Chapter 22
Sancho darted through the alleys with quick, practiced movements—like a seasoned thief or assassin.
‘I didn’t want to deceive you like this, Sir Karl… but I simply couldn’t let you take that item with you.’
He slipped behind a building and opened a hidden door. A long underground staircase revealed itself, and as he descended, he pulled a concealed lever.
Clack-clack-clack.
The wall that had opened closed naturally once Sancho disappeared down the new passage.
“Been a while, No. 7.”
“How have you been, No. 3?”
They addressed each other by numbers. After pouring Sancho a warm cup of tea, No. 3 took a seat, and Sancho pulled an item from his cloak.
“Is this the dagger?”
“Yes.”
After confirming the item, No. 3 nodded.
“The item will be delivered to the auction hall. But what about that Free Knight? Weren’t you close with Sir Karl?”
“Well, I didn’t mean to deceive him, but it should be fine.”
“The Master has been quite interested in Sir Karl ever since the last incident. I’m not sure what kind of interest it is, but… it’s best not to put him in danger.”
“Hmm… I can’t imagine things turning out that way.”
Sancho briefly shuddered, imagining what would happen if Karl came for him after everything was revealed.
“In any case, I’ll see you after this is all over.”
“Take care, No. 7.”
Their meeting ended, and No. 3 took the item directly to the manager.
“This must happen as planned.”
“I understand.”
The Bearstown administrator bowed deeply as they received the item from No. 3, who then vanished without another word.
***
“This auction’s scale is impressive.”
The scale of the transactions before him far exceeded Karl’s expectations.
Despite their masks, the quality of the bodyguards, knights, and mercenaries around them suggested that many of the participants were heavyweights.
“50 gold! Now... 3, 2... Bidder 73 offers 60 gold! Counting down. 5, 4...!”
The auction looked much the same as those anywhere else, but Karl—who’d never had reason to attend such events—found the escalating prices staggering. Whether in this world or his previous one, the wealthy always hoarded unimaginable riches.
[Fleur of Viva: A radiant flower created by the ancient god Viva. Just looking at it brings peace to the mind and body.]
Some items on the block were significant enough to trigger Karl’s appraisal function. He considered that this might be a good place to scout for valuable gear.
‘Might be worth coming back sometime.’
After several items were auctioned off, a dagger wrapped in cloth was finally brought forward.
[Vermon’s Sealed Dagger: A dagger sealed with the blood of an angel, used in demon-summoning rituals.]
Karl, who had been focused on gauging the crowd’s reactions, noticed that two or three individuals had stronger responses than the others as the dagger was revealed.
“Bidder No. 2 has offered 500 gold!”
The room buzzed. The starting bid was a staggering 500 gold.
For reference, a minor baron with an average domain would earn around 1,000 gold a year. This was half of that in one go.
“550 gold.”
“600 gold.”
Despite such a steep start, the bids continued climbing rapidly.
“1,000 gold!”
“Bidder 77 has offered 1,000 gold! Final call—5, 4, 3, 2, 1! Sold to Bidder 77 for 1,000 gold!”
A whopping 1,000 gold.
Even though his face was hidden, Bidder 77 carried the unmistakable aura of a wealthy noble.
“What now?”
“We split. I’ll follow the one who won the bid. You look for Sancho around here.”
“Got it.”
Karl and Angelica separated. He began discreetly tailing the noble who had won the dagger.
Wary of being followed, the winner naturally moved cautiously. But the real issue was that the pickup zone for the item was located in Bearstown’s most heavily guarded inner sanctum.
“This way, please.”
A guide led the winning bidder down a wide corridor lined with numerous guards, making it difficult for Karl to follow directly.
He quickly circled the building to find the most vulnerable point of entry.
There was a reason he’d earned the title Ghost of Chevalier back on the East Continent—not just for being terrifying in combat, but because no one ever knew where or how he’d appear.
Making his body as light as a feather, Karl slipped across the rooftop and into the building.
‘Tch. Did I lose him?’
As he moved silently, minimizing his presence, Karl suddenly froze.
“Can’t you tell me who provided the dagger? I’d pay double the auction price.”
“…It’s a tempting offer, but the town endures because it never allows exceptions. Just as we don’t ask who you are, we are also bound to protect the seller’s identity.”
He focused all his senses on the voice. Leaping into the space between the ceiling and support beams, Karl hid his body and tuned in.
“…I admire the consistency, even if it’s irritating.”
“We appreciate your understanding.”
“Hmph… Just hand over the item.”
As the noble accepted the item and walked out without a glance back, the administrator suddenly paused and glanced around.
“A rat’s snuck in.”
The words were clear: someone had detected an intruder.
‘No way…’
Even after countless battles, few had ever detected Karl’s presence.
“Shadows, find the rat.”
At the order, figures hidden throughout the area began moving swiftly. Karl remained as still and quiet as possible, despite the urgency to pursue the buyer.
“I found the rat. Caught him in the second-floor hallway.”
It wasn’t long before someone from the so-called “Shadows” knelt before the administrator with a report.
