Reborn As The Minor Villain In A Romance Fantasy Novel

Chapter 258: Unholy Item

"5 billion going once..."

The announcer’s voice echoed through the auction hall, and the tension was palpable as everyone held their breath.

"Going twice..."

A few desperate bidders looked at their paddles, mentally calculating if they could somehow scrape together more funds, but the astronomical number was simply too much.

"Lilliane Feuerfuchs has been sold for 5 billion royals!" The announcer declared with barely concealed excitement, his voice cracking slightly.

Almost everyone in the room immediately turned to stare at Lucius’s position, though he was still wearing his elegant mask that concealed his identity.

But the mask couldn’t hide the casual confidence in his posture, the way he sat like someone for whom 5 billion was pocket change.

They immediately realized with dawning comprehension that this man was beyond rich, beyond wealthy, beyond anything most of them could even conceptualize.

Who in their right mind blew over 9 billion royals in a single afternoon auction session?

’What kind of wealthy clan does he belong to...?’ Was their collective thought, whispered conversations breaking out across the hall.

People were already trying to guess his identity, running through mental lists of families and organizations that could afford such extravagance.

Lucius couldn’t even blame them if they were thinking like that about his background. He would honestly think the same thing of himself if he saw someone else spending so carelessly.

’Aannd I’m done buying for today.’ He thought with satisfaction, leaning back in his chair.

There were only one or two left on the whole auction schedule, and then they would proceed to the backstage area to collect whatever he had purchased. The puppy, the fox-girl maid, and whatever else caught his eye.

He reclined back comfortably as Lilliane on the stage looked directly at him despite the mask and gave him a small, graceful curtsy.

She was really cute, with those fox ears twitching slightly and what he could now see was definitely a fluffy tail swishing behind her.

She was soon escorted off the stage by security, and the next item was wheeled in by two muscular Beastkin attendants pushing a wheeled display case.

It contained a pendant, or rather two pendants that formed a matching set. Except the bottoms of each were incomplete halves, shaped like crescent moons that would fit together.

The craftsmanship was exquisite, silver and moonstone gleaming under the lights.

Selene immediately felt a powerful connection to them the moment they appeared, and the stigmata on her back began warming noticeably beneath her dress.

’I see, I’m in incredible luck today.’ Selene thought with growing excitement.

What were the actual chances that she would have encountered these specific artifacts today of all days? The universe was clearly aligning in her favor.

The announcer cleared his throat importantly and then continued with building enthusiasm.

"Ladies and gentlemen, prepare yourselves for a truly exceptional find! Before you are the Twin Crescents of the Moon, a legendary artifact pair!" He gestured dramatically at the display case. "These magnificent pendants were discovered recently in the final chamber of the last floor of a World Dungeon that was cleared just three weeks ago... right here in our own country of Avalon!"

Murmurs of interest rippled through the crowd.

"After carefully inspecting them with high-level identification skills, we discovered something remarkable. These were a personal gift to the first Moon Awakened from the old age, given by her husband whose identity we still haven’t managed to discover through historical records." He paused for effect. "But what we do know is that these magnificent pendants grant an impressive 40-60% enhancement to Moon magic depending on the user’s affinity!"

That got people’s attention immediately. Enhancement percentages that high were extremely rare.

"They also provide paired synchronization, allowing the wearers to sense each other’s location and condition over extremely long distances. You can detect whoever you gave the matching pendant to across three entire countries! So it would be a perfect romantic gift for someone special."

"It could be a perfect gift for my proposal to the Moon Goddess herself..." Number 5 behind them said loudly, clearly trying to establish his intent early.

It was the same bald, short old man who had tried reducing the auction price earlier like the stupid fool he was, bidding 368 million when the price was climbing.

Lucius leaned forward slightly in his seat, a predatory smile forming behind his mask. He would absolutely bet on this one too, just to personally annoy this irritating man.

"The starting price is 130 million royals!" The announcer declared.

Immediately paddles shot up throughout the room like a forest of hands.

"150 million!" A woman’s voice called out.

"200 million!" A man countered from the left side.

"Give it to me for 500 million!" Another bidder jumped aggressively.

The bald old man raised his paddle with exaggerated confidence. "Give it to me for 700 million!"

"Going for 900 million!" Someone else shouted.

"1 billion!" The old man said as he raised up his own paddle higher, clearly expecting that astronomical number to end the bidding war.

