This Novel is not my Novel

"I lose, I lose! This is a complete checkmate, isn't it?"

"Stop grumbling and prove yourself."

"Here, this is the crest of our Hrafnin Information Guild."

Pret said this as he pulled a metal badge with an embossed raven crest from his inventory.

The Hrafnin Information Guild has the setting of being the number one information guild in {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} this novel's world, frequently used not only by high nobility but also by royalty and the imperial family.

His action was likely born from the proud assumption that I would naturally recognize the crest.

But this was the first time I had ever seen this crest.

I knew from reading 《NaSE》 that the Hrafnin Information Guild used a raven as its symbol, but was there only one way to design a raven crest?

Still, it was shown to me by the successor of the Hrafnin Information Guild, so it must be authentic.

Instead of taking what lay on Pret's palm to examine it closely,

I only gave it a passing glance before meeting his eyes and speaking.

"If you're from an information guild, shouldn't you prove yourself with information? Not with a piece of metal like this."

"Aha! That's a very interesting and charming thing to say. But information is a result that comes only after a long time of investigation, so it's not something I can just whip out on the spot."

"Can't you just use the information you currently have on hand as evidence?"

"I can't do that. Not revealing what information one holds is one of the basic ironclad rules of an informant. Why don't you just place a request right here?"

The ironclad rule he just mentioned wasn't something he made up on the spot; it actually existed.

It was a line he often spouted in the original novel, and it made logical sense.

But if I readily place a request here, it'll satisfy one of Pret's curiosities, won't it?

Whether to maintain my grip on the conversation's initiative, or to show that I'm not an easy person to deal with,

I couldn't just do as he suggested, and moreover—

"Is there a need for that? I can just ask for the confirmed information you currently possess."

"Is there such a thing?"

"You're investigating me, are you not? Then you must have gathered as much information on me as possible, and you wouldn't have just stashed such documents in your dormitory room. In your own space where no one can peek. In other words, you'd have kept it in your inventory."

—Information about "Karvaldr" was something I couldn't ask for unless it was a situation like this.

Anyone would find it strange if I asked to be investigated.

But if the purpose was to confirm whether the other party was really from the Information Guild and to verify how competent he was, I should be able to avoid suspicion.

Just as I expected, Pret showed no signs of puzzlement at my statement.

In fact, he even clapped—clap, clap, clap—and expressed his admiration with a rather exaggerated attitude.

"Ooh~! A very accurate analysis!"

"Then hurry up and show me."

"Hey, a man in the know shouldn't act like this. Even if it's for the sake of proof, I can't just give out information for free."

Pret brought the tips of his thumb and index finger together to form a circle as he said this.

It meant I had to pay up.

"Even for information about myself, which I already know?"

"No one in this world knows themselves accurately. People are bound to think in distorted ways, whether positively or negatively, so there's bound to be a lack of objectivity. And... just how much I've figured out about you, Senior Karvaldr, that's information in itself, isn't it?"

Pausing mid-sentence and then continuing is a common rhetorical trick used to emphasize the words that follow.

What's more, an unusual light even flickered in his eyes at that moment.

It was clearly a statement implying, "Didn't you ask for this information because you want to see how much I know about you?"

Well, it's not like I didn't have that intention.

I thought this in my head, gave a light nod, and then began.

"Yesterday, during the 'Mock Battle and Survival Training' session, didn't you take my whip and daggers?"

"Surely you're not about to say you'll pay with those, are you?"

"Why not? Those items are strictly my property, and even considering they're secondhand, they should fetch a considerable price."

"Come on, but would information about a young master from a ducal family really be worth only that much?"

"The value of information is relative, isn't it? Since it's about me, whether it's information that requires objectivity or just rumors about me, I can find it out myself without going through an Information Guild. Therefore, the only thing I need to pay a proper price for is just how much you've figured out about me."

The owner of this body I possessed had overflowing wealth.

There would be no problem even if I forked over whatever amount he wanted without pointlessly haggling.

And yet, the reason I'm bickering with Pret is that I plan on having a long-term business relationship, and there's nothing to be gained by being treated as a pushover from the very start.

Flaunting wealth by needlessly throwing around huge sums of money just because you're rich is an outdated trend, too.

These days, readers prefer to see characters who are smart with their money and don't waste it, even if they're rich.

That said, acting like a cheapskate in every situation makes you look petty, so one has to consider the circumstances.

Right now, it's not an urgent matter, nor am I buying a gift for someone else.

It's right to steer the deal in a direction that's as advantageous to me as possible.

