Only Obedient to Me! Sir Knight Chapter 8

The auction was held at night. Rowy and Van set out on the street wearing robes that covered their faces. Mask shields were also held in their hands. Because of the nature of Serafilla, where nobles from various countries gathered, it was customary to participate with hidden identities.

A large moon hung in the sky as if it had never rained. As if to make up for not being able to do business the previous day, the main street was packed with street stalls. The two walked slowly between them. The brightly lit street was even more filled with vitality than during the day.

“Shall I carry you on my back, sir?”

“Mmm? No.”

Rowy shook his head and moved his steps again. Unexpectedly, Rowy did not enjoy riding in carriages. Being confined in a small space didn’t feel good to him at all, and above all, he suffered from severe motion sickness. If it wasn’t a very long distance, Rowy mostly chose to walk. Of course, if his use of mana had been smooth, he would have unconditionally used magic.

Even so, the feeling of walking the night street was not bad. Even though there were many people, Van cleared the way well, so it wasn’t particularly uncomfortable, and the fun of watching the countless lights was quite decent. Seeing Rowy walking while humming a tune, Van subtly struck up a conversation.

“Why are you suddenly trying to buy mana stones, sir?”

“Why do you want the Holy Sword?”

Van shut his mouth firmly. Rowy, who had asked out of genuine curiosity, tilted his head at Van’s reaction. Why won’t he tell me? Silence ensued between the two. Van felt extremely uncomfortable, while Rowy didn’t think much of it. In that manner, the destination of their quiet night stroll appeared before their eyes.

The auction house was held in an old building at the end of the street. Carriages concealing family crests were already lined up in front of the main gate. Rowy and Van, wearing masks, passed between them and approached the main gate. A servant who was checking the guest list at the door bowed politely to Rowy.

“Welcome, sir. Have you brought an invitation?”

Van handed over the invitation instead of Rowy. It was the one Seilan had left behind. After verifying the invitation, the servant bowed deeply. Soon, the door opened and a man whose face was hidden by a mask approached to guide the two.

“So this is the auction house.”

Van looked around curiously. In the luxurious hallway, several rooms were stretched out in a long line. And in front of each, people carrying swords guarded the entrances. Encountering people walking around with swords, Van stayed a bit closer to Rowy while remaining vigilant of his surroundings.

“Have you ever participated in an auction before, sir?”

“Mmm. Though it’s my first time here.”

Rowy nodded readily at Van’s question. Joseph had brought Rowy to an auction house for the very first time. Since then, he had visited quite a bit even without Joseph. That was probably why Seilan had acted as if he knew Rowy.

“It is this way, sir.”

The guide opened an elegant door at the end of the hallway. Rowy entered first, and Van followed behind him. In the room, which was not very large, a sofa, table, and similar items were placed facing a large window at the front.

“While watching the stage from this side, if there is something you would like to purchase, you may shake this bell.”

Van received the bell from the guide and placed it in front of Rowy. A simple alarm magic was cast on the bell. Scanning it with his eyes, Rowy leaned back against the sofa.

“Bring the catalog. I want to buy in advance.”

It meant he would make a pre-purchase at the highest price set by the organizers before the auction began. The guide quickly held out the catalog in front of Rowy. Flipping through the catalog half-heartedly, Rowy spoke.

“I’ll buy all the mana stones, regardless of whether they are processed or not.”

“Yes, sir.”

The guide quickly began adding up the prices beside him. The pen seemed ready to fly at the astronomical total. Rowy watched that display indifferently.

The price didn’t matter, no matter how much it came to. The reason Rowy used the auction house was simple: because they sold items he wanted to buy. Rowy, who had no particular interest in the auction system itself, preferred to purchase in advance before the start rather than watching items he cared nothing about the entire time.

“And… Van, is this the right one?”

Rowy, who was casually flipping the pages, stopped his hand at one spot.

‘The Holy Sword, Ignis’

The sword with a pitch-black blade did not look particularly special to Rowy’s eyes. The red gem embedded in the sword hilt caught his eye a little, but that was all. What was so good about this that Van was asking him to buy it? Of course, the sword he currently had was too cheap… Rowy continuously felt a sense of debt over buying him a sword cheaper than tongs.

“Ah, customer. I am terribly sorry, but while the mana stones can be purchased as much as you like, this sword happens to be the main item of this auction. Since there are many people waiting for this item, you must directly participate in the auction to purchase it.”

“The main item?”

“Yes, that is correct, sir. The Holy Sword, Ignis. They have heavily advertised it as a weapon bestowed by God.”

“Bestowed by God…?”

