“Everyone, you came to me and asked for information on that scumbag who’s been pestering Senior Hailga. That was a really good move. The timing was perfect, too. Because I already have that guy’s personal information in my hands.”
“You investigated that? And it’s already finished?”
Hearing Pret’s statement, Reysir jolted to attention and asked.
His expression was a mix of delight and wariness.
It was clearly a good thing to get the needed information right away.
But he must have found it suspicious, unable to understand why Pret had investigated that guy.
“Finding out the basic personal details of a noble’s child doesn’t take long. Which noble family holds how much power, and what kind of person that family’s child is. I have that kind of general information on hand as a basic resource. I just had to stop by the guild and pick up the materials!”
As these words flowed from Pret’s mouth, a feeling of unease was added to Reysir’s face.
Reysir didn’t even try to hide it.
Pret must have noticed, of course, but as if it were a familiar matter, he continued without showing any change in expression.
“Still, unless it’s a fairly important figure, I don’t conduct in-depth investigations on individuals. Things like their personality, recent interests and long-standing tastes, usual conduct, and how those around them view the person, and so on. These needed additional investigation, but since someone as great as I took on the investigation of such an insignificant person, it’s only natural it finished quickly, right?”
It was a tone and content that anyone would hear as boasting and showing off.
Well, this is the moment in the remake version of Nas-e where Pret first engages in his main profession.
It’s probably a performance to show how skilled he and his guild are at information gathering.
Unfortunately, the subject of that investigation was just a scumbag pestering a girl.
Instead of feeling impressed, all I felt was, ‘Well, that’s to be expected.’
“Ah, right! You also asked about why I investigated this, right? It’s because I heard a rumor wandering around the Academy that piqued my curiosity!”
“Curiosity…? So you find Hailga running into a rude jerk and being insulted just an interesting story? Even though we’ve only recently been grouped in the same class… Come to think of it, you have a record of helping Tridric kidnap Hailga, don’t you?”
At Pret’s lively addition, the original protagonist’s face turned serious, and he brought up the past without hiding his anger.
He even made eye contact with me, as if asking what reason we had to keep Pret’s infiltration a secret.
It seems Pret really doesn’t sit well with him.
Given the circumstances, it couldn’t be helped.
“Huh? Have you forgotten that thanks to me, Senior Hailga was rescued safely?”
“It was thanks to Karbaldr, not you.”
“Ah-ha! I can’t deny that. It was from then that Senior Karbaldr started to feel not just like ‘suitable talent’ but ‘coveted talent.'”
“……”
Unlike Pret, who maintained his slimy attitude, the protagonist of another novel seemed to have completely lost his composure.
His face was all twisted, glaring at the other with eyes full of hostility.
It was enough to remind me of my first meeting with him in Episode 6.
“Even if I said I was planning to step in and stop him if Tridric tried to cross the line… you wouldn’t believe me, would you?”
“Of course not.”
“But I really want to clear up the misunderstanding related to this matter.”
“What misunderstanding?”
“The misunderstanding that I found Senior Hailga’s predicament entertaining.”
“Hah…”
A hollow laugh burst from between Reysir’s crooked lips.
Proof that he didn’t trust the other’s words one bit.
‘The original protagonist is showing that much hostility… Is this okay?’
I started to worry that he might get marked as unlikable by Senna’s readers, and the original author might decide to eliminate Pret quickly.
So I thought maybe I should step in and mediate.
But since the person involved, Pret, looked completely at ease without a care, I decided to wait a little longer.
Becoming hostile with Reysir must be something Pret doesn’t want either.
He must have a trick up his sleeve to turn the situation around, that’s why he’s so calm.
“It’s true! I heard a rumor that Senior Hailga has a crush on a male student named ‘Drembi.’ I was curious, with a wonderful childhood friend like Senior Reysir by her side, what kind of charm does this person have to make her fall in love? That’s why I started the investigation!”
“What?! What kind of…”
“It’s a ridiculous baseless rumor, right? Yeah, when I investigated, that’s what it turned out to be.”
Since the fact that he received a villain investigation request from me is a secret, he can’t reveal that.
But he had to avoid Reysir’s suspicion, so he needed an excuse for why he started the investigation.
‘But no matter how much he needed an excuse, Pret wouldn’t have brought up fake information. Especially not in a situation like this where a transaction is confirmed!’
So the rumor Pret mentioned must really exist.
The male student “Drembi” in the rumor must be that villain guy who was pestering Hailga.
