When we stepped outside the building, we encountered the guard from earlier again.
He smiled brightly at Nileri and me.
“It was an honor to meet you once again, Lord Nileri!”
“Indeed. Let us meet again!”
STEP. STEP.
Nileri and I walked silently across Clonia’s plaza. After looking around for some time, Nileri leaned closer and whispered to me.
“Your Highness, you could become an actor!”
“Hmm? What do you mean?”
“Hahahahaha! What did you think of my acting? Did I look frightened?”
“Nileri, how much wealth do we possess in total?”
Nileri folded his arms and thought before answering.
“The Subspace Pouch became too heavy to carry, so I brought only 440,000 Gold Coins… and you stole approximately ten million Gold Coins from the Kroso Empire!”
One corner of Nileri’s mouth rose in disbelief as he continued.
“Our Supply Unit barely earns 900,000 Gold Coins each year… Ha! How dispiriting.”
“What if we include the precious metals, jewels, and other valuables?”
“I do not know the market prices, so I cannot say.”
Hmm.
After thinking for a moment, I answered.
“What would happen if we went to the gambling house and wagered all ten million Gold Coins upon my victory?”
Nileri fell into thought, then looked at me and firmly shook his head.
“Your Highness has no rank, while that man Luxo is ranked seventeenth… There will probably be very few people wagering upon your victory. That means the payout multiplier will be high, so even if you wagered all of that money, you might have difficulty receiving the full payout. No matter how large the gambling house may be, paying all of that…”
“Do you remember Article Seven of Clonia’s laws, which Mayor Sanders mentioned?”
Nileri’s eyes suddenly gleamed.
“If any business operating within Clonia, including the auction house or gambling house, fails to pay a customer the agreed amount of Gold Coins, those responsible will be sentenced to life imprisonment without a vote. Even if they liquidate the business and still cannot pay the Gold Coins, they will be sentenced to life imprisonment without a vote.”
“Did he say the organization operating the gambling house was Finale, while Solaris operated the auction house?”
“That is correct! Wait. Could it be… Your Highness, did you plan all of this? Then those two organizations would no longer possess enough money to pay the mercenaries they employ…”
Nileri raised his thumb toward me and continued excitedly.
“As expected of Your Highness! You are several moves ahead!!”
“The ten million Gold Coins are part of the wealth I stole after thoroughly plundering the capital of the Kroso Empire. I will not wager all ten million at once. It might draw suspicion from the Kroso Empire… We will wager only half for now and proceed through another method.”
“What? What do you…”
Luxo…
I met a benefactor today.
“It is growing dark, and we have not eaten a single meal today. Let us find something light to eat before we continue.”
“A bite to eat?”
Nileri and I went in search of a simple meal.
MUNCH MUNCH!
“Your—munch munch. Gulp—Highness!”
I looked at Nileri, who held both hands full of long pieces of meat called sausages, each skewered upon a thin, whittled branch, and answered briefly.
“Finish eating before you speak.”
GULP.
I glanced at Nileri as I walked, biting into a cone-shaped piece of cheese riddled with holes.
The Elves did not season their food with salt, so their dishes were bland. The food here was strangely salty yet flavorful, making it delicious. It would pair well with Grape Wine, but regrettably, they do not sell it here.
“Your Highness!”
SWISH.
“How many times must you make that mistake…?”
I was so irritated that I no longer possessed the energy to become angry.
PANT. PANT.
Nileri hurried to my side and walked beside me before asking quietly.
“What does the alias Nameless mean?”
“Exactly what it says.”
“What? It means you have no name? Ha! From an artist’s perspective, Your Highness lacks talent when it comes to naming things.”
Isn’t that obvious? I’m not an artist bastard like Nileri.
Still, what does he mean by talent?
Nileri stared at the cheese I was biting and spoke.
“What does Heavenly Demon Divine Cult mean? I wrote it exactly as you said, but I could not understand what it meant at all.”
My affiliation…
That is right.
