A Gift to the Church
Sitting on the rooftop under the cover of a dark night, I mulled over my next move. Now that I'd fenced the Sun's Smile and turned it into cash, I needed to figure out how to handle the money.
I'll skip the orphanage from last time. Dumping cash into the same place over and over might make it seem less like pure charity and more like I'm currying favor through some connection.
"Any good spots come to mind?"
[If it's really that tough, why not just hold onto it and dole it out slowly?]
Of course, I'd considered that option, but it wasn't ideal.
"You heard what they were saying earlier today. Even a little delay, and everyone's badmouthing me already."
Calling me not a phantom thief, but just a common crook. Saying it's all for my own greed. People like that would never go away. A phantom thief's profession was never going to be welcomed with open arms anyway.
Even if I piled up a hundred good deeds, one misstep and the crowd would turn on me completely.
[So, do you regret becoming a phantom thief?]
I smirked at the Goddess's question.
"Nah."
No regrets at all. I didn't care much about others' opinions in the first place. I was plenty satisfied with my current life.
"Ah, I just thought of a good place."
[Oh? And where might that be?]
I stood up as I answered.
"The church."
The church wasn't far away. Tucked at the edge of the city's outskirts, it was smaller and quieter than I'd expected.
[Any particular reason you chose this place?]
"Yeah. The nun here is a really kind soul."
I'd never met her in person, but I knew her well from the original story. She was one of the protagonist's mentors and a key supporting character who played an important role as a force for good.
I crept silently to the church entrance. Peeking in, I saw the nun praying alone inside, even at this late hour.
[Hmm. If only she'd pray to me—I'd grant it right away.]
"One devotee is enough for you, Goddess."
[True enough. Hehe.]
To be precise, I wasn't just a lay believer but an apostle. But since I was her only follower, titles didn't matter much.
Anyway, I gently set the bundle of cash at the entrance and placed the pre-written introduction letter on top.
Please use this for a good cause.
— Phantom Thief Raven
"Perfect."
One thing left to do.
Knock knock.
I rapped on the door loud enough for the nun to hear, then quickly ducked into hiding nearby to watch.
"Who's there?"
The church door creaked open, and the nun peered around. Her eyes landed on the bundle of cash, and she tilted her head in confusion.
"Huh?"
She bent down, read the letter on top, and murmured to herself.
"Phantom Thief Raven...?"
[What if she refuses the money? Got a plan for that?]
"Uh... I didn't think of that."
True, it wasn't impossible. Money from a thief might be awkward for a holy woman to accept.
Though technically, I was doing this at the Goddess's request.
Anyway, as she said, refusal was possible, so I stayed hidden and watched closely instead of leaving right away.
The nun alternated between staring at the cash and the letter, deep in thought. Finally, she bent down, picked up the bundle, and carried it inside the church.
"Whew, she took it. She'll put it to good use, right?"
[Who knows. By the way, I've got a question.]
"Sure, what is it?"
[Is your criterion for donating based on a woman's looks?]
"...Pardon?"
[The orphanage last time, this church now. All run by young, beautiful women. You naughty boy.]
"Misunderstanding. I told you already."
My sole criterion for donating was simple: Is the person or organization good-hearted?
But you can't easily investigate that lightly, so naturally, I gave to people I knew well from the original story who appeared often.
And characters in stories like this are almost always good-looking. So unintentionally, it ended up being pretty women.
[I'm not blaming you. A true phantom thief should have a bit of Casanova flair, no?]
"...That's all just stereotypes. No need for a phantom thief to flirt with every beauty."
[You admit it fits the phantom thief image, though.]
How did the conversation veer off like this?
I slipped away from the church, changing the subject on purpose as I moved.
"So, what's the next target?"
[The National Museum.]
"Oh. Finally, the museum."
The phrasing might be odd, but when you think treasures or jewels, a museum is the first place that comes to mind.
So far, I'd stolen personal items from mansions. Now, the phantom thief was making his appearance at a museum.
[You could call this the real debut.]
"Stealing from a private citizen versus a nation—totally different leagues."
The original story's setting—and the official name of this country where I operated—was the Britannia Empire. As the name suggested, it was a fictional nation modeled after a certain real-world country on Earth.
Its national power was immense. Add in the mystical force of magic, nonexistent in reality, and it proudly held the position of the world's strongest superpower.
Stealing from the National Museum meant making an enemy of that nation. It was incomparably worse than the notoriety from robbing greedy rich folks' private stashes—I'd plummet straight into the ranks of heinous criminals.
[You prepared for that?]
"Been ready since day one."
Honestly, saying I wasn't scared at all would be a lie, but the thrill outweighed the fear. Guess I'm not normal either. Then again, no normal person would willingly take up phantom thievery.
[Good. Then let me explain in detail.]
This target's a sapphire necklace at the National Museum called the Angel's Stayed Sea. True to its poetic name, it's renowned for its breathtaking beauty that leaves viewers in awe at first sight. The Goddess's power is sealed within that sapphire.
"I'll have to return this gem instead of selling it to the Witch."
[Even then, Britannia won't forgive you.]
Obviously. The fact of the theft itself carried weight beyond just returning it. Britannia would hunt me relentlessly to salvage its pride.
"No half-measures will work."
[Naturally, security will be far tighter than before.]
"Got any good ideas?"
[Isn't that for the phantom thief to figure out?]
Too fair a point to argue.
But sitting around racking my brain wouldn't magically produce a plan.
"Guess I should head to the museum area and scout for a strategy."
No deadline, so no rush, but dawdling too long would let public interest in Phantom Thief Raven fizzle out. Aim to pull it off within a week.
"This isn't easy..."
That was my conclusion after four days of meticulous investigation.
This target was genuinely tough. Ironclad security in a word. The museum was an impenetrable fortress, allowing no gaps whatsoever.
No matter where I looked, I couldn't spot a single vulnerability.
Only three days left until my self-imposed deadline. Could I find a way in and steal the Angel's Stayed Sea in time?
[Don't be too hasty.]
"You heard the kids at school today! People are already forgetting Phantom Thief Raven!"
This was a real problem. If I didn't make a flashy comeback by raiding the museum this week, retirement was certain.
[Rushing desperately will make you fail even winnable jobs. To be a true master phantom thief, stay calm in any situation.]
"...You're right. Thanks, Goddess."
Her advice—oddly like a code of conduct for thieves—calmed my nerves. I regained my composure and thought rationally.
"Hmm..."
The museum's interior guide map I'd acquired days ago and pored over endlessly. And the sketch I'd drawn from memory of the necklace's display area.
The necklace sat on a pedestal encased in enchanted glass that wouldn't shatter easily. Any damage triggered an alarm across the entire museum—and linked straight to the nearby police station. So the glass was essentially untouchable.
"What about a teleport spell to grab it without touching..."
[Think you can pull that off at your level?]
"No way. Total overreach."
Everything else was workable, but that glass cover was the killer. How to extract the necklace without touching the surrounding glass?
Such a method couldn't exist.
"...Huh? Wait."
A sudden possibility hit me. I hurriedly unrolled the map I'd set aside—the one of the museum's surroundings, just in case.
There it was. Not directly under the museum, but a facility running right alongside it.
The sewer.
The glass sealed every side, but strictly speaking, the bottom was the pedestal itself, not glass.
So... steal it from below.