Chapter 103
Dorados Auction House.
The auctioneer Skoll stroked his mustache while staring at the calendar.
Today’s date was… October 30th.
‘Finally.’
How long had I been waiting for this moment?
Today was the deadline for the young master of Dedenkman to pay the winning bid amount he had promised.
If he failed to pay by today, I could claim a massive penalty as stipulated in the contract.
In addition, I would be able to reclaim the expensive items such as Clovarium and Favarope’s Egg.
‘There’s no way that young master can produce such a fortune of one million.’
I was so certain that the scoundrel from Dedenkman would not be able to pay that I had already sold the ownership of the Clovarium to another noble.
Yes, the one who wanted to acquire ownership of the Clovarium whose settlement had been delayed was… surprisingly, one of the Four Great Families.
It was none other than the ‘Porton Family’.
‘The proxy named Karlus von Linne purchased the ownership for 800,000 gold.’
If Villed settled the amount and took the Clovarium, then I would lose considerable credit and have to pay a huge penalty, but so what?
Villed had no ability to settle.
The reason I felt so confident was because of the reliable informant called ‘Crow’.
‘Even the Dedenkman family had abandoned that young master.’
He wasn’t even receiving support from his own family.
As proof, it was said he had been expelled from the dormitory at Yggdrasil and had taken the livestock shed where animals gathered as his dwelling.
The only hitch was that he had settled other items already.
That alone amounted to 80,000 gold.
It was a little strange that someone with that much money lived in a livestock shed for months…
‘A high-ranking noble living on a farm must have gone mad.’
If Villed’s mind had broken, then it made sense.
‘At least it’s fortunate that the young master hasn’t been expelled from the family yet!’
Since he wasn’t completely cut off, I could enforce the contract clause that allowed me to claim penalties from the family.
Just when I firmly believed that Villed would not show up at the Auction House…
“Boss, the VIP has arrived.”
Hearing that from a staff member, I blinked in surprise.
Could it be that he had managed to bring the settlement?
‘No, impossible. He must have come to ask for an extension.’
With a triumphant expression, I walked to the settlement waiting room.
“It’s been a while.”
There stood Villed, dressed in a school uniform, his expression blank.
After signing the supply contract with Erion Pharmaceuticals, I immediately received the advance payment.
The two years’ advance of 1.08 million gold from Erion Pharmaceuticals, together with the 170,000 gold I already had.
Altogether, the total assets I held amounted to 1.25 million gold.
“Here’s the promised settlement. Check it.”
I handed over a heavy pouch filled with one million gold.
Skoll looked back and forth between the pouch and me with bewildered eyes.
He opened the pouch and used mana to count the gold coins.
“…Yes, it is exactly one million gold.”
His hands were trembling.
“Uh, but… how did you obtain this money?”
He barely managed to open his mouth and ask.
“What’s the meaning behind that question?”
I let out a dry laugh and replied immediately.
“I am of Dedenkman’s bloodline. Is it so strange that I managed to raise a million? Mister Auctioneer.”
“No, no. Of course not.”
For some reason, Skoll lost focus in his eyes, and his whole body trembled.
The settlement was already complete, and I had no need to know why he reacted like that.
“What are you doing? Since the settlement is done, hand over my goods quickly.”
Coming back to his senses belatedly, Skoll bowed repeatedly.
“…Y-Yes! Since the settlement is complete, I will make the preparations.”
His voice was still filled with tremors.
Late evening.
After returning to the livestock shed, I took out the Clovarium from the subspace.
‘So, I finally got this in my hands.’
It had taken countless twists and turns, but at last I obtained the key material that could create the best equipment.
‘Then, let’s get to crafting right away.’
Thud―!
I placed the Clovarium on the wooden workbench and immediately began production.
Using the ‘Goddess’s Jewelry Crafting Set’ purchased through the Animal Farm system, it wouldn’t take long.
‘Thanks to whatever correction effect it is this time, the work is going smoothly.’
Like a master craftsman, I worked without a hitch.
My sole purpose in purchasing the Clovarium was one thing: to create a shield.
When it came to shields, people usually imagined a large one that covered the whole body to block enemy attacks…
But the larger a shield, the more it compromised mobility.
‘Right, most people think of a huge shield that protects the entire body.’
But I wanted something different from the common, oversized shield.
‘Mobility is my lifeline, so I won’t make equipment that hinders it.’
I immersed myself in work until dawn.
I stayed up the entire night and only completed the work by morning.
“It’s done…”
Letting out a sigh of relief, I looked ahead.
Sitting on the workbench was a round shield with a diameter of only about 30cm.
It was a small shield called a ‘buckler’.
‘As a shield, it’s so small it might look like a toy.’
One might wonder what such a tiny shield could possibly block.
‘…But for me, this is more than enough.’
If one carried a large shield, it had the advantage of a wide defensive range that could easily block enemy attacks.
But it also had the drawback of sacrificing mobility.
‘It’s so heavy and big that it can cover the whole body.’
In addition, most shields had pitiful durability, little more than disposable items.
…But the buckler completely offset this weakness.
‘The buckler is so light and small that it hardly affects mobility.’
A large shield was difficult to distribute weight with, so it was easily damaged—if impact struck the edge, the burden on the center would increase and it could break.
But a buckler’s small surface reduced the factors that made it vulnerable to damage.
