I'm a Villain in My Own Game?

Several days had passed since my journey to Drimgot, the city of the Mountain Dwarves in the Montana Mountains.

After successfully creating Adamantite and giving the Dwarves its composition recipe, we reached two agreements.

The first was that my followers and I would be permitted to enter their city and access their labyrinth. This meant I would be able to carry out my plans when the forces of the Republic of Venetia eventually decided to launch an attack through this route.

The second was that I requested they send several Dwarves to work alongside Olen Musk in developing various artifacts. With Olen Musk’s creativity and the Dwarves’ craftsmanship, I believed the development of magical technology within the organization I would eventually lead would progress much faster.

However, Thorim would need some time to teach the Dwarves the human language so they could communicate and cooperate properly once they arrived at my base.

In addition, I had also received several artifacts from Zephyr—the bespectacled Dwarf and Chairman of the Dwarven Council who had tested me the previous day—as a token of gratitude for discovering the metal’s recipe that could help return the Dwarves to their former golden age of magical craftsmanship.

The first was a magical signaling artifact called Light Bulbe.

It was actually a pair of artifacts capable of sending and receiving magical signals from one another in the form of flashes of light, with a maximum range of 3,000 kilometers.

I thought this would be quite useful. I could use Morse code to issue commands to my members while they were carrying out missions far away from me.

The second was Morning Call.

When activated, this artifact could record a voice and store the recording for up to three months.

The last was a rain-cloud-generating artifact called Hocus Pocus.

However, it could only be used once a month.

With everything I had gained, my visit to the Dwarves’ city had been incredibly worthwhile. Not only had I accomplished my objectives there, but I had also obtained several useful artifacts.

At present, I was heading toward the main gate of this fortress city.

My members had already gathered there, preparing to return to the academy now that our practical training in this place had come to an end.

When I arrived at the main gate, I saw several horse-drawn carriages lined up in a row. All of my members were already there, except for Ariel, who had been taken to the Holy City of Notredame by Holy Knight Lunaria.

”Captain, everything is ready,” Eric said.

”All right. Everyone, get into the carriages. We’re returning to the academy now.”

After placing my belongings in the back, I climbed onto the driver’s seat beside Scarlett.

Once I confirmed that everyone had boarded and was ready to leave, I flicked the reins and urged the two horses forward.

We began leaving the territory behind.

But I knew it would not be long before we were assigned here again.

A war between the Empire and the Republic of Venetia was unavoidable. Both nations sought to become the dominant power on the continent.

At present, the Republic of Venetia had an official military alliance with the Republic of Greco after helping the country’s current government overthrow the Agonid Dynasty—the monarchy that had ruled the nation previously.

However, an alliance with the Republic of Greco alone would not be enough for the Republic of Venetia to match the Empire’s military strength.

I suspected they would seek out other nations to cooperate with them in the coming war.

There were currently two nations that seemed the most likely to side with the Republic of Venetia in a war against the Empire.

The first was the Kingdom of Weimar.

Twenty years ago, the Empire had become involved in a proxy war with the Kingdom of Weimar during a civil war in the Kingdom of Kuwalid.

The Empire supported the rebels, while the Kingdom of Weimar supported the El-Arami Dynasty, which was in power at the time.

In the end, the rebels emerged victorious, and the Empire received territory in the southern region of Kuwalid as compensation for its assistance.

As a result of that conflict, relations between the Empire and the Kingdom of Weimar deteriorated.

Emperor Philip had attempted to repair relations with the Kingdom of Weimar. One of his efforts was to arrange marriages between several Imperial nobles and nobles from the Kingdom of Weimar, hoping to bind the two nations more closely together.

However, this did not completely erase the negative opinion the Kingdom of Weimar held toward the Aragon Empire.

The second possibility was the Kingdom of Draconia.

To be honest, relations between the Kingdom of Draconia and the Aragon Empire were fairly good, and the two nations frequently cooperated with one another.

However, their relationship was far from equal.

The Empire always considered itself superior to the Kingdom of Draconia. Thus, even though the two countries frequently worked together, the Empire was usually the one that gained the greater benefit from their cooperation.

The Kingdom of Draconia was too afraid of falling onto the Empire’s bad side, especially since it currently had no alliance with another nation.

It was entirely possible that the Kingdom of Draconia secretly desired to break free from the Aragon Empire’s overwhelming influence.

After traveling for several hours, we finally arrived in the territory of the Duchy of Salamanca—specifically, the city of Seragosa, ruled by Countess Bellerin de Nunoville.

”Captain, aren’t you coming back to the academy with us?” Scarlett suddenly asked after seeing me climb down from the driver’s seat.

”You all go ahead. I have a few things to take care of around here,” I replied.

The group continued on toward the academy, while I remained behind to find an inn.

I would stay here temporarily to carry out a mission Keeper had assigned to me at the beginning of the month: recruiting a Cursed Child being sold at a black-market auction.

