A Righteous Thief
Inside the jolting carriage, I stared down at the crisp, high-grade parchment gripped in my hand.
Inscribed across its surface in elegant script was a single phrase: Letter of Recommendation for Academy Admission.
At present, I was en route to the Imperial Capital to matriculate into the Academy. It wasn't as though the tearful pleas of the brothel staff—whose names I hadn't even bothered to memorize—or the pimp had moved my heart. Rather, I figured that graduating from the Academy would give me the leverage to sever ties with them once and for all. Three years. I just had to endure three years of schooling.
Seriously, though.
The original main cast would have graduated long ago, leaving behind an institution swarming almost entirely with haughty nobles. And I, a lowly commoner, was supposed to mingle among them? A bit of whispered slander behind my back I could stomach. Just please, Goddess, don't let anyone pick a fight with me and drag me into a forced duel.
Please, just let me graduate in peace.
Massaging my already throbbing temples, I silently offered up a prayer to Leviathan.
{Pray not unto this one for such petty trifles.}
Ah. So you were listening.
After an entire week of rattling inside the carriage, we finally reached the Imperial Capital.
Presenting the identification plaque provided by the pimp to the gate guards granted me effortless passage into the city. For once in his miserable life, that sleazy pimp had actually prepared something useful.
Since the Capital was merely a transit stop on my way to the Academy, I decided to lodge here for a short spell. The Academy's entrance ceremony was still two days away. Why not do a little sightseeing to pass the time? Having arrived earlier than anticipated, I added an impromptu itinerary to my schedule.
My chest swelled with eager anticipation at the thought of taking in the very sights I had previously seen only through game illustrations. My gaze darted across the vibrant thoroughfare, drinking in the bustling spectacle.
A sundry stall hawking decorative masks caught my eye first. Ooh, definitely buying one of those.
Beyond that lay street vendors grilling skewered meats, packs of street urchins darting between carriages, a wandering bard strumming a lute and singing heroic ballads of the legendary Hero, and even an entertainer juggling with dazzling sleight of hand.
Now that... I kind of covet.
Why didn't I possess nimble, dexterous hands like that? If only I had that kind of skill...
The moment envy flared within my chest, my fingertips began to prickle with an unmistakable itch. Why not pick up whatever was lying around and give juggling a try?
My eyes settled on a scattering of smooth pebbles along the roadside. Gathering a handful, I lobbed the first stone with my left hand and swiftly caught it with my right.
Swish.
Swish.
Maintaining the continuous arc, I fed more pebbles into the rhythm, seamlessly accelerating the cycle. By the time six stones were dancing through the air in an effortless orbit, the passing crowd had fallen quiet, their eyes turning toward me in fascination. To cap it off, I flicked the trajectory inward, catching all six stones in a neat, precarious stack balanced upon a single palm.
Clap, clap, clap.
Polite applause echoed from nearby. Looking up, I spotted a figure clad in an ivory-white hooded robe clapping admiringly in my direction.
Ugh, dammit. That is mortifying.
Why did I have to go and copy that on a whim? Stifling the heat rising to my cheeks, I hurriedly pushed through the gathered onlookers and fled the scene.
Letting her hands fall still, the girl in the white robe watched the corner where the violet-haired girl had vanished.
"That girl is channeling a rather peculiar energy, isn't she?" the robed maiden murmured, turning toward the armored knight standing beside her.
"Could it be... demonic energy?"
The knight's gauntleted hand snapped instantly to the hilt of his sword, ready to sprint after the girl at a moment's notice. But the maiden raised a slender hand, checking his advance.
"This is the Empire, not the Holy Kingdom. If we stir up trouble without cause, it will leave an indelible blemish upon the Holy Kingdom's honor. We have neither physical proof nor clear evidence. Besides, we only stopped in this city because we sensed the faint resonance of an Arcana..."
"Nevertheless... Saintess, when suspicion arises, it is paramount to strike the root before—"
The maiden turned fully toward the knight, her hood shifting to reveal a pair of piercing, radiant golden eyes fixed upon him.
