Chapter 90
Chapter 90
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 90
Chapter Title: Lubeck (2)
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“Ditto. Let’s move inside.”
I gently lifted Ditto, who was curled up asleep on my head, into my arms.
Ever since hatching from the egg, Ditto had spent most of its time sleeping.
Of course, it had pulled its weight by absorbing the commander’s demonic energy, but still…
“What does this little one… even eat? Demonic energy? Spiritual power?”
I hadn’t fed Ditto anything since it hatched. Not that it had ever whined about being hungry.
Ditto squirmed, wrapping itself around my chest and shoulder, and fell back asleep.
“Newborns are supposed to sleep a lot… I guess it’s the same for Ditto?”
Having traveled on foot instead of by train, I reached the city gate after a long wait in line. Soldiers took my mercenary pass to verify its authenticity.
“Destination?”
“On my way from the capital to the Ashar Desert. Heading to the White Mercenary Corps.”
Confirming the pass was genuine, the soldier nodded. There were already dozens of mercenaries in this long line.
To get to Ashar from the capital, one had to pass through here.
“Don’t cause any trouble. Stay a while, then head straight to Ashar.”
“Understood.”
With so many mercenaries coming and going, the security checks naturally became more lenient.
I found an inn close to the bank, in an area frequented by mercenaries, and rented a room.
I thought back to the last time I visited the bank.
Not much had changed since I first used the Lubeck Bank. The scale might have grown, but the structure of the underground vault and other aspects remained the same.
After some thought, two methods came to mind.
First, go directly into the vault. Second, dig my way in from underground.
The first method was high-risk. If the Da Vinci persona were to reappear after I robbed the bank president’s house, they would be on high alert.
That egg Ditto hatched from. Didn’t it seem incredibly important?
“Hmm… ugh…”
A myriad of heist movies flashed through my mind—*The Sting*, *The Italian Job*, the *Ocean’s* series, *Tazza*, *The Big Swindle*.
But no matter how hard I thought, I couldn’t come up with a stylish way to announce my entrance and rob the bank.
Besides, I was the only one pulling this job. It’s not like I could split myself into multiple people.
This wasn’t Earth, so I didn’t have any high-tech gadgets, nor could I use magic.
“Haa… damn it.”
In the end, it seemed like good old-fashioned grunt work was the only answer.
***
The biggest problem was finding a location from which to start digging a tunnel to the Lubeck Central Bank.
Having already dug into the basement of that bastard Sejanus’s mansion, I could estimate how long it would take once the distance was confirmed.
The second problem was the bank’s internal security system. Since it stored the valuables of nobles, the underground vault was naturally equipped with security.
The question was how many safes I could empty after the first alarm went off.
The third problem was the escape. Even if I managed to grab the goods, Lubeck would undoubtedly go into the highest level of lockdown.
I had prepared a backup identity just in case, but the real issue was getting out of Lubeck itself.
Just to be sure, I circled the entire outskirts of the city, scanning it meticulously with my spiritual power radar.
Lubeck was a fairly large city. They couldn’t possibly manage the entire length of its long walls.
“There’s bound to be a bolt-hole somewhere.”
That’s just the nature of cities. No city is without crime. There’s usually at least one secret passage in every city, mainly used for smuggling.
For the record, smuggling is a crime. And that includes smuggling people.
It would be fine even if there wasn't a bolt-hole. A section of the wall that was slightly thinner than the rest could be broken through with force.
And the escape would be instantaneous. As long as I could get past Lubeck’s walls, I wouldn’t be caught.
Of course, I could consider jumping over the wall, but I had to account for the soldiers stationed on top.
It’s always wise to have at least two plans, in case the first one goes awry.
That’s the way to survive.
“Just as I thought…”
While circling the outskirts, I found a spot on the wall near the slums that sounded unusually hollow.
The kind of place that looked like one punch would be enough to break a hole through it.
I didn’t know if the Lubeck soldiers were aware of this spot, but as long as I could get past this wall, escaping would be a breeze.
The third problem seemed to be solved. Either I jump over it or break through here.
The second problem was breaking into the vault from below.
As far as I knew, the underground vault’s alarm was magical. A magical alarm enveloped the entire space.
It was a minimum of a triple-layered barrier. The first barrier surrounded the entire vault. The second was an alarm system that activated when no one was on guard. The third was the security on the safes themselves.
Therefore, there was no way to bypass it. This had to be solved with brute force. That’s what this power was for.
That left one problem: securing a place to start digging toward the underground vault.
The slums were perfect for that. Powerful people usually paid little attention to such rundown areas. They couldn’t be responsible for all their citizens.
And trying to deal with it would be a hassle, so they usually just ignored it.
Besides, what could you expect in a fantasy world rampant with the nobles’ sense of entitlement?
Places like Lubeck, highly commercialized and frequented by the well-to-do, were bound to have areas that were even more neglected.
There had to be an empty house near the central bank.
.
.
.
.
.
As expected, there were plenty of empty houses in the slums. Weren’t the slums the kind of place where a person could drop dead and no one would notice? Even if rumors circulated within the slums, they wouldn’t spread outside.
