Carriages were lined up in front of the auction house's main entrance. The auction house had once been a theater renowned for its operas. After going bankrupt during the economic downturn, some wealthy merchant had purchased it and converted it into a slave auction house. In front of it, the carriage drivers were smoking cigarettes and holding a little competition to see whose carriage was more expensive and beautiful.
I entered the costume rental room with Lapis. At this slave market, the rule was to disguise yourself so the other party couldn't tell who you were. After much deliberation, I picked out a bright yellow dress. I plopped a golden wig on my head and powdered my face white. When I looked in the mirror, a monster of a woman stared back at me. Even my mother wouldn't recognize me. For some reason, I felt quite pleased with myself and even stuffed padding into the chest area. Perfect.
"L-Lord Dantalion, are you ready...?"
Lapis was wearing a simple black cat mask. When she saw me emerge from the dressing room, her eyes went wide. Her blue irises quickly scanned me from heel to top of head.
"That... what on earth is that...?"
The corner of her mouth twitched. I covered my mouth with my fan and giggled.
"Oh my. Lady Raljuli, have you been well?"
"...Ngh!"
"It's especially hot today, isn't it? Do take care of your constitution, ho ho."
"Mmmph!"
Lapis clamped both hands over her mouth in a hurry. Moisture welled up in her eyes. She was trying not to laugh. My heart couldn't help but race. Was I finally about to witness the spectacle of this perpetually expressionless little one bursting into laughter? But as expected, Lapis was an impenetrable fortress. She gave a few violent coughs and retrieved her signature absolute-zero expression. What a shame.
"Sigh... Lord Dantalion. Please conduct yourself befitting your station."
"Oh my. I am confident that as the proud lady of House Dantalion, I lack nothing in the slightest. If the Lady's discerning eye finds anything unsatisfactory, please do not hesitate to point it out. Ho ho ho!"
"Ngh! ...Never mind. I'm already used to Lord Dantalion's eccentricities."
Wait — a brilliant idea just popped into my head. If I activated the Acting skill in this state, wouldn't it let me play the part of a noblewoman even more perfectly?
It truly was a fantastical idea. That such a rapturous thought had surfaced in my skull was nothing short of a miracle. I immediately triggered Acting. Almost right away, a notification appeared saying the skill had succeeded with minor effect. Thanks to the skill's effect, even my voice seemed to have gone up a register.
"Ho ho ho! Today I shall absolutely lay my hands on a treasure―!"
I giggled behind my fan.
"......"
Lapis's expression as she looked at me was—how should I put it? Irritation and confusion blended into a beautiful cocktail. The fact that she could convey such emotions with a completely blank face proved that Lapis was, in truth, the woman who wore the most magnificent mask of all.
We presented the invitation we'd obtained from Jack and strode through the grand entrance of the auction house. The enormous hall unfolded like a wonderland. Two men dressed as pierrots were chattering away by the door.
"That fellow's paper is nothing but brazen arrogance!"
"Well, at least he's not imitating Plato. I think Friedrich's—"
"That damnable romanticism, because of it—"
On stage, a conductor disguised as a peacock led an orchestra. Performers dressed as hippos, dairy cows, demons, and dwarves played violins and the like. But well over five hundred people in the audience were making such a racket that the music was inaudible. Those five hundred were all costumed in various outlandish getups. In short, it was total chaos. Lapis and I pushed our way through the crowd to the very center of the audience. There were no chairs, so we had no choice but to stand the entire time.
Lapis scowled slightly, clearly not fond of crowds.
"It's like the Scorching Hells of the Demon Realm."
"There are hells in the Demon Realm too?"
"Lord Dantalion truly is ignorant of the Demon Realm. 'Hell' is merely a nickname, of course. It refers to regions so hostile that even demons struggle to survive. There are twenty-six hells in total. The demons who govern each hell are called Grand Dukes, said to rival the Demon Lord in standing."
Ah, so in the Demon Realm, one's noble title was determined by which fief one ruled. In Dungeon Attack, demons would sometimes show up claiming to be barons or counts, but the criteria were never explained. I'd vaguely assumed the Demon Lord appointed them, but it turned out there was an organized system.
"In the Demon Realm, Lord Dantalion would barely qualify as a Knight Bachelor. Your personal strength is modest, but you command a legion of monsters, so it balances out."
"Knight Bachelor? That's a thing too?"
"A rank below knight. Somewhere between something and nothing."
"……."
