The Protagonist’s Party is Too Diligent – 102
EP.102 Strategy (1)
“Hmm… I guess I can’t have fun in a casino after all.”
The fake Golden Sun muttered to himself.
Although there were many requests near the forest, perhaps because Leo and his party had taken all the morning requests last time, the classmates were diligently completing requests from the morning.
That didn’t mean the nearby request office couldn’t handle the workload. They simply reserved a portion of incoming assignments for the students to take on. Unlike the north, which genuinely suffered from a lack of manpower, Northwood wasn’t near any battlefields, had plenty of wealth, and, most importantly, demanded stable public order.
Unlike the period when they were taking on side quests beyond what was listed, there weren’t as many assignments available this time. As a result, they had more time to rest after completing a few reasonable tasks.
Which meant they could spend a leisurely evening like this one, sitting in a casino.
“……”
Of course, Charlotte, who had followed along, looked very displeased. Considering she didn’t come out last night either, she probably had no interest in the casino. That was fortunate—Charlotte staying in her room, just as she had in the original story, gave them some peace of mind while they were at the casino.
Jake, who had already lost money twice at card games, returned to the railing where they were leaning. As he approached, Charlotte finally broke her silence.
“The very idea of winning money at a place like this is foolish. The people running the casino aren’t idiots. They wouldn’t operate this place if it didn’t guarantee profit.”
This wasn’t a shady place that used tricks to cheat customers. In a venue frequented by high-ranking nobles, any obvious deception would lead to disaster. Even with the support of a duke, scamming visitors—especially other ducal families—would be reckless.
“And the instructor told us to behave,” she added.
To be precise, Carolyn’s expression had conveyed deep embarrassment at exposing her students to such a place. It seemed the Duke of Northwood had raised her far too upright.
Ironically, among the cast of characters, she might be the one most suited for a bunny girl costume. But that was irrelevant—there was no reason for a member of a ducal family to wear such an outfit, so the matter was best left untouched.
“I honestly don’t understand what’s enjoyable about gambling.”
“That’s okay. Don’t bother learning it.”
Charlotte quickly responded to Lena’s words.
Lena, the youngest among them, seemed to draw Charlotte’s attention. Perhaps Charlotte found her endearing, or maybe she sympathized with Lena as a fellow foreigner. Either way, Charlotte often looked after her.
Coming from a region with infrastructure far inferior to the Empire’s, Lena seemed fascinated by the casino itself, though she regarded the bunny girls and the card players with a less favorable eye.
A few roulette machines were also in operation, though they weren’t many. Impressively, they ran on clockwork mechanisms. While they appeared to rest on the floor, they were actually powered by steam engines connected to gas pipes beneath the building. It was a cutting-edge innovation, even by the Empire’s standards.
“Are you all done?”
I asked, and Jake shrugged.
“I thought about buying a diamond ring for Lottie, but I lost all my money. I don’t even have enough to spin the roulette once, so I guess I’m done.”
“……Did you lose all your money for the café too?”
“Well, yeah. So, uh… can I borrow some cash?”
At that, Alice let out an exasperated sigh.
“The duke’s eldest son borrowing money from a princess… What a sight.”
“It’s not like it’s a huge amount to buy an estate. Come on? Or should I win and bring it back?”
“…Fine, I’ll lend you some, but let’s just leave already.”
Alice said, shooting Jake a glare.
There was probably more to her frustration. Alice had been glancing around nervously since earlier, clearly preoccupied with what had happened last night. Even with a mask on, those who knew her recognized her.
The glances they received might have been noticeable, but it wasn’t because someone recognized Alice as a bunny girl. More likely, it was due to the odd sight of a group of academy students in uniform clustered together in a casino.
“Sigh.”
Following Alice, Claire also let out a small sigh.
…Jake’s behavior, in truth, had its reasons. To some extent, it was his way of rebelling against his family.
For the record, Leo was sticking close to Claire—though not physically attached, his expression made it abundantly clear that he was proclaiming to anyone watching, ‘I’m with this group.’
The moment Leo had entered the casino, the bunny girls had swarmed him. While his looks certainly played a part, it was more likely the “pushover aura” he radiated that drew them in. After all, no one had latched onto Jake, and that said something.
Claire, on the other hand, seemed to regard Leo with a slightly pitiful expression.
