I Became A Thief Who Steals Overpowered Skills - Chapter 127

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 127. That Witch

—Isn’t that what you’d call the truth?

Krash felt a sudden vertigo wash over him.

And at the same moment, he remembered the looks the other students had given him when he’d arrived with Dorma today.

He’d thought those glances were mere curiosity—just people wondering what was going on.

But what if, beneath those looks, that rumor had taken root?

The thought made his head spin.

Walking alongside Dorma, he imagined whispers following them—talk of yet another woman added to his collection.

‘Most of the people I’ve gotten tangled up with have exceptional abilities,’ he thought.

The Starry Generation had a fairly balanced ratio of men to women.

The problem was that a significant portion of the male students had gravitated into Sigrin’s orbit.

‘Sigrin doesn’t get along well with other women.’

Krash knew her well enough to understand that Sigrin’s relationships with her own sex were strained.

She was self-righteous and possessed a possessiveness that bordered on obsessive.

Those traits showed themselves in her dealings with men and women alike.

‘A madwoman who wanted the whole world to love only her.’

Naturally, the female students found little to admire in Sigrin.

She wanted every man in her vicinity under her thumb, after all.

Perhaps the reason Sigrin was so drawn to Arthur was precisely because he wouldn’t surrender his heart entirely to her.

She craved his affection endlessly.

‘I never intended to join the Sigrin Faction—I just ended up getting entangled with other people.’

He hadn’t foreseen any of this.

“…Dorma, I have a fiancée. She’s coming to Rahelern Academy next year.”

How could someone with a fiancée be seen collecting women?

This whole situation had simply spiraled from circumstance.

“That rumor is a misunderstanding. Why would I do something like that when I’m already engaged?”
“Y-yes, of course!”

Dorma nodded vigorously, eager to support his denial of the gossip.

“Besides, I’m not even a particularly good person, as you said.”

Krash decided he would correct her misunderstanding as well.

“The reason I’m willing to hear you out is because I have a favor to ask of you in return.”
“A favor, you say?”

Dorma tilted her head.

The gesture suggested she doubted whether someone like her could possibly be of help to Krash.

But Krash understood Dorma’s true worth well enough.

It was no accident that this one was a specialist in Curse Handling.

There were generally two methods for neutralizing a Curse.

One was annihilation.

The other was sealing.

And it was this second method—sealing—that allowed Curse Handlers to carry Curses with them.

Among Beltrua’s twelve disciples, Dorma was—

‘the only one capable of sealing even the highest-tier Curses.’

Krash looked at Dorma and felt a pang of regret.

If she had not been brought to the edge of death, surely he would not have been forced to struggle quite so much.

Of course, even Dorma had ultimately concluded that his Curses were beyond her reach.

Yet it remained true that had he been able to conduct Curse Cancellation research alongside her, things would have been considerably easier.

“Is there something I can help you with?”
“Yes. I’m currently working on a project with a few people I know.”

Krash rummaged through the Alchemy Lab.

Then he withdrew a Research List that Darling had compiled.

“I’m planning to synthesize Curses and toxins to create an Instant Enhancement Elixir, using the Curse Cancellation theory I mentioned earlier as well. So I need several high-tier Curses.”
“I beg your pardon?”

Dorma accepted the Research List from Krash, her eyes wide with surprise.

As she read through it, her eyes widened even further, trembling visibly.

There was good reason for her reaction: detailed here was Curse Cancellation, which had existed only as a theory developed by Beltrua.

She scanned the list hurriedly, then looked back at Krash with bewildered eyes.

“K-Krash, who wrote this?”
“Someone called Darling—the owner of this Alchemy Lab. I compiled it together with him.”

Dorma stared at Krash.

At the same moment, she sensed the Curse power dwelling within Krash’s body once more.

“Krash, could it be that…….”

The fundamental reason Curse Cancellation theory cannot be established is that it’s too dangerous to test on humans.

But seeing the curse dwelling in Krash’s body and this sample specimen, she wondered something.

Had Krash actually realized this Curse Cancellation theory himself?

Which made it all the harder to ask carelessly.

What was he ultimately trying to accomplish with all this?

“Anything on your mind?”
“Oh, well, I’ve never seen anything like this before, so I have so many questions. If it’s not too much trouble, would it be all right?”

So rather than press further, she simply shifted the conversation.

Besides, her own question was something she genuinely wanted to know.

Krash offered his most gracious smile.

“By all means.”
-I always notice, but he really does fake a smile well.

So whenever Dorma asked something about Curse Cancellation, Krash answered kindly.

What began as a deliberate deflection soon transformed—as time passed, Beltrua’s responses grew increasingly animated.

With her own field of expertise finally surfacing, she felt as though she were truly talking at length for the first time since arriving at Rahelern Academy.

After holding forth at such length, Dorma’s face was now suffused with a broad, radiant smile.

It was fun.

She was so delighted that it reminded her of those days when she’d often discuss curses with her older brother and sisters.

Krash possessed a surprisingly vast knowledge of curses.

To the point that even she found herself learning from his responses.

“You really do know so much about curses! Do you enjoy them?”

Enjoy curses.

Hearing that question, Krash could only swallow a bitter laugh.

There was no way Dorma could understand the path by which he had come to possess such extensive knowledge of curses.

“More or less.”

So Krash answered in a way that wouldn’t trouble her.

“Oh, that’s right. I’m so sorry—I haven’t actually answered whether I can help you.”

Realizing she’d gotten far too carried away in conversation, she covered her now-crimson face with both hands.

Then she quickly gave Krash his answer.

“I… I think I can help!”

