TBATE: The Dragons Of Diacathen

Chapter 12

"Ladies and Gentlemen! May I say that it is of the highest honor for me to be here tonight? All of you are gathered here today for one reason and one reason only, I presume? It is to have the chance to obtain rare and valuable items in this auction!"

Applause thundered in enthusiasm at the old gentleman's ardent introduction.

"If everyone in the audience would now kindly turn to face the back room at the very top, we have a few exceedingly important figures that have decided to bless us with their presence. Please join me in welcoming the King and Queen of Sapin!" The auctioneer was the first to flick out the tail of his suit and genuflect. The audience immediately followed suit, lowering themselves respectfully in a bow since they couldn't kneel in their seats.

The King and Queen, in response, stepped out towards the window in front of me and waved their arms slowly in a practiced motion.

"Next, the one that made this whole event possible. Please give a big round of applause for Vincent Helstea!"

The auctioneer's introduction was followed by another round of applause as Vincent stepped up next to the King and Queen, giving a deep bow in return.

I remained seated, looking down below at the crowds of people who were supposed to be of much higher class than me, but I couldn't help but look at them as if they were...

No... I shouldn't think like that. I'm not a king anymore. Hell, I haven't even gone through puberty yet. No point in acting like someone who didn't exist anymore.

I turned my gaze toward the King and Queen, studying them. Despite the stoic expression the King always carried, he didn't have a domineering demeanor. He had a charismatic and strong presence, making it easy to believe that a majority of the citizens of Sapin would respect him, but that was it. He didn't earn his seat; his father had given it to him. The Glayder family had been the Royal Family since the founding of Sapin. I wasn't surprised to see that King Glayder's mana core was only at the red stage.

A large hand lightly squeezed my shoulder. "Arthur, a sword is up for auction right now. Tell me if you want it so I can put in my bid. Don't worry about the price either! Perks of being the owner of this place," Vincent whispered.

"Thank you." I turned my attention to the item being auctioned off.

"This short sword was forged by a master smith who is also a fire artificer, ensuring that the quality during the forging process is top class. The core of this weapon is made from the core of a Thunder Hawk mana beast. Reinforcing this sword with just a little mana will produce currents of electricity around the edge of the blade, enhancing its cutting power and even having a mild paralyzing effect! The bid will start at fifty gold!"

Excited cries erupted immediately as nearly every noble boy who sought to become a mage tugged at their parent's sleeves, begging them to bid. I remained motionless, my head propped up on my arm as I inadvertently let out a yawn. There was a large screen that magnified the items so the audience in the back was able to see. However, while the little shock ability could be handy, it was obvious that the sword itself was subpar at best compared to the blade I had wielded in my previous life.

Vincent had been constantly shifting his gaze between me and the weapon, hoping I would at least be interested in the weapon that most people would kill over.

I shook my head in response.

"No worries! That was just the start! Let me know when you find something you like. Oh! I almost forgot. I have the items you wanted in the back. I'll have one of the workers deliver it to me after this event is over," he whispered, leaning closely to so only I could hear.

My ears perked up as I abruptly turned to him. "You managed to find a voice-altering mask as well?"

"It took a bit longer than I expected but I finally managed to find one. I also got you a coat made from a nightmare fox that should make it harder for the wearer to be registered to the unsuspecting eye. I thought it would be something you would want so I snatched that too while I could," Vincent replied softly, shooting me a wink.

"That's more than what I had hoped for." The mask was essential for me to become an adventurer, but the coat would no doubt be useful as well.

"Don't worry about it and just stay safe. I'm the one that has to deal with your family if something happens to you, you know," he chuckled.

I just smiled wryly at this fact. No. I wasn't going to give my family a reason to grieve again like I had done to them before.

There were a few interesting items along the way. There were several beast cores, most of which were B-class or lower. The prices for those were astronomical. Even a C-class core was around fifty gold, and each class multiplied this figure exponentially. There were a few more artifacts and cores but none of those were things I wanted.