Chapter 55
Following Yarta, I headed deep into the auction house.
The atmosphere here was completely different from the one just moments ago, when monsters were raging in their cages.
Inside the dusty iron bars lay withered creatures whose sagging flesh and half-closed eyes betrayed their exhaustion.
All of them were old monsters that had long since been tamed and overworked to the point of death.
They would be used one last time—noblemen would hunt them for rank experience—and afterward, their corpses would be stripped for potion ingredients.
After walking for quite some time, we came upon a massive tent.
Yarta pulled away the covering that draped over a large iron cage. Dust scattered into the air after years of neglect.
“Here it is.”
“Hm.”
Beyond the curtain stood a cage large enough to rival a small mansion.
The bars were as thick as a man’s forearm—more like a massive aviary than a simple cage.
Grrrk…
A low groaning sound came from within.
Inside, a monster resembling a gigantic grub stirred faintly.
Its huge, drooping flesh quivered as it moved. The top part of its head was brownish, much like an actual beetle larva.
If it were smaller, it might’ve been considered cute—but its colossal size made it almost grotesque.
A Giant Worm.
True to its name, it was a massive creature.
This one had lived for over fifteen years—far beyond the typical lifespan of its kind—and had grown even larger than usual.
It looked revolting, but it was actually a docile monster.
Normally, it wouldn’t attack humans. Feed it regularly and it caused no trouble.
Its only flaw was its peculiar appetite—it would eat anything placed before it.
Because of that, Giant Worms were often used in mining operations.
Like a living drill, they would devour rock and soil, tunneling through the ground efficiently.
The gravel and stones they consumed were excreted as finely crushed soil, which happened to be useful for many purposes.
So overall, they were quite a helpful species.
The Giant Worm smacked its blunt mouth once at the sight of us, then quickly lost interest and slumped down again.
It looked weaker than other worms—probably because of its old age.
“This is the one.”
The moment I saw it, I knew instinctively.
This creature had it—the relic left behind by the Great Sage Oberon.
“I’ll remind you once again, my lord,” Yarta said carefully. “Though large, the beast is terribly aged. It won’t perform properly anymore.”
“I see.”
He clearly had no idea what this monster truly was.
“Wow! Amazing!”
Despite his warning, Priana’s eyes sparkled as she stared up at the creature.
She curiously walked around it, studying its immense size.
“Is this the Giant Worm you’ve been looking for, my lord?”
In contrast, Isbart looked unimpressed. She’d seen and heard plenty about such creatures before.
A Giant Worm’s working lifespan was between seven to ten years.
Fifteen years after the Great War, this one was practically ancient.
“Heh.”
I whispered to Priana, “It’s fine. But do me one favor.”
“Yes, my lord. Anything.”
“No matter what happens next… stay still. Understood?”
“Eh? Stay still? What do you—”
Ignoring her confusion, I stepped closer to the Giant Worm.
Yarta immediately reached out to stop me.
“My lord, please! You mustn’t approach it!”
“Oh? What was that?”
Pretending not to hear, I continued walking.
“That creature eats anything in front of it! Even if it’s tame, if you provoke—”
“I just want to get a closer look.”
I ignored him completely and kept going.
By now, Yarta was panicking.
“W–wait! Stop! My lord!”
“Oh? So I shouldn’t do this?”
I reached out and placed my hand on the creature’s mouth.
Yarta’s face went deathly pale.
“M-my lord! Get away fro—”
Grrrk!
Before he could finish, darkness swallowed me whole as the world tilted upside down.
Ka-thump!
“KYAA! MY LORD!”
In the blink of an eye, Ian was sucked into the Giant Worm’s mouth.
“AAAAH! That crazy bastard!”
Yarta screamed.
It was unclear whether he meant the worm or the idiot noble who let himself get eaten.
He shouted uselessly, pacing frantically.
Attacking the creature wouldn’t help—it would only crush and digest whatever it had swallowed faster.
“Damn it! Someone fetch the tamer! NOW!”
“Y-yes, sir!!”
Chaos erupted.
But among all the commotion, one person remained calm.
What are you thinking, my lord…?
Ian’s knight, Priana, stood still, remembering his whispered warning.
She had been shocked when he was swallowed, of course—but if he told her to stay still, he must have a reason.
…You must have a plan.
She gripped her sword hilt and watched quietly.
The Giant Worm, having swallowed Ian, simply lay there as if nothing had happened.
“Heh.”
Just as planned, I was now inside the Giant Worm’s body.
Slimy mucus covered me, sticky and suffocating—but it wasn’t enough to kill.
Soon, Yarta would return with the tamer.
Before that happened, I had to find what I came for.
“Hm…”
Holding my breath, I groped through the pitch darkness.
Fortunately, the beast’s stomach was empty—it must’ve been starved for several days.
