The Royal Military Academy's Impostor Owns a Dungeon [BL] novel Chapter 672

Chapter 672: Good for His Heart?!

Twitching.

There was a lot of twitching as Minister Kordell stood there, bracing as though the sky itself was about to fall.

He felt sick. Not because House Orell and House Aramont were throwing money around like spoiled children, but because he was being prevented from winning.

He couldn’t care less how much they planned to dump into the pot; he was sure the Federation was behind them anyway. But how could he stand here and just watch while something this game-changing slipped into the hands of others?

Down below, the auction house was bedlam.

The numbers on the screen flipped so fast that poor Master of Ceremonies Mitchel wasn’t even able to say them aloud before they changed again.

"Ten billion... ten point two... no, ten point five... ten point seven—wait—eleven point—oh twelve!"

The man was practically tearing his hair out while the audience clutched their seats with white-knuckled grips. Every bid came with anguished groans, gasps, and the occasional howl.

Though really, by Mitchel’s expression, he was likely thinking something along the lines of, "Oh, for crying out loud, make up your minds!"

And then there were the master mechanics.

It was less an auction now and more like a civil war. Entire groups of them were nearly leaping out of their seats, snarling at one another over who deserved to bid this time.

Minister Kordell’s eye twitched again.

But really, he wasn’t the only one.

The Patriarch of House Orell, seated two rows from the stage, was already drenched in sweat. He had prepared for this—he swore he had prepared. After the humiliation of the last auction, he had been scolded, scorned, and practically roasted alive by both allies and rivals. He had vowed not to make the same mistake again.

They had funds. They had backing. They had prepared for war.

But this? This was madness!

Why did it feel like they were being humiliated all over again? Worse, why did it look like these items weren’t even part of the main event?!

If the Federation leaders learned that House Orell had failed again, and with items of this level, he might not survive the fallout long enough to see another auction.

Meanwhile, Minister Kordell rubbed at his temple, feeling his life expectancy shrink. Thank the stars the booths above were one-way. If anyone below could see his face right now, they would be whispering about how fast the great Minister Nox was going gray.

But when he turned his head, he nearly keeled over.

Because sitting right beside him, with all the serenity of a saint, was that mop-haired blonde.

The boy was smiling.

Smiling.

And worse, he was insisting that the Minister should not bid. Not truly. It would be fine to make noise, fine to place token bids here and there, but absolutely not fine to actually win.

"Father, it would really be the best for your heart to do it like that," Ollie said sweetly.

His eyes sparkled. His antenna bobbed with pride. His chest puffed out as though he had just uttered the wisest piece of financial advice in the Empire.

Kordell’s mouth twitched so hard it almost spasmed.

Good for his heart? How could losing at an auction of this scale be good for anyone’s heart?

He wanted to roar.

Instead, he sat there twitching while the numbers climbed higher. In fact, his gut was out there churning, but because his wife agreed to it, he really couldn’t do anything but watch as the future crumbled before him. Although considering his wife’s unique trait, he really should just follow.

Finally, the hammer dropped.

"Sold! Fourteen billion! Congratulations to Duke Samuel Zorath!" Mitchel declared, voice cracking like a man barely clinging to life.

A wave of sighs rippled through the hall. Kordell at least lightened his grip, which had already dented the chair, because it was an Imperial house that managed to snag the item.

But then again, while it looked like there were many possible winners, in truth, this particular auction was more complicated than it seemed.

The money wasn’t even the main issue anymore. Nearly everyone here had extra billions, most even trillions, sitting in their coffers. No, the true headache was how to use such a part after buying it. Because bidding against the master mechanics meant angering the very people needed to install and maintain it.

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