Ancient gauntlets.
In the original story, one of the Emperor’s Blades, Luke, used this piece of equipment.
It’s also a ridiculously powerful weapon, capable of unleashing a shockwave proportional to the amount of mana infused into it.
Of course, there’s a small risk involved, as the user must withstand the backlash of the shockwave.
Luke had used these gauntlets in a myriad of creative ways in the original story, often to great effect against the protagonist.
That’s why I was willing to pay such a premium to acquire them—to prevent such an incident from occurring.
‘Might as well give them to Evan while I’m at it.’
As I was thinking this, the auction continued. By now, all the magical reagents and artifacts had been sold, leaving only one item remaining.
‘A slave.’
In the Arius Empire, where slavery is legal, slaves are treated much like livestock.
Though they may be treated like humans if the owner so desires, such instances are quite rare.
Glancing to the side, I caught sight of Adelle, her brow slightly furrowed. Of course, she would feel a strong sense of repulsion towards slavery.
Having come from the modern world, her reaction was only natural.
If anything, my own calmness makes me the odd one out among those from the modern era.
“Next, we have this slave.”
A chained slave was dragged onto the stage. It was a woman clad in tattered clothing.
Dark hair, lifeless black eyes.
Judging from her appearance, she was likely one of those sold into slavery due to unpaid debts. As this thought crossed my mind, the auctioneer began his spiel.
“An heir of the long-destroyed Frollitcha Kingdom, and a bearer of the regenerative constitution passed down through the Frollitcha Dynasty. This slave is resilient and always maintains peak condition, making her a valuable asset. Minimum bid is 50 gold.”
The more the auctioneer spoke, the more Adelle’s expression behind her mask soured. She looked ready to riot but managed to hold herself back with deep breaths.
‘Won’t break…’
One could guess the sinister intent behind those words with a moment’s thought.
There are various kinds of slaves.
“Hmph…”
Adelle seemed to grow dizzy and closed her eyes.
“60 gold!”
“80 gold!”
“160 gold!”
The auction hall filled with the cries of the greedy.
Were they drawn by her royal lineage or the allure of her regenerative constitution?
It’s impossible for me to tell, and frankly, I don’t want to know.
“The opening item has sold for 400 gold!”
How absurd. To not be able to spend more than 300 gold on a pair of gloves but to throw 400 gold at a usable slave is particularly telling.
The auction hall buzzed with an incomprehensible fervor before moving on to the next slave.
Most of the slaves brought to the stage were either those with special constitutions or beautiful female slaves.
The vast majority of them were sold for rather hefty sums. The lowest selling price was a whopping 300 gold, so it was already settled.
“And now, ladies and gentlemen, the highlight of today’s auction!”
At the auctioneer’s excited voice, cheers erupted from the crowd. Smirking at their reactions, the auctioneer continued.
“Our next lot is Princess Arna of the Britania Kingdom, defeated last year by the Arius Empire. No need to elaborate on her value. The starting bid is 400 gold.”
At this extraordinary sight, Adelle clenched her eyes shut before whispering to me.
“Is this place always like this?”
“It seems you’ve forgotten that this is my first time here as well.”
“Ah… that’s right.”
She sighed and leaned back in her chair, resuming her deep breaths.
Meanwhile, the bids had already surpassed 700 gold.
Just as the fervor began to peak, the lights on the auction stage dimmed, an ominous silence falling over the room.
“Please wait a moment. There seems to be a problem…”
BOOM!
Before the auctioneer could finish his sentence, a thunderous sound echoed from the ceiling, causing murmurs to ripple through the room.
Still, no one rose from their seats.
Perhaps they trusted in the strength of the protective barrier surrounding the royal auction hall.
“..Is it starting?”
BOOM!
An unimaginably massive tremor shook the room, instilling panic in the crowd for the first time. Simultaneously, ominous creaking sounds came from the ceiling.
CRACK!
