Akasha ......?

The words sounded familiar. I looked again at the huge humanoid figure that had been brought onto the stage.
I squinted at it for a while, but after a few tens of seconds, I finally remembered.

It was the giant golem that had attacked him in the wilderness before.
The strange markings on its head were gone, and he had only seen it at close range, so he hadn't noticed it.

But why on earth was it being auctioned off? It must have been left out in the wilderness after Liz had fought it and it had stopped moving.

It is customary for large or heavy prey to be carried around using the mage's 'float' magic. If you don't have such means, you have no choice but to leave it behind.

The materials of monsters defeated outside the city implicitly belong to the person who defeated them. If the person who defeated the demon does not bring it back, its ownership is basically transferred to the next person who finds it.
I don't know who it was, but someone must have found it and brought it back to the city.

But it's not just a doll, it's a golem.
I've been attacked by one. It's not the kind of thing I want to encounter again. I don't want to claim ownership of it now, but if possible, I'd like to see it cast down and wiped out.

The auction started with a price of 30 million guilders, and the price is rising at the fastest pace of the day.
I have no idea what it's worth. I'd rather buy treasure than buy a mere golem for such a large sum.

I was going to participate in the treasure auction, but I was disappointed. As I was biting down on a sigh, I heard Liz call out to Sitri.

'Sito, that ......'.

'...... uh,yeah.'

Citry's eyes widened and his shoulders shook. That's when I first noticed that something was wrong with Sitri.

She is looking down at the black golem with an expression not normally associated with her calm demeanor. Her hands on her knees were clenched tightly.

The bidding was heated. There was someone who really wanted it, and the two men were raising the price furiously. The price had passed the 100 million mark, and the MC's voice was filled with enthusiasm.

Citri is an alchemist, an expert in golems, so to speak. I wonder if he has any thoughts.

'Do you want one?

'............ No, no.'

Citry paused briefly, then slowly shook his head. But his eyes were moist.

As an introvert, Cicely doesn't often express her own opinions. In particular, he tends to take a step back when he has a conflict of opinion with me.

Perhaps noticing the color of my gaze, he says in a quiet voice, as if making an excuse. However, his words were filled with strong emotion.

'So,' he said,......, 'that ............ thing was made after years of trial and error,....... It's been ...... made over many years of trial and error, and the ...... cost is enormous, but that ...... isn't the only thing that's important. ...'

His voice trembled as he struggled to explain. I have no idea what it is, but it's something amazing.

I wondered if there were other people who knew the value of it besides Citry, and the amount of money spent on it was unending. The host probably didn't expect that an auction that started at 30 million guilders would surpass 200 million guilders. And the price has gone up further.

I can only tell by the numbers, but the number of bidders has increased by one to three. They must be very rich.

'That ...... thing, I don't know what everyone else thinks of it, but it's like a memento of a fellow ...... person, so to speak.'

'...... memorabilia?'

That's ridiculous. The golem was created by Akasha, according to Liz, and Citri had nothing to do with it.


'...... no, ............ no, that's not true ......... ...is. You don't have to ...... worry about Cry-san. ......'

I let out a small sigh. I reached out and shook the hand that lay in my lap.

'Sitri is a liar.

My eyes are blind, but unfortunately I know my childhood friend very well.
No, even if he wasn't my childhood friend, I wouldn't believe a word he said with a face that looked like he was about to cry.

The price is going up and up, and has already exceeded 300 million. One person has been eliminated from the bidding, and two people remain.

And one of them is me.

It's Citri's money to begin with. There's no treasure I'd rather have than ignore the one my childhood friend cries for.
I lick my lips and whisper to myself to cheer myself up.

He licked his lips and whispered to himself, 'This is when you use money.

A memento of a friend. Perhaps he did not mean what he said.
Akasha is a dangerous magic society with a bounty on its head. It's highly unlikely that Citry's companion is a member of that society.

But the look on Citri's face was not normal. Sitri is a child who can put up with most things.

Perhaps he meant that the golem was made of technology created by Citly's fellow alchemists.

The MC said that the golem was not a golem but a "doll".
That means that the appraiser could not determine that it was a golem.

So, yeah. My guess is this.

The latest golem manufacturing technology created by Citri's friends was stolen by the Akasha Tower, and that technology was used in abundance in that golem.
That's why the moment Citly saw that golem, he was so shocked that he couldn't hold back his emotions.

Maybe that companion of his is really already dead.

Magic societies always do the worst things. In order to obtain and monopolize the technology, they would be willing to commit a murder or two.

It's just my imagination, but I think it's a pretty good one, don't you?

Am I--am I brilliant today?

To be honest, I don't know how Citly feels. Even if you were to explain it to me in detail, I probably wouldn't feel it.

