The Duke’s Madness

A middle-aged man with a bulging stomach.

Hamburg Ericsson’s voice echoes through the theater.

“This is Erison from Hamburg, the owner of the ＜Lalalal＞ auction house.”

Fierce applause erupted from the audience.

Leon, who was watching the scene, muttered with a trembling expression.

“I don’t think he would come out himself… . I just sent Martial.”

“… .”

“Has this made things easier? If you secretly follow and assassinate him after the auction is over, it will be over.”

With these words, it was time for Leon to think about how to assassinate the slave trader Hamburg.

Turning his gaze at the sudden feeling of incongruity, he looked at Arthur.

“… isn’t it?”

“yes?”

“What’s wrong with your expression? what i think… Isn’t it like that?”

Arthur tilted his head.

“Why is my expression?”

“You must have the expression of a child on the verge of an accident… .”

“Are you buying? Hey, why am I having an accident?”

Leon shuts up at the answer.

‘… Ominous? No, it’s not ominous, it’s unsettling.’

I thought it would make sense, but it seemed like I was going to have an accident.

Although he wondered if he would do such an ignorant thing in a place like this, Leon couldn’t shake off the uneasy feeling.

‘no way… . probably not No matter how crazy he is, he’s not completely turned around.’

With a murmur, Leon looked away.

Hamburg Erisson on the stage was explaining the auction method.

“Our auctions are done on a bidding basis.”

“… .”

“When the slave comes out, write the amount on the sign you received and lift it up. what… Shall we begin with this explanation?”

Hamburg giggles.

“The slaves on display behind me have been impatient since a while ago. Some of them are already shaking their butts at the sight of a new master!”

At these words, laughter erupted from the audience.

The first to appear was an adult male.

“I will briefly explain. I am 32 years old. Occupation is unemployed. Poor fellow who borrowed money from our moneylender, gambled it all away and signed a slave contract.”

Hamburg kicked the man in the face, who was trembling while wearing a metal leash.

“Heuk!”

The man, who was so skinny that his bones were clearly visible, collapsed helplessly to the floor.

Hamburg, who crushed his head with his foot, exaggeratedly raised his hand.

“All I know how to do is eat, sleep and poop. He’s a very unnecessary guy… Don’t you know again? Does anyone care about these worthless bodies?”

Boos erupted from the audience.

“Who would buy a guy like that!”

“Even a warlock wouldn’t even pay attention to such scum!”

Hamburg laughed.

“but! I bet! Who would buy this crap? But again, I don’t know, so I’ll ask! Are there any bidders?”

The booing that burst out at the question stopped.

“… .”

Silence fell at the same time.

Hamburg, who watched the scene from the stage, raised an eyebrow.

“As expected, no one has the nasty hobby of picking up trash. then… ”

Silent, he stabs the man’s head with a knife he doesn’t know where he got it from.

“… Kuck!”

With a scream, the man who burst into tears met his death.

Silence fell over the audience watching the scene.

“Such rubbish… Shouldn’t you kill me right away?”

“… .”

“A worm that eats other people’s money and has no ability to pay it back. First of all, I received the interest through death, so next time I will have to get the principal from his parents!”

With these words, Hamburg bows.

The audience who watched the restrained greeting broke the silence and shouted.

“Ha ha ha ha!”

“As expected, I am the president of Hamburg!”

“yes! We are here to see a show like that!”

At that maddened cry, Leon opens his mouth.

In the meantime, Hamburg giggles and declares.

“ruler! So shall we begin in earnest? The greatest slave show on earth! ＜Lalalalal＞ Auction!”

* * *

Auction begins.

“300 gold! out! Are there any more!?”

“The gentleman over there called for 350 gold! When the countdown ends, you can no longer bid!”

“what!? Another gentleman over there asked for 500 gold! Are there any more? If there are no more, I will end it now!”

Boos and exclamations in it.

And cheers erupt.

At the same time, death also descended.

“aaagh!”

Slaves not chosen.

They were decapitated by a knife in Hamburg’s hand, leaving them cold.

People in the audience burst into laughter at the sight.

“To die is to die like garbage!”

“I don’t know why these guys were born!”

With the shouts, the atmosphere in the auction house became increasingly overheated.

Leon, who was watching the scene, murmured.

‘… trash bastards. Do you play with people’s lives like that?’

It was when Leon, involuntarily biting his lip, was filled with anger.

Arthur, who was next to him, abruptly poked his head.

“You’re not going to have an accident, are you?”

“… What do you mean?”

