One afternoon, I was lazily flipping through the latest magazine. Since publications featuring photographs had begun to increase—at least in certain circles—the entertainment value of these magazines felt like it was truly on the rise.
The current issue featured a special on luxury goods—the kind of "best-of" list that everyone seemed to enjoy back in my old world. It was titled "Ranking of Phantom Items that Even Commoners Can't Catch a Glimpse Of."
Looking at things like that was always fun, and the ranking format really helped drive home just how impressive they were. Let’s see now...
10th Place: Nifty Teacup (Initial Lot A)
A name I knew all too well appeared right at the start. Wait, really? I had heard that the initial lot Nebula was directly involved in producing had become immensely popular, but I hadn't realized it was considered a legendary "phantom item" on this level. And what was this "A" appended to the end? I didn't recall any such classification. I decided to read the description.
"A cup from the very first production run of Nifty, a luxury black tea brand previously featured in this magazine on several occasions. This series, commonly referred to as the Initial Lot, is exceptionally rare and highly coveted by the nobility. On the current market, a set of four is valued at over fifty Platinum Coins."
Fifty Platinum Coins!? If I remembered correctly, they were sold as a limited run in the shop for twelve. That meant the price had more than quadrupled. I supposed their extreme scarcity was driving the value through the roof.
"However, even among the rare Initial Lot, those designated Type A are considered truly legendary. These are singular items said to have been sold in very small quantities during the Arclesia Empire Founding Anniversary Festival, rather than at the Nifty storefront. Their distinguishing feature is the brand mark on the base. While later versions feature the Three-mountain Mark enclosed within a circle, the Type A mark lacks the circle. It is rumored that fewer than ten sets exist worldwide, making it a masterpiece truly worthy of its phantom status."
I see. Come to think of it, for the pottery we sold back at the Arclesia Empire Founding Anniversary Festival, we had used a temporary mark that was just three mountains in a row. When we officially launched the tea brand, we had tweaked the design slightly so it would be easier to stamp or print on the packaging. Looking back, those original pieces sold at the festival were indeed ultra-rare.
9th Place: Midnight Diamond
Another one I recognized. This was the diamond Sera produced. Now that I thought about it, Sieg-san wasn't a jewelry merchant, nor did she run a trading company. She likely only supplied them to Alice, who bought them directly, so there was no doubt they were rare.
"A gemstone possessing a deep, nocturnal hue that reveals shifting colors depending on the angle of the light. It is a breathtaking designer jewel that looks as if an aurora has been captured within the night sky. While it is a frequent topic of conversation among gem enthusiasts, the location of its mining remains a total mystery, and only a handful are said to exist. Furthermore, the stone's durability rivals that of Orichalcum, making it incredibly difficult to cut. Many connoisseurs are desperate to uncover the source of these expertly finished stones, but no concrete information has ever surfaced."
I had a feeling Alice was behind the information blackout. If the public found out just how valuable Midnight Diamonds were, the number of people hounding Sieg-san would skyrocket. Sieg-san didn't really care about making a profit; in fact, she already felt overwhelmed by the money she received from Alice and sent most of it home to Rei-san and Fia-san. Alice was likely suppressing the details to protect Sieg-san from being bothered. Releasing only a tiny amount into the market was probably a calculated move, too. By letting a few circulate in places far from the Kingdom of Sinfonia, it would lead people to believe they were mined in some other distant land.
In any case, familiar items were appearing one after another. I seemed to have a surprising number of connections to these phantom items.
8th Place: Seven Planets Series Painting
Even the item for eighth place was something I knew.
Serious-senpai: "At this rate, I wouldn't even be surprised if every single item from one to ten was something Kaito is personally involved with. I wonder what the top spot is, though? I could see Wine K making the list, but for first place... that doesn't quite feel right."