Chapter 120: Machia (4)
Giotto resisted somewhat at first, but eventually began to blow.
We don’t know what kind of relationship he had with Carla, but he shared something disturbing called eavesdropping. There is no way there is such a strong trust relationship.
At first, it was mostly what I knew or expected.
Listening devices were already scheduled to be installed in the speakers when Atlas was built, and Giotto was one of the first teachers Carla brought in.
Aside from Carla, Giotto is the only one in the Atlas who knows about the existence of the listening device. Giotto also knew because Carla told him.
“Why did Carla tell you?”
“It was to use me. Following Carla’s orders, I worked to classify what was heard from the wiretap. “It’s too much for her to handle.”
“Why were you chosen?”
“You weren’t chosen, you were caught. “Because I found material for blackmail.”
“You did something bad. Carla picked it up with her listening device.”
Giotto averts his eyes at my words. It meant that it was the correct answer.
“What specifically were you threatened with?”
“…”
“I would have told you to tell me everything, right? “We will find out anyway when we check the data collected through wiretaps, so why hide it now?”
Giotto sighed at my words. Then his jaw tensed for a moment and his mouth slowly opened.
“… It’s about women. And it’s illegal.”
“… Is it so. That’s it.”
Although he was skeptical when he showed interest in Elodie, Giotto seems to have revealed her side to a great extent. Seeing as they don’t want to talk about it like that, I guess it’s a shameful story and not illegality.
Giotto changed the topic again.
“Anyway, I followed Carla’s orders and gathered information that could be used for trading. Because students prefer to talk about their surroundings rather than their own stories. Naturally, it was easy to gather useful gossip for the nobles.”
“Was that the only order? “Would you like me to gather information to trade with a noble?”
“No, they asked me to also collect keywords for ‘curse’ and ‘devil.’ But almost no real story came out here. “They were just limited to ghost stories.”
Curse and devil.
The devil was originally information that Carla was collecting as part of a deal, and it can be roughly expected that it is a curse.
‘Kala is definitely Medusa. As expected, they are looking for a way to break the curse.’
However, in this case, it is strange that Carla is looking for information about the devil rather than the curse. Kala himself is not a devil, but closer to a monster. Moreover, in dealings with nobles, information about the ‘devil’ was being collected, but there was no talk of a ‘curse’.
A thought occurred to me and I asked.
“So, I heard that Carla is normally a quiet person, so why did she suddenly act out?”
“I don’t know about him. “I can tell you this one thing.”
Giotto said with a nervous expression.
“There is a darkness.”
“…”
“There is darkness! “The dark one who controls the collar!”
The dark side that controls the collar.
In short, the real dark side that Lady Achaia suspects is me really exists.
“It’s true! “I never say anything!”
Giotto shouted with a frightened face, wondering how he had taken my silence.
I said.
“Whether I believed it or not, I expected such a thing to exist.”
Kala is said to have remained quiet when he became president.
She must be as desperate as her demons to not want her true identity discovered. She won’t be able to move around.
One color suddenly changed from hiding to revealing. He contacted nobles, made deals with them, and raised their suspicions.
In other words, there was an opportunity. The trigger that made Carla, who had to hide, have no choice but to move.
It makes sense if the true identity is the darkness behind the collar.
But.
“But before that, let me check one thing.”
“W-what is it?”
“If Carla is a person driven by darkness and she had no intention of doing so, why did she install a listening device on Atlas?”
“Carla was extremely afraid of her true identity being discovered. “She was afraid that her students would raise voices of suspicion towards her.”
“So, at that time, the wiretap wasn’t going to be used for information gathering or transactions? “Can you believe that?”
“It’s hard to ask me! Carla herself would know! I can’t read everything about Carla’s thoughts! “I only did what I was told because of the threats.”
It’s such a cliché and shameless thing to say, but Giotto is right. Asking Giotto what Carla’s true intentions are would be meaningless.
‘It’s darkness…’
Both Giotto and Madame Achaia predict the existence of darkness. Of course, Mrs. Achaia knows that the person behind the scenes is me.
‘If there really is something behind the scenes, there is a high probability that he has more information than me.’
This may be especially true for collars. Just as Carla used Giotto’s information, the Black Demon also knows that Carla is a monster and is using it.
Therefore, it is better not to move carelessly until you know the identity of the dark side.
However, this only applies when color is prioritized.
‘Anyway, I just want the information Carla has. About Poseidon and Athena.’
And there is an easier and simpler way to obtain that information than becoming Kala’s ally.
Just like the black man did, I can just threaten Carla.
‘Whether Kala is a monster or a demon, she doesn’t want to be found out. For that purpose, I will not hesitate to provide information.’
Moreover, if it is similar to the myth, there is a high probability that Kala will hate those two. Surprisingly, she might just let you know without any conditions.
However, if that happens, I will not know Kala’s dark side or her true purpose. You don’t even know the real reason Carla is looking for her information about the ‘demon’.
If that dark side will become my enemy later, wouldn’t it be better to know in advance?
