, Marcel is my aide. Iâll introduce him to you later. Anyway, when I asked Marcel to find out the auction schedule, he said it was today. I donât know whether itâs good luck or bad luck, thatâs why I came here without eating dinner first. For your sake!â
âIâm very gratefulâŠâ
âOh, you donât have to thank me for this.â
Yves continued to speak in a glib manner.
âRadis, your every wish is my command.â
âHuu⊠Your sandwich is spilling over.â
âAck.â
He covered his mouth to push back the sandwich that was about to burst out of his lips, and Radis just stared at Yves, wondering if he really was a proper human being.
Apparently, when she first met him, he seemed like a man who was dignified enough to carry his title as a marquis, butâŠ
âWell, it doesnât matter. As long as he does his job properly.â
When fulfilling his duties as the marquis, Yves Russell seemed to be a fairly capable man anyhow.
The marquisate wasnât thriving exponentially, but the domain seemed to be doing well without any problems.
The word âpeacefulâ suited it very well.
âWhatâll a guyâs personality affect anyway? Iâll just ignore his quirks.â
Radis looked around the auction house. She ignored Yves, who was now reaching for the pumpkin salad.
The auction house was filled with people.
There were some who unabashedly showed their faces, while the others hid their faces like Yves did. There were also a few who had rather dangerous atmospheres to them.
Then here, Radis understood a little what Yves meant by danger earlier.
With a crowd of suspicious people in the audience, the auctioneer stepped onto the stage and held his arms out in a wide stance. With a loud voice, he spoke.
âLadies and gentlemen, no advance viewings were held before this auction. There was not even an appraisal. All these here are our items! Itâs up to you to judge their value and set their price! That is what the night market is about. Now, let us start the auction. Here is the masterpiece of the century which everyone has been waiting for, ă The Woman in the Robe ă! Weâll start with 10 million rupens!â
Items such as paintings, ceramics and jewelry came up to the podium one after another.
In Radisâ eyes, they all seemed suspicious.
However, the auction houseâs audience seemed to be very enthusiastic about them all.
It felt like her sense of money had gotten paralyzed over these bids that went far higher, beyond her imagination.
âWhat kind of plate thatâs the size of a sauce bowl costs 20 million rubells?â
Wiping his mouth after he finished the pumpkin salad, Yves replied.
âIf itâs genuine, it should cost around 50 million rubells.â
âThen is it genuine?â
âIâm not sure. If it is, then thatâs amazing. If itâs fake, then itâs fake. But I donât think itâs a bad replica. Well, besides that, itâs time for the weapons to come out now.â
At the word âweaponâ, Radisâ eyes glistened as she looked back towards the podium.
After a showcase of a war heroâs helmet and a mercenary kingâs armor, at last, the weapons were brought to the stage.
âOhhh!â
The auctioneer lifted a sword with his white gloved hand, and the crowd became excited.
âNow, Iâm sure that most of you here today have heard of this beautiful double-edged sword. One edge that represents Godâs will to protect the world, and the other edge that wields the power of the devil, full of destructive power enough to bring an end to an era! It is The Sword of Fire, âPyrrhâ!â
In the auctioneerâs hand, a beautiful silver sword was shown brilliantly.
The beautiful blade of the sword stretched coolly, and like a shooting star, a flame pattern was engraved upon it. The sword hilt that was shaped like a flame was also as beautiful as artwork.
In the middle of the handle was a bright red magic stone, which also shone dazzlingly.
When Yves saw the sword, a smile of satisfaction came to his lips.
This was the reason why he postponed all his scheduled tasks today and rushed to the night market with Radis, just to show her this sword.
Dropping his voice to a hush, the auctioneer spoke secretively.
ââThe Sword of Fireâ, the sword known as âPyrrhâ which the founding contributor to the empire Alexis Tilrod wielded, had been lost to the worldâuntil now. The imperial family even denied the very existence of this sword and numerous imitations circulated around the vast land. However! âPyrrhâ certainly existed, and it has now reappeared before you! The Sword of Fire, âPyrrhâ! The bid shall start at 100 million rupens!â
At the end of the auctioneerâs explanation, Yves lifted his hand with the ring and said,
â1 billion rupens.â
ââŠâŠ!â
Silence fell onto the auction house.
Yves glanced towards Radis with a smug smile on his face.
He was expecting that her eyes would be radiating starlight.
âRadis, this is all for youâŠ!â
But Radis wasnât even looking at âPyrrhâ.
She zeroed in on one spot behind the podium, lost in thought.
Noticing that Yves was looking at her, Radis tilted her head, perplexed at his behavior.
âThat sword, youâre buying it?â
ââŠIâm giving it to you though?â
âWhat? No, Iâm good. I donât need such an expensive sword. I donât want to take that sword back with me.â
ââŠâŠ!â
Then, Radis pointed to the rusty iron sword, which looked more like a club than anything, lying at random behind the podium.
âI want that one. How much will that cost? Can I buy it with my pocket money?â