“Just in case. If you get into an accident, you will be in trouble, so please stay calm.”

Leon narrowed his eyes and murmured.

“… Are you doing what I say?”

“Prince, you are a strange person.”

“I? Aren’t you?”

“Compared to the prince, I belong to the top.”

Leon shook his head.

“… Wherever you go, don’t talk like that. I am patient with it.”

“I agree too. One piece of advice: people who are crazy usually don’t know they’re crazy.”

“… .”

“There is no shame in going to a psychiatric hospital, so please visit it once, Prince.”

At this, Arthur laughed.

Leon muttered with a puzzled expression on his face.

‘I get goosebumps every time this happens. Maybe this is real madness?’

Along with the thought, Leon let out a sigh.

It may not have been intentional, but thanks to Arthur, the excitement subsided.

Leon rubbed his forehead and asked a question.

“… Should we wait until the auction is over?”

“Yes. or not… ”

Arthur, who was speechless, raises the corner of his mouth.

“An accident could happen before then. Let’s watch.”

Leon nodded.

In the meantime, the auction proceeded at a rapid pace, and the atmosphere became more and more heated.

“aaagh-!”

Men and women.

Even children and ‘prisoners’ who are out of the ordinary human appearance.

Various races came up and were sold to their ransomed masters.

The amount ranged from as little as 100 gold to as much as 3,000 gold.

The quality and condition of slaves.

And it depended on the ability they had, mainly beastmen were sold at exorbitant prices.

‘hmm… Even the ‘prisoners’ come out as slaves. Hamburg How many connections does that man have?’

Humans with a very special lineage like Taken.

Thanks to that blood, they were far from ordinary human appearances, and people called them ‘beasts’.

‘A while ago, the woman was a ‘cat’… Is this man a ‘dog’?’

Then, suddenly, darkness falls.

“… ?”

Silence fell in the audience seats, which had been tumultuous at the incident.

In the midst of that, Hamburg raised both hands and shouted.

“ruler… Now the fun entertainment is over.”

“… ?”

“Bite, bite, chew, taste… The auction is over. From now on, the ‘real’ competition.”

With these words, Hamburg raises its mouth.

“The best auction to climax tonight! The highlight of this festival! I think some of you here probably didn’t come for this moment!”

A low laugh emanates from the audience at the shout.

Arthur narrowed his gaze and muttered.

‘what? Why does it feel familiar?’

The moment Arthur tilted his head along with his thoughts, the lights turned on.

At the same time, the darkness recedes, and a girl trapped in an iron cage rises onto the stage.

“… !”

Some spectators who were watching could not stand it and got up from their seats.

“That… .”

“Oh oh… .”

“So beautiful. Indeed, it deserves to be called a celestial mummy.”

A sigh mixed with deep desire bursts out with a murmur.

In that sticky atmosphere, Hamburg bows with a restrained motion.

“Let me introduce you. The owner of a forest that disappeared a thousand years ago. A human of noble lineage who inherited the blood of his master.”

Arthur raised an eyebrow.

At the same time, Hamburg shouted.

“Not a half-elf, but an elf who inherited the blood of the real owner! The descendant of a race called Celestial Beauty is the final protagonist of this auction!”

* * *

“500 gold-!”

“1000 gold-!”

“1500 gold-!”

The highest winning bid of today’s auction is renewed along with a series of shouts.

“2000 gold!”

“3000 gold!”

At some point, the amount reached an amount beyond imagination, surpassing the amount that could be used to buy a mansion in District A.

Hamburg, who was watching the scene from the stage, trembled with delight.

‘More, more, more! It’s still not enough, more and more!”

A festival painstakingly prepared for today.

There is still a long way to go before reaching the amount worthy of the festival.

‘At least ten thousand gold. Considering the ransom of elves… . Even more is possible!’

So don’t react.

Don’t get excited.

I had to fake my emotions and relax to get them excited.

A good show host should elicit reactions from the audience, not create them.

And this judgment worked.

The audience became more enthusiastic and sincere when Hamburg, which had been conducting exaggerated auctions, calmed down.

‘That’s… Elf.’

‘How can you look like that…’

‘I can’t believe it.’

‘If I miss this time, there might not be another one.’

‘You must have it. Even if you spend a lot of money, you must have it.’

Hamburg snapped his fingers at the sticky desire that came through.

Ting-!

A weak medicine that spreads at that moment.

It was a very simple aphrodisiac that heightened excitement, but the effect was excellent.

