Esper Harem in the Apocalypse

Rudy couldn't wait for the one minute of the presentation to end. He wanted to buy the castle, no matter the price, but for that, the bidding had to start. He didn't want anyone else to bid, but even if they did, he could simply bid higher than anyone else.

He was the richest man on earth, so if he had spent all his fortune, no one would be able to counter Rudy's bid. He had no need to worry, but the eagerness got the best of him and made him impatient.

"Calm down, will you? The castle won't run away," Rias remarked.

"I know. But did you not see the hologram? It looks so… nostalgic… no, I mean… appealing. For some reason, I want that castle badly."

Rias chuckled and uttered, "What happened to your 'I never get interested about anything?' I don't think I have seen you act so excited before."

"Why are you not excited? You grew up in a hugeass palace, so shouldn't you also be demanding that I buy the castle?"

"Contrary to the belief that I would be happy to live in a castle, I only want a private space, a room. Certainly, I would prefer a castle over an estate, villa, or mansion. It would feel more close to home.

However, we don't know where the castle is. If you buy it, do you think the other harem members would come to live there if it's too far away? Sure, you can teleport there, but others can't.

Most importantly, do you think Rebecca would allow you to live in the castle? Or rather yet, would she agree to live in the castle? But personally, I wouldn't mind. And yes, the castle is beautiful. You should buy it even if we never go to live there. We can make that our vacation spot."

"I can find solutions to all the issues you stated except for one. I don't know what mom would think of this. Obviously, she wouldn't think that my harem could fit in our current house. But…" Rudy sighed uncomfortably.

[The seller is asking for seven hundred billion dollars for the castle. The next one minute would be a Q&A time. If the interested buyers have any questions, ask them, but after making their bids.]

Rudy immediately made a bid of 800 billion dollars.

[We have got our first bid of eight hundred billion dollars— one hundred billion dollars more than the bidding amount— number 69! What a bid! What a bid!]

"Why is 'she' so excited that you made a bid?" Alice muttered.

"Maybe she had a responsibility on her shoulder that I must buy a house. Lu Bela invited me because I asked her to look for a nice house for us, so Lu Bela must have tossed that responsibility to Kim."

[Number 69! Do you have any questions? You don't have to worry about your voice being recognized. It will be automatically altered. Please, feel free to clear your doubts. The money hasn't been deducted from your account yet.]

Rudy glanced at Alice and Rias and asked, "What should I ask?"

"Since it's old, I don't think any questions matter. There won't be electricity, and it definitely won't be a clean place," Alice responded.

"Why don't you ask if the interior has the furniture included?" Rias suggested

"Does that matter? We can bring a better one from the vampire world. And I highly doubt there is anything in that castle that is made from wood. It would mostly be stone and iron. Although I would try to restore them. It's a perfect opportunity to test my new power."

"True."

[Please wait for a second, the master of the auction has something to say.]

Kim turned off her mic and talked with Lu Bela over a device.

A second later, a voice said, [Excuse me, mine is not really a question, but a fact. A truth. The castle, or rather the entire dynasty, once used to be in one of the most prominent lands, which was highly fertilized. Rivers, mountains, and forests surrounded the land, giving them natural protection from the odds.

However, this is a story from thousands of years ago. It's no longer the same. The sea level rose, and the land became a ruin. The dynasty became an island, and the place which was once called prominent is now one of the most dangerous places in the world.

Every year, the sea level has been rising by 1cm, submerging the dynasty and drowning the entire island. The castle was located on the tallest mountain of that era, but now, the base of the castle is under the sea.

The castle would start submerging at a higher speed in the next few years. And once the base has weakened, the castle would collapse. The seller left out such a significant and essential detail in his presentation. Is such tergiversating action allowed in such a prestigious event?

The presentation about the castle was misleading, and the audience was fooled into believing that the investment in that asset was worthy and valuable. Master of the auction, I want your unbiased opinion on this matter.]

"..."

Rias glanced at Rudy from the corner of her eyes and muttered, "Looks like we won't be living in a castle."

[Yes, thank you for the insight, dear bidder. I was going to ask the seller the same thing, and thus I contacted the anchor to ask if the seller had provided that information in his written presentation.

But you did for me. I thank you, once again. Certainly, we don't allow such actions in the auction. Once we have received a response from the seller, we will kick her out of the event. I apologize for the inconvenience caused to any and all of you.]

"Damn, I have never seen Lu Bela so angry before. Why do I think she is going to chew the seller alive?"

"She doesn't seem angry to me," Alice stated.

"How can you tell? Her voice and tone are altered," Rias wondered.

"I don't know, but I can tell. She is furious. I pray for the seller's safety."

[The next voice you will hear will be of the seller.]

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Thanks, @Russdogg, for the gift!