IWTRAE Chapter 95

 

 

#Episode 95

 

 

How much time had passed since then?

 

“This next auction item is—!”

 

A lavishly decorated goblet was placed on the podium. The chandelier’s light reflected off it, making it sparkle even from a distance. The auctioneer dramatically lifted the goblet.

 

“Do you see this? The interior is entirely lined with gold, and the exterior is adorned with the finest rubies and diamonds. It has been circulating as contraband, so its origin is unknown, which is a flaw. However, just look at the extravagant gemstones—this is no ordinary item! Now, we will start the bidding at 20,000 Lux!”

 

One Lux was worth the price of a single candle. In the past, candles were traded as currency, leading to an official valuation system.

 

A single silver coin was worth 20 Lux, and 20,000 Lux was enough to cover the living expenses of an average four-member family for two years.

 

On the ground floor, the audience gasped in admiration at the dazzling goblet. However, those on the second and third floors—who actually had the wealth to purchase it—were unimpressed.

 

“That’s the kind of goblet only a nouveau riche would use. It’s utterly gaudy.”

 

The gemstones were encrusted so densely that the goblet looked more tacky than luxurious.

 

“20,000 Lux… Sure, the gemstones alone might be worth that much, but… buying something like that would just make you a laughingstock in high society.”

 

Even the auctioneer was aware of this sentiment and tried to hype up the crowd, but the reaction remained lukewarm.

 

Laurus furrowed his brow and murmured,

 

“The gemstones are too good for something like this. Since it wasn’t in the catalog, the auction house must have added whatever they could to fill their inventory.”

 

Laurus expected Todd to react just as negatively to the goblet’s garish design. The young vampire hunter, despite his age, had a refined sense of taste.

 

‘He must have received a good education.’

 

However, Todd remained silent, staring intently at the auction podium. After a long pause, he finally let out a sigh and muttered to himself.

 

“I have to get that.”

 

“No way?”

 

Laurus was startled by Todd’s unusually serious reaction. Todd slowly nodded.

 

“…That definitely belongs to my family.”

 

When Vasha had ordered him to retrieve a relic of the Van Drake family, Todd had tried to guess which item might appear.

 

But this was completely unexpected. In fact, it was so familiar and ordinary that he was taken aback. Todd spoke with a hint of reluctance.

 

“I’ve seen it before, in my father’s study.”

 

Laurus was momentarily speechless. However, his silence didn’t last long. With a knowing smile, he spoke smoothly.

 

“No wonder—it carries an air of distinction. A goblet of such classical elegance. Your father has refined taste.”

 

“Enough. I already know it’s a terrible taste.”

 

Todd clicked his tongue. Even when he had first seen the goblet, he had found it strange. It was completely out of place with his father’s usual tastes.

 

A room devoid of decoration, stark and barren—yet in the middle of it stood that excessively ornate goblet.

 

That was why it had caught his attention so vividly. It was so obviously expensive that it wouldn’t have been surprising if a greedy soldier had stolen it.

 

But smuggling anything out under the watchful eyes of the Lamphas Church would not have been easy.

 

One of the main reasons the Lamphas Church had led the charge to destroy Van Drake was their greed to claim the artifacts the family had accumulated over a thousand years.

 

Todd could still remember the so-called servants of God, their eyes burning with avarice as they meticulously inspected every relic.

 

Considering that, it was unthinkable that any item imbued with even the slightest trace of magic had been taken from Van Drake’s lands.

 

‘Unless… it had no magical presence at all.’

 

Indeed, that goblet gave off no magical aura—it was just an ordinary goblet.

 

But was it truly just a decorative piece?

 

Todd recalled a conversation he had once had with his father.

 

<Father, you don’t even use that goblet. Why do you keep it so prominently displayed?>

 

His father had gazed at him in silence for a moment. Then, placing a gentle hand on Todd’s head, he murmured,

 

<In truth, among all the heirlooms of our family, that goblet is the most important.>

 

More important than the sacred spear said to have been gifted by a dragon? More than the blessed scale cloak that repelled all impurity?

 

Todd frowned, tilting his head in confusion.

 

<I don’t get it. It doesn’t have any magical properties, and there are far more valuable artifacts in our collection.>

 

<It’s too soon for you to understand its worth.>

 

His father had chuckled as if he had expected this reaction. His normally stern face softened into a rare smile, and Todd found himself awkwardly smiling back.

 

<One day, when you become the head of our family and inherit that goblet, you’ll understand its true weight. I did, too.>

 

At the time, Todd had no idea what his father’s words truly meant. But now, he finally understood.

 

A faint aura spread around the golden goblet, like the glow of a halo. The signet ring—symbol of the family head—that Todd carried on his chest began to heat up in response.

 

Without the ring, he would never have noticed it.

 

If even the sharp-eyed Van Drakes had been deceived, it was no wonder the Lamphas Church had overlooked it as well.

 

The Van Drake relic that Vasha had ordered him to retrieve—without a doubt, it was this goblet.

 

There was no reason to hesitate anymore.

 

In the silent auction hall, Todd confidently raised his paddle.

 

“20,000 Lux!”

 

***

 

Bernardo, having secretly infiltrated the Renfield Count’s villa, moved stealthily.

 

‘Something’s off…’

 

Even with Laurus absent, the mansion was far too quiet.

 

‘It’s not even that late. Forget the guards—there aren’t even any passing servants.’

 

In the unnatural silence, Bernardo’s footsteps echoed loudly through the corridor. Moonlight poured through the long windows, casting shadows.

 

He couldn’t shake the eerie feeling of stepping into a vampire’s lair—not at noon, but at nightfall.

 

Even though Bernardo was skilled enough to handle lower-ranked vampires alone, this wasn’t a situation where he could afford to be careless.

 

‘It’s like walking into a lion’s den… But this is the only chance I have while Laurus is away.’

 

With Laurus—the one with the authority to deny the Lamphas Church access—absent, Bernardo’s entry into the villa wouldn’t pose any ‘religious’ issues.

 

‘It’s a bit of a stretch, but religious justifications always boil down to clever wordplay anyway.’

 

Even if he were later reprimanded, it would be after everything was already done. He could always claim he saw a vampire sneaking into the villa.

 

And if he presented a vampire’s corpse as proof, his story would hold even more weight, so Laurus wouldn’t be able to complain too much about him sneaking in.

 

‘In the meantime, I’ll take Van Drake.’

 

Weighing his options, Bernardo pressed forward, stepping cautiously toward the presence of lingering dark energy.

 

Every step was careful, his eyes sharp, scanning for any traps that a vampire might have set.

 

‘As expected, there isn’t a trace of Lamphas’ influence here…’

 

Aside from that, Count Renfield’s villa was a masterpiece worthy of its owner’s title as the ‘Painter of Light.’

 

At a glance, it appeared modest and unassuming, free of excessive ornamentation. But that was only on the surface.

 

‘That lobby I passed earlier… the floor was blue marble.’

 

Blue marble was so rare that even nobles only used it sparingly, in small mosaic pieces for decoration.

 

Yet here, the entire floor was made of it. And this was just a villa!

 

Even Bernardo, who came from a family of grand aristocrats well-versed in luxury, found it excessive.

 

As he made his way deeper into the villa, he suddenly stopped.

 

At the end of the corridor—where even the moonlight didn’t reach—something was waiting for him in the darkness.