Chapter 27: Your Future Will Shine Like the Stars
Chapter 27: Your Future Will Shine Like the Stars
“…What?”
Marlin stared blankly at me before speaking.
“Special training?”
“Are you not mentally prepared yet?”
“That’s not it….”
Shaking her head back and forth, Marlin slowly turned her gaze toward the tied-up thieves.
“What do they have to do with training? And why do they look like that?”
“Isn’t it obvious?”
I looked straight into Marlin’s eyes—she looked quite impressive after changing her hairstyle.
“I captured them as tools for practicing murder.”
All traces of humor vanished from my face as I spoke like a cold and cruel adult.
“If you’re a thief-class explorer, you must become accustomed to killing more than anyone else. Sorry, but you don’t have the right to refuse.”
The thieves whose hands were tied behind their backs turned pale all at once.
But Marlin only raised her claws and tried to scratch my shoulder.
“Stop joking and explain properly!”
“I will explain, Miss Marlin.”
Butler Sergius, who had been standing in the corner of the room, approached slowly and spoke gently.
“You remember that Kar once asked Rosalia for a favor. To subdue and bring the Black Sword Guild leader Maken.”
“That’s right….”
“At that time, our young master gave Rosalia additional instructions. He ordered her to dismantle the Black Sword Guild.”
Thieves who had committed violent crimes were executed on the spot.
Those who were relatively less wicked were merely beaten severely and captured.
That was why they were imprisoned here now.
“So, Marlin, what do you think? Compared to the dead ones, the people here are at least somewhat decent, right?”
At my words, the bruised thieves all looked at Marlin simultaneously.
Their eyes were filled with desperate hope.
After meeting each of their gazes, Marlin nodded.
“None of them committed actual murder or bullied people… they only focused on theft.”
The workaholics who had only been serious about their profession sighed with relief.
Marlin pointed at a guild member who looked particularly intimidating.
“That person is the vice guild leader. He took care of Abel and me a lot.”
“Marlin…!”
The vice guild leader looked like he was about to cry.
Of course, there was still a possibility that he had deceived naive children and even fooled the assassin elf’s personality judgment. So I checked as well.
《Andre, Vice Guild Leader of the Black Sword Guild (Human, 33). Despite his fierce appearance, he is a somewhat decent thief who only steals from the homes of those who bully residents. His ability is far inferior to the guild leader’s, but still far superior to your ward Marlin.》
Whether the word “kind” could truly apply to a thief was debatable, but compared to the dead guild leader, he was closer to being a good person.
I also examined the other five guild members.
All of them were thieves whose only interest was the illegal art of secretly taking other people’s belongings.
“Yeah, they definitely won’t stab us in the back.”
Having passed a triple personality evaluation, they were suitable to keep as subordinates.
“Butler, proceed as planned.”
“Understood.”
Sergius, who had been stroking his chin, suddenly held a dagger that had appeared in his hand and approached the thieves.
Marlin flinched, thinking an execution might occur, so I pressed down on her head to reassure her.
“Listen carefully.”
At the old butler’s low voice, the thieves shrank down despite their age and size.
“Do you wish to live?”
Nod nod nod!
Their desperate nodding contained not the slightest hint of noble resignation.
“Then prove your value.”
Slice.
The rope binding the vice guild leader’s hands was cut.
“I will grant you a special opportunity.”
As he freed the others as well, Sergius continued coldly.
“From today onward, you will work under the second son of the Brites family, Young Master Odilon, as intelligence agents. In other words, you will have the opportunity to become ‘Faint Shadows.’”
Brites.
The name of Pletika’s prestigious information-broker family that governed District Four made the thieves tremble.
“Your main duties will be intelligence gathering and infiltration. These are normally the responsibilities of the Brites family’s Faint Shadows. However, due to circumstances, the young master and his mother were expelled from the main house, so I have handled all such duties alone.”
Although all of the thieves were now free, none dared move.
The proposal was too unexpected.
“For one month, prove that you possess the capability to work alongside me.”
“…What happens if we fail to meet your standards?”
The vice guild leader gathered his courage to ask.
Sergius answered indifferently.
“You have not committed violent crimes, so we will simply cut off both of your hands to ensure you never steal again before returning you to the slums.”
“……”
At some point the dagger had disappeared again as the old butler stood with his hands behind his back.
“Prepare yourselves. I will personally evaluate you.”
A professional butler who served both a notorious madwoman mother and a self-centered sociopathic son.
A long-serving retainer of the Brites family.
And—
A Level 7 Thief–Stalker.
《Sergius, Butler of the Brites Family (Human, 73). Suddenly I cannot read the old man’s information anymore. It seems he normally keeps a Mystery activated that conceals his Soul Rank! He appears to be a thief who has reached a considerable level of mastery.》
After observing the silent thieves with a stern gaze, Sergius turned toward Marlin.
The cold atmosphere vanished, replaced by a warm smile like spring.
“Miss Marlin, please participate in the training as well. Within one month, I will create the basic foundation necessary for you to grow into an excellent thief.”
“Wait a moment….”
Marlin, who had been quietly observing, cautiously raised her hand.
“Yes?”
“You’re going to teach me?”
“Yes. Kar requested it. He asked me to train you harshly since you will become the leader of the Faint Shadows serving under the young master.”
“…What?”
Marlin’s tail shot upward briefly before falling again.
