After hearing my request, Alsetine fell silent for a mont, deep in thought, before finally speaking.
"Are you sure I can obtain this item?"
"Yes."
"You’re an info broker. This much should be easy for you."
Back when Soul Academy was just a ga, you were the one who managed to get this item.
I don't know how long it will take, but I’m confident you'll be able to find it eventually.
Alsetine shrugged at my words and rested his chin on his clasped hands.
"If I do manage to obtain it, how do you plan to pay for it? It’s related to a ducal family, and there isn’t even a single clue to go on. It’s likely to be quite expensive."
"I’ll pay with information."
"I’ll give you the information you want."
"For ? I’m not easily moved by just any information, you know."
"Your..."
"Information about your ntor. Are you sure you don’t need that?"
The mont I ntioned his ntor, a crack appeared in Alsetine’s otherwise calm expression.
Alsetine's ntor is a pivotal figure in his storyline.
This man, who wouldn’t even blink at the death of his lover, has only one weakness—his ntor.
"My ntor? What do you an?"
Of course, you’ll deny it. As a rchant, you wouldn’t want to reveal any weaknesses.
But, seriously, I’ve seen you break down in tears over this. How could denying it change anything?
"Karina..."
"Karina, the person who took you in when you were an orphan. Does that ring a bell?"
As soon as I ntioned his ntor’s na, Alsetine stood up from his seat, moving to stand directly in front of .
His glare was intense, but honestly, after dealing with people like Fossel and Benedict, it didn’t faze at all.
"How does the young lady know that na?"
"Does it matter?..."
"Info broker, does it really matter? I know the information you want, and you can get the item I need. Isn’t that all that matters?"
You’re probably curious about how I, soone who’s never left her estate, managed to obtain this information.
But why should I explain that to you?
If you’re so curious, you should find out yourself.
Of course, no matter how much you try, you won’t even find a clue, but that’s not my problem. Right?
"Lady Allen, I’m sorry, but just hearing that isn’t enough to convince that you have information about my ntor."
That’s true.
Given how cautious he is, just telling him this much won’t be enough to make him believe and take action.
How much more should I reveal?
"The Magus Empire’s..."
"Try searching around the Norta territory in the Magus Empire."
If you dig around that area, you might find so information about your ntor.
You won’t be able to approach your ntor directly, but you should be able to verify whether what I’m saying is credible.
Alsetine, who had been silently watching as I confidently spoke, finally took a step back and put on his usual smiling mask again.
"Understood. I’ll look into it."
"And how long..."
"Info broker, how long do you think it will take to find the item I ntioned?"
"I can’t give you a definite answer since I don’t even know its whereabouts, but I’ll try to find it as quickly as possible."
Since this involves finding out the whereabouts of his ntor, Alsetine will do everything in his power to locate the item.
At most, it shouldn’t take more than a month.
If I can get the item within that ti, I’ll be able to raise the Inferior Prince’s favorability sufficiently.
Satisfied with his response, I nodded and stood up.
"I expect a good answer next ti."
"I hope you’ll have a good answer for when we et again, info broker."
Left alone in the room, Alsetine pulled out a cigarette from a drawer and lit it.
As he exhaled smoke and watched Lucy Allen leave the shop, he muttered to himself in a tone that could only be described as threatening.
"Lucy Allen, huh?"
Alsetine knew all about Lucy Allen.
She was infamous in high society for all the wrong reasons—there was no way he wouldn’t know about her.
Recently, there had been rumors that she had changed, but…
Recalling the contemptuous look she had given him as she called him an "info broker," Alsetine was certain her personality hadn’t changed.
But she’s not entirely hopeless, like the rumors suggest.
Lucy Allen may have a bad personality, but she has the tenacity befitting soone of the Allen family.
Standing confidently in front of those thugs downstairs, speaking her mind without hesitation.
And most importantly, the way she watched my expression when she ntioned my ntor proves she’s not incompetent.
High society really has no eyes.
They only saw her reckless behavior and failed to notice what lay beneath.
"Alsetine, sir."
"Co in."
The person who entered after Alsetine’s permission was the sa man who had knelt after being punched by him earlier.
"Are you alright?"
"It was just an act, but couldn’t you have hit a bit lighter? I think it’s going to bruise."
"Co on, just put so ointnt on it, and you’ll be fine."
The hostile atmosphere when Lucy first entered the tavern and the way Alsetine took control were all perfectly orchestrated.
It was all an act to intimidate a noble unfamiliar with this place, making it easier to manage the situation.
