What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 146

#146 The Greatest Show on Earth! (5)

Does she… not know what an auction is?

“Two hundred million has been bid. Anyone else? Madam? Does your client have anything to say?”

Emil de As was remarkable in many ways.

I wouldn’t have been able to proceed with the auction if the Crown Prince had bid 200 million and all the guests were silent.

But he calmly asked for the opinions of his regulars and tried to elicit higher bids.

I picked up the cloth and carefully covered the tank.

A drop of water fell from my hair, and the harp seal looked apologetic. It’s okay; it’s not your fault.

Anyway, the current flow is…

“Currently at 200 million. His Highness Crown Prince Cedric has bid. A rare magical beast captured from the As coast today, a flawless young specimen. No more bids? Then I will finalize the sale. Sold to His Highness for 200 million francs!”

-Clack!

Emil knocked the gavel with fluent eloquence.

“Wow!”

Only then did applause and admiration pour out. I could see fans and gloves waving in the darkness.

I calmly turned my mind over.

Lady Elisabeth had clearly told Christel and the Crown Prince that the harp seal was a sacred beast.

The two of them must have grasped the situation by now.

But the Crown Prince didn’t reject the auction item; instead, he bid 200 million for the little one labeled as a ‘magical beast.’

That meant only one thing.

“Good heavens. I wondered who the trainer was, but it was the Marquis. I am very sorry for not recognizing you. How could this happen…”

Emil, who had quickly approached, knelt before me and looked apologetic.

It was the face of a completely innocent man. It was amazing how malicious a person could be.

The trading company’s employees hesitantly came up to the stage to move the harp seal.

“Marquis!”

Then I heard Ganael’s voice.

I quickly turned around and saw the boy and Benjamin rushing over with towels.

David, with a calm face, was also visible.

“You must be out of your mind. Do you think you can get away with insulting royalty?”

“I apologize, Butler. But who would have imagined that the Marquis would be hiding on the dirty trading company floor?”

When Benjamin rebuked him, Emil pleaded his innocence in a weak tone.

Ganael glared at him as if to stab him to death with his eyes.

I silently got up from my seat.

While the boy wrapped a large towel around me, I didn’t forget to whisper to David so only he could hear.

“Hand over the sacred beast to me.”

“Yes.”

He agreed without asking further. It was obvious. This was the Crown Prince’s trap.

If I could reveal here that the harp seal was a sacred beast, Emil would be immediately imprisoned for deceiving the royal family.

I didn’t look at him until I left the stage.

I just soothed the angry Dduk-sim and looked at the little one in the water.

The ball is back in my court.

*

The adorable harp seal, who looked like one at first glance, was taken away, and the prince disappeared as well.

It was to find a way to prove the identity of the sacred beast.

Christel barely suppressed the frost forming on her fingertips.

She could never forgive the nasty trading company owner for putting the prince on stage and trying to make him a laughingstock.

But now was not the time to step forward.

The Crown Prince next to her was emitting ether as hot as a kiln.

Yes, you’re holding up well too.

“The second auction item. In keeping with the theme of the Holy Relic Week, we have prepared a holy artifact. It is ‘Yuliter’s Headdress.’”

Emil pulled back the red silk.

The headdress, shining like new, appeared in the center of the stage.

“Oh my!”

“I thought it was a low-quality joke, but it was a real jewel.”

“Is it okay to possess something like that?”

The auction house, where the second item was presented, became disturbingly noisy.

Even the Duke and Duchess and the Crown Prince looked uncomfortable at the word ‘Yuliter.’

Only Christel had a look of seizing an opportunity.

She pressed the paper in her arms with her hand.

It was a document she had received this morning through a messenger, stepping to As’s wretched rhythm.

She felt Cedric’s gaze but ignored it.

She couldn’t reveal the card she had torn out while enduring disgust for the sly fox.

“Holy artifacts refer to ‘treasures personally used by high-ranking priests or holy knights during their lifetime.’ This was also worn directly by Yuliter. There are records that it was witnessed several times on the battlefield, and after her death, it has been owned by the Berang baronial family of the Empire. The family’s certificate of guarantee is included with the product.”

The trading company owner explained. The nobles buzzed.

