Volume 6 Chapter 38 The Great Thief Appears
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Oh no. Just when I was rushing home, I heard something that stopped me in my tracks.
Tizzy might be caught in something serious. A call for reinforcements? The knight earlier mentioned needing archers. Could it be… Baron Gorigan? If so, are we on the brink of war?
”Where is Hollowvale?” I asked.
The name made it sound like some deep, pot-shaped valley. But the shape didn’t matter right now—I just needed to know where it was. I decided to ask the nearby merchants.
”On the road to Serpent’s Bend, you’ll see a tower on the mountain, right? That’s the place.”
A valley… on a mountain? That only made things more confusing. So where exactly is it?
”Then how do I get to Serpent’s Bend?”
”If you follow the river road toward Hollowvale, you’ll reach Serpent’s Bend.”
This wasn’t helping. I didn’t know where Hollowvale or Serpent’s Bend were in the first place. Getting directions using only words might be impossible if you’re unfamiliar with the area.
In this world, maps are rare and unreliable. And even those are considered important secrets, off-limits to the average person. Most people live their entire lives without ever leaving their birthplace. For them, that’s normal. Traveling merchants just memorize the roads by following more experienced ones.
”Could someone please guide me to the tower in Hollowvale?” I asked.
”No way,” someone answered flatly. “Didn’t you hear what the knight said? There’s going to be a war.”
”Gorigan’s soldiers are worse than thieves. We need to get to the Holy Capital before it’s too late.”
Even when I turned to the merchants for help, everyone clearly wanted to stay out of it. I couldn’t blame them.
Among capital merchants, there are some crazy enough to follow armies to sell goods on the battlefield. But dealing with bloodthirsty armed men is obviously dangerous. Sure, war zones come with special demands and chances for big profits, but there’s just as big a chance of losing your life—and your cargo.
Some merchants prefer steady, low-risk earnings. Others chase risky fortunes. Personally, I prefer the safer route. Not that either approach is better. Right now, though, I needed someone reckless enough to act as my guide.
Maybe the reward I offered wasn’t high enough. In the end, no traveling merchants stepped forward. Instead, a local thug who barely knew the route volunteered. I handed him the advance payment, and—of course—he vanished without a trace. I’d expected this.
I wasn’t that naive. I quietly extended my ‘arm’ and recovered the stolen gold.
It’s a technique that lets me stretch out an invisible arm and move items into my magic bag from a distance. Super handy for carrying stuff, mining, or—like now—retrieving stolen goods. Honestly, it’s a bit of a cheat. You could even call it an upgrade to the already cheat-tier magic bag.
Used wrongly, it could make you into a world-class thief. But I hold back. I feel guilty using it in that way, and I don’t want to live by stealing from others.
You might think it’s because I fear divine punishment in a world where gods actually exist—but that’s not quite it. Gods aren’t law enforcement. I don’t believe they go around cracking down on human crimes.
Still, I get the feeling someone, or something, is always watching. There’s a saying: “The net of heaven is vast, but never misses.” In the end, I believe everything you do circles back to you. But doing good just to avoid bad karma feels wrong too.
My grandfather once told me, “Live in a way that doesn’t shame the sun.” That idea stuck with me. Whether or not someone’s watching, I want to live honestly, and be someone I can be proud of.
No need to panic. Thinking it through, I actually have a way to find my way.
The volunteers said they’d gather at Knight Orlan’s house at noon. If I follow them, I’ll naturally end up at Tizzy’s location. Ms. Shirakaba is probably with her too. It’s an emergency, but I can’t help feeling excited to see them again.
If something’s gone wrong, maybe I can help. Ms. Shirakaba is way stronger than I am, but there are situations where even I can be useful.
They were recruiting archers, after all. When it comes to bows, I’ve got talent. I can do things even combat specialists like Chaa can’t. My skills in maintaining bows and arrows are just about equal to Zenom-sensei’s, I’d say.
The only problem is the work I left behind. If I don’t return by tomorrow, Shea-Shea’s definitely going to be mad.
I know they’re worried about me, but it’s more likely they’re frustrated by the mounting workload. If my approval is delayed, the whole schedule will fall apart—and Shea-Shea will be the one cleaning up the mess.
In these cases, it’s best to contact someone as soon as possible. Skipping work without informing anyone is just bad manners. Even elementary school kids know that.
I don’t have a mobile, but… there are still ways to get in touch.
First, I’ll summon Pii-Pii. I’ll explain the situation and send it off. Once Pii-Pii returns to the spirit world, maybe it can pass the message to an Advanced Spirit. That spirit might be able to reach Yakou through the darkness of Mubiel. Then Yakou could contact Shea-Shea…
…No. That method won’t work.
