The Secretary of the Northern Grand Duchess Has Run Away

Chapter 54: The Greatest Masterpiece on Earth. (4)

Dale Town.

A luggage cart came to a halt in front of a quiet café.

Unlike nearby Old Luton, perhaps because this city still remained decadent and desolate.

The road was empty, and there were barely any people around.

"Go on in."

One man, a former knight, stayed behind to guard the cart.

Meanwhile, the transporter and the broker walked into the café with serious expressions.

There were hardly any customers inside.

Just one person.

Only I sat at the table, waiting for them.

"Welcome. I've been expecting you."

I greeted the two with a leisurely smile.

I politely gestured to the seats across from me.

"So it’s you. The one from the Erian Foundation."

"That’s right. I’m currently working at the Erian Hotel in Old Luton."

I took a business card from the inside pocket of my jacket.

Then I calmly handed it to the middle-aged transporter.

A plain name, with no title written on it.

"Julius Roger."

"Seems like you're not very familiar with how things work around here. We don’t trust business cards and the like."

The transporter pushed up his glasses.

Then, with eerie black eyes visible through the lenses, he spoke.

"You know Deian’s painting is currently embroiled in suspicions of forgery, right?"

"I do."

I answered his question without emotion.

At my composed response, the operators looked a bit taken aback and questioned further.

"Even so, why did you come here to buy it?"

‘This is where I have to choose my words carefully.’

These people were agents who used to run setups in the biggest casino in the royal capital.

They wouldn’t lower their guard for anything less than smooth talk.

"Well, you could call it a kind of gamble."

I chuckled and crossed my legs.

Then, just like the upper-class nobles I had served all this time, I narrowed my eyes and said,

"If it turns out to be genuine, the profits would multiply several times over, wouldn’t they?"

"And if it’s a forgery, you’ll lose all your money?"

To his question, I replied with a faint smile at the corners of my lips.

Then I looked at him with an expression that said I found the question absurd.

"So, is it a fake?"

At my firm and brief question, the operators fell silent for a moment.

"If it’s real, there’s no problem. I don’t get why you're being so cagey."

"……."

The long-haired broker tried to argue back with a displeased look.

But the middle-aged man, who appeared to be the leader of the group, held him back and spoke instead.

"Fine. I get it now. It’s clear enough you’re serious."

He removed his glasses and gently wiped them with a handkerchief.

"The price is 10 billion gold—down from the original value of 25 billion. Not even half."

Then he glanced at me and asked,

"Do you agree?"

This time, I didn’t answer his question right away.

But it wasn’t because I was flustered or thought it was too expensive.

"Well. I thought about that on the way here…"

On the contrary, I wore the sly look of a schemer.

"Frankly, the risk on our side is too high. 10 billion feels far too expensive."

"What the hell…?"

The long-haired broker, listening beside him, flared up.

But I continued speaking in my usual relaxed tone.

"Just the fact that you haven't been caught yet suggests the Grand Duke's house isn’t rushing this too much. Doesn’t that imply there's a high chance it's a forgery?"

"That’s only because we’re professionals—it’s not easy to catch us."

The transporter responded smoothly.

He didn’t seem too offended by my attitude either.

Asking for a discount meant I was genuinely interested in the deal.

"Fine, then. What’s your offer? But in return, the deal must be finalized right here and now."

"In cases like this, it's usually the desperate party who names the price first."

A faint twitch showed under the broker’s eye.

He took a sip of the coffee on the table and spoke in a cold voice.

"8 billion gold."

As the price kept falling, the broker beside him let out a deep sigh.

However—

"Seems like you still don’t understand your own situation."

I wasn’t the least bit satisfied with that.

Instead, I crossed my arms and silently looked out the window at the luggage cart.

"Do you really think anyone other than me is going to buy this painting right now?"

"……."

This time, even the seasoned middle-aged broker seemed to be reaching his limit.

He exhaled sharply through his nose like a beast and spoke.

