A Thief's Second Chance
“I might look like a perfectly normal person at first glance, but I’m actually bolder than you’d think. So, shhh— it’d be best if you stayed quiet.”
A sharp dagger pressed against my throat. The thief threatening me spoke with utter sincerity. This person truly intended to stab me.
“If you harm me, you won’t be able to handle the consequences.”
“What the hell are you— Ah, shit!!”
The man reacted as if he’d stepped in filth the moment he finally checked my clothes. He must not have noticed them earlier.
“Don’t tell me you’re a priest?”
“Yes.”
“Why the hell is a priest in the Labyrinth?!”
Getting caught stealing might earn you a beating, but killing a priest meant living the rest of your life in agony, shunned by everyone around you. The Blacklist. The Holy Empire showed no mercy to those on it.
‘Kill a priest and you’re on the Blacklist without exception.’
Unless you planned never to set foot in a temple again until the day you died, few people had the guts to raise a weapon against a priest. The moment the thief realized I was one, he immediately withdrew his blade. If he accidentally left even a single wound, it could give them an excuse to blacklist him.
“I sincerely apologize. I never actually planned to stab you. Really.”
“Really?”
“Yes! Really. I was just hiding until it was safe to leave.”
“And while you were hiding, you decided to ransack my room too.”
Did this person even realize how many times I’d already saved their life?
“I don’t know why you’re doing this, but you should stop.”
“Is it because you’re a priest? Even when you see a thief, you just start preaching.”
The thief still wasn’t listening.
“The fact that you managed to sneak all the way in here means you’re quite skilled. I’m curious why someone like you would do this, but I won’t ask. Everyone has their reasons.”
Why waste such talent on thievery?
“No, Priest, this isn’t the time for sermons. You almost died just now. Shouldn’t you call for help?”
They couldn’t hurt me anyway. Did they really expect me to act scared after I’d already made that clear?
“It’s fine. I can do that later. For now, why don’t you sit down for a moment?”
I sat on the bed and patted the spot beside me.
“Are you serious, Priest? Are all priests like this?”
Of course, not every priest would do something this reckless. Even I had to admit I was acting a little crazy.
“Well? Or should I start shouting?”
“If I sit, you won’t shout?”
“Yes.”
“Good grief, this is ridiculous.”
The thief sat down at a cautious distance, clearly unnerved by my strange behavior. Distance didn’t matter as long as they were seated, so I began in earnest.
“Do you enjoy stealing from others?”
In my previous life, there was a condition called kleptomania. People stole even when they didn’t need to, addicted to the act itself.
“What a weird question. I do it to survive. Who actually enjoys this crap?”
“That’s a relief. Then is there a reason you chose thievery as your way of making a living?”
“Because it’s the only thing I know how to do?”
What a waste. Such talent, squandered on the wrong path.
“Do you really have to keep stealing? Why not try something else? Something stable.”
“Stable income? How long would it take to save anything doing that? No offense, Priest, but nothing pays as well as this.”
“It pays well because it’s dangerous. And you’re operating inside the Labyrinth? That’s incredibly risky.”
“I got this far without getting caught, didn’t I? Wait, why am I even explaining myself?”
The thief suddenly stood up, as if hit by a wave of clarity.
“Huh? Where are you going?”
“Priest, don’t go around preaching to just anyone. I only let you off because you still act somewhat human. If you keep being this careless, you’re going to get yourself killed. Understand?”
“How about doing work that’s far more stable and lucrative than stealing?”
“Huh?”
The thief, who had been about to leave after their warning, froze mid-step.
“Stable and high-paying? And something I could actually do? Where in the world is a job that good? And I’m a thief, remember? Who’s going to hire a criminal?”
They probably thought I was going to use my connections to pawn them off on someone. I shook my head.
“They would. Shall I ask?”
“What?”
“Raise both arms and step back against the wall.”
Shing—!
“!!!”
They didn’t know it, but I hadn’t been acting crazy for no reason. I really did covet their talent, but I’d also been certain that if I stalled long enough, someone would come looking. And sure enough, they appeared right on cue. Seeing Melody arrive to rescue me put my mind at ease.
“Wow, tricking people like this— Ack!!”
