Strategy (1)

"Hmm... I really can't play in a casino after all."

The fake Blond Tanned Guy muttered that.

They said there were plenty of requests near the forest, but maybe it was because I remembered how Leo and his party had swept through all the morning requests last time. Our classmates worked incredibly hard on requests from the morning onward.

Besides, even if requests did pop up nearby, that didn't mean the request office couldn't handle them. They simply set aside some of the incoming requests for the students. In the north, they genuinely lacked manpower, but Northwood wasn't next to any battlefield, had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠plenty of money, and above all was a place where the surrounding public order needed to remain stable.

Unlike the time when we'd taken on more requests than what appeared in the sub-quests, the number of requests itself was small this time, so after we'd handled a reasonable amount, we had plenty of time to rest.

Which meant there was also time to sit back and relax at the casino in the evening, just like this.

"......."

Of course, Charlotte, who had followed along, wore an expression of extreme displeasure. Given that she hadn't even ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠bothered to come outside yesterday evening, she truly had no interest in the casino. That was a relief. Because Charlotte had stayed in her room just like in the original, we had been able to relax comparatively at the casino.

Jake, who had lost money about twice at the card games, returned to the railing where we were leaning and spoke, and Charlotte opened her mouth.

"In the first place, the very idea of thinking you can win money at a place like this is mistaken. The people who run casinos aren't fools; if they thought they'd lose money, they wouldn't be running a place like this."

It wasn't a shady place that used tricks. If they tried any tricks in front of high-ranking nobles, there'd be hell to pay. No matter how much a duke stood behind it, they couldn't openly cheat in a place where people from other ducal ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠houses also came.

"The instructor also told us to behave ourselves."

To put it a little more precisely, Carolyn's expression had been one of deep embarrassment at showing the students a place like this.

It seemed House Northwood had raised Carolyn far too uprightly—excessively so.

In fact, among the characters, she was the one who seemed like she'd suit a bunny-girl outfit better than anyone else, but... well, since there was no reason for someone from a ducal house to wear something like that anyway, I decided to let it go.

"I don't really understand what enjoyment people find in gambling."

"That's only natural. Please don't even try to learn."

Charlotte quickly answered Lena's remark.

Lena was the youngest among us. Perhaps Charlotte found that endearing, or perhaps she thought they shared a similar position as foreigners. Whatever the reason, she often looked after Lena.

Certainly, perhaps because she came from a place where all kinds of infrastructure lagged far behind the Empire, Lena looked at the casino itself with a sense of wonder, but she didn't regard the women walking around in bunny-girl outfits or the people absorbed in card games with a very favorable eye.

Not many, but a few roulette machines were also spinning. They ran on springs, at that. The machines looked as if they simply sat on the floor, but in reality, they were powered by steam engines connected to gas pipes running beneath the building, which continuously wound the springs. In any case, this place was at the cutting edge even within the Empire.

"Are you finished now?"

When I asked, Jake shrugged his shoulders and said,

"I was thinking of buying Lottie a diamond ring or something, but I got cleaned out of every bit of money I had. I don't even have enough to spin the roulette once, so if it's over, I guess it's over."

"...... Did you even lose the money for the café?"

"Well, yeah. So, about that—could I borrow some money?"

At Jake's words, Alice let out a deep sigh.

"The eldest son of a ducal house, borrowing money from the imperial princess......."

"It's not like it's a huge sum big enough to buy a territory, so what's the problem? Huh? Or should I win some and bring it to you?"

"......I'll lend it to you, so let's just get out of here quickly."

Alice said, glaring at Jake.

There was probably another reason she spoke like that. Seeing Alice glance around restlessly for a while now, she seemed to be preoccupied with what had happened yesterday. Even with a mask on her face, people who could recognize her had recognized her.

In fact, a few gazes had indeed drifted this way, but that was more likely because a group dressed in academy uniforms was gathered here, rather than because anyone had recognized Alice as the bunny-girl.

"Haaah."

Following Alice, Claire also let out a small sigh.

...... Truthfully, Jake acted that way for a number of reasons. To a certain extent, he was deliberately rebelling against his family.

For reference, Leo was pressed tightly against Claire's vicinity. He wasn't physically glued to her, but his expression seemed to be earnestly, with his whole body, broadcasting, 'I am with these people.'

That was because from the moment we'd entered the casino, the bunny-girls had been persistently clinging to Leo. His good looks were part of it, but... seeing how nobody particularly clung to Jake, the biggest reason was probably that he gave off the air of an easy mark.

