“Why did you bid on such a useless item?” Gargith asked with a confused expression.
It was just an unknown piece of metal that had gone unsold for such a long time. As someone unfamiliar with magic, Gargith couldn’t seem to detect any value from this metal object.
It was small, about the size of a finger at most, and it couldn’t be reforged or even manipulated with mana. Although the starting price might have been the lowest of all the items that the auction house had unveiled so far, in Gargith’s opinion, that metal object wasn’t even worth a million sals.
Eugene didn’t say anything. Instead, he clenched his fists as he tried to bring an order to the dizzying flood of thoughts rushing through his head.
Vermouth had wielded numerous weapons in his life, and among them, there were quite a few powerful relics capable of turning the world on its head.
The Storm Sword Wynnyd that Eugene currently possessed, for one; and then there was the Devouring Sword Asphel, the Dragon Spear Kharbos, Thunderbolt Pernoa, Phantom Rain Sword Javel, Gedon’s Shield, etc.
The most famous of his weapons was the Holy Sword. Although it hadn’t seen much use, these days, it was seen as the weapon that best represented Vermouth.
Apart from those, there was also the Demon Spear Luentos previously used by the Demon King of Cruelty and the Annihilation Hammer Jigollath that had once belonged to the Demon King of Carnage.
While not to the same extent as the Holy Sword, all of these weapons had left their marks on history, but strangely enough, there was no record of the ‘Moonlight Sword.’
From what Eugene could recall, it was the Moonlight Sword that had allowed them to break through in the face of Luentos’s fierce assault and finally defeat the Demon King of Cruelty. However, in the fairy tales and other historical records, the Holy Sword received the credit for the downfall of the Demon King of Cruelty.
The Demon King of Cruelty wasn’t the only victim of the Moonlight Sword. Three hundred years ago, there had been many powerful enemies in Helmuth besides the Demon Kings. They were the high-ranking demonfolk who fell just short of becoming a Demon King. Enemies like the Vampire Lord and the Tribal Chief of the Giants. And it wasn’t the brilliant light of the Holy Sword that had allowed them to clash with these powerful enemies and paved the way forward.
Instead, it was a terrifying beam of moonlight that had forcibly torn open a path forward with the power of destruction.
‘And that seems to be a fragment of the Moonlight Sword,’ Eugene thought.
This meant that the sword might no longer be intact. However, he wasn’t sure what could have caused the blade to shatter into fragments. He also couldn’t be sure that his eyes weren’t fooling him. No matter how clear the memories from his previous life were, he couldn’t come to any definite conclusions based on a single glimpse of such a small fragment.
After a while, someone knocked on the door. As the item he had bid on wasn’t that large, it had been brought to him right after he won the bid. Eugene immediately got up and opened the door.
‘…I was right,’ Eugene decided as he stared down at the fragment that had just been delivered.
The unique dim shade of the metal was just as he remembered. This was definitely a fragment of the Moonlight Sword. But how on earth did a fragment of the Moonlight Sword end up in this auction house?
‘The Kazard Hills….’
The place where this fragment had been found was further proof of its true identity. The location of the Kazard Hills was a little ways away from the castle of the Demon King of Carnage. It had originally been a plain, but in the aftermath of the fierce battle that took place at the Demon King’s castle, the whole place had undergone a massive upheaval to become a hilly area.
It occurred right after they had defeated the Demon King of Carnage, just as they were leaving that Demon King’s castle.
They had discovered a dungeon that had been hidden deep underground. Suspecting that the demonfolk may have hidden it deliberately, they had explored the dungeon and found the Moonlight Sword at its very heart.
‘…The only possibility that I can think of is that… as Vermouth was leaving Helmuth, he took the Moonlight Sword back to its original resting place and sealed it there.’
Then why had the Moonlight Sword shattered into fragments? But if Vermouth really had decided to reseal the Moonlight Sword, Eugene suspected that he knew the reason why the sword had ended up as fragments.
The Moonlight Sword was simply far too dangerous. Although the Demon Spear and the Annihilation Hammer were also deadly, the Moonlight Sword exceeded them both.
That ominous sword had acknowledged Vermouth alone as its master, and it had always caused terrible destruction whenever it was drawn from its sheath. Vermouth couldn’t have felt reassured with just sealing such a horrible and dangerous sword.
‘…It’s too quiet,’ Eugene observed.
The fragment of the Moonlight Sword was perfectly still. It didn’t give off any sense of danger. Well, if it had shown off even a trace of the terrible power that it had held three hundred years ago, it wouldn’t have been left on auction for so long without any bidders.
With a bitter feeling, Eugene placed the fragment of the Moonlight Sword back into the wooden box. It was now just a fragment that held none of its previous power. He would be lying if he said that he hadn’t held any expectations for it. He had hoped that a trace of its power might still remain.
But even if it was just an ordinary piece of metal now, he didn’t feel too disappointed. Just having such a worrisome object remain safely in his hands put his mind at ease.
[Sir Eugene,] the communication terminal buzzed. [Sir Eward has arrived.]
It was the guide’s voice. Eugene slipped the wooden box into his vest and stood up. 𝑖𝘦.𝒸𝘰𝘮
“I’m leaving now,” he told Gargith.
