The next day.

Regardless of what conspiracies were lurking behind the scenes, the auction proceeded as scheduled.

"The next auction item is a rare treasure that has come all the way from the city of winter. As a treasure that was once presented to the king, it is called a snowflake because it is said to contain a snow crystal..."

While the auctioneer's voice, trying to liven up the atmosphere, rang out, Colin nervously tapped his foot.

The glares from the surroundings for his bad manners that lowered the dignity of the auction were brief.

He had the appearance that would bring back a fist if someone pointed it out.

Colin knew their misunderstanding but didn't make an excuse.

It was that tense of a moment.

'It's about time the traitor makes his move.'

The auction was already in its final stages.

Considering the value of the Blade Knuckle, it would surely decorate the finale of the auction.

The transaction would take place before that, so he had to be on high alert not to miss the timing.

'If the competitor wasn't just Madhouse, I wouldn't be this nervous...'

The weight of that name was more than enough to make even the Mage Tower, whose pride pierced the sky, be on guard and on high alert.

A legend in the industry that did not tolerate failure.

Every single one of their movements was a storm that would shake the area.

No matter how important the Blade Knuckle was, it wasn't worth being hostile to Madhouse.

If Allen hadn't been confident, he would have given up long ago.

'Since he guaranteed it himself, he must have a way.'

He was just a contractor.

Normally, it would be dismissed as a bluff.

But it was different for Allen.

The miracles he had achieved at the Mage Tower were still shining brightly in Colin's memory, not having faded.

Even then, Allen was full of confidence that he could do it, just like this time.

Perhaps because of his past experience, a bottomless faith welled up.

'Should I call it a natural charisma?'

It was a typical ability that a noble bloodline was born with.

It was a prejudice that had become a relic of the old era after the dynasty fell, but Colin did not deny it.

Of course, the cases that corresponded to it were close to exceptions, limited to a very small number.

'Then that means it was a family of a higher position than I thought...'

Had there been an incident in the past 20 years where such a high-ranking family in noble society had fallen?

Somehow, he felt like he had heard the story before.

A faint memory came to mind.

How many years ago was it, a story that a delinquent noble he had become friends with at a bar had blabbered on about as a secret...

"..."

Colin stopped his thoughts that had strayed to the side.

The air had changed.

The security guards were leaving their posts one by one.

The timely rippling mana pattern was a sign that the tracking magic had been activated.

"The target is on the move. The transaction location we identified earlier is certain, so secure it."

[Understood.]

The traitor had moved.

After relaying the message, Colin relaxed and sank into his chair.

His part was over.

Allen's request to wait at the auction house just in case was more of a consideration.

Colin gladly accepted Allen's consideration.

'Would it have been nice if he had lent me some money too?'

The disappointing thing was that he could only wait.

It was the heart of a thief who asks for the whole bundle after being saved from the water, but what was disappointing was disappointing.

In his broke state, he couldn't participate in the latter half of the auction where the real deals were being put up one by one.

There was a lot of time left, so all he could do was continue the thoughts that had been cut off earlier.

'...?'

Suddenly, Colin felt the still rippling air.

It was strange.

If it was just the movement of security guards for a transaction, it wouldn't be this noisy.

On the contrary, they should be moving quietly, but this commotion...

Shhh!

A deep shadow seeped in from the passages on both sides of the closed auction house.

Since the interior was dark, people didn't notice it.

But soon, as the shadow even covered the lights illuminating the stage, people noticed the anomaly.

"Ugh!"

"Kyaaak!"

"Wh-what's going on!"

By then, it was too late.

Screams echoed in the darkness.

In the interior that had turned into a pandemonium, Colin raised his heavy buttocks.

'It wasn't a consideration.'

Did he really predict this far?

He didn't know if this commotion was also Madhouse's doing, but he couldn't just stand by.

Grrr!

"What a mess."

In the pitch black, a beast shrouded in shadow was rampaging indiscriminately.

***

"Heok, heok."

Lütgen walked aimlessly through the complex interior.

His pale complexion and panting breath made him look urgent, as if someone were chasing him.

He didn't pay attention to his surroundings, even though he knew he looked suspicious.

This was the transaction location the Auction had told him.

It was a natural measure that the area was cleared of people.

"It's the end. The end."

