“You. Have you ever considered becoming a Phantom Thief?”
When he suddenly approached me with his eyes sparkling, I thought he was about to steal one of my relics again.
Of course, he would not stand a chance while an investor called the Nameless King was watching with his eyes wide open.
“All of a sudden?”
“Yes. You look nimble, and you seem perfectly suited to become my successor.”
[You can change jobs to the Hidden Job, Phantom Thief.]
‘...A Phantom Thief?’
There had been Hidden Jobs in the original game as well.
The Archmage and Swordmaster that were familiar in fantasy stories also belonged to that category of Hidden Jobs rather than ordinary jobs.
The problem was elsewhere.
‘...Is he trying to dump a trash job on me?’
I narrowed my eyes at Sand Mole.
The Hidden Jobs in this game had an extremely uneven quality.
After putting myself through hell to change jobs, the first Status Window message I saw was this.
[Job change to Trapper successful!]
[Cannot use any weapons other than daggers.]
[Can deal damage only with traps.]
I still could not forget it.
What? Damage only with traps? Unable to use every weapon?
Like the Trapper, which had been trash in a word.
There were often cases where strange penalties were tacked on in abundance and then packaged as a Hidden Job.
“I do not know. It does not particularly appeal to me.”
“Do not play hard to get. What if I say that I will teach you personally?”
Sand Mole spoke as though he were doing me a favor.
Well, considering his reputation, it was understandable that he would speak that way.
That did not make him any less irritating.
Hmm.
‘Come to think of it, it might not be so bad.’
Keeping an uncertain expression on my face, I considered it for a moment.
Breaking into a noble estate to steal its treasures was hardly easy. Nine times out of ten, I would be caught and sent to a magic-stone mine forever.
“Think of it simply. If you learn from me, there will be no treasure you cannot obtain.”
“You could not steal the Nameless King’s relic.”
“Ahem! That monster is an exception. It is an existence beyond common sense.”
Sand Mole repeatedly coughed awkwardly, perhaps embarrassed.
Still, as he said, if I could steal relics lying dormant as the heirlooms of noble houses...
‘It would be a tremendous help in reaching the ending, too.’
[A Phantom Thief is a job with high proficiency in stealth, lockpicking, and evasion.]
[It is judged that this will be a great help in resolving the Main Story.]
[We strongly recommend changing jobs.]
As though pushing me onward, the Status Window blinked and displayed several messages.
Yes, with stats that were little better than those of a good-for-nothing, even if I found another job, there was no telling whether I could use it properly.
I meekly nodded and agreed.
“What’s the big deal about stealing? What matters is the treasure I can get my hands on.”
“A wise choice.”
The scar by his eye curved into an arc.
“Let us start by exchanging names. It would be unfair if you were the only one who knew me.”
“I am Hans Byron.”
“Byron. So you are a noble.”
He frowned as though displeased.
The nobles of the West were jailers. It was only natural for a criminal like him to feel an instinctive aversion.
Pretending not to notice anything, I tilted my head.
“What about you? I only know you by the alias Sand Mole.”
“Perno. I have no surname. Most orphans in this line of work are the same.”
He held out his hand to me once more. I had refused to shake it before, but I had no reason to do so this time, so I took it.
“First, let us get outside. I do not wish to face that monster any longer, either.”
“Hmm, he is a rather reasonable mummy who even gives out relics.”
“What? I have a mountain of things to teach you.”
Perhaps because I had received the king’s relics, every mummy soldier I passed knelt before me. Leaving that rare sight behind, we headed out of the dungeon.
“Hm. Does that relic have any special abilities?”
“If anyone other than me takes this, they will be cursed.”
“No, I do not lack the conscience to steal the possessions of someone I have chosen as my successor. I am simply curious.”
When Perno, who had been sick of the ruins until a moment ago, fixed his gaze on the relic, I recoiled in disgust and stepped back.
He was looking at it so covetously. As if I could trust him.
Keeping the relics out of his sight, I pushed them deep into my pack and patted it.
