Chương 66: A hidden shade – Chapter 22
Not long after Hiroki confirmed his first payment from selling his energy drinks to the blonde merchant, he divided the money into different categories.
Most went for all of the slaves he had bought, some for the expenses of the house, some for his personal benefits, and some for Aya, who was soon going to prepare for the upcoming tournament.
The tournament was going to be an important part ever since Hiroki had joined the society of this world. However, the reason wasn't simply as the guildmaster had indicated some months ago. No, if someone thought that the guildmaster was kind enough to offer such a thing, it would be ridiculous. And Hiroki was already aware of that.
He wasn't sure if it was a coincidence that the strongest knight thought that Aya was related to him just because of his hair. And the solution to figuring this out would be to prove her skills through this upcoming tournament.
Hiroki, of course, had already anticipated that something like this would happen, which is why he did some research in secret in order to find more clues about this so-called tournament. And what he found was rather interesting.
Apparently, this tournament is held once every five or six years in order to find potential swordsmen or elementalists who know how to fight and use their abilities to their best. A whole audience would be present, along with someone from royalty. That way, they can also recruit new soldiers or knights for their kingdom.
Even though they had been in treaty for a long time with the other kingdoms, the king was strict about training and maintaining his military discipline and strength in case a war broke out.
However, the guild master's purpose wasn't to simply show the king her potential.
Hiroki knew that the guildmaster wanted to make Aya publicly recognized despite the fact that she had white hair.
And the true reason behind that?
'....Is he trying to create a safe public figure with people with white hair?' Hiroki thought at that time as he read through the book he had found.
There were many possibilities with the guildmaster's objective. However, Hiroki knew that he had to be careful with any decisions he may take in the future.
Hiroki was currently patiently awaiting Aya's arrival as she carried additional clothes and equipment stored in her dimensional pocket. This explained why his mind was occupied with various thoughts, recalling the different situations that could potentially lead them to journey towards Holl Town.
It was early in the morning, and Holl Town wasn't that close by. That's why they asked the guild if there were any carts or merchants that required protection during the trip.
Mirai, of course, already had a bunch of requests like that, that's why she quickly found one that departed as soon as possible before instructing them when and where.
Very early in the morning, after giving instructions to the slaves on what to do during their absence in the mansion, Hiroki went with Aya somewhere near the border of the town, where the supposed merchant was waiting.
They looked around until they saw a certain bald merchant, wearing casual clothes, waiting with another figure that had covered its whole body with a dark cloak by his side.
"Are you perhaps the adventurers that are coming with me?" the merchant asked as he saw the approaching duo in dark cloaks.
"Yes," Hiroki responded, "we don't need any payment for as long as we can travel on your cart to Holl Town. I hope that's fine with you."
"If that's so, then it's a pleasure to have you both with me today."
The chubby merchant smiled and pointed towards the back of his cart, ready to be pulled by three horses..
"We were just about to depart, so hop on."
The cart departed as the merchant was leading his horses at the front of the carriage, while at the back were several bags of merchandise. And on the inside of the cart, Hiroki, Aya, and the cloaked third guardian were sitting side by side without saying or doing anything.
Aya couldn't help but throw glances at that person, despite the fact that she and Hiroki wore cloaks that covered their heads. However, this third guardian seemed to have completely covered itself, to the point where only a dark shadow could be noticed under its hoodie.
The silence between the three of them continued for several hours until the third cloaked guardian decided to speak.
"Are you guys also participating in the tournament?" The voice of a female inquired.
Aya glanced at Hiroki, getting a nod of confirmation.
"Yes, we are," Aya softly responded. "But how did you know?"
"Hehe~ you can say that I have a sense for knowing new people." The girlish voice giggled as she spoke. "Just like your white hair that both of you are trying to hide."
While Aya gave a slight flinch, trying to hide her hair from falling out of the disguise, Hiroki remained silent, his eyes sending cautious glances towards the girlish voice under that cloak.
"You seem comfortable knowing that we have such hair, despite not knowing who we are." Hiroki commented.
"Well, I know that none of you have any ill intentions towards me. So why should I be worried?" Her smile could be heard through her voice as she responded.
Then, as she explained that she held no intentions or was afraid due to their strange white hair, she slightly turned her head towards them.
"So may I know why you're participating in the tournament despite having such strange hair?"
