Chapter 76: Baron Ashro’s Estate 7
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 76: Baron Ashro’s Estate 7
"Sepia, what’s the plan?"
"Shouldn't we just walk around and ask the villagers?" Sepia suggested, taking a bite of the sandwich she’d picked up earlier.
"That’s too inefficient. How about we try this instead?"
"Huh? Try what?"
"This."
To grab everyone's attention, I used an illusion to manifest a massive teddy bear several stories tall.
[Anyone who knows anything about Phantom Thief Cardinal, please come this way!]
A high-pitched, adorable voice blared the announcement from the teddy bear’s mouth. As the giant plushie loomed over the center of the village, the locals froze, staring at us with wide, startled eyes.
"See? This way, people will come to us while we walk through the village. We won't have to hunt them down individually."
"This is mortifying! Get away from me!"
As the entire village focused their gaze on us, Sepia—looking like she wanted the ground to swallow her whole—shouted at me and bolted.
"Wait for me! Sepia!" I called out, chasing after her.
"Don't scream my name so loudly!"
"What else am I supposed to call you if not Sepia!"
[Anyone who knows anything about Phantom Thief Cardinal, please come this way!]
The giant teddy bear waddled along behind us, mimicking our pace as we ran.
"It’s a teddy bear; isn't it cute?"
"It has to be a reasonable size to be cute! That thing is a monster!"
Perhaps it was the sight of two strangers screaming as they sprinted through the streets, or perhaps it was the giant, waddling illusion. Either way, the further we ran, the more eyes we drew.
Realizing that running only made them stand out more, Sepia grabbed my hand and yanked me into a secluded corner.
"Get rid of that thing. Right. Now." Sepia pointed a trembling finger at the waddling bear.
"I put a lot of effort into that, you know."
"Now!"
[Anyone who knows anything about Phantom Thief—]
I snapped my fingers, deactivating the illusion. The teddy bear vanished mid-sentence.
"Seriously, you are unbelievable...!"
"Still, after a performance like that, don't you think at least one person will come forward?"
"If it were you, would you go talk to a suspicious person dragging a giant teddy bear around?"
"Wouldn't you? Just out of curiosity?"
"Sigh..."
Sepia let out a long, frustrated sigh. Honestly, from my perspective, it wasn't actually ideal for someone who had truly seen Phantom Thief Cardinal to show up.
"...They went in here, right?"
"They did, but are you really going to talk to them? They look suspicious no matter how you slice it."
Two figures approached our corner. Judging by the pitch of their voices, they were children.
"There they are."
"I saw Phantom Thief Cardinal!" one boy declared, puffing out his chest as he looked at us.
I didn't recall any young children being among the witnesses during my actual heist.
"Could you tell us when you saw him?" I asked.
"A week before Cardinal broke into the Baron's estate! I saw him with my own two eyes, sneaking inside!"
A week ago...
I had only arrived here on the actual day I stole the drugs from Baron Ashro. It seemed this child had mistaken someone else for the Phantom Thief.
Just as I was about to give him a snack and send him on his way—
"Are you sure the person you saw was Phantom Thief Cardinal?" Sepia asked skeptically.
"Well, I'm not 100% sure... but he was definitely wearing black clothes with a strange symbol on them!"
I stiffened.
Black clothes. A strange symbol.
Could it be...?
"He looked suspicious from the start," the boy continued. "If he wasn't Phantom Thief Cardinal, there’d be no reason for him to sneak into the estate."
I burned with the urge to ask for more details about the symbol, but I held back. Sepia was standing right there.
Very few people in the Empire knew that Necromancers were still active. Sepia would eventually have to face them to get her revenge, but with her current strength, knowing the truth now might be more dangerous than helpful.
So, I simply played along with the boy's story, gave him some food, and sent him on his way.
After parting with the children, Sepia and I canvassed the rest of the village, but we couldn't gather any more meaningful leads. Soon, it was time to regroup with the other Special Class students.
"Should we head back now?"
"Yes. Oh!" I spoke up as if I’d suddenly remembered something urgent.
"What is it?"
