[Basic Info].
Name: Jagan (Herman)
Gender: Male
Age: ???
Race: Demon
Primary Element: Water
Achievements: [72 Demons]
[Traits]
Affirmations: [Master of Mana]/[Master of Alchemy].
Neutral: [Pure Evil].
Negative: [Rowdy]/[Profanity]/[Arrogance]/[Multiple Personality]/[Lazy Reproduction])
[Stats]
Physique: 20
Magic Power: 23
Luck: 5
Willpower: 17
Charm: 17
[Skills].
Passive Skill: [Alchemy].
Active Skill: [Typhoon of Water].
When I opened up Jagan's stats, they were exactly as I remembered.
He doesn't have as much stat restraint as the other 72 demons, and the reason for that is the trait [Lazy Reproduction].
This is among the most damning of the [Gifted] traits, and as a result, it is bestowed upon characters who are naturally gifted, but quickly become decrepit.
In other words, the character is able to grow to a certain level in a short amount of time, but never reaches a higher level.
In other words, the owner's limit is clearly drawn.
There is a reason why it is categorized as a negative trait.
'I asked.'
Arrogant by nature, a swearer, and a devil who doesn't hide.
Those are Jagan's main characteristics.
'Still, it's weaker than the two opponents we faced earlier, with only two talents to prove it. I can't really count them.'
Of course, it's not so bad to have two [gifted] traits.
It's just that it's different in Inner Lunatic.
The gap between genius and fruad. The most extreme example of this is the game Inner Lunatic.
As such, it can be said that Jagan is surprisingly weak compared to the power of the Grand Duke. It means that if I and my colleagues are united, there is nothing that we can't overcome.
Whether he knew what I was thinking or not, he quickly drew the audience's attention to himself and began to introduce the first object. It was an artifact I didn't remember.
Except for the major items, it was as familiar to me as the bass playing in the background.
"Without further ado, let me introduce you to the first artifact. It's based on the black magic grimoire that deals with the dead of a certain underworld family!"
The first thing that came out of the speakers was something that would cause a stir.
That's right, Jagan showed the two nobles a forbidden book that allowed them to learn black magic.
Even the former councilor of engineering…
"I see, they stole the Marvas family's technique."
Leon said bluntly.
A calm voice that made it hard to believe that he was the one who had his legacy stolen. At least he looked nonchalant.
' …I'm the one with the [Steel Mentality], but it's really something.'
Unless you're one of the people whose mental strength has been honed to the extreme, the ones who are called the Seven Stars here, this Runenthal…
With renewed admiration, I watch the greedy pace of the two bidding nobles. They all seem to be completely engrossed in the book, but I can clearly read the demon's mindset.
'There are only a handful of people in the entire continent who can truly master the rules of female blood black magic. The proof is that, unlike other magic in the Aegean, black magic requires the Dark Elemental Element.
This means that whoever buys it won't be able to use it.
No less than three great dark masters.
Aside from Reinhafer, Marvas, and Sader, there are no wizards nor warlocks in the world who can master that level of magic.
That's probably why the despicable Jagan is peddling these grimoires.
'Furthermore, there's no way it's authentic, it's an imitation.'
But that didn't mean much to the nobility.
Extravagance, consumption.
It was the degenerate nobility who flaunted their wealth, even to the point of acquiring slaves.
There are other good people out there, but they're not the kind of people who would be VIPs here in Avalat looking for gambling odds. So, since we're here, it's probably best to assume that everybody but ourselves is an enemy.
"1,700 gold! That's a whopping 1,700 gold! Do you have any more? Such a precious tome is not something you find in an auction house!"
Jagan naturally appealed to the competitive nature of human beings and sold them at a profit.
In fact, as a lord, there's no reason for him to be earning gold coins by doing business like this.
It's likely that he's staging this public spectacle to gain the approval of these corrupt officials.
Paracelsus, Leon, Thalia, Eleanor, Zitri…
Everyone's eyes narrow.
Anyway, the first item went to a well-fed middle-aged nobleman. The description in the game said he was a distinguished nobleman, but it looked like it was for decoration.
Considering the price, it shouldn't be used for decoration at all…
Anyway, the world of nobility is complicated.
Jagan continued to introduce the next item, and then the next, at an increasing rate.
This went on for another couple hours.
The time passed quickly.
'… Is the item I've been waiting for here yet?'
I thought back to the artifact pool I had used in past runs.
Finally, Jagan delivered me the artifact formula I was looking for.
'I knew there was something I had to get in the second episode.'
I was worried on the inside, but it looks like I didn't make a mistake.
'Okay, let's get started.'
Without even realizing it, I managed to create what I was trying to achieve.
That's because, although I can easily deal with the artifact revealed before my eyes, its impact is overwhelming compared to other items.
In fact, it's an artifact that could be considered the best hidden piece to come out of this second episode.
"What I'm about to show you is a little bit unique."
Jagan rhymed, then continued.
"It's a curious scroll, with a great deal of magic within it, but no one has yet cracked the secret formula for it, so we'll start at a tantalizing three pieces of gold!"
I can feel my stomach turn at his words.
-You're selling it for three gold?
-I'm intrigued, but… that's a ridiculous price.