The first thing my fingertips touched was a blunt stick.
I called up the information window I had saved.
[Tute]
[Item Type: Wand]
[The king’s staff, passed down as a legend among the indigenous people of the West. When a spell he had cast over his dwelling to prevent assassination made it inconvenient for him to move about, the frustrated king imbued his staff with special magic.]
[When equipped, doubles the Magic Power from Base Stats.]
[Can unlock all objects through contact.]
[If equipped without the Nameless King’s permission, permanently inflicts the Curse of Death.]
To begin with, doubling my Magic Power when equipped was naturally a good thing. In this game, where raising even one Base Stat required tremendous effort, that ability alone surpassed most relics.
The only disappointing part was that the Magic Power I possessed was not even worth the dirt under a fingernail.
[Magic Power has increased.]
[Magic Power: 1 -> 2]
The System displayed it as if to show off.
I could not help but sigh at the Magic Power that had increased by a mere one point.
‘But that is all right. The true value of this relic lies in its second ability.’
With a grin, I adjusted my pack.
Unlocking. It seemed useful enough at a glance, but in truth, it went far beyond useful. It was almost essential.
Why?
‘Because the scope of the word “lock” does not end with simple locks.’
In combat against other people, this relic had more broken abilities than any other relic.
The rivets joining the plates of plate armor, the straps that held leather armor in shape, and even the protective magic invariably bestowed upon high-grade armor.
‘This relic treats all of that as a lock.’
In other words.
It possessed one of the game’s few defense-reduction effects—no, an effect that could be called the only defense-removal effect.
“How stingy. You received so much from that monster, so why not tell me just one thing?”
As Perno complained, the Nameless King had given me more than one relic. Tute’s presence was simply so overwhelming that the other two relics had been overshadowed.
[Anka]
[Item Type: Bag]
[A bag that once held the king’s possessions.]
[Can store objects other than living beings without restrictions of weight or volume.]
[Amen]
[Item Type: Accessory]
[A golden mask favored by the king.]
[When worn, causes perception interference in others.]
‘Ordinarily, true to their perfunctory descriptions, the other relics were mere side pieces in the game.’
But now that the game had become reality, things were different.
I slipped the things in my pack into the bag. Its weight became lighter in an instant.
With no inventory now, this bag could serve as a substitute.
And what about the mask? An ability that could obscure my presence to some degree would certainly have many uses.
‘Oh, this.’
From the master key that opened locks, to a bag for storing stolen goods, to a mask that made the identity of the thief faint even when someone looked directly at him.
Putting them together, it was truly a comprehensive gift set for a Phantom Thief.
“Tch. You certainly are thorough about guarding your treasures.”
“Stop pestering me.”
“Fine. It has already left my hands, so I will quietly give up. Just make sure you guard it well.”
After a lengthy back-and-forth, Perno was the one who retreated first. Grumbling, he violently grabbed at the skin on his face.
RIP—!
With the sound of tearing skin, what had been his face fluttered down through the air.
“As I thought. Is that your real face?”
The caution that had eased during our squabbling instantly rose to its fullest.
With the scar over his right eye, one of his most distinctive features, gone, his entire impression had changed.
Before, he had looked rough, like a battle-hardened mercenary. Now, he looked more like a simple, honest middle-aged man.
‘He is far too skilled at disguises. I would not recognize him even if I bumped into him on the road.’
“Who knows? Leave it to your imagination.”
With a quiet snicker, Perno changed his outer clothes and, in an instant, became a dirt-covered farmer.
“Remember this as well. A Phantom Thief must thoroughly distinguish between his everyday appearance and his appearance as a thief.”
“Because it would be troublesome if you were found out in many ways?”
“It is more than troublesome. Your head really comes off. As I said before, modest people live longer in this line of work.”
Perno made a slicing motion across his throat with his finger, letting out a sharp sound.
“Without your life, you have no treasure. Remember the saying: ‘The Scorpion Before the Oasis.’”