“Berang, that family. They sent twins as the Marquis’s butlers…”

“Shh. Lower your voice.”

“As befits a holy artifact, it also has special functions. The headdress absorbs and redistributes the flow of external mana, minimizing the user’s physical burden and side effects. It will be the best auxiliary device for those who frequently travel through portals.”

That was it. Christel glanced to the side. The Crown Prince’s eyes were filled with interest.

I knew it.

“Starting at 100,000 francs. Madam, you bid 200,000. Thank you. Is there 250,000? 300,000. 350,000, 400,000. It’s up to 500,000.”

Emil skillfully led the auction.

The Crown Prince didn’t make a sound like before. The price kept rising.

Even with the label of ‘the infamous villain’ who betrayed Emperor Romero, Yuliter, the reaction wasn’t bad.

Christel maintained a poker face and sat quietly.

The Duke and Duchess also maintained the attitude of spectators. Time flowed by.

“1 million. Shall we go a little further? No one? 1.5 million has been bid. Thank you. This gentleman? 2 million. 2.2 million. Bid 2.3 million. 3 million!”

“Wow!”

Polite applause followed. It was because someone in the back bid a fairly high amount.

It was time to move. Christel raised her hand with determination.

Emil quickly recognized her.

“Yes, Madam?”

“4 million.”

“4 million has been bid!”

‘Oh!’, ‘Amazing!’ Applause and exclamations followed from the audience.

Isabelle was surprised and turned to look at her daughter.

It was because her participation itself, not the amount, was unexpected.

“Christel?”

“I really want to have it.”

Christel smiled brightly. The Duchess eventually just smiled back.

The Duke was also taken aback, but it wasn’t a large sum of money, and his daughter was an adult, so he nodded and moved on.

Then the Crown Prince reacted immediately.

“4.5 million. His Highness the Crown Prince’s representative has bid 4.5 million. Anyone else?”

The appearance of the problematic heir made the venue even more solemn.

Christel turned to look at him with a seemingly resentful face.

Then she raised her hand brightly and called out the number.

“4.8 million.”

“4.8 million has been bid. Your Highness, will you continue?”

The Crown Prince whispered something to his aide. The aide declared.

“5 million.”

“Currently at 5 million! Lady Christel?”

The guests buzzed. Emil called her kindly.

Before they knew it, the Yuliter headdress auction had become a battle between the two of them.

Christel wore an expression that conveyed anger, frustration, and regret, but implied that budget constraints forced her withdrawal.

She gritted her teeth and bit her lip. Seeing her apparent distress, the Crown Prince sneered.

“You’re not going to bid any higher? Are you sure?”

“······.”

Christel nodded nervously. The Duke and Duchess watched their daughter with concern.

Emil’s eyes twinkled.

“5 million has been bid for the last time. Is there anyone else? No one? Then I will close the bidding here. The Yuliter headdress has been sold to His Highness the Crown Prince for 5 million francs.”

*Bang!*

He struck the gavel. As if on cue, applause erupted.

At that moment, Christel raised her hand quickly.

“Yes, Lady Christel?”

“I will exercise my right of first refusal.”

“What?”

The Crown Prince retorted sharply.

She instantly changed her expression and produced her trump card from her inner pocket.

Flames blazed in her orange eyes.

Christel smiled brightly and handed her document to the page. [A page is a young attendant.]

The boy quickly delivered it to Emil, who, upon reviewing the documents submitted that morning, beamed.

Christel’s heart pounded.

The moment to wipe that smile off his face was approaching.

“I see. Lady Christel de Sarnese has exercised her right of first refusal at the As Auction House. Accordingly, she has the first right to purchase this auctioned item at the final bid price. I am sorry, Your Highness the Crown Prince. The Yuliter Statia headdress has been sold to Lady Christel for 5 million francs!”

*Bang!*

He struck the gavel once more. ‘Huh!’ Gasps rippled through the audience.

Applause of congratulations burst out. Christel raised the corners of her lips and looked at the Crown Prince.

*Your older sister won again, you little thing.*

“Hehe.”

“······Impressive.”

The man muttered in a low voice. The Duke and Duchess, especially the Duke of Sarnese, were greatly shocked.

