The Imperial Art Museum wasn’t anything special. It was just a place where they occasionally exhibited artworks owned by the Imperial Palace along with portraits of emperors for the nobility.

Even the artworks owned by the Emperor were mostly looted from conquered neighboring countries, so to be frank, it was a building erected to show off war trophies.

Honestly, even in my past life, I didn’t have much knowledge about artworks, so everything looked the same to me and nothing particularly caught my interest.

Anyway, I didn’t come here to leisurely appreciate artworks in the first place.

What I’m waiting for now is a fishing expedition.

The bait thrown by a scammer who looks perfectly healthy but doesn’t think of working and only schemes to take advantage of others.

That’s the bait I’m waiting for right now.

However, even after wandering around for a while, the desired fisherman didn’t appear easily.

Did I think wrong? I thought there would be at least one idle person looking to take advantage of someone like me… How can the world be this wholesome…

Just as I was about to change my approach towards art dealers, thinking I might have misjudged, someone stopped me.

“Oh my, isn’t this Lady Rischefeld?”

Could it be, the fisherman I’ve been waiting for? I looked at the man calling me with a smile that was pure yet slightly naive.

I’m glad Ravenne is a cute and pure beauty. Even a casual smile looks innocent.

“Um, who might you be?”

“I am Patrick Sergio. A baron.”

“Ah, Baron Sergio. Hello.”

“I didn’t expect to meet such a famous person in a place like this. Are you interested in artworks?”

A well-tailored suit, neatly slicked-back hair. An expensive-looking watch and tie pin. He looked every bit like a proper nobleman.

I decided to probe him a little first.

“Hohoho, I don’t have much knowledge, but I do enjoy looking at artworks. It calms my mind, you could say.”

“That’s precisely how one should appreciate art. I didn’t realize you were such a refined person. It seems rumors can’t be trusted after all.”

Wow, he’s quite skilled at flattery, isn’t he?

I tried to suppress my rising expectations as I continued the conversation with the man.

“What brings you to the art museum?”

“I’m here to look at artworks, and if possible, I was hoping to purchase some paintings for the Duke’s mansion. I heard that some of the exhibition pieces are also for sale to nobles.”

“I see. However, if you’re looking to purchase paintings, I wouldn’t really recommend this place.”

“Pardon?”

When I asked why, the baron leaned in and whispered as if sharing a great secret.

“The commission fees are no joke. Unless there’s a specific work you absolutely want, I’d recommend an art dealer I know. How about it?”

“Oh my, what perfect timing. Ah, by the way, do these art dealers also purchase artworks? I was thinking of selling some pieces at home and replacing them with new paintings.”

At my words, the baron’s eyes lit up as if he had discovered a delicious prey.

“Well then, since we’re on the subject, how about I bring a few good paintings and visit the Duke’s mansion?”

“Wouldn’t that be too much trouble for you…?”

When I made an apologetic expression, he shook his head, insisting it was no trouble at all.

“Not at all! It’s not often I meet someone with such deep appreciation for artworks. I’d be more than happy to visit. If you don’t mind, I’d like to have a leisurely chat about the works over a cup of tea.”

Of course, it wouldn’t be any trouble for you. Really, his words were so smooth.

“That would be wonderful if you could do that.”

Yes, let’s become good comrades in making Ilion angry.

***

“I heard the young lady invited a guest.”

“Yes, she came to tell me about it yesterday.”

It was Ravenne who boldly demanded to reduce her work the next day, saying she had invited a guest to the house. It would be nice if she realized she was receiving punishment, not work.

But there was no particular reason to refuse, so I agreed…

“She said it was Baron Sergio.”

Ilion’s eyebrow slightly raised.

“…Sergio? That’s a name I’ve never heard before. Well, in a world where every dog and cat bears a title and plays at being nobility…”

“Will you not go to see them?”

“Why should I?”

He muttered as if it had nothing to do with him. Of course, it’s not that I didn’t expect such a reaction.

“Come to think of it, the young lady didn’t come to see you today, Master. She used to come and greet you once every day.”

“Why are you suddenly saying such things?”

Ilion asked while pretending to be uninterested, flipping through documents.

“Just saying. No particular meaning.”

‘What a sly fox.’

Ilion stood up and looked out the window.

A carriage was approaching from afar. Baron Sergio, was it? He had a personality that rarely forgot something once he heard it, and he was somewhat familiar with the nobles’ backgrounds.

Of course, he couldn’t remember all the minor provincial nobles, but he thought he knew the names of all the barons and viscounts. But no matter how much he thought about it, this name didn’t ring any bells.

