RXN 05

Chapter 5

“There is no fixed price. The person who bids the highest by midnight tonight will become the owner of this beautiful golden canary.”

“150 duons! I’ll buy her!”

Before the red-bearded man even finished speaking, someone shouted loudly. Since the price of a sturdy male slave did not exceed 30 duons, it was truly a shocking price. But that was only the beginning. The price of the golden canary quickly passed 200 duons, reached 300 duons by sunset, and jumped to 320 duons by nightfall. It was already an amount that ordinary people wouldn’t even dare to bid, but since it was an international city full of wealthy merchants and tycoons, and rumors about the golden canary had already swept through the entire city and even reached the imperial palace, there was a good chance the price would rise even further.

> *Unlike the pirates, who were beaming at the unexpectedly fierce bidding competition and busy calculating their shares in their heads, Roxanne was filled with fear and more fear.*

Once the white cloth was removed, everything she saw was the unfamiliar scenery of a foreign land.

Strange people, a strange language, and strange air.

She had guessed she would be sold as a slave, but she never dreamed she would be displayed in front of men like a beast in a cage. It was so shameful that she wanted to die, but trapped in the cage, there was nothing she could do.

Fortunately, thanks to the Run language she had learned as a cultural pursuit, she could roughly gauge the atmosphere. It seemed an auction had started. Judging by the triumphant expression, the young man wearing a turban with ostrich feathers appeared to be the highest bidder. Even among the crowd, his flashy attire spoke of his wealth, and his arrogant confidence made it clear how highly he regarded himself. The man’s attitude was not much different from the nobles Roxanne was accustomed to seeing, but his eyes were different. His glossy black eyes, which held no warmth, were chilling like a snake’s. Every time his gaze swept over her, it felt eerie, as if a snake was coiling around her body.

Roxanne ignored him by showing no reaction, but that attitude seemed to irritate him. As he approached the cage, the red-bearded man lightly restrained him.

“You cannot touch her before paying.”

The man lightly raised both hands as if pleading innocence.

“Looking with my eyes should be fine, right? It’s common to sleep with slaves for a night to check if they’re really virgins, so how can it make sense not to even take a close look? Especially for something worth over 300 duons.”

The red-bearded man stepped back and spoke as if granting a favor.

“If you only look…”

Only then did the man approach the cage, slowly walk around it, then bend down and mutter in a low voice.

> *”How dare you ignore me! Just wait. I intend to make you mine no matter how much it costs. I have plenty of money. Then I’ll lock you in my bedroom and make those beautiful eyes look only at me.”*

Though he used a southern accent, the man spoke almost flawless Roinese. He kept his promise to the red-bearded man and didn’t lay a finger on Roxanne, but his whispered words were shocking enough.

‘No! I absolutely don’t want to be sold to that man.’

A moment later, someone timidly bid 330 duons, but soon the turbaned man bid 400 duons, overwhelming other competitors and sealing the deal. No matter how beautiful a slave was, paying 400 duons for one was madness. Those who had stubbornly followed the auction until now shook their heads in regret, signaling their surrender.

‘Please!’

The red-bearded man, unaware of Roxanne’s desperate feelings, shrugged his shoulders regretfully. It would have been nice if competition had driven the price higher, but he figured the price had already risen as much as it could, and midnight — the promised time — was approaching, so he decided to take the money and hand her over.

“400 duons! If no one bids higher, the owner of this golden canary will be…”

That was when it happened.

“Wouldn’t you say midnight is still a long way off?”

It was a low but authoritative voice. Everyone turned their heads toward the sound, and there stood a tall man wearing a simple cloth cloak pulled down deeply. Behind him followed two large-built men, whether bodyguards or servants.

Sensing intuitively that this man had an extraordinary aura, the red-bearded man smiled broadly and nodded.

“Of course. For your information, the gentleman beside me bid 400 duons.”

The people murmured again, gazing at the turbaned man with envious eyes. But the tall man, who showed no particular reaction to either the turbaned man or the huge sum of 400 duons, slightly raised his eyes and glanced once at Roxanne in the cage. It was only for a moment, but beneath the deeply pulled-down cloak, she could see a sharp jawline and lips with slightly upturned corners.

“500 duons.”

