dinner
“I didn’t know it was going to be like this.”
[Certainly so.]
It was simply to establish a connection with the upper class.
That’s why I thought of the casino, and my meeting with Gilbert Grace was just a coincidence through Joanne.
But I think this will be the key to attacking Grace.
It was a situation like fate, which was not enough to express simply luck.
Shall we start slowly?
Finally, after checking the appearance, we headed towards the meeting place.
Soon after, we arrived at our destination in front of a high-class restaurant.
As soon as I opened the door without hesitation, the waiter bowed my head to greet me.
“welcome. Guest. Excuse me, but what is your name?”
“Arsene Lupin.”
“thank you. We will help guide you this way.”
A high-end restaurant that operates only by reservation.
As soon as they heard my name, they immediately guided me, so I was conscious of it on purpose.
I followed the waiter into the room provided inside.
Gilbert, who had already come and sat there, saw me coming in and greeted me warmly.
“Ah, you came at just the right time.”
“Thank you for inviting me to this.”
“Thank you so much. And didn’t I say it’s okay to talk comfortably?”
Apparently, I really liked Gilbert. It’s only me that the closer I get to him, the more beneficial it is, so I did not hesitate to accept it without hesitation.
“If it’s okay with you, it’s okay with me.”
“okay. After all, they’re from the same aristocratic class, so what does it matter? haha.”
“Thank you for saying that.”
From the fact that he treated me as an equal, I could roughly guess his disposition.
In fact, he’s just a nobleman, Gilbert is an elite from the country’s top duke, while Lupin comes from a fallen aristocratic family from a foreign country.
“The other friends will come in a little while, so please wait a little bit.”
“I can’t wait to see what kind of person everyone is.”
“Perhaps you will be satisfied.”
To be honest, I didn’t expect seats to be created so quickly. I expected it wouldn’t work even after I had suggested it, but Gilbert was so accommodating in arranging the seat.
I’m a little sorry for him, but this meeting will not end with the pure pursuit of world peace.
There is no better opportunity than this to proceed with my plans.
There was no choice but to use it as actively as possible. Otherwise, I might be at risk.
After a while, the door opened and two men and women entered together.
As soon as he sees them, Gilbert greets them with a deep smile on his lips.
“Hey. Long time no see!”
“Oh my gosh. Is this the Gilbert I know? Are you inviting me to dinner? The sun will rise in the east the next day!”
“…Stefan. The sun usually rises in the east.”
“uh? is it? So does the moon rise in the west?”
“The moon also rises in the east.”
It’s a very intense scene. In this brief moment, I was able to fully understand how the man in front of me felt.
The two men and women with light brown hair looked quite alike.
The atmosphere is like that, and I think they are probably siblings, but I wondered if it was a character that appeared in the original, but I didn’t really think of it. I heard the name Stefan for the first time.
“First, we should introduce each other. This is the Arsene Lupin I was talking about.”
“Nice to meet you. Please call me Lupin.”
“These are the Heinz siblings. My brother is Stefan and my sister is Stella.”
The man smiled brightly, while the woman maintained a calm expressionless expression.
“My name is Stephan Heinz.”
“It’s Stella Heinz.”
A name that sounds somewhat familiar. After thinking about it for a moment, I asked carefully.
“Maybe Caitlyn Heinz…”
“uh! Do you know my mother?”
Then you know
As a character exuding a very strong force in the original work, he is the most frequent executioner in the work.
But maybe these siblings are her children. I was a little surprised at the degree of relationship I had never imagined, but I answered as calmly as possible.
“We are not close friends, and all we have to do is hear him talk.”
“Lupin. They’re a lot younger than you, so it’s okay to talk comfortably.”
They both look young for sure, but I think they’re probably about the same age as me.
“yes. Please feel free to talk as Gilbert said.”
“Hmm. Then don’t make it speculative. Thank you.”
Everyone sat down and ordered from the menu. In the meantime, chatter on light topics naturally came and went.
“I heard from Gilbert. It is said that this time, the foundation was established and operated.”
“It’s as you say.”
