The Phantom Thief's Notice
"……."
Surprisingly, Dorothea was truly strong.
I had thought I was fairly skilled at chess, yet that woman toyed with me before finishing me off.
Frustrated, I kept demanding rematches, only to suffer a clean five-game losing streak.
She was a chess master on an entirely different level.
"You skipped meals just to play chess, didn't you?"
"You know it. Nothing activates the brain quite like this."
Dorothea explained with obvious pride.
Mages could perform parallel thinking by nature. The higher the rank, the greater the precision required in calculations, making it impossible to handle everything with a single core.
Dorothea had apparently used that parallel thinking to run mental simulations.
"Split the left and right hemispheres and have each run different strategies. Then you can play chess by yourself. I came up with it while I was alone at home."
"R-right…"
It was an impressive technique, but hearing she had developed it while living as a shut-in left a strange aftertaste.
Anyway, our fierce chess match devoured two hours. Most of the staff had already left on business trips, so the finance management office was deathly quiet.
Deciding it was time to move, I gathered the documents and stood up. Agnes, the deputy finance officer, approached and asked,
"Are you heading out?"
"Yeah. For a marquis-level target, I have to go in person."
I answered while placing a black fedora on my head.
"You're going to Count Büscheldorf's mansion, right? I'll assign this one to you, so work together."
"Y-yes, please take care of me."
"Please take care of me as well."
The two shook hands awkwardly, clearly meeting for the first time.
"If it's not too rude, may I ask your name?"
Dorothea rested a hand on her hip and replied,
"Dorothea Gale. Among humans, my most famous alias is probably the Witch of the West."
"The Witch of the West!"
"You know of it?"
Agnes pushed up her glasses, looking slightly embarrassed.
"She's a character from a fairy tale I read often as a child."
Dorothea let out a soft "Ah~."
"That's the story of the first-generation witch, Elphaba. I'm the second generation."
"Did the witch Elphaba in the fairy tale die?"
"Well, yes. She was already hundreds of years old when I met her."
Dorothea shrugged.
"Basically, aside from me, all the Four Witches are ancient hags closer to death than life."
Listening from the side, I buttoned my coat and asked,
"So when are you planning to leave? I'm about to head out myself."
"Ah, my apologies."
Agnes belatedly remembered her duties, bowed slightly, and stepped back.
"I'll grab lunch on my own and return. Let the staff know as well."
"Understood."
"Dorothea, you work hard too."
"Bring back a bottle of MacCus '38 when you return."
"That vintage isn't even sold in Nidavelir, its place of origin."
When I gave her an incredulous look, Dorothea stuck out her tongue and grinned playfully.
"You said you'd buy me anything I wanted this morning, didn't you?"
"That was… Haah. Fine."
Since I had already promised, I accepted it quietly.
***
"Oh, you've hoarded quite a lot."
"Please! Not that!"
"Hey now, stay still."
I was currently conducting a search and seizure at the residence of the Cologne Marquis.
Someone of marquis rank should pay taxes diligently and set an example, yet most wealthy individuals avoided taxes while stuffing their storerooms full.
Recovering those unpaid taxes was precisely the duty of the finance management office.
Of course, the victims ground their teeth and cursed us, but from our perspective we were simply carrying out official duties.
How was that their money? It was national funds that had not yet been paid.
"My lady!"
After glancing at the marchioness collapsing while clutching her forehead, I collected every colorful ingot hidden inside the secret safe in the bedroom.
It was the rare Orihalcon.
I never expected them to stockpile this much Orihalcon instead of gold.
Honestly, selling all of it on the market would more than cover the two years of unpaid taxes.
Of course, since it was a priceless treasure, I had no intention of selling.
'Maybe I should forge a sword-proof vest with this.'
While indulging in pleasant fantasies and rummaging through the documents in the safe, I discovered something strange.
"This is…"
A wooden tablet inscribed with unknown letters.
