Auction, Buyers' Seat.
I finally managed to enter as a buyer. Though I had to grease a few palms here and there, it wasn't a problem.
The auction began. One by one, the slaves were put on display, waiting for the highest bidder to claim them. It turned out that not only slaves were being auctioned, but also certain items such as personal belongings of public figures, artifacts, and powerful weapons.
"I want those weapons too, but I need to save my money for something more important that might appear later. This isn't even halfway through," I murmured to myself.
"Alright, now we move on to the next product."
"A young woman with silver hair and captivating red eyes. She also has vampire blood in her veins, meaning she will retain her youthful appearance for a long time," the host announced.
Eh? A demi-human vampire? That's pretty rare, considering how small the vampire population is.
Hmmm… No, I have to stay focused. If nothing valuable appears after this, I'll just leave.
The curtain was drawn open. However, unlike the previous slaves, who were only restrained by magic chain collars, this woman was still inside a cage with four additional magic chains binding her hands and feet. But what was more surprising—she was the same person I had seen before among the escaped slaves when they fled the camp.
She might have more information about that village. A runaway slave wouldn't have been able to enter a city easily. She didn't seem strong either, so it was unlikely she survived on her own out there all this time.
My guess? She made it to the village and lived there. Then, when the bandits raided the village, she was captured again and sold at this auction by the slave owner who bought her from the bandits.
"Alright, let's start the bidding. But before that, I should inform you that this slave was previously purchased by another master but was returned a few days later because she nearly drained all of her master's blood."
The other bidders hesitated. They began whispering among themselves.
Seeing her here, I thought I'd buy her—so long as the price didn't go too high.
The auctioneer seemed slightly worried. Even so, he still set a high starting price for her.
"Alright, we'll begin at 50 gold coins!"
"Anyone willing to bid?"
The room fell silent. No one raised their hand, wary of purchasing her despite her beauty and rarity. That was my chance.
"51 gold coins!" I shouted, raising my number.
"Alright, we have 51 gold coins! Anyone willing to bid higher?" The host tried to stir things up.
Still, the room remained silent. No one showed any intention of bidding. I felt like I would win this auction easily.
The host, who had looked concerned, regained his composure.
"Huff… Very well, if that's what you all wish. I originally intended to keep this as a surprise for the highest bidder, but the price is too low."
"This slave…!"
"Is still a… V-I-R-G-I-N!!" he declared boldly.
Then, suddenly, the bidders started to emerge.
"60 gold coins!"
"65 gold coins!"
"70—no, 80 gold coins!"
I raised my bid again.
"100 gold coins!"
Most bidders backed off when I called out a three-digit number, but one man kept going.
"110 gold coins." A muscular man in fine armor continued increasing his bid as I raised mine.
"150 gold coins!" the man declared.
When the number reached 150, I had no intention of continuing. I had already lost half of my gold coins. If I kept going, it would be insane.
"Forget it." I sat back and exhaled.
I thought I was done with this and casually observed the surroundings. Then, by chance, I locked eyes with the slave. She stared at me with hopeful eyes, crossing her hands as if in prayer and moving her lips.
It seemed like she was trying to plead with me to buy her, probably because she remembered me from before and knew I wasn't a threat. Unfortunately, I had lost interest in her—even though she was exactly my type.
Yes, that's right. She was my type. I thought I would have my first experience with a woman who matched my preferences, but it seemed that wouldn't be happening anytime soon.
I averted my gaze from her.
Suddenly, a red thread appeared, linking my forehead to hers. Strange—no one else seemed to notice, as if only she and I could see it.
Then, I heard her voice inside my head.
"Please… save me… I will do anything you ask. Please, just save me…"
Her tearful voice tugged at my heart. She even said she would do anything I wanted.
Before I realized it, I stood up and raised my number high.
"250 gold coins!" I declared loudly.
It seemed the man had stopped bidding. I was going to win this auction. But… why was she smiling like that?
"Alright, any higher bids?" the host asked, ready to end the auction.
I sat back down. Silence filled the room once more.
"Alright, since there are no more bids, I declare this slave sold for 250 gold coins to bidder number 31!"
The auction concluded.
After that, nothing else caught my attention. In fact, none of the other slaves seemed to be from that village at all..