Lapis is tormenting me…
Shortly afterward, the orchestra filed offstage. A gentleman in formal evening wear stepped onto the stage. He seemed thoroughly accustomed to such commotion and calmed the audience with practiced ease. Although the noise never fully subsided, everyone at least lowered their voices to a murmur. Then, as though borrowing power from some magical implement, the host's voice boomed across the entire auditorium. He wore pince-nez spectacles, and Lapis whispered that even those had an enchantment to enhance his eyesight.
"Thank you for your cooperation! Now then—welcome, everyone, to the Opera de Pavia Auction House! Today we have a grand total of fifty-five items up for bidding. If things proceed as usual, the auction will take roughly four hours. Is there any need for further words? Let us begin the auction at once. The very first item to kick off today's bidding is—!"
The host threw his arms wide toward the right side of the stage. From there, a woman wearing nothing but a thin loincloth staggered out.
"From the Kingdom of Moscow, the land of the great northern expanse—an ice-field elf! Now, take a close look at that snow-white skin. It is as transparent as freshly fallen snow reflected in daylight. A common elf maid would easily fetch upward of five hundred gold, but this is the exceedingly rare ice-field variant. You, our esteemed customers, are no doubt accustomed to elves with tanned, dusky complexions. An elf white as fresh snow—truly a rare sight indeed. Now then, the first item of the day, this ice-field elf. We'll open the bidding at one hundred gold!"
The slave auction began. Several people signaled their intent to purchase, holding up boards with numbers written on them. The audience hall was vast, yet the host somehow identified customers with uncanny precision. "Yes, Customer 537, one hundred and fifty gold! Customer 76, two hundred gold!" he called out with infectious energy. It seemed he had even mastered lip-reading. To serve as a host at an auction house of this scale, one surely needed a variety of talents.
Thanks to the host's silver tongue, the snow-field elf was sold for the staggering sum of seven hundred gold. As her price soared in a near-vertical climb, the elf kept her gaze fixed on the floor the entire time. It was then that I first realized—not just monsters, but the emotions of demi-humans were being transmitted to me as well. She was in a state of absolute despair. Occasionally, a wave of nostalgia surged through her mind, only to dissolve into nothing. She was debating whether to kill herself or not. Unless the noble who won her bid was a remarkable philanthropist, he was about to throw seven hundred gold into the wind.
"Seven hundred gold! A full seven hundred gold! Any more? Good heavens! In thirty years of running my auction house, I can say with absolute certainty that bidding has never surpassed five hundred gold on the very first item. Seven hundred gold—thank you! Now, let us move straight on to the next bid."
One by one, slaves were paraded onto the stage. Having fallen into this world, I was now seeing species I had never laid eyes on before—all of them on full display. Werewolves, the Cat Tribe, the Tiger Tribe, sirens, mermaids… As the auction wore on, my fists clenched tighter and tighter. The thick, clinging melancholy carried by the demi-humans was slowly staining my heart black. I could even feel a fraction of the physical pain they were enduring. One Cat Tribe girl had her back skin torn to shreds like a rag.
"…Lord Dantalion."
Lapis called softly from beside me. I snapped back to my senses.
"Oh my? Ohoho. I was feeling a bit tired, that's all."
"…Haa."
Lapis pulled a handkerchief from her sleeve. Without warning, she gently wiped the corner of my mouth. Before I could even process what was happening—what kind of situation was this—I caught sight of the bright red blood on the handkerchief and nearly jumped out of my skin.
"Huh? Where did the blood come from?"
"You were biting your lip far too hard."
Lapis let out a sigh.
"I had my suspicions, but I can't believe you truly didn't notice."
"Wow, I seriously had no idea…"
"The sight of an inferior human race handling other species however they please is hardly pleasant to watch. However, over-immersing yourself in their emotions is not wise. The casual sympathy exchanged between market women, the judgment handed down by a court magistrate—neither is befitting of a sovereign. A sovereign must understand, but render judgment."
I nodded. Lapis's advice was always a matter of flesh and blood. Just moments ago, without even realizing it, I had been consumed by hatred toward humanity. I had wanted to invade a human kingdom right then and there and slaughter them all. Was this, perhaps, the root of why Demon Lords so unconditionally despised humans? But killing and being killed was something that happened routinely for any species. Even the monsters I had felt the most empathy for had slaughtered countless humans.
"…Yeah. Thank you."
"Don't mention it."
