The mini-game for the Partlan Territory Festival quest consists of half physical skill and half luck.
While raising my stats can reduce the difficulty of the damn game, that’s all it does. There’s no way to pass without participating in the mini-game.
If it can be solved physically, it’s doable through skill, right?
But when it comes to matters that require luck, there’s no other way. Other than preparing for everything I can and praying to the heavens for success.
When the failure rate is 1% and I end up failing, I get so furious that I can't even say a word.
Originally, the aspect I needed to focus on was the luck element.
I could get over any physical challenges, so it was important to eliminate any chance of failure.
However, right now, it’s the complete opposite.
Luck is fine. I can achieve above-average results in exams just by guessing because I’m under the blessing of the Dice God.
I might not win everywhere, but I’ll certainly achieve pretty decent scores.
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But now, there’s a problem with my once-reliable physical ability.
My weakened body can’t handle the strenuous training I used to do.
According to my grandfather, I’d even lose to Joy in a physical fight!
With this kind of trash body, I can’t pass the mini-games at the festival!
If I go without any preparation, I’ll have to submit to the desires of that perverted god Arumadi.
After returning to the mansion, I had taken a good look at Lucy’s wardrobe, and as soon as the auction house in the trade city of Nig opened, I decided I would visit there.
If there’s a suitable dress to wear, I thought I could just fail and wear that instead.
Wow. I was genuinely surprised while going through each of Lucy's clothes.
How can there be nothing but landmines in this wardrobe?
No matter how terrible the game is, it should at least offer a safe zone!
‘Silly fox...’ “Such a silly fox...”
“Are you asking to get rid of your motion sickness?”
Thanks to the silly fox, I escaped from my motion sickness and stepped outside where the teleportation device was installed with Erin's support.
The moment I set my eyes on the trade city of Nig, I couldn’t help but suppress a sigh.
There are really so many people. I had roughly expected it since it was bustling even in the game, but this was over the top.
At this level, shouldn’t it be called a wall of people instead of a crowd? I can’t even move forward.
“Excuse me, my lady.”
As I frowned, feeling a wave of nausea coming on again, Porcel lifted me effortlessly and placed me on his shoulder.
“Just trust me. It’ll be a comfortable ride.”
Porcel, who looked like he would make any baby cry, was particularly reliable today.
Yeah. A wall of people or whatever, I would be powerless in front of overwhelming strength.
Today, my escort wasn’t Kal, but Porcel.
The reason was simple. Kal, that guy. Ever since returning to the Alrn family, he had been training like he was going to die.
It seems that the embarrassment of not being able to do anything against Karia in the Menestale dungeon became a burden on his heart.
Personally, I think Karia was just overly strong, and Kal did more than enough. But if he himself wasn’t satisfied, what could I do?
Since Kal was gone, someone else needed to escort me, but given my physical condition, Benedikt wouldn’t allow just anyone as my escort.
After various discussions, the one selected was Porcel. A knight who held the second position in the Alrn family by strength. He was someone who could protect me regardless of any variables.
I heard before that Porcel might not be able to win against Benedikt, but he could drag out a match.
At that time, I didn’t realize how significant that was, did I?
Now I do. Even if he’s imperfect, he’s someone who can withstand attacks from the fully unleashed evil god.
From the opponent’s perspective, it’s terrifying, but from our side, he’s an incredibly reassuring figure.
<Well, he’s still just human, though.>
Watching Porcel effortlessly part the crowd, I was thinking he was reliable when my grandfather spoke up.
‘What do you mean by that?’ <Cough. It means that compared to yourself and your companions who fought the evil god, it’s nothing special.>
Ahh. So you’re jealous now? Because I’m praising someone else instead of you, huh?
Hahaha. Usually, you’re a nagging old man, but sometimes you can be cute.
‘Really? Was grandfather stronger than Benedikt?’ <Of course. Even now, if I had my body, I could teach that brat Benedikt a lesson.> ‘Oh, come on. That’s a lie. You’re just boasting since you can’t prove it.’ <What if it’s true?! I am Ruel! The paladin who saved the world, Ruel! There’s no way I would lose to a knight struggling against an imperfect evil god!>
Grandfather’s words must hold some truth.
The party that included the paladin Ruel, who defeated the fully unsealed evil god, must have won.
In his prime, grandfather would definitely be a monster beyond human limits.
However, you know. It’s funny that the old man who usually nags wants to hear praise, so I just can’t be honest with him.
‘Old stories are usually exaggerated, right?’ <Not at all!>
While I was joking around with grandfather, the Porcel Express automatically drove me to the entrance of the auction house.
Unlike the streets bustling with merchants and customers, the area around the auction house was relatively calm.
Since only wealthy merchants and nobles of a certain status could enter here, it maintained strict security, making it safe from the crowd.
As I thought I could finally breathe again and stretched, my happiness was shattered in an instant.