-I'm out. I'm in a hurry just to collect the grimoire…
-I'm here because I need a slave, so I'm out…
Jagan was enjoying the response rate. As if he had anticipated this, he added with a smirk.
"By the way, there's one thing I haven't told you about this scroll, and that's that… it's a jack of all trades, written in the ancient language of prosperity!"
As the murmur grew louder, I immediately raised the bid card in front of me.
"Five thousand."{1}
I grinned, and the audience gasped in horror.
And with that, the auction began in fervor.
***
{Jagan POV}
Five thousand gold.
The bidders in this underground auction were looking for a new point of interest.
…In addition, when the gray-haired customer who had been standing for a long time announced that he was willing to pay a large sum of 5 gold coins, his interest was revitalized and his face lit up with excitement.
It's a no-brainer.
Although their faces were covered by masks, the gray-haired man and his companions looked like they had just passed into the age of adulthood.
However, not only were they already in the VIP seats, but they were also bidding up 5 gold on a random scroll that didn't do anything?
Is that really even possible?
-He must be the scion of a great noble family…
-But even if that's the case, you'll be in punished later, won't you? You'll have to go back to your chambers and face the consequences.
-You must be crazy…
-Do you think the Revalin mask might be coming off?
-No way… Is that the kind of person who comes to a place like this, a greedy bastard?
'White hair… At least it's not an unusual hair color for the East. Moreover, it's a VIP who suddenly appeared. Is this the youngest of Reinhafer? It's going well… isn't it?'.'
Herman steps on stage.
No, the devil Jagan was smiling in an amused, crooked smile.
His gaze is now clearly on the gray-haired boy, Nox.
It's a pity that I can't see the inside of the mask, but it has a somewhat familiar magic power and smell.
The details are hard to discern, but he must know something about the contents of this scroll that neither I nor my cultists have ever been able to fully grasp.
'It's an ancient scroll… I thought I was going to faint when it appeared out of nowhere… I couldn't tell what era it was from, or what kind of past it contained.'
Jagan was studying and indulging in alchemical recipes a while back.
The old Kingdom of Catalonia.
The legendary Kingdom of Sook, founded by two humans from the beginning of time.
Jagan obtained this scroll from the ruins.{2}
It looked like a series of runes carved into a jagged shape with esoteric characters.
It didn't take him long to realize that it was a fragment of the past, written as an idiom.
However, while he was quite knowledgeable as an alchemist, he had little knowledge of glyphs or other studies.
He needed to think of a new way to investigate this scroll.
Alongside this was the idea of auctioning it off at a ridiculous price.
'That way,' he said, 'all the middle-class nobles will fall away, and only those who can identify the jackpot will be left to buy it. I just need to make sure he buys the scrolls, learns how to use it, kills the jackrabbit, and repossesses the goods.
Jagan hoped he could somehow find someone who recognized the origins of the scroll.
Not to mention how to use the scroll.
A truly diabolical idea.
Even if a wealthy collector of scrolls were willing to pay for the artifact, Jagan had no reservations.
He already had the perfect antidote.
'First, I'll check to see if he's a familiar face, if he's a regular here, if he's a gambler… and if he is, I'll make it harder for him to outbid me with a larger amount of money through my subordinates disguised as VIPs.'
It's a great way to get the most out of your time and money.
There is something to be said for trying at least a little bit.
To that end, it was just over three months ago that word was spread across the continent that a scroll crafted from ancient language would appear in the auction houses of Avilat.
Now the time for harvest had arrived.
So he was certain.
The auction house had discovered a new face.
No interest in anything else, only this particular item.
I believe that the white-haired boy who bid an insignificant amount holds the key to this scroll.
Jagan smiled with satisfaction.
"5 thousand gold… Can you not bid more than that?"
That's all it took.
A man whose hobby was buying books was intrigued.
"Fiftey-one hundred! I want this… I'm so interested, I can't stop myself." {3}
But the gray-haired boy was undeterred by the man's bid and raised his bid again.
"Six thousand."
"Ugh… 6.5 thousand!"
"8 thousand."
"I don't know… 1 million!"
"1 million 2 thousand."
"1.1 million and 500 thousand…"
At that moment, Nox could feel his stomach churning.
However, Nox didn't appear to be worried at all.
Instead, he asked the girl next to him in a whisper.
"So, Eleanor, like I said, how much money can you lend me?"
The white-haired boy asked the girl sitting next to him with a truly shameless attitude. What was said wasn't heard, but the message was clearly told that he asked for some money.
It was truly absurd, but what was even more shocking was the girl's answer.
"Hmm… I've only got about two million, and I can't carry more than that, not even in the subspace pocket, I had no choice, so I couldn't even bring it inside the casino."
"I'll borrow the whole thing."
"What about interest?"
"Don't worry. I'll pay you back by the end of the day. I'll give you one percent."
Paracelsus, Leon, and Thalia were stunned.
How could he be so casual about borrowing money and talking about it?
However, the real problem was on the other side.
Zitri.
She had been horrified at the sight of the slaves, and now she was horrified at her master's words.
TN:
{1} : Idk if these numbers are right at all, went back and forth a few times and still not sure. There might also be some like bar/bullion equivalancy with like tiers of currencies hidden here.
{2} : There's some hidden reference here that I don't recognize.
{3} : Simplified the numbers here but some nuance is removed.