Though it didn’t seem to have any effect on Lucy Allen.
"So, how did things go?"
"About that…"
Alsetine’s mind was in turmoil.
The biggest issue was what Lucy Allen had ntioned about his ntor.
From what Alsetine knew, Lucy Allen was soone who never left her estate.
She had no real connections in high society, so there was no way she could have that kind of information.
But she knew.
She knew he was searching for his ntor. She knew things about his ntor.
How on earth did she obtain this information?
Does the Allen family have so secret network that no one knows about?
But they’re just a typical military family.
There’s no way they have a better information network than I do.
As Alsetine silently pondered, the ash from his cigarette fell, and he organized his thoughts.
No matter how strange it seems, reality won’t change.
I can think about this later.
For now, I need to focus on what needs to be done.
"First, I need to find that item related to the Barrow ducal family."
If the young lady of the Allen family ca all the way to the back alleys to look for it, it must be sothing valuable.
Even if the deal with Lucy Allen falls through, it wouldn’t hurt to have that item in hand.
So finding it is the top priority.
"And I’ll need to send so people to the Norta territory."
I need to verify whether what Lucy Allen said is true.
I’ll send people there to gather information about my ntor.
Thinking about his ntor, Alsetine took another drag from his cigarette, frowning.
The best way to confirm this information would be to kidnap Lucy Allen and extract the information directly from her.
People with a high-handed attitude tend to break easily under the pressure of pain.
But her status complicates things.
The Allen family.
A military family that rivals the best in the kingdom, led by the Iron-Blooded Count, Benedict Allen.
If I lay a hand on Benedict’s daughter and earn his enmity?
At that point, it would be better to just end my life.
In other words, if I didn’t have to worry about the consequences, I could go after Lucy Allen... but not now.
"For now, that’s all. Let’s get to work."
After the entrance ceremony at Soul Academy, there’s a one-week trial period.
During this ti, you can attend various classes to see what interests you and decide which ones to take.
Usually, students use this period to socialize and form bonds with people they’re interested in, but unfortunately, that’s not the case for .
"Nothing."
"I’m just following the cliché of a loner."
You wouldn’t understand, Grandpa.
It’s sothing from where I used to live.
Since the day began, I’ve been alone almost the entire ti.
People shy away and keep their distance whenever they see , so it’s inevitable.
Joy frowns whenever she sees , probably because of what happened yesterday evening.
Phoebe says hello when she passes by, but that’s about it.
And Freyr? She’s too busy wandering around on her own, doing her own thing, to be bothered with friends or anything.
So naturally, I’ve been living as a loner since day one.
The part that bothers the most is when it’s ti to eat.
I’ve eaten alone plenty of tis, but eating alone in public is completely different from eating alone at school.
If you eat alone in a restaurant, no one cares.
Unless you’re self-conscious about it, no one pays any attention.
But it’s different in school.
When you eat alone, people look at you like, "Why is she eating alone? Is she a loner?" and those stares start flying.
Of course, given my notorious reputation, no one openly stared or gossiped about , but I have a bad feeling that it will happen soon.
In a school setting, bad rumors spread like wildfire.
If Lucy, who already has a bad reputation, starts living as a loner at school?
Isn’t that the perfect setup to beco a target for mockery?
Ugh. I expected this might happen, but it feels different now that it’s real.
I’m going to have to live like this for years, and the future already looks bleak.
"The class explanation for today is now over. Next ti, we’ll..."
After class ended, I imdiately left the classroom and headed to the next location.
Normally, you’d expect to get lost in the school or spend ti deciding which classes to take, but I didn’t need to worry about that.
I already went through all that when I first started Soul Academy.
There’s no way a seasoned player like would get lost in a place like this!
The next class I had decided to take was combat studies.
As soone who fights in the front lines, I needed to improve my close combat skills.
When I arrived at the classroom, I found Carl, the "escort knight" who was more like a stalker, preparing for the lesson.
"My lady."
"Carl..."
"Idiot. Why are you here?"
Wasn’t this class supposed to be taught by soone else?
"I’ve been assigned as an assistant professor to Professor Anton."
Oh, I see.
It makes sense that they wouldn’t want to put a newbie professor in charge right away.
"This is actually perfect timing. I needed to talk to you, my lady."
"What is it?"
"What is it?"
"My lady, did you by any chance ask a female student recently if she needed help?"
I did.
There was a quest I needed to accept.
But how do you know about that?
"I’ve brought a request from that student."
...What? Wait a minute.
What?!
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