Luke waited in silence on his seat for the next batch of items. The announcer spoke:
--For the next auction: May I present you the craftsmanship of our empire's finest jewellers! In addition, we have taken into account to prepare raw minerals for those who loves making their own custom jewellery!
Women wearing revealing outfits walked from behind the red curtains. There were about a dozen of them.
Each of them were pushing a cart with cloth thrown over it.
Many gazed in wonder over what was beneath those cloths.
--I will not be the one to introduce all these wonderful items. Someone else with knowledge in that department will do it. Now then.
The auctioneer turned to his left.
A young woman walked onto the stage. She was wearing a fancy red party dress with matching heels. They noticed something around her neck.
It was a necklace with five diamonds sewn beautifully onto the string. Just by looking at it, everyone could tell that it was very expensive.
--She will be introducing all of us to the jewellery that we have brought today. Do not mind the necklace around her neck. It is but one of her masterpieces. If you wish to buy it, you must pay a hefty price! Hahaha!
The woman smiled amiably in response to his praise.
--Now then, please begin.
She nodded and gestured for them to pull off the cloth.
Many of the audience were astounded by the variety of items before them. Luke did not care for them even as the women explained what each of them was.
Instead, he focused his attention on finding the crystals Arnold mentioned.
'Is that it?'
He could see small shards of red pieces lying next to the other jewellery. It seemed like nothing at first but then he saw that they were the crystals Arnold spoke of.
There was a single big one amongst the broken pieces lying around it. It was the size of a fist.
Luke hurriedly put up his flag.
--Excuse me, miss. Someone is ready to place a bid.
The auctioneer interrupted the woman as she was busy explaining. She looked displeased at his actions but remained quiet.
"I would like to bid that red rock on the table there!"
--This?
The announcer pointed towards it.
Luke shouted. "Yes. That one. How much is it?"
--Would you reconsider? It is only useful for its radiant colour and can be worn for some nights out. I won't recommend buying this for a lady friend. It has no other redeeming qualities.
"It doesn't matter." Luke pushed on. His big brother told him to buy it for his future wife so he had to do it.
--Very well. You may have it. I will hand it to you free of charge, boy. When we excavated the other minerals, these just happened to appear among the masses.
"Thank you!" Luke chirped happily.
The announcer beckoned over one of the girls who pushed the carts. She nodded and picked up the crystals, with its broken fragments and threw it in a bag. Although it was called a crystal, it was a very delicate mineral.
A minute later, the girl brought it up to Luke. He bowed to thank her before she left.
'Okay! I got it!'
Luke peeked inside the bag and smiled happily.
'It's a shame I can't get a sword…'
He looked back towards the stage. They continued explaining the value of each rock, crystal and mineral. Nothing really stood out after that. Luke could only wait for Arnold to show up.
The auction was where you could get the highest quality weapons on the market. Even famous blacksmiths end up losing business because of the weapons that are available in auctions.
If Luke couldn't get one today then he'd have to wait until the next auction took place. That said, auctions weren't just daily in this world. There was a schedule many had to follow in order to make an auction take place. Forget the items that had to be procured, other things like invitations to the high ranked people and permit fees were also the troublesome things auction owners had to take into consideration.
If the year had been good and preparations had been made accordingly then an auction could take place every six months.
All in all, Luke had to go back home empty-handed.
Or will he?
"Here." Arnold suddenly appeared and threw something on Luke's lap. It was a sheathed black sword.
"Huh? Why is it so dirty?" Luke picked it up and ran his finger on the blade after taking the sword out. He felt hard mud and grime on his fingers.
"Doesn't matter. We finished what we came here to do. Let's go."
Arnold was busy wiping his hands with a handkerchief. There was blood on his knuckles. Luke noticed that and pointed.
"D-Did something happen?"
"Let's just say the person I got it from was very cooperative after a while of persuading." Arnold said with nonchalance. His eyes were still motionless and unwavering.
Luke thought it was scary how Arnold could beat someone up without batting an eye.
But he didn't voice his thoughts.
He stood up and carried the sword and the bag with the crystals inside. Arnold nodded in satisfaction when he looked inside the bag.
"We're good to go."