"Why would we tell you our reasons to a person who is hiding her face?" Hiroki inquired. However, a hint of curiosity could be felt in his tone.
The girl giggled before turning towards Hiroki.
"You are right. I'm sorry about that."
And as she said that, she pulled down her cloak covering her head and revealed her face to both Hiroki and Aya.
And just as she sounded, she appeared to be a teenage girl.
With dark, choppy hair that fell just short of her shoulders, and bright golden eyes that gleamed with youthful energy, the girl gave off an aura of innocence and cheerfulness. However, despite this, Aya and Hiroki couldn't help but notice a jagged scar that marred the left side of her cheek, an unexpected blemish on an otherwise youthful and vibrant face.
"My name is Alexia, and as you can see, I'm also heading to the tournament that is going to be held in Holl Town." She smiled as she introduced herself.
Aya looked towards Hiroki before looking back at Alexia and then lowering her cloak, covering her hair as well.
"I am Aya."
"Hiroki." The white-haired boy also added without bothering to even move.
"Nice to meet you both." The cheerful, dark-haired girl said.
The inside of the cart fell into silence, with neither Hiroki nor Aya offering any immediate reaction. However, the prolonged silence didn't align with the nature of this lively and spirited girl.
"So may I know why you're entering the tournament?" Alexia asked. "Is it about honor? Money? Or status?.....or is it perhaps…."
Her smile quickly shifted into a serious one, and her eyes relaxed into a serious one as she looked at the duo in white hair.
"It's because a certain knight named Ryosaki happened to take an interest in Aya." Hiroki explained. "He thinks that Aya's strange hair is due to her being related to his family or something like that. Not that I would understand the reason behind his mentality."
The dark-haired girl's eyes widened in slight surprise.
"You mean Sir Ryosaki? As the strongest knight in the kingdom?!" She inquired, clearly indicating that she didn't expect such an answer.
"Yeah," Hiroki answered.
"But wait…." She tilted her head in sudden confusion. "Why would Sir Ryosaki suggest participating in the tournament to know whether she is related to him? Can't he just test her on his own? And since you also have white hair, does that mean you will participate as well?"
Aya also fell into her own thoughts, wondering about the answer to her questions. She had thought about this question as well. But failed to understand them.
She wouldn't even have participated in that tournament in the first place if it weren't for Hiroki, that's why she wasn't sure what to do about this.
"As I said, we don't know why he would suggest such a thing." He repeated, his gaze falling on the curious dark haired girl. "We wouldn't even have come to that tournament if it wasn't for him requesting it. You can already guess what would happen if someone rejected his requests."
"Hm….I guess so…." She crossed her arms together as she agreed. "Seems like you guys have it tough....."
"What about you?" Aya suddenly inquired.
"Hm?" Alexia hummed as she glanced at Aya with one eye shut.
"You also mentioned that you were participating in the tournament." Aya continued.
"Oh, right. I did mention that." Alexia responded as she fell into her own thoughts, her eyes completely shut.
Both Hiroki and Aya were looking at her, waiting for an answer. A few seconds passed before she looked back at them.
"I'm doing it for money…. I think?" she said, her voice trailing off in uncertainty.
This girl didn't seem the type to fight at all. However, just by glancing at her scar on her left cheek, they could tell that she must've experienced first hand combat in the past.
"That's a rather bold answer for a tournament that mostly knights and the strongest adventurers would participate in." Hiroki said. "Don't you think so?"
"Hey, you know that's a rather rude thing to say to me." She retorted. "I may look like this, but just so you know, I'm quite strong/"
Hiroki knew that this girl was quite strong, despite the way she talked and her feminine body.
Even though she seemed to be just messing around by asking questions or opening up to some random people, Hiroki had already taken a glance at her status.
[ STATUS ]
Name: Alexia
Race: Human
Title: Assassin
INT: 120 STR: 21 AGI: 12 VIT: 200 DEF: 22
[ Skills ]
<Assassin's luck> <Weapon Master> <Danger sense> <Intuition> <Force of the wind> <Feather steps>
"Ah," Alexia gasped for a slight moment as she noticed Hiroki's gaze.
"Is something wrong?" Aya concernedly asked.
"Ah, no…. It's just that I felt a sudden chill down my back." The dark-haired girl explained. "I don't know why..."
Hiroki, on the other hand, had fallen into his own thoughts as he processed all of the information he had seen through her status.
