Chapter 526
“By female you mean... The painter was a woman?” Siegfried asked with a hint of surprise in his voice.
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Marquis Keitel replied.
“R-Really?”
“If my memories are still serving me correctly, then yes,” Marquis Keitel replied while rubbing his head. He rummaged through his memories before adding, “That painter named Christie was not someone famous. Her skills were considered B Grade at best, which was quite common, as there were so many other painters like her.”
“Hmm...”
“But the records state that her paintings carry powerful and detailed emotions. Her works were ignored by the masses, but those who knew how to look at art valued her work greatly. Actually, her technical skills were just slightly better than an amateur’s.”
“So?”
“Those are the only things known about her. Even this information would not have been recorded if that old man hadn't bid such an astronomical figure for her painting Sending Temeraire Off, which is the painting that Your Majesty is holding right now.”
“I suppose we can’t find this Christie?”
“It is certainly impossible, as she is someone who lived a century ago. There are no records of when and where she died, so even finding her grave would prove to be impossible.”
“Hmm...”
“But I have heard that a few people studied under her after being mesmerized by her work. And there is one woman who is trying to replicate her works.”
“Oh? Really?”
Siegfried’s face brightened up at the unexpected good news.
“She is not that famous, but her style is quite similar to Christie’s. Perhaps she could be Christie’s disciple’s disciple’s disciple’s disciple.”
“Is it possible for me to meet Christie's disciple’s disciple’s disciple’s disciple?” Siegfried asked with a hint of anticipation in his voice.
The owner of the Emerald Tablet, Acheron, was an immortal being. Thus, there was a possibility Christie’s disciple’s disciple’s disciple’s disciple was actually Acheron himself—or herself. Well, the possibility was very low, but this was the only clue he had managed to get so far.
“That will not be difficult.”
“Really?”
“She is the head of the Aphrodite Merchant Company, which is a merchant company specializing in the trade of artwork.”
“Oh, she’s a businesswoman?” f𝚛𝚎𝗲we𝗯𝗻ovel.𝐜om
“Yes, and a very able one at that. To be honest, her acumen for business is far better than her skills as a painter.”
“I would like to meet her.”
“Here is my card. Please show it to the Aphrodite Merchant Company when you visit them.”
“Thank you.”
Siegfried smiled brightly after finally obtaining some clues to the whereabouts of Acheron.
***
Siegfried was about to leave the infirmary when Marquis Keitel called out to him.
“Your Majesty.”
“Yes?”
“Does Your Majesty perhaps know the meaning behind that painting?” Marquis Keitel asked.
“Nope,” Siegfried replied honestly. He could not understand how people would say that certain artworks have meanings behind them. He was neither interested nor willing to learn about art, as he held no appreciation for it at all.
Besides, he strongly believed that art was all about one’s own preference. A person could like a certain artwork and dislike another while another person could disagree with them.
Thus, this was the main reason he could not be bothered to understand the meaning of artworks.
“I'm not the best person to do it, but may I briefly explain it to Your Majesty?” Marquis Keitel asked.
“Well, I guess there is no harm in listening,” Siegfried replied with a shrug. He did not reject the offer, as he was curious why such talented people like Gringore or the marquis praised the ‘Sending Temeraire Off’ so highly.
“Firstly, please take a look at the background.”
“The sea and the setting sun?”
“A sunset usually symbolizes standing at the edge. It is the boundary between night and day, and it means this is the last golden moment of one’s life.”
“Okay...?”
“And this large ship is the Temeraire. It was a battleship that ruled over the seas two hundred years ago.”
“But this ship looks very dated...”
“Ah, well spotted, Your Majesty. This painting depicts the final days of Temeraire before it was decommissioned and was taken apart.”
“Then what about this young officer?”
“That right there is the highlight of this painting...”
“How so?”
“Do you see the rank insignia? This young officer is a colonel.”
“Eh?” Siegfried tilted his head in confusion and looked closer to the painting. Then, he realized the young officer was indeed a colonel.
A colonel would usually be around forty years old, but this officer seemed too young for their rank. Siegfried also noticed something strange about the rank insignia.
“What’s wrong with this insignia? Is this officer royalty?”
“No, that is not the case.”
“Then?”
“The reason this officer is a colonel is solely due to not being affected by the passing seasons.”
“Eh?”
“An immortal will not age no matter how many times the season changes. Thus, this young officer is a colonel despite not aging one bit.”
“That means...”
“This painting portrays the emotions of the immortal officer sending off the battleship that had been staying by their side.”
It was then.
“...!”
Both Marquis Keitel and Siegfried flinched after noticing something...
“Huh?”
What if the young officer was the immortal owner of the Emerald Tablet, Acheron, and the battleship, Temeraire, symbolized the mortal companions that Acheron had met throughout his life?
“O-Oh my god!” Marquis Keitel exclaimed. Then, he stuttered and asked, “Y-Your Majesty... You asked if this was painted by the Immortal Alchemist, Acheron, did you not?”
“I-I did...?”
“H-How can this be...? It is possible that this was indeed painted by that Acheron!”
“But wasn’t Acheron a man?”
“That is something uncertain.”
“How so?”
“The records state that Acheron possessed an appearance that made it extremely difficult to tell whether he or she was a male or female. Other records state that he was a very beautiful man but there was something feminine about him. Also, there are other records stating that his expression was quite brute for someone more beautiful than most women.”
“That means... The painter, Christie, could most likely be the Immortal Alchemist, Acheron?”
“That might be the case. Oh my god... Everything about this painting makes so much sense now after hearing what Your Majesty said. The emotions in this... only someone immortal like Acheron could show such raw emotions!”
“I see...”
Siegfried was amazed after realizing that Deus was right once again.