Seeing the same characters repeated multiple times, there was clearly some kind of pattern.
I immediately understood.
This was the wooden tablet the Master had mentioned.
'Bingo.'
Today seemed to be a day blessed with extraordinary luck.
Not only had I obtained a massive quantity of Orihalcon ingots, but I had also secured the rumored wooden tablet.
I quickly slipped the tablet into my coat before anyone could notice.
Right after, one of the waiting policemen asked cautiously,
"Is it really all right to search the marquis's residence like this? The Cologne Marquis commands the strongest royalist faction in the capital."
"I'll handle it. Just do your job."
"Ah, yes sir."
After sending the meddlesome policeman away, I watched the fainted marchioness being carried out by her maids.
Hmm. The marquis was over sixty, yet his wife was still in her thirties. That went beyond mere thievery.
Anyway, the search was nearly complete and I had secured the important items, so it was time to leave.
"What in the world is this outrage?!"
A young man's voice rang out from beyond the door.
***
"Are you the one in charge here?!"
Stepping out of the marquis couple's bedroom, a handsome man who looked like he had made more than a few women cry strode forward between the policemen, fuming.
His confident gait, flashy attire, and above all the same golden hair as the arrested Cologne Marquis made the blood relation obvious.
I offered my business smile and asked,
"Are you the son of Marquis Cologne?"
"That's right! I am the heir of this house!"
Declaring his status with confidence, he pointed at me.
"What exactly happened inside that my mother is being carried out by maids?! Explain yourself at once!"
Faced with his unreasonable demand, I answered with a troubled smile.
"I did nothing. I merely seized emergency funds in lieu of unpaid taxes."
"How much could those taxes possibly amount to that you would commit such tyranny?! Are you not afraid of divine retribution?! Even if demons act without restraint, this is going too far!"
Deciding to enlighten the sheltered young master, I spoke kindly.
"Three hundred million gold."
"Th-three hundred million?!"
The heir gasped at the unexpected figure.
"That is the accumulated tax debt over two years. Had you paid promptly whenever the governor's office sent collectors, it would never have grown this large."
"Even so! Breaking into someone's home without permission and doing this cannot be justified!"
"If you wish, feel free to follow legal procedures. I have already accomplished everything I came here for today, after all."
As I spoke, I lightly lifted the bag containing the Orihalcon ingots. The heir frowned and extended his hand.
"Bind."
"Kuh! What are you doing?!"
"No, it seemed you were about to do something rude."
"That is the family's money! An outsider has no right to touch it!"
I tripped the heir as he struggled to break free from the binding.
Thud!
He collapsed helplessly onto the floor.
"Submit any medical expenses to the governor's office later. The magic will wear off in three hours. Now then, if you'll excuse me."
"Kuaaak! You'll regret this! I've memorized your face!"
Looking down at the heir flopping on the floor like a shrimp while shouting in fury, I spoke with pitying eyes.
"Rather than that, perhaps you should worry about your own family first?"
"What?!"
"No, it's nothing."
He would find out in a few days anyway. No need to tell him now.
"Release this and go!"
I waved dismissively, letting the heir's voice fade behind me.
***
That day, the taxes recovered from raiding royalist residences across the capital totaled approximately three billion gold.
An enormous sum.
Since this was not even the final tally, working through the week would likely bring in considerably more.
Around evening, after gathering to report our results at closing time, everyone dispersed.
Normally we would have held a drinking party after earning this much, but with much still left to do, we postponed it.
More importantly, there was something we had to begin today.
Interpreting the wooden tablet obtained from the Cologne Marquis's residence.
It appeared to be a cipher substituting roughly thirty characters. Finding the initial consonant rules would probably require staying up for several nights.
Dragging my exhausted body, I got off the carriage with Dorothea in front of the house. As I opened the door to enter, I noticed something wedged in the crack.
"What's this?"
Curious, I pulled it out. On the white paper bearing a drawing of a black butterfly were the words:
Soon, I will come to find you.