138 – Three Way Meeting
After dinner we went back to the basement.
Somehow, it turned out to be very different from what I had originally thought, but I was convinced that if I seized this opportunity well, I could succeed much more easily.
The strategy Blanca proposed was very simple. Talking face-to-face with Drake, he tries to dig up Drake’s true intentions and persuade him. I wouldn’t budge if possible, but for now, let’s just think about that.
As long as Blanca supports us from behind, it will be difficult for even Drake to touch us carelessly. There’s no way I’d overreact so much over just a few words.
“Oh. Friends. Where did you go without me?”
Drake, who just happened to run into us, asked where we were going with a tone of regret.
“I bought the kids dinner. It’s a PR team, so shouldn’t we do something like this?”
“No way. After all, it’s only our Blanca.”
“Wow. Why don’t you say that to your girlfriend?”
Blanca, who had even vomited and vomited, passed Drake and headed to her usual seat.
There was something I just couldn’t get over in the middle of the argument.
“Mr. Drake had a lover.”
“Huh? Didn’t I tell you? I’m dating Raina and Drake.”
As for Raina, she was a tanned woman who was the executive in charge of cooking.
I voted against Drake’s decision without hesitation, so when I did something, I thought they were lovers.
I decided to keep this information in mind for later use.
“Ah, the performance is starting.”
Singers and bands come on stage and start playing. At the same time, the atmosphere in the basement heats up even more and chatters loudly.
We didn’t bother to move and sat quietly at the table. Even if it was like this anyway, it was obvious that the other side would approach first.
As expected, Drake came naturally to our table as time passed.
“Is everyone having a good time?”
“Oh, Mr. Drake. Thanks.”
“What did I do? It’s all thanks to my friends who devoted themselves behind the scenes.”
You speak very well. As well as skillfully using vocabulary that is not commonly used in everyday life, I wonder if it exudes the feeling of a typical swindler or instigator.
“Anyway, I didn’t expect the two of you to be so close. It’s nice to see.”
While saying that, Drake looked at me and Yulia alternately, then gave a satisfied smile.
Actually, we’re not particularly close. To be precise, the relationship between Doyle and Yulia in disguise was very awkward. It’s only because Blanca, who has a high level of affinity, is in the middle, so it doesn’t show, but the truth is, the two of us have never talked to each other.
But we tricked him by pretending to be friends on purpose. That way, you can take a little advantage in the upcoming three-way discussion.
I started acting in earnest with a bright smile on my face.
“I learned a lot while talking with Yuli. I was really looking forward to meeting Drake as the three of us.”
“hahahaha. We get along pretty well. In fact, I’ve had that thought since the first time I met you.”
Surely, our eyes turned to the girl who hadn’t spoken yet.
Yulia nodded her head and answered naturally without any awkwardness.
“Me too. I am happy to meet such like-minded people here.”
All three of them tacitly agreed. In other words, from now on, the three-way face-to-face will begin in earnest.
Blanca took a step away and was looking at us with interest.
Drake took the lead in the conversation. Since he is the leader of this place, it was only natural.
The questions rained down on the two of us like a storm. At least, I realized once again that this man hadn’t come up to this place in vain.
Drake spoke fluently. In addition, it was in a state of being quite solid with its own basis.
Although the conclusion of all the stories resulted in a better world, at least the effort to somehow relate to the phantom thief was felt at first glance.
To be honest, I didn’t have the confidence to go that far. I was interested in him because I knew the modern perspective of the 21st century. I didn’t have enough knowledge to relate it to the phantom thief and make it my own ideology.
Thanks to that, as time passed, the conversation turned into a one-and-done battle between Drake and Yulia. Unlike me, Yulia was too sincere about the phantom thief.
“In other words, the raid on the palace is a declaration of war that the hero will no longer sit idle on Britain’s monarchy.”
“No. To draw conclusions like that is an over-interpretation. Above all, Raven is a kind person who cares deeply about the safety of his citizens. There is no way you don’t know that the radical abolition of the caste system will bring a lot of blood.”
I’m dizzy. No matter how many times I listen to it, I can’t get used to it. I feel like I want to reveal my identity right now and beg him to stop.
The flow continued similarly from the beginning. When Drake first raises his thoughts on the basis of the phantom thief, Julia refutes it based on the phantom thief. It’s like religious leaders who are struggling to interpret the doctrine with only the contents of the Bible.
“Doyle. What do you think?”
An arrow flew at me. At times like this, most of them supported Yulia’s opinion, but if she continued to do so, she would doubt her, so she moderately listened to the other side or stood in the middle.
“Hmm. Does the abolition of the caste system necessarily mean the removal of the royal family as well?”
“Isn’t that obvious? Otherwise, how can everyone be equal?”
“Of course it would be nice for everyone to be equal, but many people are still loyal to the royal family. If we forcibly remove it, it will only increase the backlash, so we’d rather leave it as a symbol and reduce its influence.”
“Hmm…”
What I am saying is just a rough idea of what the UK is like in the 21st century.
But unexpectedly, my argument sounded plausible. Not only Drake, but also Yulia looked at me with an admiring expression.
No, even though you’re a noble, why do you look like you’re convinced?
After that, the conversation continued for a while. Then, a significant change occurred.
There was a slight discomfort in Drake’s gaze at Yulia. No matter what you say, you will have no choice but to be reluctant because you only express the opposite opinion.
On the contrary, he treats me more kindly and friendly. It seemed to be thanks to the fact that he showed a neutral appearance without being too biased towards either side.
It was the best situation for me. The more you gain Drake’s trust, the higher the success rate of your plan.
“I’m sorry, but I’ll stop here for today. I think I should go see other friends too. It was a really good time.”
“Me too. I hope we can talk like this again next time.”
At last he was off the table, and Blanca quickly moved between us.
“Good work everyone. How do you feel about talking?”
Yulia let out a small sigh with a slightly dark expression.
“I think you are right. The more she spoke, the more I got the feeling that she saw Raven as a means rather than an end.”
“Yes. It is too.”
Those two. When did you become so close? To the point of even calling her sister in a friendly way.
It’s nice that Drake is wary, but I’m worried that he’ll get too close to Blanca and become more attached to the phantom thief follower.
“Mr. Blanca. What are you going to do now?”
“I don’t know either. I used to doubt it, but it’s a strange feeling when it turns out to be true.”
That’s right. Considering what we’ve seen so far, the two don’t have a particularly bad relationship.
Even though they quarreled a little, the feeling of recognizing each other as friends and colleagues in the organization was strong.
Here, even if she recklessly suggested pulling Drake down, she would not accept it. She couldn’t agree to such a drastic method. She would rather try to convince him to like the thief.
But for me, such a lukewarm method meant nothing.
If we were going to solve it, we had to either dismantle the entire organization or bring down Drake.
“Then how about doing it this way?”
That’s why I slightly modified the plan I had been envisioning and informed them.
“Is that really possible…?”
“Aren’t you too gambler?”
A look of concern, but a rather grim look. It looked like he would agree to it right away, if that was possible.
“Just try it. Wouldn’t that be better than just sucking your fingers?”
I have said this, but my plan will surely succeed.
Because I am the Phantom Thief Raven.
In the end, the two nodded their heads meekly because they couldn’t come up with a better plan than my suggestion.
There was no reason to sit in the basement anymore. We said goodbye and went our separate ways.
My steps didn’t go home. From morning until now, I have digested the arduous schedule, but unfortunately, I still have the last schedule left.
I headed back to the underground building.
This time, not as Doil, but as Raven the Phantom Thief.