Chapter 16: Adult (1)
"... You're really sp-sp-spending a lot today," said an unknown noble next to me.
Meeting him for the first time, I noticed he was trembling all over, and his shaking even made my hand quiver.
"These items are worth the expense," I replied.
The Wealthy Magnate attribute, reflecting financial acumen, gave me an extraordinary intuition about value. It allowed me to gauge the potential of items and make almost instinctive judgments about their worth. Relying on this attribute, I had focused on the auction and won eleven out of the twenty-four items offered so far.
— The next item is Tranquility.
However, I decided to stop bidding. The quality of items after the Ancient Relic Necklace had been disappointing, and the estimated maximum price for the Snowflower Stone was thirty million. To be safe, I needed to reserve ninety million.
— The Horn of Lokon...
The auction went on peacefully without my bids. Other cautious nobles began to join in quietly. In this calm atmosphere, the item I had been waiting for finally appeared.
— This ore has played a significant role in the history of imperial swords. Known as Nature's Magic, Winter's Flame, the starting bid for the Snowflower Stone is 5 million elne, with increments of 200,000 elne.
The first bid for the Snowflower Stone came from number 1089 as soon as it appeared.
— Number 1089, 5 million elne.
I looked at the bold bidder in seat 1089. It was a familiar sight. Her glossy hair was tied up in a neat bun, and her white, armor-like outfit flaunted her status. It was Yulie. Her eyes were filled with determination, showing she wouldn't back down.
***
Yulie participated passionately in the auction. She bid without any strategy and barely took a breath. However, given the item, it wasn't easy. The price quickly soared to ten million, thirteen million, seventeen million, nineteen million... reaching astronomical levels.
— Number 1089, 30 million elne! Is there no higher bid?!
Fortunately, when it reached the anticipated maximum price of thirty million, most bidders gave up. Feeling optimistic, Yulie thought she might get it for less than expected.
“Phew.”
At that moment, an unexpected competitor emerged.
— Number 777, 31 million elne!
Yulie widened her eyes and searched for seat number 777. It was occupied by a man sitting in a nearby VVIP seat, exuding an air of elegance—Deculein. Sensing her gaze, he turned to look at her. Though he appeared indifferent as usual, Yulie felt she understood his intentions.
— Number 1089, 32 million elne.
Yulie clenched her fist and quietly placed her bid. She had no intention of backing down, and neither did Deculein.
— Again from number 777, 33 million elne!
From then on, it was a duel between the two of them. Whenever Deculein raised the bid, Yulie followed. The auctioneer's calls continued without pause, and the entire audience watched them, their gasps and cheers serving as background noise. The intense interest was likely due to the fact that it was Deculein and Yulie battling, not just the large sums of money involved.
— Number 777, 37 million elne!
At thirty-seven million, Deculein remained calm, but Yulie's hand began to tremble. Her balance was running low. Still, she didn't want to lose.
— Number 1089, 38 million elne.
Yulie desperately raised her bid to thirty-eight million. Deculein countered immediately, without a moment's hesitation.
— Number 777, 39 million elne.
Yulie's shoulders twitched. For a moment, the noise in the room stopped. Everyone held their breath and looked at Yulie. She took a few seconds to catch her breath and then decided not to give up. Determined to sell her family's mansion if necessary, she placed another bid.
Once again from number 1089 with forty million elne. A second silence fell. Deculein remained still for quite a while, eyes closed in thought. He considered that Yulie seemed desperate for the Snowflower Stone.
Winning it might lead Yulie to hold a grudge, perhaps even becoming a factor in his downfall. But that couldn’t be true. Deculein—no, Kim Woo-Jin—had faith in Yulie's character. Besides, he was just as desperate for the Snowflower Stone as she was.
“Whew... whew...”
Meanwhile, Yulie's head bobbed with tension. She couldn't control her heavy breathing, and her shoulders kept rising and falling. Yulie wore her emotions on her sleeve.
— It looks like the Snowflower Stone is about to be sold to number 1089...
Thirty seconds passed. Yulie finally placed her hands gently on her knees, looking calm and ready to enjoy her victory. At that moment...
— Number 777, 42 million elne!
“Ah!”
Yulie screamed with wide eyes. Amid the excitement in the auction hall, her unrefined scream went unnoticed.
“Ugh...”
Clenching her teeth, Yulie's hands shook as she finally closed her eyes and lowered her head. Her lower lip and eyelids trembled with the frustration of admitting defeat. That unpleasant feeling spread to her fingertips. She had no more money.
