‘Wow…’
The interior of the auction house, compared to other places, had no flashy decorations. However, it felt more grand and formal than the outside. Despite being a venue for illegal auctions dealing with stolen goods and dangerous items, it had the elegance of a place where noble art was appreciated.
‘Are those two not nervous at all?’
Unlike me, who felt out of place, Nereus and Clara seemed completely at ease. So much so that Nereus was even drinking the most expensive liquor, which was exclusively reserved for VIP customers.
“Hmm, not bad,”
Nereus said nonchalantly after taking a sip. His face, however, betrayed his satisfaction, his grin revealing just how pleased he actually was.
Clara leaned toward us and whispered softly.
“I’ve gathered all the information. It’s called ‘Angel.'”
“Really? As expected, you’re the perfect fit for dealing with those noble scumbags.”
Nereus chuckled, filling a glass of liquor to the brim and handing it to Clara.
‘Angel?’
It was a familiar term. No, it wasn’t just familiarity—I had studied it directly when I was part of the Wittar Medical Association.
Addiction to Angel caused unique withdrawal symptoms. The method to treat those addicted was later discovered by Wittar, and its place of origin was…
“Alright, everyone! We will now begin the long-awaited auction!”
At that moment, the voice of the auctioneer echoed loudly throughout the hall. He secured a magical megaphone onto a stand and began his elaborate speech filled with flowery rhetoric.
The gist was simple. He boasted about how special the people present were, the prestigious history of the auction, and so on.
Sitting in a chair far too big for my small frame was uncomfortable, to say the least. I kept fidgeting, hoping the auction would proceed quickly.
“Now, while we can’t disclose the details of the items up for auction today, I’ll give you a few hints to keep the excitement alive!”
Beside me, Nereus whistled.
‘What’s this?’
It wasn’t just a reaction to the atmosphere of the auction house. Something felt… off.
“That one that is said to produce the voice of an angel, a jewel containing all the stars of the world, and…”
‘Is there something going on?’
“…And finally, a necklace that holds the greatest tragedy.”
At the auctioneer’s final words, the room erupted in murmurs. It was because they recognized it as the necklace of Aracely Laos. Only then did I understand the peculiar reactions of the auction staff when the necklace was first presented.
‘Ah, so that was the princess’s necklace?’
No wonder they were so desperate to get their hands on it. It all made sense now.
“That means…”
“If they’re boasting that much, it must be the real deal.”
It wasn’t that I didn’t recognize it as a great item, but unlike those around me, I didn’t react with open surprise. However, those who usually held their composure couldn’t hide their excitement. Some were already fidgeting with the number plates in their hands.
‘More importantly, why has Nereus been grinning so unsettlingly since earlier?’
“Now, for the first item…”
The soft glow of the chandelier illuminated the hall, giving it a graceful, almost sacred air. But soon, the room was filled with chaos.
The first item went smoothly. But when the second item was revealed…
“……….?!”
“What… what is this?!”
The jewel known as the Étoile Sapphire, said to contain all the stars of the world, had completely vanished from its display case.
‘Wh-what’s going on?’
This kind of auction house should have strict security. Especially since it’s an illegal auction that deals with pirates, security should be even tighter.
My initial panic quickly dissipated like melting snow.
“Ugh- Cheers~?”
“Cheers~♥”
I glanced to the side and saw Nereus and Clara lightly clinking their glasses together.
It was 100% these two’s doing.
Nereus chuckled as he watched the growing turmoil in the auction house, then got up from his seat.
“Let’s go, kiddo.”
“Back to the ship?”
“Nope.”
“Then where are we going?”
Once again, he flashed a grin that was more villainous than anyone else’s.
“We’re going to collect payments.”
***
The atmosphere inside the auction house was far grimmer than that of the outer hall where the guests were.
Starting with the Étoile Sapphire, a significant number of items had been stolen. And, of course, only the ones that were confirmed to be genuine had disappeared.
The manager, now pale as a ghost, muttered under his breath.
“D-dying might be b-better…”
If he failed to handle this situation, he would face a fate worse than death. Not only would he have to endure the fierce complaints from the pirates who supplied the goods and the customers who participated in the auction, but also the wrath of the owner who controlled all the shipboard auctions. Even if he somehow managed to escape from the pirates and customers, he would undoubtedly be hunted down and slaughtered.
At that moment, a knock echoed from the door of the manager’s office. Fuming, he shouted.
“Q-quiet! Get lost! I told you not to let anyone in…!”
“Hey now, a gentleman shouldn’t raise his voice like that~”
A low, leisurely voice, reminiscent of a predator, cut through the manager’s angry roar. The tone of the man’s voice, brimming with a relaxed smile, sent a chill down his spine.
‘Th-that man…’
“Well? What are you going to do about the missing money, huh?”
The man had dark teal hair and brown skin. Amid the darker hues, his eyes, one red and one white, flickered like embers.
For women, he would undoubtedly be considered an attractive man. But unfortunately for him, the manager was neither a woman nor someone with the luxury to appreciate a man’s appearance. More importantly, this was no time to be assessing anyone’s looks.
“Mi-missing money?! And more importantly, how did you get in here?!”
“Huh? There was no one around.”
Nereus scratched his chin lazily in front of the terrified manager, grinning mischievously.
“Brother, now’s not the time for you to be cowering in fear. Don’t you think it’s strange that I managed to get in so easily?”
“…….…!”
“Everyone’s in a complete uproar out there. Do you know how hard it was for me to stop those people from setting fire to this ship?”
At Nereus’s words, the manager’s face turned pale with fear.
“First, why don’t you have a seat? You look like a mess.”
“…Ahem.”