"Do not address me by that title here. And strictly speaking, the Saintess is my mother, not me."
"...Yes. My apologies, my lady."
Relinquishing his grip on his blade, the knight bowed his head contritely.
Will that girl be attending the Academy as well? It would certainly be amusing if our paths crossed again.
A flicker of genuine curiosity sparkled within the golden eyes of the girl they called the Saintess.
I ran until the sounds of clapping faded into the ambient hum of the city, finally slowing to a halt in a dim, deserted back alley. Old habits truly die hard—I had gravitated toward the shadows without even realizing it.
Reaching into my coat, I pulled out the mask I had bought moments earlier and slipped it over my face. It was an ornate masquerade mask that concealed the upper half of my face around my eyes while leaving my lips and jaw exposed. It had caught my eye for precisely that reason.
Out in the broad daylight it might not matter, but in a squalid, sunless slum like this, my face would instantly mark me as prime prey. While I could easily subdue any filthy thugs who approached me by tapping into Envy, doing so would inevitably complicate matters.
With that settled, I turned to leave the alleyway, only for a voice to chime directly in my mind.
{Hold thy steps for a moment, child.}
What is it, Leviathan?
{Nearby... after an eternity of silence, this one senses it once more...}
Slithering out from between the strands of my hair in the form of a petite violet serpent, Leviathan shuddered from snout to tail. The serpentine spirit seemed positively trembling with exhilaration.
What do you sense?
{An Arcana... This one perceives an Arcana...}
Arcana.
The seventy-eight mystical cards that formed the foundational lore of Tome of Arcana. Imbued with fragments of cosmic, divine power, merely carrying one of these cards granted a massive enhancement to divine power, mana capacity, and physical dexterity.
And one of those legendary artifacts was resting right here in this dingy alley? Hadn't the Hero gathered every single Arcana during his journey?
Are you absolutely certain?
{Verily, it is no falsehood. Having gathered the Arcana in eras long past, this one knows their resonance intimately.}
Collecting an Arcana would grant me an immediate leap in power. That singular prospect was more than enough reason to see this through.
Which way?
{Over there.}
Leviathan tilted its serpentine head toward an overflowing trash receptacle tucked into the gloomiest corner of the alley. To all appearances, it was nothing more than an ordinary refuse bin.
There's an Arcana inside that garbage?
{Nay. Beneath it.}
Beneath?
I stepped forward and shoved the heavy receptacle aside, revealing a discreet stone hatchway carved directly into the cobblestone paving below.
A hidden passage... This looks like a back door to a black market. I never would have noticed it without you.
{Think nothing of it.}
The passage unfolded into a steep flight of stairs plunging deep beneath the earth. Down and down the tunnel spiraled into the subterranean dark. One might have expected the air to become stale and suffocating, yet my lungs drew in crisp, surprisingly well-ventilated drafts.
Someone's been maintaining this route recently.
{How dost thou speak with such certainty?}
This time, it was Leviathan who asked the question.
Multiple sets of fresh footprints are pressed into the dust, the floor is far too tidy for an abandoned tunnel, and the walls aren't rough-hewn dirt or masonry brick—they're fitted with polished marble slabs. That's high-end craftsmanship. And besides...
I shifted my gaze toward the well-dressed man standing at the base of the stairs.
There's literally an attendant standing right in front of us.
Leviathan promptly dissolved into the purple strands of my hair, concealing its presence.
"May I ask what brings a lady down here?"
The man, his face concealed behind a sleek white porcelain mask, addressed me with polite scrutiny.
"An acquaintance recommended I pay a visit."
I answered with deliberate ambiguity, curving my exposed lips into a calm, knowing smirk that practically radiated, I already know everything that happens down here.
Which wasn't entirely a bluff—I genuinely did know what lay beyond.
Confronted with my unshakable composure, the guard flashed a fleeting hint of uncertainty before accepting the response.
"Is that so? May I inquire as to your name, my lady?"
