And so, I followed Heart, wandering around various parts of the banquet hall.
“This area is charming because of the fountain installed nearby.”
“Ah, this is a space where you can lie down and rest. Surprisingly, other villains seem to enjoy it too.”
“Over there…”
“And here…”
Blah blah blah.
Heart’s explanation showed no signs of ending.
“It’s quite spacious, Black Night.”
I had felt it since I went to watch the fight earlier, but the space itself was much larger than I had imagined.
It felt like it was several times more spacious than the number of invited villains.
Moreover, the interior, which was supposed to be the main event, hadn’t even opened yet.
“Do you use all this vast space every year?”
“No, not really.”
At my words, Heart shook her head.
“Black Night changes the garden it opens every year before the central party hall opens. They even change the layout carefully… I’m speaking from my experience participating!”
“I see…”
I responded casually to her, who was belatedly surprised and adding more words, and tapped the ground with my foot.
“Then, what usually happens if you enter an area that hasn’t been opened this year?”
“Usually, if you enter an area that hasn’t been opened without permission, you get kicked out. In severe cases, you might even be considered an enemy.”
Hmm.
Then there’s one thing that bothers me.
“…Didn’t we pass through a no-entry tape earlier?”
“Ah.”
I showed her the tape I had picked up earlier.
Only then did Heart make a face as if she had forgotten again.
“I, I had, um… ah! Permission! I got permission in advance!”
“…Is that so?”
Yeah, right.
Tell me another one!
‘Are you trying to hide your identity or not?’
At this point, it was reasonable to suspect that she was testing me.
Honestly, if there were someone who really believed this, wouldn’t that be more of a problem?
Why are you doing this to me…
I can confidently say I’ve met quite a variety of people, but I think she’s the first to stress me out like this.
“Even if you got permission in advance, staying too long won’t do any good, so let’s head back.”
“Ah, yes. Okay!”
Suppressing the urge to argue, I decided to play dumb.
‘I know nothing… I’ll just go along with what Heart says and accept everything as it is…’
Good, thinking like that made me feel a bit better, or so I deluded myself.
“Then, shall we move on to the next place?”
“Yes, please let’s stick to things we can enjoy this year.”
If we kept wandering around areas that weren’t open, the dumb act I had set up might fall apart.
“Gasp!”
“?”
Interpreting my words in some way, she widened her eyes and started muttering with her head bowed.
“Isn’t this totally flirting? Saying we’ll see each other this year and next year? Kyaa! What do I do! Promises keep piling up… calling each other ‘nim’ and then ‘honey’ and ‘darling’…! Planning a wedding, having kids… heehee! Heeheehee!”
Mutter mutter mutter.
“……”
Anyway, I followed her around the party venue some more.
Ding- ding- ding-
“Ah, ah! Attention, guests! The central party hall is now open! Shortly, there will be an ‘Information Exchange Meeting,’ so please keep that in mind! Once again, we inform you!…”
Until the time I had been waiting for arrived.
“It’s about time.”
“Oh my, it’s already time…”
At my words, Heart checked her wristwatch and pouted, seemingly disappointed.
The Information Exchange Meeting.
The main event held in the central party hall of Black Night.
‘If you strip away all the miscellaneous rules and explain it simply, that’s what it is.’
All the villains attending the party sit at the table in the central hall and just share the information they know.
After checking my outfit once more, I looked up at the large building in front of me.
“…So, the entire building is the banquet hall?”
“The 1st and 2nd floors are, but the 3rd floor… um. It’s a space where you can stay overnight.”
Then that must be where Clock Rabbit was talking about.
Seeing Heart hesitate, it seems that the ‘landmark’ Clock Rabbit mentioned is there.
‘Sigh.’
If I had nothing else to do, I might have been tempted.
It’s a pity in many ways.
“And the 4th and 5th floors are the living spaces for the staff and… the Queen, as far as I know!”
“I see.”
How long is she going to keep making mistakes…
I pretended not to notice her slip and focused on the building.
