Will you participate in the auction by using the Demon Realm Merchant Guild's auction admittance ticket?
The moment I tapped the screen to indicate I would participate.
The surrounding space twisted.
At the same time, I felt as if the ceiling and floor were flipping, and my vision changed in an instant.
"Damn...."
Along with slight dizziness, the space unfolding before my eyes was not my house.
The scenery that had been my home just moments ago had changed into an entirely different place.
Could someone have seen me suddenly appearing?
With a slightly worried mind, I looked around my surroundings.
'I guess that's a relief.'
There was no one except for one woman.
Moreover, she didn't seem interested in me.
'Looks like I fortunately ended up in a corner, huh?'
I mean, just imagine if I suddenly appeared in the middle of a crowd swarming with monsters.
All eyes would probably be on me.
Then it was obvious I would receive unwanted attention.
'This is rather a good thing.'
My goal from the start was simply to participate in the auction quietly.
What good would it do for me, a human, to draw the monsters' attention?
If I got caught being human for no reason, it was obvious it would only become a headache.
As I thought that and tried to move,
"Sob... sob...."
The woman nearby suddenly started crying.
"?"
What is this about?
Why is she crying all of a sudden?
Seeing her crying so sorrowfully, I halted my steps for a moment.
"......."
Looking at the crying woman, there was something strange.
This place is clearly a venue for a social gathering before the auction.
So normally, one would socialize and network with others.
At the very least, being alone here was strange no matter how I looked at it.
And the woman's appearance was the same.
Her appearance was too shabby to say she was attending a gathering.
Her golden hair had lost its luster and looked dried out, and more than that, the clothes she was wearing were all tattered.
She was definitely a monster, not an ordinary human.
'What the hell. Did her dungeon go bankrupt or something?'
She might be a slave working for the merchant guild.
Whatever it was, getting involved would only entangle me in troublesome matters with no benefit to me.
Just as I was about to move,
"...Huh?"
The crying woman let out a sound and suddenly raised her head.
At the same time, her eyes turned toward me.
"......."
A brief silence passed.
"Hm."
Her eyes, somehow familiar, were still fixed on me.
Awkward.
Why does she keep looking at me?
Could she have realized I'm human?
That shouldn't be....
Should I just offer some words of comfort?
Various thoughts swirled through my head.
Then I reached one conclusion.
'Is there any need to talk to her?'
She's a monster anyway.
If I spoke to her here for no reason, it would only arouse suspicion.
The moment this thought crossed my mind, my next action was swift.
I quickly turned my head and headed toward the center.
Even while heading to the center, I could feel her gaze, but I decided to ignore it.
'Still, this is a bit creepy.'
This is strictly a monsters' gathering place.
No matter how much I hid my appearance with a mask and robe, my essence was human.
'Since monsters are gathered here, there must be plenty of fearsome ones, right?'
And I could run into other monsters like just now, and in the worst case, I might get into a fight.
They might tear someone like me apart in an instant.
'I need an ally.'
I needed someone around me to act as a guard at least.
'They must be nearby.'
My subordinates who were made to attend the social gathering should be somewhere here.
I scanned here and there to find Arc Lich and Azmo.
If those guys were by my side, I would feel somewhat relieved.
And soon, I found a welcome face.
"Huh?"
A sound escaped my lips before I knew it.
It was Arc Lich.
He was easily found because he was wearing the robe I gave him last time.
The problem was the seat where Arc Lich was sitting.
'What are those things piled up over there?'
Looking closely, I could see gold coins and gems piled up on the table.
At the same time, monsters were lined up in front of him, and when their turn came, they offered gold and gems to Arc Lich.
He looked as if Arc Lich was their master or something.
"...What the?"
I hadn't been here long, but there were many truly bewildering situations.
Still, it was true that I was happy to meet Arc Lich.
I immediately moved my steps toward Arc Lich.
The mere fact that I had an ally in this vast place put my mind at ease.
As I walked toward Arc Lich, a strange scene unfolded.
Each time I moved forward, the line in front scattered.
'They seem to be avoiding me?'
Wherever I went, the monsters seemed to avoid me, making way to the side.
Like the miracle of the Red Sea, the monsters split to both sides, clearing a path for me.
