VIP Early Access
Eksklusif untuk member VIP
Password Protected
Chapter ini dikunci dengan kode khusus
Chapter 277
Nothing in the World Is Free [Illustration]
The day before the auction opened, Ruri was cleaning Ferda's office as usual.
Ferda's office, being that of a fastidious person, had little to clean.
So all she ever did was briefly touch up the corners and leave, same as always.
She was about to do just that today when Ruri spotted a single book sitting on his desk.
It was the Auction Catalog.
Е ń.ŭm̂ а . і̂d
'Come to think of it, he said the auction house opens tomorrow?'
Worry crept in on the other hand.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
Since she was keeping a close eye on how the current situation was unfolding, she knew exactly how dangerous it was.
For Ruri, it would obviously just stir up trouble, so she thought quitting was the right call.
'But it's something Ferda-nim is doing......'
He was someone who'd pulled it off in the end even after walking a tightrope more than once.
Еñ u m а̂
Ruri picked up the catalog and glanced over the list of items going up for auction.
Every single item was nothing but pictures drawn with magic dyeing.
Aside from where they were discovered, there was virtually no description.
The first auction was a Treasure Hunt Auction.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
Not only were they untranslated, their value wasn't properly known either; all you could confirm was where they'd been brought from and the item's shape.
Of course, even that Treasure Hunt Auction had preliminary screening.
W ëbń оvе̂l̂ Ӗ n̄ u ḿа
Since they were items from the Demon Land, anything linked to demons, anything that could cause a massive ripple across the continent, or anything Ferda might need had all been pulled aside and removed beforehand.
The rest could only be described as ambiguous items.
'Well, it should be fine.'
Thinking it was a good deed to build up the treasury, she set the catalog down.
That was when it happened.
"Hello there~?"
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
It was Penelope.
Ruri narrowed her eyes and asked,
"Why have you crawled in here again?"
"Eh, cr-awled in? Aren't you being too harsh to a diligent demon like me!?"
"Your neck seems pretty stiff lately?"
"Whaaat? Th-that can't be? My neck is totally flexible!?"
W̄е_b̀ no v̂ е l̀ Énû mа̌
Her face turned pale blue, yet she didn't step back.
An ominous feeling crept over Ruri.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
"What are you doing?"
"Yes?"
"By now you'd normally be running away with your tail between your legs, so why are you skulking around like a scared prairie dog?"
"Prairie dog? Ohohoho! Where did you find such a cute and adorable prairie dog, wait a sec. Sorry, I'll stop messing around."
Еnū m а..і d̆
The moment Ruri moved to twist Penelope's neck, she begged for mercy.
"It's nothing else. I just wanted to introduce our Head Maid to one really good item~?"
"I don't wear rags you make."
"You can think about that slowly. For now, would you just take a look at this~?"
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
The item Penelope pulled out was familiar to Ruri.
It was the Auction Catalog she'd just seen.
Е́ ńŭ m̄ ä .і d̈
"So?"
"So? This is the Auction Catalog, isn't it?"
"I just saw it a moment ago. So what's your point?"
"Ugh, this is why......"
Penelope grinned.
"You didn't look at the list in here properly, did you?"
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
That smile was wicked to the core.
Ruri nearly twisted Penelope's neck right then and there.
"The title of this one here, isn't it a bit familiar?"
The titles written in the catalog were all in the original language.
They used a unique ideographic script used only in the East, so with scarce data, those who could interpret it were extremely few.
But even so, Ruri knew this title.
Еn̈ ů m̌ ã
At first she didn't, but hearing Penelope's words and looking again, it became certain.
"Don't tell me......"
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
Because she'd chewed, tore, tasted, and enjoyed the translation several times over, and eventually even got her hands on the original to practice interpreting it.
"That's right. It's that book."
Penelope whispered eerily.
"It's Volume 2 of '49 Ways to Tame the Cheeky Maid'?"
Е̂ n u ḿа .іd
Ruri's pupils shook.
"How is that book in this place......?"
"Why? Looks like they dug it up from the same place~?"
Penelope's tone was thoroughly displeasing.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
But she couldn't easily twist her neck or fold her in half.
Those eyes.
Е nû m̊а̃ ._і̆d́
Those eyes knew what Ruri wanted.
That's why she was showing that cheeky smile.
"So what do you want?"
Ruri asked in a faintly trembling voice.
She thought the moment Penelope showed her ulterior motive to manipulate her, she'd pressure her without hesitation.
"Nothing much, you want it, don't you~?"
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
"......Is that it?"
"Yep~?"
Even at that lukewarm response, Ruri couldn't relax.
"So you're going to say you'll get it for me?"
"Huh? Why would I? The Maid wants it, not me? I don't have money either."
"........."
Ẁе̄ b́ ǹ ӧ v̀ ёl̂ Е̌ǹ um a
"I was just purely, purely, purely trying to let our Head Maid know a item she'd like came up~."
No matter how you listened, it wasn't a pure tone.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
As Ruri expected, Penelope's mouth kept running.
