Chapter 20-1
Hanette calmly put down the sign with a smile.
She had secretly brought the funds she had saved up just in case.
Of course, she had not necessarily thought that she must help Sion, but she found herself holding the sign without realizing it.
‘Well… I might regret it, but… I have no choice.’
Hanette looked at her necklace with a bitter expression.
He bought this for her with the hope of making her happy.
Regardless of the necklace was worth, if his intentions were genuine, she should accept It.
‘If it weren’t for this necklace, I wouldn’t have bid on that item.’
The necklace is worth 30 gold coins.
Of course, its actual value was probably only worth one gold coin, but it was still good enough.
Since Sion had given her something, Hanette felt that she should return the favor.
“5, 4… Oh! 270! The bidding has reached 270 gold coins!”
Hanette hesitated as she tapped the sign.
Sion had been unable to bid due to a lack of funds.
However, their competitor had delayed their bid until the last moment.
Furthermore, they had reduced their bids from 50 to 10, likely due to reaching their limit or feeling the pressure of the bid.
‘If I push a little harder, I can win.’
With confidence, Hanette raised the sign.
Since she had started, she wanted to see it through properly.
Otherwise, it would be embarrassing to lose the item she had bid on despite participating.
“7, 6… 280! 280 Gold coins!”
“…. Hey, you don’t have to go this far…”
“Please be quiet. I’m concentrating.”
Hanette murmurs quietly while staring at the auctioneer.
From now on, she couldn’t even give the slightest hint of hesitation.
That way, she could press the opponent and win the bid more smoothly.
“4, 3… Oh! 290… Ahh! 300! 300 Gold coins!”
Hanette quickly raised the sign with a cold gaze.
She had to keep pushing without giving any breaks.
She could still spend more money on this side, and it would be useless for you to resist.
To perfectly convey that feeling, she bid quickly.
“3, 2, 1… 310… Wait! 320! This seems to be the most intense auction today!”
Sion can’t take his eyes off Hanette, who is immersed in tension.
There was no need for her to spend money on behalf of himself.
It wouldn’t have been easy to secretly collect funds until now, so why is she suddenly showing such behavior?
“2, 1, 0… 320! The bid has been won with 320 Gold coins! Congratulations and thank you to the winner!”
“Phew…”
Hanette let out a relieved sigh and leaned back, mixing with contentment.
Then she slowly turned her head and gave a sly smile.
“Someone must be happy. They get to get support from their fiancee money when they’re short.”
“…80 gold coins are not a small amount of money. You could have given up, why did you get involved?”
“If you receive something, you should return it, right? It’s funny that you bought it for only 30 gold coins, but It’s special, so I did the bidding.”
Sion looked at Hanette as he stood in silence.
Through her fresh orange hair, her hazel eyes seemed to shine softly.
The smile on her lips wasn’t meant to mock him.
It seemed as if she had pushed away any lingering regrets in her heart and was overwhelmed by a sense of relief.
“I didn’t give the gift in hopes of getting something in return.”
“I know that too. There must be a reason for it. I can feel a little sincerity in it.”
“…”
Sion bought a gift for Hanette according to Fred’s intentions.
However, he chose the gift carefully and tried to give it meaning based on superstition.
Although 30 gold coins was a bit of a waste, he believed it was worth it because it was imbued with the power of the Holy Arts.
Because there was no one that Hanette could trust right now.
“I won’t ask you to repay me. I won’t use this to find a weakness. Just… keep doing what you always do. That’s enough.”
Hanette was seized with a strange sense of regret, but she didn’t let it bother her.
It was something she did because she wanted to, and in the end, it helped Sion.
Of course, some of the funds she had saved up would disappear, but since her mind was much more at ease, there was nothing to cling to.
“… It’s not like you.”
“Do you think so too? We finally have something in common.”
“You might regret it.”
“That’s right. I’m already regretting it. But what can I do? I’ve already done it.”
“You should have somewhere to spend it, too.”
“If you think I used a lot of it today, then you’re right. I’m not rich, but I don’t live without anything either.”
Sion couldn’t bring himself to speak.
It was money she had accumulated while playing the fool and had received criticism from many people.
Of course, that method couldn’t be called right. But it was something she had done after making considerable resolve.
But since she made selling herself (personality), he couldn’t help but feel a little guilty.
“You also did something that wasn’t like you… Let’s call it even since we both did something for each other. Is that okay?” – Hanette
“Are you talking about a gift?” – Sion
“A gift is a gift, but some of the things you did were a bit much. I was too surprised to even say thank you.” – Hanette
“Hmm… are you really grateful though?” – Sion
“Haha! Would someone like you even have a grateful thought? How can you afford to give me 30 gold coins?” – Hanette
“I was almost moved, but now you’re back to your old self.” – Sion
“Oh, you can still be moved. Even I thought I was too merciful.” – Hanette
Sion chuckled as he watched Demon’s gloves move further away.
After this auction ended, he would pay the price and receive the auction item.
Preparations were now complete, and all he had to do was go to the hidden location and pull the sword himself.
‘… I have to repay the money.’
Sion would help Hanette with her plan if she needed it, but he had no intention of interfering.
This world had to move towards a predetermined conclusion.
The protagonist, heroine, and a few strong people would be at the center of it.
‘I have to set a date. Will one day be enough?’