The auction, which had seemed nearly decided, quickly entered a new phase, and the onlookers didn’t hide their interest. Of course, the happiest ones were the red-bearded man and the pirates.

“500 duons, he says. What will you do?”

The turbaned man’s face showed clear irritation.

“550 duons.”

“700 duons.”

Before the red-bearded man could even mediate, the price was raised again, and the onlookers burst into cheers first. 700 duons was enough money to buy a house with a garden in even the most luxurious area of Cordia, the empire’s capital. When the onlookers looked at the turbaned man, he, who had been wearing an arrogant expression until now, seemed slightly flustered as if he hadn’t expected this at all.

“750 duons.”

“1000 duons.”

Everyone there except the tall man and his party was shocked, but the most surprised of all was Roxanne.

> *’1000 duons!’*

Roxanne had offered the pirates 900 duons for her own ransom. Yet the tall man calmly bid 1000 duons for a single slave. The red-bearded man looked at the turbaned man as if asking what he would do. The man who had arrogantly boasted just moments ago that he would become Roxanne’s owner clenched his fists with a frustrated and humiliated expression, but he hesitated, unable to easily bid higher. 1000 duons was not an amount even a wealthy man could throw around casually. Just then, as if on cue, the bell rang announcing midnight. He shot a furious glare at the tall man and Roxanne, then turned and walked away.

When the auction finally ended, the onlookers gradually began to leave, and eventually only the tall man and his party remained. The red-bearded man showed the key to Roxanne’s cage.

“It would be best if you paid first…”

The tall man nodded, and one of the large-built men behind him handed over a large leather pouch.

“Are you sure there are exactly 1000 gold coins?”

The man who handed over the pouch raised an eyebrow and made a fierce expression. The red-bearded man quickly stepped back and respectfully handed over the key with both hands.

“Of course not — I would never say that out of distrust! Well then, I sincerely congratulate you on becoming the owner of this golden canary!”

While the pirates, including the red-bearded man, collected the ransom money, the tall man opened the cage and reached out his hand to Roxanne.

“If you want to get out of this cage, take my hand.”

The tall man spoke haltingly in Roinese. After hesitating for a moment, Roxanne finally took his hand as if resolved. His hand was large, delicate, and neat, but his palm was calloused with hard calluses. Thinking of her brothers who had also had similar calluses from long years of wielding and training with swords, she guessed that this man might be someone who worked with a blade. Finally freed from the cage, Roxanne let out a sigh of relief, but it was short-lived. She soon realized she had truly become a slave and fell into despair.

‘Should I run away like this?’

But Roxanne soon gave up. There was no way to escape from the tall man and his large-built companions, and even if she did manage to run, she would be caught within a few steps. Not wanting to be taken away and used as a plaything, she was caught between doing something and doing nothing, when the tall man lifted her up in his arms.

“Wait a moment!”

Startled, Roxanne struggled, but the tall man ignored her resistance and strode forward. Surprised, Roxanne instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck to keep from falling, then her eyes went wide. When she inadvertently looked up, his face was covered by a white half-mask.

‘Could he have a large scar on his face?’

His hand had long held a blade, so perhaps he had been wounded on a battlefield. But even with the mask, his straight nose and clear lips were quite masculine, and his bright amber eyes, looking at her with gentle curiosity, held a kind warmth.

“Miss! Lady Roxanne!”

At Anna’s voice coming from behind, Roxanne snapped back to her senses and turned her head. The pirates were tying up the remaining hostages and dragging them along, and Anna was among them.

“What about me? What will happen to me? Please take me with you too.”

Anna struggled, resisting being dragged away.

“Anna!”

Roxanne was also distressed, but no clear solution came to mind. In the end, she pleaded with the tall man.

“Please. Save that girl. We grew up together since childhood. I don’t want to be separated from her like this.”

Roxanne spoke to him in halting Run, hoping her earnest feelings would reach him. His eyes, looking down at her from behind the mask, narrowed slightly, but he gave no particular answer.

‘Is he refusing?’

Roxanne let out a disappointed sigh. Still carrying Roxanne in his arms, the man walked on without looking back and gave a low command. Then the large-built man who had counted out her ransom pointed at Anna and said something to the red-bearded man, then paid more money. The red-bearded man, receiving the money, smiled brightly and ordered his men to remove Anna’s shackles.