“So, you accepted that disadvantageous bet and won?”
I had told them about my bet with Zenita during the meal.
If I wanted to take something from this family, I would need the consent of Liberto, the head of the family. Even if I secretly asked Zenita for something, I wouldn't be able to get anything good.
It was better to just come clean. This way, I had a higher chance of getting something useful.
Since the Sandri family was a prestigious noble family, they would have a noble sense of responsibility to keep their promises.
And even if I couldn't get a prize for the bet, I had another important goal in mind.
“He answered all 50 questions correctly. Father, this teacher is something else.”
“Hey, be respectful to your teacher.”
“Haha. I'm confident in my memory.”
Though I wasn't sure if it could be called memory.
Liberto stroked his chin.
“Hmm, I see. A bet where you get one wish granted if you win……”
“To be precise, if I won, I would get one thing I wanted. If I lost, I would accept Miss Zenita's request.”
I said that and suddenly looked at Zenita.
“Come to think of it, I haven't heard what the request was.”
“I'm not going to tell you.”
Zenita stuck her tongue out at me.
Liberto looked at Zenita.
“Zenita, when you say request, you don't mean...”
At Zenita's answer, Liberto turned to me.
Unlike before, his gaze seemed to scan me from head to toe.
“You're saying you think Professor Frondier is the right person for this request?”
“Ah, well, it's not like that...”
A conversation I couldn't quite follow was taking place.
As I listened quietly, Liberto spoke to me.
“Professor, I have a proposition for you.”
“I'd like to ask you to take on the request Zenita mentioned.”
“Miss Zenita called it a 'personal request,' but was it related to the Sandri family?”
“Of course it's Zenita's personal request. I just want to help her with it.”
……Ah, this. It was a tactic commonly used in my previous world too.
By calling it a 'personal request,'it made the scale of the request seem small, so it was easier to agree to. Once you agreed, they would then present something that didn't seem personal at all. They would use the psychology of you already having agreed and the conditions to get you to take on the request.
That Zenita, already learning these kinds of tricks.
“I won the bet, so I don't have to accept that request.”
“Of course, of course. So, this is a new proposition. If you accept this request, I'll give you two things you want from our family. If you have the head of the family's permission, you can choose whatever you like, can't you?”
Indeed. Two things instead of one.
Moreover, Liberto's eyes seemed to say, 'You brought up the bet because you wanted my permission, didn't you?'
“I'd like to hear the details of the request first. I won the previous bet, so you can at least grant me that much.”
“You're a cautious one. I like that.”
Liberto readily nodded.
He turned his head and looked at a nearby maid. I didn't understand the meaning behind his look and gesture, but the maid seemed to, as she immediately moved from her spot.
Soon, the maid returned with a stack of documents and a few photographs.
‘……So much for a personal request.’
They had the entire request prepared in the mansion. This was clearly not Zenita's personal problem at all.
“We would like to ask you to investigate a certain individual. Please take a look at the photo first.”
At Liberto's words, I picked up the photograph placed in front of me.
As I examined the face in the picture, my eyes widened involuntarily.
‘I know this face. But……’
It was a face that left a strong impression, so beautiful that it was hard to forget.
A beautiful woman appearing at this timing. There was only one person I could think of.
I don't know. But it's as good as knowing.
“The headmaster of Atlas, Carla.”
So, the headmaster of Atlas's name was Carla.
I nodded as if it were a matter of course.
“You want me to investigate the headmaster. That's a rather unsettling request.”
“No, it's quite the opposite.”
Liberto clasped his hands together in front of him.
“We, the Sandri family, are wary of Carla. And I'm sure we're not the only ones.”
“Is it alright for you to be telling me this?”
“You're the only one I can talk to about this. You're part of Atlas, but you're not yet assimilated into their 'group.'”
It seemed there were quite a few things going on within Atlas that I was unaware of.
“What exactly do you want me to find out?”
“Carla has been in contact with many nobles. She's even been to our Sandri family. She loves gossip and digging up information. However, according to recent rumors, she's started making 'deals.'”
“By deals, you mean…?”
“It seems she's buying and selling information. And from what I've heard, the information she's offering is not to be taken lightly. She's selling information that's difficult to obtain unless you're an insider, and the information she's buying is rather suspicious.”
Information difficult to obtain unless you're an insider.
So, eavesdropping after all?
“What kind of suspicious information?”
“I hear she's collecting information about devils. Especially about the 72 devils.”
Indeed, that was both suspicious and unsettling.
However, I had a question.
“There are a lot of uncertainties in this information. Didn't the headmaster make any information deals with the Sandri family?”
The Sandri family was said to be one of the top families even here.
Wouldn't Carla have approached them for a deal as well?
“Rumor has it that Carla has a condition for those she deals with.”
“It seems she only deals with families that have an unmarried adult male.”
My lips clamped shut at that.
A beautiful woman targeting unmarried men for information deals.
That one sentence spoke volumes about the clandestine nature of these dealings.
“……I'm not sure what I can investigate. This is a dangerous request.”
“I'm not asking you to do anything unreasonable. But as a teacher at Atlas, it's only natural for you to become acquainted with the headmaster, isn't it? You don't have to force any information out of her. Just keep your ears open."
"I haven't actually met the headmaster yet. I don't even know where she is right now."
"We'll provide you with information on her whereabouts. You can read about it in these documents."
As if he had anticipated my words, Liberto handed me a stack of papers. It contained details of the places Carla was often seen, her expected movements, her schedule, and so on.
"If you happen to run into her in a place you frequent, well, it can't be helped."
"The problem is what happens after I run into her."
"I mentioned that Carla targets unmarried men, but in fact, Carla herself is unmarried. I hear she's had countless men approach her with their affections because of her beauty, but she's rejected them all. However, you might be different, don't you think?"
I was reading through the documents when I heard those words and couldn't help but look up.
"....What do you mean by that?"
"My daughter seemed to think so, and I trust her judgment."
At that moment, Zenita shouted.
"That's not what I meant!!"