Just as I was thinking things had finally settled down, I felt the urge to rest... but there was no time for that. Despite the elegant and serene atmosphere, this was a hectic place that demanded constant focus. I never set foot in circles like this during my past life, but I imagine it’s the same on Earth.
"The theme for my new hotel is 'tranquility.' Do you happen to have any paintings suitable for the lobby?"
"In that case, I have some pieces by a wonderful landscape painter. He's a newcomer, but his work is excellent."
Oh?
When I looked toward the source of the conversation, I saw Dominic-san, who handled real estate and tourism, chatting with the art dealer, Lucien-sama. It seemed Dominic-san was looking to buy a painting.
Since I had attained the status of a Ducal House Technician, I had found it necessary to properly furnish the reception room at my office. I had been leaving those matters to Eleanora, but I was beginning to think I should pay a little more attention to it myself.
To be honest, I had absolutely no knowledge of the subject, but that was exactly why their topic was so timely. I felt I could join the conversation under the guise of wanting to listen and learn.
Holding my glass in one hand, I slowly approached them.
"Pardon me for interrupting your conversation. If you wouldn't mind, may I join your talk regarding paintings?"
When I called out politely, the two of them graciously made space at the table. Both had gentle expressions, and I could tell they welcomed my participation.
"Are you interested in paintings?"
"I am interested, yes, but to be perfectly honest, a large part of it is born of necessity. Now that I am in a position of some standing, I've had noble guests visit recently, and I've realized the need to prepare a suitable reception room. Currently, I have someone sent from the Ducal House handling it, but I felt it wouldn't be right to leave everything to them while remaining ignorant myself. I was just thinking that I ought to study a little."
Since there was no point in putting on airs, I confessed my honest reasons. It was better to be sincere than to clumsily pretend to know what I was talking about. Fortunately, Lucien-sama didn't seem to mind.
"Yes, yes, that's how it starts for everyone. Everyone has their own reasons for getting involved, so if you want to learn about fine art, I welcome it. By the way, Ryoma-kun, do you have any particular preferences? It's easier to learn if you focus on things you like, and one's hobbies tend to reflect in interior design, after all."
"Rather than preferences, if we're talking about things familiar to me, I suppose it would be stone statues? I've made a hobby of God Statue crafting. I've also recently started pottery. As for paintings, I find I prefer landscapes over portraits. I think I like realism over abstract styles. Since I lack specialized knowledge, I appreciate pieces that are easy to understand—things that make me think, 'That's beautiful' or 'That's incredible' the moment I look at them."
When I answered that way, for some reason, Lucien-sama seemed to brighten up.
"That's exactly it! You don't need complicated knowledge to appreciate art. Of course, viewing with knowledge can help you enjoy a deeper level of the work. But you see, art is entirely about what you yourself feel when you look at a piece. The narratives of self-proclaimed intellectuals—talking about technique or the artist's upbringing—are nothing more than detailed verbalizations of the honest impressions you just mentioned, often embellished with history or personal fantasies. An honest perspective like yours is what should truly be valued most."
"Hearing you say that makes me feel much more at ease."
It didn't feel like he was just lowering the level of the conversation for my benefit.
"From my perspective as a merchant, it's much more enjoyable to sell to someone with honest reasons like yours. I know it's not good to speak ill of customers, but I am truly fed up with those who ignore the beauty of the painting itself and only value the information attached to it—like which artist painted it or who owned it previously. If I told them a famous painter had done it, they would probably gratefully buy a blank canvas in a frame. And then they would only display it conspicuously to use as a tool for boasting."
Lucien-sama downed his wine, speaking without hiding his resentment toward powerful people who didn't understand art. From his heated tone, I could tell he truly loved the intrinsic value of paintings. When I stole a glance at Dominic-san, he seemed accustomed to this, so it was likely a regular occurrence.
"Of course, I don't deny finding value in historical background... but I truly cannot understand those types who gleefully collect cursed items just because they have history."
"They go out of their way to collect cursed things?"
"Yes. For example, art pieces that were owned by fallen nobles. Political struggles never cease in noble society, so it's not uncommon. Many people want things considered masterpieces regardless of the type, as they have value. If there's a background like 'the secret treasure of the House of so-and-so,' it gains even more prestige. There are even those who see a curse as proof of that lineage."
"Those people certainly have a rather dangerous hobby."
"You will likely have more interactions with nobles in the future, so it wouldn't hurt to know about the darker side of things. Though you don't need to understand it."
"I'll keep that in mind."
At that point, Lucien-sama shifted his gaze and looked toward my wrist.
"By the way, Ryoma-kun, is that ornament on your arm a cursed tool?"
"Your perception is sharp. How could you tell?"