“Hm? Don’t you want to keep watching?” Gargith asked him.
“I don’t. I’ll leave my card with you before I go, so tell them that I’ll pay for your bid afterward.”
It was impossible to charge a black card without the owner present to provide authentication. But since the black card was so famous, it should be acceptable for them to allow Eugene to pay for the bid after a slight delay.
And if they said it wasn’t acceptable? Eugene couldn’t really care about it. Instead, it would actually be a good thing for him, as that meant he wouldn’t need to pay the large sums of money required to purchase those balls.
After summoning one of the staff members with a press of the left button, Eugene was led outside the auction house. A lot of time seemed to have passed while they were inside, as the air now had that late-night chill. However, the street was still brightly lit. It appeared that the street lights here didn’t go out until dawn.
[Where do I need to go?] Eugene asked.
[Um… If you head up to the north end of the street, you will be able to find a store called ‘Rafflesia.’ That’s where you need to go,] the guide explained.
Eugene began walking.
[By the way, just what on earth are you planning to do? This type of shop strictly ensures the security of its customers, so….]
Eugene didn’t answer right away. He had just decided to head over there first, without having a clear idea of what he would do. He just needed to — no, he wanted to, first of all, look Eward in the eye. How would the eldest son of the main family react when confronted with the fact that someone knew of his ugly little secret?
Would Eward be angered by his exposed shame? Or, instead of getting angry, would he just stay silent? Would he spout excuses? Eugene wasn’t sure what to expect. To be honest, he just wanted to grab Eward by the collar and slap both of his cheeks to teach him a lesson.
‘…But since he’s so pitiful, I’ll give him a chance.’
If Eugene didn’t get to slap Eward’s cheeks red, he at least wanted to know what the hell Eward was thinking.
As he headed north, the atmosphere of the stores he passed began to change. By the time he reached his destination, the lights that were previously only used to illuminate the darkness had turned a sultry red, and the appearance of the greeters had also changed dramatically. Handsome men were attempting to seduce the passing women, and beautiful women were throwing smiles at the men.
‘So there’s Incubi, Succubi, as well as Vampires working here. I can even see a few beastfolk.’
So it wasn’t just demonfolk working here. There were quite a few beastfolk, who looked like a cross between humans and animals, and plain humans as well. Without sparing these greeters a single glance, Eugene looked up at the name of the store.
The sign read, ‘Rafflesia.’
That meant he had finally found the store after walking down the street for quite some time. The exterior of the store looked fancier than he expected. Without any hesitation, Eugene approached the store entrance.
As he drew closer, he was met with a challenge, “Are you here for our services?”
Five burly men hanging around the front of the store stepped forward to block his way as if they had been waiting to do so. Eugene stared at the young man standing in the center of their group. He had pale skin, red eyes, pointy ears… and tiny horns.
Demonfolk came in various different types. The night demons were just one category of demonfolk, and starting from three hundred years ago, the giants had also been counted as one of the tribes of the demonfolk. Corrupted dark elves and vampires were also mixed in with their number. So the term demonfolk didn’t refer to a single race but instead referred to all the races ruled by the Demon Kings.
But among all these races, the horned race, also known as the ‘daemons,’ made up the greatest percentage of the population. In fact, the daemons could even be called the orthodox race of the demonfolk. Three hundred years ago, all five of the existing Demon Kings had been daemons.
“…I do want to head inside,” Eugene said as he looked straight at the young daemon.
Since his reincarnation, this was his first time encountering a group of demonfolk, and with a daemon among them at that. If he was still in his previous life, the daemon would already have been dead before their eyes had even met, but Eugene didn’t reveal a single trace of his murderous intent.
The daemon asked, “…Is this your first time visiting our store?”
“What, am I not allowed if it’s my first time here?” Eugene asked.
“Of course not. As long as you pay the entrance fee, you’re free to head on in for as long as you like.”
“How much is this fee?”
“The base entrance fee is two million sals. After that, any further cost is calculated according to the contents and length of your requested dream. Would you still like to enter?” the daemon asked with a faint smile.
Without replying, Eugene pulled out his wallet and handed the daemon two cheques.
Upon receiving the entrance fee, the daemon immediately stepped away from the door with the parting words, “Please enjoy your time here.”
Ignoring his words, Eugene walked into the store. 𝘳𝘦.𝒸𝑜𝘮
He was immediately greeted with red lights and the sight of a raucous bar. The entire first floor appeared to be used as a pub. He could also spot various succubi and incubi wearing suggestive clothing as they went around delivering trays of alcohol and playing coy with the guests. Eugene paused for a moment as he took in this scene.
“Allow me to lead you to a seat,” a beautiful succubus offered as she approached him and entwined her arms around his.
Ignoring her, Eugene panned his gaze upwards. It seemed that both the second and third floors were also used for drinking. He couldn’t spot any rooms that looked like they could be used by the customers here to enjoy the dreams.
‘They must be in the basement,’ Eugene concluded.
He could see a few succubi and incubi leading customers down into the basement. So where was Eward now? Was he having a drink somewhere, or was he already caught in his dreams?
But before anything else, he needed to deal with this smell. The perfume scent coming from the succubus sticking to his side was overpowering.
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