Even in the passage where only a faint light illuminated his feet, Lütgen saw a bright light.

At the end of this path, a transaction that would turn his situation one hundred and eighty degrees was waiting.

The Mage Tower couldn't chase him.

Even though the seal on the Blade Knuckle was now released, as long as he had come this far, the Mage Tower could not interfere with the transaction.

The problem was after the transaction.

The Mage Tower would surely try to at least apprehend the traitor.

So he had to hide his tracks before the special forces appeared.

This could be done if the transaction was finished quickly.

He was an expert at running away, so he wasn't worried at all.

Freedom and a brilliant future were right in front of him.

Lütgen finally arrived at the transaction location.

"…?"

It was strange.

Not a single sound could be heard.

Only the sound of his footsteps echoed in the silence.

Originally, an Auction official should have been waiting.

A scam?

The Blade Knuckle of Ainsipal was not a product the Auction would refuse.

Having even received a hint that it would decorate the finale of the auction, there was no way they would cancel the transaction without a word.

"H-hey, come out quickly. The auction is almost over! Don't make me wait!"

Lütgen shouted, trembling.

The answer came with the opening of the closed door on the other side.

"...Sorry, something came up."

It was a small figure.

He had a thick robe pulled down low, covering his face.

Lütgen felt a sense of doubt.

"Wh-who are you?"

"A commotion broke out at the auction house. The guy who was in contact with you before was dispatched to handle it, so I had to take his place in a hurry."

"A commotion?"

"It's a common occurrence. Don't worry about it. More importantly, let's get the item first."

The man said, holding out his hand.

It was a fine hand with pale skin.

Coupled with his young voice, it was abnormal not to be suspicious.

"What are you doing? Aren't you the one in a hurry?"

But he was right.

The situation was too urgent to be suspicious.

Even if the transaction was successful, it would be over if he was tracked by the Mage Tower.

Lütgen had no choice.

"Alright, just hand over the item quietly and..."

It was then.

The door, which had not been completely closed, slowly opened under its own weight.

Thud!

What came out from the gap in the door was a pile of corpses with broken necks.

Among them was even the Auction official who had spoken with Lütgen before.

"Oops."

In front of the stiffened Lütgen, the man scratched his neck.

On the other hand, his voice was still calm.

It might have been a delusion, but it seemed to even contain a hint of laughter.

"This is troublesome. See, why did you have to be so suspicious?"

"Wh-what. Who the hell are you..."

"Then you could have died peacefully without knowing anything, kh-kh-kh."

Lütgen quickly gathered his mana.

As a traitor who had evaded the Mage Tower's pursuit, his skills were not weak.

In the blink of an eye, the mana that had turned into a law gathered at his fingertips and...

Crack!

It was cut off.

"Too bad. It doesn't matter to me though."

The extended fist shattered Lütgen's face.

The body, having lost its head, tilted and fell backwards.

The man threw off the stuffy robe and stretched vigorously.

"Hah, I really don't like fiddling around like this. I feel like I need to chop off about a dozen more heads to stop feeling restless."

Even after killing the Auction official and the target, the man, Buggy, felt a thirst.

If it were up to his personality, he would have destroyed the Auction and brazenly stolen the item.

The reason he had moved so timidly was because of his Madhouse companion who had agreed to help.

Thanks to him, things had been resolved easily.

But somehow, it felt like a fire that hadn't been fully burned.

"Should I just join in, pretending to help that old man?"

If you're going to steal, you might as well steal everything.

If he caused a bigger commotion, he would be able to steal all the auction items.

Buggy's body trembled at the premonition of the battle to come.

"Before that, let's recover the item first."

The Blade Knuckle of Ainsipal.

It was also perfect for testing its power.

Buggy reached out his hand towards the fallen corpse.

Just as his leisurely hand was about to grab the handle.

"…?"

Swoop!

A plant stem shot out from the ground and wrapped around the item.

And just as Buggy placed his hand on the ground, the stem scraped the floor like a fishing line being pulled and was recovered, piercing through the wall far away.

Buggy, who was staring blankly at his empty hand, soon shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Y-you, son of a, who the hell are you!!"

Kwaaang!

The fist, swung with anger, shattered the wall like a bomb had exploded and shook the building.

Beyond the gaping hole in the wall, on the opposite building.