"I cannot sell them to customers, but cursed artworks do flow my way fairly often. Perhaps because I handle such items so frequently, I've started to be able to sense them. For the sake of my work, I've also studied the bare minimum of curse magic."
"So Lucien-sama is a practitioner of curse magic as well?"
"As well? Does that mean..."
"I am also currently learning curse magic; I was introduced to a teacher by the Ducal House."
When I briefly explained how I had been cursed during my adventurer activities and what happened afterward, Lucien-sama listened with great interest.
"A curse that cannot be removed... that must be difficult."
"Not particularly. It's a curse that can be suppressed by a cursed tool like this, and I've also become able to perform cursed tool crafting and miasma land management. Furthermore, it proved useful for my slime research—my hobby and my main business. It actually led me to discover a slime that eats curses."
I wanted to say it was a net positive in the end, but before I could, Lucien-sama's eyes widened. Furthermore, I felt a strange pressure coming from Dominic-san, who had been listening quietly beside us.
"Not just learning a single spell, but you can perform miasma land management? And you made that cursed tool yourself? If that's the case, can you also perform curse removal? And if that slime eats curses, does that count as curse removal?"
"It depends on the curse, but I can perform curse removal."
"...As I said earlier, cursed items come into my shop periodically. I use techniques to neutralize the curses, but I am not good at curse removal itself. Every time it happens, I have to send them to a specialized storage facility, but if I do that, there's a high probability the artwork will end up locked away forever. If you and those slimes are capable of curse removal, I would be delighted if you could save those artworks. What do you think? If the removal is successful, I'll be able to put the pieces up for sale, so of course, I will provide a reward."
"Takebayashi-sama, to tell you the truth, I have also been having some trouble regarding curses at the hotels I own... primarily when noble guests stay with us..."
I wondered what was going on, but it turned out to be requests for curse removal. Since I could use it to feed my slimes or as experiments for lost magic, I personally had no objection to helping within my capabilities. But why did the two of them bring such a consultation to me, when I had only just started learning curse magic? When I asked, the issue of labor shortages came up again.
"If it were just a matter of the fee, we could simply pay more, but it’s hard to argue when they tell us it's physically impossible."
"They handle high-priority cases as quickly as they can, but for anything less than an emergency, it's common to be kept waiting for years."
I see. It seemed that having someone who was available and could take the job quickly was more important than the absolute level of curse removal ability. Thinking about it, both of them were in businesses that involved nobles, and they were wealthy besides. It wouldn't be strange for the damage from a curse to fall upon them at any time. Considering everything, one can never have too many connections with a practitioner of curse magic.
I came to the meeting as a merchant, but my value as a practitioner of curse magic was being recognized.
"I would very much like to cooperate for the sake of raising the curse slimes and honing my curse magic. However, as these are matters a bit too heavy for me to accept solely on my own judgment, could you give me some time to consult with my instructor, Master Rosenberg?"
"Of course, it isn't urgent. Your commitment to risk management is reassuring."
"I shall look forward to hearing from you."
Being evaluated as a practitioner of curse magic was perfectly fine too.
I didn't have any particular pride about not being evaluated as a merchant; making connections with the owners of large companies was more than enough. In fact, given how things were connecting, I was even glad I studied curse magic.
While thinking that my awareness as a merchant might be a bit low, I continued the conversation and heard some interesting stories.
Apparently, Lucien-sama was originally the son of a baronial house. However, his love for paintings grew so strong that he aimed to be a painter, yet he never found success. He was eventually disowned by his family because he continued to collect paintings with the family's money while having almost no income. He became an art dealer because he sold the paintings he was allowed to take as a severance to his hobbyist friends. By using the discerning eye and network he had cultivated through his hobby as capital, he naturally found himself where he is today.
Of course, he must have had business talent and solid knowledge to judge items... but to put it bluntly, he was a "hobbyist." It turned out he was a type closer to me than to people like Serge.
"I heard a rumor that Serge-dono was the one who encouraged you to open a shop, Ryoma-kun?"
"That's right. When he heard that I was thinking of making a bit of pocket change with a stand, he pointed out the potential problems, and things grew from there into their current form."
"My circumstances were similar, so I understand your feelings a little. Aren't there times when you feel bewildered by the sudden increase in the scale of your business?"
"There certainly are, but fortunately, I have people who support me."
At this point, I shifted only my gaze toward the two who were talking with Elmira.
"That's good. Having good subordinates makes a huge difference in ease of operations. You seem promising as a business partner as well, so please feel free to call on me whenever you need to procure fine art. I'll give you my contact information, and you're welcome to come directly to the shop."
"Thank you very much. I look forward to working with you then."
In this way, my introduction to Lucien-sama was a success.
Feeling relieved at the solid progress I had made, I bowed to the two of them and headed toward my next target.