Among the many types of shields, the buckler was the most unusual.
Normally, one thought of a shield as a simple cover.
‘Rather than blocking an attack directly, it feels more like deflecting the opponent’s strike away.’
That was the so-called evasive technique called ‘parrying’.
The buckler could move actively, deflecting the weapon or attack direction like a flowing wave.
It both avoided attacks and created openings in the enemy, producing a dual effect.
‘Using a buckler is quite difficult too. Agility is required.’
If I used Shurk’s ability, my speed would increase drastically.
That allowed me to maintain speed while also gaining defense.
It created considerable synergy.
That was why, for me, the buckler was the optimal item.
‘Let’s put it on right now.’
I strapped the buckler onto my left arm, then moved around and swung my sword.
‘Not heavy at all.’
My strength in mobility remained intact.
Given that it was only the size of two fists, the result was obvious.
‘I want to test how good its durability is, to see its performance.’
Of course, since it was made of Clovarium, the performance should be guaranteed, but I wanted to confirm it myself.
I was pondering how to test it when—
– Woof!
Suddenly, Shurk began to bark.
Perhaps because I was bonded with the spirit beast, I instinctively realized it was calling for me.
“Shurk, what’s wrong?”
I opened the ‘Animal Farm’ system.
Shurk wasn’t summoned at the time but was inside the system.
This was the first time it had made a sound from within the system.
As I stared at Shurk inside, surprised at the rare situation—
Oh!? The state of Immortal Shurk…!
Along with the message that appeared, a dazzling light sparkled around its body.
The dark night.
Moonlight quietly seeped through the window.
A shabby country house, with dim silver light filtering in between worn curtains.
That light shone upon the bed, where a young girl was sleeping.
Her face looked peaceful, but the arm that slipped out of the blanket was stained black.
Dark and cold like a dead tree, as if it were part of a corpse with no blood flowing through it.
“……”
In front of her stood a man dressed in Yggdrasil’s school uniform.
He silently looked at the girl—no, his only younger sister.
Only a deep sigh left his lips, the sole sound in the room.
“…I’m sorry.”
He spoke those words as he covered her arm with the blanket.
Then he noticed a newspaper left beside her pillow.
「The Black Knight who defeated the traitor Verdi and rescued the Princess. Who is his true identity?」
“……”
After reading it briefly, the man turned to leave.
When he exited the room, an elderly butler waiting outside raised his head.
Hair faded to silver, a straight back.
His face, etched with the passage of years, was filled with worry.
“…Young Master.”
The butler cautiously spoke.
At those words, the man lowered his gaze silently.
“As expected, her condition has worsened.”
For a while, both the butler and the man said nothing.
The man clenched his fist.
The girl’s blackened arm—it wasn’t a simple illness.
The Hetarion Black Plague.
The catastrophe that had claimed countless lives.
Even recalling the nightmare of seven years ago was terrifying.
What he remembered were only fragmented, fleeting scenes.
A splendid castle, family, and friends—devoured entirely by black mist.
Wherever the mist passed, only death remained.
The nation called the Hetarion Kingdom had been wiped out.
Among his family, only his younger sister survived as if by miracle, along with one loyal servant.
As the man recalled those memories, his breathing grew ragged.
“But if there is any good news…”
At the butler’s words, the man blinked and came back to himself.
“After you left the newspaper, Young Lady regained some spirit.”
“The newspaper?”
He thought of his sister who had wished only to die every day.
“Now she says she wants to live. That if she recovers, she wants to attend Yggdrasil Academy together with you.”
The man’s hands trembled.
“But Young Master, there really isn’t much time left. She must be hospitalized in the Capital Hospital. She needs medicine.”
The only place that could treat the Black Plague was the Capital Hospital, accessible only to the Empire’s nobility.
Refugees of Hetarion were left untreated, dying helplessly.
He would never allow his sister to suffer that fate.
Leaning against the wall in silence, the man listened to the butler’s words.
“…Sebastian, please wait just a little longer.”
His voice was quiet, but filled with determination.
“I mean it. We’re almost there.”
A dark night.
Haze had just finished covering a story on campus and was on her way back to the dormitory.
Plop―!
Something softly landed on the grass.
Haze instinctively looked in that direction.
It was too dark to see clearly… but soon she recognized it.
A familiar black coat and mask.
Haze barely managed to cover her mouth with her hand to stifle a scream.
‘Th-the Black Knight…!’
Haze had suspected that the Black Knight was a student, and perhaps she had been right.
He had truly appeared at the school.
Click! Click!
Hiding behind a tree, she carefully observed him and snapped photos.
This was the second time she had seen the Black Knight in person.
Her heart pounded.
A new photo of the Black Knight—this issue of the newspaper would surely sell like wildfire.
Step, step…
After a few steps, the Black Knight stopped.
And then… a small light appeared.
It was the very scene Haze had been waiting for the most, one she had never truly expected to see.
‘My god.’
…The Black Knight’s disguise was undone.
His black coat reverted into Yggdrasil’s school uniform, and as the mask came off, his hidden face was revealed.
‘…That person!’
It was someone Haze knew well.
One of the most well-known figures in the academy.
Not missing her chance, Haze firmly gripped her camera.
She aimed the lens at the Black Knight whose disguise had vanished.
Click―!
On Haze’s film, the true identity of the Black Knight without his mask was captured vividly.