Chapter 263: The Needle’s Secret

“Don’t waste my time with useless talk. What’s the conclusion?”

“Pret is definitely not from the circus.”

“Besides that obvious fact.”

While maintaining a stern expression,I shifted the responsibility of identifying Pret’s true identity onto Reysir.

Although enough evidence had already been presented to suggest Pret was an informant,the decisive proof had not yet been mentioned.

‘Setting aside [Lip Reading],[Ventriloquism],and [Voice Alteration],the rest of his general skills are techniques that an assassin could also learn.’

If I were to boldly declare,”Pret is from an information guild,”I would be left speechless if someone countered with that argument.That was why I left the role to the protagonist of another novel,who had personally read Pret’s status window.

“He’s definitely an informant.”

“You seem certain.”

“Yeah.Some of his skills overlap with Professor Skadi’s,but her skill list explicitly had [Assassination] registered,right?”

“I take it Pret didn’t have that skill.”

“Exactly.He possesses high-rank [Dagger Arts] and [Hidden Weapon Arts] skills.But if you think about it,it means that even though he reached this level of proficiency,an [Assassination] skill never manifested.”

“I see…”

I nodded,showing Reysir that I followed his logic.

“Since the Awakened Special Class includes a figure as prominent as the Imperial Princess,they wouldn’t have sent someone who lacks the basics to infiltrate the academy.He certainly isn’t a novice who has never been in the field.If,as you say,the [Assassination] skill isn’t registered,then killing people isn’t his primary trade.”

I added these thoughts to give the impression that I was seriously engaged in the deduction.If I only reacted without contributing any opinions,the original protagonist might find it strange.

“I thought the same,so I ruled out assassins.That leaves only thieves and informants as the types to have those skills… but I have a feeling he’s not a thief.”

“Is that just a ‘hunch’?”

“About half of it is.”

The original protagonist gave a vague answer.Did that mean he hadn’t fully uncovered it but had a general idea?

“Last semester,when Tridric kidnapped the Hailga girl,there was a mercenary who spoke just like Pret,right?If that mercenary really was Pret… I think he might have accepted that job to get close to Tridric and find out something about you.”

A question suddenly occurred to me:’By that logic,isn’t it possible his goal was to steal something from me?’However,I decided to keep it to myself.The correct answer had already been reached,and I didn’t want to waste time by overcomplicating the conversation.

“Karbaldr,be careful.The reason he asked me how to get close to you and keeps acting friendly is likely to achieve that goal.”

If that was the goal,he had already achieved it through our deal.If the protagonist of another novel found out about this,he would not only nag me incessantly but also persistently interrogate me about what I had told Pret.

“I understand.I’ll keep that in mind.”

When I replied with a troubled expression,Reysir looked at me with a worried yet satisfied gaze.He was likely relieved,thinking I would keep my guard up and distance myself from Pret from now on.My conscience pricked me just a bit.

“That aside… what do you plan to do now?”

“I want to go to Pret and confront him about why he approached you,now that I know his identity,but…”

“Is there a problem?”

“As you said at the library before,if I pressure him to allow a public viewing of his status window,I can prove he’s suspicious.The problem is that it’s impossible to specifically identify him as an informant.”

“I suppose… if he’s already under suspicion,it’s better for him to hold out by claiming it’s sensitive private information rather than confessing his identity.”

“Is there any other way?”

Hearing him ask for help while I felt a twinge of guilt made it hard to ignore him.Furthermore,I would likely need to get information from Pret frequently in the future,including details about the villain who had appeared this time.Whether it was to share the information I gained more easily or to prevent being called a traitor later if caught,it was better to work with the original protagonist than to deal with Pret in secret.

“… The [Identification] skill can’t read a person’s information at will,but can’t it read the information of ‘objects’ without the owner’s permission?”

“Among the things Pret carries around openly,is there anything that would reveal his affiliation?”

“There is.”

“What is it?”

“A needle.”

“A needle…? You mean the one Pret uses as a weapon?”

Reysir asked back with a puzzled expression.He couldn’t seem to understand how something as small as a needle could serve as a clue to force a confession from Pret.It was natural for him to think that way.

“That isn’t just a needle;it’s a ‘weapon.’And since you’ve used good weapons yourself,you should know by now.If a weapon is unbalanced,you can’t show your true skill.If the quality of the material is poor,you can’t load it with a large amount of Aether,so you can’t use your full power.And if the processing is done poorly,the resistance increases,leading to a significant loss of Aether.”

