MTLNOVEL Chapter 51
Kretan Huangdo, Hessen Secret Auction House
Even though it was late at night, the place was burning with excitement. This was a clandestine marketplace where items that couldn’t be traded in the open found their way into secret transactions.
And tonight’s main character, Baron Pavron, scanned his surroundings with a dark expression.
The audience seats were packed, leaving no room to step.
“Now, the first item up for auction is…”
Eyes gleaming in the darkness turned toward the auction stage.
The auctioneer, who had been waiting for the tension to peak, dramatically extended his hand.
“A slave with hair as blue as the ocean and eyes that shine like jewels!”
At the sound of his theatrical voice, the first ‘item’ of the night was revealed.
“The starting bid is 1.5 million Tri!”
People intrigued by the androgynous and mysterious appearance of the slave quickly raised their paddles.
20 million Tri, 30 million Tri…
The price placed on a living person soared uncontrollably.
“Ugh.”
Baron Pavron, shifting his step to avoid the person beside him encroaching on his space, let out a stifled groan.
Not only was human trafficking happening so brazenly, but the nobles around him were laughing and chatting as if this was all normal.
Though he was of low rank and poor, as someone who valued noble honor, he could not comprehend such a thing.
However…
“…Ha.”
In the end, he could only let out a self-deprecating smile.
After all, he had come here for the very same reason—to obtain an item up for auction.
Among the barons who had received their titles together, he was especially known for his crippling poverty…
Yet today, he had spent his entire fortune to attend this secretive auction for one particular reason.
“Dear, I… I really want that thing called a tumbler… Cough, cough! Sniffle…”
It was his sick wife’s request—to obtain the night’s highlight item, a tumbler.
Moreover, he had heard somewhere that tumblers had excellent heat-retention properties.
If that was true, then the soup he prepared for his wife wouldn’t get cold so quickly, making it all the more essential.
‘That’s why I need it, no matter what.’
With that thought in mind, Baron Pavron burned with determination before the auction even began.
He could already picture his wife’s bright smile when she received the tumbler she longed for.
But…
But…!
“80 million Tri! The current bid stands at 80 million Tri!”
The price had skyrocketed in an instant, easily surpassing the cost of a small estate in the countryside.
As the auction concluded and the pale-faced slave was led away, Baron Pavron found it impossible to stay optimistic.
‘These people… have they lost their minds?!’
His clenched fists trembled.
How could sums exceeding five times his entire wealth exchange hands in a single trade?
If a slightly unusual-looking slave cost the price of a mansion, then how much would the highly coveted tumbler cost?
As Baron Pavron sat dazed, the auction progressed smoothly, and soon, the star of the night—the tumbler—was unveiled.
“Ohhh…!”
“That must be the Ghost Duke’s tumbler.”
“Even from this distance, it looks like it’s glowing like a magical lamp!”
The room buzzed with excitement once more.
The tumbler had a sleek, luxurious blue body.
The illustration of the Ghost Duke’s castle on its exterior stood out vividly, with the Duke’s signature subtly engraved at the bottom.
With its refined design, it could easily rival any high-end teacup brand.
Listening to the murmurs of the enthralled audience, the auctioneer slowly parted his lips.
“Most of the tumblers in circulation are counterfeits. However, we have authenticated this as a genuine piece using expert verification.”
After a moment’s pause, he shouted dramatically to match the heightened anticipation.
“And so, the limited edition < Safety Rules for Writing Horror Stories > tumbler starts at 50 million Tri!”
The result was predictable.
Even though 50 million Tri was no small sum, the price shot up before the auctioneer could even finish speaking.
70 million, 80 million, 85 million… 90 million Tri.
Baron Pavron, recalling his bedridden wife, firmly raised his paddle.
‘Please…! I have to get that!’
But there was no way a mere impoverished baron like him could outbid the powerful tycoons of the capital.
As the final bid exceeded 100 million Tri, Baron Pavron, completely demoralized, clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
‘At this rate, there’s no way….’
As the atmosphere heated up and his shoulders slumped lower—
“What’s that noise?”
A distant clashing of weapons reached Baron Pavron’s ears.
It seemed he wasn’t the only one who heard it; the people around him began murmuring and looking around.
“Is someone fighting outside?”
“There shouldn’t be any disturbances in a place like this…”
“Could something have gone wrong?”
Their concerns proved valid as the commotion outside grew louder and steadily approached.
Realizing that something was seriously wrong, people scrambled to their feet.
“Get out! We have to get out!”
“If we get caught up in this, it’s over. Move!”
“Hey, let go! I need to get out too!”
However, before anyone could escape, the doors burst open, and heavily armored knights stormed in.
“Everyone, freeze! By order of Grand Duke Bleil, all those involved in illegal transactions will be arrested on the spot!”
A bolt from the blue.
‘Why did this have to happen on the day I came to the auction…?’
Terrified, Baron Pavron stumbled and fled with the crowd.
But the knights swiftly subdued the fleeing participants, bringing the situation under control.
‘What do I do?’
As the figures drawing near became impossible to ignore, he wavered in panic—
Thunk.
He hadn’t been looking ahead and accidentally bumped into someone.
“…Huh?”
At that moment, he felt a sudden lightness in his inner pocket.
Realizing the change in weight instantly, Baron Pavron’s eyes widened in shock.
“W-Wait! Hey!”
But the person he collided with didn’t even apologize and swiftly vanished into the crowd.
Baron Pavron stood there blankly before the truth dawned on him.
‘A pickpocket?!’
It had happened so naturally that he hadn’t reacted properly.
No, he had never experienced such a thing before—he had never even imagined it—so he had no idea how to respond.
‘I… I just lost my entire fortune?’
Swallowed by hopelessness and disbelief, Baron Pavron forced himself to move toward where the pickpocket had disappeared.
But there was no way he could catch a thief whose face he hadn’t even seen.
As he went against the crowd, he was soon met with a large knight blocking his way.
“I, I…”
He stammered, trying to explain himself, but the knight didn’t wait for an excuse and roughly grabbed him.
“Wait a moment!”
“Take him away!”
And so, Baron Pavron was dragged out of the auction house by the knights.
Outside, other nobles who had participated in the auction were also being detained.
“Separate those who made purchases and transport them elsewhere!”
After several nobles were singled out, Baron Pavron was thrown into a prisoner transport carriage.
Surrounded by intimidating knights, he nervously opened his mouth.
“E-Excuse me….”
“Speak.”
The knight’s cold tone snapped him to his senses, and he desperately pleaded.
“I didn’t buy anything. My sick wife is waiting for me at home… P-Please, let me go!”
The knight remained unmoved.
Instead, his voice was firm.
“Are you a noble?”
“Y-Yes. I’m Baron Pavron.”
Even after revealing his title, the knight’s attitude didn’t change.
“Even nobles are not exempt. However, since you only attempted a purchase, you’ll be released after cooperating with a brief investigation and paying a fine.”
“A f-fine?”
“It is the emperor’s decree.”
“H-Haah…”
Where had everything gone so wrong?
He had already been robbed—he didn’t have a single coin left!
Thinking of his sick wife at home, his nose stung with emotion.
Tears welled up and dripped onto the carriage floor.
“I… I’ve been wronged! This is so unfair…!”
His desperate cries echoed into the night, but the carriage continued its relentless journey forward.
‘I… I just wanted to make my wife happy….’
The tumbler for his wife.
His entire fortune.
Everything was lost.
Tonight was, without a doubt, the unluckiest night of his life.