The Abandoned Prince’s Ghost Bride - Chapter 160

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Forsaken Crown Prince’s Ghost Bride
Side Story: Chapter 10. Kaiser’s Connections (2)

“It seems this is your first time here, doesn’t it?”
“…….”
“Don’t be so guarded. I’ve simply made an educated guess—your face is unfamiliar, and your clothes appear to be from the Odrian Empire.”
The man smiled ingratiratingly, projecting friendliness. Yet Kaiser remained silent.
The man broke into an awkward grin, cold sweat trickling down his temples.
“If nothing else, shall I show you around? If you’re searching for ‘that,’ I could direct you to the Auction House. An opportunity like this… doesn’t come often for first-timers.”
“Hey…….”
At last, Kaiser opened his mouth.
The man’s throat tightened involuntarily.
‘With looks like that, he’d fetch a premium price—not just from noblewomen, but from perverts as well.’
Ever since Kaiser had entered the alley, the man had kept close watch.
Even searching among the nobility, one would rarely find someone with such striking features.
Entering the dimly lit alley unsettled him somewhat—though Kaiser’s casual demeanor and well-tailored clothes gave him pause.
‘Plenty of naïve young masters from wealthy families stumble into these places out of mere curiosity.’
Besides, he was a foreigner. It wasn’t uncommon for travelers to vanish abroad, nothing to suspect.
‘If I just smooth-talk him and pocket my cut……!’
“You’re lucky.”
“……Excuse me?”
The man, his mind churning with schemes, flinched at Kaiser’s next words.
“If you’d acted even slightly more suspicious, you’d have been roasted alive.”
“Ha ha…… I’m not sure what you mean by that…….”
Flames suddenly ignited in Kaiser’s left palm. Witnessing magic cast without warning, the man’s face drained of color.
“Y-you’re a mage! Forgive my ignorance, sir. I’ve committed a grave discourtesy…….”
“No, no. As it happens, I find this place rather entertaining.”
Kaiser slung an arm across the man’s shoulders. Meeting the mage’s green eyes at close range, the man swallowed hard.
“Why don’t you show me around? I’m happy to indulge your little scheme. Of course, if you try any tricks……you’re dead.”
It wasn’t merely a threat—the man’s palms grew slick with sweat at the genuine possibility he might be murdered.
‘I’m screwed.’
He regretted it now, but he was already in Kaiser’s grasp.

