I Need the True Ending to Graduate - Chapter 91

What do you think is the foundation of fraud?

Evan, who had once gotten his hands dirty with dangerous work in the past to make money, knew very well how to fleece people easily and exactly how to do it.

Ironically, the foundation of fraud was trust and belief.

The greater what you intend to take from the other party, the greater the trust and belief required.

And then, with precisely one act of betrayal, you had to make them lose everything they possessed.

Evan began laying the groundwork to swindle Karl Evenhart.

At first, he approached under the pretense that he had an interest in the education business and wanted to hear the expert opinions of current professors teaching at the Academy.

People usually couldn’t treat coldly someone who praised them and wanted to hear their opinions. Unless they were a complete misanthrope or mentally unstable, that was how it was.

Moreover, the expensive wine he brought out to win their favor was naturally treated as compensation for offering their expert opinions.

People regarded kindness without reason as extremely suspicious. If he’d taken out expensive wine for no particular reason, Karl Evenhart would surely have suspected his intentions.

However, when it was offered under the pretext of compensation for providing business-related information, no one doubted his motives. Even though it was an excessively generous reward for merely having a conversation with him.

The manager seemed horrified by the order to bring out a wine that even nobles found hard to come by, but Evan thought instead that it had been used appropriately at exactly the right moment.

Thanks to that, the atmosphere at the table where Karl Evenhart and Andrew Burnett sat was extremely warm, so much so that it was hard to believe they had met for the first time today.

“…It was an extremely valuable and precious time to be able to have a conversation like this with professors who teach students at Calypse Academy. Thanks to you, it’s been a great help to my business as well.”

“Haha. Thank you for saying that. I’m happy to hear that I could be of help to someone counted among the most famous figures in the Empire.”

Karl Evenhart, whose face was flushed from the wine, said this as he burst into cheerful laughter.

‘Looks like I’ve definitely won his favor. Judging by how delighted he is over polite words.’

Evan quietly celebrated inwardly as he confirmed with his own eyes that things were proceeding according to plan.

Then, suppressing his deep resentment toward Karl Evenhart, who had taken Lucia away from him, behind a smile, Evan opened his mouth.

“Since the two of you have helped my business, I’d also like to be of some help to you, if that’s all right.”

“We’ve already received more than enough, so what kind of help are you talking about now….”

The two men looked troubled by the continued kindness, yet they couldn’t hide the expectation reflected in their eyes.

Pretending otherwise, they were anticipating what he might offer them.

Evan said with a broad grin, “I’d like to talk not only about education, but also ‘business,’ with the two of you.”

At that moment, the look in their eyes as they looked at Evan changed. It was a gaze filled with greed for money.

Many people had approached Evan with that same look. It was something he was accustomed to.

“Of course, that’s only if the two of you are interested.”

Evan feigned humility and subtly pulled back. At that, the expressions on the two men’s faces shifted from moment to moment.

“Given my status, there are quite a few people who show clear discomfort just from having a conversation with me. So if the two of you are also uncomfortable speaking with me, even if you don’t show it, then we can pretend this proposal never happened.”

Before he’d even finished speaking, Karl Evenhart calmly opened his mouth.

“Oh, that can’t be the case. These days, the world has improved so much that one’s status isn’t even a blemish. So don’t worry about things like that. Isn’t that right, Professor Burnett?”

“That’s exactly it. I didn’t think someone of your caliber would be worrying about something so trivial. We don’t care about your status at all, so feel free to treat us comfortably.”

Evan didn’t believe a single word they said, but pretending to be deeply moved, and at the same time pretending to be relieved by what they’d said, he continued.

“Thank you for saying that. Then, when it’s convenient for both of you, please call for me. Let’s have a thorough discussion about business.”

“Let’s do that. Today was a very enjoyable time.”

“Let’s meet again next time, Mr. Bell.”

The three of them exchanged warm handshakes and parted ways.

After that, Evan gradually fed them information about the various businesses and mines he was actually investing in, letting them earn a reasonable amount of money.

Urging them to invest a large sum from the very beginning would have been clumsy.

Since investments could fail or succeed, he advised them to first put in money they wouldn’t regret losing, thereby gaining their trust, and then solidifying their belief in him with the money that came back.