I calmed myself. I began to feel the demi-humans' emotions with more composure. While I couldn't stop the transmission of feelings, I could maintain distance—much like watching a film. Once I thought of it that way, the situation became rather fascinating. Feeling another's inner world was, in itself, enjoyable. One Tiger Tribe girl was a spectacle—she flaunted her figure to the humans as though she were a model. She must have been the kind of person who could stay cheerful even in the most desperate of circumstances.
At last, the "item" I had been eyeing was put up for bid.
"The slave we'll be introducing this time is, surprisingly, the second heir to the Farnese Duchy—the family that once wielded absolute power in the Kingdom of Sardinia!"
The audience murmured. A blonde girl walked out to the center of the stage. She looked around the opera house as if searching for someone. But her face went pale, seemingly overwhelmed by the sheer number of people.
"So even the great House of Farnese has fallen this far."
"Who could have imagined they would lose so helplessly in the Chrysanthemum War…"
"I'd heard of the heir's beauty, but who would've thought the second daughter would be this stunning as well."
The war that had brought about the Farnese family's downfall seemed to be quite famous. People chattered about the war among themselves while stealing glances at Laura. Some were likely eyeing her newly ripened body with greedy interest. Laura clenched her teeth and held her chin high with rigid dignity. You didn't need to read emotions to see that plainly—she was terrified, but she refused to lose even the composure befitting nobility.
"Ladies and gentlemen, Lady Laura de Farnese!"
A smattering of people even applauded. That must have been all the more humiliating for her. Now she was gripping the hem of her loincloth tightly with both hands. I fixed my gaze on her like a spectator who had stumbled upon the most riveting scene in a film.
Now then. How will you handle this, Laura de Farnese?
If she didn't act of her own volition, I was prepared to force the issue. But still, I hoped—hoped that she would put on a magnificent, flawless performance.
"Excuse me, but this item starts at a high price from the very beginning. We expect it will achieve the highest price in auction house history—a staggering five hundred gold! The auction begins at five hundred gold! My goodness! The moment I announced the starting price, six guests raised their hands! I'm sorry, but we'll count from the guest who raised their hand first—bidder 213. Bidder 231, five hundred fifty gold! Yes, bidder 567, six hundred gold! Bidder 13, six hundred fifty gold!"
The price soared without pause. Each time it climbed, Laura's small shoulders flinched. The chin she had held so high moments ago drooped down. She was sensitive to the gaze of others—hundreds of eyes looking at her as nothing but a product, a slave. How long could she endure it? When would the confidence she held in herself as a proud human being finally crumble? Feeling my own heartbeat quicken, I stared intently at Laura's face.
"Bidder 64, sixteen hundred fifty gold! Good heavens! Already an all-time record!"
Then the girl lifted her head. Her lips moved softly.
"Bidder 790, seventeen hundred gold!"
I couldn't hear from this distance, but she had clearly mouthed:
"Bidder 1101, seventeen hundred fifty gold!"
—Dantalion.
The corners of my mouth curled upward.
"Lapis. Fire the celebratory cannon."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Lapis pulled a scroll from inside her hood. She tossed the scroll into the air and murmured softly.
"Arcessitus."
A magic circle roughly thirty meters in diameter was drawn above the spectator seats. A soft pink light bled beautifully from within it. The audience, their eyes fixed on the stage, turned their heads upward at the unexpected display of color.
"Hm? It's a magic circle."
"Some kind of event by the organizers?"
"A soft pink color… I don't recognize that species…"
While the crowd murmured among themselves, Lapis and I rushed toward the stage. Only the auctioneer carried on with the auction, undeterred by the chaos. It was nothing short of remarkable dedication. Beside him, Laura stared blankly up at the magic circle in the air.
At some point, the humans all began screaming in unison. At the same moment, the entire building shuddered as though a massive earthquake had struck. I turned around to find ten golems standing amid the crushed remains of the spectator seats. They had been summoned in midair and slammed down below. The golems, caught off guard by the sudden appearance of humans, grew agitated, while the fairies chattered excitedly as if a ball had been organized in their honor. But when I issued a firm command in my mind, every monster released a scarlet killing intent.
'Kill everything you can reach.'
A man was struck by a golem's fist and sent flying, his cape billowing behind him, all the way to the far side of the theater. He crashed into the wall used as a stage backdrop and thudded down onto the stage with a dull impact. The auctioneer, fearful the man might collide with him, ducked down and let out a terrified scream. His magically amplified voice rang through the theater, loud enough to split eardrums.
The slaughter had begun.