Rowy’s expression became subtle. It sounded like an even more far-fetched sales pitch than Seilan’s when he was aggressively pushing the mana stone. However, the guide was serious.

“Yes, sir. The Holy Sword Ignis, a weapon of God; the heavenly flames shall burn away the demons. It is a story that appears in the holy scriptures of the Elysion Order.”

Sounds like a scam. Rowy managed to keep the thought entirely to himself. Van was still looking at the Holy Sword in the catalog with a serious gaze.

“Then it can’t be helped. Can I receive the mana stones first?”

“Yes, sir. I will have them prepared for you.”

The guide held out a receipt slip. Because purchases at an auction house involved large price units, they usually charged the amount to the family estate. Rowy waved it away and pulled a pouch out from his cloak.

“I’ll pay in cash.”

From the small pouch, cash poured out without end. It seemed magic had been cast upon it. Terrified that someone might see the scene, Van continuously scanned the window and the door. Even the guide, who worked at an auction house where hundreds of millions moved around, trembled his hands because he had never handled such an immense amount in pure cash.

“The amount… is confirmed, sir.”

The guide swept the money into a sack with trembling hands.

“Shall I prepare something to drink?”

“Ice cream.”

“I will have it prepared for you, sir. Thank you for your purchase.”

The guide, who called the security personnel to deliver the money, bowed deeply from the waist. As the guide was about to head outside, Rowy hastily called out to stop him.

“Hey!”

“Is there something you require, sir?”

“Make it strawberry. The ice cream.”

With a somewhat hesitant face, the guide nodded his head and left the room.

. ꕤ ｡ ˚⋆

The mana stones and the certificate of authenticity came into Rowy’s hands in no time, but conversely, the ice cream took much longer. It seemed it took time to fetch it because they didn’t have strawberry ice cream on hand. Leaving the mana stones aside, Rowy lunged at the ice cream. And then, he crumpled his face completely.

“What is this? What kind of strawberry ice cream is this?”

The ice cream had been served inside luxurious silverware. However, the contents were completely subpar. It seemed they couldn’t source strawberry ice cream, as it was just plain white ice cream with strawberry syrup roughly drizzled over it.

“Aw…”

Rowy, who had expected fresh strawberries just like the ones he ate at the dessert shop, was greatly disappointed.

“This will be delicious too, sir.”

Coaxing Rowy gently, Van scooped up a spoonful of ice cream and held it to his lips.

“…It tastes bad.”

Rowy, who lightly touched his tongue to taste it, snapped his head away. Van let out a hollow laugh at that cute behavior. Rowy pushed the ice cream bowl far away altogether.

‘Well, eating ice cream at night isn’t good for the body anyway.’

Until this morning, Rowy had been suffering, saying his head ached the entire time. It was better for him not to eat cold ice cream.

‘It doesn’t seem much different from what we ate yesterday. Is it a bit sweeter?’

Van swallowed the ice cream Rowy left behind in a single gulp. Perhaps because he had lived a life of deprivation, Van truly couldn’t bear to see food being wasted. Van smacked his lips at the sweet taste that left the inside of his mouth sticky. Rowy, who had completely lost interest in the ice cream, was tinkering with the mana stones.

“What do you use mana stones for, sir?”

As a swordsman, Van knew next to nothing about magic. The first and last mage he had ever met… used to spout water and fire from his hands. If he used artifacts, even large-scale offensive magic was possible. But that was all. During a bloody battle with a demon, that mage died in no time. And Rowy looked far weaker than even that mage Van knew.

‘Naturally so. That person was quite a rare combat mage, after all.’

Rowy would be closer to the mages of the magic towers rather than combat mages. The scholars who conduct research, that is. Of course, it wasn’t easy to imagine Rowy reading such difficult books. Since he had seen far more of his childlike sides, it was an unavoidable perspective. In Van’s eyes, Rowy appeared exactly like this: a child who lived with sweet things in his mouth and tossed and turned because he couldn’t fall asleep alone at night.

‘It’s past bedtime.’

The auction continued until a late hour. On the stage currently, they were selling something called the Stone of Eternity. They said it was a stone that, once its place was determined, would remain in that exact spot eternally. Aren’t stones originally like that anyway? Van shook his head at the price skyrocketing through the roof. There were still many items waiting for their turn. It seemed the Holy Sword, which was said to be the main item, would only appear around midnight.

‘Should I make him sleep on the sofa at least?’

Having become a full-fledged nanny in just three days, Van checked Rowy’s complexion. Rowy looked surprisingly full of energy. Because, Rowy was literally chewing and eating the mana stones!