To exploit the Crown Prince’s competitive spirit to secure the winning bid at the desired price was an act that no seasoned aristocrat would dare to commit.

One could say that his daughter’s audacity was remarkable.

But in his father’s eyes, this was an act that Christel carried out based on a kind of ‘trust’ in the Crown Prince.

A belief that he would not interfere or retaliate against her….

“Now that you have that, I guess you can go anywhere comfortably, Marchioness. We can even go on a nationwide tour together. Right?”

“Are you that free?”

“Yes, it’s great. Your Highness will go back to work, right?”

“Things won’t go as you wish.”

Isabelle, who had been listening to Christel and the Crown Prince’s banter, smiled softly.

The Duke felt a strange emotion as he watched the scene.

Soon, the staff carefully carried the headdress away. The next auction item was being brought in.

Emil began to speak.

“The third and final auction item is probably the reason why you all gathered here today. It is a new work by the artist from the New Kingdom, Hader O. Jansen. I present to you, .”

*Flap!*

He ripped off the red cloth in one swift motion.

‘Wow!’, ‘It’s genius!’ Exclamations and whistles filled the room.

The eyes of the Crown Prince and Christel instantly froze. It was time for Joan to appear.

*

“That’s right, good boy.”

-Awoo······

I comforted the harp seal while stroking its fur.

The little one wriggled on the sofa with a cry that sounded like a puppy or a kitten.

Still, it could hold its head up.

The trading company had given us the most luxurious guest room.

Benjamin hurriedly sent someone to the lord’s castle to bring new clothes, and Ganael brewed tea for me.

I showered the harp seal while I was showering.

Perhaps because it was a creature I had given ether to once, it wasn’t shy.

Demi and Ttuksimi showed great curiosity towards their new friend, burrowing into my gown.

-Squeak

-Peep

“Yeah, it’s still a baby. It can’t even roll over.”

······Can harp seals not roll over originally?

I tried to recall scenes I had seen in documentaries.

But this guy wasn’t a ‘real’ harp seal, but a divine beast.

And there was something else the little one had to do instead of rolling over.

[If you’re okay with it, would you like to use your ability once?]

I carefully suggested, opening the circle [referring to telepathic communication].

It might be easier if I gave it a name and tamed it, but I felt uncomfortable doing so solely for the purpose of using it.

The reason I named Demi, Leah, and Perry was to rescue them.

‘Ttuksimi’ was also a name given because the wren didn’t leave our side.

On the other hand, this child didn’t come here because it liked someone.

-Argh, argh······

[Oh, it’s okay. You don’t have to. It’s not urgent.]

I slowly stroked its back. In fact, it was very urgent.

If the little one never showed its abilities as a divine beast, the Crown Prince would have to throw away about 20 billion won in Korean currency. *Crazy bastard.*

[Should I give you a toy? Look at this. Your brother has a lot of cool stuff?]

I conjured an ether orb in my palm.

It wasn’t as good as Christel’s icicle sherbet or the Crown Prince’s flame bouncy ball, but it was a toy that lesser pandas consistently chose.

Fortunately, the harp seal narrowed its eyes and enjoyed it. Just as I was smiling brightly,

-Grumble

A shameful sound came from my stomach.

Benjamin and Ganael, who had been busily moving around, stopped walking and looked at me.

I opened my mouth. *No, that’s…*

“I walked and showered, so I digested everything, yeah. I’m a little hungry. But I can handle it.”

My excuses shocked the two attendants.

“What should we do, Benjamin? Should we call Laurence?”

“It’ll be too late. First, to the trading company’s kitchen······.”

That’s when it happened.

-Awoo!

The harp seal suddenly raised its voice. At the same time, something fell to the floor with a thud!

Everyone, including Demi and Ttuksimi, reflexively looked at the spot.

And they were startled!

“Mackerel?”

“Anchovies?”

“It’s a sea bream.”

*Flapping!* The living, breathing fish wetted the carpet and flailed wildly.

Before they knew it, the surroundings were flooded with water. I was horrified and turned to look at the white divine beast.

The black, round eyes sparkled innocently.

-Aook!

“······.”

What is it? (Sea)food attribute?