Chapter 67

Chapter 68

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Translator: MadScientist

Chapter: 67

Chapter Title: What to Steal from the Hero (2)

-----------------------------------------------------------------

The past week—

Despite all the tracking and surveillance,

Marian's sister hadn't found so much as a single strand of hair.

It stung my pride as a thief, but...

Targets hiding in unreachable, unknown places was pretty common.

And—

it wasn't like there was no way to steal it.

Track them down relentlessly to pinpoint their location,

or lure them into dropping their guard.

Or—

dangle a big, beautiful bait so enticing they have no choice but to come out.

This time, I planned to go with the last option.

Her sister's vigilance was still ironclad,

and I'd failed to uncover her identity or whereabouts.

Above all, even on this late night, after a week of watching the dorms, there hadn't been a single sign of movement.

Neither from Marian,

nor her sister.

I scanned the dormitory again.

On the surface, it was the picture of a quiet, model dorm at night.

'Even at night it's this silent... how the hell do they communicate?'

Well, there were probably all sorts of reasons.

Maybe ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠because it wasn't the appointed month yet.

Or perhaps she was the type who never showed herself.

Honestly, the reason didn't matter much to me.

All I cared about was dragging that sister in front of my eyes before the month was up.

To a thief, bait was

a tool to pull the situation my way.

Right now... making the enemy come rushing no matter what move they made was the top priority.

So to them, it had to be a threat and a warning,

and at the same time, something of such absolute value they had no choice but to retrieve it.

I chuckled and looked up at the sky.

The pitch-black night sky.

And the full moon illuminating the darkness.

Another perfect stage set for me.

Eclipse.

My unique ability.

The stage where, under the full moon, I could steal anything I desired.

I gazed up at the dormitory window where Marian was likely sleeping.

'A bit of a shame, but...'

Marian Labelin.

The one holding the biggest clue right now.

And—

one of the variables that could threaten Ruena in the end.

Because in the future I'd seen, she'd stood against Ruena wielding a blade of pure white.

'I wanted to save Eclipse for last.'

I let out a long sigh at the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠lingering regret.

But—

through the years, I'd learned one thing.

Staring only at the future

could make you miss the present you need to change it.

It could dull your judgment bit by bit, eventually eating away at you.

In simple terms—

hoarding it too long might turn it to shit.

I slowly clenched and unclenched my fist.

Moonlight seemed to coil around my hand like a sensation wrapping my skin.

The signal that Eclipse was ready.

Eclipse.

My unique ability, usable only once per target.

In exchange, whether it had form or not,

I could obtain anything I wanted, guaranteed.

The unique ability provided the optimal method,

so all ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I had to do was grasp the path to the best outcome.

And—

over the past week, I'd decided.

What to steal from Marian.

'Let's see... where is it...'

I checked inside the dorm using the micro magic tool I'd planted on Marian's roommate.

It didn't let me see visually,

but tracked the internal state by sensing surrounding mana flows.

Even so, secretly peeking inside a girls' dorm felt too guilty.

'Feel bad for planting this on an innocent roommate, but...'

No helping it.

If I'd put it on Marian and she noticed, it'd be trouble.

'Ah, found it.'

I traced Marian's mana.

As expected—

tonight, Marian was blissfully asleep, oblivious to the world.

Here I was suffering in the dead of night,

while she slept soundly without a care.

It made stealing easier, but damn, it was annoying.

I concealed myself perfectly and headed toward Marian's dorm room.

The crisp dawn air brushed my skin.

'Gone.'

The guard I'd been watching turned and headed the opposite way.

I advanced, checking surroundings and magic tools intermittently.

Barriers.

Surveillance spells.

Guard patrols.

All obstacles, but—

now that I'd mapped them, just minor annoyances.

'Where the hell does Sis get this stuff?'

This magic tool was from my sister too.

It detected nearby barriers and marked gaps in real time.

Like strolling through a maze with the exit lit up.

Thanks to it—

I grasped the academy's ironclad security at a glance.

I slipped inside quickly.

'Would've been easier if I was in this dorm too.'