That's the reason I said it, but.

"Wow... I really hate people who try to clumsily lowball the price of information... But someone who asks for a price readjustment not because they're looking down on its value, but because they understand the nature of information... is really great!! So much so that I want to agree to the haggling even though there's no benefit for me."

The way he opened his mouth slowly with a slightly dazed look, then suddenly spewed out his words with shining eyes.

And the way he spat out favorable words without reservation, his face showing excitement and expectation.

No matter how I looked at it, this was clearly what it looked like when an influence event had succeeded.

Why did it turn out like this again...?

It was an incredibly awkward situation, but taking it back was impossible.

Saying I'd buy the information at full price now would look extremely strange.

Still, so far, Pret had been inscrutable but hadn't done anything unlikable, and he possessed both a trap manipulation ability and an information procurement ability.

From Author Senna's perspective, he would probably be ranked low on the death priority list.

I considered myself somewhat fortunate and continued the conversation with the person before me.

"You have a very long-winded way of saying the payment issue is resolved."

"Aha! I haven't even affirmed it yet, and you're already jumping to conclusions? I like that about you, too."

"Enough of that nonsense. Hurry up and show me what you've investigated about me."

"Yessir, yessir."

Even though I frowned and urged him on in an annoyed tone, he responded with a playful attitude, needlessly dragging out the single word "yes."

And yet, he immediately pulled a bundle of documents from his inventory and handed it over.

I couldn't get angry at him, so I just roughly snatched it from him, as if I were half-stealing it.

"Please read it here and return it immediately. The data is still being revised."

That was my intention anyway.

The price for disposing of information is quite high, and...

Now that Pret has even said he likes me, he probably won't sell my information to just anyone.

I was still uncomfortable with having unintentionally succeeded in an influence event.

Still, making use of what you can is also a recent web novel trend, so let's not pointlessly waste money.

Having reached that conclusion, I gave a light nod to show I understood and began to read through the documents' contents.

Since I had the information given by the possessed body's family, most of the content was stuff I already knew.

However, it was different in that it described in detail what kind of treatment Karvaldr received while growing up in the family.

And the negative public evaluation of this body's original owner was written in a very stark and revealing way.

And...

He said the data was still being revised.

Things like having a vicious and selfish personality, or looking down on and disregarding others.

Numerous other sentences were crossed out with strikethroughs, and in red, the words "needs continuous observation" were written in small letters.

Along with a comment saying that his known personality and his actual personality seemed quite different.

"There's a lot to fix, right? It's a common occurrence when you investigate people. Especially with things like personality, an evaluation is often made based on just a first impression or a part of their outward behavior. Collecting opinions from many people is a necessary process, but that doesn't mean you should blindly believe it, you know?"

Was he embarrassed to show me an unorganized document filled with incorrect information and personal opinions?

The successor to the head of the Information Guild rambled on with what was close to an excuse, an awkward expression on his face.

"For this reason, investigating people is difficult, but that's what makes it more fun and interesting."

So I had no idea what he wanted me to do about it.

Therefore, I let Pret's talk about his information preferences go in one ear and out the other as I continued to read the document.

Thankfully, he hasn't figured out the memory loss setting, has he?

But I couldn't completely let my guard down.

Information was recorded that right after Karvaldr returned during summer vacation last year, there had been a major personnel reshuffle among those working at the Austri Ducal Castle.

Below that, he had scribbled a complaint that information gathering had become difficult because all the informants who had secretly infiltrated were also kicked out.

Since it says the informants were all fired too, I could just insist that the reshuffle itself was to exterminate the rats who had snuck into the castle, firing everyone who was suspicious, but...

The problem was that among Pret's comments, not only was there a question about the timing of the reshuffle, but he had even circled it and added asterisks.

What's more, it was followed by a self-posed question:

"Could the Young Master's different behavior after the semester started, compared to last semester, be related?"

Before I let Pret dig deeper and uncover the memory loss setting, it would be better to preemptively release some limited information and nip his curiosity in the bud.

That being said, there was no need for me to bring it up first, as if making an excuse.

After I finished reading this document, he would ask questions on his own anyway, so I just had to answer them then.

I turned the page and moved my gaze to the next one.

From here on, my actions at the academy while possessing Karvaldr's body were recorded.

So, I didn't need to read it in detail, but if I just skimmed through it, Pret would obviously get suspicious.

If only to avoid giving him any unnecessary pretext, I had to maintain the same pace and slowly take in the text.

Therefore, it was only after a long time had passed that I returned the bundle of documents to Pret.

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