But that doesn't make me misbehave. I'm the leader of Strange Glyphs before I'm a Thousand Transformations.

Tee asked suspiciously, ''What? Are you sure you want to do this? Are you sure you want to use that weird doll? Doesn't it have to be a treasure trove? But it's ...... okay. It's all right.

It's Citry's money to begin with. .......

'............What?'

Citry's eyes widened at my words. Did he think that I would put his own needs before Citly's tears?
I was being too trusting. You should show your desires a little more.



Liz rolled her eyes, always showing her desires out in the open and living a seemingly stress-free life.

I'm not sure what to say. Could it be that ............ Cry-chan, you're doing it?

'............But magic societies always do a bad job.'

Citry's trembling fingertips grow stronger. He is looking at the stage as if to bite down hard. It reminded him of the old days, when he was still unsure of everything.

Lizzie crossed her legs, glanced sideways at me and asked.

'But, Cry, is the mask okay? I'll put up with it, right?

'............ Ah. It's fine, that thing. It's like nothing compared to that.'

'chuckle............ you're holding back, aren't you?

That's why my childhood friend ...... knows me as well as I know Sitri.


'I'm not ....... It is true that I wanted that treasure, but this is much more important.

'............ Oh, thank you, thank you. I didn't see that coming at all--Kry. ............ I'll make it up to you.

I'll make it up to you, it's not my money. .......

'Don't worry about it. Besides, I haven't gotten it yet, so it's too early to thank me.'

'.................. Yes.'

Sitri's voice sounded overwhelmed. He was so excited that his normally white skin turned bright red up to his ears.
I wouldn't have been so moved even if I had been the one to bid on the mask.

It's not that I gave up on the mask in the first place.

The signal I gave to Tino was to raise the price by one unit.
Citri had prepared a price of about 950 million guineas. Assuming that her plan works and we can drop the mask for a little less than 200 million guilders, we'll have 750 million guilders to spend.

I don't know much about alchemy, but I don't think 750 million would be enough for a single golem, even with the latest technology.
The price of the golem goes up little by little in front of me as I sit deep in my chair with a relaxed expression on my face.

Two hundred million to three hundred million. 300 million to--400 million. Four hundred million!

Wait a minute, who are you!
I can't believe you would spend that kind of money on a golem that is treated as a mere doll.

Four hundred million. 400 million will buy you four treasures worth millions.
The auction room was quiet as the price rose unexpectedly. The person who had brought it in must have been very surprised.

The first price was 30 million. The first price was 30 million. I said I could pay up to 750 million, but my guess was that I could get it for about 300 million.
Sitri clutched her hand to her chest and watched the progress with a nervous look on her face. I had no choice but to cross my arms in a relaxed manner.

Do you want it? Sitri, do you really want it?
No, I'm sorry. It's okay. It's his money. It's fine, but... .......

I don't know about you, but I think he's a little crazy about money. He's not going to pull out halfway.

The price goes up and up and up. There's only one person ...... to deal with.
How could the price of a doll that no one was paying attention to rise so high? Who would have imagined that at an auction when the mask was attracting all the attention?

'This--who would have thought! Five hundred million guineas! We've finally broken the 500 million guild mark! From here on, the smallest unit will be 20 million guilders. Five hundred and twenty million! We've got 520 million!

520 million ...... millionaire? Well, that's still not nearly as much as I owe.
Is this one of the downsides of auctions? I'm sure the competitors didn't expect anyone to pay more than 500 million for a single doll.

The price is slowly being raised in the smallest units. The tingling tension and the strange elation are the best part of the auction, but this time, it was not something I wanted, so I just hoped that the competitor would give up soon.

When the price exceeded 660 million, Citry said with a tearful expression.

'...... Mr. Cry, ...... that's enough. At this rate, Mr. Krai will ...... have more.'

This price is unexpected. I wouldn't have been able to afford it if I hadn't made all the preparations to buy the mask.

But let me tell you-- the money, it's all yours. I didn't pay a single guild because I didn't have the money. I'm sorry.

I say to Citly not to worry about it.

'There's nothing to worry about. ...... So. Actually, I was originally collecting money to buy the golem.'

'! I didn't ...... notice it at all and ............ thought it was ...... Cry's usual again. I thought it was ......'.

The usual ...... I didn't answer anything, and turned my gaze to the stage.

Give up, you know, we have 750 million. Stand down at this point.
Please step aside. On your knees? If I get down on my knees, will you step aside? I will.

My prayers were unanswered, and the host shouted excitedly.

'We're up 100 million! Seven hundred and sixty million-- number twenty-five, seven hundred and sixty million!

Who the hell is number twenty-five?

