"So I conducted a test afterward," Ian replied with a smile.
"A test?"
"As I said before, the Blackfyre treasure is no secret among this generation, yet neither the Iron Throne nor any great house has sent anyone here so far. Why?"
"Uh..."
"Because the existence of the Blackfyre treasure remains nothing more than speculation. No one has found solid clues or evidence convincing enough to make those important people believe such an absurd claim. Likewise, neither have I.
So when I said I would report this to House Lannister, you should have taken it as a joke. Even if I truly brought people here, they would at most take a look around, then leave once they found nothing.
Faced with my threat, you should not have paid it any mind. If you merely wanted to avoid trouble, the most you would have done was offer me a token price.
But your reaction was the exact opposite. You offered the high price of twenty percent, which showed how desperately you wanted this agreement to go through.
In other words, you were very worried that House Lannister would send people here. That could only mean one thing: you found a crucial clue, and you did not want anyone interfering at this point."
Monster! Veld and Viri exchanged a glance. Though Viri was standing in his own hall, he inexplicably felt constrained.
"That, in turn, explains why you told me the operation was already over after hearing my surname. You did not want anyone from House Lannister involved in this operation. You feared that after obtaining the crucial clue, I would report it to my house and leave all your efforts for nothing," Ian continued.
"So although you have agreed to let me join the alliance, you never intended to let me