I’d never actually met Raizen Bednicker in person. When I was young, before the Blessing Ceremony, I mostly hung out with kids around my age. The eldest son, eldest daughter, second son, third son... I hadn’t had much reason to cross paths because of the large age difference.
Well, except for people like Hector, who went out of their way to pick fights with me.
Anyway, since I’d never met him, I didn’t know what he looked like—which, now that I thought about it, was strange. He was the third son, which wasn’t exactly low in the line of succession, yet I’d never run into him at the main house.
“So, what kind of person is the organizer?” I asked casually as I followed behind Wolf Mask.
The man who called himself Wolf quipped, “Well, I’m not sure. Someone like me, a mere underling, is in no position to speak of him so lightly...”
“Oh, come on, it’s just us here.”
“Haha. I’m sorry.” Wolf let out a light chuckle but didn’t seem to want to continue the conversation.
I didn’t try to pry further; I just continued following him.
I had expected the host to be backstage or resting in a private area, but Wolf led me to the highest seating area, which meant that there was a level even higher than the Black-tier seats where I’d been.
My seat had already been so high that it nearly touched the ceiling, and the lighting had been above dim, so I hadn’t noticed.“I have brought him, Master.”
“Oh! Good job!” said an unexpectedly cheerful voice.
I saw a man dressed somewhat flamboyantly, and he was a man, not a boy.
I found it odd, really, because he was the same age as Hector but he was the third son because he was born from a different mother. He should still have some boyish features.
...But was that really the face of a boy? Even sitting down, I could tell he was quite large. If he stood up straight, he’d probably be half a head taller than me.
“By the way, Wolf, you don’t look too good. Did you have trouble sleeping?”
“How could that be? Also, I’m wearing a mask right now...”
“Kahahaha! I’m just kidding. I’m just playing with you,” the man said.
He had a rather gaudy appearance. His clothes were loosely draped, and gold jewelry hung from his neck, shoulders, wrists, and waist... anywhere and everywhere he could put it.
He had a woman on either side of him as well, and he reeked of alcohol, thick enough to make me dizzy. His hair was wild and messy as well, sticking up in all directions.
“Hm.”
To put it nicely, he looked like a delinquent. To put it bluntly, he looked like a gang boss. You know, the kind that waged turf wars in the underworld in the west. Except somehow, his expression was bright and cheerful like a boy who was dreaming big.
Through it all, his jet-black hair, his bronze skin, and his eyes, the same color as mine, stood out clearly.
The traits of the dark fairies showed strongly in him, which made him resemble the Lord of Blood and Iron quite a bit. The moment I laid eyes on him, I knew he was Raizen Bednicker.
I tilted my head and asked, “Are you the owner of this place?”
Raizen flashed a friendly smile. “More or less,” he replied. “Care for a drink?”
He held out a glass, but I shook my head. “I’m underage.”
“You too!”
“Me too?”
“I’m not an adult yet either.” Raizen chuckled as he took a sip from his drink. “They say alcohol tastes different when you grow up, so I’m getting a taste before that happens.”
“...”
Was he crazy? We hadn’t interacted much, but he already seemed not in his right mind.
But more importantly...
I can't read the flow of his ki.
That meant one of two things. Either he was just that weak... or he was hiding it.
Judging by the muscles visible through his clothes, the latter seemed far more likely.
“Shoul I call you ‘Master’ too?”
“Do as you please.”
“Then, Merchant Sir.”
“...”
I slipped back to my delinquent Luan AKA asshole Luan persona and spoke arrogantly. “What business do you have calling me here when I was enjoying the show?”
The women at his sides glared at me for my attitude, but Raizen himself just kept smiling. "It’s nothing much. I just heard a Black-tier guest was buying up all the goods, so I wanted to see your face. Any good merchant remembers their best customers, after all.”
My face, huh... Was he asking me to take off my mask?
Now that I thought about it, he wasn’t hiding his face at all. There were no masks on the table or anywhere nearby, so it didn't seem like he usually wore one.
"I apologize if I offended you. As an apology, if you can call it one, pick any item you like. I will give it to you as a gift.”
“For free?”
“Huh? Since when do people put price tags on gifts?”
Fair point.
I took a moment to study Raizen.
Before coming here, I had considered that maybe the real mastermind was someone else, that maybe Raizen Bednicker was just a puppet. But now that I had a chance to look at him, that theory seemed unlikely.
This guy’s no pushover.
The way the women behaved, and even that Wolf guy...
He had at least the bare minimum of charisma. But charisma alone wouldn’t be enough to run an auction house of this size...
My curiosity only grew. Someone this capable... and the Lord of Blood and Iron just let him go?
“...”
Interesting.
I smirked and pulled out the catalog. Then I flipped to the last page and pointed to an item at the very bottom.
“Then will you give me this?”
“...”
Raizen’s smirk slowly faded, and just that slight shift changed the atmosphere.
“Are you serious?” Raizen tilted his head. “I thought I was being generous, but to show such rudeness in return... By any chance, did I do something to upset you?”
“Everything, from A to Z, you fucktard. And your hospitality? Sucks as. If you’re going to call a guest over, at least provide a chair. My legs hurt.”
Someone behind me, probably Hallo, sucked in a sharp breath.
After a second of silence, Raizen burst into laughter. “Hahaha! Yes, maybe I was rude to you first.” Raizen gently pushed the women at his sides away. “You two may leave now.”
They slowly got up and left with awkward laughs. Just before leaving, though, one of them brought me a chair.
Without any hesitation, I immediately plopped down on it. “So are you giving it to me?”