Even in this situation, the manager, trying to maintain his dignity, cleared his throat and sat in the seat Nereus pointed to. This was because he sensed that there might still be room for negotiation in Nereus’s tone.
“Looking at the situation, it’s pretty clear things have gone off the rails.”
“Yes… I have no excuse for this mess, sir.”
“Hey, it’s not your fault. The ones who stole the goods are the real scum. Have you found any leads on those petty thieves?”
“Well…”
There was no way they had found it. The manager felt his throat drying up with anxiety. From the beginning, the auction items had been stored in the ship’s deepest underground vault, a space designed to be as secure as possible.
That vault had a total of seven locks. If even one step of the unlocking procedure was done incorrectly, a magical device would activate, triggering a deafening alarm and locking the intruder inside. In other words, it was a place that no ordinary person could approach.
For something to be stolen from there so easily… it could only mean that the culprit was either an employee or a long-term customer who had established connections with the staff.
‘Or perhaps it’s one of those scoundrels who always delivers stolen goods to us.’
The manager’s mind was flooded with the faces of various pirates. It wouldn’t be surprising if it was one of those people. Even though they were in a subordinate position, they never bothered to hide their arrogant attitudes.
There were only a few people who had enough knowledge about the auction house’s internal structure. Nevertheless, they were currently searching every employee in hopes of finding a clue.
“Hmm, want me to help you out?”
“H-help me? What do you mean?”
“Well, you see, I have two daughters. You know that, right?”
“Y-yes, of course. They are as beautiful as you, sir.”
“Yeah, yeah. Anyway.”
Nereus waved both hands as if to signal he didn’t want to hear any more mention of his daughters.
“They’re my treasures, so I’ve raised them with plenty of affection. I made sure they’d never get caught up in things like this. You get what I’m saying, right?”
‘Never get caught up in things like this’ could be interpreted as Nereus himself being someone who had experienced plenty of situations like this before.
Nereus casually placed a large bag on the table with a heavy thud.
“Th-this is…?”
“Money. I also have losses to cover, so I can’t give you an advance on the necklace. But I’ll give you the money I brought to participate in the auction.”
The amount of money inside was so enormous that it couldn’t be ignored. While it wasn’t in standard currency—meaning there would be some fees for exchanging it—it was far better than nothing.
“Now you understand what you have to do, don’t you?”
At Nereus’s subtle whisper, the manager swallowed hard.
***
“Wahaha—!!”
“…….…”
The one laughing obnoxiously right next to me was, of course, Nereus.
But there was one key difference from usual — aside from Nereus, a large number of family members were also laughing boisterously with wide grins on their faces.
‘Well, I suppose anyone would laugh this much after gaining such a profit.’
It was only natural. After all, the thieves who stole the goods were none other than the Caelum Pirate Crew.
‘Why are these people so ridiculously competent?’
As it turned out, before the auction, Clara and Nereus had been busily moving around, drawing the attention of many onlookers as a duo. Clara in the common hall and Nereus in the gambling den.
Clara, with her cleverness, had gathered information from many nobles and servants. She even figured out the timing of the employees’ patrols and used that knowledge to call in members of the Caelum Pirate Crew, who had been waiting outside. With swift coordination, the goods were transferred directly into Caelum’s hands.
They had even been selective, taking only the genuine items, allowing them to maximize profits with minimal effort.
‘I never knew Gerard had that kind of talent.’
Gerard could pick any lock and had a sharp eye for assessing the value of treasures. Before my return to this timeline, I hadn’t known this because he had died from an illness.
“Wahaha! This kid is a total blessing, huh?!”
“Live a long, long life, yeah? Stay with Caelum forever and be buried at sea!”
The other pirate fathers were showering Gerard with unwanted kisses on his cheeks, throwing a rowdy party in celebration.
I gazed at the necklace of Princess Laos, which was in Nereus’s hand. After examining each jewel on the necklace carefully, he suddenly put it around my neck. The unexpected weight of it made me stagger.
“So heavy.”
“Endure it. That’s the weight of gold.”
Nereus burst into loud laughter. What on earth was so funny?
“Lala, since we wrapped things up so easily thanks to you, that’s your share.”
“Thanks to me?”
“Of course, it’s thanks to our Lala.”
Without giving me a proper explanation, Nereus picked me up and smothered my face with kisses. Normally, I would have felt his scruffy beard prickling my skin, but since he had shaved for the infiltration, his face felt smooth.
Isaac, who was standing next to me, offered an explanation instead.
“Typically, pirates don’t bring along women, and definitely not children.”
“Ah……”
In other words, because of my presence, they didn’t suspect us of being pirates when we posed as obnoxious, entitled guests.
Nereus reinforced the point by planting more kisses on my cheeks.
“Plus, our Lala is such a genius and completely fearless, you know? Haha, she’s a natural negotiator. Whose daughter could she be to be this clever~?”
“………..”
“Right? Daddy’s little girl, isn’t she~?”
The charisma that Nereus had briefly displayed at the shipboard auction was nowhere to be found. He had instantly reverted to a giggling fool.
‘Well, I suppose his flashy behavior was already on display in the gambling den.’
“Ehehe, I wonder if those fools have realized by now that the money I gave them was everything I won from the gambling den?”
“Since we swapped the currency, it might take them a while to figure it out.”
In the corner of the room, there was a large pile of shared continental currency and gold, all of which Nereus had won from gambling at the den.
‘What a madman…’
To avoid being searched, Nereus had handed over money to the manager. But that money was actually all his gambling winnings from the den.
In other words, after Clara had given the signal, the family had gathered up various currencies from Caelum, infiltrated the auction, and swapped the cash for the money Nereus had won through gambling.
Effectively, we had exchanged foreign currency at the shipboard auction without paying any exchange fees.
The treasure was a bonus.
