How to Survive as a Mage Inside a Game-Chapter 47: Secret Auction (1)

Scarlett, beside him wearing a cat-shaped mask, spoke in an apologetic voice.

"I should’ve found something with better ventilation. I’m sorry."

"...It’s fine. It’s not the mask. This whole vibe just feels... off to me."

Honestly, it wasn’t just uncomfortable. It was disgusting.

This wasn’t just an auction for rare goods—people were sold here too.

And by people, they meant illegal slaves. No one knew how they were captured.

Scarlett had told him there were all kinds—beggars and orphans off the street, debtors who couldn’t pay, fallen nobles, even other races dragged in from across borders.

Just imagining what was about to happen in there made Karl’s skin crawl.

"Tch."

But what choice did he have?

The reason Karl was here, in this cesspool, was because of the Blueleaf.

According to Herlando’s investigation, Blueleaf was confirmed to be one of the items up for auction tonight.

The timing worked out perfectly, so he’d arrived in Magen just in time to participate.

Herlando had gotten him the invitation, and Scarlett was here as his guide in case anything happened.

Soon, the two of them stepped inside the building.

"Welcome."

A masked attendant bowed politely.

Scarlett handed over both their invitations.

After another courteous nod from the attendant, they pulled aside the black curtain at the inner entrance and descended the stairs.

A wide space opened up before them.

Seats already filled with people, all facing the stage up front.

Magic lights were set up everywhere, casting a bright glow over the entire area.

Karl was a little surprised—it looked almost like a modern theater. This was way bigger than he’d imagined.

"You can sit anywhere except the upper rows."

Karl and Scarlett found empty seats somewhere in the middle.

Attendants were walking around, handing out drinks and refreshments.

What the hell? A secret auction, and they’re out here playing waiter?

Noticing his look, Scarlett asked,

"Would you like something to drink?"

"...No, I’m good. I wasn’t eyeing it because I wanted any."

Who the hell knew what was in those cups?

Sure, the auction had high-profile guests, so they probably weren’t stupid enough to pull anything shady, but still—it made him uneasy.

As they waited, more people filled the seats.

"Whew! Just made it."

Two more people sat down to Karl’s right.

From the voice, Karl could tell the one next to him was a woman. The other one he couldn’t figure out, thanks to the mask.

He ignored them and looked back toward the front.

It seemed like it was time. Someone stepped onto the stage, bowing in three directions.

"Thank you all for attending Magen’s secret auction! Before we begin in earnest..."

The masked auctioneer launched into a boring opening speech.

But his tone was sharp and witty, in a way that almost made it entertaining.

Then, Karl heard the woman next to him chuckle and mutter,

"That guy’s pretty funny. I wonder if he’d still be yapping if I slit his mouth open from ear to ear."

Karl almost turned his head.

'What the hell...? Psycho much?'

Guess a place like this really did attract every type of lunatic.

"And now! Let the auction begin!"

With the opening over, the auctioneer’s signal brought a light cheer from the crowd.

Karl leaned over and whispered to Scarlett.

"The slave auction goes first, right?"

"Yes, that’s correct."

Apparently, they started with the slave auction, then moved on to items afterward.

They needed some time to prepare the slaves for delivery to their buyers, so they held the item auction during that gap to avoid wasting time.

Karl didn’t like it—he wanted to get the Blueleaf as fast as possible.

But he decided to stay calm and wait it out.

No way Herlando gave him bad intel. Blueleaf would be here.

The only thing that worried him was the money. But come on—who’d spend a fortune on a pretty but useless plant like Blueleaf?

Karl had a good stash of gold in his inventory.

He’d been hoarding everything he earned, barely spending a coin.

No matter how rich or stupid some noble might be, no one was crazy enough to pay a ridiculous price for Blueleaf.

And even if someone tried, Herlando had already agreed to cover the rest if he didn’t have enough, with Karl paying them back later.

Worst case, he could just sell off the junk in his inventory. Problem solved.

'Speaking of which, my inventory’s nearly maxed out. I should clear that out soon.'

One by one, the slaves started appearing on stage.

A wild-looking muscular man, a fallen noble’s daughter, a pair of young twin boys and girls. Elves and beastkin.

One thing they all had in common—their eyes were filled with deep despair and emptiness.

"Gentleman at seat 10 bids 300 gold! Ah, but seat 7 raises to 500 gold!"

"Oh my! Participant 5 bids a full 1000 gold! We’re at 1000 gold now! Any more bids?"