— I will call it three times. 42 million elne, 42 million elne, 42 million elne! The Snowflower Stone goes to guest number 777!
So, the winner was decided, and Deculein stayed calm even in victory.
Clap clap clap—
The guests in the auction hall applauded. He responded with a dignified nod.
— With this excitement in mind, let’s move on to the next item.
The auction continued, but neither Yulie nor Deculein found anything else of interest. According to Deculein's assessment of his attributes, the later items were all overpriced. So, he waited patiently and gracefully for the auction to end. The sight of Yulie's reddened, trembling head worried him in its own way.
***
The auction ended. Yulie staggered as she stood up and made her way to leave the auction hall when someone blocked her path. It was Deculein, his blue, crystal-like eyes looking down at her.
"... Congratulations."
Yulie didn't want to say anything or hear anything. But Deculein, as always, spoke.
"You wanted the Snowflower Stone too, did you?"
"... Hah."
Her heart wrenched for a moment as a surge of emotions stirred within her. Yulie felt she knew what he was about to say. The worst memory of their engagement day replayed in her mind.
“... If you want, I can give you these. If you wish, I can do anything for you,” Deculein had once said, displaying all the things she had wanted in a room.
The emotion she felt that day was not happiness or bliss, but pure humiliation. However, the real disgrace came afterward. After Yulie stormed out that day, various malicious rumors began to spread like wildfire.
People said that the woman who was once out of reach had finally been claimed by Deculein. Rumors claimed Yulie had secured the Hadecaine Knights Order through him and that she was the one who wanted the engagement in the first place. These words sullied her beliefs.
Does he really think such slander would bring me back to him? What a foolish man. No matter how hard I try, I could never love him. And once again...
"I'm sorry," Deculein said.
"What are you trying to... What?"
Deculein turned away. "I'm sorry" was all he said before walking off, leaving Yulie staring blankly at his back.
"Uh... Um."
Yulie felt confused but also relieved as she made her way to the lobby. At least it wasn't a repeat of last year.
"... Sigh."
That should have been enough, but a deep sigh escaped her. The Snowflower Stone. The item had finally shown up after two years and was being auctioned again after three years. She had been looking forward to it. But now it was taken from her by the one person she least wanted to lose to.
“Why did Professor Deculein buy the Snowflower Stone?” a voice said, floating into her ears.
“Well, obviously...”
The nobles always gossiped as if spreading rumors was their duty. Not just the nobles, but everyone in the waiting room was talking about today’s events, just like they did a year ago. They poured unwanted words into her ears.
“He must have bought it as a gift for his fiancée, right?” the noblewoman said.
Yulie gritted her teeth.
“Ohohoho. Of course, but why didn’t he just let her have it?” the noblewoman asked.
“You know how Professor Deculein is. He probably wants to forge it into a sword himself,” the noblewoman said.
She knew she shouldn't judge based on overheard gossip, but Deculein’s past actions were too clear. The Snowflower Stone couldn’t be used for magic; its internal mana was too dense and could only be used for swords.
Only after thousands of swings and achieving communion could the metal be wielded effectively, allowing for the use of sword energy.
Why did he, a mage, buy it? Yulie swallowed a deep sigh rising from her gut.
“His fiancée is so lucky. A gift worth forty-two million elne! I’d be happy with a necklace worth forty thousand,” one of the noblewomen said.
"Exactly. But Miss Freyden is playing these pointless back-and-forth games, even though everything's already settled," the noblewoman replied.
If she stayed amid all the wild guesses and speculations, she would lose her mind. Yulie pushed through the crowd and rushed out of Schatzenjewel.
~
On a path chilled by the sea breeze, she hunched her shoulders against the cold, taking deep breaths to calm her tumultuous emotions.
It's okay. It's not a big deal. I don't need to be swayed by untrue words. I'm used to this kind of experience. I won't be shaken anymore...
Just then, a car approached her quietly, and the back door opened first.
“Yulie,” a familiar voice called her name.
“Sister?” Yulie said, lifting her head in surprise.
Smiling at her was Josephine, her sister and the eldest daughter of the Freyden family.
"I knew this would happen. Get in," Josephine said.
Josephine was a different kind of beauty compared to Yulie. To Yulie, she had a charm on another level. Her bobbed hair was more beautiful than anyone's, and her radiant, graceful features always made Yulie feel small.
“What are you doing? Get in.”
Yulie found her sister, who was so different from her in many ways, uncomfortable. But today, she got into the car without a word. Josephine, who held more influence in the social circle than Deculein, was the only support she could rely on in situations like this.
