This Novel is not my Novel

"Ah, geez... Isn't that skill of Senior Reisir's basically cheating?"

Pret's gaze was fixed on me as he spoke.

I guessed he was staring at me as if to ask whether I had been certain Reisir would discover his identity because of that skill. But Reisir didn't know that Pret and I had met and talked separately. He would probably think Pret was looking at me to seek my agreement with his words.

"Stop changing the subject and answer my question properly."

The way he spoke, frowning so deeply that the space between his brows wrinkled, felt quite stern.

"Pret. Who are you, really?"

While the original protagonist was exuding such a serious and solemn atmosphere...

Was it really okay for Yor and me to be sharing a fresh strawberry yogurt latte and munching on chocolate strawberry sandwiches?

And sitting side by side with Reisir on the same bench, at that?

But wasn't it this very original protagonist who brought Yor and me here and gave us this to eat...?

Was it because he was the protagonist of someone else's novel?

I couldn't figure out his intentions at all.

Thus, while I was feeling reluctant, the conversation continued just fine.

"Oh dear... It seems pointless to deny it, so I'll just tell you. As Senior Reisir discovered with that skill, my real name is 'Pret Grymur.' And my position in the guild is..."

"Your position?"

"The leader's one and only successor."

"......!!"

"Oh? You look surprised. Was I a bigger shot than you expected, Senior?"

The one being cornered was Pret, yet...

As he admitted the truth so casually and spoke in a joking tone with a smile on his face...

Reisir, the one conducting the interrogation, ended up showing bewilderment instead.

And the initiative in the conversation also passed to Pret.

"Is this all you wanted to ask me?"

"Of course not."

"Then could you please hurry up and ask? I'm a very busy person, you see. I suppose it's because of my position?"

Was it because he had a track record of having his identity exposed by me?

Or perhaps he had mentally prepared himself beforehand, since I had warned him that Reisir would also discover his identity.

Pret's attitude was incredibly composed, to a degree that was unbelievable for someone whose identity had just been revealed.

I didn't know for sure, but this must not have been the flow of events Reisir had expected.

Nevertheless, befitting the protagonist of this novel's world...

He recovered his composure with a single deep breath and spoke in a calm, cold voice.

"Someone as high-ranking and busy as you—what is your purpose in personally infiltrating this academy?"

"I want to obtain information about the Special Class for Awakened Ones, but right now, very few of our guild members are Awakened Ones. Would you believe me if I said it's because I'm the only one of the right age to infiltrate the academy?"

"No."

"Wow...! You didn't have to deny it so flatly, you know?!"

Pret feigned hurt feelings with an exaggerated expression and tone.

One might get angry at such a playful attitude, but...

As if determined not to be swayed by the other party's pace any longer, Reisir continued his interrogation without batting an eyelash.

"If your only purpose was truly to obtain information about the Special Class for Awakened Ones, you would have shown interest in Her Royal Highness the Princess and tried to get close to her. You wouldn't have shown interest in Karvaldr and pretended to be close to him."

"Come on~, Senior Fjora is of the opposite sex. If I carelessly tried to act friendly and close the distance, and it led to some strange misunderstanding, I'd obviously end up in a terrifying situation, right?"

That wasn't something the only person in the Special Class who called her "Senior Fjora" and spoke to her without hesitation should say.

Unlike me, who felt bewildered for that reason...

Reisir paid it no mind and opened his mouth.

"So, you went with a chicken instead of a pheasant, choosing to get close to Karvaldr, who is of the same sex and from a ducal family?"

"Senior Karvaldr is no chicken! Since he's from a ducal family, if we must use a metaphor, you could call him a peacock. And peacocks belong to the pheasant family... Oh? Something's not right here."

"If you're going to argue that, Her Royal Highness the Princess is an eagle, not a pheasant, and Karvaldr is a cat, you know? I was just using a proverb. It's bound to get weird if you try to force a change!"

I had no idea why these two had suddenly started a nonsensical argument.

Pret was obviously doing it to muddy the point, but shouldn't the original protagonist be above this?

But considering the amount of nonsense the protagonist of someone else's novel usually spouted, this flow also seemed natural...

Wait, why am I finding this acceptable?

Because the two of them were spouting nonsense at the same time, I found myself having a stray thought.

Just as I realized this and tried to get a grip on myself...

Fortunately, a normal conversation could be heard.

"Anyway, if Senior Fjora were to discuss matters related to the Special Class for Awakened Ones with any student, that person would definitely be Senior Karvaldr. And perhaps through Senior Karvaldr, I could find an opportunity to get close to Senior Fjora."

"Meaning you planned to use Karvaldr..."

Suddenly, Reisir stopped mid-sentence, flinched, and turned his head to glance at me.

Since I had planted the perception in him that "Karvaldr is sick of being used, so tired of it that he's beyond fed up and has resigned himself to its inevitability"...

He must have been worried that I might have been hurt while listening to the conversation between him and Pret.

Even though, thanks to the nonsense that had just been exchanged, the atmosphere wasn't like that at all.