“What about you, Sylvia? Care to try your hand at winning some money? If you lend me what you win, I could turn it into an even bigger fortune. You might just hit a jackpot no one could predict!”
I stared at Jake, who spouted such nonsense without an ounce of shame, and replied evenly.
“Before that, we have work to do. I won’t say anything if you stay here until late, but lingering here penniless might result in debts so large that not even the duke’s estate could cover them by tomorrow morning.”
“Fine, fine. I’d rather not get scolded by Lottie anyway.”
Not that he wouldn’t be. Just borrowing money from the princess was enough to ensure one hundred percent that Lottie would scold him. The image of a duke’s son borrowing from an imperial princess might prompt his personal maid to faint, and even the duke himself could issue a direct scolding.
But Jake was likely counting on that.
“Well then, let’s go see what this is all about.”
Jake spoke, taking the lead as if the decision were his to make. We trailed behind him a beat slower, exchanging glances at his audacity.
*
Before bringing the matter to the group, we had spent a fair amount of time discussing it among ourselves.
The situation involved a relic hidden within Northwood territory—something we couldn’t afford to let the duke discover. To complicate matters, two of us were foreigners.
Disappearing on our own wasn’t an option either. Vanishing without explanation would only raise suspicions.
In the original story, Verratti had gone in first, followed by Alice and Leo. Claire had kept her distance, observing from afar. It was also the point where Claire joined as a guest character for the first time.
Upon returning, Alice and Leo’s disappearance together caused a comedic misunderstanding of romantic entanglements.
But now, there were four of us. It would be impossible to avoid notice if a group of this size disappeared two days in a row.
Thus, we decided on a different approach—just telling them.
Not directly, of course, but in a more “noble” manner.
“Take a look at this.”
At a nearby café after leaving the casino, we gathered with the others, who were still unaware of what had happened the previous night. I pulled out an invitation and placed it on the table for them to see.
“This is…”
Charlotte accepted the envelope, studying it carefully.
It was a luxurious piece, the sort of envelope that seemed to promise an invitation from someone important.
She glanced at us briefly. When Alice gave her a slight nod, Charlotte cautiously opened the envelope and pulled out the paper within. The material was equally opulent.
Inside was a request form.
“Please explore the hidden areas of the Northwood Forest…”
Charlotte read the brief text aloud, then raised an eyebrow, looking rather incredulous.
“If such a request existed, why wasn’t it submitted to the request office?”
“Because this is the Duke of Northwood’s land,” I replied.
“Ah,” Charlotte murmured, slipping the paper back into the envelope. “So you’re saying someone other than the duke made this request.”
“Exactly.”
“Still, why would they specifically make this request to us?”
“That’s…”
Alice closed her eyes briefly, took a deep breath, and then, as if exhaling her thoughts, spoke slowly.
“…There are reasons I can’t explain.”
Charlotte narrowed her eyes, silently observing Alice for a moment before speaking again.
“I see. That’s how it is, then.”
Charlotte continued, waving the envelope between her fingers.
“The people who made this request must be bold enough to think about robbing a duke’s estate but cautious enough not to want to get caught. It’s a tricky situation. And to make things even more suspicious, it’s not just one dungeon, but multiple dungeons. It’s almost too easy to figure out what they’re up to.”
Alice maintained her best poker face, but it seemed Charlotte could see right through her.
Still, Charlotte didn’t press further.
“Fine. Everyone has their secrets, things they’d rather not share. I’ll let it slide this time.”
Charlotte glanced at Jake and Lena, sitting on either side of her. Jake’s expression suggested he was finding the situation amusing, while Lena tilted her head slightly, looking confused.
“You both seem to agree,” Charlotte said with a wry smile, “but I have one condition for playing along.”
“…Just say it.”
“If there ever comes a time when I ask you to play along with one of my deceptions, you have to agree. Fair is fair, don’t you think?”
“……”
Charlotte’s tone was light, as though joking, but Alice nodded in agreement nonetheless. Then, mirroring Charlotte from moments before, Alice glanced at the two sitting beside her.
“Me? I’m a duke’s son,” Jake said with a shrug, feigning nonchalance. “The last thing I want is to clash with the imperial family, so I’ll go along.”
“And me… if there’s a request, shouldn’t we just resolve it?”
Lena replied earnestly, still appearing a bit puzzled.
Both of their responses were filled with their unique personalities.