Tino, who knows my budget and to some extent my situation, is looking up at me with wide eyes. I silently gave him a thumbs up to continue.
My stomach is churning. Now, unless the lady gives up, there is no future for me to get the mask.



だがしかし,それならば僕は――絶対にこのゴーレムを手に入れて見せる. 死中に活を見出すのだ.
もしかしたら相手の予算は僕達よりもはるか上で,どうやっても手に入れることができない可能性もあるが,最善を尽くして勝てなければシトリーちゃんも諦めるだろう.

きっと相手も辛いはずだ. 物の最初の値段は三千万ギールだったのだ.

勝てる可能性は……なくはないと思う. 一億の上乗せは相手の精一杯――限界だろう. 限界でなくても限界は近いはずだ.
僕は大きく深呼吸をして,おどおどしているティノに新たな合図を送る.

これで――とどめだ.

'ッ！？ 更に一億アップ！ 八億六千万ギールが出ましたッ！ 六十六番,八億六千万ギールですッ！'

ゲロ吐きそうだ. ここまで一つのアイテムに大金を使うのは久しぶりである.
胃がムカムカする. 十桁借金などといっても,それは積もり積もったものであって,根っこが貧乏人である僕にとってこの感覚はストレスに近い.

ぞくぞくするような戦慄. さすがに一億アップは予想外だったのか,新たな声が上がる気配はない.
剣こそ交えていなくとも,これは間違いなく戦いだった.

八億六千万ギールって白貨何枚分？ 重さ何十キロ？ 小切手？

'他におりませんでしょうか？ 八億六千万ギール. 八億六千万ギールです. 後三十秒で,六十六番の落札になりますッ！'

死ね. 死んでしまえ. 諦めろッ！

大きく深呼吸をする. ただただいつも信じていない神に祈りを捧げる.
シトリーはまるで嵐の過ぎ去るのを待っているかのようにじっと身を縮めている.

限界はすぐ目の前だった.

八億六千万ギールあったら一生遊んで暮らせるからね. 結婚資金ってシトリーはそんなに何に使うのだろうか.
どうでもいい言葉が脳裏でぐるぐると回っている. 現実逃避とも言う.

まだ三十秒過ぎないのか！？ 一秒が一分にも十分にも感じられる.
時間が限りなく引き伸ばされる. 黒ゴーレムがシャンデリアに照らされ鈍く光っている. ステージの隣のタキシード姿の司会が口を開きかける.

そして,司会の眼が大きく見開かれた.

'きゅ……九億六千万ギール'

'！？'

'九億六千万ギールッ！ 出ましたッ！ 二十五番,九億六千万ギールですッ！'

今度こそ僕は確かに血の気の凍るような思いを感じた.

一体何なんだ？ 商会か,貴族が相手なのか？ ありえない. ただのゴーレムだよ！？ なんであんなゴーレムにそんな大金を出せるのか.

シトリーが呆然としたように目を見開いていた. 大きく開いた瞳から一筋の涙が頬を滑り落ちる.
リィズが深々とため息をつく.

'あーあ. 運がなかったねぇ……クライちゃんが負けるなんて,珍しい. 武器でもなんでも売っておくべきだったね. ……まぁ,しょうがないか'

僕には宝具のコレクションがあるが,オークションでの落札で現物での支払いは認められていない. 小切手か現金か,そのどちらかだけだ.
シトリーが顔を伏せる. ティノが呆然としたような眼で僕を見ている.

頬が引きつっているのを感じていた. 小さく頷く.
そして,ざわめきの中,司会の声が響き渡った.




'十億ッ！？ 六十六番――,十億六千万ギールですッ！'

'え……？'

シトリーが涙を流したまま,混乱しているような顔で僕を見る.

シトリーの集めた予算は九億五千万ギール. 高額で落札して払えなかった場合,重い罪に問われる事を考えるとそれ以上は禁忌だ.

穏やかな気分だった. 先程まで内心にあった波乱は既に欠片も残っていない.
明鏡止水. 僕はついに境地にたどり着いた. 穏やかな笑みを浮かべ,シトリーの手を握りしめる.

'だから言っただろ,心配いらないって……いや,少しは心配してほしいけど'

具体的に言うのならば――そう. 一緒にルシアに土下座してください.
やばい. ルシアの貯金の半分以上を勝手に使ってしまった. だが後悔はしていない. 後悔はしていないぞ,僕は.

ああああああああああああッ！



'時間終了です. 激戦を制したのは――六十六番――トレジャーハンター,グレッグ・ザンギフ様ッ！ 金属の巨大人形,十億六千万ギールでの落札です！ 勇猛果敢に勝ち抜いたハンターに皆様,惜しみない拍手をッ！'

万雷の喝采の中,ティノの隣に座っていたグレッグ様が青ざめた表情で僕を見上げていた.