Catch the Thief
"A theft incident, you say."
"Everyone's been keeping it quiet, but this is already the third one."
The security officer spoke in a lowered voice. His cautious posture made it seem like he was sharing something that shouldn't spread, so I lowered my voice as well and asked.
"Doesn't this kind of thing happen often around here?"
Altea was a resort city, as the name suggested, filled with villas. And villas, being seasonal vacation homes, were naturally easier targets for thieves than regular residences.
Of course, for it to happen at this particular time is definitely unusual.
At the very least, it wasn't serious enough to put the entire security force on high alert.
"The thing is... all three cases happened at the Altea family estate."
"Ah..."
Then there was no helping it. If the lord of the territory had been hit, there was no way his subordinates could stay untouched.
"That's why all our manpower is tied up guarding the mansion and chasing the thief, which has created a security vacuum."
Those words finally explained why they had been speaking so carefully. It was a humiliating story for the Altea family, so naturally they wanted to keep it under wraps.
"I see. You've been through a lot."
"Still, we've been fortunate to have a few nobles like yourselves offering help, so it hasn't reached a truly critical level."
"Haha, I see. That's a relief."
While giving the security officer an appropriate response, I quietly asked Diana.
"Are you familiar with this?"
"Yes, but this is the first time it's happened during this period. It usually occurs one or two months later."
"...There are a lot of changes this round."
Anyway, I had a clear picture of the situation now.
This is a pretty good opportunity.
I needed to perform good deeds to fill the Spiral of Good Deeds. In that sense, it would be hard to find a more perfect situation than Altea's current security vacuum.
Whether it was thieves or small-time crooks, I could probably meet the quota just by catching the petty criminals and leaving the rest alone. Or I could catch the mastermind and make a big splash.
"Are you angry?"
"A bit?"
Even if reason whispered those pragmatic thoughts, emotion refused to comply. I wasn't the type to cheer "Farming jackpot!" while crimes ran rampant.
Beyond whether it benefited me, I simply hated the fact that someone's scheme was making the entire city suffer. Both the thief who had blatantly targeted the lord and the Altea family that had neglected the city for the sake of pride and property.
"So, what I wanted to say was..."
"Ah, of course. I know exactly what you're going to ask."
What I would do was simple.
"I wanted to ask whether it would be overstepping if I assisted you."
I'd catch them all—petty criminals and the main thief alike.
"Of course! We'll grant you full arrest authority and immunity from assault charges!"
The words came out energetically, meant to lift the security force's spirits. In truth, the assault immunity was mostly a formality. I was from a count's household, and Diana was a duke's child. After all, the last pickpocket's face had swollen to three times its normal size and no one had said a word.
Still, hearing explicit permission to act openly was something else entirely.
"You can take this fellow with you. Rough him up a little and he'll handle tossing them into the cells himself."
"Name's Lier! Looking forward to working with you!"
They even handed over a subordinate for me to use as I pleased. Not bad for a bit of lip service.
"Lier. I'm Helio, and this is Diana. We'll be counting on you."
"Yes sir! Just leave it to me!"
Lier answered with the energetic vigor of a young boy.
His skin was deeply tanned—probably from living near the water—his hair cut short, his build slightly small, and his eyes sparkled brightly. He was the textbook example of a bright-eyed, puppy-like new junior.
"Full of energy. Good, let's go."
"Thank you!"
Finding his likable demeanor charming, I gave his back a light pat and left the security station.
"Got any kind of plan?"
"Nothing too special, but I've thought of something."
There were more than enough petty criminals around right now anyway. No need to go overboard trying to hunt them down.
"We'll tour the tourist spots and catch every criminal we see in the act."
"Is that so? What should I do?"
"Follow us from a short distance and take everyone we catch into custody."
"Uh... yes!"
Our first target was the fountain plaza.
"In the end we never made it to that restaurant."
"How about going after this whole incident is resolved?"
"If you're fine with it, I don't mind..."
The fountain in the medium-sized square had its own name and was known as a proper tourist attraction. Unfortunately the exact name escaped me at the moment, but remembering it was a tourist spot was enough.
"Ah, there he is."
"Want me to handle it?"
"No. Check if there are others around."