Thud!
“Shut up, thief. Be quiet.”
“Priest, you’re not betraying me, right? You can’t trick people like this! I’ll do it, so please do something about her!!”
The quick-witted thief immediately recognized that Melody was no ordinary person. The moment they realized their life was in danger, they surrendered and begged me for help.
“Please don’t go too far. There was no real danger. We were just talking.”
“Why would you bother talking to someone like this? They’re not worth it.”
“Who the hell are you to say that?!”
The thief shouted in desperation. Melody tripped them with her foot, sending them sprawling into the corner.
“Ack! My hip joint!”
The odd complaint made me laugh.
“Why would you even speak to someone like this? I don’t know what they said, but just ignore it.”
“I was the one who started the conversation. Their talent seemed too valuable to waste. Sneaking all the way in here is impressive, after all.”
“See?! The priest likes me that much! If you lay a single finger on me—!”
“Ah… I wouldn’t say I like you that much.”
“Ack! Priest, save me! I’ll do my best! I’m good at what I do!”
Watching them flail on the floor was amusing, and their desperate will to live made me hesitate. After thinking it over, I spoke.
“They haven’t stolen anything yet.”
“Not committing the crime doesn’t mean they’re innocent.”
“Still, it’s better than catching them after the fact.”
“Are you saying that because they look young, Priest?”
“……”
If the thief had been a fully grown adult, I wouldn’t have gone this far to protect them.
“Huh? My face is covered. How do you know my age? I’m an adult, you know!”
“You really think you can fool anyone by pretending to be grown up when you reek of being a child?”
“Damn it, it’s true!!! It really is!!”
They looked genuinely frustrated that no one believed them.
“Don’t be so hard on the kid.”
“Haah. So what exactly do you plan to do with them?”
“I want to give them a chance. They’re still young enough to turn their life around.”
Covering their face didn’t hide their eyes, and their voice carried the clear tone of youth. No matter how generously you counted, they couldn’t possibly be an adult. Yet they’d slipped past our team’s defenses and reached my tent. That level of skill was absurd. If they’d been raised by proper adults, they could have become someone remarkable. Instead, they’d ended up stealing, which told me they’d never met anyone like that.
“It’s a waste of talent. If I keep them close and teach them, wouldn’t that be fine? They’re still a child. They can learn.”
“Eh?”
The thief looked bewildered, struggling to follow our conversation. Melody, realizing I wasn’t going to change my mind, spoke up.
“Understood. If that’s what you wish, Priest, then there’s something I need to confirm first.”
“Confirm what?”
“Yes. This one probably didn’t enter the Labyrinth alone.”
“You think they might be part of a group.”
The unexpected turn caught me off guard.
“Ugh! What nonsense is that? I work alone! I don’t rely on anyone!”
“It’s not reliance. It’s exploitation.”
“Exploitation? What the hell are you talking about?”
“As I thought, they have accomplices. That’s why we didn’t notice them coming in. The others create a distraction while this one slips in to steal.”
“Ah!”
If they belonged to a group, even if I took them away now, they’d eventually return to it.
“Any group that turns a child into a thief can’t be a good place.”
“I’ll capture and deal with all of them. Once they have nowhere to return to, they’ll follow your wishes, Priest.”
“No!! You only need to take me! Why drag innocent people into this?!”
In the end, the thief admitted there was a group, though they didn’t seem to realize it.
“Just take me!”
“So you’re fine being the only one saved by the Priest while living well, is that it?”
“What? How does that make any sense?!”
“It’s obvious the group you belong to exploits children. You’ll be rescued by the Priest’s grace, but the other kids left behind will have to make up for your share.”
“!!”
Melody spoke as if she knew exactly what kind of place the group was.
“How do I know? I’ve seen places like that so many times I’m sick of them. When kids with nowhere to go get pulled into a group through connections, they’re used until the day they die.”
“We’re not like that!”
“When you’re little, they make you beg. Once you’re old enough to understand, they send you on criminal errands to get you used to the atmosphere. And when you grow up? The girls are forced into selling their bodies, the boys into manual labor.”
“!!”
Perhaps because only their eyes were visible, the way their pupils trembled was painfully clear. Something had struck a nerve.