“Shall I explain how such a rumor started circulating?”
“…Forget it. That Drembi bastard must have spread it on purpose.”
“Was the answer too obvious? You guessed it right away.”
Once again, the original protagonist’s face crumpled, and hostility clouded his golden eyes.
But his anger was no longer directed at Pret.
“But the problem is that not everyone who hears the rumor thinks that way. That Drembi guy has such a bad reputation that many still think it’s a baseless rumor and let it slide.”
“…People who don’t know what kind of person he is will just believe it.”
“Is just believing it the lucky scenario?”
As Pret said, the rumor that Hailga has a crush on that villain guy isn’t even a problem in itself.
Having a crush on someone alone doesn’t tarnish one’s honor.
But if people gossip about it and keep adding falsehoods, that’s the real problem—it could escalate from a simple rumor to a scandal.
Moreover, this isn’t just a possibility; it’s practically a certainty.
That villain guy Drembi will keep spouting vulgar talk so the rumor spreads like that.
Even those who didn’t believe the rumor at first, when they encounter the sensationalized, inflated version circulating around again, they’ll recognize the false rumor as truth, thinking what they heard before was true.
‘He said he’d make Hailga his so others couldn’t have her…’
Since nobles value honor, no one wants to marry someone trailed by scandal.
A family with immense power might be able to push through a political marriage somehow, but House Bitnir doesn’t fall into that category.
He must have thought that by blocking her marriage prospects this way, she’d have no choice but to choose him.
‘How despicable…’
Given Hailga’s personality, she’d rather live alone until she dies than marry the man who insulted her and cornered her.
So that villain guy won’t get the result he wants.
However, that doesn’t mean Hailga won’t be hurt.
“We need to quickly let people know that it’s a false rumor…”
True to the original protagonist, Reysir seemed to immediately grasp what Pret was concerned about.
Judging by how he muttered those words with an anxious expression, the warning bell rang right then.
“Pret, hand over the information you’ve investigated about that guy first.”
“Originally, the principle is to hand over the information after receiving payment, but we need to hurry to the next lecture now, and Senior Karbaldr might become one of our family. I’ll come to your room tonight, so you can give it to me then.”
As I put down the empty tumbler on the bench and stood up to speak, Pret, as if he’d been waiting, took out a bundle of documents from his inventory and handed it over.
For reference, regarding payment, I already paid when I placed the request.
So his saying he’d come to my room tonight is an excuse to hide that fact and to report on the other request I entrusted him with.
‘But letting Pret into my room is a bit…?’
He and I aren’t that close.
We’ve only known each other for just over a week, to begin with.
“Not the room. Come find me when I’m in the private training hall.”
“Senior Karbaldr, after classes end this afternoon, you’re scheduled to receive private tutoring from Professor Skadi until just before the dormitory curfew, right? Tomorrow there’s a mock battle lecture, so you’ll be exhausted after that, and you’ll want to rest deeply in your room. Are you telling me to wait until Saturday?”
“…I’ll pay now, so name the price.”
I judged it would be better to just hand over the money here now and get it back later.
So the moment I said that, Reysir snatched the documents from my hand.
And then—
“You two, what on earth are you talking about? Buying information on the guy trying to put Hailga in a difficult spot, why are you, Karbaldr, trying to pay? Naturally, as Hailga’s childhood friend and someone who has received a lot of help from her, I should pay the fee!”
He said something utterly unarguable and put the documents Pret handed over into his own inventory.
“Karbaldr will absolutely never join your guild, but you still think there’s a possibility, right? If Karbaldr is persuaded, I, who would come as a bonus, am the same, aren’t I? So I’ll pay the fee later. Come to my room after class.”
“Ah-ha…?”
“Why that reaction? You don’t even have to wait until night, isn’t that a good thing for you?”
“Well. I guess so…?”
It seems Pret couldn’t find any words to refute Reysir’s logic either.
Judging by his bewildered expression as he responded like that.
“Then there’s no problem?”
“This question might be rude, but… do you have the money, Senior?”
“I have enough money to buy information on such an insignificant guy. The prize money I got from last year’s Bimu Tournament, I haven’t used it yet.”
“In that case, there’s no problem!”
I hadn’t planned to make Reysir pay the fee.
But if I stopped Reysir and insisted on paying myself, it would only hurt his pride.
Once I get back the request fee I paid to Pret, I’ll have to buy him something with that money.
Cute he’s gonna treat him later! 🙂