"Eh? Master, you are going to buy her?" Anastasia looks at me in shock.
"Doesn't she seem like one big mystery to you?" I say with a smile. "Her curse, her markings, her pale skin, those dull eyes… it just makes me want to uncover it all!" I reply with a grin.
Anastasia looks at my face speechlessly before sighing. "...As you wish, Master," she mutters, lowering her gaze. "At least Sherry-san will be happy she is not the last anymore," she adds under her breath.
I smile wryly at that last remark. Still, the reasons I gave were my true thoughts—though they were only half the truth. The real reason? She is a waifu from another fictional world. And if she exists here, she might be a clue, a bridge, to whether this alternate world includes the Fire Emblem universe or not. Though, given the surface-level differences between the Nyx from the game and this Nyx, it seems unlikely. As they don't even share the same race.
But even so, I can't help but want to cheer up that petite girl. She looked so lonely and sad. First thing after buying her, I have decided—I am giving her a hug.
As we head towards the next room, I absentmindedly spam Appraisal on everything. It has become a constant habit at this point—to make sure I don't miss any important characters, hidden jobs, or even rare items. But so far, in this auction, all I have seen are the common jobs. It makes sense; after all, you can't gain a job unless you visit its respective guild temple, and most people stick to the more famous and well known ones.
Honestly, Appraisal is an OP ability. There is no cost to using it, and it works on almost everything—people, items, even random objects. On top of that, it has no range limit; as long as I can see something, I can appraise it. Even if it's just a tiny dot in the distance.
But if I had to point out one flaw? It doesn't display a person's race. Like with Nyx earlier—it showed her job, level, sex, and age, but not her race. If the slave trader hadn't told me, I wouldn't have even known she was a Dark Elf. She wasn't dark-skinned as her skin was pale, her elven ears were hidden by her hair, and they are similar to dwarf ears anyway. At first glance, I would have just assumed she was a small human girl.
Now that I think about it, even my Intelligence Card—the one that pops out of my wrist—doesn't show race. It even has a headshot of me, but nowhere does it list my race. So how do people confirm someone's race if they don't have obvious physical traits? In Nyx's case, it was her racial job, but most humans don't even choose to join their racial job, which in turn doesn't even activate normally without fulfilling its requirements, one of those conditions being to be Villager Level 5, so what of those below that level?
There must be some hidden reason for why race isn't displayed. I will figure it out someday. Although, the best option is probably just to ask Sherry, as maybe they have some other device to determine race, and I am just overthinking it.
I have also noticed something else—I wasn't this much of a deep thinker before. I mean, right now, there is a beautiful girl walking beside me, we are in an auction filled with real, living, gorgeous women on sale… and yet, my brain is fixated on abilities and races! This must be the original MC's body affecting me. As Michio used to monologue like this constantly in the original novel too.
"The number of people has increased, hasn't it?" I try to make small talk with Anastasia, not wanting my thoughts to spiral again.
"I think they will open the auction hall soon," she says, glancing around. "Most of the people who have checked out the exhibits will be heading there."
"That's good," I nod as we step into the next room.
I try to keep my expression neutral, but I can't stop my face from twitching slightly. The display? A male beast warrior. Not even a minute later, we step out, walking towards the next room in silence.
From that point on, it's a speed run. Anastasia and I go through five more rooms, each showcasing human or beastkin girls. If nothing else, I have to applaud the diversity—age, body type, hair color—they all vary. But after seeing waifus like Setsuna, Ram, Rem, Nyx, and especially Vesta, these women seem… bland. Unremarkable.
"If you find one of your servants, inform me," I whisper to Anastasia, knowing that her true reason for accompanying me today is to discover the fate of her people. I have been keeping an eye on her the entire time—not ogling, but ensuring she is always in my sight. And why wouldn't I keep my pretty girl close? More importantly, I have been watching her reactions whenever we enter a room, looking for any sign of recognition. So far, she hasn't reacted to anyone.
"Yes, Master," she responds with a serious nod.
My initial concern that people might mock her now seems completely unnecessary. While I do notice a few lingering gazes, I am certain it's because she looks stunning today, dressed in fine attire, rather than because anyone recognizes her. Besides, the slave merchants are far more focused on me, eager to pitch their wares.
"Oh, welcome, Michio-sama. I knew you would participate," a familiar voice greets me as I enter the next room.
[Alan
Slave Merchant Level 44]
"It is a pleasure to meet you again, Alan," I say, greeting the slave merchant from Vale City. I look around and unfortunately, the person on display is a Level 24 male adventurer—someone I have no interest in.
"This is Anastasia," I introduce her.
"Hello," she says with a nod and a smile. Alan returns the greeting politely.
"Alan is the one I acquired Roxanne and Sherry from. He also recommended me to the Imperial City's trading center, where I met you," I explain with a smile.