Even though this girl was an assassin and quite strong at it, he thought of many reasons why she would head to the tournament despite being a hitman.
After almost one full day, the cart had safely arrived in Holl Town. Luckily, the cart wasn't attacked by any monsters or wandering bandits, which is why the trip went quite smoothly.
The sun had already set, and the moon was already illuminating the horizon of this town.
Upon confirming their identities at the gate of Holl Town, the chubby merchant greeted the three individuals with great appreciation before heading off on his own business.
Near the entrance, three cloaked individuals were left behind, watching the cart drive away slowly.
"Thankfully, we didn't get attacked on our way here."
Alexia softly smiled as she expressed herself, while both Hiroki and Aya gazed at her before looking back at one another.
"If that's so, then we are taking our leave." Hiroki said.
"It was nice to meet you, though." Aya also added with a smile on her face. "Perhaps we may meet again at the tournament. So until then, take care."
"Sure, it was nice meeting you guys as well, even though it was for a short period of time." She responded as she waved her hand with the same kind of smile on her face.
As Hiroki and Aya had already taken their leave, Alexia's yellow eyes, visible through the shades of the night, relaxed as they stared at the duo with white hair and dark cloaks walk away.
'At the tournament…hm…' She wondered in her mind.
* * *
Hiroki and Aya found a small inn where they managed to get a small room together while hiding the fact that they both had white hair.
Aya was concerned that they were going to get discriminated against once again if the receptionist noticed their white hair through her dark cloak covering her head, but surprisingly, Hiroki managed to skim through his conversation and give a laugh or two at the young lady at the front desk.
She didn't think much at first other than how Hiroki was good at convincing people without questioning anything. But she did seem curious to know how he was able to do that.
Once Hiroki and Aya entered the small room with one double-sized bed, they fell into silence.
Hiroki had spent a few times with Aya in the same room before. However, this time, it felt a bit different than usual.
What could the reason behind this emotion be? She thought to herself.
"I hope that you won't mind that I booked a room together?"
Hiroki asked as she gazed at the girl, who was looking around the room with almost an empty mind.
"Ah, no."
Aya responded with a bit of flushed rosy cheeks before averting her eyes in the opposite direction where Hiroki was floating.
"I feel much safer when you are by my side, that's why please don't worry about me."
"Is that so?" Hiroki responded with barely any emotion on his face.
Once Aya took off her cloak and her skirt, she fell asleep on the double sized bed that was mostly meant for couples. However, since Aya's body was rather small, this bed seemed massive compared to her body.
Hiroki gave a small gaze at the sleeping girl before looking back at the window and then floating through to go outside the room without anyone noticing.
He didn't make any noise as he didn't have any physical form, that's why Aya or anyone else noticed him leaving the inn.
With his imitation skill, he created the same illusion as a human with a dark cloak over his hair, before landing somewhere in the dark alleys so it wouldn't be seen that he was floating just a few moments ago.
During the night, most commoners would usually go to their own houses and sleep in order to prepare for the hard work that they had to do the next day. But that wouldn't mean that the streets of this town were empty because of that.
Once the moon has reached its peak in the sky, another kind of life begins in this town. And that was the nightlife for many adventurers, mercenaries, drunkies, prostitutes, and many other things that only people with connections knew where to find.
However, in a certain dark alley where even drunks would avoid, there rested a certain door where one or two individuals would enter.
Hiroki also noticed this small path before walking through it, thanks to his imitation skill, and arriving in front of the old wooden door with some sort of rusty old metal wrapping around it.
Hiroki then levitated a small rock around him and used it to repeatedly knock on the door six times. Then, when he stopped, he used his imitation skill to create another mask over his face before the door began opening halfway without making much noise or revealing who was behind it.
"Fuck off," the voice of a man said.
"That's what she said." Hiroki softly replied.
The door then fully opened before a man with a dark mask was revealed to be almost as tall as Hiroki. The man gazed at Hiroki's figure before opening his way so he could enter.
No one said anything else. It was as if both of them knew the procedure for what should happen or whether this scenario should continue.
Hiroki, after entering inside, walked in one direction until he went towards the stairs that led him several floors underground.
Upon arriving, at the last floor, there was another person waiting with a nice classic costume and a mask on his face. The moment he noticed Hiroki casually walk towards him, he slightly bowed with a smile on his face.
"Dear sir, if you could be so kind as to deposit the desired amount for today's specials." The man in the mask said.