It was a famous proverb in the West. A traveler distracted by the oasis before his eyes failed to see the scorpion at his feet, was stung by its venomous tail, and died.
I glanced at him and shot back.
“Is that not something you should take to heart?”
He was the one who gambled with his life every day in noble houses under the strict watch of knights and private soldiers. He had no room to be telling me such things.
“That is how Phantom Thieves always are. You have to walk the line between greed and life well.”
He took an old book from his clothes and handed it to me.
“Take it. It will be a great help to you as you walk that path.”
“What is this?”
“The essential education a Phantom Thief must know.”
From how to take a step to the proper stride length and the method of landing.
The open book explained that sequence of movements with illustrations.
“It is a footwork technique established since the time of my predecessor’s predecessor. Go and memorize it thoroughly, then practice it yourself.”
“...You said that you would teach me personally.”
“Hmm. I would like to, but I stirred House Roberk’s beehive a few days ago, so I am being pursued... Let us leave teaching you in person for another day.”
Seriously. He changed his words as easily as he turned over his palm.
When I glared at him, Perno let out a shameless laugh and fluttered his hand.
It might actually be for the best. I would be going to the North before long as well.
Neither of us had much time, and in this situation, having this book was more than enough.
“Then I suppose we will meet in the North next time.”
“The North? What is the North doing here all of a sudden?”
“The everyday persona you mentioned is involved with House Speda. I have to leave for the North in a month.”
“If it is a northern ducal house, that means House Speda. I can clearly see the hardship ahead of you. I hear the North is extremely closed-off and dislikes people from other regions.”
Perno’s gaze upon me turned sympathetic.
Come on, that was all prejudice.
Compared to the desert, how cool and pleasant the North had to be.
***
...There was a time when I thought that, too.
I grumbled quietly from inside the carriage.
After returning with the soldiers who had searched for me and ending my short trip.
After struggling over the secret footwork technique and being summoned to the baron’s study two weeks ago.
At last, I had set out for the North with the private soldiers sent by House Speda... but...
“The North is always cold, unlike the West.”
“That is only natural.”
“I hear the North is famous for ferocious monsters. What kinds are there?”
“Well...”
“I heard the Duke’s martial prowess is remarkable. I wonder just how strong he is.”
“He is strong.”
I looked out the window, then sighed loudly enough for the soldier to hear.
The soldier gave no reaction at all.
Should I say that his deep wariness of outsiders had reached its peak? He only gave short answers and did not speak to me himself, so there was no way for a conversation to continue.
Still, this journey that had felt so long was finally coming to an end.
“The castle is in sight!”
One of the soldiers cried out.
It was the loudest and most spirited thing I had heard from them during the entire journey. In an instant, the soldiers began to bustle around.
And far in the distance.
“Wow.”
It was built to be tall and sturdy, impossible to breach.
I stood slack-jawed.
The walls of the ducal castle, built for the single purpose of fending off foreign enemies, were awe-inspiring.
‘Luciana must be in there, too.’
The main character who held the key to the Main Story, and my favorite character.
The thought of seeing her made my heart lift for no reason.
“Wait. Stop there, Westerner.”
At the voice from behind me, I turned my head.
I was the only Westerner in the group, so I was certainly the person they were seeking.
WHOOSH!
“What is this now?”
A sword was thrown at my feet.
A knight whose entire body was covered in plate mail, with even the face hidden behind a helmet.
More precisely, someone pretending to be a knight.
The voice rumbled through the steel helmet.
But.
I stared coldly at the other person.
‘The title of knight is wasted on a brat much shorter than me.’
And the words that followed were more than enough to make me dislike them.
“The duke’s daughter does not accept service from outsiders. Return to where you belong.”
“...?”
“If you wish to enter the ducal estate, you must break my sword first.”
[Quest Issued!]
[Defeat the “Knight Aspirant” who is picking a fight with you.]
[Reward: ?]
I could not help but laugh in disbelief.
What a bold little brat.