***
… Indeed, Yulie is a good person. She is, at least in her own way, far from the Villain's Fate. No death variable applies to her in her current state. I confirmed this in the auction house with my Sharp Eyesight. It was foolish of me to worry about retaliation just for taking the Snowflower Stone.
"She must have gone through a lot from Deculien..." I said.
But truly, how much must she have endured for someone as good as Yulie to kill Deculein with her own hands? I reflected on the Deculein from the game I had played. I wondered just how crazy he was in the game.
"We've arrived, sir," the driver said.
Lost in thought, I didn't realize we had arrived at the mansion.
"... Well done."
"Yes, sir. Please have a restful night," the driver said.
It was well past midnight when I checked the clock. I got out of the car and walked through the garden to the main house. Something was amiss. Servants were gathered at the entrance, looking anxious. When they saw me, they hurried over.
"Master, Master, Lady Yeriel is—"
"Okay," I replied.
Without asking about the situation, I went upstairs. I dismissed the servants who tried to follow and walked up the stairs to open the door. In the middle of the moonlit living room stood a dark silhouette.
When the door opened, the figure turned. Even though her face was shadowed, I knew it was Yeriel. I was about to ask what brought her here, but she spoke first, her voice dry and cracked.
"... The money was for the Jeren Mine acquisition. You said you'd keep it safe, but was this your plan all along?" Yeriel said, tears welling up in her eyes as she spoke.
I was startled but didn't show it.
Ah, no wonder. I had noticed my personal account had an unusually large amount of money. Given my character's wealth, I thought two hundred million was normal. It was clearly careless of me.
"Don't worry. I only purchased items that will definitely be profitable," I replied.
This was the truth. I had bought items that would significantly increase in value, and I planned to sell them for two or three times the purchase price in the future using the Midas Touch.
"You—!"
But at that moment, it seemed none of my words were getting through to her. The sound of something tearing echoed in my ears. After a loud outburst, Yeriel panted like a growling beast.
"You're treating me like trash."
I looked at Yeriel. The tremor in her voice seemed to vibrate through her entire body.
"Do you think I'm just here to clean up after you?" Yeriel continued.
I was taken aback. In all my years, I had never encountered such intense anger.
"With the new law changes, the vassals can hardly sleep, working all day, and you squander all the wealth we've accumulated? You crazy bastard! What kind of profit are you talking about? Are you gambling with the territory's money?" Yeriel shouted.
Red and dark energy burst from Yeriel's body, a sign of the Villain's Fate. At the same time, a golden light radiated brightly, revealing the Wealthy Magnate.
"You, you, you..." Yeriel stuttered.
The meaning of this contradiction was simple; it showed both Villain's Fate and Wealthy Magnate together. If I couldn't resolve the situation, Yeriel would become a death variable. If I succeeded, she would become a tremendous financial asset. Somehow, I felt I knew the answer to this complex problem. Luckily, I already knew what she wanted.
"Don't worry," I said.
"Don't talk to me like that! This isn't about worry, you retard! You're always causing us trouble!" Yeriel screamed, spitting tears and saliva everywhere.
"Do you think I want to live like this forever? I quit college because of you! I've never even had a proper relationship!"
"You don't have to do that," I said.
"What do you mean, I don't have to do this? Since our parents died, what have you done for the family? You just wander around, wasting money. How can you blow through 150 million in a single day—"
"I will give you the position of head of the family," I said, cutting her words.
"You worthless piece of... No, even calling you trash is too kind. You worthless worm! Rolling around in filth… all the time... Wait, what?"
Yeriel's tirade stopped abruptly. She seemed to replay what she had just heard. Even so, she didn't seem to fully understand, her eyes wide with confusion.
"Wh-what did you just say?"
Deculein is the head of the Yukline family. But I know how Head Deculein's story ends.
"Tell me. What did you just say...?" Yeriel continued.
If Deculein were to return to the territory and act as Lord, the best possible outcome would be poisoning. In the game, Deculein was always a professor, never a Lord. So even if I forcibly held onto the head of the family position, it would only lead to a death variable. Besides, I had no interest in playing SimCity.
"... Listen. I'll say it only once," I said.
Moreover, the headship was originally meant for Yeriel. In the game, Deculein was always Professor Deculein, but after his death, Yeriel always became Count Yukline. So... it's simple.
"I will give you…"
The role that's completely unnecessary for me. The role that would only be a death variable for me. The role you would eventually claim anyway. The role that was originally yours.
"The position of head of the family," I said.
I'll give it to you, my sister, as a gesture of goodwill.
"... Ehh?" Yeriel asked in a cute, puzzled voice.
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