"Besides, getting into that place is nearly impossible, right? Even if you wanted to send a proxy, only people with invitations are let in, so anyone else basically can't enter?"
"That's right."
"But! Even with those hardships and trials expected! This Penelope pulled it off!"
Е̊ǹum̂ ӓ
She pulled out a neatly folded piece of paper from her bosom.
"Ta-da! Coincidentally~ a noble ended up unable to attend, you see?"
What she showed was an invitation letter that also served as an Auction Ticket proving identity.
Ruri immediately predicted the next scenario.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
She'd definitely take that ticket hostage and lay out demand after demand.
"If you're thinking of blackmailing me with that, I'll walk away right now—."
Е n̄ ŭ m̃ а́ . îd́
"I'll give it to you~!"
"......Huh?"
Penelope obediently handed the invitation to Ruri.
Ruri's mind was in chaos.
She looked back and forth between Penelope and the invitation, narrowed her eyes, and asked,
"You're just giving it to me?"
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
"Yep."
"......Without asking for anything?"
"How could I blackmail the Head Maid~?"
What rose in Ruri's mind was a sense of incongruity.
The moment she tried to feel relieved, only an incongruity that felt like it'd sneak up and whack her in the back of the head remained.
But Ruri reached for the invitation.
En u m̊а̌
The moment she grabbed it,
"Before that."
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
Penelope opened her mouth again.
"Shouldn't our Head Maid change her clothes~?"
"......What do you mean?"
"Well, think about it. That place is where wealthy collectors, merchants, and nobles gather? If a kid in attendant attire sits in a place like that, won't it kill the mood?"
Еn u m а . і d̀
"They'll think 'this is an existence that must absolutely not be touched.'"
Ruri could make them think that.
"Su-sure, that's good too, but causing a commotion with that isn't good, is it? Above all, Ferda-nim will find out?"
"Ugh......"
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
"Won't a troublesome situation where things get annoying in various ways happen~?"
She couldn't refute it.
W ёbṅо̃ v е́l Е num̈а̂
She wasn't an invited guest; she was an uninvited guest using someone else's invitation to get in.
"What are you trying to say?"
"So I'm saying the disguise has to be perfect."
"I can disguise myself as a Young Lady."
"Won't work~?"
"I can do it."
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
"No, I'm telling you, you can't? As a sturdy warrior you can manage somehow, but as a fragile Young Lady who needs protecting? Absolutely! Even if you die! You can't do it."
Should I just kill her for real?
"If you're picking a fight, I'll slit your throat right now."
"That's not it, whatever the case, since the Young Lady act won't work, at least the appearance has to be perfect!"
"That much is a piece of cake."
"Really~?"
Е̂ ñ ú m ӑ
"I can do......"
Ruri's words trailed off more and more.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Ruri retraced what she'd done.
What had she done when she started working as an attendant in this castle?
Until then, she'd done almost nothing but cleaning.
Valdrova is a dragon, and a dragon itself is dignity, so there's no decorating.
Ẃ еb n оv̇ ėl. Éṅü ma
Only recently, with Ferda as her fiancé, did she start learning about a Young Lady's accomplishments.
She followed Valdrova and studied, learning by peeking from the side.
The feeling she got then was just one thing.
'Being a Young Lady really doesn't suit me.'
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
She was more familiar with rolling in muddy fields than being treated like a precious child.
The only fluttery clothes she'd ever worn were her maid uniform, and she thought that would be the first and last.
Е ńu̇mâ. iḋ
'Me, dressing like a Young Lady?'
Ruri glanced at the mirror.
Ruri Silverwind the warrior.
Ruri Silverwind the attendant.
That Ruri, as a single Young Lady?
The moment she imagined it, nausea rose terrifyingly fast.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
'Should I quit?'
The reflexive thought was giving up.
But she couldn't give up easily.
Curiosity about what kind of corporal punishment Pelan would inflict on Lucy assaulted her day and night in delusions.
And when those delusions deepened, she'd writhe in self-loathing, repeating the cycle.
At this rate, it'd be more satisfying to just find out the truth cleanly.
Én̂ ŭm â
At least, that's what Ruri thought.
"So...... what do you want me to do?"
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
Penelope's eyes changed.
That third-rate demon who'd been nothing but lowly and trivial now possessed eyes not inferior to a Great Demon.
"You see, I know someone who can make our Head Maid perfectly into a Young Lady from head to toe?"
"Who is that?"
Ӗ n̈ umа̃ . і̊d̈
"Eh, it's someone the Head Maid knows well, you know?"
She asked pretending not to know, but Ruri knew too.
Wasn't there a perfectly groomed Young Lady-like doll in this castle?
'Secretary Mori.'
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
She hadn't said it, but every time she saw her, she thought she looked just like a noble Young Lady.
The problem was that making her that way wasn't something she did herself.
W̄е̃ b́.n о̊ v̂ еl̀ Ѐn um̀â_
"Which of the two...... is it?"
Both were the worst.
No, if one was just rock bottom, the other was an existence that proved there's a bottom below the bottom.
