Frondier and Elodie stared at him silently at his words.
Pielott cowered and spoke, but Frondier covered his mouth and fell into thought.
"It's a possibility."
"If it's the Headmaster, he can get involved as much as he wants and not worry about getting caught. He came up with the idea and built it himself. No matter how noisy the construction is, no one would find it strange."
However, even as she agreed, she tilted her head with a subtle expression.
"...If Master Osprey was really that kind of person, it would be too shocking."
"Even if it's the same Headmaster position, there's a big difference."
To be honest, when Frondier and Elodie thought of the Headmaster, it was still Osprey. A symbol of wisdom, a sage who had helped them countless times and bestowed them with favors.
He himself said that he wasn't a sage yet, but to the two of them, it was obvious that Osprey was already a sage.
Perhaps it was because of Osprey's image that they hadn't thought deeply about the Headmaster of Atlas.
"By the way, who is the Headmaster of Atlas? I don't think I've ever met them."
He had never met the Headmaster since he first entered Atlas.
Usually, when a new teacher came in, wouldn't they at least get acquainted with the Headmaster? Even if not, they would at least run into each other while doing their teaching duties, but that hadn't happened.
"I heard they are in frequent contact with nobles. I guess they are the type who cares about their connections. They are hardly involved in any of Atlas's internal affairs."
"Is that why we haven't seen them? Just hearing that makes it sound like they are doing diplomacy or something."
"It's not that different."
Indeed, the Headmaster was completely different from Osprey.
"...Their reputation among the students wasn't bad. Of course, not many people have seen their face, and even fewer know what they actually do."
"...? Why would someone who no one knows what they do have a reputation?"
If you couldn't see them properly and didn't know what they did, would there even be a reputation? It would be normal to be treated as a non-existent person.
Pielott said with an ambiguous expression.
"W-Well, I heard she's incredibly beautiful."
"...The Headmaster of Atlas is a woman?"
Frondier was surprised by that first.
If she was a woman and people were saying she was beautiful, that meant she was quite young. She was no longer someone he could compare to Osprey.
"But can someone get a reputation just for being beautiful?"
Frondier then asked Pielott.
"Did the students ever say anything about how she compares to Elodie? I bet they talked about that."
"W-Why are you suddenly bringing me up?"
Elodie was flustered by that. However, Pielott nodded as if it were only natural.
"Of course, that came up. Actually, the only reason I heard about the Headmaster in the first place was because of Senior Elodie."
"I see. So what did they say?"
"Hmm. Well, people have different tastes in appearances, so excluding personal preferences..."
Pielott trailed off, recalling the conversations he had overheard. To be honest, he hadn't been very interested in the topic at the time, so it was a bit hazy now.
Still, it had been a hot topic. Considering the public opinion at the time...
"...It was like... it was impossible to say who was better."
While Elodie, who couldn't bring herself to participate in this conversation, fidgeted, Frondier's expression changed.
Frondier looked incredulous.
"You're saying the Headmaster of Atlas's looks are comparable to Elodie's?"
"It's hard for me to believe it too, but that was the general consensus."
At those words, Frondier's eyes wavered as if he had heard a completely unexpected answer, like someone whose plans had crumbled and was redrawing them. Then he looked at Elodie.
"What do you think, Elodie? Do you think this makes any sense-"
Elodie shouted, her face bright red.
Frondier thought about it again, then nodded in understanding.
"I see. If it's to that extent, I guess she could gain a reputation just by showing up."
"Yes. If that's true."
Frondier and Pielott nodded at each other with serious faces, as if they had solved a small mystery.
'A Headmaster who prioritizes relationships with nobles to the point where she can barely show her face at her own educational institution. On top of that, a face comparable to Elodie's.'
What connection did this have to the wiretapping devices installed throughout Atlas? Or was there no connection at all?
More investigation was needed to find out.
'...The list of things I need to ask just got longer.'
And Frondier knew a way to conduct that investigation soon.
And then, the weekend.
As promised, I found the address and rang the doorbell at the front gate of a certain house.
As I pressed the button, I took a moment to admire the mansion.
'It's huge. The mansion itself is more luxurious than Roach's.'
The Roach family was the most prestigious family in the Falind continent, but the entire family wasn't very interested in extravagance. That's why their mansion wasn't overly ornate and had a somewhat restrained aspect.
Compared to that, the mansion in front of me was a display of unrestrained luxury. A lake was visible on the walking path beyond the bars, along with a well-maintained garden and trees. Above all, the sheer scale of it was overwhelming.
A man's voice came from the intercom installed next to the doorbell. Gentlemanly yet curt, with a heavy, slow pronunciation. I assumed he was the butler of this house and replied.
"It's Frondier de Roach. I'm here for a home visit with Miss Zenita today."