I originally belonged to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
As I looked up at the sky, Nileri offered me one of his sausages.
“You appear troubled. You need only speak to me.”
“It is nothing.”
I looked around, then pointed toward a brilliantly illuminated building.
“Was this not the auction house depicted upon the map?”
“What? Are we entering the auction house?”
“Wait a moment.”
I pulled two masks that covered the nose and mouth from my trouser pocket and handed one to Nileri.
“We will wear these before entering.”
“Someone else was wearing this…”
I hooked my mask over both ears and stared at Nileri. He hesitated before putting his mask on as well.
“Why are you hiding your face…? Could it be? Surely not…”
I stared silently at Nileri.
He suddenly exhaled deeply as though growing nervous.
“Are you planning to rob this place after the Kroso Empire?”
Hmm?
Oh!!
I had not considered it, but is that not a fine idea?
No. Now that I think about it, that would be impossible. Nileri was far too conspicuous, and several people had already seen us. It would be extremely difficult to handle the matter perfectly.
“We are wearing them merely as a precaution, so do not be nervous. Also, remove the jewelry around your neck and give it to me.”
“What?”
With a reluctant expression, Nileri removed the necklace I had stolen from one of the expensive-looking noble residences in the Kroso Empire and handed it to me.
“Elder McGill said this appeared to be the most valuable item, so I will try selling it at the auction house.”
STEP. STEP.
We climbed the stairs and were about to enter the auction house when—
SWISH.
Several large men stepped in front of Nileri and me.
“Please show us your identification.”
Are they guarding this place?
I showed them the necklace in my hand and answered.
“We came to sell an item.”
They looked at the glittering necklace, then turned their gazes toward Nileri and me.
“Please remove your masks.”
“We had no choice but to wear them because we might be robbed or placed in danger.”
“You cannot enter if we are unable to verify your identities.”
Familiar laughter and voices came from above the auction house.
Hahahahaha!
“Scrape together as much money as possible! We’ll receive the victory reward in eight days.”
“Hahahaha! Brother, you’re such an overwhelming favorite that we won’t make any profit even if we wager upon your victory.”
“The male whore facing you will probably be too frightened to return to the Colosseum.”
“Hahahahaha! Then won’t the Libera Musical Troupe become ours?”
“If the rumors about the Libera Musical Troupe are true, it is difficult to be certain because they perform in masks, but they apparently have many delicate-looking actors. If we strip them and put them upon our troupe’s stage, we’ll make some money, won’t we? The noblewomen will love it.”
Hahahahaha!
Nileri glanced at me and whispered into my ear.
“That is Luxo’s voice.”
I stared at the men guarding the auction house.
“Even as guards, can you not tell that this is a valuable item? Moreover, it is stolen property.”
The guards flinched and exchanged glances before speaking to me.
“Did you conceal your identities because it is stolen property? My apologies, but we handle only merchandise with a verifiable origin.”
I had also anticipated that they might refuse to deal in stolen goods.
I nodded and slowly placed the necklace back inside my trouser pocket. The guards’ gazes slowly followed it.
Ahem.
When I cleared my throat, they looked at me.
I spoke with a blunt expression.
“Where… can stolen property be traded?”
“The annex…”
TAP TAP.
Just as one of the guards began to answer, the other nudged him repeatedly in the side and stared at him without speaking.
As expected.
Since they operated an auction house, I knew they would also operate something resembling a black market.
Stolen goods possessed uncertain origins, so they could purchase them for less and sell them for more. More money likely circulated through the black market than through the auction house.
The guard smiled at me.
“Ah! My apologies. This man has not worked here for very long… Hahahahaha.”
I smiled back at him and answered.
“I see. What a shame. We came from far away because we needed to sell it urgently…”
His eyes widened as he asked me a question.
“I thought something seemed unusual… You are being so cautious as well. As you know, our auction house is the finest upon the continent and offers the best prices, but stolen goods…”
He awkwardly shook his head and continued.
“…are not something we handle. To express my apologies, I would like to buy you a meal before you leave. Where are you staying?”