My senses, sharpened through training, instantly caught the pickpocket who had brushed past a tourist. Like a professional, he tried to slip away with slightly quickened steps without drawing attention, but I reached his side faster.
Thwack.
"Ow!"
I delivered a sharp flick to his arm. As he rolled across the square floor, the wallet in his hand dropped to the ground.
"Here you are. There have been many pickpockets in Altea lately, so please be careful."
"Huh? Ah! Thank you! Goodness, I didn't even realize it was missing!"
Returning the wallet to its owner wrapped the matter up neatly.
"Aaaargh!!"
"Tsk, a grown man throwing a tantrum. Lier, you can take this one away."
"Yes! Hey, idiot! I saw the senior flick you once—why are you whining like that!"
"It hurts! It really hurts!"
The whimpering wimp was dragged off by Lier. With that much commotion, no one would be bold enough to try anything immediately, so we waited for Lier to return.
"...You don't dislike street food, right?"
"Of course not."
Since the restaurant was off the table today anyway, we decided to walk while enjoying some light snacks.
"One plate each of this and this. And some of that fried food over there too."
"Yes, thank you. By the way, you must be pretty skilled, sir? Never seen anyone catch them that easily."
"I have a few tricks, that's all."
It was a bit noisy, but the conversation still carried the pleasant flavor of tourism.
"Mmm, this ice cream is delicious."
"It really is. This is my first time trying street snacks like these, so it's fascinating."
Things continued in a similar vein afterward. We wandered the tourist spots with Diana, eating snacks along the way.
"Ah, over there."
"I saw him too."
When we spotted another pickpocket—
Thwack.
"Kyaaaagh!"
—we delivered a flick each time.
"Every single one we meet is such a crybaby."
"Um... all of these guys have broken bones, you know?"
"They must be calcium deficient. Tell them to drink more milk."
"...Yes, I'll take him away then."
Lier would haul the collapsed pickpocket to a nearby post while we enjoyed the sights. It was a constant cycle.
"Isn't this too flashy? We'll have to keep changing locations every time."
"That's true."
As Diana pointed out, every victim of a flick screamed at the top of their lungs, forcing us to move after each catch. While that gave us an excuse to explore many different areas, having to relocate every five or ten minutes amid screams made it difficult to call the activity tourism.
So I changed the method.
"Ugh."
"Ack."
"Oof."
Thud.
Now the pickpockets no longer screamed—they simply collapsed quietly where they stood.
"Huff... huff... This is pretty rough! Can't you go a little easier?"
"There, there. Hang in there."
Lier grumbled while dragging the unconscious criminals away, but these were all achievements. Deep down, he was probably thrilled.
"I didn't know you could use sand like that."
"Well... throwing something obvious would draw too much attention, and a real flick might actually kill them. This seems just right."
"I agree."
The method was simple. I transformed Agatram into coarse grains of sand and shot them like marbles. The grains would strike the jaw or temple, rattling the brain enough to make them collapse or lose consciousness. It transmitted pure impact rather than penetration—a task that required more finesse than raw strength.
If I miss, it could be genuinely dangerous, so I have to be careful. It's more tiring than I expected.
It was honestly easier to just thoughtlessly flick their forearms.
"The grand plaza is incredible. I can just sit here and keep shooting sand."
"...There really are a lot of them."
In the widest square, there was no need to fish for targets or wait. With no one screaming, the pickpockets were being caught nonstop.
"...Have all the pickpockets in the world gathered here or something?"
There were so many it was almost nauseating.
In one sense, though, this is a good situation.
Just as Lier had become busy, so had I. Even if they were only petty criminals, catching this many would be more than enough to charge the Spiral of Good Deeds. It was practically a burning experience event.
"........."
"Are you angry?"
"A bit more."
That was the truth of the situation. I felt joy in helping others, but I wasn't some half-baked hero who only gained a sense of self-worth when bad things happened. The best outcome in anything was for nothing bad to happen at all.
It was only pickpocketing, yet if even that had increased so much, who knew what other crimes were rising alongside it.
"It's frustrating."
I tried to vent my feelings while enjoying the tour with Diana, but the frustration lingered stubbornly.
"Still, it won't be long now."
"...Yeah. That's true."
The core incident was theft, and the moment I heard it had occurred in Altea, one person immediately came to mind. The time to meet that individual was fast approaching.