BOOM!
Through the collapsing ceiling descended a man garbed in black armor. Glancing around, he struck the floor with his sword.
BOOM!
A crack split the ground from the energy of his attack, shaking the entire room. Only then did the people begin to flee in terror.
The man paid no heed to them, slaughtering them without hesitation.
SLASH!
“W-What…”
Blood splattered as the ceiling turned crimson. The auction hall was plunged into chaos, a massacre underway.
Summoning mana with violent force, I observed the man before me.
WHOOSH!
SWIISSH.
I recognized the black-helmeted man. In the original story, he made his debut in a similar manner, attempting to kill Adelle.
His name is Luke von Schopenhaim.
The former second prince, one of the Emperor’s Blades, and the eventual owner of the ancient gauntlets I described earlier.
“…What…”
People screamed and pounded on the doors trying to escape, but they wouldn’t budge.
The black-helmeted man continued his merciless murder without hesitation.
Why…
Lily, who had been sitting beside me, stood in shock. Shaking my head to clear it, I rose to my feet.
At that moment, our eyes locked with the man’s, and I felt the chilling void within his gaze, along with the intent to kill.
His eyes were stranger and darker than any I’d ever encountered.
He charged at me, slashing his blade. I had no time to cast my shield magic before he closed the distance.
SWISH.
“…Hu?”
At the last moment, Lily threw herself in front of me, intercepting the blade meant for me. Without a word, she died, her body cradling mine.
Were her closed eyes filled with peace, or is that just my imagination?
TICK… TOCK…
The sound of a clock echoed in my ears. It’s the tinnitus that always appears when the urge to rewind time is at its peak.
“…Again.”
I rewound the timeline, determined to prevent Lily’s death.
“Ughh…”
Pain stabbed through my entire body as I clenched my face in anguish. And there it was—the sound.
BOOM!
That sound.
The sound that precedes the man’s intrusion into the royal auction hall. Without wasting a moment, I bolted toward the doors.
Regardless of the stares from the others, I kept running.
CLACK… CLACK…
The doors were locked. Why are they still locked at this point? Before I could contemplate the matter further, a shockwave reverberated from somewhere.
BOOM!
The ominous rumbling spread panic through the room.
CRACK… CRACK…
As the barrier shattered, screams erupted from the crowd.
BOOM!
The ceiling collapsed again, and the man fell through once more. He raised his sword skyward.
WHOOSH!
The man began to rampage, indiscriminately slaughtering those around him. To the casual observer, it seemed he had no specific goal other than to kill those nearby.
Our eyes met once again, and he hurled a powerful slash in my direction using his aura.
And just like before, Lily stepped in front of me, taking the fatal attack meant for me.
“…Again.”
Time rewinds once more.
The save point remains the same—the moment just before the man intrudes.
“Guh…”
The familiar pain spreads through my body. The more I regress, the worse this pain will grow.
And as the pain worsens, the situation deteriorates because this agony dulls my mind during regression.
Thus, I have to end this as quickly as possible.
“…I have to save Lily.”
I can’t let her die in my place. So, I need to figure something out.
Why couldn’t Abel, the archmage, prevent Lily’s death?
I force my sluggish mind to think, working through the pain.
After some thought, the answer became clear.
Abel had been trying to prevent the man from killing me and hadn’t anticipated Lily stepping in to block his attack.
BOOM!
With a thunderous crash, the black-armored man dropped from the ceiling.
He resumed his massacre as before, until his gaze eventually met mine once more.
SSSSHH…
The chilling intent to kill accompanied his charge toward me.
And, just as I anticipated, Lily began to move toward me as well. There’s only one way to escape this cycle.
WHOOOSH!
I grabbed Lily’s arm and pulled her back as I stepped forward, positioning myself in front of her.
The menacing aura that pierced me like needles didn’t falter as I glared at the man’s blade.
CHIME!
End of Chapter*
