18.

I strolled leisurely along Antive Street, as if taking a walk.

Before long, my destination came into view.

It was a pie specialty shop.

In front of the fresh mint-colored building with a chocolate-colored roof, there was a charming promotional sign that read:

<Try our tangy and sweet lemon pie! It’s delicious!>

Next to the text was a mischievously smiling face.

I entered the pie shop.

Ding-ling…

The golden paper chime hanging on the wall announced the arrival of a customer.

“Welcome!”

A cheerful greeting reached my ears.

I had heard some whispers about this place being a hidden gem, and it seemed that those rumors were indeed true.

The small pie shop was filled with customers, occupying every available seat.

I confidently walked towards the counter.

“Are you ready to order?”

A male cashier greeted me warmly.

He had a rather unremarkable appearance, to be honest.

Untidy, sandy-brown hair and plain facial features.

If he passed by you on the street, you’d probably never remember his ordinary appearance.

Smiling at him, I calmly placed my order.

“I’d like a slice of cherry pie, please.”

The cashier’s eyes widened for a moment.

“Cherry pie?”

“Yes. And please serve it with some whipped cream.”

Upon hearing that, the cashier lowered his head apologetically.

“I’m sorry, but we’ve sold out of cherry pie, ma’am.”

“Oh, that’s a shame.”

I shrugged my shoulders with a face that showed no disappointment at all and spoke again.

“In that case, would peach pie be available? I’d also like to order a lime juice.”

“We currently have only one slice of peach pie left. How would you like to proceed?”

“In that case, please pack the remaining slice. And…”

As I extended my sentence, as if I had just remembered something, I added, “One egg tart and a coffee. I’ll have those here in the shop.”

In reality, this conversation didn’t hold any special significance.

Cherry pie, whipped cream, peach pie, lime juice, egg tart, and coffee.

It’s the sequence of these words being mentioned in the conversation that mattered.

The cashier, who nodded in agreement, smiled warmly and opened his mouth.

“Alright, please wait a moment.”

After entrusting the counter to another cashier, the original cashier approached me with brisk steps.

“Will you follow me?”

And then, I understood.

Despite hiding his emotions behind a kind smile, it was clear that this cashier was standing up straight right now.

* * *

The cashier guided me to the back of the shop.

“Here you are, ma’am.”

Afterward, I arrived at my destination.

“Oh.”

I opened my mouth in surprise.

I had expected this to be a discreet and secretive space for confidential conversations, so it was quite unexpected to find a normal study here.

However, the study consisted of a spacious walnut wood desk, piles of books, a small table, and a couple of random, hardback chairs.

It gave off a somewhat cluttered vibe.

“I apologize. Since this is my personal study, it’s not suitable for receiving guests.”

The waiter greeted me in a tone that didn’t sound apologetic at all and brought over two chairs to place in front of the table.

Then, he gestured for me to sit.

In any case, I was the one feeling disappointed, so I obediently took a seat.

The waiter stared at me with an expressionless face.

“So, what can I assist you with?”

Magic in this world had a very utilitarian aspect to it.

In essence, magic was an ancient relic, and it had almost disappeared in the modern era, making it extremely rare and difficult to come by. Magic items themselves were scarce and expensive, with prices that reached the sky. Furthermore, they wouldn’t work without a nearly impossible-to-attain power source known as mana.

Therefore, for ordinary people, it was like having a cake from a picture book.

In other words, you needed to become a male protagonist to be able to use it.

For example…

‘It’s like the kind of person who works as a waiter right in front of me.’

As described in the original work, all three male protagonists could freely use magic.

‘It seems like the author took shortcuts with the magic system, probably because it was too lazy to establish various plausibilities, right?’

I thought sarcastically and leaned back in the chair.

“First, before I tell you what I want, don’t you think we should at least have some level of trust in each other for a smooth conversation to take place?”

“Trust?”