“You’re right!I wondered how much difference it could really make,but the difference I felt was enormous.”

“It’s only natural,since you went from using consumables supplied to common soldiers to a weapon crafted by a master.”

“Hahaha…”

Reysir let out an awkward laugh and looked away.He probably realized he had been stubbornly foolish for no reason.

“Anyway, so?”

“So,Pret must have also commissioned a skilled blacksmith to make his weapons.Since they are specially made to match his Aether attribute,and commissioning a large quantity of weaponized needles might start rumors,that blacksmith must be someone he trusts.”

“Then there’s a high probability the blacksmith belongs to the same group as Pret?”

“Most certainly.To use needles as weapons,each one must be meticulously polished.Why would a skilled blacksmith accept such a tedious commission otherwise?They could make more money and gain fame by crafting weapons ordered by nobles.”

This wasn’t mere speculation;it was a confirmed fact.In the original work,when Reysir examined Pret’s needles with [Jin-Ik-Nun],the following description appeared:

[Hyeonchim]

: A special weapon crafted with care,one by one,by an artisan belonging to the Hrafnin Information Guild.

At that point in the original work,the protagonist had already unlocked the second stage of the [Jin-Ik-Nun] skill.If Reysir used that skill to examine Pret’s needle now,he would be able to read the same information.

“Pret scattered a ton of needles during class earlier,didn’t he?If I go to the Small Lecture Hall now,do you think I can find one?”

“Pret recovered some of them,and they’ve likely finished cleaning by now,but since needles are so inconspicuous,one might still be there.And since you can now form a magnetic field…”

“I’ll go check!Karbaldr,go to the biology lecture hall first.I’ll stop by the Small Lecture Hall and meet you there!”

He could have just picked one up during the ‘Mock Battle and Survival Training’ class,but Reysir couldn’t wait until Friday.He jumped up from his seat and ran toward the First Small Auditorium.

“Pret.Eat your lunch quickly.We need to talk for a moment.”

As evidenced by the original protagonist’s words,the temporal setting for this narration was once again lunchtime.Though Reysir had succeeded in obtaining one of Pret’s needles during lunch yesterday,he had spent the rest of the day and today sparring with Caldrun and other professors.Thus,he was utilizing his lunch break once again.

“When you say ‘we,’Senior Reysir,who do you mean?”

“Me and Karbaldr.”

For the record,I had never heard a request from Reysir to ‘be there when I interrogate Pret.’Nevertheless,this protagonist of another novel spoke as if it were a given that I would be with him.When I stared at him in disbelief,he added more.

“Ah,and Yor too.”

Leaving Yor out was one issue,but that wasn’t why I was dumbfounded.Regardless,I was curious about what they would discuss,and to fulfill the narrator’s duty,I needed to be present for their conversation.So,just this once,I decided to let it go with a generous heart.

“Then that’s fine!I’m a busy man,but if Senior Karbaldr wants to talk to me,I’ll have to make time for him.”

“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t forget that I’m the one who brought it up.”

“Let’s talk after we finish eating,shall we?”

“……”

With that,Pret and Reysir stopped talking and focused on their food.Yor and I tried to match their pace,but shoveling food into our mouths just to hurry would be a character collapse,so catching up was impossible.However,Reysir noticed this and spoke up.

“Karbaldr. I prepared some snacks just in case,so don’t try to rush through everything.Just eat what you can and leave the rest.”

Thanks to his thoughtfulness,I didn’t get indigestion.It occurred to me that if he was going to be that prepared,he could have given me a heads-up,but since I had already decided to let it go,’I’ chose not to find fault.

Someone else,however,did not act the same way.

“Can’t I… join that conversation…?I also want to… play with my friends… while eating snacks during lunch…. Why is it Pret… instead of me…?”

“I asked to talk to Pret today because there’s something really important.I’ll play with you and eat snacks during lunch another time.”

“Will Master Karbaldr… and Master Yor be there too…?”

“Yeah,yeah.”

“Then,I understand.”

When Liolikin complained in a whining tone that didn’t match his large frame, Reysir comforted him with a slightly troubled expression.

In the process,another schedule was made that I had never agreed to.

Still,I needed to finish the meal quickly to secure time to talk to Pret.

And if I exercised my right to refuse now,Liolikin might beg to join in on the ‘important business’ we were doing now.

Considering the situation,I decided not to argue.