Hiroki didn't say anything other than reveal a pouch under his dark cloak filled with coins. The man in the mask didn't seem impressed by that. However, the moment he opened the pouch, he noticed several big, cold coins. His eyes widened in surprise before he bowed to Hiroki once again with respect and a hint of apology for the way he reacted.
"I've confirmed your amount." The man said this before handing Hiroki a sign that could be attached to clothes.
Hiroki, of course, couldn't touch anything, so he quickly hid the sign over his clothes before creating another illusion over his cloak as if he were actually having the sign with the number 32 over his cloth.
"Please proceed. I'm sure you'll find what you might be seeking." The man in the mask said after confirming the number and the deposit.
Behind the door where the masked man was standing, there stood a whole room with many people in similar masks looking at the podium, where a man seemed to be speaking to the whole audience.
"....and not only that. This ring not only will give you unimaginable luck, but also will currently give you protection against unexpected attacks and sense any danger coming ahead of you."
The man at the podium excitedly explained while pointing towards a ring that was resting over a red, clean cushion.
"And of course, the starting prize is thirty gold coins."
The audience remained silent for a split second before, through the seated masked people, some people began raising their hands or anything that they held in their hands.
"Number nine! Yes, anyone bidding for forty?...."
The man on the podium observed the whole audience with a smile on his face before continuing.
"Number twenty-nine! Anyone wants to go high— and of course, number twelve won't go down that easily. The price is now over fifty gold coins for the ring of luck. And one… and two..."
Through the silent audience, a certain lady in a mask raised her hand, catching the man on the podium a bit off guard.
"Ten special gold coins."
"Number twenty bids One hundred coins!!! Sold to a lady with the number twenty!!" The man on the podium continued.
The auction continued for many different items and some slaves, one of whom seemed to be an elf.
Hiroki, on the other hand, was seated somewhere in the back, where not much light seemed to be falling. It was around the corner of the room, where not many masked people were waiting.
Hiroki continued gazing in silence at every single item until he heard a voice from his side.
"I never expected you to be interested in this sort of place."
Hiroki turned his gaze to his side and noticed a girl wearing a similar mask, a cloak covering her whole body. However, based on the voice and the yellowing gaze through the mask, Hiroki immediately knew who she was.
"Is that so?" Hiroki blankly replied, returning his gaze back to the podium.
Even though there was someone else on his side who knew him, he still didn't bother making up any excuses about this. He knew that since this girl was an assassin, she must be quite good at recognizing people right away.
A few more minutes passed by as the two watched different items being bid on.
"Hey, are you looking for something in particular?" Alexia inquired.
"Is that of any concern to you?" Hiroki responded, not bothering to look to his side.
"..."
The masked, dark-haired girl puffed her cheeks as she looked at Hiroki's unbothered form.
"That's not very nice, you know? I was just trying to have a conversation with you."
"Haa… Fine" The masked, white-haired boy let out a sigh. "I'll tell you what I'm here for if you also tell me why you would come in here as well."
"Ah, that sounds like a great idea!" She exclaimed, seemingly happy for Hiroki's sudden interest.
"I'm looking for a pendant that my uncle used to carry with him. I was informed that it had ended up here, and hopefully, I will be able to get it back."
Hiroki's eyes remained unchanged before he glanced back at the podium.
"May his memory be a blessing to you."
Alexia's eyes widened in surprise for a moment before softly giggling at Hiroki's sudden response.
"Even though you put on this facade of an uninterested guy, you actually are kind, aren't you?" She said as she smiled.
"...."
Hiroki ignored her compliment with an emotionless stare before, at the podium, the same masked man introducing the products became silent again as he was about to present the next thing that was about to be bidden.
However, what was brought up to the podium was a certain young-looking boy with a small appearance, a weak body that showed his bones, long, messy brown hair that also covered his eyes, and old leather clothes that the lowest slaves usually wear.
The whole audience was quiet like usual, and the excitement on the man at the podium didn't seem to be the same as when the other products were presented.
"...as you may have noticed, our next bidden item is a low class tier slave boy around his fifteenth." The masked man explained, "He may not look like much, but he is an excellent use for baits or following orders — no matter how absurd they are. We don't know what exactly happened to him, but he never gives any response, and doesn't react to any sort of pain."
The whole podium remained quiet.
"....and the first price for this slave is ten gold coins."