“Did I hear that wrong just now?”
“No. You heard correctly. Kar recommended you for the position of leader of the Faint Shadows.”
The leader of the agents who would become Odilon’s eyes and ears.
Marlin, the future extraordinary thief.
I had not asked for her consent, but Marlin had never asked homeowners for permission before robbing empty houses either.
“Don’t tell me you refuse because the butler seems too sinister?”
“Is that so? That is disappointing.”
Sergius drooped his eyes.
“I’m sorry, Butler. I apologize on her behalf.”
“That is truly unfortunate.”
“I will educate her properly so this will not happen again.”
“What meaning would that have? A wounded heart does not heal so easily….”
With two adults cornering her like this, the tiger beastman girl could barely keep up.
“N-No! That’s not it! It’s just… suddenly hearing that I have to become the leader is shocking!”
“It’s fine. That’s a long time from now.”
“But still….”
She continued hesitating.
It seemed she lacked confidence to shoulder such a great role.
Fortunately, I already knew how to give her confidence.
“Didn’t I tell you before?”
I bent down to meet Marlin at eye level.
“If you follow your patron’s teachings well, your future will shine like the stars.”
I had no doubt.
Marlin would grow exactly as I expected.
“I’ll find the constellation in the night sky that will one day belong to you and connect the path leading to it.”
I placed my hand on the shoulder of the girl who had worked hard while caring for her younger brother.
“You just have to walk along that path. Simple, right?”
“…That’s too easy.”
Only then did Marlin’s expression finally relax.
“Alright. I’ll try my best!”
“That’s a good girl. From now on, you will learn all the basic Mysteries common to the thief class from the butler, and those thieves will teach you their sleight-of-hand techniques.”
Once the training ended, at least in terms of fundamental thief abilities, she would become unmatched among those at her level.
Sergius, who had been watching us with a pleased expression, gracefully extended his hand toward Marlin.
“Miss Marlin, shall we begin?”
“Yes! What should I start with?”
“We will begin with dagger techniques. You lot will participate as well. Prepare yourselves.”
“Y-Yes, sir!”
After briefly watching the thieves scramble to their feet, I quietly left the room.
There was something else I had to do.
Now it’s Abel’s turn.
I had assigned a mentor for the sister.
Next came the younger brother.
The kitchen of Odilon’s mansion.
Beside the refrigerator—a magical device invented by the Mage Tower that had brought mages immense wealth—various cooking tools were neatly arranged.
Abel, who had silently followed me, looked around the kitchen with curious eyes before asking,
“Why did we come here?”
“To decide your future.”
I opened the refrigerator, took out a snack that looked like a sausage, and handed it to Abel.
“Abel. What did you think while eating earlier?”
The answer was obvious from his slightly fuller belly.
“It was extremely delicious. It made me feel that everything I had eaten before was nothing but lumps of ingredients.”
“That much?”
“I am serious.”
In that case, the decision might be easier than expected.
“Have you been studying labyrinths diligently?”
“To be honest, I have spent far more time reading than my sister, who struggles to study even one hour a day.”
“Well done.”
I ruffled Abel’s hair as he chewed the sausage.
His enthusiasm toward becoming an explorer was clearly stronger than Marlin’s.
If Marlin viewed labyrinth exploration as a means to earn money, Abel seemed to view exploration itself as the goal.
Neither approach was wrong, but naturally I felt more fond of the one closer to my own temperament.
“Abel, it’s time to choose the path that will lead you to becoming an excellent explorer. Think carefully.”
There were two options.
“First, become a Berserker of the warrior class.”
A simple yet powerful combat style focused entirely on strength.
A class especially suited for beastmen and orcs.
In particular, it matched the powerful physique of tiger beastmen perfectly. If I were still just a Nightmare Dungeon player, I would have pushed him toward this path.
However—
This place was no longer merely the stage of a game.
It was reality.
“Second, become a Cook of the artisan class.”
A proposal tailored to Abel’s aptitude and preference.
As his patron and an adult rather than just a gamer, I wanted to support this option.
Perhaps because I once gave up my own dream of becoming a chef when confronted with reality.
“So?”
“……”
It was essentially like asking a child attending a youth soccer class whether he preferred soccer or baseball.
Abel looked around the kitchen once more, then answered without much hesitation.
“I want to become a cook.”
It seemed both Abel and I had already decided.
“Are you sure you won’t regret it? Once a class is chosen, it cannot be changed.”
“I decided this after thinking about it dozens of times while studying labyrinths.”
“I see.”
Then there was no reason to hesitate.
“Chef?”
“Yes—!”
The guest I had been waiting for outside entered the kitchen.
A maid with somewhat shabby clothing and freckles.
The very person who had delighted the siblings’ taste buds earlier.
She held a bottle of alcohol and her face was slightly flushed.
《Charlotte, Maid of the Brites Family Villa (Human, 25). Though officially a maid, she became an Artisan–Cook class while helping in the kitchen due to a lack of staff. Her cooking skill is so exceptional that Odilon’s mother insisted on bringing her along when she was expelled from the main house. She is therefore the perfect instructor for your ward Abel.》
“So I just need to teach this cute kid?”
“Yes. Would you?”
“Hehe! Of course!”
Abel, who had quietly listened to the conversation, approached Charlotte and bowed deeply.
“Please take care of me, Master.”
It was a surprisingly disciplined greeting for a child.