“I’m sorry, Lady Alrn. You cannot enter here.”
As I tried to enter the auction house, an auction house manager rushed over from somewhere to block my path.
This was a completely unexpected situation. After all, I’m a countess.
Not just any ordinary count’s daughter, but the daughter of the Alrn family, which holds a high reputation on the continent!
I should more than meet the entrance requirements for the Nig auction house. So what’s the problem?!
‘Why can’t I enter?!’ “Hey, you idiot. Why can’t I? Explain it in a way I can understand.”
Expressing my complete confusion, when I pressed him, the manager broke into a cold sweat and stammered through his words.
The problem lay in the past misdeeds of Lucy.
Before I possessed her, Lucy indulged in luxury. She had an insatiable appetite for extravagance.
Naturally, it was only to be expected that she would stop by the Nig auction house to obtain the things she desired.
Being the worst scoundrel who even insulted the gods, Lucy was a kind of strategic weapon, creating incidents and accidents wherever she went, so it’s only natural that she caused trouble at the Nig auction house as well.
When she failed to buy something she wanted, she would go confront those who had placed higher bids and wreak havoc.
And it wasn’t just once; it was habitual.
Thanks to that, as people feared Lucy’s rampage, they turned away from the auction house, prompting Nig to make a decision.
They outright banned Lucy Alrn, the source of the problem.
<Child, just what in the world...>
It was unfair. That wasn’t my doing. But even though I felt wronged, the karma existing within this body wouldn’t disappear just because I felt that way.
<It must be due to your old habits of not knowing how to respect adults. How frightening. How frightening.>
As I lightly bit my lip at grandfather's mocking voice, the head of the guards bowed his head to the ground.
“I’m so sorry! But it’s a regulation, so there’s nothing I can do!”
Even in a state of fear, where he didn’t know what mischief I might commit, the manager spoke his part, showing the regrets of a commoner.
What should I do?
Even if I held onto a small glimmer of hope, I needed to get inside the auction house.
However, there was no way to enter through normal means. I had been blacklisted.
As I chewed on my lips, I racked my brain but couldn’t come up with any good ideas.
I never thought there would be such a problem. If I had known beforehand, I would have thought of some countermeasure!
...What if I activated my Mesugaki skill fully and wreaked some havoc? If I made them attack me first, I could create a justification to enter.
“Lady.”
Snapped out of my thoughts by Porcel's voice, I looked up and threw him a questioning glance.
What is it? Do you have some idea?
“Look around you.”
Around?
Finally shifting my gaze to the side, I realized there were countless eyes directed toward me.
Curiosity. Interest in gossip. Worry. Fear. Anxiety.
“It might be better to withdraw for now.”
His words were correct.
If I stirred up more trouble here, I was sure another line would be added to Lucy's infamy.
While it’s true that there’s no place lower than rock bottom, I still had some good relationships, so I should be careful.
As I nodded, Porcel lifted me back onto his shoulder again.
Stepping back from the entrance of the auction house, I searched for the Newman family’s base in Nig.
It’s an auction house where various nobles and merchants gather. There was no way I could sneak in there by unethical means all by myself.
While I could breach it with Porcel’s strength, that wouldn’t allow me to participate in the auction, would it?
I wanted to buy something, not steal it.
Now, without any preparations for the unexpected, the only place I could rely on was the Newman family.
They were a big player in the underworld, having established networks all over the continent. If I borrowed their power, something might come up.
The Newman family’s base in Nig was a shop selling trivial souvenirs.
While they might look pretty when you’re traveling, they quickly turn into junk after some time.
When we first arrived, the store clerk greeted us with a bright smile and recommended various items, but as soon as I pulled out the crow’s seal, he quickly changed his tune.
“Let’s go inside! There are far better items inside!”
Naturally, what lay inside were not just more souvenirs.
They were people working under the Newman family.
Even though I had told Erin and Porcel in advance not to be surprised, both widened their eyes at the sight inside the base.
“Welcome, benefactor of the Newman family. I am Kia, in charge of managing this base.”
The man, giving a somewhat light impression for an informant, introduced himself politely, but it didn’t hold much meaning.
‘Hello, Kia.’ “Yeah. Nice to meet you. You look like a scoundrel who likes other people’s women, don’t you?”
The moment the Mesugaki skill classified him as a scoundrel, his title became fixed as such.
He forced a bitter smile and I explained my situation.
I wanted to enter the auction house, but I couldn’t. Is there any way around it?
“There are a few methods, indeed.”
The scoundrel spoke casually without hesitation.
While the guards at the Nig auction house are strict, there are still some loopholes to exploit.
“However, there is one problem. You are so beautiful that you’ll stand out.”
But even if I got in through some illicit route, the moment they discover my identity, I would just be chased out.
“So I’d like to suggest something. How about a disguise?”
Disguise?