26 - Skill Stealing (4)

The looping train came to a stop at the platform with the Magic Tower. Twilight Valley was a good hour's ride by carriage from the metropolis of Ebbenbach. Of course, tomorrow afternoon's classes were packed tight, but if I moved fast, I could make it back by dawn. To save as much time as possible, there was no choice but to use the Magic Tower's portal for an instant warp straight to Ebbenbach.

That said...

A girl with light purple hair crammed under a hat. Aria.

She'd been watching me the whole time inside the train.

I asked Aria, who was still frozen, wary of my every move.

"Not getting off?"

"...!"

She flinched in surprise at my words but quickly schooled her face back to blank and stepped off the train.

I muttered on purpose, twisting my tone.

"Who would've thought there was another freshman using the Magic Tower besides me, starting this semester."

"..."

"What a coincidence."

"...Hoo."

As I kept dropping hints, Aria let out a small sigh before replying.

"I'll accompany you."

In truth, I'd maneuvered her into coming along. I couldn't sniff out the final reward without her anyway. But I had to pretend ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to consider that angle too. It was safer for both of us if she never felt like she had the upper hand forever.

"..."

Ignoring me completely, Aria brushed past and headed for the Magic Tower.

......

"Thank you! Safe travels!"

Leaving the Magic Tower attendant's words behind, we arrived at Ebbenbach's clock tower with ridiculous ease. The fee to Ebbenbach was a whopping 2,000 gems—200,000 won in Korean currency. Using the portal was so straightforward, it really drove home how money just evaporated into thin air. Honestly, for the convenience of teleportation, it was insanely better than any other transport, and the researchers living ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in the Magic Tower used the funds for magic studies. So yeah, using the tower definitely contributed to the academy's progress.

But the problem was my wallet wasn't exactly flush...

Aria looked a bit startled by the hefty sum too but paid without hesitation.

Cool as hell.

Was surveilling me worth that much to her...?

Anyway, Ebbenbach, arriving in the early evening, was as bustling as you'd expect from a major city.

-Come on, take a look at the goods!
-There's a free show at Clock Tower Square!

It wasn't quite as advanced as the academy, but the city had that vibe of medieval civ pushed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a step further—like touring a European country back on Earth. Excluding horse breeds, it wasn't a particularly famous spot, but as the first town you hit in the game, it carried a nostalgic hometown feel.

I shook off the sentiment and started hunting for a carriage.

......

"To Twilight Valley."

"Aigoo, you scared me... You're heading there, huh...?"

The baggage carriage we found on the city outskirts—the driver only reacted after hearing my voice, startled.

"Where to again?"

"Twilight Valley."

"Hmm, not a spot I'd recommend for lovebirds, but..."

"It's fine."

The kindly-looking driver started off with an expression like, Young folks these days and their tastes.

In Reincarnated Hero, Twilight Valley wasn't some monster-infested hellhole, but it had creepy rumors and was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠set as abandoned by humans now. Which was how the goblin named mob called the Phantom Thief ended up using it as his personal treasure vault.

If I had to describe the scenery, it was dreamily atmospheric no matter the hour—decently picturesque.

An hour later, with full darkness settled in, we finally arrived.

"No carriage back to the nearby village from here, that's for sure. This road's been ghost town central for ages—no merchants, not even an ant crawling through. And..."

After taking his fare, the driver fussed over Aria like she didn't fit the usual crowd.

"Miss, you be careful now. All men are wolves, wolves I tell ya..."

"That young master's got a real shady look about him too."

I started walking first while watching this.

"We're good. Thanks for the concern."

Aria replied with faint consideration in her tone, then followed behind me.

* * *

"Kids these days don't value their own necks. Tsk."

The man shook his head and clicked his tongue at the young pair vanishing into the distance.

Then he abruptly stopped and whistled.

"What a shame~!"

His name was Dobrek. Current carriage driver, former Balakas mercenary thief, and true profession: a cunning goblin master of disguise.

His hands got too dirty, forcing an inglorious exit from the mercenaries, but his love for speeding around made driving a perfect fit. And when the chance arose, nicking passengers' luggage was a nice side hustle playing to his specialties.

"Look like they've got some coin on 'em?"

Their outfits screamed money. Too bad the only baggage was that one backpack—no real score there.

Anyway, these idiots had begged to go to Twilight Valley themselves.

Noble brats can cast a bit of magic, right?

Probably trusting their skills to dig up the rumored treasure. Dobrek's scheme was simple: spread sweet lies about mountains of loot buried in Twilight Valley, hire bandits to ambush any adventurers or mercs who showed. But tails got long—rumors pointed to demonkin, and knights were due soon. He'd stashed the treasure to shake suspicion, but to sell the blockade act...

"Keh heh heh!"

Of course, as a driver, he shouldn't guide anyone there—but he did it anyway. Last time, absolutely the last. Seeing such a rare fine piece of ass lit a fire he couldn't ignore.

The scent you couldn't get in a brothel, that gap of smooth features unchanging despite her beauty—it drove him mad.

Virgin would be ideal... keh.

Dobrek gulped lewdly, tongue flicking out. They'd walked right into the grim reaper of this place.

* * *

-Fwoosh!

Time had passed, surroundings pitch black, so I lit a campfire first at the cave mouth.

-Ting!

Confirming the carriage gone, I doused the lantern.

Aria, watching, asked.

"Weren't you planning to go in?"

"Shh! This way."

"...?"

I grabbed her pale wrist and slipped into the dark—not into the cave, but the hidden slope behind it.

Whispering slow.

"Still suspicious of me?"

"...Of course..."

"But you follow anyway? Don't think it's dangerous?"

"... "

I hadn't meant to worry over her, but seeing her fragile frame struggling after me, it slipped out.

"No need for concern."

"Yeah, but given the situation, let's trust each other just this once."

"Pardon?"

"Originally, I came to hunt one monster here."

"Monster? Monsters appear here?"

Aria glanced around at the word.

"Yeah, but plans changed."

"?"

"That coachman who brought us? Suspicious."

Per the original game, Ebbenbach horses were hypersensitive and skittish. I'd struggled taming them myself; rough roads were hell. Yet his ran smooth as well-trodden paths.

-This road's been dead for ages—no merchants, no ants even.

No merchants or return carriages, yet he knew the way cold. Veteran maybe, long-time driver? But dredging Reincarnated Hero memories, quests like this usually ended with NPC betrayal as premise.

Coachman as the mastermind, or the Phantom Thief himself. Thoughts aligning, a status window popped.

Figures.

If my hunch held, the moment we doused the fire and entered the cave, lurking bandits would signal and ambush. Bandits weren't powerhouse threats, but hell mode meant unpredictable numbers, and they fought dirty as hell. Risky fighting with Aria in tow.

Crucial: my Hermit trait applied only to monsters. Vs. real humans, no guaranteed stealth or crits.

But the Phantom Thief was definitely a monster. Pity Magic Eye level 1 couldn't pierce his unique disguise skill, but...

-Aigoo, you scared me... You're there, huh...?

His delayed reaction to my presence? Solid grounds for suspicion.

Best play: isolate and nab the monster, hijack his carriage, strategic retreat.

-Swish.Swish.

"...Shadows over there."

Aria muttered, eyeing the campfire—they'd started the op.

She wasn't the type to blindly trust, so no melodrama like the other heroines: Coachman uncle wouldn't! Problem was, she didn't trust me either.

"No time again."

I stared straight into her eyes.

"Trust me? Nod."

Her azure-gem eyes churned at those words.