I adjusted my collar as I stepped further into the auction hall, letting my casual posture carry the weight of apparent boredom. I had been observing long enough; now it was time to participate. There was no need for subtlety here—just the right touch of presence to blend in while projecting competence.
The room's energy hummed with tension, each magical artifact and relic resonating faintly with the circuits of those present. I scanned the items quickly, noting potential: a cursed mirror that could capture fragments of a soul, a blade infused with anti-matter energy, and a small statuette that seemed inert until you traced the circuits etched into its base. All valuable, all manipulable.
Then, the doors opened, and she stepped in.
The Noblewoman: Rei Kagetsu
Age: 18 Circuit: Ice and Psychic hybrid Personality: Cold, regal, composed, radiates authority without speaking; utterly disdainful of laziness or carelessness Background: Heiress of the Kagetsu family, one of the oldest and most powerful noble houses in Arkion; trained from birth to dominate in both combat and diplomacy
Her eyes scanned the room with a precise, predatory calculation. And then they landed on me.
I felt a ripple of amusement. Interesting. She did not approach me with the polite smiles of other nobles' children. She did not tolerate laziness, idleness, or nonchalance. In other words, she disliked me instantly.
I, Arata Kurogane, simply tilted my head and continued to study the artifacts as if she weren't there, letting my nonchalant demeanor send a clear message: I do not care about your presence.
Her gaze lingered. For a moment, I caught a slight narrowing of her eyes—subtle, but enough to indicate irritation. Perfect. It's always fun when someone tries to burn me with attention I never gave them.
A small bell chimed. The first item went up for bidding—a gemstone that shimmered with a trapped fire spirit. It had potential as a power amplifier, but the current price was ridiculous. I raised my hand almost lazily.
"Ten thousand gold," I said, in a tone that suggested it wasn't important to me.
Murmurs ran through the crowd. The noblewoman, Rei, barely flinched but whispered sharply to her attendant, "Who is that insolent boy?"
I smiled faintly to myself. Insolent? I've done nothing but observe, yet my apathy is enough to annoy her.
The auctioneer nodded, "Ten thousand gold from… young sir? Do I hear fifteen?"
I weighed it mentally: the fire gemstone's circuit alignment matched a latent hypothesis I had about explosive energy accumulation. Its potential exceeded its price by far. Acquire it. Not for show, but for experiments. For understanding. For fun.
I raised my hand again. "Fifteen thousand," I said smoothly, almost lazily.
Murmurs rose. Rei Kagetsu, the cold ice-psychic prodigy, finally moved with her handmaid, approaching the front. She bid sharply, "Twenty thousand. Do not underestimate its value."
I tilted my head, considering her, the gemstone, and the energy flows in the room. She tried to assert dominance, trying to make the auction a personal duel, but her style was rigid—predictable. I decided it was amusing enough to play along.
"Twenty-five," I said, casual, letting the number slide off my tongue as though speaking to myself.
She raised an eyebrow, lips curling faintly in contempt. Good. I enjoyed the tension she radiated. A frozen blade trying to pierce a casual haze.
I allowed myself a small smirk. She doesn't like me. Perfect. Let's see how rigid noble ice bends under controlled chaos.
Every microexpression, every subtle adjustment in posture, every pulse from her Psychic circuit, I recorded mentally. I cataloged the energy required to manipulate her perception subtly if necessary—nothing lethal, just enough to enjoy the game. I also noticed the circuits of the other young prodigies, still watching the exchange with curiosity, trying to gauge my skill.
Observation complete. Now, participation. Let's make this interesting.
The auctioneer moved to the next item, a small obsidian dagger etched with protective wards. Rei's eyes flickered, interested—her posture stiffened. I allowed a faint smirk. Ah, I see you like sharp objects that reflect your personality. I like sharp objects too.
I raised my hand again, casually. "Three thousand," I said softly, as though speaking to the air.
A few eyes turned my way. The price was reasonable, but I wasn't bidding to compete with her, nor to impress anyone. I bid because I want it, and because I can. Nothing more.
Rei's lips tightened. She whispered something under her breath, and then a subtle frost shimmer traced the edges of her fingers. A small intimidation spell. Amusing. My mind calculated a counter: a microcircuit interference, just enough to neutralize the frost signature without attracting attention. No one else would notice—but I would enjoy the little psychological game.
I realized, again, why I loved this sort of event. Here, every artifact, every gesture, every bid, every flicker of a circuit was a variable. Everyone else thought it was about wealth or status. For me, it was data collection, analysis, and entertainment.
And Rei Kagetsu? She was my favorite piece in the room. Cold, royal, disciplined… and absolutely unwilling to tolerate someone like me, a casual nonchalant shadow drifting through the brilliance of her family's world.
I let the auction continue, quietly raising or lowering bids, letting her try to dominate the transactions, subtly influencing the energy flows so that my bids would never appear overly aggressive but always just enough to win if I wanted. I didn't need to win—yet winning would amuse me more than losing.
The great families' children, their pride and circuits, their sense of superiority… all these variables are mine to study.
By the end of the session, I had acquired a handful of artifacts, none of them life-altering, but all of them data-rich. Each one gave me a deeper understanding of how energy, magic, and circuits interacted on the eastern continent. And Rei? She left with a glare that practically screamed, This boy is an irritant I cannot ignore.
I smiled faintly to myself as I stepped out of the auction house. Good. That was fun.
The streets of Arkion awaited, alive with circuits, hidden dangers, and potential chaos. And I, a background character in everyone else's eyes, had already begun writing the invisible script that would shape the city for years to come.