And Claire looked at even that Leo as if he were a little pathetic.

"How about it, Sylvia? No thoughts of winning some money yourself? If you lent me what you won, I could multiply it even further. A jackpot beyond mere calculation is possible, isn't it?"

I stared quietly at Jake, who was saying things he didn't even mean as if he had a face of iron, and spoke.

"Rather than that, there is something I must do. I won't concern myself with you staying here late into the night, but if you remain here without a single coin to your name, by around tomorrow morning you might end up incurring a debt too large for the ducal house to handle."

"Alright, alright. I didn't want to get scolded by Lottie either."

With what he'd just said alone, he was one hundred percent going to get scolded by Lottie.

A young lord borrowing money from the imperial princess—never mind his personal maid, it wouldn't be strange ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠if the duke himself stepped in and gave him a furious dressing-down.

Though that was probably what he was aiming for.

"Well then, shall we go and at least hear what kind of story you want to tell?"

We watched in disbelief as Jake said that and arbitrarily took the lead, then we followed a beat later.

*

Before telling this story to the party, we'd had quite a long discussion.

A Divine Treasure was hidden there, and it was a matter that must not be discovered by the duke of this territory.

On top of that, two of us were even foreigners.

But if we just disappeared among ourselves, that would cause its own set of problems. If we vanished on our own, we'd end up being suspected for that very reason.

In the original, Berati ultimately went in first, and then Alice and Leo, who had been tailing her, followed inside. Claire had been watching from a distance. It was the segment where Claire first joined the battle as a guest character.

Afterward, when they came back, Alice and Leo having vanished together led to a romantic-comedy-style misunderstanding.

But this time, there were four of us. No matter what, if that many people simultaneously disappeared for two days in a row, there was no way it'd go unnoticed.

So what we thought up was... simply to tell them.

Except, not openly, but in a slightly more 'noble' manner.

"Look at this."

After leaving the casino and gathering at a nearby café, we showed the other kids, who still didn't know about yesterday's events, an invitation.

"This is......."

Charlotte said as she took the invitation.

It was an elegant envelope. The kind that literally looked as if it might contain an invitation from someone of high standing.

Charlotte, having accepted the envelope, glanced briefly at us. When Alice nodded, she carefully opened the envelope and took out the paper inside, which was also of high-quality material.

What was inside was a request form.

"Please explore the hidden areas of the Northwood Forest......"

After reading those brief contents, Charlotte wore a slightly dumbfounded expression.

"If a request like this existed, why wouldn't it have gone through the request office?"

"For one thing, this is the Duke of Northwood's land."

"...... Aha."

Charlotte spoke as she placed the paper back into the envelope.

"So that means, the person who made this request is someone 'other than the duke.'"

"That's right."

"However, would there be a reason to make such a request specifically to 'us'?"

"That's......."

Alice closed her eyes for a moment. Then, after drawing a light breath, she slowly opened her eyes and spoke as if letting it out.

"...... There are circumstances I cannot speak of."

"......."

Charlotte narrowed her eyes and stared quietly at Alice, then spoke.

"So that's how it is, then."

Charlotte sandwiched the envelope between her fingers and waggled it gently as she continued.

"The people who made this request must have the nerve to consider raiding a ducal house's territory, yet be in an awkward enough relationship with them that they don't want to be caught. And it says dungeons, plural, not just a dungeon. Their intentions are transparent, far too obvious."

Alice maintained her poker face in her own way, but everything seemed visible to Charlotte's eyes.

However, Charlotte didn't pick at the story any further.

"Alright. Everyone has stories they don't want to tell others, after all. This time, I'll let myself be fooled."

Charlotte looked once at each of the two people sitting on either side of her—Jake and Lena. Jake wore an amused expression, and Lena was tilting her head.

"You both seem to be in agreement, but... still, I'd have one condition for being fooled."

"...... Just say it."

"Someday, when I ask you to be fooled, you absolutely have to let yourselves be fooled too, alright? Otherwise the scales wouldn't balance, would they?"

"......."

When Charlotte said that as if delivering a casual joke, Alice nodded.

And then, just as Charlotte had done a moment ago, she looked once at each of the two people sitting on either side of Charlotte.

"Well, I mean. I'm from a ducal house myself, aren't I? I'd rather not clash with the Imperial Family either, so I'll just go along."

That was Jake, answering as if putting on airs, and,

"...... If a request has come, shouldn't we just resolve it?"

That was Lena, answering as if she still didn't quite get it.

Both answers were, in their own ways, full of personality.