132 – Successful Infiltration
He smiled contentedly as he escaped the monastery.
The conversation ended well without any interruption. In fact, I want to sponsor for a good cause, but how many people would refuse such a pure favor?
From the moment I heard the amount of support, no matter what I said, only infinite affirmations came back. Thanks to that, the schedule was completed much faster than expected.
The operation of the foundation will be reorganized in earnest from Monday next week when Juliet goes to work.
So, from now on, I’m going to focus on dealing with the phantom thief followers.
Of course, it won’t be easy to solve it overnight, but at least we’ve laid the foundation for this weekend so that we can take care of Drake before Yulia is in danger.
In particular, we must not forget that if this problem is left unattended, it could endanger not only Yulia but also me. If Drake continues to talk like that, at some point Raven, the thief, may have been transformed into a symbol of communism.
Equality for all people and the abolition of the caste system are, of course, important issues.
But I didn’t want to get involved in such a sensitive political issue. I have no intention of running for political office.
Right now, it’s more like Drake, the leader of the meeting, spreading ideas, but over time, everyone will assimilate and have similar thoughts. In fact, just looking at the fact that most of the participants in the meeting called the phantom thief a hero, you can guess that it has progressed considerably.
That’s why we need to solve it as soon as possible.
Now that we have a plan in place, all that remains is to actually move.
“Good.”
I checked my reflection in the mirror.
Doyle LeBlanc, a third identity that has recently been used frequently. Unlike Lupine, he aims for a normal impression as much as possible, so he evokes a general feeling that can be expressed even though he is depersonalized.
After confirming that the disguise was perfectly done, I left the house with a satisfied nod.
Is this the third time today heading to the underground meeting?
From today, I plan to penetrate deeply into them in earnest.
***
It’s a difficult atmosphere to adapt to whenever you come.
I tried to pass it by thinking it was a club, but since the background music was a pure performance without any EDM, I felt a sense of incongruity.
What’s more, no one is dancing on stage, and everyone is busy talking in groups of two or three.
Looking at this, I think it’s more like a jazz bar than a club.
As I sat in the corner and watched the stage, someone naturally approached me.
“Hello? Can I sit next to you?”
A voice that feels familiar now.
Blanca took the seat next to her without permission, with her alluring eye smile.
I was thrilled to see them even bring food and alcohol and start eating in a calm manner.
“I thought you weren’t coming back.”
“I’ve just been busy for a while.”
“Really? Are you planning to come again?”
“Even though every day is difficult, I want to come often.”
Anyway, this was an opportunity not to be missed. After talking for a while the other day, it seemed that she was the original member of the group and had a strong personal relationship with Drake. In other words, in order to approach Drake, Blanca’s help was essential.
“Would you like a drink?”
“It’s okay.”
“Eh. He is a boring man.”
Even if you look at it like this, it’s definitely a minor. Of course, at the point of being active as a phantom, I wonder what that has to do with it.
I looked at the beer glasses and food on the table for a while. After a quick glance at her other seats, I saw that most of hers were in similar settings, and I spoke to her.
“Everything here is free, right?”
“Huh? Yes. Why?”
“I wonder if it is possible to maintain it like this every day.”
In addition to simple food and drink prices, we prepare the stage every day. At least considering that the performance has never bothered me, it is clear that they are hiring professional musicians, but where does that kind of money come from?
It’s not strange to get at least the price of admission and food at this level. Even so, giving it all away for free is, of course, to spread your ideas far and wide. Where does Drake get all this money from?
She might have known if it was this woman sitting next to me. As she stared at her in anticipation of an answer, Blanca shrugged her shoulders with a small snort.
“Well? I don’t know.”
“I see.”
It was unfortunate, but I didn’t bother to show regret.
“If you have any questions, why don’t you ask them yourself?”
“Directly…?”
“Drake welcomes friends who come first. Especially if you are interested in the hero.”
I snorted her inwardly. That guy welcomes people who are interested in phantom thieves?
He’s probably looking for someone who can fall for his thoughts.
But he had no reason to reject the offer. For the plan, it was necessary to build a friendship with Drake and establish a position.
“Good. I wanted to talk about it once after hearing what he said on stage the other day.”
“Is that so? He didn’t seem interested at the time, but it must have been my mistake. Then I’ll introduce you right now. Follow me for a second.”
I followed Blanca, who rose from her seat. Drake, who was having a leisurely conversation with someone on the other side of him, smiled meaningfully when he saw us approaching him.
“Who is this? To think that our old friend would come to visit us in person.”
“Is it okay for a minute? He said he really wants to meet you.”
“Hmm. That’s the first face you see. Of course new friends are always welcome.”
After biting the person sitting next to him, Drake tapped the empty seat next to him and gestured for him to sit down.
I was seated without hesitation and greeted them warmly.
“This is Doyle. I was impressed by Mr. Drake’s speech the last time I was there.”
“That’s too much praise. I’m still not good enough It’s all thanks to the help of my friends.”
“No. I sincerely respect you. To be honest, I was really shocked. In particular, to abolish the caste system and create an equal society for all. It was an approach I had never thought of before.”
First of all, he gave me gilding while giving compliments that I didn’t even want to say.
Fortunately, he didn’t notice anything strange about my words, and he was smiling brightly.
“That is natural. If it weren’t for Hero, I wouldn’t have realized the truth.”
“This is amazing. How did you realize that the phantom thief Raven had such thoughts?”
“Yes, of course I came to know about you by talking about you with my friends. That’s why I’m putting my best into this meeting.”
At this point, I was a bit confused. Could it be that the phantom thief really had such thoughts, and he didn’t think that he only discovered them? If so, it’s more serious in a different way.
In any case, all of his ulterior motives will be revealed. So, right now, you have to like him as much as possible, get close to him, and become his aide. Simply put, I need to build enough trust for Drake to trust me and use me as his right-hand man.
To do that, simply praising him is not enough. I have to go further and reveal my abilities so that he wants to use me.
Of course, ability here refers to something that can help spread one’s ideas well.
The method has already been decided. Actually, this was a very easy problem.
The industrial revolution has just begun and the royal authority is beginning to shake. Now, as liberalism and communism are about to emerge, I am from the 21st century and have knowledge that has been developed for 200 years.
Of course, I have never studied ideology and ideology professionally, so even though my level of knowledge is very shallow, the fact that I know it anyway is important.
In a word, I know little about the theory of relativity, but I can say that the speed of light is absolute and time and space are relative in front of Newton. Wouldn’t that alone change history drastically?
Thus, in my conversations with Drake, I articulated a suitably modern perspective.
For example, granting voting rights to all citizens, prohibiting racial discrimination, and recognizing political and religious freedom. From the point of view of the 21st century, it was a very natural and normal story.
“…Was it all thought by myself?”
“After listening to the speech the other day, I kept thinking about it. So, I was curious what Mr. Drake would think… Did I overdo it?”
“No. This···. Really great. It’s very innovative. As if I had actually seen it from the future.”
To be honest, it was a bit stingy. Wouldn’t it show through the expression?
Anyway, after hearing what I said, Drake nodded with a very satisfied expression.
“Is there anything else besides what I just told you?”
“Uh… I have it, but I haven’t been able to properly organize it yet. There are too many floating clouds…”
“Of course it is. Because the mind of a genius is always complicated. I think we could be very good friends. As long as it’s okay with my friends, I’d like to talk to them every day from now on.”
Okay. When everything went smoothly as planned, I replied with a smile.
“Please take good care of me in the future. Mr. Drake.”
“I am. Doyle.”
The moment I turned my head after successfully tying up the story.
I found Blanca who was staring at me with a stiff expression from the side.