* * *

“So, the largest Dark Market in Kiis Kingdom?”
“……Yes, though truthfully the one near the Capital is slightly larger, this establishment is primarily frequented by foreigners like yourself. Its scale is therefore scarcely inferior to the Capital’s.”
“I see. They told me the same nonsense about another market too—that it was the biggest. Nothing new here.”
“Where there is light, there must be shadow. Be cautious. You never know when con artists or traffickers might target a mage.”
“Like you, for instance.”
“Wh-what are you saying?! You’d be hard-pressed to find someone as honorable as me!”
“Never mind. When you first approached me—that thing I mentioned. Did you really have no qualms throwing out that phrase without knowing what it meant?”
“……Well, there’s only one thing foreigners dare not speak of openly.”
“Slaves.”
Humans, Beastkin, Demihumans—all those trapped by traffickers, sold by their own families, or otherwise stripped of personhood and dignity.
Though most nations had abolished slavery over the past century, Kiis Kingdom still maintained the institution.
Perhaps Kiis Kingdom’s renown as a trading hub owed something to these unseen transactions flourishing in the dark.
“You’ve come seeking slaves?”
“I have no use for such things.”
“Ah, I see…….”
“But I am curious how the auctions are conducted.”
As Kaiser’s gaze fell upon him, the man bowed obsequiously.
“I shall guide you to the most renowned Auction House.”
The place to which the man led him showed no hint of being a Dark Market.
All seemed to be laughing merrily, savoring themselves.
But Kaiser’s eyes caught sight of something else—the hollow pupils of the passersby.
‘Narcotics.’
A comedy from afar, a tragedy up close.
The Auction House itself occupied the grandest, most lavishly decorated building in the plaza.
Dazzlingly ornate—yet knowing it all mere façade, Kaiser found it shallow rather than beautiful.
“Oh, Pol. A customer?”
An attendant approached as they entered. Pol, who had guided Kaiser this far, shook his head toward his snickering colleague.
“An esteemed guest. Prepare a VIP Room.”
“Hmm?”
The attendant’s gaze swept over Kaiser with obvious skepticism. At such naked scrutiny, Kaiser’s expression darkened.
“Does he have a death wish…….”
A wave of lethal intent swept from behind. Pol’s voice cracked with urgency.
“Move! This is no ordinary person!”
“I…… understand.”
The attendant hastily retrieved a key, and Pol hurried Kaiser away.
“Listen.”
“Y-yes, sir!”
“So this is how you traffic victims into the Auction House?”
“Ha ha, I don’t quite follow…….”
“If I’m not given the finest treatment, I’ll reduce this entire building to ash. Understood?”
“You needn’t worry—I shall see to your comfort personally, sir.”
Pol snapped to attention.
The VIP Room exuded the opulence of a nobleman’s receiving chamber.
“You may view the auction items via the Vision Orb. To purchase, simply press this button and state your bid.”
“Hmm, so you sell ordinary merchandise too?”
“Indeed. This establishment traffics in anything unavailable through ordinary channels—rare texts, priceless artifacts, the like. The items you seek will appear last.”
“I see. Wait outside. If you don’t return the moment I call…….”
“I won’t be late by even a second.”
Pol fled, and Kaiser propped his feet on the table, watching the auctions unfold via the Vision Orb.
“Indeed…….”
The items on offer were remarkably diverse. Ancient texts no longer in circulation, treasures, cursed necklaces, tiaras from extinct kingdoms, coins from fallen nations, and more.
From the bizarre to the genuinely intriguing, the variety was substantial.
“Yes, now this is proper shopping.”
Wanting to acquire pieces missing from his collection, Kaiser observed the proceedings with patience.
-Gentlemen, are you aware that a Dragon has recently appeared in the Odrian Empire across the sea?
Just then, the auctioneer began building excitement before introducing the next lot.
-Some dismiss this as rumor, but through reliable sources, I can confirm the Dragon revealed itself to numerous Odrian nobles! A Dragon—a creature thought mere legend since the distant past—truly exists!
“What’s he babbling about…….”
-Now that we know Dragons are real, behold the rarity of this next item! I present to you: Dragon Bone!
“……!”
Kaiser’s eyes snapped wide open.
Even through the soundproofed VIP Room, the crowd’s roar reached his ears.
-This Dragon Bone is the preserved remains of a Dragon slain long ago by the renowned hunter Hobbs Culler’s great-grandfather. As all of you know, we deal exclusively in authentic goods. And observe the sheer magnitude—could this be anything other than Dragon Bone?
A bone easily three times a man’s height. Its immensity captivated every onlooker.
-We shall begin bidding at 500 Gold!
The moment the auctioneer called the opening bid, the crowd surged forward, prices climbing rapidly.
-850 Gold! 870 Gold! Number 304 at 900 Gold! Any further bids?!
“……Bastards!”
Bang!
Kaiser’s fist slammed the marble table. It shattered into fragments. Hearing the crash, Pol burst in anxiously.
“Wh-what’s wrong?!”
“I must have that item. By any means.”
“Ah…… then simply press the button and state your offer.”
-980 Gold! Who knows when such a treasure will surface again?!
Kaiser pressed the button, speaking through gritted teeth.
The auctioneer’s eyes went wide upon receiving the bid.
-Number 8 offers 1,000 Gold! At last, today’s first thousand! But number 304 immediately counters with 1,010!
“Parasites. 2,000!”
-Number 8 now bids 2,000 Gold! The highest price of the month!
At the doubled amount, no further competition emerged.
-Congratulations! Number 8 has secured the Dragon Bone for 2,000 Gold!
As the auctioneer brought his gavel down, Kaiser slumped back in his chair.
“When do I receive the item?”
Pol, momentarily stunned by such wealth, quickly composed himself.
“The item will be delivered immediately upon settlement at the auction’s conclusion. Should you require it urgently, we can process payment now and you may take it at once. How would you prefer?”
“……The slave auction hasn’t begun yet, so I’ll continue observing.”
“Very well, sir.”
Pol withdrew, and Kaiser ran his hand roughly through his hair.
The moment he saw that bone—his race’s bone—reason had abandoned him. He’d nearly made the catastrophic mistake of revealing his true form.
“Tch. Creating a disturbance here would do more harm than good.”
A year prior, he had proposed to the Dragon that they seek peaceful coexistence with humans, but only within limits that kept the Dragon’s identity concealed.
And if he lost control here, surrounded by illegality and ruthlessness, humans would certainly seek vengeance.
Humans were as persistent as cockroaches—they would hunt the Dragon relentlessly.
“And I don’t even know if that’s genuine Dragon Bone.”
Let the Auction House claim authenticity—that didn’t mean they’d actually handled real Dragon Bone. Likely their “verification” amounted to little more than confirming the seller’s word.
As time passed, his mind cooled somewhat. Regaining composure, Kaiser questioned whether his impulsive participation had been wise.
“No—if it’s not genuine, that’s fortunate.”
2,000 Gold meant nothing to his finances.
-Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your patience! At last, the moment you’ve awaited—the human slave auction is upon us!
At the auctioneer’s words, Kaiser turned his attention to the Vision Orb.
“We begin with able-bodied men—ten in total! Starting at 20 Gold each!”
Compared to the Dragon Bone moments before, the sums seemed absurdly trivial.
The crowd’s enthusiasm was tepid; most slaves sold below 50 Gold.
Next came adult women, selling at the marginally higher average of 60 Gold, followed by the increasingly rare Beastkin and Demihumans.
Those fetched between 200 and 500 Gold each.
The vacant eyes of the enslaved unsettled him.
“……How did you end up here?”
Hunted? Deceived? Sold by family? The reasons escaped him.
Yet their wretched fates were undeniable.
Pitiful, certainly. But no further. He had no intention of spending his own coin on mercy.
-And now, our final lot. A human female.
“Hmm?”
It struck him as odd—why would a human appear last, after the Demihumans?
-This woman possesses jet-black hair and eyes—the distinct features of Eastern Continental Peoples. But that alone would not warrant the final position. Her true value lies in her extraordinary beauty.
“Beauty amounts to nothing.”
Kaiser snorted dismissively at the auctioneer’s hyperbole.
“Words fail to capture her grace. Let me show you—a beauty as though a goddess herself has descended!”
The curtain rose, revealing a woman in Iron Chains.
The Auction House fell silent. Kaiser’s eyes widened involuntarily, his mouth falling open.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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