"Oh, that's certainly wonderful. Thank you, Alan-san," Anastasia says, bowing slightly.
"No, no, it is my pleasure to do business with Michio-sama," Alan responds hurriedly with a polite smile. "So, Michio-sama, what do you think of this Adventurer here?" He gestures towards the man in the room, who is surrounded by two others—an adventurer and an explorer—clearly considering him for their party.
"He looks tough; he must sell well," I say politely, acknowledging the man's fierce presence and impressive level. "Also, I wanted to thank you again for your recommendation last time," I add with a smile, hoping that he will keep recommending places to me in the future.
"Think nothing of it," he replies with a small grin. "And thank you for your kind words. Yes, he will sell for a good price, though not as high as a Wizard," he adds as an afterthought.
In the original story, Alan was exhibiting a wizard. So when I heard a Wizard was up for auction, I immediately thought of him. However, I know that in the original plot, Alan only acquired the wizard because of Michio's fight with Sabo of the Beradam family—an event I have yet to encounter. It's still too early for that, which means someone else must be showcasing the Wizard this time.
"What is the price range for the slaves being sold here?" I ask curiously.
"It depends on the exhibit, Michio-sama," he replies thoughtfully. "A beautiful female combat slave might sell for 700,000 to 800,000 Nars, or even more. Non-combatant females, no matter how beautiful, usually fetch around 300,000 to 400,000 Nars—barely half the price of their combat-trained counterparts," he explains in a quiet voice. "Male combat slaves typically reach similar prices." He gestures toward the Adventurer on display.
"I see," I nod, calculating. That means 70-80 gold coins for a battle-ready woman and 30-40 gold for one who is merely attractive.
"Of course, Wizards are a different story," he adds with a grin. "Any Wizard will sell for a minimum of 1,000,000 Nars."
"Oh?" I raise a brow. One platinum coin for a single Wizard—that is an astronomical price.
After a bit more polite conversation, we take our leave.
As we move to the next room, we notice a large crowd gathered outside. I had seen some unusually crowded rooms in the corridor earlier, and this is one of them.
"Such a big crowd," I mutter, observing the people ahead.
"Must be one of the popular exhibits. It might even be the Wizard, people were talking about earlier," Anastasia muses thoughtfully.
"Yes, that could be the case," I say as we approach. If the wizard is a pretty girl, I will have to ensure I win the bid. Another wizard would be a valuable addition to my party, significantly accelerating our progress. However, my priority is still that she must be beautiful—otherwise, I have no intention of wasting my money.
The murmuring crowd outside the room catches my attention.
"Is that really her?"
"A noblewoman, huh?"
"But what happened to her family was tragic."
"Shh… don't say that out loud."
Many of those gathered are merchants, adventurers, and explorers, some craning their necks to get a better view inside. Based on their gossip, it seems this room is showcasing a Noble Woman. So that means the Noble Woman is the Wizard? That does make sense; most wizards come from noble backgrounds after all.
"Make way, please. We would like to enter," I say clearly.
"Ah, yes, sorry, sorry," some people shuffle aside, giving Anastasia and me space to move forward. I notice their eyes scanning me—first my face and height, then my clothing, and finally, my companion. Appearance and presentation seem to matter a lot in social settings like this, where most people don't know each other.
However, the crowd is still thick, and I have to ask two more times before we can finally squeeze through. As we move, my sensitive hearing picks up more of their conversations.
"Do you think her father really did it?"
"Who knows? But the Nakiri family has always been highly respectable, so I am skeptical. After all, there have been a lot of wild allegations in the Imperial City these last few months."
"I heard her father married into the family because he was a famous cook. He was originally just a commoner."
"Ah, that makes sense. Then he must have done it. The Nakiri family should have been more careful before letting him in. Now, not only their precious daughter but even her highly respected grandfather is being punished."
"After the poisoning accusations surfaced, her father fled, so someone had to take the blame. But no one expected the girl to be sold into slavery—this is too harsh a sentence for a noblewoman."
"For such a talented child's future to be ruined… her father must be a real scumbag."
"Yeah, I heard she was incredibly gifted, destined to become a top Royal Cook. They even called her 'God's Tongue.'"
I freeze.
Nakiri. Royal Cook. God's Tongue.
These are words I never expected to hear here.
"Let us through," I say firmly, pushing through the final barrier of people with Anastasia at my side.
As soon as I step inside, I am stunned.
The room is packed, with many people surrounding a young girl sitting on a chair.
She has striking purple-pink eyes and long, silky honey-blonde hair. She sits gracefully, her side bangs framing her face and cascading down her neck. She wears a pristine white shirt with a deep-cut neckline that accentuates her big breasts. A composed smile rests on her lips as she faces the crowd calmly.
[Erina
Cook Level 1]
I inhale sharply.
"Fuck. Shokugeki?" I mutter under my breath, shocked beyond words.