◇
The two of them exited the mansion where the auction was held and walked down the stairs.
Luke could see even more coaches outside than this morning when they arrived. Countless people dressed in fancy clothing approached the auction house.
Although they were fancily dressed, the handsome and smartly dressed Arnold looked much better in the clothing and looks department. His sharp jawline, slanted blue eyes and his tall nose were the ideal features of an attractive man for modern women such as them.
The women couldn't keep their eyes off him. He might've been a tyrant but that wasn't stopping the women from looking at him as if he were prey.
Arnold was oblivious to their stares and only looked forward. He caught the scent of bitch in the air at that moment.
A tapping of heels neared them.
"Oh, my. If it isn't Arnold von Berkley. Fancy meeting you here~." A female's voice called out to the two of them when they were about to cross the street. "Were you here to make another scene with one of your drinking antics?"
Arnold groaned when he saw the young woman who called out to him.
"Grace Sialis Lewan." Arnold said with an unpleasant expression on his face.
She smiled as she looked at him. "Eh?" For a split second, her expression changed when she saw Luke before she regained her composure again.
That was an odd reaction, thought Arnold.
Behind this Grace girl were two very muscular demihumans. Both were from the tigerkin tribe. Absolute warriors as they were called. Their large frames told all who looked not to mess with them.
"Arnold!? It's seriously you!? Did you come to buy a pleasure slave!?" Another voice said in surprise. That said, he was screaming in Arnold's ear.
He had blonde hair, golden eyes and wore an imperial uniform for royalty.
He was….
"Jurius Alpedan Gorius Eulia."
It was the damned brother of his childhood friend, Olivia Vatila Seria Eulia.
Arnold thought that the two of them showing up at the same time was not some mere coincidence.
"How's it going, bro!?" Jurius put his arm around Arnold's neck.
He sighed in his mind.
'I hate these two the most.'
Grace was the eldest daughter of a vassal of their family and was Jurius' fiancé. They had been described in the game to be the cannon-fodder who foiled all the protagonist's plans.
Jurius was the youngest prince of the Imperial Family. He had three older brothers. Two were in the military while the eldest(Crown Prince) was handling affairs in another nation.
He was also a swordsman like Arnold. His estimated power was measured to be 3rd star.
Grace had been married to Jurius for political reasons, so not much love existed between the two. However, both enjoyed taunting others just for the heck of it.
Arnold was always their primary target. Being of royalty, Jurius taunted and bullied Arnold since the latter couldn't do anything in retaliation. That had been the case until the present anyway.
"So…." Jurius looked Arnold up and down with a smirk on his face. "I hear Olivia hates your guts? What did you do, big man?"
"Perhaps she is too disgusted to be in the company of sir Arnold. He is known as a womanizer after all. Poor girl must be scared he'll sink his claws into her maids next." Grace said with a hint of mockery and flicked her drilled golden locks. She flipped her fan and looked at Arnold amusedly.
"Say, sir Arnold ,I heard you were suspended from the household. And this boy is your replacement. Could that be true?"
Her revelation shocked the people who crowded around them. Most of the nobles hadn't gone in yet and decided to stay outside and observe what was about to unfold.
Wherever Arnold went, a scene would always ensue.
"Pray tell, where did you hear that?" Arnold asked calmly.
His eyes were still looking at Grace. He could care less about the people surrounding them.
Only Luke seemed uncomfortable.
"I might've heard of it from one of your servants." Grace said with a bright smile.
"Oh, but to think even the duke doesn't acknowledge his own son…How tragic indeed!" Jurius said with fake pity.
The people began whispering. All of them expressed their shock over what they heard.
The young heir of the Berkley family, one of the great nobles of the empire, losing his position was major news.
"What does it matter if I lost my position of heir?" Arnold didn't bat an eye at their mockery. He was still as expressionless as ever.
A vein formed on Grace's temple. One could see how pissed she was that their words didn't have any effect on him.
"Does that not mean that you are incompetent?" The people gasped. "That is just how I see it. Hehe."
"A little birdie told me as well that you'll be forced to go to Whitage city. Surely, the duke isn't sending his son there on the premise of becoming the lord? I mean, that place is a dump!"
