Isekai Journey Of The Magic Archer

[Rein's POV: ]

In this auction, one 'booth' or a number could only purchase six items per auction in total regardless of their wealth, and this was a rule that was the same for every person present in this place.

There were a certain number of booths as well so it was all on a first come first serve base, and, since there was no way of checking the authenticity of the items that they sold here, the buyers were mostly just gambling away their money.

'I have read a report on this place that said the average chances of an item being what the purchasers had thought it to be was less than fifty percent and still, this place was perhaps on the same level as Hiraani and other grand auctions of this world in terms of the scale.'

The items they sold, many times, were actually authentic and since these items were something invaluable, the buyers or their representatives who had come from all over the world just for this, were all mostly looking forward to buying an item that was closer to being genuine than many other things that could be duplicated.

'The energy beasts that they sold here were at the top of this list of purchase items, so every energy beast that was recognized by the buyers, was a trigger of war among the buyers.'

The organisers knew that pretty well so they knew just how to get the interest of the public. 

The very first item they put up, was the best trigger to heat things up and make the others excited about the things that would be presented after that.

It was a pretty old tactic that pretty much worked every time since the humans were bound to have expectations of everything, hope being a bitch that corrupts everything and everyone.

[ "Now then, shall we start bidding~? Ohhh! We already have our first bid! 400 Dim?! Looks like the customers know the value of a rare being! Wow! In the blink of an eye, the amount has crossed 800 Dim!" ]

In this auction, since they only accepted Cash of various kinds, they had a unit to measure the different kinds of cash and convert it all into a single denomination: Dim.

The items they sold were all unique ones, I have heard a lot about them so I know pretty well about this place and the ones that operated it, and, I genuinely think they all are cool people.

"Vice president, we know you would love to have that creature, but this isn't something that would be of any use to you anyway. You might be a half vampire of a unique kind but you don't have the blood domination ability of the vampires! This creature is of no use to you!"

"So what?! What the hell dude! You also don't have the blood domination ability or anything! You just want that thing so that you can give it to someone else, don't you?! I can tell from that smug look on your face!"

"So what if I want to give it to someone else? It will be more useful to them than you have him! I know it will like you as well since you are such a unique being but its potential would be wasted! That one doesn't even look a few years old so it's got a looooot more potential than the older ones!"

"Shit dude! Just bid! We will see what to do with it after we get it!"

"That's fine as well!"

Darling and Del were fighting over a cute little bat, hehe. They sure went well with each other even though they practically hated each other.

"You sure are enjoying all this, hun, miss Elle."

"Just Elle. How many times has it been President? I have said it many times and I will keep reminding you again and again. It's either Reinelle or Elle. Or Uriel when we are in school."

"And I have said it again and again as well. You can just call me Zodiac, why president every time?"

"I like the President more. Your name… well, I will call you by your name when you tell me your real name."

"Ptsssssssss~!"

"See? Even San-San is telling you to tell us your real name. Why hide something like that from the only people you eat lunch with?"

It has been over a month since we have been in the academy and in all this time, President, Del and the two of us have gotten pretty close. 

He was a buddy of darling and the two of them spent quite some time together for their unique 'Elixir of Life' project. And when they have the headmaster with them, the three practically lose their sense of time and spend the entire weekends in their special lab. 

'The three of them are a great pair now.'

Watching and helping them is always fun but the fact that they steal my darling away from me is something I don't like too much.

I have to spend all my time with the others when they are doing their things, however, in the past few weeks, with the competition preparation and everything going on, we didn't even get enough time to have many proper meals together.

That was perhaps more of a reason why having them around like this was more fun. They were some of the few people we could be ourselves and do stuff that we otherwise wouldn't with the others of the group.

"Ptsssss~!"

"No, we aren't doing anything like that. I have forsaken my 'real' name long ago and now I am nothing more than Zodiac."

"I don't think you mean it though. Status windows change when the fundamental understanding of oneself changes. 

If you really did forsake your name, your status window would have Zodiac instead of those gibberish characters… 

I know there are restrictions on you but you are trying to deny your identity for some entirely different reason, right? 

You perhaps had a good past, you perhaps loved your name, but with the things that they are right now, forsaking that lovely name might seem to be the better choice-"

"Why are you always so accurate with these things, Elle?"

He cut me midway and looked at me with a kind of helpless expression that he only has after I say things like these. After I say the things that are just right and hurtful… things that are perhaps so close to the truth that he couldn't deny them even if he wants to.

'He hates me for this. He hates me for pressing the nerves that hurt him that he doesn't want to… and every time I do that, he asks me this same question.'

And every time he asks me this question with those pitiful eyes, that expression that doesn't suit our all amazing President, I answer him with the same smile as this one.

"Because I know how it feels because I know how painful it gets. I have almost been to those dark lands, and I don't want someone I care about to be in that state when they have a way out of it.

I have told you many times and I will tell you many times… talk to us. Let that pain out and be free from the burden. 

You already have a bright light to support you in your life, and you also have us if you need us. 

Don't suffer alone like that when you have no reason to do so. 

It's no fun on the other side of the line, it's all dark and gloomy and filled with people far more broken than we could imagine. Which is pitiful.

And I like to see my President proud and happy instead of gloomy and closed off."

He knew we knew a few things about him that he had never told us. He knew about eyes so he knew how we knew all of it as well. However, what he could not figure out was the reason I was so dead set on making him talk.

He had been through stuff that we knew only a little about at the end of the day. We didn't know the whole story and he had no reason to tell us when he had not even told something that personal to his only closest friend whom he had been with for more than three years.

"I can deal with it in my own way…" He mumbled with the same bitter smile and took away San-San from my hands. 

He liked me quite a lot for some reason so we often played together, which he doesn't like much of course. As a father, seeing his child being close to someone else would obviously be concerning for him. Especially when that someone is someone with as bad of a past as mine.

"That you certainly can. You are strong enough to do that, which is the reason it concerns me more."

I gave him the same smile I had given him at the end of each of our painful conversations and looked at the large screen before us.

[ "Alright then, since no one is calling out another bet, the first item of the auction goes to the C3 for 3210 Dim~!" ]

"Yes! Yes~! I won~!"

"No, you didn't! That's all my money!"

"Doesn't matter! I won! I get to have that cutie-"

"Of course not!"

Eon wanted that little bat for some reason, perhaps one more of his complicated ploys, or perhaps to give it to someone else.

Knowing him, it is certainly uncertain what he will do with the cutie, but, he will make sure that the cutie achieves its full potential and grows up to be a good big capable companion.

But that aside…

'The two of them look just like brother and sister while fighting, hehe. They should fight when everyone is around so we all can laugh at them together~!'

They were kind of cute as well, but the president and vice president were cuter together even with their platonic relationship.

'Haaaa… how I wish she was interred in men and his heart wasn't stuck in the past. They would have made quite a cute couple.'

Alas, that wasn't a possibility. At least not in this world.

[[ Master! Master! I found them~! ]]

That was Celes' signal… as well as a signal for us to get ready for anything.

"It is mine."

"In your dream, vice president."

"Alright alright, you two. Get ready."

"Celes darling, show what you found to darling."

[[ Yes~! ]]

The playtime can wait for a while. We weren't going to make a move until the middle part of this auction anyway.

However… evaluating the opponent beforehand was as important of a factor in a war as was the presence of a capable commander.

Without them, even armies of millions were nothing but ants to trample under one's feet.