01-20 · 004
Chapter 4: The Sword Saint Discovers It
Side: ■■■■
The top floor of a luxury high-rise condominium in central Tokyo.
On a sofa in the vast living room, a young girl was glaring at her smartphone.
Droplets dripped from her wet platinum blonde hair. The girl who had just stepped out of the shower—Seira Jinguji—tapped the screen while wearing only a bath towel.
"Found you."
Her eyes were sharper than when she faced a boss monster in the deepest levels of the dungeon.
On her screen was the online auction site "D-Market." Displayed there was a single sword placed on a worn-out tatami mat.
Item name: [Authentic] Holy Sword Excalibur (Repaired, Seal Release Rate 15%) Seller: Master_Eye
Normally, she would have scoffed and dismissed it as a joke listing. The lived-in tatami background was terrible, and the description was suspicious. But her unique skill, Sword Saint, was sounding an alarm even through the photo.
(No doubt about it. This is… real.)
The overwhelming residue of magical power emanating from the photo. The arrangement of the runes carved into the blade was an ancient formula impossible to replicate with modern sorcery technology.
Recently, Seira had lost her beloved magic sword to breakage and had been searching for a new partner. But every "S-Rank weapon" the guild prepared fell short in one way or another; none had the strength to withstand her swordsmanship.
Then this listing appeared.
"Heh, an interesting joke."
She smiled fearlessly and pressed the bid button. The amount she entered was 100 million yen.
An amount an ordinary person could only afford by winning the lottery, but for an S-Rank explorer like her, it was merely the reward for a single quest. This should weed out the time-wasters.
《Bid registered.》 《Current price: 100,000,000 yen. Highest bidder: You.》
"Well, if I win it like this, it's a bargain—"
Just as she murmured and raised a glass of water to her lips—
Pling! ♪
《Price has been surpassed.》
"...That was fast, wasn't it?"
Seira's hand stopped. Looking at the screen, the numbers had changed.
《Current price: 120,000,000 yen》 《Bidder: Gold_King (Overseas Buyer)》
"Gold_King… if this is the real one, he's a major player. I'll have to get serious."
Seira's blue eyes narrowed. An overseas tycoon, or a dealer aiming for resale? Either way, she couldn't let a National Treasure Level item she'd finally found slip out of the country.
Her fingers tapped the screen rapidly.
"200 million."
Pling! ♪
An immediate reply.
《Price surpassed: 250,000,000 yen》
"Fine! 300 million!"
Pling! ♪
《Price surpassed: 350,000,000 yen》
A faint snap sounded in her mind. Unconsciously releasing a faint aura, Seira barely stopped herself from cracking her phone screen.
"Okay, okay, calm down. If money can solve this, it's a small price to pay."
She was an S-Rank explorer. Her total assets could rival a national budget. There was no way she'd back down over a paltry few hundred million.
"500 million!!"
She slammed the bid button.
◇ ◇ ◇
In a room at Himawari-sou, I was convulsing on my futon.
"A-Ah… ahwahwahwa…"
My smartphone's notification sounds had become a continuous "Beeeeep!" warning tone. I was afraid to look at the numbers on the screen. But I couldn't help but look.
====================
[Current Price]
500,000,000 yen
[Bid History]
19:02 ■■■■ (S-Rank): 300,000,000 yen
19:02 Oil_Baron_777: 350,000,000 yen
19:03 ■■■■ (S-Rank): 500,000,000 yen
====================
"Fi-Five hundred million…?"
Assuming my annual income (part-time job wages) was 2 million yen, that was… uh, 250 years' worth? I didn't know anymore. I couldn't calculate. My brain was lagging.
The forums and social media were in complete chaos.
'500 million lololol' 'Hey, a Japanese S-Rank is seriously going for it.' 'This has to be Seira-sama, right? The news said she was looking for a sword.' 'An overseas oil tycoon is joining the fray.' 'What's the seller feeling right now? Hey, what's he feeling?'
"What am I feeling… like I'm gonna throw up!"
I screamed. My heart was pounding. At first, I'd been thinking, "If I can just pay the rent." I hadn't really believed the 1.5 billion yen figure. And now, wealthy people from all over the world were fighting over the piece of junk (formerly holy sword) I'd picked up.
I was scared. Honestly, I was terrified. Could such a huge sum even fit in my bank account? Would the tax office come after me? Actually, would they track my address and kidnap me…?
Leaving me behind as my negative imagination ran wild, the price accelerated further.
Pling, pling, pling!!
《Current price: 700,000,000 yen》 《Current price: 850,000,000 yen》 《Current price: 1,000,000,000 yen》
"O-One billion…!?"
It had crossed the milestone. At that moment, the notification sounds stopped completely.
"...Is it over? Surely no one can go higher…"
Just as I let out a breath that was neither relief nor despair, the entire app screen shone gold, and a fanfare-like sound effect echoed through the cheap apartment.
It was the signal announcing the beginning of a legend.
《Bidding restrictions lifted.》 《A bid at the buyout price has been confirmed.》
====================
[Current Price]
1,500,000,000 yen
Bidder: ■■■■ (S-Rank)
Comment: "Buy it now for this. My sword, ship it immediately!"
====================
A bid with a comment. The exact amount my Appraisal eye had indicated as the estimated price.
"...No way."
With trembling fingers, I scrolled the screen. No further bids. I could tell, even through the screen, that the other bidders had lost their will to fight at such an astronomical amount.
1.5 billion yen. Enough to live a life of leisure forever. Money that my former party who had expelled me probably couldn't earn in their entire lives.
With trembling fingers, I reached for the "End Early" button—then paused.
Wait. If I ignored this, maybe I could get even more…
"No, being too greedy is a bad move. It's a miracle it got this high."
I took a deep breath and suppressed the trembling. Then, I firmly tapped the button that would change my life.
《End auction?》 《YES / NO》
"YES!!"
Click.
《Congratulations on your winning bid!》 《Winning bid amount: ¥1,500,000,000》
Confetti effects danced across the screen. I sprawled out on the tatami, arms and legs spread wide.
"I won… I actually won…!"
Staring at the stain on the ceiling, I pumped my fist in the air. Something hot welled up from my eyes. Were these tears of fear, or tears of joy?
As I was wallowing in sentiment, my phone vibrated again. This time it wasn't an app notification. It was an incoming "Transaction Message."
There, the winning bidder had written an astonishing proposal.