Thanks to that, with the path opened, there was no one between Arc Lich and me.
Soon after, Arc Lich's gaze turned toward me.
"!!"
Arc Lich made a surprised expression upon seeing me and sprang up from his seat.
And he ran to me and bowed his back more than 90 degrees in greeting.
The surrounding murmuring was a bonus.
Several monsters followed Arc Lich and offered me greetings as well.
'What the hell is this situation?'
I ended up surrounded by monsters and receiving their greetings in no time.
'You bastard....'
Even now, Arc Lich kept his back bowed, and the monsters who had followed his greeting also maintained their posture.
"Arc Lich, get up quickly."
As more and more eyes focused here, I whispered to Arc Lich to stop.
Then Arc Lich straightened his back and made a gesture as if offering all the gems and gold on the table to me.
"Who is that person?"
"Clack clack clack!"
(He possesses tremendous momentum!)
"For even Lord Arc Lich to bow his head...?"
Already, those around were looking at me and whispering.
Thanks to that, I received great attention.
My original goal of participating in the auction quietly had long since vanished.
Rather, thanks to having a loyal subordinate, it became an opportunity to widely announce myself.
'Oh, my head.'
I pressed my forehead with my hand at the completely unexpected situation.
And looking at Arc Lich, I whispered quietly.
"You can have all of that, so please just stay still."
"Clack!"
(As you command!)
Fortunately, Arc Lich listened to me well.
He went back to his own seat, pulled out the chair, and offered it to me.
"Haah."
Not wanting to draw any more focus, I quickly sat down.
I hadn't arrived here long ago, yet I had already been through much.
'Please take your eyes off me.'
I sat still in my seat and waited for the gazes fixed on me to disappear.
Fortunately, as the auction began immediately, the attention focused here dispersed.
All lights except for the central stage were turned off.
The raucous atmosphere gradually subsided.
The light pointed only at the central stage, and soon a monster climbed onto it.
"Ah, everyone. Greetings once again. I am Uroemori, who will be serving as the host for this event."
The gigantic brown monster explained about the auction along with his introduction.
The explanation about the auction was quite long, but the merchant guild, conscious of boredom, provided their own service.
Monsters in tailcoats began walking around.
'Are they using monsters as waiters?'
They handed out glasses placed on trays one by one, which contained a red liquid.
'A beverage?'
A skeleton approached and handed a glass each to me and Arc Lich.
'Perfect timing, I was thirsty.'
I picked up the liquid the skeleton handed me and was about to drink,
"...?"
Inside the glass, along with an unidentified thick red liquid, an eyeball was floating.
Fuck.
Before I knew it, I'd let out a curse in my mind.
"Is this even edible?"
With an uncomfortable feeling, I looked at Arc Lich beside me.
He brought the drink to his mouth without hesitation and soon emptied the glass.
Naturally, since his entire body was made of bones, the red liquid scattered onto the floor.
If I had to find a silver lining, it was that Arc Lich's dark blue robe was a high-grade item, so it didn't get wet at all.
"Hah...."
I stealthily handed my glass over to Arc Lich.
"You drink it all."
Arc Lich bowed his head as if deeply moved and expressed his gratitude to me.
And he downed the drink I handed him in one shot.
'He drinks well.'
With nothing else to do, I watched Arc Lich and listened to the host's words.
The host's words were predictable.
They were nothing but lip service about how special this auction was along with bragging about the merchant guild, but among them was a piece of good news for me.
"...We have changed the rules so that all bids in this auction can only be made with Demonic Essence Stones!"
"Instead, payment will be made post-auction!"
At the host's declaration that this auction could only be bid on with Demonic Essence Stones, the corner of my mouth rose.
'So buying gems in advance was the right call.'
Gems purchased with real money.
I had consumed them developing the dungeon until now, but I learned that the purchased gems were actually Demonic Essence Stones.
Through Celia's report, I learned this fact along with the fact that prices varied wildly depending on the quality of the Demonic Essence Stones.
I was told that one ordinary Demonic Essence Stone was worth 100 gold.
'At least there shouldn't be anything I can't buy at the auction.'
I waited for the auction to begin with a proud expression.
Soon after, with the host's shout, the auction began.
The beginning was simple and smooth.