Besides that, if I was lucky, I might also find an Elf who could become useful for my future plans to gain significant influence within the Slavic Tsardom.

After finding an inn, I rented a room and settled in to rest.

Tonight, I would be attending the black-market auction.

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That night, I woke up and prepared a large amount of money for the auction—approximately 1,000 Gulden to purchase the Cursed Child.

If I remembered correctly, Cursed Children were considered Class-S slaves, with their prices generally ranging from 500 to 1,000 Gulden.

After taking a sack filled with gold coins, I left the inn and headed toward the auction site.

It was being held inside a massive tent in a forest not far from the city.

The organizers had bribed Countess Bellerin to ensure that the authorities would not interfere with their business within her territory.

After traveling for about half an hour, I finally reached the forest where the auction was being held.

Several horse-drawn carriages could be seen transporting cages containing humans and rare animals toward the rear of the enormous tent.

I casually walked toward the entrance, but I was suddenly stopped by a man and woman wearing animal masks.

”Excuse me, sir. Are you here to participate in the auction?” asked the man wearing a fox mask.

”Of course. What is the procedure?” I asked.

”You can purchase a number for 100 Gulden,” the woman wearing a rabbit mask answered. ”That number can be used whenever you wish to participate in another auction held here.”

After hearing their explanation, I opened the sack I was carrying and handed them 100 Gulden.

The man counted the coins first before giving me a numbered bidding paddle bearing the number 77.

”Here you are, sir. The identities of everyone participating in this auction are kept confidential,” the woman said as she handed me an owl mask.

I put on the mask and entered the enormous tent.

A guard then directed me toward a staircase.

As I climbed it, I began seeing several people preparing to participate in the auction.

I was now standing in one of the spectator stands.

The place looked much like an ordinary circus tent.

Almost every section of the stands was already packed with participants.

”Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome once again to the place where you can easily find special goods and slaves!”

Suddenly, a promoter wearing a cat mask emerged from a smaller tent and greeted everyone in attendance.

”Tonight, we have prepared something special—something rarely seen at an auction like this!” the Promoter announced. ”However, we will reveal that special item at the very end of tonight’s event! To begin, we have an artifact for you.”

After the Promoter said that, two people wearing rat masks emerged while pushing a wheeled table.

Resting on the table was a necklace with a sun-shaped pendant hanging from it.

”Ladies and gentlemen! This is a Class-A Artifact known as Mana Recharge!”

The participants’ attention immediately focused on the artifact displayed by the organizers.

”This artifact can completely replenish its owner’s Mana three times a day,” the Promoter explained. ”I will begin the bidding at 100 Gulden. Is there anyone interested?”

After he said that, a woman wearing a dog mask stood up and raised her numbered paddle.

”Yes! Number 41! Does anyone wish to bid higher?” the Promoter asked.

This time, a man wearing a lion mask stood up and raised his paddle.

”One hundred ten!” the lion-masked man shouted.

”Does anyone wish to bid higher than Gentleman Number 21?” the Promoter asked again.

”One hundred twenty!”

”One hundred fifty!”

”One hundred seve—No, two hundred Gulden!”

Several participants began raising their bids as they competed for the artifact.

An artifact capable of replenishing Mana was extremely useful in prolonged battles—especially fights lasting twenty minutes or more.

Usually, once a battle dragged on that long, the deciding factor would eventually become one’s stamina or Mana reserves.

”Two hundred seventy Gulden!”

Silence fell after someone called out that number.

Class-A artifacts generally ranged in value from 100 to 500 Gulden. In theory, 270 Gulden should not have been enough to make the other participants back down.

Yet it seemed they were willing to sacrifice this item in favor of saving their money for something better that matched their actual targets.

”If there are no further bids, then the Mana Recharge has been sold to Participant Number 52 for 270 Gulden!” the Promoter announced.

The auction continued.

There were countless items on display—humans, animals, and even Demihumans.

However, after waiting for several hours, the organizers still had not presented a single child for auction.

This made me wonder whether I had somehow entered the wrong auction.

Black-market auctions were not held exclusively in this region. However, the only one near my current location was in the Duchy of Salamanca.

The other two were located in the southern and northwestern regions of the Empire.

”Ladies and gentlemen! We have finally reached the conclusion of tonight’s event!” the Promoter announced.

”The final item is something truly special for tonight. Bring them out—the three children!”

After the Promoter said that, a large wheeled cage emerged from the smaller tent.

The participants immediately began whispering among themselves. Some of them appeared to be seeing these creatures for the first time.

”Isn’t that an Elf?”

”The rumors were true! They’re absolutely mesmerizing!”

Inside the cage were three young Elven girls clinging to one another in fear.

They clearly seemed uncomfortable under the gazes of the hundreds of people gathered here.