If there had been rocks or gravel mixed in here, it would’ve been much harder to search.
As I moved, the worm’s belly squirmed, pulling me deeper.
It should be around here…
Had I been wrong? Was it really just an ordinary old worm?
The thought crossed my mind—then suddenly, a faint glow appeared in the darkness.
There it is!
That wasn’t its mana core—those were located in the brown head area.
No, this was something the creature had accidentally swallowed.
“Hrrgh!”
I reached toward the light.
After pushing through layers of sticky mucus, my hand finally touched something hard.
“…Got it.”
The moment I grabbed it, I felt myself being pulled rapidly backward.
I clutched the object to my chest—
—and then I was expelled violently.
Splurt!
“Ugh!”
Light blinded my eyes. My body was drenched in translucent gray slime.
The stench—like rotting fish—was unbearable.
“M-my lord! Are you all right?!”
Yarta rushed over, pale-faced. His earlier arrogance had completely vanished.
“…”
I said nothing—just glared.
“U-uh…”
He froze, unable to speak.
“…It’s all this damn creature’s fault! You stupid beast!”
He turned and began beating the worm furiously with a club.
Grrrk! Grrrkk!
The worm only whimpered under the blows, not even resisting.
Despite its temperament, anything that touched its mouth became food—quite the irony.
“Enough.”
“N-no, my lord! I’ll kill this damned thing for what it did—!”
“Killing it can wait.” I stood and brushed off the slime.
“Your auction house lets monsters eat noble guests? Especially one who serves House Isother?”
“Ugh…”
The first and foremost rule of the Pesis Monster Auction House—trust.
Since they dealt in buying and selling monsters, reliability was everything.
Buyers had to believe the beasts wouldn’t harm their masters.
That belief had just been shattered—by a noble being swallowed whole.
“P-please, my lord! Forgive me! I’ll punish this beast myself!”
“Heh. You think that’s enough? You nearly made me a meal for this thing.”
“N-no! I swear that wasn’t my intention!”
“Of course it wasn’t. If it were, it’d count as attempted noble assassination.”
“Gasp!”
“But do you think others will see it that way?”
“I… I…”
Yarta collapsed to his knees, trembling.
If word of this spread, it would ruin him.
He could even be expelled from the auction guild—something worse than death to him.
Serves you right for looking down on someone just because they seem poor.
I’d planned to buy the creature honestly.
If he hadn’t talked to me like I was trash for being short on cash…
Tsk.
Still, I didn’t want this to become a scandal.
A rumor about a noble being eaten alive by a worm wasn’t exactly flattering.
But a little compensation was only fair.
“I don’t wish to make this into a big issue.”
“R-really, my lord?! Thank you!”
“However, as the victim, I’m entitled to some reasonable compensation.”
“O-of course! I’ll deal with this wretched creature personally!”
“No. That won’t be necessary.”
“…What?”
“I’ll take care of its punishment myself. Since it ate me, it’s mine now. Have it sent to my estate.”
“Ah…”
Finally, Yarta realized what was happening.
The veins in his neck bulged, though his face stayed composed.
“V-very well… This Giant Worm will belong to you, my lord.”
“Good. You’ll also handle the transport expenses, won’t you?”
Grrrk…
Somewhere, I heard the faint grinding of teeth.
“O-of course…”
Clap!
I clapped my hands brightly.
“Then it’s settled. We’ll treat this as an unfortunate accident. As compensation, I’ll take the Giant Worm.”
“…Yes, my lord.”
“They’ve finished preparing the Giant Worm for transport.”
“Ah, that was fast.”
After wrapping up the matter, I bathed in the facilities provided by the Pesis Auction House.
It was a large enough establishment to at least have hot baths.
‘Still smells a bit, though.’
The worm’s mucus had a horrendous stench.
Even after soaking for a long time, I could still faintly smell decaying fish.
“Priana, smell me. Do I still stink?”
I leaned my head toward her. She sniffed cautiously and replied,
“…No, my lord. Not at all.”
“Really? Doesn’t seem like it.”
“It’s true.”
“…Isbart.”
“Ah—yes! I-I mean—”
Isbart had been avoiding my eyes the whole time, her face bright red.
After all, I wasn’t wearing my usual clothes—just a thin undergarment shirt I’d brought as backup.
“Here.”
I lifted my arm toward her. Her blush deepened.
“M-my apologies.”
She hesitated, then sniffed lightly before shaking her head.
“…It doesn’t smell, my lord.”
But her expression had twisted ever so slightly—I caught that.
There was no point pressing the matter. What servant would dare tell their master, ‘My lord, you reek!’?
“…Fine. Let’s go with that.”
I couldn’t stay in the bath all day. I’d clean up properly once I returned to my mansion.
It was time to head home.