In that way, he gradually increased the amount Karl Evenhart invested.

In the meantime, he cleanly cut off Andrew Burnett, who had nothing to do with his plan, at an appropriate point.

Of course, he didn’t mention any of this to Karl Evenhart at all.

Then one day, Evan carefully called Karl Evenhart to his office.

It had already been close to eight months since the day they first met at Bell Restaurant

By now, Karl Evenhart’s trust in him had grown so thick that he’d blindly believe anything Evan said.

That was only natural. During that time, every single business Karl had invested in by following Evan had made money.

No matter how stubborn a person was, there was no way their eyes wouldn’t be dazzled by the money flowing in month after month.

Thanks to that, his spending habits gradually grew larger, and having tasted the sweetness of money, he needed even greater sums.

Evan had called him in at an extremely precise timing.

Karl Evenhart, who had always waited for Evan at Evan’s convenience, seemed to take Evan’s urgent summons as a serious omen and sat down on the reception sofa with a tense expression.

“For what reason did you call me? Has something gone wrong with the businesses I invested in?”

“No, that’s not it. It’s just….”

Evan crossed his legs, clasped his hands together, and rested them on his knee. Then, with a gloomy face as if something serious were about to happen, he deliberately trailed off.

After letting Karl Evenhart stew for a moment, Evan finally opened his mouth.

“Professor Evenhart, do you trust me?”

Karl Evenhart answered readily, even while wearing a face that clearly didn’t understand what was going on.

“…Of course I trust you. Why wouldn’t I trust you? Look at how long we’ve been together.”

“Hmm. That’s certainly true.”

Evan nodded carefully, then uncrossed the leg he’d had crossed, straightened his posture, and continued speaking.

“From here on, I’m going to make you a very important proposal. This is a matter that must never be disclosed to anyone. It’s extremely confidential.”

“….”

“Can you keep this secret?”

Faced with Evan’s gaze, which carried a sense of pressure, Karl nodded his head. “I don’t know what this is about, but I promise I won’t divulge anything you say.”

“Good. Then I have a special proposal I’d like to make to you.”

Evan stood up from his seat and walked toward the desk. Then he rummaged through a drawer to retrieve the documents he’d prepared.

“You once said something like this to me before, didn’t you? You asked whether there wasn’t a way to make more money.”

“…I certainly remember saying that.”

“Do you remember what I answered back then?”

“Perhaps… that a big opportunity would come in with a bit more time, and that I should wait.”

As Karl Evenhart answered Evan’s question, a realization flashed through his mind.

“Don’t tell me…!”

“Yes. A truly large-scale investment opportunity that can definitely bring in a huge amount of money has come in.”

Evan gathered the documents he’d prepared, returned to his seat, and placed them down on the table.

“This is an investment I’m making purely on a personal level. I haven’t told anyone else about it. Even the reporters who are curious about my every move know nothing about this business.”

At the explanation that followed, Karl Evenhart unconsciously swallowed the saliva that had pooled in his mouth.

It was a personal investment by none other than Evan Bell. There was no way it wouldn’t pique his interest.

Seeing straight through Karl’s inner thoughts as if they were laid bare in his palm, Evan continued, “That’s why you absolutely must keep this confidential. Do you understand?”

“Of course. I swear it on my title.”

“Good. Then please take a look at the documents.”

The moment Evan gave permission, Karl Evenhart lunged forward like a dog snatching up a piece of meat that had fallen to the ground.

Flip, flip. The papers turned with a light, brisk sound.

In the meantime, Evan leisurely sipped the tea a servant had brought out.

Before long, Karl Evenhart stopped reading, slammed the documents down as if he could no longer hold himself back, and spoke.

On his face was an expression of disbelief he’d never shown before, one filled with deep distrust.

“…Is this really the investment you say you’re personally making?”

“Of course.”

“But isn’t what you’re investing in nothing more than a completely unprofitable abandoned mine? Can you really make money by investing in a place like this?”

“On the surface, it’s an abandoned mine that doesn’t make a single coin. But this will become a huge source of money in the future.”

At Evan’s words, Karl Evenhart looked at him with doubtful eyes. However, Evan found that doubt laughable.