Who Is the World’s Strongest Appraiser? ~Living in Another World With Satisfying Meals~

Flea Market, Con Artists, And Forgeries

In the royal capital of Drahern, a flea market is held once a month.

Basically, business in the capital is divided between the market, which often has a street stall style, and sections where shops line up like a shopping district. There isn’t really a superior or inferior between the two. Even in the market, there are shops where nobles come to buy. It mostly depends on whether the shopkeeper wants to do business in one style or the other. Well, the market tends to be a bit cheaper overall.

And another unique business style that exists is the flea market. Anyone can do business as long as they apply to the office and pay the participation fee. Of course, bringing in dangerous goods is not allowed. However, since even travelers are allowed to do business, the once-a-month flea market is always bustling. The presence of rare items that aren’t usually seen loosens the purse strings of the capital’s residents.

And this doesn’t change, even for young adventurers with thin wallets.

“The flea market is fun just to look around, and there are some great finds!”

“Really?”

“Cute trinkets, beautiful paintings, things you wouldn’t normally afford can be surprisingly cheap here, you know?”

“That sounds interesting.”

“Right?!”

And so, Yuuri was pulled out by an excited Lelei to visit the flea market. In truth, he had never been here before. It wasn’t that he wasn’t interested, but he had been busy with one thing or another. Also, since he could get what he needed from the market and shops, there wasn’t much that made him feel like he was missing out by not going to the flea market.

Lelei, who seemed to have shopped at the flea market many times before, was cheerfully looking around. There were familiar faces among the vendors who set up shop each time, as well as newcomers. That’s also part of the charm of the flea market. Lelei had brought Yuuri because she wanted him to know how much fun it was and thought that he could enjoy looking at trinkets with her. After all, Yuuri is a girly boy. While men generally dislike shopping with women, girly boy enjoy shopping with women.

So the two of them strolled through numerous stalls, browsing casually. This too was part of the flea market’s charm. It was a fun time, with Lelei’s face lighting up at a jewelry stall or Yuuri stopping in front of a beautifully crafted little box. Some stalls were selling food, and they bought and ate on the spot, or in the case of ingredients, Yuuri would purchase them and stuff them into his student bag. The strongest magic bag was quietly doing its job.

“We bought a lot, didn’t we?”

“Ohhh… I ended up buying accessories I didn’t plan to…”

“But that ring looks great on you, Lelei.”

“Yeah, I think so too. It feels like it was made just for me!”

“Right?”

Lelei laughed, clenching her fist, with a sparkling ring on the middle finger of her right hand. The stone in the ring’s center had a streak like a cat’s eye. It wasn’t a cat’s eye stone, though. The golden stone with a thin streak running through it resembled Lelei’s eyes. The stall owner, who had been surprised to see Lelei, had even offered a slight discount if she bought it, saying that he believed jewelry chooses its owner and that no one but Lelei suited this stone.

With such words said, Lelei, who had already been interested in the design, had no chance of resisting the temptation. Fortunately, the price was within the range that even Lelei, a trainee, could afford. So, the ring sparkled on Lelei’s hand. As someone who uses her fists as her weapon, she wouldn’t be able to wear it during combat. If she did, it would definitely break. So she might not wear it often, but she still had to have it. It couldn’t be helped.

“It’s beautiful… But since my weapon is these hands, I can’t wear it normally.”

“Why not make it into a pendant?”

“Huh?”

“If you thread a chain or a cord through it, you can wear it around your neck, right? That way, you can always have it with you.”

“Yuuri, you’re a genius!”

“No, anyone would think of that. Also, Lelei, you’re squeezing… It hurts. I give up, I give up.”

Yuuri sincerely pleaded while patting Lelei’s back to soothe her as she hugged him tightly. Lelei, a half-cat beastman, looked entirely human except for her eyes, which could sometimes resemble a cat’s. With no ears or tail, she appeared human at first glance. However, her physical abilities inherited from her cat beastman father made her a formidable frontliner. Despite looking like a cute woman, her arm strength was brutal. It was enough to choke someone easily.

Lelei hurriedly released Yuuri and looked at him with concern, asking if he was okay. She didn’t mean any harm, but she sometimes forgot the difference in strength between herself and the people around her. Usually, Kurresh bore the brunt of this, but since he had known her for a long time, he knew how to deal with it. Yuuri, on the other hand, still lacked that experience.

Amidst all this fuss, as they continued walking through the flea market, something caught their eye. It was a beautiful painting. A delicate brushstroke depicted a landscape. They both instinctively stopped and gazed at the various paintings displayed at the stall.

“Oh, young miss and young master, you have a good eye.”

The middle-aged stall owner, around his 40s, smiled cheerfully. His ever-present smile didn’t hide the aura of a shrewd merchant. Lelei picked up one of the paintings and exclaimed in admiration. She wasn’t deeply knowledgeable about art, but she had enough sense to recognize something good when she saw it. The painting depicted a girl gazing over a wheat field. The girl, dressed in a pure white dress and wearing a straw hat, stood amidst the golden wheat, with the white of her dress and the blue of the sky creating a beautiful contrast. Lelei was genuinely moved, but Yuuri, upon seeing the painting Lelei held, tilted his head in doubt.

“… Lelei.”

“What is it, Yuuri? Something wrong?”

“You shouldn’t buy that.”

“Huh? Well, I don’t have the budget to buy it, but why so suddenly?”

Lelei blinked in surprise at Yuuri, who usually never meddled in others’ purchases. Both Lelei and the stall owner looked at him in confusion. After glancing at the painting in Lelei’s hands and then at all the paintings in the stall, Yuuri sighed. It was an unusually weary sigh for him.

“Listen,” Yuuri whispered, pulling Lelei’s ear close. He thought it best not to speak too loudly.

“All the paintings in this stall are forgeries.”

Lelei’s eyes widened in shock, staring at Yuuri. He nodded. To Yuuri’s eyes, all the paintings in this stall appeared bright red. The quality of the work was excellent. However, it was precisely because they were so well-made that it was troublesome. The forger had even replicated the original artist’s signature perfectly. They were all complete forgeries.

“All of them?”

“Yeah, all of them.”

“For real?”

“For real.”

“Why are forgeries being sold!? That’s a fraud!”

“Lelei, keep your voice down.”