The Mad Dog of the Dukes House - Chapter 72



Only Krnovel

Episode 72 21. Auction House (3)

5.

“This is the last product of the day. I guess this is the product that all of our distinguished guests have been eagerly waiting for!”

Before we knew it, the slave auction was coming to an end.

“Today’s main character! An elf captured near the Southern Great Forest.”

An elf is dragged onto the stage.

The pointed ears that emerged from her hair gave away her race as an elf.

She was bound more thoroughly than any of the other slaves who had come before her.

He was gagged to prevent him from committing suicide, and was blindfolded so he could not see anything.

“It really was!”

“I’m going to bid, so don’t worry about it!”

The voices of the guests who had been quiet until now began to get louder.

Inside the auction house, burning with their passion.

Nur, who was hosting the auction, said with a smile.

“Elfs are trained by default. That’s why we cut the tendons in their limbs when we captured them. I hope you’ll be generous with that. Now, let’s begin the auction. The starting price is 100,000 gold.”

An auction starting with an amount close to the annual budget of the local fiefdom.

It was an amount that would shock and shock the common people if they heard it.

“110,000!”

“120,000!”

“150,000!”

It seems that it wasn’t that important to the ‘VIPs’ present.

An amount that starts to rise in an instant.

Cobbler, who was watching the auction next to Caron, asked Caron slyly.

“It seems like your highness has no intention of participating in the auction.”

“How much will it be sold for?”

“Well, the elf that was captured last time was sold for 300,000 gold… … . That elf’s condition is better than that time. That elf had one of its wrists cut off… … . Well, if I had to guess, I’d say it’s worth around 500,000 gold.”

It’s an outrageous amount of money.

But Caron knew very well that there were many people in this world who were rotten to the core.

500 thousand gold.

It was a manageable sum for high-ranking nobles who owned several successful businesses.

“There’s even a superstition that says that if you mix with an elf, you’ll live forever… … Even crazy perverts would rush in. Don’t the people above you actually believe in such things?”

Charon sensed a hint of hostility in Cobbler’s words.

Because it was a remark that seemed to insult the nobility.

But the cobbler quickly realized his mistake. He banged his head on the floor and said:

“I, I made a mistake… … .”

But Caron nodded with a smirk.

“That’s right. There are more idiots who believe in such superstitions than you might think. Some idiots are so superstitious that they even believe in the devil.”

Caron drank all the alcohol in his glass in one gulp.

Was it because I was feeling down? The alcohol just tasted bitter.

“300,000!”

Before I knew it, the race for elf slaves had reached 300,000 gold.

Unlike the beginning when momentum was high, now only two or three people were left to continue the race.

“Cobbler.”

Caron called out to Cobbler in a subtle manner. Cobbler then cautiously raised his head.

“Yes, yes, your highness.”

“I heard your specialty is kidnapping slaves from other slave traders.”

“Yes.”

“Then can you also kidnap the slaves that are auctioned here?”

At those words, Cobbler’s ugly face turned pale.

“Strength, it’s hard.”

“why?”

“The customers who use this auction house are all from noble families. That’s why, after the auction is over, the auction house assigns mercenaries to the customers. They escort them to the places they want. With the force of slave traders… … . they wouldn’t dare even think about it.”

They were unnecessarily thorough guys.

Attaching people for high value products?

There will certainly be knight-level troops mixed in, and there is only one person in this city with that level of power.

“So that’s why you said that Count Leandro was behind this.”

“… … It’s not that there wasn’t a single person who thought like you, Master. It’s just that everyone who thought like that was brutally murdered. If you happen to be thinking like that… … .”

“From there on out, I’ll take care of it.”

“I, I absolutely cannot join, Your Majesty! Rather, kill me here and now!”

Seeing how afraid this guy was, one could roughly guess how Count Leandro ruled this city.

Caron sighed deeply and went back to watching the auction.

“300,000 gold. Do you have 300,000 more gold?”

Before we knew it, the race seemed to be over.

A man who appeared to have written down 300,000 gold began to scream while shaking his stomach.

“Hehehe! It’s mine! It’s mine! I finally have an elf slave… … .”

But the man’s joy did not last long.

Charon wrote the price on the magic board, and soon Nur’s voice echoed throughout the auction house.

“Number 26. 500,000 gold.”

When Cobbler heard that voice, his mouth opened wide and he said:

“500,000… … . 500,000 gold? Your Majesty?”

“I have to take you like this since you said you can’t do it.”

Caron looked at the stage with a smirk.

He shouted as he looked around the auction house standing on the stage.

“500,000 gold. 500,000 gold. 500,000 gold! The last item of the day has been sold to customer number 26! Congratulations!”

The auction house staff began to applaud in unison, while the other customers below began to complain, looking at where Caron was sitting.

Charon waved at them lightly.

“500,000 gold… … Do you really have it?”

Cobbler asked him cautiously. Then Caron answered, still smiling.

“In the first place, you need to transfer at least 500,000 gold to your personal account to receive a black card. You idiot.”

I have enough money.

Because I have been involved not only in the development of the Barondom of Belus, but also in the development of Thebes.

That’s why we maintain a close relationship with the market.

Even if he was short on money, he could easily raise it by selling a small amount of the shares he currently owned.

“Okay, Cobbler. Let’s get started.”

But Caron had no intention of paying him properly.

“… … Yes? What are you saying, Young Master?”

