My Husband Was Clearly a Paladin
Chapter 41
‘What is this?’
Startled, I looked down at my hand.
For a moment, I wondered if a child wandering around had grabbed my hand, but there was no one beside me, let alone a child.
Yet the sensation of something tightening around my finger remained.
Irene lifted her hand to inspect it. The soulbound ring was settled on her finger.
Just as she was blinking, wondering if she had imagined it—
“Ah!”
This time, the sensation of the ring tightening around her finger was strong enough to be slightly painful.
It wasn't an illusion. The ring was constricting of its own accord.
“Irene? What’s wrong?”
“No, the ring… it’s….”
But the ring wasn't glowing or doing anything visible. Even if she said it was squeezing her finger, there was nothing Reina could really do to help.
‘Why is it suddenly doing this?’
There had been no explanation that the ring could move on its own like this. What was happening?
“Now, for those who would feel disappointed to go home empty-handed, we have another delight from our auction house! We will proceed with the Blind Auction!”
The auctioneer’s voice drifted in through the open door. At that moment, the ring tightened around her finger again. It was as if it were reacting to the auctioneer’s words.
‘What on earth is going on?’
At the very least, it didn't seem like the ring was exerting this force out of malice.
If it were, it would have crushed her finger already.
Meanwhile, several reward boxes were being carried onto the stage by the staff.
As they appeared, the ring continued to react.
“Irene?”
“Oh, um, I think I need to watch the auction for a bit longer.”
“Really? Then I’ll watch with you. Felix, could you handle the remaining auction paperwork for me?”
“Got it.”
After sending Felix off, Reina took Irene’s arm and headed back inside the auction house.
An artifact expressing its own will as if it were alive—it was a phenomenon Irene had never heard of, and her heart began to race.
She was curious to know exactly what the ring was reacting to.
“Actually, I was so nervous before the Ring of Invisibility was sold that I couldn’t really see anything properly. I wanted to try participating once too, so this is perfect.”
Unaware of Irene’s tension, Reina chattered away, seemingly just happy to watch together.
The two of them sat down in suitable empty seats left by those who had departed. Since the Ring of Invisibility had been sold, those who had come only for that item had already left.
Still, perhaps feeling a lingering sense of regret, more than half of the attendees remained in their seats to continue participating.
There were twenty-five reward boxes placed on the table on stage.
Each was numbered, and the auctioneer proceeded quickly starting from number one.
“Alright, let’s start with Box Number 1!”
Box Number 1 was a tiny, old, worn-out wooden box that looked like something you’d find in the lowest-rank dungeon.
The kind of thing where, if you opened it, you’d almost certainly find something better described as trash than treasure.
“We’ll start at 1 gold. Please raise your hands if you’re interested. 2 gold over there! 2 gold! Any more? 3 gold!”
Knowing that such boxes were usually no better than garbage, no one raised their hand for more than 3 gold.
“Then 3 gold! Sold for 3 gold!”
Unlike the expensive items auctioned earlier, this was delivered to the winner immediately.
The staff member collected the money first, gave the warning that no refunds were allowed, and then handed the reward box to the winner.
A man who clearly looked like he had come for the spectacle handed the box to his son sitting beside him.
A 3-gold toy for a child. That was the value of that box.
The child opened the box with a face full of anticipation, but what came out was a silver branch with withered leaves attached.
That, too, was surely from a tree that didn't exist in this world.
But to the child, that didn't matter.
“Aw, it’s a dud. Dad.”
The child grumbled, and the auctioneer told him to beg his dad for something more expensive next time before moving on to the next item.
Several more boxes were sold in quick succession after that.
However, some boxes that looked far too dilapidated were passed over without a single bid.
Especially after a decent-looking box that had just been sold turned out to be filled with nothing but pebbles, people became more hesitant to bid, realizing the probability of finding something good was low.
During all this, the ring on Irene’s hand repeatedly constricted and loosened.
“Now, next is Box Number 15!”
The moment the auctioneer started the bidding for Box Number 15—
“…!”