However, to Lucius’s pleasant surprise, Selene suddenly raised her own paddle up with a wicked grin spreading across her face.

"15 billion! Pack it up immediately." She announced with absolute finality, her voice cutting through the room like a blade.

There was instant, stunned silence throughout the entire auction hall.

Everyone’s heads swiveled to stare at the silver-haired woman who was casually resting on Number 2’s shoulder, looking completely unbothered by the insane amount she’d just bid.

Her long silky silver hair caught the light, and her posture radiated the confidence of someone who could burn money for fun.

The announcer recovered from his shock first. "Going for 15 billion once!"

Nobody moved. Nobody even breathed.

"Going for 15 billion twice..."

The bald old man looked like he might cry or have a stroke.

"Number 1 has bought the Twin Crescents of The Moon!" The announcer practically shouted, barely containing his joy.

The Beastkin attendants quickly wheeled the display case away before anyone could change their mind or the buyer could reconsider.

The announcer was visibly on the verge of crying tears of happiness. This auction was an unprecedented success, absolutely shattering all previous records.

There were so many absurdly rich masked people here spending money like water.

"And now we have the final item on our list for today..." He cleared his throat and announced with renewed energy. "Then we can end today’s auction with an explosive finale!"

A different set of Beastkin attendants wheeled out one last item with reverent care, and the moment it appeared, Amber practically began shaking in her chair with barely controlled excitement.

Lucius noticed her reaction immediately, glancing at her from the corner of his eye.

"While this next weapon won’t make you a literal god, Ladies and gentlemen..." The announcer paused dramatically. "Its Ultimate ability can elevate even an A-rank Awakened to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with an S-rank combatant for nearly a full minute of combat time!"

Lucius’s eyes widened slightly behind his mask as he saw Amber’s intense interest in the weapon. Apparently from that description alone, it was abundantly clear that she wouldn’t have enough money remaining in her budget to afford it.

He made a quick decision.

"Feel free to call whatever price you want..." He leaned over and whispered directly in her ear. "Get that weapon for yourself, no holding back. As long as it doesn’t hit 10 billion, I’ll cover it."

He really had a strong feeling that this thing would have an ability that was completely off the charts powerful and the more he spent, the more hotels he would build.

With that quiet promise, he moved back to his original position. Amber twitched slightly, her mind racing as she measured her chances and options.

’Even if this turns out to be some kind of scam or manipulation.’ She thought pragmatically. ’I can call Father afterward to pay Lucius back later, or work out some kind of loan arrangement. But I absolutely need to acquire this weapon no matter what.’

It was the main reason she had dragged herself to this auction in the first place, after all. She had gotten reliable intelligence information that a genuinely powerful weapon was going to appear at this specific event, and she had immediately informed her father about the opportunity.

However, he was currently too busy overseeing the reconstruction of the council meeting building that Lucius had casually destroyed to care about attending an auction for some weapon.

So as of right now, she was essentially on her own in this bidding war but at least she had Lucius backing her financially, even though he was practically tempting her into massive debt.

"Thank you." Amber told him sincerely, her voice barely above a whisper.

The very next instant, the Announcer began his detailed presentation of the weapon.

"This magnificent weapon is known as the Reaper’s Scythe..." He approached the glass display case and placed his hands on it reverently, touching the surface like a lover caressing something precious. "It was brought over here from the Eliptian Royal family’s private vault, and as for why it bears such an ominous name, the original owner of this blade was one of the legendary Awakened from the old age."

He let that sink in before continuing.

"This warrior used this very scythe to slaughter as many monsters as physically possible during the great wars, becoming one of the most well-known and feared figures in all of Eliptian royal history and military records."

He paused for dramatic effect, then took a deliberate step to the side, running his hand lovingly along the glass case.

"We have intentionally not alerted major Guilds about this artifact’s existence, neither have we informed the governments about this sale. We wanted to bring it exclusively to our valued customers first, giving you the opportunity before it becomes public knowledge and the bidding war becomes impossible."

That caused some nervous shifting in seats. Keeping something like this secret was borderline illegal.

"And as for why I stated it would help you fight shoulder-to-shoulder with an S-rank for a full minute, that’s because it possesses an Ultimate ability known as Reaper’s Execution."

The name alone sent chills through the audience.