”I proudly present to you... three enchanting young Elves!” the Promoter announced. ”It took an extraordinary amount of effort for us to obtain these rare specimens! Therefore, we will begin the bidding at 500 Gulden!”

Everyone immediately began standing and preparing to bid increasingly higher prices for the three Elves.

”No matter the price, I’ll have these three Elves!”

”Hey! Call my family quickly! We need more money to get them!”

The entire venue erupted into chaos.

If I couldn’t find the Cursed Child I had come here for, then at the very least, I could take something else home with me.

”Nine hundred Gulden!”

The instant those words left my mouth, the previously deafening auction hall fell completely silent.

Every participant who had been standing turned toward me with expressions of irritation.

Yet no one challenged my bid.

”Damn it! I only brought 800 Gulden with me!”

”Ugh... I regret buying that earlier. Now I only have 700 Gulden left.”

Several people began regretting their earlier purchases.

Most of the participants here were wealthy businessmen, government officials, or members of noble families from various nations.

Nine hundred Gulden was no small amount.

It was roughly equivalent to the average annual income of a Count.

”Is there no one else willing to bid?” the Promoter asked.

But everyone remained silent, able to do nothing more than stare at me with jealousy.

”In that case, the three Elves have been sold to Participant Number 77!”

Finally, I had obtained the three Elves.

Although I had failed to acquire my primary target—a Cursed Child—I had at least brought home my secondary target.

”Very well! That concludes everything we have to offer tonight!” the Promoter announced. ”We’ll see you again next month! We promise to bring you something even more interesting than tonight!”

With that, the auction came to an end.

I then went to the payment area and handed the organizers a sack containing 900 gold coins.

They then directed me to the room where the three Elves were being kept.

”Thank you. You can leave now,” I said to the man who had escorted me there. ”I would like to be alone with these three Elves for a while.”

”Of course, sir. Just call us if you need anything,” he replied before leaving the room and closing the door behind him.

I turned around.

In front of me, three young female Elves sat on a sofa, their eyes vacant and expressionless.

One Elf had red hair.

Another had green hair.

And the last was a Dark Elf with silver hair.

”Hey...” I called out to them.

The three girls turned their attention toward me.

I reached into the pocket of the suit I was wearing and pulled out three chocolates I had bought in the city.

I offered one to each of the three Elves, but they merely stared silently at the chocolates.

I then unwrapped one.

All three watched carefully as I did so.

I took a bite and deliberately displayed an exaggerated expression of satisfaction, just like one of those characters from the cooking anime I used to watch.

As expected, the three young Elves looked curious.

I opened the remaining two chocolates and offered them again.

This time, they accepted them.

They took bites just as I had done.

They chewed before swallowing the chocolate.

”Waaaaah...” one of the Elves exclaimed with a smile.

”Νόστιμο!”

”Τόσο γλυκό!”

Okay...

I had no idea what they were saying, but judging by their expressions, they clearly liked the chocolate I had given them.

Children, no matter the world they came from, probably all loved sweet things.

”Hey.”

I called out to them again.

The three Elves looked at me while nibbling on the chocolates in their hands.

”Raul!”

I pointed my index finger toward myself.

”Maul?” the green-haired Elf murmured, tilting her head.

”No, no, no.”

I waved my hand, indicating that she had pronounced it incorrectly.

”Ra-ul. Raul!” I repeated, teaching them how to say it.

”Raul?” the red-haired Elf murmured.

”Raul?”

This time, she said my name while pointing her index finger at me.

”That’s right, that’s right, that’s right!”

I nodded rapidly.

”Egwyn!” the red-haired Elf exclaimed, pointing at herself.

”Airyn!”

This time, it was the green-haired Elf who spoke.

”Ca-ca-Caitlin,” the Dark Elf said shyly.

It seemed they had just introduced themselves.

I repeated each of their names while gently patting their heads.

They seemed to relax beneath my touch, much like pet cats enjoying being scratched.

They were all incredibly cute...

Liana would definitely love them if she could see them.

After making the three Elves feel more comfortable, I left the room to look for a horse-drawn carriage courier who could take me and the three Elves to Joff Bozes—the subordinate of mine who managed our trade guild.

I wandered around behind the enormous auction tent.

There were countless animals and humans kept in cages throughout the area.

Apparently, participants could come here and purchase the merchandise directly.

However, the prices would be considerably higher than buying them through the auction.

I hadn’t walked very far when something strange caught my eye.

A cage containing a young boy was surrounded by several people.

Unlike the other ordinary cages, the one containing the boy was large and luxurious.

Inside, there were various foods—steak, roasted chicken, and drinks that could usually only be found in the cities.

The people surrounding the cage all wore expressions of delight and happiness.

Their faces were flushed, as though they were looking at someone they deeply cherished.

It was strange.

Very strange.

I narrowed my eyes.

”Looks like I’ve found the Cursed Child I’ve been looking for.”