"Is there any reason to announce one's identity in an establishment specifically designed to obscure it?"
Adopting an aloof, haughty cadence, I let a subtle wisp of Envy seep into the surrounding air. To an outside observer, I had to look like nothing less than an arrogant, sharp-tongued noble scion accustomed to looking down on everyone.
"Ahem..."
Evidently cowed by my imposing aura, the man cleared his throat, stepped aside, and executed a deep, deferential bow.
"Welcome, my lady. Step forward into the Night Market."
The Night Market.
The Capital's premier clandestine black market and auction house. Among the player base of Tome of Arcana, it was colloquially referred to simply as the Underworld Bazaar.
It was a venue that ordinary players never had any reason to visit unless they locked themselves into the villainous Corrupted Route. Furthermore, the secret entrance shifted randomly with every playthrough, so I had never anticipated stumbling across it in this life. Lady Luck was smiling on me today.
Since the canonical Hero had achieved the peaceful Seventh Ending rather than the Corrupted Ending, it made sense that he had missed the Arcana hidden down here.
{Dost thou recognize this place?}
More or less.
Back in the game, visiting this market had merely been a matter of clicking dialogue choices on a screen, but several landmarks matched the concept illustrations I remembered. I strode confidently into the grand foyer.
Can you still sense the Arcana's aura?
{Aye. Continue along the path thou art treading.}
Parting a pair of heavy crimson velvet curtains brought me to an expansive amphitheater. An elevated stage dominated the center of the hall, ringed by tiers of plush seating. This was an auction house.
An auction.
A den of illicit commerce where forgotten relics and cursed artifacts were presented before an anonymous audience, sold off to whichever patron submitted the highest bid.
To think an Arcana had ended up in a place like this. Had someone salvaged it from ancient ruins by sheer stroke of luck, or had an unscrupulous seller put it on the block intentionally?
With the pocket change I currently have, there's no way in hell I can outbid these nobles for an Arcana...
{Child, for what reason dost thou contemplate purchasing it?}
Because that's the law and order established by society?
{Buying and selling are merely arbitrary constraints contrived by mortal kind.}
Well, I'm technically a mortal, so I have to abide by the rules.
{Whom dost thou believe this one to be?}
Leviathan's voice echoed in my head, dripping with ancient majesty.
You're Leviathan, obviously?
{Nay, not my moniker—my very essence!}
Your essence? Well... You're Envy, one of the primordial Seven Deadly Sins. An entity older than the Demon King, wielding power that surpasses even the wicked gods?
{Indeed. And what art thou?}
Me? I'm... a believer of Envy?
{Precisely. This one is Envy, Sin incarnate. There is no cause under heaven for this one to obey the petty decrees of mortals. Ergo, neither dost thou, my sworn believer, possess any obligation to bow before such trivial laws.}
Hearing Leviathan lay out this miraculous chain of syllogistic logic struck me with genuine, eye-opening enlightenment.
Why on earth didn't I think of that?
I had already shamelessly plagiarized other people's swordsmanship and spellcraft through Envy. Getting cold feet over the concept of private property at this late stage wasn't like me at all.
Thank you, Leviathan. You've truly opened my eyes.
{Thou must attain strength with haste if this one is to walk this world once more. As a deity... nay, as a Sin, this one merely proclaimed the self-evident truth.}
Bwa-bwa-bwa-baam—!
A brass fanfare resonated through the chamber, heralding the commencement of the auction. While Leviathan and I had been conversing, the hall had rapidly filled to capacity with masked aristocrats and wealthy merchants.
Bluffing my way through the crowd, I collected a numbered bidding paddle from the reception desk and slipped gracefully into the auditorium.
While I'm filching the Arcana, I might as well help myself to a few other relics as a bonus.
Anything that wound up on the auction block of a black market had bypassed legitimate legal channels through bribery and smuggling anyway. Just for today, I would graciously take on the mantle of a righteous thief and liberate both the artifacts and the Arcana.
Don't take it too personally, folks.