Chapter 6
“Once upon a time, there was a sage in the House of Le Tor.”
“A sage?”
“Huh, you don’t even know that? Alright. The sage was said to see through everything and know everything.”
“See through…”
Baeksan, who had been staring at the floating window, lowered his head again.
“But why that sage? Isn’t he already dead?”
“He died a long time ago. But he left a testament saying that a sage would appear again in Le Tor someday.”
“I see…”
“So, the Marquis of Le Tor and the Hwang family made a pact. The Hwang family would financially support the Marquis, in exchange for handing over recruits to the Hwang family when the sage was born.”
The thread of the story began to unravel.
“But the sage wasn’t born?”
“That’s right. So, a few years ago, the Hwang family withdrew their support from the Marquis.”
“Did the Marquis accept that?”
“How could he? The Marquis resisted fiercely, but to no avail. Thanks to that, the Marquis died of shock, and the Marquise disappeared somewhere.”
Baeksan’s gaze sharpened.
“Weren’t there any children?”
“There was a bastard daughter, maybe? But what happened to her…”
That bastard daughter is right here.
Baeksan smiled slyly.
“That should be enough. As a reward for sharing such a good story, may I pay for the drinks?”
“Of course, young man! That’s nice.”
“Haha. Have a good day!”
With enough information, Baeksan got up from his seat. He straightened his robe again.
“So, Minervina Le Tor is a fallen aristocrat.”
It seemed that the ‘sage’ who was supposed to appear in Le Tor was himself.
Moreover, the ability of the ancestral sage to see through everything.
That was remarkably similar to the ability to read this information window.
“I seem to recall someone having this ability before me.”
Baeksan neatly skipped over that part. It wasn’t important anyway.
What was important was that just a few years ago, the support from the Hwang family had been cut off, and they had become nobles in name only.
Baeksan, who recalled yesterday’s Princess Batilda, broke into a cold sweat.
“Thank goodness.”
There were lunatics who would support a whole family for just one talent.
It was obvious that they would devour that talent, bone and flesh separated.
“Since the contract is over, they won’t be able to take me away, but I should avoid getting involved with the Hwangs.”
Having relieved one burden in his heart, Baeksan smiled softly and headed out into the street.
However, a little while later.
She returned and asked the middle-aged man who had just started drinking a new beer.
“Is there a pawn shop or… well, any place that gives loans here?”
—
Though Princess Batilda had given him quite a bit of money, Baeksan couldn’t remain unemployed forever.
After some thought, he ruled out becoming a doctor. It seemed too easy to cause the end of the world.
“Spread this epidemic!” seemed like a quest that would pop up too frequently.
So, Baeksan considered three places.
The pawnshop, the jewelry store, and the auction house.
He excluded the pawnshop because it didn’t seem like it would yield much money due to its small scale.
Next, he visited the jewelry store, but they didn’t even entertain him.
“Well, they wouldn’t entrust jewelry to a commoner with dubious credentials without an introduction.”
Having no other choice, he revealed himself as “Minervina Le Tor” this time, only to be met with a bewildered expression and another refusal.
It seemed that industries where credit was crucial were hesitant to employ a fallen noble.
The most famous auction house, the “Gahash Auction House,” was no different. To become an appraiser, one needed to graduate from their academy, which was impossible for Baeksan who needed money immediately.
The only option left was an appraisal office.
At first, the term “appraisal office” felt awkward. However, after listening to the helpful explanation from a staff member at Gahash, he understood.
An appraisal office was a place where anyone, regardless of status, could use their services. From stones picked up on the roadside to national treasures, they would appraise anything for a fee.
How was this possible? It was because appraisals in this world utilized magic.
For certain fields, such as jewelry, there was no need for a magician; having a nationally recognized qualification was enough.
But in a world where all sorts of magic, curses, and sorcery existed, there were items that were difficult to handle. Therefore, items of high risk or those that were difficult to appraise based solely on “knowledge” were always appraised by magicians.
“Of course, I don’t need that.”
Thus, Baeksan confidently made his way to the most renowned appraisal office on the continent, the “Sophus Appraisal Office.”
Not long after, he saw a building with a flashy entrance decorated with silver in the middle of the street.
“Sophus Appraisal Office.”
Ironically, this “Sophus” was the name of the sage who had supposedly lived in Le Tor long ago.
Sophus Le Tor.
He was said to have established the first appraisal office in Orquenina.
“People’s thoughts are all the same. To survive, you exploit whatever talent you have.”
Thanks to him, his descendants were grateful.
With a smirk, Baeksan entered the appraisal office.
Ding.
A clear chime rang out.
The inside of the building was surprisingly spacious and neat.
On the first floor, there were farmers holding boxes as if they had just unearthed something, and middle-aged women with a dignified posture carrying family heirlooms.
Noticing the guide wandering around the interior and the papers with numbers held by waiting customers, Baeksan secretly admired the seemingly well-organized operation.
“It feels a bit like a bank.”
Despite his shabby robe, Baeksan was impressed by the apparent efficiency of the place.
“I guess more valuable items are appraised upstairs?”
As Baeksan was about to glance at the stairs, a footman approached him.
“Excuse me. How can I help you?”
Baeksan chuckled interestingly under his robe.
“Despite wearing this shabby robe, they seem well-trained.”
Indeed, he didn’t need to go anywhere else.
“Hello. I’m here to apply for a job.”
“A job? Here?”
“Yes.”
“…?”
* * *
The footman stared blankly at the woman in front of him. Then, belatedly regaining his senses, he spoke.
“Um, our appraisal office’s recruitment period for new appraisers has already passed…”
“Normally, you put all that in writing, but you still hire through special recruitment or referrals, don’t you?”
“….”
While not entirely accurate, it wasn’t something to be said to someone you just met.
The footman thought so and scanned Baeksan from top to bottom.
A shabby robe.
However, beneath the hood, there were shiny strands of dark purple hair.
His demeanor was confident. There was no hint of obsequiousness that commoners often displayed when treated politely.
“Normally, I should send you away immediately, but…”
The footman hesitated, feeling somehow that he shouldn’t turn her away.
Then, the woman lightly tapped his shoulder as if brushing off dust.
“You’re dressed quite nicely. Are you from the Prouge Workshop? You have a small dog at home. You should quit smoking.”
“…How did you know?”
Surprised, the footman looked at the woman, but she just smiled slyly behind her hood.
In the end, the footman sighed quietly.
“…Could you wait a moment, please? I’ll contact the higher-ups.”
* * *
Elise Barrett, deputy guildmaster of the Sophus Appraisal Office.
She was a beauty with golden short hair that flowed around her neck and sharp sand-colored eyes.
Unbeknownst to her, wrinkles had begun to appear around her neck.
“He collapsed again?”
“Yes. It’s because the basics of mana circulation are too different.”
“Sigh…”
Everything was because of the troublesome “item” that had recently come in.
The appraisal office not only appraised incoming items but also bought undervalued items cheaply and resold them at higher prices.
Elise recently acquired such an item for that purpose.
It was a large, sturdy mahogany box.
The box had a rusty lock of Ruti-esque make and seven powerful protective spells that even most magicians wouldn’t be able to break.
It was obviously not an ordinary item.
“So, I bought it… but I had no idea it would be this difficult to appraise.”