I do not know the name of any inn…
I glanced at Nileri.
He looked at the guards and answered vaguely.
“We are staying at the Solaris Auction House. We intend to leave tomorrow or the day after…”
“Clonia possesses many attractions and is considered one of the continent’s finest tourist destinations. You are leaving rather quickly.”
I nodded.
“We must sell it merely to put food upon the table, so what other choice do we have? It is already late tonight, so we intend to leave tomorrow.”
“That is true… Ordinary citizens like us have little choice.”
I lightly nodded to them and spoke.
“Then we will be going. It is unfortunate, but thank you for your concern.”
STEP. STEP.
Nileri repeatedly glanced back before speaking to me.
“You are not planning what I think you are, are you?”
So Nileri is not merely a thoughtless fool who goes through life smiling.
Then again, he is the Supply Unit Leader. He does appear to possess a sharp mind.
I continued walking and asked him a question.
“What do you think my plan is?”
When we reached the city entrance, five guards were busily examining the identification plaques of those entering the city.
As Nileri and I left through the gate, he looked at me with surprised eyes.
“What? Is your plan different from mine?”
“What is your plan?”
“Did you not deliberately reveal to the auction-house guards that you possess stolen goods so that we could attack the members of Solaris when they come to steal them from you?”
“I apologize.”
“What?”
“You are rather clever as well.”
“Hahahaha! Of course! Am I not an artist, a profession that fundamentally requires imagination? Are you not also an artist, Your Highness?”
Is he calling me a frivolous, delusional libertine?
I looked at Nileri and spoke firmly.
“Don’t cross the line.”
“What?”
STEP. STEP.
Nileri and I entered the forest outside the city.
RUSTLE. RUSTLE.
After examining our surroundings, I invoked—
[Subspace]
“Are we not attacking the Solaris Organization together? Why are you opening the Subspace…”
From within the Subspace, I retrieved an inconspicuous set of black upper and lower garments, a cloak, and a sword from among the clothing brought back by those who had operated outside.
“Your Highness? What are you doing…”
I removed my upper garment and answered.
“Do I not need to change? That way, they will not know my appearance.”
RUSTLE RUSTLE.
SWISH.
After putting on the black garments, I draped the cloak over my shoulders.
Nileri stared at me blankly and asked.
“Are you going alone?”
“Yes. You also guessed the remaining half of my plan.”
[Subspace]
WHOOOOOSH.
I looked at Nileri and spoke.
“You’ve had a long day following me around. Return before me, rest well, and devote yourself to the training beginning tomorrow. You must at least become capable of protecting yourself.”
“Understood. But what do you intend to do, Your Highness?”
“Tell Elder Philn that I will return to Ellar tomorrow. Ah, Nileri.”
“Yes?”
I called his name and extended my hand. Before I could say anything, Nileri clasped it as though we were shaking hands.
???
Nileri looked at me with eyes filled with awe, nodded, and spoke.
“I know you are strong, Your Highness, but you must be careful!”
“I was not asking for a handshake. I intended to ask you for the Subspace Pouch you possess.”
“What?”
“Can we not use Subspace magic inside the city?”
“Ahhh~”
Nileri hurriedly released my hand, searched his inner pocket, and handed me the Subspace Pouch.
I raised it and examined it from various angles.
“Do I simply grasp an object and put it inside this pouch, as you demonstrated in the meeting room?”
“That is correct! Use it as though you were retrieving an object from Subspace.”
“Understood. Enter and report everything properly to the Elders.”
Nileri bowed to me and entered the Subspace.
STEP. STEP.
I closed my eyes and sensed the energy within the Subspace.
Elder McGill had explained that once I could no longer feel any weight within the Subspace, it meant the traveler had arrived. I gathered energy in my hand once more and dispelled the Subspace I had created.
RUSTLE.
STEP. STEP.
I had changed my appearance and was wearing a mask, so no one should now be capable of identifying me.
I passed through the darkening forest and headed back into the city.