Ruri hoped it was the former.
"It's Administrator Isabella."
Jackpot, the latter.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
"Please give me a chance to change. I'd rather go to the Witch."
"That'll be difficult~?"
"Why?"
"How should I put it, the difference in how much they yearn? The Witch she likes, but not enough to bet her life."
"......That crazy woman bet her life?"
"She practically spent her entire fortune?"
Wѐb̊ n̆о v́ еl̈ Е̃ñu m а
"......Why did she spend her entire fortune?"
"Because getting that invitation in her hand was a bit difficult~?"
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
Ruri covered her face with both hands.
She realized once again that there's no such thing as a free lunch in this world.
This is a nightmare.
This is a nightmare.
Ѐṅu m a
She thought she'd overcome the illusion the Trauma showed her, but to think a nightmare like this could happen again.
"Give it up."
Penelope said that.
"Because there's no light here."
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
* * *
"Haa......"
Wе.b̈ nоv̇еl Е́ nû m̆а
A sigh like her remaining soul was leaving.
The two hours with Isabella were nothing short of horrific.
It felt like she'd been hit by a Necromancer's magic that sucks out soul and vitality.
Ruri was surprised that a person in human form could make such vulgar sounds, and nearly fainted at the fact that desire's limits have no end.
'How does that kid Mori endure this?'
She'd seen the edge of the abyss enough that it wouldn't be strange if a non-existent ego formed and just smashed into her.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
Ruri glanced at the mirror.
Unlike that ruined experience, the reflection in the mirror was the perfect image of a Young Lady.
If only her expression wasn't rotting, she definitely would be.
'I barely got dolled up, I can't ruin it now.'
Since she'd sold her soul to a demon, she couldn't mess this up any further.
Arriving in front of the auction house, Ruri slapped her cheeks and managed her expression.
W̆ ѐb n о̀ v е l Еň u ma
Ruri moved her body as she'd learned.
Shoulders back, steps graceful, lifting the handle mask delicately.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
Acting as a Young Lady, she entered the auction house.
"Welcome. Young Lady Lucy Feldragon."
Even the name, of all things, was the heroine of '49 Ways to Tame the Cheeky Maid'.
The only one who could change the roster was the Administrator, so that name was definitely Penelope's doing.
Ẃ е̇ b̆_n̂о̌v̌е̂ ľ Е n ŭm ӓ
"Th-thank you very much."
Ruri answered in a high-pitched tone mixed with falsetto.
Her face naturally flushed red, and her movements became fidgety.
Anyone looking would see a Young Lady raised preciously.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
Ruri quickly found her composure.
She tried image-making through self-hypnosis.
Ĕ nū ṁа̀ . і̄d
Right now she's on a battlefield, and Ruri is running to recapture the high ground.
'What crazy bitch would enter a war zone to find a smut novel?'
The Sage Time returned instantly.
She found her seat and sat down.
She was practically the only child there.
Even with the sloped theater-style seating, the host's figure was hard to see.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
'I want to blow that head off.'
But she couldn't.
Because she's a Young Lady who has trouble even speaking a word.
While she was agonizing like that, the gentleman next to her spoke politely.
"The seating arrangement isn't great, makes viewing difficult, doesn't it? I have a spare cushion, would you like to use it, Young Lady?"
At the first helplessness she'd ever felt, her throat clamped shut.
W̌ е̂bn̂ о v̈ е̄ l̀ Еn um̀ а
Ruri flushed red again and nodded.
With the changed eye level, Ruri felt comfort, and the gentleman looked at her with a pleased expression.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Time passed and the auction began.
"We'll start with Lot 1. Opening bid is 30 Goldens! 30 Goldens!"
It heated up from the start.
Who knows what it is, but people who collect first.
Еn ů m̆ а̇_
Don't know if it's good, but if it is good, those who hate seeing it go to someone else raised their hands and called out prices however they could.
The first item went for a whopping 1,000 Goldens.
That item was truly just a jar that looked useless.
'Could I even buy that?'
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
That anxiety was brief.
After that, there was no atmosphere as overheated as the first item.
Е_n̈ u mа̂_.іd
Unless it looked like a weapon or ritual tool, price wars didn't continue fiercely.
"Now moving to Lot 32!"
What came was a single book.
Ruri still couldn't read the characters, but she remembered the shape clearly.
"Opening price 10 Goldens!"
It wasn't a magic book, and even its origin wasn't clear, so auction participation was low.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Right before it was about to be sold at 50 Goldens, Ruri raised her hand.
"Number 162, 60 Goldens. Number 162, 60 Goldens. Any more?! 5, 4, 3, 2, 1........."
Just as the hammer was about to fall,
"Number 1, 70 Goldens. Number 1, 70 Goldens has appeared!"
Someone crashed the auction.
'Number 1 means......'
Е n u m̄ а̀.id
The person who could be invited first in this auction house.
Ruri glanced up toward the VIP seats.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
There, a man with gray hair was raising his hand.
It was Ferda.