"Fine, name your price—yourself."

A faint shimmer of blue mana began to rise from his body.

As if he might strangle my sly neck like a fox right there and then.

"Stop pushing your luck and just say it."

In response, I finally raised both hands.

Then, I spread out all ten fingers and said,

"5 billion gold. Let's make the deal now."

A statement that I would buy five of the greatest masterpieces of the century—for just 1 billion gold each.

The middle-aged man slowly closed his eyes.

"This is outrageous, Director. There’s no profit left!"

"I’m aware."

The transporter let out a deep breath and sank into thought.

Meanwhile, I retrieved a pouch from the briefcase I had placed beside my seat.

I untied the knot and laid it on the table for all to see.

At that, the man in charge of the entire operation—the director—opened it and checked the contents.

"A 30-carat diamond…?"

Its current market value: precisely 5 billion gold.

With the empire enjoying peace, the demand for diamonds had skyrocketed, making it easier to liquidate.

"Wouldn’t it be nice to just walk away with that on your way out?"

I leaned my chin on my hand and spoke with ease.

The long-haired broker then used the magnifying glass he always carried to confirm the diamond’s authenticity.

"Director, the jewel is real."

"……."

The middle-aged man silently gazed at his reflection in the shimmering diamond.

Then, as if trying to break his final bit of caution, he asked me a meaningful question.

"Let me ask you one last thing."

"What now."

The casino director took off his glasses.

In doing so, the sinister expression that had been hiding underneath came into full view.

"What do you plan to do with these paintings?"

He was someone who had abandoned his beliefs and lived only to carry out the orders of his master—a shadow of a man.

The kind of person who had committed countless misdeeds and made nothing but instinctive decisions.

"Even though they might be fakes, and if you're wrong, you could end up making an enemy of the Grand Duke of the North."

I didn’t respond to his question right away.

Because I, too, had once chosen to become someone’s shadow.

"Then allow me to ask you something instead."

However—

Even among shadows, there exists a hierarchy.

"What do you think these stolen paintings are worth?"

"I know they’re worth a whole castle."

To his firm answer, I slowly shook my head.

Then, with dull eyes, I spoke.

"Deian was a painter who represented the Nord aristocracy. He mostly painted the beautiful noblewomen of the North."

"I know. That’s why he’s been underrated in society, labeled as someone obsessed with women."

As expected of someone affiliated with the Third Prince’s circle—he was well-versed in social matters.

"Perhaps he’s undervalued in the art world, but not here in Nord."

I rested one arm on the back of my chair.

Then, stroking my chin, I said calmly,

"These are historical records that show the North was once more splendid than the capital."

In other words, the paintings’ value didn’t lie simply in Deian’s name.

Their very existence would elevate Nord’s prestige and reaffirm the dignity of its aristocracy.

"Once the forgery controversy ends, the recent attention will give momentum, and their value will increase further. The wealthy in Nord will be interested."

I thought of the man who would buy the paintings back.

The giant black lion who ruled the Northern mountain range.

"I think you understand now why I’m going through with this deal."

"……."

The casino director also seemed to grasp the meaning behind my words and fell silent.

He looked as though he was weighing countless thoughts in his mind about whether selling this masterpiece was the right move.

But—

In the end, he had no choice but to accept the deal.

Just the fact that I hadn’t reported them proved I was a trustworthy buyer in their eyes.

"The paintings are in the cart. Go ahead and take them."

"It was a good deal."

I extended my hand to him.

However, the director ignored it and simply pocketed the diamond.

――――――

When I stepped out of the café, my eyes landed on the former knight who had been guarding the cart.

He was clearly an expert of at least mid-level rank.

After receiving a signal from the casino director who followed behind me, he began unloading the paintings.

"Did you bring the carriage?"

"I borrowed a rickshaw."

I gestured toward the boy in overalls who had been waiting near the cart.

He pushed the rickshaw forward with all his might, his face full of innocence.

"……."