A man was holding the Blade Knuckle in his hand.

"Give it back now!"

"Your habit of being careless is still the same. Thanks to that, things were resolved easily."

A scratching tone.

A handsome impression that could be compared to his own.

Buggy knew him.

He couldn't forget.

"I'll be taking the item."

The swindler who had cleaned out his money at the gambling den.

It was Allen.

***

Buggy had killed the Auction official and Lütgen.

It was as expected.

It was more likely that he would openly rampage and break the game than to plot a conspiracy or move secretly; that wasn't his style.

Thanks to that, I was at ease.

Since he had cleared out all the obstacles for me, all I had to do was recover the item to succeed in the mission.

Swoosh!

And I recovered the item at the perfect timing.

It was funny to see him looking down at his empty hand with a face like he had lost his country.

The action of breaking the wall afterwards was secretly surprising.

I didn't expect to be able to escape right away, but as expected, I was discovered immediately.

"…!"

He spouted some curses and let out an excited snort.

I made the first move before he could step out of the gaping hole in the wall.

"Stay buried quietly."

Rumble!

I strongly injected my will into the bundle of stems extending from my feet.

Having done it a few times, I had even gotten the hang of collapsing a building now.

Rumble!

After an unusual tremor, the building collapsed.

I moved, leaving behind the sight of Buggy, who had fallen over as the floor tilted, being buried in the pouring debris.

I had the Totem of Protection and the Totem of Stealth, which I had made in advance, in my bosom.

'Collapsing a building won't hold him for long.'

If he were a small fry who would die from just this, he wouldn't have made a name for himself in Madhouse.

It was just a petty trick to tie his feet.

I had dealt with the traitor and recovered the item.

Since I had achieved my goal, there was no need for me to fight him.

If I run away like this and hide my tracks...

Kwaaang!

Suddenly, an explosion occurred in front of me.

My clothes fluttered as if in a typhoon, and fragments of the broken building wall hit my clothes.

The explosive power was so strong that each fragment had the power to pierce bone.

The mana armor of the Totem of Protection vibrated like crazy.

Fortunately, I succeeded in blocking it, but holes were pierced here and there.

I quickly repaired it through the World Tree.

"Hehe, did you go through all that trouble just to run away this far?"

Buggy was standing on the crater-like collapsed pit.

He had escaped the collapsed building in one go, with one kick.

The result was the explosion in front of me.

'Like a monster.'

I let out a sigh of admiration inwardly.

Buggy cracked his neck, making a cracking sound, and asked.

"Before I tear you limb from limb, let me ask you something. Who the hell are you? Why do you keep hanging around me?"

"It's not me hanging around you, it's the other way around."

"Whatever, you bastard. I'm in a mood, you know? If you don't want to die without even leaving a last word, answer quickly."

"It's just the owner trying to get his property back."

I moved my hand cautiously.

My fingertips, advancing like a crawling ant, reached the holster.

He saw this and didn't stop me.

"Did you say that was the Mage Tower's item? So you interfered with me. It was a very elaborate trick. Thanks to that, I got a lot of nagging from my companion."

"Losing money at the gambling den wasn't a trick related to the request, it was because you were stupid."

"...Hehe, you crazy bastard. You're about to die, aren't you scared? You should be crying and begging for your life."

"Are you planning on letting me live?"

"Do you think I am? You won't even leave a corpse, let alone a drop of blood."

Buggy slammed his two fists together in front of his chest.

The thumping sound went beyond the realm of sound and spread as a shockwave.

My fluttering hair tickled my skin.

"Still, I'm glad you're a guy with guts. It'll be fun to kill you."

He flicked his finger.

"I hope you're a rat that's fun to play with until my thirst is quenched."

"You're full of shit."

I pulled the pistol from the holster.

"I have no intention of playing with you."

He crossed his two arms, covering his upper body.

It was a foolish intention to charge straight ahead if I shot.

He would be able to block it.

Even if it was an enchanted bullet, it was powerless against a guy who was no different from a human tank.

It was better to aim for a variable than to waste bullets meaninglessly, but...

Bang! Bang-bang-bang!

I shot.

I didn't aim at him, but fired indiscriminately.

"Are your hands shaking because you're scared!"

"We'll see."

I did what I could.

I was also looking forward to how the result would turn out.

(End of Chapter)