Since he had agreed to help her find Beltrua, it was only right that she help him in return.

So when she clenched both fists and spoke, Krash posed a question.

“Come to think of it, Dorma—you’re aligned with the Third Princess, aren’t you? Is it really all right for you to help me?”

Valheim and Epania were not on the best of terms.

Especially since Sigrin had Charlotte as a rival, the rift between Valheim and Epania could only deepen further.

And Dorma belonged to the Sigrin Faction.

So when Krash asked if it would really be all right for her to help, she let out a small sound.

“W-well, I should probably ask first. But Sigrin is such a gracious person, so… ah, I’m sure it’ll be fine!”

Of course it would be fine.

Sigrin would want to build a bridge to this side one way or another.

“Then I’m relieved.”

And she’d spend the rest of her life building a bridge that could never be completed.

It was the moment Krash’s true thoughts painted a smile across his face—thoughts that innocent Dorma would never know.

“W-well then, I should be going!”

Now that their conversation had ended, Dorma rose from her seat to leave.

Click, click—

At that moment, the sound of high heels echoed from outside.

Krash rose from his seat.

Just then, a crisp knock sounded from the direction of the Alchemy Lab door.

“Hello there. I heard that our Dorma was here, so I thought I’d come by to see?”

A familiar voice tinged with kindness came through.

The moment Krash heard that voice, his face twisted into a grimace.

It was fortunate that she hadn’t opened the door immediately.

If she had, one look at his expression would have made her realize he’d undergone the same Regression.

“Who is it?”

Krash had never met her face to face before.

So he answered as though he didn’t know who the voice belonged to.

“G-gasp! I, it’s Sigrin! It’s Sigrin!”

Dorma then cried out to Krash in a panicked voice.

Because the owner of this voice was the Third Princess, Sigrin Epania.

After all, Krash was the person she despised most in the world.

At that moment, a faint laugh drifted in from beyond the door.

“Yes, I’m Sigrin Epania. Might you be Krash Valheim?”
“Oh, what do I do?”

Dorma’s face went ashen as though she’d been caught red-handed at theft.

She must have known that Sigrin didn’t look kindly upon Charlotte.

Krash was Charlotte’s brother, after all.

“I’ll go see her.”

Krash grasped the door handle as if the matter were of no particular concern and pulled it open.

There stood Sigrin, poised a step back from the threshold.

Unlike Sizzly, whose weak constitution had left her with pale hair, Sigrin’s blue-white locks possessed a striking vividness that caught the light as it danced around her.

Her beauty was unmistakable, and the moment she met Krash’s gaze, she offered him a brilliant smile.

“Yes, it’s you. Krash Valheim, what a pleasure to meet you.”

It was the sort of greeting one gives to someone they’ve never encountered before.

What’s more, she took particular care to append respectful titles to each phrase.

A person of my standing is gracious enough to speak to you with such courtesy.

That was surely what lay beneath Sigrin’s words.

The thought made bile rise in Krash’s throat.

“Your Highness, the pleasure is mine.”

Yet he proved himself equally brazen in his response.

Krash affected the manner of someone meeting her for the very first time.

Behind her stood two men.

One was the white-haired fellow with cropped hair—he who would later be called White Snake.

The other was the long-haired man with dark locks—he who would later be called Black Snake.

Twin brothers with different hair colors, both of whom had distinguished themselves quite notably within the Starry Generation.

And now, having fallen under Sigrin’s patronage, they served as her honor guard in Mary’s stead.

The Special Studies students turned their attention to the newcomers, whispering eagerly amongst themselves.

Krash had visited the Special Studies Classroom several times before on business, but this was Sigrin’s first direct appearance there.

“Our Dorma mentioned that she’d found you, and I thought I should come by myself—just to ensure we weren’t being any trouble.”
“Ah, I see.”

She’d clearly grasped the entire situation before making her move.

‘She’s clearly planted quite a few ears around the Academy without anyone noticing.’

It was no accident that she wielded such influence at Rahelern Academy.

“I had some matters to discuss with Dorma regarding Curses.”
“Curses?”

Sigrin’s eyes widened.

It was a genuinely surprised expression.

If not for Krash’s nature, he would have fallen for Sigrin’s performance entirely—it was that convincing.

“Yes, Dorma has considerable expertise in matters of Curses, does she not?”
“Ah, well, hehe, to that extent…”

Dorma, listening from behind, scratched the back of her head with embarrassment.

“So I’ve been researching something recently and requested Dorma’s assistance. I was meaning to tell you about it as well, and it seems fortune has aligned.”

Krash explained the matter to Sigrin smoothly, like water flowing downhill.

After listening carefully, Sigrin smiled and turned to look at Dorma.

“Dorma, did you agree to help Krash?”
“Ah, yes, yes—because Krash said he would help me find my teacher!”

The moment the word ‘teacher’ left Dorma’s lips, Sigrin’s eyes sharpened for just an instant.

It lasted only a moment, but Krash caught it clearly.

That was the reaction of someone detecting something suspicious.

“Perhaps the power you wield is a technique taught to you by Beltrua Lackrod?”

Hearing the question, Krash did not answer; instead, he smiled slowly.

Sigrin’s expression hardened as she grasped the meaning of that smile, then softened.

“Ah, I apologize. I dug too deep.”

Though her face was relaxed, Krash sensed the wounded pride beneath it.

She, who had always been treated as accursed, had been shown that there were boundaries she must not cross.

It was only natural for her to feel that way.

Krash felt grateful for how unchanged she remained.

Because his resolve to settle this score with her—with her alone—rose within him once more.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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