As expected of Master! Deus had dedicated his entire life to walking the martial path in search of invincibility, but his insight seemed to have already transcended human limits even before he reached his current heights.
“To think I would see with my own eyes a painting of the Immortal Alchemist, Acheron. This is a true work of art. In fact, this is even more valuable than the Portrait of Evil Ghost!” Marquis Keitel exclaimed.
“Huh? I thought His Imperial Majesty cherished the Portrait of Evil Ghost? I know this painting is impressive but to compare it to an artwork that actually has a ghost in it—”
“Ahem!” Marquis Keitel suddenly cleared his throat and shifted his gaze. He seemed embarrassed for some reason.
“Hmm...” Duke Randoll also showed the same reaction.
‘W-What’s up with them?’ Siegfried was taken aback by their reactions.
There was definitely something wrong with them, so he decided to ask, “Is there a problem with the Portrait of Evil Ghost?”
“T-That is...”
“Hmm?”
“The Portrait of Evil Ghost is...”
“Is?”
“I-I suppose it would be best if Your Majesty saw it personally,” Marquis Keitel said before taking off the cloth and casing covering the portrait.
Thirty seconds later...
“What the... fuck is this...?” Siegfried muttered in disbelief after witnessing the portrait.
The reason was...
“Kyah! You bastards dare to trap me in here?! Slurp! Slurp!”
The red-skinned demon stuck inside the portrait was sticking its long sharp tongue out of the portrait.
“Let me out this instant! Slurp! I want to lick women’s tits! Slurp! I need to slide my tongue down their cleavage!”
The demon flicked its tongue while spouting a bunch of nonsense.
“From which hole did this disgusting bastard come from...? Ugh...” Siegfried grimaced and hurriedly covered the portrait. The demon’s actions were so sickening that he could no longer stomach looking at it even for another second. He looked at the two and asked, “What in the world is this? I thought this was the Portrait of Evil Ghost?”
“The demon trapped in that portrait symbolizes disgust and repulse... Its name is Vomit. It's a demon that shamelessly spews out all sorts of vulgar things.”
“And this is cherished by His Imperial Majesty...? This thing...?”
“T-That is...”
“...?”
“His Imperial Majesty seems to have found Vomit’s antics to be adorable...? And he commanded this portrait to be displayed in the Palace of Beauty... Ahem...”
It turned out that Emperor Stuttgart was not a lover of art but was someone who liked to collect interesting or eccentric things.
“Your Majesty...”
“Yes?”
“Please keep the truth regarding the Portrait of Evil Ghost to yourself. The repercussions if word gets out will be... great.”
“What about the visitors? How come they don’t know the truth behind the Portrait of Evil Ghost?”
“We tell the visitors the Portrait of Evil Ghost has the power to bewitch and corrupt others. We only display it in a sealed and covered state.”
“H-Hey, isn’t that a scam?”
“Art is not always about what meets the eye, but rather, it can be one’s imagination, too... Ahem...”
“Ah, forget about it,” Siegfried grumbled and waved his hand. He could not nor did he want to understand what the marquis was blabbering about art being imagination or whatnot.
***
Siegfried left the infirmary and headed straight to the Aphrodite Merchant Company. He was about to board his Super Airship, the Huracan at Artiur’s airfield when he was met with a bearer of good news.
“Your Majesty!”
“Hmm?”
“Would you be His Majesty, King Siegfried van Proa?”
“Yes, but who might you be?”
“Ah, my name is Cooper. I am with the Delivery Guild, Your Majesty.”
“Hmm? Is it Rocket Delivery[1]?”
“Sorry?”
“Did you bring Melona[2] too?”
“W-What is tha—”
“Haha! I’m just kidding,” Siegfried said before asking, “But what business do you have with me?”
“Ah! There is an express mail delivery for Your Majesty.”
“Express mail?”
“Yes, it is from the Bavarian Workshop. Please sign here.”
“Okay.”
Siegfried took the email from Cooper and opened it.
“Kyu! Who sent what?!”
“Ah, it’s nothing. Quandt has been discharged and he’s back at the workshop now.”
“That’s great! Kyu!”
“He’s asking us to drop by whenever we’re free. He says he wants to repay us with a free artifact as a token of gratitude for saving his life.”
“That’s awesome! We saved money again! Kyuuu!”
“I know right?” Siegfried replied with a grin. Then, he put the letter in his breast pocket and boarded the Huracan.
***
The Huracan departed from Artiur and arrived at a city located in the central region of the continent, Centrapica. The city was one of the top five richest cities in the world, and this was all thanks to the fact that the city was a massive trading hub.
Centrapica was a territory of the Marchioni Empire, and its strategic location allowed it to become one of the hubs for transportation and trade in the empire.
“Wow... This place is amazing... How can a city be half the size of our entire kingdom?” Siegfried muttered in awe while looking around the city.
“Kyu! It’s not that this city is big! Proatine is just small!”
“Shut up!”
“The truth hurts! Why’re you getting mad at me?!”
“Damn it! I’m going to expand my borders one day!”
Of course, Siegfried did not really mean that. The Proatine Kingdom’s population was small, but he preferred to keep it this way. He would rather make sure everyone is well taken care of instead of having a large population with a few getting left behind.
Siegfried’s workload would also increase the bigger their territory, so he was in no rush to expand the kingdom’s borders. Well, it was actually Michele who would suffer, for obvious reasons, not him.
“I wonder if we can meet Acheron here—”
It was at that moment Siegfried was about to grumble when something crashed into the Huracan, making the entire airship tremble.
1. The Korean equivalent of Amazon is called Coupang. They have something called Rocket Delivery, which guarantees some select items will be at your doorstep in less than 24 hours. ☜
2. A Korean ice cream brand. I believe those of you in the US, SEA, and Brazil would be familiar with it. ☜
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