Just as I was debating whether I should tell him not to worry about me and simply focus on the conversation...

"Ah-ha! Please don't misunderstand! It wasn't exploitation, but an invitation~!"

A voice so cheerful it was flighty rang out.

In an instant, Reisir's face, which had been colored with concern for me, crumpled.

"Oh dear! I'd better reveal the correct answer before Senior Reisir gets really mad! The reason I showed interest in Senior Karvaldr is—drumroll, please~! It wasn't to use him, but to 'hire' him!"

Pret had approached me to discover why the staff at the Austri Ducal Castle had been replaced en masse.

And through our deal, his curiosity had been resolved.

And telling a third party the contents of a deal could be considered a violation of the Information Guild's ironclad rule.

He couldn't bring himself to say that he approached me to find out about the Austri Ducal Family's affairs, not to obtain information about the Special Class for Awakened Ones.

If he had, there was a possibility that Reisir would press him on what specifically he had been trying to discover and dig into it persistently.

So he must have come up with that excuse.

And since Pret had actually recommended several times that I join the guild, it wasn't even a lie.

He must have thought there was no better excuse to offer.

"You tried to... hire Karvaldr? For your Information Guild?"

"Yeees-! After all, the quality of information a commoner can access and the information a noble—a high-ranking one, at that—can access are on completely different levels. No matter how much the other informants and I disguise ourselves and infiltrate, there's a limit, you know? Even if we go to the trouble of creating a fake noble status, people don't open up to a stranger right away, so we have to invest a great deal of time just to gain their trust. And since we have other work, maintaining that identity is a huge waste of time."

"So you tried to drag a real high-ranking noble into your guild? As a mere informant?"

Perhaps thinking Pret was spouting more nonsense, Reisir glared at him with an incredulous expression.

However, despite that cold reaction, Pret's attitude throughout the conversation didn't change in the slightest.

"Of course not! He was scheduled to be assigned directly under me, and a rapid promotion to an executive position was also guaranteed!"

Was he thinking that, since it had come to this, he might as well retry the scouting attempt that had failed last time?

The successor to the Information Guild looked directly at me and made the above appeal.

Of course, his remark failed to touch my heartstrings in the slightest, so I let out a "Hmph!" and snorted, then sucked on my drink through the straw, acting evasively.

Relieved by my reaction, Reisir posed a question to Pret.

"Why Karvaldr, of all people?"

"Well, because in the current Special Class for Awakened Ones, he's the highest-ranking person after Senior Fjora..."

"But you've been showing interest in Karvaldr and trying to approach him since last year, when there wasn't even any talk of a Special Class for Awakened Ones."

"......"

Pret kept his mouth shut for a while, staring at Reisir.

As if he were contemplating something.

Then he suddenly let out a "Heh!" and spoke as though nothing had happened.

"You seem to think I was one of the mercenaries who accepted the request to kidnap Senior Helga, don't you?"

"Weren't you?"

"Why? Because of my tone of voice? But my face is completely different."

"That 【Disguise】 skill of yours. It doesn't just change your Ether color. It can change your appearance too, can't it?"

"You're not going to believe me even if I deny it, are you?"

"If it were really an ability that only changed 'color,' the skill name would have been 【Camouflage Color】, not 【Disguise】."

"That claim seems a bit of a stretch..."

He said as much, narrowing his eyes, but...

In the end, Pret admitted it.

"I can't deny it since it's the truth! Ah-ha!!"

"So, the answer to the question I asked a moment ago?"

"Why do you keep asking that? Do you think Senior Karvaldr is lacking for such a proposal, Senior Reisir?"

"What are you talking about...! Karvaldr is incredibly smart, so I think he's a talent anyone would covet. But you said your goal was to recruit a 'high-ranking noble,' right? Then shouldn't you aim for someone who has a high chance of inheriting the family title? In that respect, if you think about it, Karvaldr has a sister and brother who are much older..."

"That's what makes him more suitable. Someone who is the 'family head' might try to swallow our guild whole."

"......Ah."

With a short, heavy monosyllabic exclamation, the protagonist of someone else's novel revealed that he had been convinced by the other party's words.

Anyone who couldn't notice this would have to step down from the position of the Information Guild's next leader.

Nevertheless...

"Even considering that, Senior Karvaldr wasn't the only possible candidate. After all, there are four ducal families, and even a marquis family can access most information, right?"

"Right...! That's why I asked. Why Karvaldr, of all people?"

"And it would have been suspicious for me, the next leader, to personally hang around Senior Karvaldr, looking for a chance to get close to him, instead of simply offering to scout him."

By bringing this up, Pret stimulated the other's doubts.

"......That is suspicious. Why are you telling me this?"

"I'm about to explain the reason why I, a busy person, would go to such lengths and so desperately try to hire Senior Karvaldr—a reason you'll have no choice but to accept."

It seemed he didn't want to leave even the slightest shred of doubt.

So that later, Reisir would have no cause to raise questions or harbor suspicion.

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