As the whole audience remained silent, Alexia let out a sigh.
"Poor guy," she commented, "His mind must be already gone for not to react to any sort of thing…"
"....." Hiroki's eye glanced swiftly to his side before looking back at the slave boy.
"The only good thing he would be good, is using him as bait. But even just for that, ten gold coins, doesn't seem that convincin—"
Alexia continued to explain her thoughts on this slave that was suddenly presented. She expected no one to raise their bids on him due to his price and the bad condition that he actually was in.
The boy didn't seem in any condition to do labor work or to fight. He was simply a young boy whose mind seemed to have been completely broken.
"Lady with the number thirty five bids for ten gold coins! Do we have anyone who bids higher?"
The silence in the room continued for a few more seconds before the announcer called out a certain masked woman, raising her fan.
Perhaps she was interested in young, broken boys. But none of the other participants seemed to care about this.
Seeing the silence in the whole place, the announcer cleared his throat before he began counting down.
"And three…. two...Oh, the sir in number thirty-two bids twenty gold coins!"
But before he could reach the last number, a certain participant raised his hand, getting a sudden, exciting reaction from the announcer.
""...""
"Eh…."
Alexia, who was watching the whole thing from her seat, suddenly turned to her side when she noticed that the number Hiroki was keeping matched the one that the announcer called out.
"Is there anyone else brave enough to challenge Sir Number Thirty-Two?"
The masked man inquired, his gaze sweeping across the silent audience. Deciding to count backwards once more, he was met with only resounding silence.
The lack of interest confirmed that the masked individual holding Number Thirty-Two had emerged as the victor, claiming the seemingly worthless slave boy.
Meanwhile, Hiroki, devoid of any visible emotion or indication of his intentions, quietly exited the room. He paused abruptly in front of a curious yet confused girl with black hair.
"Now you understand why I came here." He stated without even glancing in her direction. "....I hope you find what you were seeking…."
And without letting Alexia give any sort of reaction or response to Hiroki's confusing statement, he walked away.
"....."
After walking down a certain path where the rest of the items were bid on in this auction, Hiroki quickly located the same slave boy who was being guarded by another masked man who was also holding on to Hiroki's coin pouch.
Hiroki was given one piece of paper and the rest of the coins that were left from what he had used in this auction. However, despite that, they still saw fit to take an extra percentage from his payment due to the way this black auction worked.
Usually, auctions aren't illegal. However, what made this more secret than usual was the fact that many forbidden or special items would get sold here at an insane price. And the same went for slaves.
In this world, even though slaves were subjected to degrading treatment, they still retained a minimal set of rights. These rights ensured that they were provided with food and received proper care in the event of illness or infection. It was a mandatory obligation imposed on all slave owners to fulfill these basic necessities for the individuals they had purchased.
But in the black auction, you only get a fake-looking document that states that this slave belongs to you. No one can tell the difference between the documents unless they have an appraisal.
However, the main difference is the fact that the previous obligations of a proper slave don't really apply here.
Someone can kidnap the princess of another country and sell her in a black auction without anyone ever finding out.
After confirming his coins and the document, Hiroki gazed at the emotionless slave boy with his cold eyes.
"Follow me."
He ordered before walking towards the path outside of this underground auction.
The messy brown-haired slave boy did not respond. He only did as he was told, as his head was slightly hunched forward.
It was already getting late, which is why Hiroki decided to head back to the inn since most shops were already closed.
He was in another town right now, which means that letting this new slave sleep in his mansion was not an option for the moment.
However, he quickly arranged an agreement with the receptionist of the inn he was staying in to allow this slave boy to sleep on the stalls where customers would keep their horses.
* * *
Upon the first ray of the morning's sun coming out, after a considerable amount of sleep, Aya opened her eyes and quickly realized that she was alone once again and Hiroki was nowhere to be seen.
That was a bit lonely to her, however, after quickly glancing around with a slight delay, she noticed a quick piece of paper beside her bed. It was a note from Hiroki that said.
[I wanted to make sure that you had proper rest for the upcoming tournament, that's why I didn't want to wake you up too early.
I needed to take care of a few businesses on my own, which is why I might not be able to be around you the whole time.
However, I will make sure to meet you at some point and watch the first trial of the tournament.
I will be rooting for you.
–Hiroki.]
As Aya read through the note that Hiroki had left for her, a bitter smile appeared on her face.
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