I can’t guarantee that he’s my enemy, but still.
——Frondier, you have a weakness for women, right?
‘… ‘I don’t want to hear that again.’
Ha, as I sighed, Giotto in front of me trembled, wondering what he was thinking.
‘It doesn’t matter. ‘You won’t hear anything like that this time.’
Above all, the person walking the most dangerous path in this plan will be none other than Carla.
* * *
From Noble mtl dot com
Before Frondier met Madame Achaia, she had already received most of the information from Giotto.
Of course, he did not know everything because he only followed Carla’s orders.
However, if you combine Frontier’s original knowledge with Giotto’s information, you can see the general outline.
[… Are you really the devil?]
Lady Achaia asked Frondier back. As if the words themselves were suspicious.
[What is the real devil? You’re talking as if Kala isn’t the devil.]
Frondier smiled at his wife’s words.
That is literally what Frontier meant.
Carla is not the devil.
That’s actually true, and Frontier intends to prove it right here.
[No way, really?]
The lady frowned and asked if she knew the meaning of Frondier’s expression.
[Are you covering her subordinates now?]
Load. It seems that the fact that Carla is following Frondier’s orders has become completely true within the wife.
[There is no need to wrap it. I’m just telling the truth.]
[It can’t be. Carla has continued her suspicious behavior until now.]
[That’s right. Because I made you do that.]
[… You?]
Lady Achaia looks at Frondier with suspicious eyes.
Frondier thought as she maintained her unwavering smile.
‘Let’s create one possibility from now on.’
Frontier is now playing Kala’s dark side.
Of course, he doesn’t know who the real mastermind is or where he is now.
I won’t search for them one by one.
Because there is no need for that.
‘If I claim to be the underdog behind Kala, of course that is not what the ‘real’ intended.’
Frontier doesn’t know the dark plan, but he can create a fake plan. And the probability that the plan coincidentally coincides with the real dark side converges to zero.
‘My situation and my colleagues’ situation is very similar to Kala’s.’
The difference between the two situations is that Frontier and his party have not been discovered yet, and Kala is on the verge of being discovered.
But instead, Kala created an environment where she could infiltrate human society without difficulty. He even has a very decent power as Dean of Atlas.
He cannot help but take advantage of Front Deer’s position.
‘If you want to keep hiding, that’s fine, too.’
I don’t know the dark plan, but I can deal with it even without knowing. Regardless of whether he sees this situation now or not.
The probability of the dark side getting angry and revealing everything about Kala’s situation is low, but not zero.
But it was probably a good thing for Frontier.
Carla is not on Frondier’s side yet, and Frondier is still safe no matter what situation she finds herself in.
A frontier can cross any number of dangerous bridges unless it is really his comrade’s business.
If there is something that the dark side of this incident has overlooked, it is the existence of a third party who discovered Kala’s true identity sooner than he expected, and the possibility that that third party is a crazy person who claims to be the dark side.
It must be difficult to come up with such a rare and absurd possibility, regardless of the comparison.
[… Lie.]
Meanwhile, Lady Achaia shook her head.
Since there were other people around, Madame Frondier could not continue to talk in full voice. Occasionally, I look back at other people and have private conversations with them.
After finding time to think about it, the wife spoke.
[That can’t be possible. It doesn’t fit together.]
[Why?]
[Why are you saying that to me in the first place? All you have to do is just hide it. The very fact that you say that Kala is not the devil is proof that Kala is the devil!]
She revealed facts she had no reason to disclose. In other words, this is a lie to protect Kala.
It would be really touching if Kala, a true black man, had that level of loyalty.
[It’s a pity, but there’s a clear reason why I’m telling you this. And that is the real purpose of my coming here.]
[W-what?]
[Look over there.]
Frondier pointed somewhere on the seat with his chin.
Of course, he was pointing somewhere, and he doesn’t exist there, human or anything.
Frondier said while looking at the place.
[The person hiding over there is one of my subordinates.]
[… !]
[There, and there too.]
Frontier, where one’s eyes are drawn one after another. The wife followed his gaze and looked at the place carefully.
There’s nothing. I don’t feel anything. It’s too far to explore with her mana, but at least she can’t see anything with her eyes.
However, after hearing that from Frondier, if you look closely, it feels like something is glimmering, an ominous energy is rising, and you are trying to come up with a reason as to why that place is blank.
The wife quietly bites her lip. Frontier sees this.
She said, ‘I heard from Lili and Arald that he is a very prudent and reasonable person. So much so that the behavior she showed in the teacher’s office was a complete act. People like this believe that other people are just as rational as they are. ‘I can read bluffs, but I can’t read gambling moves.’
There is a high probability that what Frontier is doing now will be discovered. There is no guarantee that his wife will believe what he says.
The wife knows that too, so it serves as a basis for judgment.
There is no way she would tell a lie that might get caught. The moment that thought crossed my mind, I fell into Frontier’s trap.
[Do you think I just came without any preparation?]