“Having a minimum level of trust is essential when having an honest conversation with someone hiding their true identity, don’t you think?”

Benedict’s expression showed a hint of discomfort. I casually continued, “Isn’t that right, Count Luneburg?”

The waiter’s gaze took on a somewhat surprised look. Then, he let out a short laugh and subtly turned his ring on his finger. Like mixing water with water, the nondescript waiter’s appearance completely disappeared, and an intellectually handsome young man sat across from me.

“We meet.”

I felt a bit tense inwardly. This world’s male protagonist No. 2, Benedict Luneburg, was quite an outstanding character in many ways. For starters, he held the highest position in the Empire, known as the Summit of Schmaikel. The nearly fallen Luneburg Count became a central noble of the Empire, rising to power after Benedict founded the Summit of Schmaikel and gained control over the Empire’s distribution.

But that wasn’t all. Benedict operated an information network alongside running the Summit of Schmaikel, using the information he obtained through his operations.

No, he was a figure equivalent to the Summit of Schmaikel, and he still found time to work as a waiter and play as an informant at a pastry shop. That was impressive in its own right, but in any case…

Benedict’s actions in the original work could be summarized roughly like this: Lucian and Dante wanted to monopolize the original female lead, and Benedict dug into their monopolistic desires. He benefited greatly by shifting between the two male leads.

Well, later on, he was influenced by the original female lead’s kindness and affection and ended up falling in love with her.

Benedict stared at me with a slightly uneasy expression. “How did you figure out my identity?”

Well, that was something from the original work, but… I just chuckled casually. “It wouldn’t be fun if I told you already, right?”

Well, I couldn’t tell him the truth, but if I said something like, ‘This world is the setting of a reverse harem decadent romance fantasy novel I read in my past life, and you’re one of the male leads who is passionately devoted to the female lead,’ I’d probably be treated as a crazy person.

I decided to get straight to the point. “I want to buy information.”

“Well, that depends on the lady’s circumstances. We don’t just sell information to anyone.”

“That’s right. That’s why I’d like to make a wager.”

I paused for a moment. In truth, I had some valuable information, but it felt a bit wasteful to use it right now. I decided to save it for later when I needed funds for my escape.

“So, you’re planning to invest in the Romdio Territory in the west?”

At my question, the violet-colored eyes widened. Well, it was understandable. At this point, I suppose he was only considering the idea, and he hadn’t told anyone yet.

I shrugged and continued, “If it were me, I wouldn’t make that investment.”

“Why not?”

The Romdio Territory was currently embroiled in a dispute over succession. Lady Romdio, the eldest daughter and acting lord, had been governing the Romdio Territory for a long time. Then there was the ten-year-old Lord Romdio, the younger brother. These two sturdy siblings were fiercely competing for the position of successor.

Well, Lady Romdio had some integrity. She didn’t abandon her younger brother and sent him to the Rose Cross Academy, albeit somewhat reluctantly. Of course, it was more accurate to say that the deceased protected her younger brother like a fortress.

But anyway, “The situation in Romdio is chaotic, so I assume you plan to invest and profit as soon as possible, right? But in my opinion, that chaotic situation will likely be resolved very quickly. Maybe within a month?”

This was information from the original work. It was one of the rare cases where Benedict, known as the “Golden Hand,” experienced a bitter failure. In particular, this case was considered by Benedict to be his “most painful failure.”

As soon as he made the investment, Lady Romdio achieved a perfect victory, and to make matters worse, the mine Benedict had invested in was owned by the younger half-brother. Benedict ended up losing all the money he had invested.

In the original work, it was described as a loss that hurt his pride even more than the money he lost. He used that painful memory as a stepping stone and continued to grow the Summit of Schmaikel.

Benedict narrowed his eyes sharply. “On what basis?”

“Well, let’s just say it’s a woman’s intuition.”

My shameless answer left Benedict momentarily speechless, and he gave me a look of disbelief.