Theoretically, it was possible—but this kind of spirit-based communication network had too many flaws. The biggest issue was that spirits didn’t behave according to human logic. Sometimes they were inattentive, other times overly emotional. There was no consistency, no true reliability.
In the end, it became more like a message relay game. There was no guarantee the message would even reach Yakou properly. Speaking of her, she should be en route to the Totoana Empire by now. That in itself was already a problem.
Looks like I’ll have to go with the major guild’s communication network after all. They use a rare artifact—an advanced communication device—and while the cost is painfully high, it’s still much faster and more dependable than sending carrier pigeons. Nobles, officials, and wealthy merchants tend to use it.
Now the question was: Adventurer Guild or Merchant Guild? The Merchant Guild charged more, but they were better at handling confidential information.
The Casgar branch of the Merchant Guild was right near the gate I had passed earlier. Returning there made me feel like I was caught in an endless side quest. It reminded me of those frustrating errands in RPGs—but doing them in real life was far more exhausting.
Inside, a talkative receptionist greeted me at the counter. There were no other customers, so I ended up having a full conversation with her. She didn’t seem like a bad person… just a bit difficult to deal with.
Still, I managed to get through it and sent my message to Shea-Shea. Even after paying such a high fee, I found myself being the one who had to stay polite. But I guess that was just how things worked in this world.
Once the message was sent, a wave of relief washed over me. I had a moment of freedom—wait, no. I still had something to do. I needed to help Tizzy and the others.
We were supposed to meet at Orlan’s mansion by noon. For a world like this to actually set a strict time, the situation had to be serious.
Thanks to the receptionist, I had lost more time than expected. I didn’t have much to spare. Fortunately, Orlan’s mansion was easy to find. Compared to the capital, the town of Casgar was much smaller.
Despite being called a “knight’s mansion,” the place was impressive. It had proper stone walls and a moat—like a smaller version of Castor’s estate. Perhaps it followed the local architectural style.
I could have just walked in through the front, but habit made me slip in from the shadows. A ninja lives and breathes in stealth, after all.
”Brave souls! Well done for answering Lady Tizzy’s call and gathering here today!”
A familiar muscular knight shouted with passion. I recognized him from earlier. Was this Orlan? He looked too young to be the father of that girl.
He seemed like the fiery type. The kind who acts before thinking. Not really my type. Still, maybe we’d bond if we threw punches at each other or ran off into the sunset like old friends.
Come to think of it, I could understand why Castor didn’t get along with him. They probably had awful chemistry.
It wasn’t quite noon yet, but around ten volunteers had already assembled. They were drawing lots to decide who would join the reinforcements. Tizzy must have earned their trust. Watching from the sidelines, I felt strangely proud.
Still, the group had a… unique energy. They were all so fired up, pumping their fists and shouting enthusiastically. Some were even smacking each other’s abs. It wasn’t just manly—it was borderline overwhelming. How had Tizzy managed to keep this group under control? She wasn’t even fond of men to begin with.
”We depart from the east gate at dawn tomorrow,” someone announced. “Castor will probably kick up a fuss, so skip the goodbyes.”
The men burst into laughter, clearly not holding Castor in high regard.
So it’s the east gate at dawn. I’d better be careful not to oversleep. I didn’t plan on standing out—I just needed a guide. Marching with these guys the whole way would be exhausting.
Even so… leaving in the morning felt rather slow-paced. Then again, since they were heading to battle, there must have been a lot of prep to handle—gear, supplies, everything.
* * *
Notes:
• Baron Gorigan – A neighboring noble, managing a modest but wealthy mine; involved in recent conflicts and associated with a noble family with historical ties to the royal family.
• Tizzy – Claims to be Duke’s daughter, a noble with advanced magic skills. MC and Ms. Shirakaba lover.
• Serpent’s Bend – A location reachable via a road along a river from Hollowvale. It is described as having a tower on a mountain. The exact country or village is not specified.
• Knight Orlan – Male. A knight whose daughter has been kidnapped and brainwashed by Little Castor. His appearance and relationship with other characters are not detailed, but he is mentioned as a potential ally against the Castors. His daughter is forced to commit heinous acts, including killing her parents and herself.
• Shirakaba – A paladin who seems to be a skilled fighter. He’s introduced as someone with a strong defense and healing abilities.
• Shea-Shea – Mauro’s daughter. Hurt by Alexander. Became an eager fiancée after advice from protagonist.
• Mubiel – Dark spirit; visually identified by “bell-bottoms,” competitive attitude, claims 108 bedroom techniques, but is a virgin and surprisingly innocent
• Yakou – A newly created kunoichi spirit with high specs from Mubiel. She pledges loyalty to the Narrator as her ‘Lord Shogun’ and seeks to punish villains.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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