The auctioneer exaggerated every word, stirring the crowd, and the bidding frenzy only grew more intense.

Even those who had been quietly raising their signs started shouting, driving the prices higher and higher.

Karl expected this much, but it was still a sickening sight.

He watched in silence, eyes cold, as the slaves were dragged out like livestock, chains around their necks.

"Isn’t this disgusting?"

Suddenly, the woman beside him spoke again.

It was the same lunatic Karl had dismissed earlier.

He wasn’t even sure she was talking to him.

When he didn’t respond, she turned to look at him.

Her voice came again, with a faint laugh laced through it.

"Every time I see something like this, I start imagining things. Like, what if the auctioneer barked like a dog, and all the bidders oinked back? Wouldn’t it just be the perfect little party of pigs and dogs? Especially since so many are already wearing animal masks. Don’t you think it suits the mood?"

"..."

"And what about you? You’ve been staring at those slaves like you pity them. Are you thinking the same thing I am?"

How the hell would you know that with a mask on?

Karl wanted to say that, but decided to just ignore her.

Regardless, she kept talking, like she didn’t care whether he responded or not—as if she were just rambling to herself.

"Some people live their whole lives stepping on others, while some spend theirs being stepped on. What a damned unfair world, huh? If they ever switched places, would these pigs finally learn something? Is it the status that makes the person, or are people just born rotten?"

"Nobles, commoners, slaves—we’re all the same humans, aren’t we? So why all the titles? Is the blood of nobles somehow sweeter? I tasted it once, you know. It’s not. It’s just as iron-flavored as anyone else’s. Hah."

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"This world needs more freedom. We need to drag all those fat-ass nobles and royal pigs off their thrones and build a whole new order, from scratch."

As she kept talking endlessly, Karl started to become certain.

This woman wasn’t just crazy—she was the kind of unhinged you don’t walk away from.

Everything she was saying? Flat-out treason.

If she’d said this in front of any noble besides Karl, she’d probably already be dead.

By now, he couldn’t help but be curious about who she was.

He was just about to turn his head slightly and check her title when—

"...Stay back! Don’t come near me!"

Chaos suddenly erupted on the stage.

One of the slaves, a young man, somehow had an arm around a staff member’s neck, holding him hostage with a blade.

He’d caught the guy off guard and grabbed him in an instant.

The other guards rushed to surround the stage, weapons drawn.

The audience watched with amused curiosity.

"What are you waiting for? Subdue him already!"

"Pfft, caught by a slave? Just let the idiot die!"

The auctioneer, sweating bullets, kept glancing nervously between the stage and the guards.

The slave’s eyes were bloodshot, scanning every direction—but one guard found an opening and stabbed him in the side.

"...Aagh!"

The staff member, now free, grabbed the slave’s arm and slammed him to the ground.

In seconds, the guards swarmed him, beating him mercilessly.

"H-Haha! Just a little excitement, folks!"

The auctioneer forced a laugh, trying to play it off like part of the show.

The mood wasn’t bad—if anything, the audience seemed entertained, laughing and chatting about the spectacle.

Of course, no one was going to bid on the slave now.

The young man, now a bloody mess, was dragged offstage by his hair.

"Aww, poor thing."

The woman beside Karl spoke again.

Her voice had a weirdly exaggerated sadness to it, like she wasn’t sure if she was joking or not.

"Seeing that kinda reminds me of my dumb little brother. Though he was only my half-brother, so it’s not like I’m really sad or anything."

She suddenly ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ shifted to a cheerful tone, humming to herself.

Again, she wasn’t really talking to Karl—just rambling like before.

"I heard it happened kinda like that. Some mage took him hostage and snapped his neck. Or something like that."

And at that moment, Karl’s thoughts stopped cold.

"But you know what’s even funnier? After that, the mage teleported away, just like that. Haha! I’m not kidding, it’s true. Maybe he had some kind of ancient artifact or something. Anyway, that whole mess was a huge disgrace for our old man. Right?"

She turned to look past Karl, speaking to the person on her other side.

And finally, the man next to her opened his mouth.

"Miss, would you kindly focus on the auction?"

An old man’s voice.

A voice Karl had definitely heard before.

For once, Karl was thankful—truly thankful—that he was wearing a mask.

Slowly, very slowly, he turned his head to look at the two of them.

[Lv.48]

[Heir of Aranhel]

[Lv.63]

[Executive of Aranhel]