“Before I answer your question, please allow me to inquire about one thing.”
“...What is it?”
“If I were to tell you to bid on a certain item in tomorrow’s auction... would you be confident in winning it, Duke Walter?”
“Tomorrow’s auction, you say?”
He put off pondering what the man’s intent was in favor of searching for an answer, smoothly changing his demeanor. Regarding the auction the following day—the duke hadn’t heard anything about any sort of Artifact being featured. Given that, it would probably be safe to assume that no members of royalty would be participating. That also meant that his biggest sources of competition were the few major aristocrats and Duke Roadwell. The question was whether or not he could beat them out. In terms of total assets, it would be a one-on-one bout between Duke Roadwell and Duke Walter, but auctions weren’t something that you could win just because one’s total assets equated to a sizeable amount. The person who would win an auction was the person who had brought the most money with them at that time. And seeing as how Duke Roadwell had just recently purchased that Artifact with outstanding magic and artistic merits, his amount of cash on-hand probably wasn’t all that impressive. Meanwhile, Duke Walter had been collecting the funds to purchase his daughter’s gift, so if the auction were to take place tomorrow, it wasn’t likely at all that he would lose. And it was the very moment when Duke Walter drew that conclusion that a certain possibility came to him.
“Might you be suggesting that the item I am seeking will be put up for sale at tomorrow’s auction?”
“I have an agreement with my trading partner, so I am afraid I cannot say anything more. However... the only thing I will say is that this is from the good graces of a certain normal girl.”
“...A normal girl?”
“Indeed, once I told her about you, she happily complied with the idea. So, please, make it your mission to participate in tomorrow’s auction. I am sure that you will bear witness to a miracle.”
He wasn’t quite able to wrap his head around this being a “miracle.” The whole matter would be resolved if he were to just sell the item off to him from the start, so he was completely unable to comprehend why he was going through such a roundabout manner. The only thing he could think of was that he was trying to raise the price at the auction, but... nevertheless, he was determined to get the Artifact no matter how high the price. He just didn’t understand the point in making him bid for it. Besides that, there was no way that Duke Walker wouldn’t be informed in advance if the Artifact he was searching for was to actually show up in the auction. That was why, if he were to be truthful, Gratt was spitting nonsense to cover his own back. Either that, or he had gone daft in the head—both doubts spun inside the duke’s mind. However, he was all out of options. Hence, Duke Walter, essentially clutching at straws, decided to show up at the auction.
The day passed, and he arrived at the auction hall. There, he found himself literally witnessing a miracle.
“Wh-What is this...?” Duke Walter uttered, at a loss for words. The people who also looked at the item list clamored in a similar manner. Among the items listed on the parchment, there were Artifacts mixed into the lot. The fact that Artifacts were being put up for auction without prior notice was a surprise in itself, but the real shocker here was located in the descriptions listed.
A brooch with a beautiful design set with a large magic stone. The design was small yet delicate, with the brooch itself being appraised at no less than fifty gold pieces.
That by itself was a relatively shocking price tag. Of course, there are a number of other more expensive pieces of artistic merit, but the small brooch with the fifty gold piece price tag was considerably uncommon. Regardless, this brooch’s true value wasn’t in the design. It was said to be enchanted, and its appraised effects were described as following:
In addition to an ability which nullifies any and all bodily ailments, it is also endowed with a self-repairing ability. Will instantly nullify the effects of fast-acting and deadly poison for the bearer. The brooch itself will repair itself even if shattered into pieces. A brooch made in a normal girl’s free time.
He didn’t know where to begin when it came to picking this description apart. The Artifact was a small, artistically-sound brooch with a powerful enchantment. It was rare enough that it even existed, but the enchantment it possessed was infeasible. It nullified any and all bodily ailments. That alone was outside the realm of Artifacts and encroached into a realm of doubt as to if it was a miracle brought forth by God. Considering what it was, it wouldn’t be surprising to see it with a price tag of ten-thousand gold pieces instead.
However, the startling facts didn’t end there. The brooch was enchanted with a self-repairing ability. It was already in miracle territory at the point it was endowed with that Artifact-grade enchantment, and the fragile brooch having a self-repairing ability was a heavenly blessing. It was literally an Artifact among Artifacts, an item that should in no way exist, but... it was also a piece of work with a self-repairing ability. That clued Duke Walter in to what it actually was.
“This couldn’t be... a part of the Unassigned Series...?”