Irene flinched, startled by a sudden surge in the ring’s power.
It was because the ring squeezed her finger tightly, as if commanding her to bid.
‘What is in that thing?’
Why was the ring making such a fuss?
“Now, this one actually looks like quite a decent box. Shall we give this one a special shake?”
At the auctioneer’s words, a staff member shook the box, and a rattling sound came from within.
Of course, no one knew what was making that sound, but it was certain that something heavy was inside.
“Alright, we’ll start this one specially at 10 gold. Each bid will increase by 5 gold. Let’s begin!”
Until just now, everything had started at 1 gold and increased by 1 gold increments.
Judging that it might actually be worth something, the auctioneer immediately raised the stakes.
The guests, who had been getting a bit bored with the auction, regained interest at the increased price.
“15 gold! 20 gold! 25 gold!”
Perhaps the expectation that something would come out had grown. The price rose rapidly.
And each time it did, the ring continued to tighten around Irene’s finger. As if telling her to buy it quickly.
As more time passed, people who didn't want to spend any more money on a box they didn't even know the contents of began to drop out.
However, perhaps intending to go home with at least a souvenir, two women were refusing to give up and kept raising the price.
“150 gold! 155 gold! Alright, from now on, we’ll go up by 10 gold!”
Noticing that the battle between the two women wouldn't end easily, the auctioneer quickly raised the bidding increment.
Irene swallowed hard as the price climbed.
She was certain she had to buy it. The problem was, she had no money.
“250 gold!”
Fidgeting as the price kept rising, Irene tapped the arm of Reina, who was watching with amusement.
“Reina-nim, I’m sorry, but could you possibly lend me some money?”
“Of course. How much do you need?”
“Enough to buy that. I’ll pay you back as soon as the payment for my artifact comes in.”
“Don’t worry! I have some savings, so that much won’t be a problem!”
Now that Reina had agreed to lend her the money, she felt relieved.
Irene waited for the duel between the two women to end.
In the meantime, the price was surpassing 500 gold. At that point, one side began to hesitate.
Just as the other woman raised her hand, certain of her victory—
“540!”
Irene called out the number and raised her hand.
The auctioneer grew even more excited at the arrival of a new contender.
Conversely, the woman who thought she was about to take it glared at Irene and immediately raised her hand.
The price continued to climb for a while.
“One thousand!”
The woman shouted, as if to say ‘let’s see how far you can go.’ She looked venomous, determined to see it through to the end.
Irene hesitated for a moment.
‘A thousand gold for a reward box when I don't even know what’s inside.’
The money she would receive from selling the Stone of Silence wouldn't even be 5,000 gold.
Was it right to spend as much as a thousand gold on a box like this? Maybe staying still and not buying it would be better for saving money….
“Ugh.”
As soon as she thought that, the ring squeezed her hand to the point of pain.
‘Is this thing really alive?’
Otherwise, there was no way it could communicate its will like this.
“I’ll buy it, I’m buying it.”
Irene muttered as if the ring could hear her, swallowed a sigh, and raised her hand again.
Regardless, it felt like she had to buy it as the ring wanted this time.
* * *
In the end, at a final price of 1,550 gold, the box became Irene’s.
Even Reina, who had initially encouraged her to try buying it, asked several times if she was really going to buy it once the amount reached that point.
After Reina paid the price on her behalf, the staff member handed the box to Irene.
“Open it. Quickly.”
At Reina’s urging, other people nearby also began to slink over to the adjacent seats to see what on earth would come out of the box.
The person most curious of all was Irene.
‘What could possibly be inside?’
Why did the ring react this way?
The fact that the ring had a will was fascinating, but finding out what was inside the box came first.
Irene swallowed hard and slowly opened the box.
Creeeeeak.
The moment the lid was fully flipped back and the contents revealed—
“A dagger?”
Inside was a single old dagger.
A blade covered in scratches, much like how Limitless Healing looked when it was first discovered.
The moment she saw it, Irene had a premonition.
This, too, was an incredible artifact whose value would be difficult to even estimate—just like her ring.