"I think I left something behind where we were eating sandwiches. I'll go grab it quickly. You go on ahead, Sepia."
"Should I wait for you?"
"No, it's fine. The others might be waiting, so please go and let them know I'm coming."
I waved her off and immediately doubled back into the village. Sprinting through the streets, I scanned the crowds until I found the boy from earlier. He was walking alone now, having split up from his friend.
"Huh? You're back?"
"I realized there was one more thing I needed to ask," I said, getting straight to the point. "Was the symbol on the clothes something like this?"
Praying I was wrong, I used an illusion to project the skull symbol that represented Death Heaven.
"Oh! That's it. That's the one."
"...... I see."
The person the boy saw probably wasn't a high-ranking Necromancer. It was likely one of their subordinates. If the boy had encountered an actual Necromancer, he’d already be a corpse.
After sternly warning the boy not to tell anyone else about the symbol, I made my way to the meeting spot.
"What took you so long?"
"I had to track down something I dropped. Did you find out anything about Phantom Thief Cardinal?"
"No, nothing useful. You?"
"I didn't get any helpful information either."
While we were debating our next move, Baron Ashro arrived in person to inform us that dinner was served. Normally, a Baron would leave such a task to the servants, but since members of a Marquis household, a Ducal family, and even the Imperial Family were present, he was playing the perfect host.
"I'm fine. I'm still full from that sandwich earlier."
Bowing out of the dinner, I retreated to my assigned room.
Slide.
After confirming the perimeter was clear, I pulled out a communication device and placed a call. After a moment, a familiar face flickered into view on the display.
"Your Majesty."
[I believe you are currently on a mission. Has something happened?]
Usually, we would exchange brief pleasantries, but the gravity of the situation demanded haste.
"I believe I know who provided the drugs to Baron Ashro."
[And who might that be?] the Emperor asked, his gaze turning ice-cold.
"Necromancers. It appears they are the ones supplying the Baron."
[Is that information accurate?] The Emperor's brow furrowed the moment the word 'Necromancer' was uttered.
"A villager spotted an individual wearing the insignia of the Necromancers entering the estate."
[Is there a possibility the witness is mistaken?]
"None. The witness was a child—an ordinary boy born and raised in this village with no reason to lie."
[.....................]
The Emperor fell into a deep silence, his mind clearly racing. He was weighing the options. If we moved against Baron Ashro now, the Necromancers might vanish into the shadows. Yet, leaving him be allowed a cancer to grow within the Empire.
"Your Majesty, I have an idea."
However, for my plan to work, a few conditions had to be met.
"Does Professor Elicia know that the items Phantom Thief Cardinal stole from Baron Ashro were drugs?"
[She knows.]
With that, the pieces were in place. Professor Elicia was the most vital component of the plan I had in mind.
"Your Majesty, the Necromancers themselves likely aren't staying inside the estate, but their subordinates will certainly be close to the Baron."
There was no way the Necromancers would remain idle after their product was stolen. There was a high probability they were lurking nearby, perhaps even without the Baron's knowledge.
[...... I see.] The Emperor's eyes widened slightly as he grasped the trajectory of my thoughts.
"If Phantom Thief Cardinal—the one who stole their drugs—were to reappear... do you think they could resist coming out to play?"
* * *
I didn't know how long this mission would officially last, but we were all staying at the Ashro estate for the night. Even for a noble on the fringes, a Baron was still a Baron; his mansion was large enough to provide every Special Class student with a private room.
'I've already coordinated with Professor Elicia. It's time to move.'
Having finished my briefing with the Professor, I slipped out of my window.
"You're watching, aren't you?"
As I whispered to the empty air, two figures shrouded in shifting shadows materialized before me. Before ending the call with the Emperor, I had requested the assistance of the Emperor's Shadows who were monitoring the estate. The Emperor had granted it without hesitation.
"I'm counting on you."
""..................""
They bowed their heads in a silent, synchronized motion.
Just as I had during the first heist, I donned the mantle of the Phantom Thief Cardinal.
"Shall we see how Baron Ashro reacts when I show up with his 'medicine' again?"