“Do you even know what it is?” Raizen asked.
“Of course I do. How could I not?” I too wiped the smirk off my face, and I looked at Raizen seriously. Somehow, I felt like I now understood why this guy ended up dead in the future.
“Listen here, Merchant Sir. There are things in this world you can sell and things you can’t. So tell me—do you seriously think you can sell a demon?”
I was curious whether Raizen understood the weight of this question, understood that his very life was on the line.
The reaper sent to kill him was already very near.
“...”
At my question, Raizen fell silent.
* * * * *
* * * * *
On the last page of the catalog was a demon with the horns of a goat. Its skin was a dark red, and its eerie eyes contained a horizontal line. One hand held a club drenched in blood, and the other gripped a human head, soaked in despair and agony.
It looked too real to be just a drawing. It was almost as lifelike as the “photograph” Professor Alec had shown me.
Thud...
At this moment, the lights dimmed once more, and the host appeared onstage, except it wasn’t the turtle mask this time. Instead, it was a guy wearing an eagle mask. I bet he called himself Eagle.
Anyway, it seemed like the second part of the auction was starting faster than I had expected...
Under the dim lighting, Raizen finally spoke. “Do you have any idea how many sacrifices were needed to capture that demon?”
“No, and you can bet I don’t give a fuck. What really matters is this: No matter how much you want to expand your business, there are lines you shouldn’t cross.”
“...”
“Getting your hands on a demon, that’s crossing the line. Do you really not realize that?”
A Bednicker like you? ...I held my tongue. Judging by his attitude, he didn’t seem to know who I was.
At times like these, my hair being different from my other siblings was actually useful. A Bednicker had to have both rare black hair and rare purple eyes. If even one of those was absent, most people wouldn't make the connection.
“There are always risks in business.”
“Risks that might cost your life.”
“Sorry to disappoint you, but I’ve been gambling with my life ever since I left home.”
Left home, I mumbled under my breath before asking, “Guess home wasn’t all that great for you.”
“Not exactly. It was a powerful family, one anyone would envy. The problem was, they tried to take away my freedom.”
“Your ‘Freedom’?”
“I have no intention of becoming someone’s tool.”
Was he talking about the Lord of Blood and Iron?
I looked at Raizen and nodded. “That’s a good mindset. If you’d gone about your business the right way, it might not have been so bad.”
“Since when has there ever been ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ in the world of business? You sound naive.”
“No merchant is completely clean, I know. The ones who claim to be are just cons. Even so, some lines must not be crossed.”
We were right back where we started. Not that I had any right to be giving lectures like this—I wasn’t exactly a model human being myself.
Raizen tilted his head and said, “Are you talking about human rights? Morality? I’m sorry, but there are no such defects in my merchandise.”
“What do you mean?”
“Either they agreed to it themselves, or they’ve committed crimes severe enough that being enslaved alone wasn’t enough.”
That was when the first slave appeared on stage.
He was a very rugged and muscular dwarf, and judging by the shape of his physique and the calluses on his fingers, he seemed to be a master craftsman.
Eagle rambled as he described the dwarf. Apparently, he was from the well-known Sandstorm Hill in the South.
Raizen also provided me an explanation. “Garud Silverfinger: a fairly well-known blacksmith from Sandstorm Hill. He became a slave of his own accord just to work with high-quality metals. To be a master in any field, you have to have a lot of experience, and in this case, experience handling a variety of materials, but the cost of those materials is astronomical.”
“So he sold himself?”
“Something like that. He went into debt beyond his means and had no way to repay it, so he ended up becoming a slave. But he is skilled; he’ll probably be bought by a wealthy family and get to work with all the high-quality metals he wants. Our clients pay a high price, so they won’t mistreat slaves like him. They might be called slaves, but they are well taken care of. That’s how our auction works. What do you think?”
Raizen gestured as if daring me to argue.
I scoffed and immediately countered, “What a load of bullshit. If your system was so great, why not get official backing from The Empire? I know scum like you, always working in the shadows, hiding something—crooks who can’t act out in the open.”
“Hm...” Raizen stroked his chin for a moment before throwing both hands in the air as if to say he was done arguing. “Convincing you seems impossible. Not that you were ever a real customer in the first place.”
Suddenly, the atmosphere changed.
Step.
From every direction, figures in animal masks slowly emerged from the shadow.
I wasn’t surprised; I had known all along they were there, hiding.
Raizen said, “Tonight’s auction is far from over. Take care of this quietly so we don’t disturb our customers.”
“Yes, sir.”
My face hardened. Pretending to be angry, I finally said the line I really wanted to try out: “So you’re really gonna turn down a peaceful drink and opt for a penalty shot instead?”
“...?”
“What ‘peaceful drink?’ And a penalty shot? What’s that?”
“The peaceful drink is me, Elder Brother. Although you will get your ass handed to you, at least you’ll live to see the end of the day.”
“...‘Elder Brother’?” Raizen tilted his head at the sudden title.
At this point, it was only natural to reveal my identity, so I took off my mask. I wondered if he would recognize me.
“...No way.”
As soon as I removed my mask, I saw his eyes waver.
So he did recognize me.
“First time seeing me in person, Elder Brother Raizen? But at least you recognize your youngest sibling’s face, right?”
“Luan Bednicker?”
What happened next was unexpected.
At Raizen’s words, the masked figures flinched and started murmuring amongst themselves.
“If he’s Luan Bednicker...”
“He’s the Young Blood who resolved the incident with the demon lord!”
“The Golden Fairy of the Bednickers...!”
...The what of the Bednickers?