I once used to be a salesman.
"Uh? Nothing...? Are you sure there's nothing?"
Learning to be able to read, or predict the actions of individuals I knew nothing about was something that had been engraved in me since my work days.
.....Our job consisted of doing whatever was possible to convince an unknown party to purchase the product that we were selling.
All means to attract sales were considered usable in such an industry. Even if we ended up resorting to underhanded methods in the process.
It was thanks to such an environment that I was able to more or less predict how one would react given certain circumstances.
Who would've thought such a skill would come in handy in a different world?
"We've checked again, there is really nothing."
"Check again."
"Yes..."
I watched as the Head Chief patted his blazer and clothes in confusion.
"...."
I stared at the scene in complete silence while swallowing the bone down my throat. It hurt a little, but I kept my expression firm and prevented myself from showing anything on the outside.
Having been cleared of all suspicion, I was now free to take the bone. I had been waiting for this opportunity from the start.
Since the beginning...
All of it had been flowing as I thought it would.
The way he behaved and reacted... It was in line with how I envisioned he'd act. And it made sense.
My actions...
They followed a certain sequence that prompted one to act in such a way.
What were the chances of me suddenly spilling the drink all over him before the guards suddenly came to alert him? Added to the fact that I was tapping his body in an attempt to 'dry' his clothes, it made sense for him to grow suspicious.
I wasn't naïve enough to think that the Head Chief would fall for such a simple trick. It would be a little too obvious.
Which was why I never intended his blazer to be my target.
From the start, all of it was a cover up for my real target.
*Sip*
'.....His drink.'
I swallowed and let the drink flow down my throat.
The 'bone' was the size of a small pebble, and while it wasn't completely transparent, it perfectly blended with the ice cubes within the red drink.
Unless one paid close attention to it, they wouldn't notice.
....And how would the Head Chief notice it when he was busy investigating the theft?
Diverting all my attention towards the jacket, I was able to slip the bone into his drink. As I said before, there was no better target than the Head Chief.
He may have had the guard check him after he recalled my actions, but unlike the other guests, where everything had been checked, from drinks to bodies, he only had his body checked.
It made perfect sense when taking into account that perhaps he hadn't even noticed his drink had been taken away by him in that instant that I spilled the drink over him.
Compared to how 'extravagant' the 'tapping' was in contrast to how I had taken the drink away from him, it was only natural that he didn't take it into consideration.
I had purposely diverted his attention away with my actions to make it slip his mind.
Sort of like how most magicians trick their audience in shows.
Only that, I was no magician.
"Huuu..."
I took a breath as I finally finished the drink in my hand and placed it down on the table again.
Even now, as I stared at it, I could see it trembling. The nervousness had been real, and even now I could feel the beat of my heart drumming in my mind.
In the end, while the plan was far from perfect, things panned out as I expected them to.
The bone. It was finally in my possession.
My plan had worked.
But...
'It's not over yet.'
As I said before, I wanted everything. From quest to bone. So far, I have only managed to achieve two of the three things that I wanted.
There was one thing left for me to do.
"Haa."
I let out a small breath and closed my eyes.
'Unmask the fraud.'
***
"You're good to go. There is nothing on you."
"....Thank you."
Evelyn pursed her lips and took a step back. Her thoughts were in disarray, but she didn't show it outwardly.
All she could think of at the moment was Julien.
'Why...? Why did he do that?'
For what reason did he go out of his way to help her? It made no sense to her. It couldn't be because he still cared about her, right?
Evelyn swallowed and pursed her lips.
The idea seemed impossible, and she knew herself that it was impossible, and yet... Why did she continue to have such thoughts?
It was obvious why.
....It was because that was what she'd liked to believe. That perhaps, he wasn't the heartless monster that she had seen. That there was perhaps still something in his broken self.
Something that could still be salvaged.
"Evelyn?"
Her thoughts were broken by a quiet voice. When she turned around, Leon appeared, standing beside her.
He stood quietly with his gaze fixed on her.
".....Are you okay?"
"...."
Evelyn opened her mouth but found herself unable to say anything. She eventually lowered her head and nodded.
'I'm fine.'
Was what she was trying to imply with her actions.
Her odd behaviour didn't go unnoticed by Leon, who frowned at the sight of her and leaned his head forward.
"What happened...?"
"No, it's—"
"What happened."
He cut her off decisively, leaving her with no room to say anything else. It was at that moment that Evelyn realized she couldn't fool him and bitterly smiled.
"It's Julien..."
She spoke slowly, keeping her head down.
"Do you think he can be saved?"
"...."
Her response was met with silence. When she looked up, she was surprised to see Leon staring at her with a complicated expression.
Then, with a long sigh, he shook his head.
"No."
He decisively said. Almost too decisively.
".....He can no longer be saved."
"Ah."
Evelyn felt a little part of her tear. Especially when she noticed the strained expression on Leon's face as he talked about him.
"....It's too late for that. The Julien you remember. That we remember. He's no longer in this world."
He paused before adding.
"Think of him as a stranger."
***
After another half hour elapsed and the guests' patience wore thin, the Head Chief decided to halt the investigation.
"It appears we've detained you all for too long. My apologies for the inconvenience. Regrettably, we couldn't identify the culprit."
He announced, maintaining his professional demeanour.
With a slight bow, he went on to add,
"As a token of apology, for all the guests that were inconvenienced by our actions, the auction will offer a 10% discount on any of the products available from us."
Only then did the people in the hall calm down. It had to be noted that a ten percent discount was a large sum of money given how expensive some of the items listed in the auction house were.
Such a reward was enough to wash all pent-up resentment away.
It was a small price the Head Chief was willing to pay in order to keep the people in the hall happy. A smile marred his features when he saw the pleased expressions of the guests, and only then did he finally allow for the guests to be escorted out of the premise.
"Though the circumstances made the night sour, I hope you have all enjoyed yourselves. Once again, we apologize for any inconvenience."
One by one, the guests started to move out in an orderly line.
As the guests departed in an orderly procession, a man clad in a butler uniform joined the line, then discreetly veered off into a dim corridor.
Tok Tok—
His steps echoed throughout the otherwise quiet corridor as his calm expression changed.
".....Failed."
The plan had failed.
The butler's expression distorted at the thought. How could the plan they had been working on for so long fail like that...?
Everything had been flowing smoothly up until the very last moment.
While he wasn't exactly sure about what had happened since he hadn't managed to see it, he more or less had an idea.
Julien Dacre Evenus.
The Black Star.
He had interfered with their plans. It could only have been him.
'....I have to report this.'
The situation was serious. How did he find out about the plan? Why did he interfere? How much does he know...?
Tok Tok—
Questions continued to flood the butler's mind as he continued to move along the quiet corridor.
The plan...
It was supposed to be perfect.
For the Black Star to interfere in the matter suggested that there was a chance he knew something about them. And even if he didn't and had acted out of impulse, which seemed improbable given their investigation of him and his relationship with her... It was vital that he report the situation to the higher ups.
They couldn't allow for unknown variables to interfere with their plans.
Not when they were so close to accomplishing their goals.
"Not y—Uh?"
Mid-stride, the ground beneath him shifted abruptly, and unseen hands erupted from below, seizing his ankles in a tight grip.
"Ukh...!
In an instant, a wave of weakness swept through his body, causing his balance to falter.
"What..."
Tok—
A single step shattered the silence as a dry voice cut in from behind him.
"....Where do you think you're going?"