Monsters climbed onto the stage carrying a painting.
As the painting came up, the host immediately introduced it.
"Isn't it truly magnificent just to look at? It is a painting by a famous artist among human nobles......"
Indeed, even I, an amateur in art, could feel that it was well-painted.
But if asked whether I needed it, absolutely not.
What I needed now was not some art piece like that.
I actually needed items that would help in combat or were related to dungeon management.
Come to think of it, wouldn't monsters have no reason to buy a painting like me?
But that was my needless worry.
"Alright, one Demonic Essence Stone!"
"Oh, that gentleman has bid two Demonic Essence Stones!"
"Yes! We have up to four Demonic Essence Stones!"
For a painting, the price rose quickly.
Thanks to that, the host's mouth opened and closed without rest.
"The bid has already risen to ten Demonic Essence Stones! Is there anyone who will bid higher?"
To think it rose to ten Demonic Essence Stones for a mere painting.
I was waiting, thinking the painting would probably be won at ten Demonic Essence Stones, when something unexpected happened.
"Fourteen Demonic Essence Stones!"
Due to someone's bid, the painting's price jumped to fourteen Demonic Essence Stones.
"Yes! Fourteen! Fourteen! Is there anyone else? No one else?"
The host's lips were spread ear to ear at the unexpected gain.
"Yes! Then it is sold for fourteen Demonic Essence Stones!"
The auction was fierce from the very beginning.
Of course, fourteen Demonic Essence Stones were nothing to me.
My 10-draw monster gacha costs 5,000 of them.
Even consuming 5,000, at best, an enormous number of 1-star monsters come out.
Compared to such a terrible value gacha, fourteen was a cute amount.
'By the way, what are they planning to use that painting for?'
I was curious what they planned to do by buying such a seemingly useless painting.
I wanted to know who bought the painting, so I turned my head slightly.
"...?"
There was a very familiar face there, a monster I knew well.
'Azmo?'
He was none other than Azmo, the incubus managing the dungeon on Earth.
'Does he have some use for a painting somewhere?'
I had thought he bought it after some consideration, but...
"Yes! The diamond-encrusted ring goes to the lady succubus!"
"This sculpture of a brave knight goes into the arms of the gentleman incubus!"
"The perfume that seduces the opposite sex is likewise claimed by the lady succubus!"
The succubi and incubi purchased luxury goods that were merely eye candy.
"......."
As expected.
Seeing that scene, I realized Azmo had bought the painting without much thought as well.
Well, the auction was being held for purchases anyway, and since Azmo was using his own money, I had no reason to stop him.
Separate from that, the auction continued.
"Now then, shall we change the atmosphere a bit?"
The host smiled slyly.
At the same time, people bound in shackles on their hands and feet climbed onto the stage one by one.
"Are you short of workers in your dungeons? Take this opportunity to acquire high-quality slaves at a cheap price!"
It was the slave auction.
"Worried the slaves might run away? Hahaha. Each slave is branded with the Soul Brand. A slave branded with the Soul Brand cannot escape, so the buyer need not worry at all! Haha."
As befitting a slave auction, there were various races, including humans like me.
"Not only as workers for the dungeon, but look at this tender flesh. Doesn't it make your mouth water? Or how about as bedtime companions for the dungeon masters? I'm sure the slaves would consider it an honor!"
There were not only humans but also monsters like goblins and orcs.
But what caught my eye was separate.
'An elf?'
No matter how dirty or ragged her clothes were, her unique appearance couldn't be hidden.
As for her pointed ears, stating the obvious would only be a waste of breath.
'An elf...'
Though there was only one, the value of an elf was immense.
Elves are a race that lives in harmony with nature.
Moreover, elves are also a race with tremendous aptitude as hunters.
Might this not be the most rare item in this slave auction?
'If I could take her to Earth someday, she would be an enormous help...'
Dungeons of elves on Earth are known to be difficult.
But if an elf is included in my party?
This would be an enormous breakthrough.
'Though I'm not sure if I can take her to Earth...'
Even if I couldn't take her to Earth right now, having an elf as a slave would be useful for a long time.
If it's an elf, securing her unconditionally was profitable.
I immediately whispered to Arc Lich beside me.
"Secure the elf no matter what."