Ch. 18 Danse Macabre
by AfuhfuihgsChapter 18 – Danse Macabre
On the way to the auction hall, Frederica looked around at the shops with wide-eyed curiosity.
The black market in Jungfernheide was the largest in Prussia, filled with items you couldn’t find anywhere else.
Of course, most of them were stolen goods or prohibited items, but there were certainly many eye-catching things.
Suspicious drugs, crates with unknown contents, dubious-looking jewels, and ominous grimoires—all sorts of strange items were lined up.
Even the shopkeepers and customers wore masks to hide their identities.
Since it was her first time in such a place, Frederica was completely absorbed in taking everything in.
She looked like a country bumpkin visiting the city for the first time.
“Edelweiss, do they deal in stolen goods here too?”
Frederica suddenly asked me this question as she eagerly explored the black market.
By the way, Edelweiss was my alias.
Her question was more of a confirmation than a genuine inquiry.
After all, the image of a black market is often associated with stolen goods, so her question was natural.
However, there was a slight misunderstanding in that assumption.
“It’s a bit different, Ullrike.”
“It’s not?”
Frederica tilted her head at my response.
I continued to explain to clear up her confusion.
“It’s true that stolen goods are traded in the black market, but not in the shops you see here.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, stolen goods are tricky to handle, so trust is crucial for both buyers and sellers. That’s why transactions usually happen between people who know each other or require a letter of introduction.”
It was a bit ironic to talk about trust among thieves, but that’s how it worked in reality.
Frederica nodded quietly, seemingly satisfied with my explanation.
With her curiosity satisfied, she stopped asking questions, and I led the way toward our destination.
We passed through a dark, long corridor lined with suspicious shops and entered the deepest part of the black market.
The corridor was dimly lit, with only faint lights illuminating the path, and the shops and customers were barely visible.
Following a small light at the end of the passage, we arrived at the entrance to the auction hall.
A staff member stood by the entrance, managing access to the venue.
He was a robust Aryan man, about 180 cm tall, with impressive horns.
His face was hidden behind a mask made from a ram’s skull.
“May I see your invitations?”
At the staff member’s request, I pulled out my invitation and handed it to him.
Frederica also handed over the invitation I had given her earlier, and he checked both.
“Is the person behind you your escort?”
“Yes.”
The staff member glanced at Felicita standing behind me and asked, to which I nodded in confirmation.
“Edelweiss of Schachstein and Ullrike of Breslau. Confirmed. May you have a successful transaction.”
Once everything was verified, he bowed politely and opened the entrance for us.
“I’ll guide you to your seats.”
As we entered the auction hall, another staff member approached and offered to lead us.
I showed him my invitation, and after checking it, he guided us to our seats.
“Right this way.”
The invitation I had secured was for a VIP private room.
We climbed the stairs to the second floor of the auction hall and walked down a corridor to reach a large door.
The staff member opened the door for us and left, and I took a seat with Frederica.
The sofa and table prepared for VIPs were made of luxurious materials, befitting their status.
The seat was incredibly comfortable, and I quite liked it.
“It feels like an opera house.”
Frederica, sitting down and looking around the hall, made that observation.
As she said, the auction hall was a two-story space shaped like a theater.
Tables were set up on a stage-like area, and the seating was arranged in tiers like a movie theater.
“So, Edelweiss, what are you here to buy?”
After finishing her sightseeing, Frederica turned to me and asked.
I hadn’t told her what I planned to buy when I invited her.
I had simply invited her as a friend to give her a rare experience.
Of course, it wasn’t a secret, so telling her wasn’t a problem.
I looked at Frederica, her eyes filled with curiosity, and calmly stated my goal for the day.
“A painting.”
“A painting…? Oh, is it stolen or a forgery?”
Frederica tilted her head at my answer.
Indeed, if it were an ordinary piece, there would be no need to trade it in a black market.
Unless it was illegal, it would be better to auction it officially for a higher price.
So, if a piece of art was being auctioned in a place like this, it was natural to be suspicious.
However, unlike Frederica’s assumption, the item up for auction today was neither stolen nor a forgery.
To be more precise, it was a painting whose authenticity was questionable.
“Today, ‘Lohengrin Castle of Neuschwanstein’ is up for auction.”
“Neuschwanstein’s…? You don’t mean…! Caspar’s painting?!”
Caspar Gottlieb Belmer was a Romantic painter from Prussia, hailed as one of the greatest masters of his time.
He depicted the grandeur of nature and the solitude of human life with weighty oil paintings on canvas.
One of Caspar’s most famous works was ‘Lohengrin Castle of Neuschwanstein.’
Or rather, it was speculated to be his work.
‘Lohengrin Castle of Neuschwanstein’
A masterpiece depicting a majestic castle standing tall amidst a vast, misty forest, exuding a mysterious and noble atmosphere.
This highly impressive work was quite different from Caspar’s other pieces.
The Lohengrin Castle in Caspar’s painting didn’t actually exist in Neuschwanstein.
The only castle in Neuschwanstein was Hohenschwangau Castle, located by the river.
There was no castle named Lohengrin, and the forest in the painting was uninhabited.
A work depicting an imaginary castle.
This was why there was controversy over whether the painting was truly Caspar’s work.
Caspar’s other works could be described as highly realistic.
His paintings all depicted real landscapes, with no room for mystery or legend.
Caspar’s art was characterized by its calm portrayal of humans standing alone in nature.
The subtle atmosphere in his works was their charm.
Yet, one painting, believed to have been created late in his career, stood out.
The only work of his that was purely imaginative—’Lohengrin Castle of Neuschwanstein.’
This painting was discovered in his studio after his death.
Found in a corner of the studio, covered with a thick cloth, it was initially believed to be Caspar’s final work.
However, it soon became clear that the painting was too different from his other works, sparking debate over its authenticity.
In the end, no conclusion was reached, and the painting remained in Caspar’s studio.
Later, when his wife sold off their assets to pay off debts, the painting fell into the hands of a loan shark.
Since then, it had circulated through the black market and was now up for auction.
“Let us begin the auction.”
The auctioneer’s voice echoed through the hall.
It seemed the auction was about to start.
Frederica looked at the stage with an excited expression, holding the opera glasses she had prepared in advance.
I didn’t need opera glasses to see the stage clearly, so I hadn’t brought any.
Honestly, aside from Caspar’s painting, there wasn’t anything else I particularly wanted.
But since I was here, I might as well buy something if it caught my eye.
In reality, the items up for auction were randomized each loop.
Aside from a few fixed items, different things appeared each time.
Of course, sometimes the order or timing changed, but the items remained the same.
However, it was certain that I didn’t know what would be auctioned today.
“The first item of the day.”
Following the auctioneer’s introduction, a staff member brought out an item on a cart.
It was covered with a thick cloth, so its contents were still a mystery.
After building up the audience’s anticipation, the auctioneer slowly removed the cloth.
“The first item up for auction today is ‘Carmen’s White Shoes.’”
The moment the cloth was removed, my expression twisted in a way that was hard to describe.
Inside a square glass case was a pair of elegant shoes resting on a red cushion.
At first glance, they seemed like just a pair of luxurious, beautiful shoes.
But if these were truly Carmen’s shoes, they were anything but ordinary.
And I knew exactly what story these shoes carried.
“Damn it, why is this here…?”
Vrslop_translator
0 Comments