Chapter 78
Chapter 78
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 77
Chapter Title: Phantom Thief Dauphin (21) - Farewell Under the Full Moon
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To the lords of the Birka Kingdom, the Sarunos Knight Order was an object of envy beyond compare.
"Haah, if only I had a knight order like that—or even just one knight!"
"Damn it, I wouldn't even dream of a full knight. If I could just snag an apprentice knight...!"
When describing the value of a Rank 4 knight, people often use the phrase "one worth a hundred."
It means that a single knight of that caliber is equivalent to commanding a hundred soldiers.
Of course, a knight couldn't actually win against a hundred in a straight-up frontal clash, but with hit-and-run tactics or demoralizing threats added in, the saying wasn't entirely far-fetched.
In that sense, the military might of the Sarunos Count's house—with over a hundred Rank 4 knights—was nothing short of a symbol of terror to most lords.
Suppose the count's house took offense to some lord and dispatched a hundred knights.
To counter that, you'd need to muster ten thousand troops, but with standing garrisons numbering less than a few dozen, you'd have no choice but to conscript serfs and yeomen.
The very act of conscription was already a loss for the lord.
Because the laborers who should be working the fields and paying taxes were instead thrown into pointless activity with zero productivity.
On top of that, you'd have to feed and house these conscripts—and in some cases, even arm them.
The cruelest lords might skimp by denying rations or telling them to scrounge their own weapons, but that just meant useless soldiers and a shortened lifespan for the lord himself.
Separate from actual combat, simply assembling and maintaining an army dealt a massive blow to finances.
By contrast, what about the knight order?
The main force of full knights numbered a hundred. Including apprentices, squires, and support staff, it barely reached a few hundred at most.
No matter how much better the knights ate and rested compared to conscripts, their logistics and upkeep costs were incomparable.
And even mustering ten thousand didn't guarantee you could fight the knights on equal terms.
Conscripts had zero motivation to fight, so the moment things looked dicey, they'd surrender or flee—which meant officers and elite guards had to constantly exhort and direct them.
Thus, if knights targeted those leaders first, the entire army would collapse no matter how many troops were left.
To prevent that, you'd need even more bodies to pile up as a deterrent—which only ramped up supply demands further.
In the end, blocking knights with infantry was terrible value. The best counter was raising your own knights—but the Sarunos Count's house treated knights better than any other house in the kingdom.
A special mana cultivation method passed down in the count's house. Hefty monetary rewards.
Plus the prestige of being the kingdom's strongest. Anyone with decent status and talent flocked to their gates, and even those who failed to become full knights preferred staying on as apprentices rather than serving elsewhere.
The lords had no choice but to bow and scrape before Count Sarunos just to avoid getting pummeled by the order—and that gave the count's house immense influence across the kingdom.
Of course, it wasn't without cost.
The tax rates in the Sarunos lands were brutal, and the wealth extracted wasn't reinvested in domestic affairs but poured solely into bolstering and sustaining military power.
Up until now, that had been fine.
The benefits from the knight order more than made up for it.
But not anymore.
"The Sarunos Knight Order lost? What? Where? Did the Redbell house step in or something...? What? They went after one thief and got wiped out instead? What kind of bullshit is that?"
"A bunch of the dispatched knights dead or crippled for life. The knight commander crippled beyond wielding a sword again? And you're saying Levruk's guards did it? Is this what you're calling intel? Go reinvestigate!"
"The knight order kept screwing up against a thief, tried pinning the blame on others, and when the plot leaked, they planned a massacre on the townsfolk? ...Why? No, what kind of logic leads to that? What the hell happened in between?"
When word of the Levruk incident first spread, people dismissed it as nonsense.
It was just too absurd.
But Levruk was one of the kingdom's premier cities, and there were far too many witnesses for it to be brushed off as mere rumor.
Soon, confirmation came that the knight order had indeed been crushed—and the scale of their disgrace became known. People let out hollow laughs.
The humiliation was on another level.
"Y-You trash! What are you waiting for? Ready the troops now!!"
Count Sarunos, now the laughingstock of the kingdom, flew into a rage and demanded an immediate march on Levruk—but his retainers desperately held him back.
"N-No, my lord!"
"These are the ones who smashed the knight order head-on! No guarantee fresh troops would win!"
"Another loss, and the damage will be irreparable!!"
"Loss? You saying I'd lose—I, House Sarunos—to one damn city?!!"
The count bellowed with a flushed face, but his retainers—who usually cowered at his glare—refused to obey.
Only then did the count realize.
'These bastards... they're treating me like a toothless tiger!'
The knight order dispatched to Levruk's defeat didn't mean House Sarunos was powerless.
They had garrisons scattered across their lands, private guards at the manor, and over half the order still intact.
By raw military strength, he was still a top power in the kingdom.
But that meant nothing.
His knight order had lost the title of "strongest in the kingdom," and its prestige had crashed to the dirt.
What House Sarunos had lost wasn't mere manpower—it was the symbolism of being the kingdom's strongest.
To put it bluntly and crudely: who would fear a thug beaten like a dog by an apartment security guard?
House Sarunos ruled through violence and the fear it bred—once outmatched in violence, collapse was inevitable.
"Enough! Ready the army now!!"
Sensing this, Count Sarunos raised his voice even louder.
