The Triwright Auction

He woke to strong sunlight.

Elza was sleeping soundly beside him.

It seemed morning had come.

He tidied himself and stepped outside, looking up at the sky. Something felt off.

"Good morning."

"Morning."

He returned Azu's greeting while trying to pinpoint what felt wrong.

… There were no clouds. Or rather, the sun felt closer than it should.

"If you're curious, go take a look near the guards."

"What do you mean?"

"It's easier to see for yourself than hear me explain."

"Hmph."

Alexia said as much and pointed toward the edge of the plaza.

He made his way there, weaving through people.

"Please don't go any further."

He was stopped by a guard. From that spot, he looked around.

Then he understood what Alexia had meant.

Beyond the plaza, there was no ground.

Nothing within sight from where Yohane stood, either.

In other words, this plaza was floating in the sky.

Yohane turned on his heel and went back to their carriage.

"Well?"

"I'm speechless. A floating island? I thought those were fairy tales."

"I was surprised too. What would happen if you fell?"

"You'd die without flight magic. That's why they've put up fences and have guards keeping watch."

An island in the sky.

The plaza that served as the auction venue was an island suspended in midair.

If theft did occur, there'd be no easy escape.

That made sense from a security standpoint.

According to Alexia, flight magic was advanced wind-attribute magic, and few mages had mastered it.

"Can you use it, by the way?"

"As you know, fire is my primary attribute. Advanced wind magic doesn't really suit me."

She said that and turned away with a little "hmph." A habit of hers when she felt awkward.

He might have put her in a bad mood. In other words, she hadn't learned it.

Not that they had any need to go near the edge, anyway.

It was certainly a breathtaking view, the first he'd ever seen like it.

"Still, how do you think they're doing this?"

"It's a mystery."

He and Azu tilted their heads together.

Normal means couldn't possibly achieve this.

It was probably magic of some sort, but at this scale, he couldn't even begin to guess.

"I believe they're using wind magic stones and Wind Elementals to keep it afloat. At this scale, though, they must be using an enormous quantity."

"Wind magic stones, huh…"

Come to think of it, there'd been a period when Wind Elementals were skyrocketing in price.

That was when he'd sent Azu and the others to the wind labyrinth and turned a tidy profit. The crystals had fetched excellent prices.

Maybe this island had been the reason for that spike all along.

"Either way, big spenders. The auctioneer must be raking it in."

"It's like a spectacle. Part of it is probably building buzz."

"Makes sense."

Anyone who saw this would undoubtedly spread the word once they returned.

People who heard the story would be dying to attend the next auction.

That would drive ticket prices higher and make the auction even livelier.

While they were talking, Elza emerged from the back of the carriage, groggy from her nap.

"Goood mooorniiiing."

Her face was completely slack, so he threw a towel at her.

"What kind of face is that? Go wash up."

"Okaaay."

Elza shuffled back into the carriage with a vague reply.

Right around that same time, the building's entrance opened up.

People near the doors began filing in.

It would still be a while before their turn came.

Since they had time, he might as well have Azu and the others change.

"Go ahead and change into your dresses while we wait."

"Understood."

Azu headed after Elza, and Alexia followed at a leisurely pace.

Eventually the crowd thinned, and the magnate next door headed inside as well.

By the time the plaza was nearly empty, Azu and the others emerged from the carriage.

Moving in their dresses looked awkward, but all three of them looked stunning.

They'd applied light makeup too, giving them a completely different air from usual.

"D-Do I look alright?"

Azu clasped her hands near her chest and looked up at Yohane with upturned eyes.

The black dress set off Azu's fair skin beautifully.

She'd chosen white shoes.

Everything she wore, undergarments included, had been purchased by Yohane, and the sight proved it had been worth the investment.

"It suits you perfectly. Don't worry."

"Really? Good."

She smiled shyly.

"Don't forget about us, okay?"

"Complimenting a dressed-up lady is a gentleman's duty, you know."

While his attention was on Azu, the other two gave him pointed looks.

Alexia in a red dress. Elza in a purple one.

Yohane raised both hands in surrender.

"You two look wonderful too. Proper ladies I could take anywhere without embarrassment."

"Well, that will do for today, I suppose."

"Indeed. At least we got something passably gallant out of him."

"Right, let's go."

He left the carriage in the care of the plaza guards.

The gold and valuables were transferred into a carrying bag.

Making them lug it around in their dresses would look unseemly, so Yohane shouldered it himself.

Inside, the building was dome-shaped, sloping downward toward the center.

Tables and chairs were arranged in a ring around the middle.

The center stage was clearly where the items would be displayed and bid on.

He'd given the ticket to the masked man, but now he took out the stub he'd received in exchange.

A number was printed on it.

That would be their seat number.

He led Azu and the others through the venue.

They drew quite a few stares. Not a bad feeling.

Their seats were in a good spot, close to the center with a clear view of the auction items.

He greeted the parties on either side.

To the left was a magnate.

On the other side… he could see a Kingdom flag.

Royalty from the Kingdom, apparently.

An attendant responded to Yohane's greeting.

The young man sitting there without sparing them a glance was likely the royal himself.

Trying to network at a place like this would only come off as boorish.

No need to force a connection.

Once the seats were filled, the masked man appeared suddenly on the central platform.

He'd arrived by teleportation magic, it seemed.

Quite hard on the heart.

"Thank you for your patience. Let us now begin this edition of the Triwright Auction!"

At last, the auction had begun.