Marian was in the girls' dorm,

while Ruena and I had separate independent dorms for high nobility.

'At least that kept Ruena's carelessness hidden from the students.'

Yeah—

every upside in the world came with a downside.

I held my breath and scanned around swiftly.

The dorm hallway was dead silent.

'...Even the hallways are different from ours.'

Ours had marble floors,

but here it was plain wood.

They preached equality, but class distinctions were inevitable, it seemed.

I moved carefully, slowly.

The old wooden floor creaked under slight pressure, but

adjusting my foot angle let me pass silently.

'Surveillance here feels... kinda lax too.'

Ours crawled with guards,

but this place relied on detection spells alone—pure quiet.

Perfect, really.

For a geared-up thief,

unpredictable people were far riskier than high-level detection magic.

'This is it.'

The door where Marian's mana pulsed.

I approached cautiously and stopped.

The room inside was silent.

No light leaked from under the door.

A truly peaceful night with everyone asleep.

Though I planned to shatter that peace.

I slowly reached out.

Four people asleep inside, including Marian.

Pinpointing her was no trouble at all.

'Only one chance.'

Yeah.

Truly just once.

The chance for Marian,

and for the one-month prep period.

So—

in Eclipse's single perfect opportunity, I had to seize what benefited me most.

I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠held my breath, staring at the door.

A thief needs many virtues.

Don't get caught.

Be more nimble than anyone.

Spot the hidden.

Never lose sight of your target.

And above all—

once you've set your target, obtain it by any means.

To a thief,

what you've decided to steal is the most precious thing in the world.

Yeah.

I trusted that.

My judgment as a thief.

The conviction I could turn this situation in my favor.

'What I need from Marian...'

Two things most of all.

First, bait so tempting her sister had to come out.

Second, eliminate the variable that could threaten Ruena later.

A way to solve it all at once.

There was only one, no matter how I thought.

I recalled Marian from my observations over time.

She was a pawn.

A grunt without any initiative.

But—

a pawn is worthless only when stuck in place;

once it moves, it becomes the anomaly that shakes the board.

A being that could become a queen if conditions aligned.

Yeah.

Marian was just like that.

The entrance exam—

I remembered Marian, transformed beyond recognition.

With one gesture, she became a tough warrior,

and with another, a frail mage unleashing powerful spells.

An ability unique to Marian, impossible for ordinary people.

'And that's why she's stuck to the blockhead's side.'

I chuckled and reached out.

Moonlight gathered slowly in my hand.

Finally—

I pictured what I'd resolved to steal.

『Steal Marian Labelin's 'power to change her own abilities.』

The moonlight shining on the dorm vanished for a brief instant.

In that split-second darkness—

an unseen force placed what I desired in my palm.

I looked down at the enigmatic rectangular plate now in both hands.

'What the hell is this?'

Something... was seriously off. Really off.

I'd stolen all sorts of things in my life, but never anything like this.

Visually clear in form,

yet the sensation felt like grasping empty air.

For now, I pocketed the stolen item quickly and slipped out.

Moments later—

back in my room.

By moonlight, I examined the stolen good.

A translucent,

extremely thin rectangular plate.

I could touch it, move it around.

But—

in the mirror, I just looked like I was flailing at thin air.

'...What is this thing, really?'

I bent it, slammed it on the floor.

But unlike its flimsy appearance, it didn't budge.

No scratches where it hit the floor.

Truly—

an inexplicable material I'd never encountered.

I tried bending it with force again—no give.

'What is it? Some special shield?'

I inspected the rectangular plate in my hand once more.

But—

staring at an unsolved puzzle wouldn't magically reveal the answer.

The unknown script on the plate just gleamed, mocking my ignorance.

《ステータス 》

Letters I'd never seen in my life.

No clue how to read them or what they meant.

The numbers scattered around were readable, but...

without knowing what they signified, useless.

'What the hell is this—?!'

Figured bending wouldn't hurt it anyway.

I vented by slamming my fist on the rectangular plate repeatedly.

'Huh?'

Right then—

the plate's surface rippled, emitting a strange sound.