‘I didn’t know ignoring someone could be this hard…’
But it was okay.
This act is coming to an end now.
“I should head in now.”
“Ah.”
“Heart-nim?”
She is, after all, the manager of this party.
Even though she’s pretending to be part of some unknown villain organization now, if that act continues inside, it could create a bit of a tricky situation.
‘Because of the Information Exchange Meeting.’
There are a few conditions attached to sharing the information you know.
First, the information must not be false.
If it’s determined to be false, you must provide two pieces of high-quality information.
And if more than ten villains already know the information, it won’t be counted as sharing.
So, trying to get by with simple information is also prohibited.
Additionally, the information is shared one by one, with each person sharing one piece of information, for a total of five rounds.
However, if the quality of the information is deemed good, the number of times you need to share information decreases.
‘Given this situation, no matter how crazy you are, you can’t pretend to be a villain and go inside.’
If you mess up, you might end up having to spill all the information you know.
She, who has been hosting the party all this time, has always been able to gain information without any loss, so there’s no way she’d risk a loss now.
‘Especially since the artifacts they use aren’t the kind that can be manipulated.’
Whether the information is false, how many other villains inside know it, and how valuable the information is.
The judgment is made solely using Black Night’s artifact.
There’s no suspicion of manipulation.
Artifacts are merely processed to make the original traces of mysticism easier to handle, but their original abilities cannot be intentionally manipulated.
“Heart-nim.”
“Yes?”
In the end, if Heart goes inside, she’ll be a cornered rat.
If things go wrong, her identity as the manager of Black Night might be revealed.
“Actually, I realized that Heart-nim is quite different from the other people here.”
So, I tried to separate her and give her a chance to escape.
“What do you mean…”
“For a villain whose name I’ve never heard before, you’re unusually confident, and the strangely friendly Guardian Soldiers. And seeing you freely roaming around Black Night’s areas, only a fool wouldn’t notice.”
“!!!”
What are you so surprised about?
Did you really think you had completely fooled me…?
For a moment, I almost lost my composure, but I managed to keep a straight face and looked at Heart.
“Seeing a few suspicious circumstances, it was natural to guess. Heart-nim’s true identity.”
“……”
As Heart looked at me nervously.
“Heart-nim, aren’t you actually a staff member here? Specifically… the guide assigned by the Queen of Black Night for someone like me who’s here for the first time.”
“…What?”
I said something that was correct, but also close to being wrong.
“Aren’t you?”
“Ah, no! Yes, that’s right! I am indeed the guide assigned by the Queen!”
Given how she constantly praised the Queen, she couldn’t bring herself to reveal that she was the Queen.
I smirked as I looked at her.
“I thought so. Thanks to your guidance, I was able to explore Black Night more enjoyably.”
“No… it’s nothing…”
“Anyway, you can end the tour here. I’ll go inside the banquet hall alone.”
You can stop guiding now.
At my words, she bit her lip, seemingly pondering.
‘She can’t follow me in now.’
After all, she’s revealed herself as a guide.
And the Maker of Eclipse has requested to end the tour.
It’s become more of a business matter than a personal one between a man and a woman.
Heart, realizing this, pouted in disappointment.
“…Alright.”
But soon, realizing she had no justification, she had no choice but to comply.
Ah, but I should say this.
“Heart-nim, could you ask the manager here if it’s possible to arrange a separate meeting after the Information Exchange Meeting ends?”
“…What?”
“There’s something I’d like to say.”
I gave a meaningful smile and turned to enter the banquet hall.
‘I’ve planted the bait… time to stir things up inside.’
Hoping that she’ll stay like that even after the party ends.
I opened the door.
Kugugugung-
As I raised my hand, the door slowly began to open.
“……”
Perhaps I was the last, as many villains were already seated.
And at the sound of the door opening, all the villains turned to look at me.
“Hello, everyone. I am the Maker.”
Despite the unfriendly gazes, I smiled and greeted them.
It was time to cause some chaos again.
