Manuke FPS

Guided by Jack-san, Hirashia’s manager, Malta-san and I went to the basement level where the vault was located.
A look at the map, I noticed that the floor must’ve been constructed with security in mind as the stairs and passageway were narrow.
There also was no other way along the passage either.
However, what laid outside the wall was not soil.
I could see that there was an empty space around the wall.
As if the basement floated inside a cavity underground.
I had no idea how it’d been done, though it must’ve been magic. 

Jackson stopped ahead of us once he noticed I’d been staring at the wall. 

“Shaft-sama, did you notice something?”

“Yes, why is there a hollow space between the walls?”

“To be more exact, that space is filled with water.
It’s designed as a way to prevent anyone with earth mastery to easily infiltrate the magic vault from outside.
This passageway is the only way to access the vault.”

“So, that’s how it is…”

Speaking of crime prevention, one should also think about the use of magic…

Then what about the old building I bought from the Marida Trading Company? It would be impossible for me to build a similar system.
And finding a similar type of building would not be easy.
Or was I thinking too far ahead? Did I need to place some security measures?

“Please wait in this room.
I will bring out the core.”

Jack-san led us into a small room with a simple desk and a few chairs.
There were no wall adornments or extra furniture.
Malta-san sat in a chair in the room’s corner while I took the one in front of the table.
I watched the movement of the dots on my radar.
I could see Jack-san move further to the back with another dot, apparently the magical vault’s guard. 

“Sometimes—, sometimes I notice that Shaft-sama moves as if you’re looking somewhere else.
Do you happen to have a skill that allows you to see distant scenery or something like that?”

How unusual… Malta-san never asked about my power before.
I thought he accepted that it was just a part of who I am.
I guess I was too naive… 

“I don’t have such a thing.
But I can see all the terrain around me.
As well as sense humans and non-human movement in my surroundings.”

“Ah..
So that was how you were also able to have a job as a map maker.”

“It’s as you guessed.” 

“No wonder Shaft-sama can conquer labyrinths on his own, and at such unprecedented speed as well.”

“Well, there are many other things in play, but — Jack-san is coming back.”

“Pardon me for keeping you waiting.”

Jack-san returned while pushing a card that seemed to be meant to transport goods.
There was a black painted wooden box on top of it, which probably contained the core. 

“Please check it.”

The black box was placed on the small desk and its lid was removed.
Inside was a magic stone the size of a rugby ball that shone brilliantly.
The same magic stone that I brought back from the Wolf Fang Labyrinth.

“Malta-san, would you please?”

“Will do.”

First of all, I asked Malta-san to confirm whether the core was genuine or not.
He took out the spectacle to appraise it and looked at the core’s brilliance.
Meanwhile, I pretended to watch on as I prepared a GPS tracking dart in my hand.

“Without a doubt, it is the genuine item.”

Malta-san turned to me and confirmed it.
Then, I picked up the core while I pretended to examine it closer as if to burn its brilliance into my eyes.
Seeing this, Malta-san started to talk to Jack-san.
Once the latter turned his eyes away, I casually stuck the GPS tracking dart to the back of the stone, injecting it with the micro tracker.
I immediately concealed it afterward and covertly confirmed the flashing red GPS tracker had been firmly attached to the core, then checked its position was registered on my radar. 

By the way, the dart had no attack power, so I didn’t have to worry about damaging the stone. 

I put the stone back in a way the hid the flashing from view, then turned to hear Malta-san and Jack-san’s conversation.

“It is my pleasure.
Hopefully, the auction today will garner a lot of money.”

“That is a foregone conclusion.
Especially with His Majesty attending this year.
It can be used for large-scale construction, and also for large magical tools such as large ships and magic elevators.
With all the aristocrats participating this year, there is no doubt that it’ll sell for a good amount.”

Jack-san left once again, while he brimmed with excitement for the last day, to deposit the box back into the vault.
That’s all I could do as a precaution.
Afterward, we returned to the private room prepared for us while I wondered how Nekoyanagi would act. 

As we waited in the private room while we enjoyed tea, an attendant came to inform us that the auction would begin soon.
I moved from the private room to the spectator area for sellers along with Malta-san.
Hirashia was a two-story building similar in build to a theater with a stage and a podium on the first floor where the goods were auctioned.
In the space where the bidders sat, there were many round tables that sat eight so they could enjoy the long auction as much as possible. 

We got to sit in the seller-only spectator area on the second floor.
It was a small private room with a top-down counter.
Multiple seats of the same design overlooked the first floor from left to right.
The royal guest area, clearly for the Royal Family, was also on the same floor. 

According to Malta-san, his only daughter Minnea, would watch from the guest room along with two other students from the First Magic Academy. 

The seats began to fill up.
Malta-san then told me about prestigious nobles, the chairman of a large trading company, and the noted merchants who came to attend the auction.
As I listened, I looked down to some of the groups I was familiar with – the top clan of the Kurtmerga Kingdom, Rafflesia.
Like the Marida Trading Company, Yamigasa Company was one of the largest companies in the kingdom and the sponsor of said clan. 

Then, there was the leader of the Sasanqua Clan — which consisted of only women, Viscount Cypria Azanavour, Duke Barga and his third daughter Laptilica, — ah, Count Themis of the Wizard Guild was also there. 

I intended to look casual, but some of them seemed to notice my gaze, thus, they stared back at me… Their gazes were a mix between anger, indifference, passing curiosity, and what appeared to be interested.

Oi, oi – don’t tell me that the phantom thieves Nekoyanagi were among the people downstairs? 

The light blip of the tracker blinked firmly on the map without moving.
I don’t think they’re going to steal it before the auction started.
Perhaps they’ll have something to do during the auction? In fact, I looked forward to what they planned to do.