The middle-aged man looked puzzled, watching me attempt to transport what was essentially a castle’s worth of value in that shabby cart.

Still, since the payment had already been made, he only focused on making a quick getaway.

"Ah, and don’t head toward Old Luton. The Grand Duke’s daughter’s knights have set up a checkpoint there."

I spoke as I casually shoved the paintings into the back of the cart.

As if they were cheap knock-offs meant to be hung in a local diner.

"I’ll keep that in mind."

The casino director and his men all turned their heads in unison.

They boarded their own cart and departed in the opposite direction.

"Dammit…!! Only 5 billion for that?!"

"Be satisfied. Get too greedy and we could get caught—His Highness the Third Prince could be dragged into it too."

The casino director spoke with a cold expression.

At that, the broker let out a deep breath, signaling his understanding.

"Anyway, Director, which route will you take?"

"No need to cut through Old Luton, just like that arrogant bastard said."

However, the knight-turned-broker still seemed suspicious.

"But what exactly do we trust him for?"

"If he was working for the Grand Duke’s house, why would he hand us a diamond? He would’ve just waited and pounced."

The seasoned middle-aged man replied calmly.

Sitting in the passenger seat, he crossed his arms and continued,

"He just wanted to get the paintings before the Grand Duke’s side did. Then he’ll sell them back at a higher price."

The director quietly hid the diamond in a compartment atop the cart’s roof.

Then he ordered the driver to steer the horses onto the main road.

And just as the cart began to move toward the outskirts of Nord—

――――――!!

The horses pulling the cart suddenly reared back in fright.

"We’ve found them."

Black-uniformed knights appeared in front of them.

"What the—?!"

"It’s an ambush! Everyone off!!"

The casino’s operatives scrambled to dismount from the cart.

And just as they reached for their swords—

"I wouldn’t do that if I were you."

The Grand Duke of the North’s knights stepped out from the shadows and narrow passageways.

"We’ve found them, Lord Edward!!"

High-ranking experts in full gear surrounded the smugglers.

Realizing the difference in strength, the smugglers turned pale with fear.

"Of course. That’s Father for you. He had already figured out their route."

Edward, the second son of the Grand Duke’s house, appeared in uniform.

His golden eyes were filled with ambition.

"Stand back!!"

His guards pushed the smugglers back toward the outer wall.

In the meantime, Edward strolled over to the cart and leisurely began opening the trunk.

"Well done, Captain of the Guard. You’ll be rewarded when we return to the house."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

With both hands, the second son flung open the cart’s rear doors.

But at that moment—

His characteristically sharp gaze widened in shock.

The five masterpieces of the century, which should have been there, were nowhere to be seen.

"They’ve already been removed."

Edward turned his lion-like, ferocious gaze toward the brokers.

"Where is the bastard who handed over the paintings…!!"

If he hadn’t accepted the diamond, he probably would’ve confessed the truth right away.

But in this situation, confessing could mean having the diamond taken back as well.

"His cart must have already left the city by now."

So the casino director answered calmly, keeping a straight face.

He had already taken his share—now they were all in the same boat.

"Search every cart in the area!!"

Edward, now understanding the situation, shouted to his men.

Knights on black horses quickly galloped off in the opposite direction from the smugglers.

――――――

As they reached the end of the alley, they entered the main road.

Scattered along the roadside were various carriages and rickshaws.

"There are quite a few out today."

"You take the left, we’ll search the ones on the right."

Well-trained knights began approaching the fast-moving carts.

Passing by a slowly rolling rickshaw on the roadside.

"Seems like something big is going on these days, sir."

The innocent-looking young rickshaw driver spoke, watching the other carts being inspected.

I too took a sip of the coffee I’d packed from the café as I watched the scene unfold.

"Sure looks like it."

The carts began pulling over and opening their trunks one by one.

Thanks to that, we moved along the cleared main road at a leisurely pace.

"Must be some valuable item that got stolen or something."

Toward the Grand Duke of the North, who would be waiting.