Anyone would guess that the duke disowned Arnold and will send him to become the lord of a ruined city as a sort of guise. They thought that it was to get rid of him.
Well, it does look that way, Arnold thought.
"Seems like it was the right decision to have Olivia stay at the palace. Who knows what kind of danger she'll be placed in if she were there that day. After all, you have a habit of hitting women whenever your anger flares. Didn't one of the servants resign after she was almost assaulted by you?"
If this were the original Arnold, he would've silently walked away. Even if he was insulted, and even mocked for his obsession with Olivia, he would remain silent.
Opposing royalty was equal to becoming a traitor to this nation.
However….
"!!!" A big, strong hand gripped Jurius' entire face and lifted him effortlessly.
It was Arnold.
Jurius screams were muffled in Arnold's hand. His face was literally being crushed.
"You know, I'm not very good at teasing or insulting others. I think it's cowardly of doing so. But taking that crap from a guy like you, with no future for your bloodline or this empire, just irks me to no end. Oh, and one thing…" Arnold increased the strength in his hand. "Keep Olivia's name out of your mouth, you incest creep."
Jurius' eyes widened. Yet another revelation that shocked the crowd.
The prince was in love with his own sister. Many looked at him in disgust.
In the game, there was one incident where Jurius tried to rape Olivia while she was sleeping. It happened on the night of her and Luke's wedding. Of course, he didn't succeed since her Spirit Beast Neguard tore him to shreds.
"Sir J-Jurius! You can't do such a thing to royalty!" Grace motioned for one of her tigerkin slaves to apprehend Arnold.
The tigerkin took out the large great sword from his back. His muscles bulged.
Jurius' face was still being crushed by Arnold's hand. Luke was frozen from what he just saw.
"Are you trying to intimidate me with your demihuman lovers? That's cute." Arnold smiled widely and looked at one of the tigerkin. He was built like a literal mountain. His biceps were as thick as Al's torso.
His large size might've intimidated others, however, his opponent was a 5th star knight.
"!!!" The demihuman shivered when he saw Arnold's expression. It was one of a demon ready to strike down a lower lifeform.
Arnold's gaze held absolute power. A power that forced its enemies to their knees after tormenting them. Even the surrounding crowd became terrified over his malice.
"You have grown into such a beautiful woman. Why not become my wife instead? I will make you glad to have been born a woman. You must've heard the rumors, right? That I'm very good in bed." Arnold licked his lips as he stared at Grace.
He threw Jurius onto the ground after letting him go. The demihuman was still frozen with fear.
'What!?' Jurius screamed in his head.
Grace's face reddened when she heard his words.
"T-That's sexual harassment! I k-knew you were a scumbag! Go die!" She left with unsteady footsteps, dragging her fiancé with her.
Jurius didn't forget to leave his one liner: You'll pay for this, you'll see!
Arnold merely chuckled.
'It was a bad idea to do this in public.'
He looked around. There were so many eye-witnesses so there was no way he could deny what happened today.
Arnold merely shrugged.
'Doesn't matter anymore.'
"Who were they…?" Luke asked when the group left.
"That guy is the fourth prince. He's Olivia's older brother. Grace is his fiancé. Let's just say we all grew up together. Although none of us view each other fondly anymore."
Luke was speechless. Arnold had just assaulted a royal.
'Isn't he worried about the repercussions!?'
The crowd stepped aside when Arnold and Luke left the scene. Arnold acted as if he was taking a stroll in the park.
"Where's the carriage? I told them to be here by noon." Arnold grumbled as he looked around.
Flora, Lauran and the coachman was nowhere to be seen.
"Well, let's---" When Arnold was about to tell Luke that they had to walk home, he heard someone call out to them.
"Hey!!"
Arnold nearly cursed.
It was Flora. The only difference was that she was now well-groomed and wore stylish clothes. Her hair was bundled up into a messy bun which made her look quite attractive.
Arnold noticed that she had a troubled expression on her face when she ran towards them. The sweat on her forehead caused her hair to stick to her face. One could tell that Flora had been running around for quite some time.
"What are you doing here? Where's Lauran?"
"When I came out of the shop, she was gone!"
"...What?"