Apparently, someone else had also infiltrated, and they were caught. It bought Karl time.
Just as the administrator turned to leave, he suddenly glanced in Karl’s direction.
Ten seconds. Twenty. Thirty.
Sweat dripped down Karl’s back during those stifling seconds. Finally, the administrator tilted his head.
“Too jumpy.”
Karl exhaled in relief. The moment the man turned away, Karl swiftly moved toward the direction the bidder had gone.
“You’re mine!”
Sensing a thrown blade from behind, Karl twisted mid-air, the weapon narrowly grazing his back and embedding itself in the wall.
“After him!”
Karl cursed his carelessness.
‘No choice now but to escape.’
Channeling his inner energy to lighten his body, Karl sprinted with speed rivaling elite thieves.
Although some here might use similar techniques, they weren’t widespread knowledge.
In a flash, Karl was nearing the exit.
“Stop right there!”
He ignored the shout and launched himself out. But just as he emerged outside, a massive iron net dropped from above.
‘Damn!’
It was a net of interlinked steel chains—tough, but not unbreakable.
Karl summoned his full concentration.
“Hup!”
As the net closed over his head, Karl drew his sword in a flash and sliced clean through it.
He immediately charged the men who’d thrown it—within seconds, over ten were down.
But one among them was clearly no pushover.
‘Tch. Got stabbed in the side.’
A dagger had pierced the gap between his cuirass and hip. A rare injury.
With quick jabs to a few pressure points, Karl stopped the bleeding. He could still feel his pursuers behind him, but if he committed to escape, he could manage.
He moved quickly, following traces left by the buyer.
Sssk.
Just as the pursuit faded, a familiar figure blocked Karl’s path.
“Didn’t expect to see me now, did you?”
“Sir Karl, I must ask you to let that man and that item go.”
“Why?”
“We need to see what the one who possesses it does next.”
The man who appeared, smiling awkwardly, was none other than the dark-skinned Sancho.
“You hit me in the back, and now you want me to stop chasing you?”
“I know it sounds absurd. But I swear this isn’t bad for you, Sir Karl. It’s bad for Tarantula—the one spreading demonic corruption.”
At the name Tarantula, Karl slowly lowered his sword.
Just then, the town administrator and the Shadows arrived, surrounding him.
“It’s a bit of a mess, I admit. But I’ll get you out soon. For now, please allow yourself to be taken.”
Seeing Karl smile calmly made Sancho’s spine crawl.
“You really think things will go your way?”
“…Sorry?”
Karl shrugged. And then someone stepped out from behind Sancho.
“You broke the rules first.”
The voice was familiar to Sancho.
“Everything okay? Looks like I was a bit late. Seems Karl took a hit, too.”
“Not too late.”
The administrator looked between Karl and Sancho, then turned to the newcomer—Angelica.
“This man Sancho betrayed me after accepting an official assignment from the town. He sold off the requested item and even proceeded with a public auction. I won’t let this go.”
The administrator’s face hardened.
“Bishop Angelica, can you take responsibility for that statement?”
“Of course. I’d stake my life on it.”
With that firm declaration, the administrator turned to Sancho.
“Sancho, did you betray an official assignee of the town?”
Sancho laughed awkwardly, sweat beading on his brow.
“Well… technically, that’s not incorrect.”
Then another man appeared—arms crossed with thick forearms.
“I’m the one who introduced Bishop Angelica to him. I’ll testify.”
“Knight Bobby Bronn… It’s been a while.”
Judging from the reaction of the others, Bobby’s return to the field was unexpected. Faces in the crowd showed clear signs of unease.
“I came to see what was going on. You haven’t changed a bit, Coby.”
As old acquaintances exchanged words, the situation took on a strange atmosphere.
“Sancho, your version of the story doesn’t match what Knight Bobby and Bishop Angelica are saying. Anything else you’d like to add?”
“Doesn’t look like anyone’s going to believe me anyway.”
“You’ll have a chance to explain before the Council. For now, think of your excuses in prison.”
Sancho smiled wryly and held out his wrists. Despite the seriousness of the situation, he seemed remarkably calm.
“Well, things ended up like this, but the item’s been delivered to the buyer, and I’ve finished my job.”
He allowed the heavy iron cuffs to lock around his wrists, still smiling. But when his eyes met Karl’s, he flinched and looked away.
“If you ever mess with me again, I’ll hunt down everything and everyone connected to you and kill them all.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. Oh, by the way, the money I owe you—you can pick it up in Luton Town.”
Sancho spoke quickly, rambling as usual.
“If you’re not interested, that’s fine. But seeing as I’m in no position to pay you directly, just think of it as a small token for your trouble. If your path happens to take you near Luton Town, you’ve got nothing to lose by stopping by. Who knows how the world turns, right?”
With a sly grin, Sancho waved his cuffed hands in farewell as he was led away by the enforcers, growing more distant from Karl.
Karl scowled.
‘No mission complete notification.’
In the end, the only way to resolve this lingering doubt was to head to the place Sancho had mentioned—Luton Town.