Thanks to this aphrodisiac, the audience, who were already excited, shook their bodies regardless of whether they were men or women.

In that heated atmosphere, a man holds up a sign.

“Six thousand gold.”

Hamburg thought with her eyes shining.

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Now is the time to act.

“6,000 gold is out! Are there any more?”

In response, someone raised a sign with 7,000 gold written on it.

“7,000 gold is out! Are there any more?”

The atmosphere filled with madness naturally breaks down at a price range that can buy a medium-sized company.

But it wasn’t Hamburg to watch it.

“this! Come to think of it, I didn’t explain this elf!”

With a cry, Hamburg grabs the iron cage and shakes it.

The leashed elf swayed back and forth.

“This elf is 25 years old! I heard that he was a D-class mercenary active in the back streets of Arcane!”

A murmur erupted from the audience at the explanation.

“mercenary?”

“Aren’t you a young kid if you’re a D-class mercenary?”

“Do you have any abilities?”

Hamburg, who caught the incident without missing it, quickly continued the explanation.

“As a result of the appraisal, he has a contract with a mid-level spirit sylph, and his marksmanship is very good. If you hadn’t owed us, you might have become a mercenary quite famous.”

Some spectators expressed deep curiosity.

It was because the elemental magician was considered more valuable than the magician.

Hamburg, who was watching the reaction, pointed to a sign with 7,000 gold written on it and said.

“If no one bids higher than 7,000 gold while counting 10 seconds, I will admit it as a successful bid! Then 10… 9… 8,000 gold came out!”

Again the sign was lifted at high speed.

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Nine thousand gold, ten thousand gold. Thirteen thousand gold… .

It barely calmed down after the amount rose to 15,000 gold.

“… Even an elf burns 15,000 gold?”

“Are you insane?”

“How on earth is a person full of rotten money?”

Audience seats shake with gossip.

Leon, who watched the auction, was no different.

“Fifteen thousand gold… ? Aren’t you crazy?”

That money was enough to buy a small estate.

In other words, the ransom of the elves over there was comparable to that of a small estate.

Because of that, no more competitors came out, and Hamburg declared in ecstasy.

“Well, then… Bid for 15,000 gold… .”

Then Arthur heard the sign.

“… ?”

All eyes turned to Arthur.

Hamburg was no different.

Inside, someone screamed in horror.

“This, 20,000 gold!?”

With these words, everyone holds their breath.

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No matter how rotten and overflowing a person is, how can you raise it from 15,000 gold to 20,000 gold at once?

Even if it went against common sense, it was so devastating.

Because of that, Hamburg throws a question as if he can’t believe it.

“Cow, guest. Aren’t you spelling it wrong? 2, 20,000 gold really… Are you willing to pay?”

Arthur nodded.

Leon, who was watching the scene from the side, blinked his eyes in amazement.

[Now, are you crazy! Why buy an elf all of a sudden!]

With that cry, Leon grabbed Arthur’s collar, but it was too late.

Arthur stood up and shouted.

“I really want to live. May I ask you a question?”

“ji… You mean the question?”

“yes. I have a question.”

Hamburg swallowed dryly and answered.

“yes. Anything can be answered. Just ask.”

Arthur smiles and opens his mouth.

“You look happy, would you be sad if I died right here?”

“yes?”

“You look very happy, how would you feel if you died right here?”

Hamburg blinked at the question without context.

However, he soon came to his senses and answered.

“hahahaha! That’s a philosophical question. But it’s also an easy question. Surely it would be sad!?”

With a shout, Hamburg’s eyes shine.

“A customer is buying this elf for 20,000 gold. Who wouldn’t be sad if someone died?”

Arthur sighed and nodded.

“Yes. You won’t spend money in hell… .”

Arthur, who was speechless, smiled brightly.

Then, he pulls out the beast from his bosom.

Leon, who had been watching silently from below, stretched out his hand in surprise, but it was already too late.

bang-!!!

With a resounding explosion, something flying through the darkness crushes Hamburg.

“… !”

Hamburg, which has been compressed in an instant without even screaming, becomes a round marble.

The audience who watched the unrealistic spectacle blinked their eyes.

“Oh my… . You said you win, so you’re messing around like this.”

With these words, Arthur jumped up onto the stage.

Then he picked up the marbled Hamburg and looked around.

‘Is it compressed?’

Arthur looked away with a thought.

The elf trapped inside the iron cage was lost in his mind.

“hmm… . I didn’t expect to see you again like this.”

Arthur raised a corner of his mouth and said hello.

“How have you been, Ginny?”