“I think you are really great! World peace is my dream!”
“haha···.”
There’s something odd about the atmosphere.
Both of them admit that their families support them in their own way.
I don’t know for sure, but Caitlyn’s name alone is enough to fill me up.
But apart from that, I don’t know if the two of them are particularly helpful for my purpose.
Aren’t they still young bloodsuckers, as Gilbert said?
You are too young to exist for something rich, regardless of your family or status.
Just by looking at it, my older brother Stefan is a 4D immature master, and my younger sister, Stella, is a young and proud noblewoman.
In other words, they are characters that are far from business no matter how you look at them.
Or is it really purely focused on building connections with the upper class? If that’s the case, I think I’m going to be a little disappointed with Gilbert.
Of course, he didn’t reveal his inner feelings, and he kept a smile on his lips all the time.
Aside from that, the standard of the restaurant was truly amazing. A variety of high-end dishes that have never been eaten even in modern times have been brought to the table one after another, so much that it seems that now is the 19th century.
However, without being too fussy, he continued eating while keeping his body as gentle as possible.
“It certainly made me realize that the world is changing so rapidly these days.”
“right. As the day goes by, a new culture is being created.”
“When I was playing on the battlefield, I thought iron nuggets were only used in war.”
He responded appropriately to Gilbert’s complaint and dealt with it.
“You will be fine. You’re still young, so you probably won’t feel anything like that.”
“It is not. We are often surprised, too.”
“Is that so? For example?”
While Stefan was thinking while holding his chin for a moment.
“Well···.”
“Phantom Thief Raven.”
“Five! That’s right, that’s what I was talking about!”
He also agreed with Stella’s answer, who was quiet next to him.
I didn’t know the name would appear here.
“Hmm. okay. That guy was there.”
“But these days, it’s a bit quiet.”
“I think I’m going to save myself for a while because I’m getting too much attention. Such a guy will not be able to bear it again in a short time and will resume his activities.”
It’s a pity, but I’ve never really lost any body, and I’m still active.
It’s just that the fact is not exposed to the outside because of someone’s actions.
okay. The head of your family is the culprit.
“The world is really crazy. It’s good to change quickly, but I also think that the most important thing is disappearing.”
Those words are still the same even after 100 years have passed since the present age.
Of course, I do agree to some extent. As technology and civilization develop, the existing values of the times will inevitably change completely.
“In that sense, I think your dream is very desirable. Wouldn’t it be okay if someone moved for world peace rather than making money?”
“Thank you for talking like that.”
The feeling came. I have a strong intuition that my opponent is finally getting to the point.
“You may be wondering why I invited two friends here today.”
“I certainly can’t deny it.”
“Say it outright. Do you have any intention of becoming a supporter of these two?”
I quickly shook my head at the unexpected suggestion.
“sponsor? What exactly do you mean?”
“To be more precise, I am in charge of consulting.”
It’s consulting. First of all, it is a completely different feeling from the sketch I had envisioned.
Contrary to my plan to focus on simply helping people in need, Gilbert’s proposal sounded like a more aristocratic-friendly foundation.
“Hmm. Would it be of great help if I had to go out? On the contrary, I am quite dark about the aristocratic society in general.”
“It doesn’t matter. As I said before, isn’t the world changing rapidly? In the future, in the end, money will be more important than status. It’s common sense that anyone can predict.”
His words are true. London and other cities are getting bigger and bigger and more people are flocking to it, forming a working class. As huge capital is concentrated and the scale of capital increases, the inflation of capital will inevitably increase more rapidly as time goes by.
“And regardless of where you are from, you have a knack for gold, so you are the perfect teacher in this turbulent time.”
“Hmm···.”
It may take a bit of thought, but it sounds like a pretty tempting suggestion.
And just because you accept his offer doesn’t mean you shouldn’t help people in need.
Can you do both at the same time?
“I see. Let’s try it.”
“haha. I knew you would say that!”
“Can I ask you one favor instead?”
In fact, right now, this is more important.
To avoid Grace’s trap.
Ask Grace for help.