Chapter 38
“That’s… it.”
In the reward hall, wooden boxes sat on the table, their lids still closed.
Usually, auctioned items came wrapped in cloth. The bidder opened the box, appraised the contents with the Hand of Appraisal, and handed over the item.
But here they were—boxes offered whole.
‘Why?’
Irene flipped through the catalog she had received when she entered.
She had skimmed the auction items hastily back then.
Re-reading the fine print now, she spotted something near the end of the schedule.
“Emotionless Auction?”
Irene murmured, puzzled.
Michael, standing beside her, answered calmly.
“We sell the loot from low-rank and lowest-rank dungeons without opening the boxes. The boxes themselves are put up for auction.”
His words made her nod.
“Ah, I’ve heard of that.”
People loved to hope for the impossible.
Even knowing the odds were terrible, they still bought lottery tickets, telling themselves they were different.
Today’s bidders had all come hoping for something truly valuable.
Yet only one person would walk away with the ring of perfect invisibility.
What about the rest of them?
At best, a few might buy something slightly less precious, like the stone of quietude Irene had set aside.
Still, those items were valuable.
But most would leave empty-handed.
‘They’re the ones we’re targeting.’
People with money but empty hearts.
They had come all the way to the auction house, knowing the odds of landing anything decent were abysmal, yet still desperate to buy a reward from a low-rank dungeon.
‘How foolish.’
The auctioneers knew better than that.
But Irene told herself she would do the same once she secured her own rewards from other low-rank dungeons.
For now, she focused on the auction.
As with every auction, the real thrill came at the end.
At first, the stage had been filled with coins minted by a kingdom that had never existed in history, rare books, and gems that were poorly cut and would fetch little.
After the initial excitement faded and similar items started repeating, a subtle boredom set in.
Then the auctioneer suddenly raised his voice, sensing the tension in the crowd.
“And now, the first artifact of the day—the Stone of Quietude!”
At the word “artifact,” every eye in the hall lit up.
At last, something worth its weight in gold.
Irene’s gaze burned brighter than anyone else’s.
‘Please, let it sell for a little more…!’
Compared to the nearly 100,000 gold she stood to earn, the Stone of Quietude was nothing—her entire take from this auction.
‘Still, the count sent a messenger yesterday.’
The maid had warned him that an outside visitor had come.
In her past life, the very sight of that servant had left her breathless with fear.
Just like now, the messenger had glared at her as if he could become count himself and ordered her to hand over every coin she had gathered.
He had also warned the merchant who still frequented the count’s manor that Irene must return soon, or the deal would be off.
“You’d better hurry and collect what you owe,” he had said.
Back then, she would have lowered her head like a guilty dog.
But not anymore.
“I’m sure you’ve heard rumors that my pair is Sir Michael,” she said, voice steady.
“Collecting what I owe is no small task, but I’ll make sure it’s paid in full by the deadline. Tell the count that.”
Princess Cecilia’s haughty tone made the messenger’s threats laughable.
The servant flinched, then backed away from Irene’s fearless gaze.
At that exact moment, Reina and Cynthia arrived with their own pairs, hurrying over to ask about the next gathering.
“Oh, we’re interrupting your guest!” Reina said with a bright laugh.
“That’s all right,” Irene replied warmly. “I was just about to leave anyway.”
She gestured for the servant to go.
The two knights stood protectively beside the clearly unwelcome visitor, their massive frames and stern auras making the man retreat even faster.
Watching him flee, Irene swallowed a bitter smile.
He had been nothing at all—yet in her past life she had feared him more than death itself.
‘I should collect the money by the end of the year… but’
She didn’t want to see that servant again.
The auctioneer’s voice rang out again, pulling Irene’s attention back.
Michael spoke first, voice low and warm.
“You’re very lucky.”
“What?”
“You already know how rare artifacts are from dungeons.”
“That’s true. I’ve been lucky so far.”
“Luck like yours is rare.”
“The dungeon we chose on that day was the only one that produced an artifact.”
Irene’s breath caught.
He sounded almost… accusatory.
“Y-yes. The Stone of Quietude is nothing compared to the Remedy of the Nameless.”
She smiled, turning the conversation toward the ring he had given her.
That ring was priceless.
“It’s far more precious than the Stone of Quietude.”
“Exactly.”
“Money is needed,” she answered without hesitation.
“I must pay the count.”
“You don’t have to say it like that.”
‘If I had told him in my past life, he might have lent me the money.’
He was no longer the cold knight she remembered.
‘He’s the closest person I can turn to for help.’
‘I never dared speak to him because of all the gossip.’
People had always sneered at her for getting too close to him.
‘Why regret it now?’
That life was over. This was a new one.
‘If I’m truly in a pinch, I’ll borrow from Reina.’
Reina would earn a fortune from this same auction.
If she couldn’t pay the full amount by year’s end, she could borrow part of it, calm the count, and return to the fortress next year.
‘But then he won’t be my pair.’
Irene glanced at the ring on her finger.
She was now an 8th-rank purifier—slightly better than her old 10th-rank status, but still nothing like before.
The auction for the Stone of Quietude began.
After the auctioneer finished his pitch, hands rose one by one.
“Three thousand! Three thousand five hundred! Four thousand! Double! Eight thousand!”
He deliberately spoke loudly, stoking the competition.
‘At least twenty thousand must be reached…’
That would leave her with five thousand after the appraisal fee and auction house cut.
‘Not bad for something ordinary.’
The crowd’s interest cooled quickly.
In the end, the Stone of Quietude sold for exactly twenty thousand gold.
‘The price matches the past life exactly.’
Irene felt a chill.
Even when the situation changed, the outcome sometimes stayed the same.
‘Is there some law at work here?’
She would have to figure it out later.
First, she would search for the common thread between the past and the present.
Then the winner stepped forward to receive congratulations from the crowd.
Irene leaned over the railing to get a better view.
“Oh…”
The moment she saw who had won, her face twisted in disgust.
Of all the bidders, the one who had grabbed Michael’s collar when she first arrived was the one who had won.
Fortunately, he had regained his senses quickly; his clothes were still disheveled, but he looked otherwise unharmed.
‘Of all people…’
“I had no idea you would win,” Michael said, as if he had read her thought.
He continued, voice ice-cold.
“If I had known, I would have cut off that filthy hand before the auction even started.”