He paused, building tension, then continued with carefully measured words.

"To charge one use of Reaper’s Execution, the weapon must absorb concentrated death mana, which means you must use it to personally kill approximately 30 A-rank monsters or equivalent powerful beings."

That number caused several audible gasps amongst the assembled bidders. It was a really steep requirement, almost prohibitively difficult.

"However, in exchange for meeting that demanding prerequisite, once you activate Reaper’s Execution..." He paused. "Irrespective of what rank you currently are as an Awakened, you will be able to temporarily push your body to face an S-rank opponent on relatively equal footing."

He gestured expansively.

"You will be able to kill a lower S-rank monster or awakened outright. Against powerful S-ranks like our Moon Goddess, you will be able to stand on equal ground with them in direct combat." He added a warning. "Though I would strongly recommend you being at least A-rank or high B-rank minimum if you don’t want to completely destroy your body from the strain."

The crimson-haired heroine in the frog mask had already desperately begun dialing her Father’s emergency contact, her fingers shaking as she tried to get authorization for a massive bid.

However, the call didn’t connect.

"Alas... we have temporarily cut off all magical and technological connection to the outside world for security purposes." The announcer said smoothly, as if reading her mind. "You won’t be able to call outside until the auction concludes. My apologies for the inconvenience."

He smiled beneath his own mask.

"Now, I will tell you the specific stat boosts you receive while Reaper’s Execution is active." He began listing them. "First, you gain 420% cutting power amplification, completely ignoring physical defenses and magical barriers. It strikes through no matter how tough the skin or armor is. This blade has previously pierced Supreme Man’s supposedly invulnerable skin."

There was shocked silence at that claim, Lucius was the only one that could pierce it... there was a weapon that could do the same?

"Second, it grants 300% speed amplification. This boost is lower for the rest of your body’s movements, but specifically for your hands and arms wielding the scythe, you will have an immense boost to attack speed."

He continued the list.

"Third, you gain automatic death mana coating on the blade’s edge. This ignores whether the target’s body is that of a soul, a physical human, an elemental being, or whatever else. It strikes through absolutely anything, even intangible targets."

The floodlights suddenly concentrated on the announcer as he released the glass case and spread his arms out wide in a dramatic pose.

Even without the microphone amplification, his voice boomed.

"AND IT EVEN GIVES YOU A DOMAIN EXPANSION!" He shouted. "A DOMAIN EXPANDED FOR 5 METERS RADIUS AROUND THE WIELDER WHICH SLOWS ALL ENEMY MOVEMENTS BY 30%, CONSTANTLY DRAINS THEIR STAMINA, AND GREATLY SUPPRESSES ANY HEALING OR REGENERATION EFFECTS!"

That revelation made everyone in the auction hall visibly shake with a mixture of desire and fear.

Domain abilities were almost exclusively S-rank level powers.

"And one absolutely final attack mode built into the Ultimate ability..." He lowered his voice to something more ominous. "A full-powered slash that travels in a long arc up to fifty meters distance, carrying all of the accumulated death mana stored in the blade."

He paused.

"It instantly deletes anything below S-rank in one hit, whether monster or human. And it can instantly kill a weak S-rank opponent while forcing even a regular S-rank warrior onto the complete defensive just to survive the attack!"

He spread his hands out wide and smiled with genuine excitement.

"Starting Bid is—"

"50 billion royals! Pack it up immediately." Selene, Number 1, ended the whole auction before it could even properly begin.

She stood up gracefully, still holding Lucius by the hand.

The announcer didn’t even bother going through the formality of saying "going once, going twice."

Who in their right mind would counter such an absolutely astronomical bid? The number was incomprehensible.

The Beastkin attendants immediately began wheeling the Reaper’s Scythe away toward the backstage collection area.

Selene smiled behind her mask, though the expression was hidden, then she turned to address the crowd of women in their group.

"Come on Sister wives~" She said cheerfully, using the term deliberately and publicly. "Let’s goooo collect our prizes."

She began walking toward the backstage exit, dragging Lucius along by the hand.

One by one, the girls in their group stood up and followed them toward the back... along with other auction attendees who had managed to successfully secure their own items during the event.

The crimson-haired heroine in the frog mask sat frozen in her seat, blinking in confusion and shock.

’Did she just say... sister wives?’ She thought with bewilderment. ’Plural? How many women is that man involved with?’