‘I said I wouldn’t go, but… maybe I should. If she invited him to the house, he must be an important guest…’

In the end, the conclusion he reached wasn’t particularly satisfactory, but Ilion tried to rationalize that it didn’t seem right to just send away a guest who had come to the house.

On the other hand, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was acting exactly as Sebastian wanted.

After much deliberation, Ilion finally decided to go see Sergio and turned around.

At that moment, the pain that had been dormant for a while surged back.

The pain of his limbs feeling like they were on fire was so terrible he couldn’t even scream.

Leaning his collapsing body against the desk, Ilion gasped for breath.

But his breath became increasingly labored, and his vision blurred.

Finally, as the strength supporting his body gave out, Ilion collapsed to the floor.

***

I could bet my dinner on the fact that he was a scammer.

My appointment with Baron Sergio, or rather the scammer, came quickly. It seemed he was eager to take advantage of me as soon as possible, saying he would visit the Duke’s mansion the next day.

As he got out of the carriage, he was very impressed by the magnificent mansion rarely seen in the capital.

“Wow, Duke Celestine’s residence is indeed different. The garden is so neat, it’s like a work of art itself.”

“Isn’t it? I was so mesmerized by its beauty when I first saw it too.”

After agreeing with his words with insincere pleasantries, I guided him to the reception room.

The baron had his servant set up the paintings he brought on canvases and displayed them in the reception room. It seemed his words weren’t entirely false, as the paintings he had prepared were quite beautiful.

He sat down and boasted about those paintings. As I quietly listened to his words and looked at the paintings, my gaze fixed on one spot.

“This rose is…”

“It’s a truly beautiful rose painting, isn’t it? It’s a work by the artist Rempito. It’s one of the Rose Garden series. Do you know how many paintings are in the Rose Garden series?”

Of course I do.

That Rose Garden series was a gift from the Emperor to the saintess who survived the Battle Royale.

Giving a red rose painting to a saintess who had just killed someone in the rose garden was psychotic in itself.

The saintess was tormented by guilt, reminded of the person she killed when she looked at the rose painting, while the Emperor enjoyed watching her suffer.

The thought process of these madmen was beyond the comprehension of ordinary people.

“Well, I’m not sure.”

I tilted my head pretending not to know, and he explained while holding up his fingers.

“There are three in total. This is the third work, which is considered the most beautiful among them.”

Right, and all three of them are owned by the Emperor. So why do you have it?

I decided to pretend to be fooled even though I knew.

“It’s truly beautiful. This is the first time I’ve been so moved by a painting. I can feel the artist’s dedication in every brushstroke on each petal.”

“As expected, you have an eye for art!”

I earnestly showed my interest in the Rose Garden while offering plausible appreciation.

“How much is this painting, by the way?”

“Well, it’s quite expensive…”

The baron trailed off.

“How much is it?”

“It’s about 10,000 gold.”

“Oh my, that’s more expensive than I thought.”

I blinked my eyes, pretending to be surprised at the price. Sure, if it were genuine, it might be worth that much. However, based on my knowledge of this world and his flashy way of speaking, I strongly suspected this work was a forgery.

And if I were to buy such a forgery for 10,000 gold, even Ilion would have to blink an eye this time.

“Hmm, I don’t have that much money right now, but is it possible to exchange it for that vase over there? I asked the Duke, and he said that vase is quite expensive too.”

“The vase?”

The baron’s eyes lit up as he looked at the vase I pointed to.

“Oh, isn’t this a vase by Master Ariha? This would be worth about 5,000 gold.”

“The price is a bit short.”

“If we add that painting hanging on the wall over there to the vase, it might just about match.”

He said, pointing to a painting hanging on the opposite wall.

“The painting on the wall?”

It was a sunflower painting, but to my untrained eye, it looked no different from the Rose Garden painting.

How much is that one? I forgot to ask Sebastian. Well, what does it matter how much it is? The more expensive, the better.

“Of course, considering the rarity of the painting, I’m taking a bit of a loss, but I should do this much for the lady.”

“Since you’re offering such good terms, I have no reason to refuse.”

I smiled at the baron. A smile that said he had caught a sucker spread across the baron’s face. I really like your style of taking advantage of others.

I wanted to give him a thumbs up, but I held back and tried to continue the conversation with him. However, he suddenly started acting busy as soon as we agreed on the deal, as if his business was done.

Right. He probably wants to get out of here quickly with the goods. After all, the one he scammed is none other than the Duke of Celestine.

He would want to leave here without running into the Duke if possible.

I didn’t particularly want to show it to Ilion either, so I quickly saw him off, understanding his feelings.

After sending him away, I hung the Rose Garden painting in place of the sunflower painting.

Hoping that Ilion would discover this painting soon.