Chapter 87 The Graydale Style
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”It’s not like he’s just a friend of my father’s, one of his creditors… probably…”
”For instance, if we sold these counterfeits as genuine, how much would they be worth?”
”That would be an outrageous amount of money. We’re talking tens of thousands of gold coins.”
Tens of thousands of gold coins would be worth hundreds of millions of yen in my past life. It’s a staggering amount. And that’s just what’s here. If Aide had created even more counterfeits, it would be in the tens of billions.
”But… to make a deal like that without involving a pro? No, Sword Dupont might be able to pull it off. He’s got connections in the wealthy community.”
”What’s here isn’t just a keepsake. It’s also Sword’s weakness.”
The picture was starting to come together. If I believed Claire’s words, there were no stolen goods here. But there were legally gray items. Counterfeits, that is.
That’s when I suddenly thought of Claire’s “hobby”. I had been wondering where her passion for making those weird vibes and pin curlers came from… and now I had my answer.
”Your craftsmanship is inherited from your parents, isn’t it?”
”…That’s right.”
Claire nodded. Her hands were skilled, but her creations weren’t appreciated by the world. It was a family with a cursed fate.
”Still, it’s a shame to waste such talent. The counterfeits here are all made by the same person… and they’re incredibly well-made.”
”My grandfather would appreciate them, I think. I don’t really understand them, but they’re beautiful…”
”As a craftsman, he’s got his own unique style. His skills are top-notch. The counterfeits are well-made…”
There was no mistaking the respect in his eyes. However, since they were counterfeits, they couldn’t be valued that highly. And if you strayed from the path, it was hard to get back on track ―― I didn’t think Sword would easily let go of Aide. Maybe that was the twisted bond between Sword and Aide.
”…I think I understand why you didn’t tell me about this collection.”
The keepsakes from her parents. Counterfeits. They couldn’t be shown to the world, but they couldn’t be thrown away either. I didn’t even remember my father’s face, but he was assassinated, and my mother was consumed by revenge.
So, I didn’t feel like blaming Claire. In the end, she acknowledged everything and explained it to me.
And… now that I know this secret, Claire won’t betray me. If I keep this collection safe, Claire will be grateful to me. That’s probably how it’ll be for a long time.
”But I won’t forgive any more secrets. I’ll forgive you for this.”
”Of course. There’s nothing else. I swear.”
It was a quiet but powerful response. I could believe her. If I followed my proposal, then…
”――Alright. Then, I’ll move this collection to a safe place and keep it there. Of course, the storage location will be in the capital, where you can visit anytime… no objections, right?”
”…Yes. I think it’s best to keep the White Lily Cafe and the heirloom there.”
Claire had resigned herself. Rather, she had used her reason to ensure my trust and security. Now, I had fewer worries. Sword might cause a commotion, but that was that.
”Sword must have said all that because they didn’t want this collection to leak out carelessly. If he didn’t make it public, he’d hold back, I think.”
I thought that if I sold out to Sword, that would be fine, and if I put them to sleep, that would be fine too. The worst-case scenario was that it would leak out somewhere without me knowing.
”That’s right. Since there’s no decisive evidence of Sword’s involvement, if we draw a clear line… he won’t do anything reckless.”
The appraiser grandpa seemed to agree as well. Ugh… what a roundabout way this was. Not only did I have to deal with Zarek’s case, but also this.
”Father will probably understand too…. The tableware of Graydale will also come to light.”
”…Graydale?”
I had etched that familiar name into my mind. Lana’s territory, the great forest where the elves lived. It was a place located further north.
”Father said they were making tablewares using the techniques of Graydale.”
”Um, that’s right. This pattern, slightly warped and twisted, is proof of the Graydale style. It’s quite rare in the capital.”
As I listened to the 2 of them (Claire and Appraiser grandpa) talk, my mind was thinking about something else.
――Connected. Aide was making tableware that was passed down in the northern part of the Great Forest. Is this just a coincidence? It feels strange, like a chance encounter.
”Are all the tableware here like that? Not a single exception?”
”Hmm? Mother’s creations were in the Impressionist style, not the Graydale style. As for Father’s, from what I’ve seen, they’re all Graydale style. Of course, the periods they referenced were different, but…there were no exceptions.”
So, Claire’s mother didn’t use the Graydale style, and only Aide’s creations were in the Gradal style.
”Claire, why did Aide only make Graydale-style tableware?”
”Huh? Ah, yeah…I don’t know…I never heard the reason from Father…”
Claire tilts her head, looking puzzled. It seems she never thought about it before.
”According to your documents, Aide never left the royal capital and didn’t go to the Gradal region, right?”
”That’s right… yeah. Neither of my parents were born in the Graydale region. The only connection Father had to the Graydale region was through tableware. Now that I think about it, why did Father insist on making Graydale-style tableware…?”
And Graydale-style tableware was a minority in the royal capital. Why did Aide only make Graydale-style tableware?
Hmm…it’s still unclear. The connection was there, but it wasn’t conclusive.
However, I was becoming more convinced. There was no mistake. The direction of the mystery was starting to come together. Aide’s illness and the epidemic in the Great Forest. It finally connected in the vicinity of the Great Forest.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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