If some vagrant-looking person took up residence in one of those houses, no one would pay much mind.
“Well, if someone starts trouble, I can just solve it with my fists.”
As I entered an empty house, a message conveniently arrived from Hattie Shaw.
It was a short text listing the names of nobles in order, likely because she knew I was already in Lubeck.
Classic Hattie Shaw.
I went inside the vacant house, pinpointed the central bank’s location, and visualized its layout.
Having a good memory is extremely useful at times like these.
Which direction I moved after entering the entrance, the location of the elevator, and which way the spiral staircase descended.
Where in the underground vault the tunnel from the slums would break through, and whose safe would be the closest upon entry.
I ran through all the simulations. Whose safe to hit first.
The one silver lining was that, thanks to my inventory, I didn't have to worry about lugging everything around.
All preparations were complete.
Time to say the magic words and begin.
“Haa… Lord, please allow me to be a righteous thief.”
***
All preparations were complete. I had gone to several hardware stores, buying parts for a pickaxe and shovel one by one before assembling them myself.
It was far better to buy or steal the parts separately and assemble them into one, rather than raising suspicion.
Plus, I had a crowbar that was unlikely to break. I could handle it even if I hit a massive boulder while digging.
I took my place in the shabby, vacant house in the slums and barricaded the entrance, just in case some stray wanderer tried to get in.
According to the bank president’s ledger, the vaults held the slush funds of the central nobles and all sorts of things meant to curry favor with the Emperor.
In addition, they were filled to the brim with dirt and sensitive information intended to be used against rival nobles.
The bank president who compiled such a list wasn’t in his right mind either. He must have had his own ulterior motives for putting something like that together.
My reasons for robbing the Lubeck Central Bank went beyond simply draining their wealth.
In war, information is paramount. Right now, that vault was a treasure trove of information that Hattie Shaw or the Holy Kingdom would love to get their hands on.
Of course, those high-and-mighty nobles could have stored their valuables in their own castles, but the trend of entrusting such things to banks was, ultimately, my own doing.
As Arsène Lupin, I had robbed so many nobles left and right. However, banks were relatively tricky and troublesome to hit, so I hadn’t bothered with them. This led to the widespread belief that valuables were safe in a bank.
“Hmph. All sorts of thoughts are coming to mind.”
Doing this kind of repetitive work makes you think about all sorts of things. Like the value of labor, for instance. Endless digging to rob a high-security bank. What a picture of honest work this is.
*Clang—*
The tip of my shovel hit a massive rock.
The Lubeck Bank’s underground vault was built out of a huge bedrock formation. The existing rock was combined with new stones to create a vast space.
Needless to say, magical reinforcement was involved.
That’s why, even though I was nowhere near the bank yet, massive rocks kept appearing.
I split the bedrock, crammed the shattered pieces into the ground to level the floor, and used the remaining stones to reinforce the ceiling, making the tunnel sturdy.
If things went according to plan, I would arrive at the Southern Mountains right on schedule.
*CRAAANG—!*
I slammed the crowbar into the center of a boulder and took a swig of water.
“Ugh, what good is a great memory if I’m just stuck here doing grunt work?”
There was still so much earth left to dig.
***
“It’s a bit of a shame, the flow of information stopping like that.”
“It can’t be helped. Eil has suffered enough.”
Losing our mole in the intelligence agency was unfortunate, but a life is more important. We couldn’t become the same as the Empire.
“Did you get Eil out safely?”
“He should have arrived in Rzhev by now.”
They had managed to extract Eil at the right moment, even as he sabotaged information from within the intelligence agency until the very end, despite the threat to his life.
“Did something good happen?”
The situation in the capital was a daily walk on eggshells, a mad dash across a razor’s edge.
On top of that, their spy in the intelligence agency, Eil, was gone.
So, to see Hattie Shaw suddenly smirking to herself, how could one not be curious?
“A certain madman is about to pull a crazy stunt. I’m looking forward to it.”
“A crazy stunt? Should we prepare for it?”
“Preparations are already in place. It’s not in the capital, so the direct impact won’t be that significant.”
Her subordinate nodded at her answer but let out a sigh. After the information disruption campaign against the Central Intelligence Agency, their enemies were hunting them with a vengeance.
“But on the other hand, the pressure on us should lessen a bit…”
No matter how much that bastard Emperor called himself a god, his underlings were all human. And greedy nobles at that.
What happens when their vaults get robbed?
The Emperor might not care, but his subordinates would have no choice but to. Especially if not one, but dozens of vaults were hit at once.
She was curious about how and which vaults he planned to rob, but she didn't bother asking. Sometimes, it’s better not to know.
If a problem arose, she would simply do her job: gather intelligence and assess the situation.
“Tell the others to keep their ears open. Information is probably going to start pouring in from all over soon.”
“Understood.”
What changes would this incident bring? If the vaults were robbed, it would undoubtedly become a watershed moment in the current situation.
No one knew which way the tide would turn, but she believed that, for her at least, it wouldn’t be a bad thing.
After all, the Empire’s situation couldn’t possibly get any worse.