“What is it?”

Caron raised one corner of his mouth as he looked at Nur, who was watching him from under the stage.

“That’s fun.”

6.

After the auction, this is the VIP reception room located on the top floor of the auction house building.

“I am glad that a good product has found a good owner.”

The owner of the auction house, Nurin, looked at the young man in front of him with a smile.

A young man wearing an iron mask.

Although he looked like a young man to anyone, it was confirmed that he had a black card.

Moreover, this young man was a truly precious customer, having purchased the elf for a whopping 500,000 gold.

“Precious items are meant to find their owners. Perhaps the reason you came here today was for this very reason.”

As he said this, Nur nodded to his subordinate who was standing next to him.

Then the subordinate nodded, went out the door, and brought in the ‘goods’.

An elf with green hair.

Unlike before when he was wearing a blindfold, the elf had taken it off.

Her beautiful eyes, a strange brown color, instantly caught my attention.

“This guy seems to recognize my master. He clearly had hatred in his eyes just a moment ago. For some reason, he has become quite calm. But be careful, my lord. An elf’s beauty hides sharp thorns. If you let your guard down, you might get stabbed.”

The blindfold had been removed, but the elf’s mouth was still gagged.

He placed the pressing elf next to the young man, took a sip of tea, and continued speaking with a smile.

“How would you like to pay?”

The young man shrugged at those words.

“This is my first time using this place. How do you usually pay?”

“Cash is the best after all.”

“The flow of funds could be traced.”

This is a natural concern for nobles.

If a huge amount of money, such as 500,000 gold, is moved at once, someone might smell it and dig around.

‘You seem childish.’

No matter how much money he had, in the end, it seemed like the other person was just a young nobleman who had just entered society.

That’s why I started explaining in a soft, soothing voice.

“Don’t worry. What you are buying here, my lord, is not an elf, but a jewel worth 500,000 gold. This auction house deals in precious metals during the day.”

“… … So you’re saying that you’ll launder money?”

“I would appreciate it if you would consider that we are doing our best to ensure that no harm comes to our precious people.”

After finishing her explanation, Nur moistened her lips again. Then she quietly looked at the young man.

There is no way this young man doesn’t have money.

Imperial Bank of Korea settlement agency?

That black card is something that only the ‘real’ ones of the empire use.

An object that is only permitted to those with an abundance of authority and wealth, and is in itself a proof of one’s splendid status and wealth.

‘We have confirmed with certainty that the card is authentic.’

Cobbler, he couldn’t believe the words of that disgusting slave trader. So he checked the card again through the branch manager of Leven.

This is because the head of the Imperial Bank of Leben branch was also a frequent visitor.

Things went smoothly thanks to him attending the auction today.

So rather than worrying about whether I could get the money, the important thing was how I would get it.

But after a while, the smile disappeared from Nur’s face as the young man continued to speak.

“Let’s pay later.”

“……yes?”

“I have the slush funds in my personal safe in Thebes. You said you would escort me to wherever I want, right? If you escort me to Thebes, I will pay you then.”

An unexpected offer.

You want to process an amount reaching 500,000 gold on a deferred basis?

But Nur quickly regained his composure.

“We have a policy of prepayment. I don’t think you can take the elf with you until you pay the money. How about having someone below you bring the money here?”

First, a compromise was proposed.

Money had to come first, no matter what. That was the unwritten rule of the slave market.

Slave trading was an illegal act in the first place.

Without the collateral of money, not even a shred of trust could be established.

“Or, you can first pay using the Imperial Bank payment agency certificate that your majesty holds.”

Then the young man expressed his displeasure and said,

“Then there’ll be a trace of my being here, you idiot.”

Even though the young man cursed without hesitation, Nur ignored him and continued talking.

“If you wish, I can help you withdraw from another branch, but you will have to stay in Leven until then.”

“I don’t want to stay in this crappy place for another day.”

“… … Isn’t it too much to pay later when you don’t even know the person’s face? I think you know very well that money is the only trust.”

The psychology of the nobles visiting the slave market is to prefer a clean transaction rather than having their identities revealed.

Because there can’t be a crazy person who reveals his identity and does things that deserve to be condemned.

‘You can’t help it either.’

But his predictions were soon dashed.

The little girl in front of me opened her mouth as if she had been waiting for me.

“So if I reveal my identity, you can pay me back?”

“… … Not necessarily… … .”

“I already felt bad about wearing a mask. This is good.”

The young man with a sly smile quickly took off the mask he was wearing.

Then, the young man’s face was immediately revealed.

Shiny blonde hair and blue eyes.

A handsome appearance that makes anyone who sees him exclaim, “He’s handsome.”

‘Are you really in your right mind?’

I couldn’t tell who it was just by looking at their faces.

“Isn’t it time for the owner to step forward now?”

“I am the general manager of this auction house, and even if you show me your face, I will… … .”

At that moment, the young man’s eyes lit up with an eerie glow.

I don’t know when it started, but Nur realized that his legs were shaking.

Moreover, when I tried to move my hand, it wouldn’t move at all. No, to be exact, it wasn’t just my hand.

I feel as if my whole body is paralyzed.

“Go and tell your master.”

The young man got up from his chair and slowly approached Nur. Then he put his hand on Nur’s shoulder and said.

“Caron Reston, let me see your face.”

There’s a mad dog living in the duke’s house