He couldn't afford to hold back here.
Even if it meant burning through every last soldier, he had to annihilate Levruk's rebels somehow.
Otherwise, he'd slowly become a mockery, shoved into the back room.
In terms of power logic, the count had a sharp eye for the essentials.
If he were the kingdom's sole powerholder.
Or even if there were no external enemies, that might have solved it.
With the knight commander gone, the count had no way to deal with Dalia—but she had no way to protect people from his full mobilized force either.
But he wasn't the kingdom's absolute ruler, and his opponent wasn't gentlemanly enough to ignore an opening.
"M-My lord! Suspicious movements from the Redbell Marquis house! They've suddenly started openly maneuvering troops near our border!"
"What? What the hell does that mean? On what pretext!!"
"Th-They're saying it's to exterminate monster hordes crossing between territories! They've even requested our cooperation!"
"Nonsense! Petition the king for mediation—"
"Th-The king is instead advising us to cooperate with them..."
"...Redbell Marquis, that beast-scented schemer did this!!"
The count trembled.
Not from fear of invasion.
That wasn't the sly fox's style.
Instead, he'd tie up the count with endless excuses, preventing any rash moves.
Just stalling like this would let the count—bereft of charisma and unity—crumble on his own.
He knew it.
He knew that insidious tactic all too well.
And yet, he had no counter.
With a pallid face, Count Sarunos collapsed into his seat.
His vision darkened.
News of the count's house's plight soon reached Levruk as well.
Those who had been bluffing on shaky legs, daring them to come, unconsciously sighed in relief. Those on edge relaxed as no immediate crisis arose, slowly returning to daily life.
Some commoners insisted on chopping off the heads of those in the upper district, but agreeing voices weren't loud.
Dauphin's serial crimes had vented much public anger, and Dalia opposed indiscriminate slaughter.
From Levruk's perspective, this was a boon.
Had commoners run wild decapitating nobles and tycoons, other powers would have crushed them without hesitation—but restraint opened room for compromise.
We resisted only because the knight order attempted massacre first; we have no intent to topple the kingdom.
Among upper district residents, the truly guilty fled with knight order remnants, while others mended their ways and mingled with commoners.
Grievances lingered, problems remained—but the immediate fire was out.
Thus, Dalia could slip out of her lodgings late at night for some personal time.
"...Planning to leave?"
"Oh dear, undercover investigation?"
Dauphin shook his head with a wry grin, as if stung.
For a thief caught sneaking out a window by guards at night, it was remarkably cheerful.
Come to think of it, he was always like that.
Dalia gazed at Dauphin.
Below his right shoulder, only an empty sleeve fluttered.
Noticing her look, Dauphin shrugged comically.
"Don't worry. To me, this is just a minor scratch."
"If missing an arm is minor, what counts as major?"
"Why, losing my head, of course? In that vein, stopping the citizens' rampage was spot on. Revolution's flames burn hot, but sometimes consume even themselves. I'd rather stay a phantom thief than become a revolutionary!"
"So you wreck the city like this and now you're bouncing? Who's cleaning up?"
"A phantom thief challenges order and topples it. Rebuilding it together? Not my style."
Shed heard those words before.
From "him"? Or "Dauphin"? The line was blurry... maybe meaningless.
"Build it yourself. Those ideals you've harbored, blocked by reality and left gathering dust—try making them real."
Look at that.
Not even hiding it anymore.
Dalia pouted.
"Was approaching me all part of this plan from the start?"
"Chance sparked it, but I'll admit I steered things midway."
"You're a bad man. Toying with hearts is truly vile."
"Isn't that what phantom thieves do? Good, diligent, strict men can't pull it off."
She should be angry.
Her head knew that.
Yet laughter bubbled in her chest. Why?
Swept up in Dauphin's eternal cheer? Or enchanted by the full moon above?
"True. You're bad, undutiful, loving chaos over order. Perfect for a phantom thief."
But that's why he resolved the city's deep contradictions.
Grudges and pains unsolvable under law and order—he tore them open without hesitation.
He did what Dalia couldn't, and changed even her.
"You tell me to build order. Fix the injustices myself. But I'm neither perfect nor clever enough."
Shed make plenty of mistakes.
Maybe laws she deemed right would cause more suffering.
"I'm scared. Of my power. That what I think is right might seem arrogant to others. That I'll become the 'monster' Dad and I denied so hard."
The order that restrained her and showed a clear path was gone.
If she strayed someday, could she honestly accept correction?
Or ignore it, stubbornly insisting she was right?
"—Rest easy. If you stray, I'll come punish you then. If not, I'll leave well-wishes."
Unshakable conviction.
Dauphin's sincere words made Dalia's eyes widen briefly... then she bowed her head.
Without her ever-present mask, she had to hide her face somehow.
I'm the guard, you're the thief.
You, so free unlike my frustrating self.
Everything opposite me—that's why I truly envied, admired, loved you.
I want to hold you by force, but that would be wrong.
Caged, you'd no longer be the you I loved.
Suppressing overflowing feelings and trembling voice, Dalia lifted her head.
And met his eyes with a resolute expression.
The phantom thief said,
"Until next time, Guard Dalia."
The guard said,
"See you again someday. Phantom Thief Dauphin."