I Became A Thief Who Steals Overpowered Skills - Chapter 138

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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 138. The Spark of War

Krash was running toward somewhere with urgency.

It was because of news he’d heard from Glen.

That the Poison King had suffered a grave wound.

Krash had once heard of the Poison King’s assassination in the past.

‘Bianca.’

Before the Regression, the Poison King had annihilated House Haden Hartz.

It was because the Second Prince, who had lost in the succession struggle, had sought asylum with House Haden Hartz and exposed the imperial family’s secrets.

From that day onward, Bianca alone had survived, and transformed into a Vengeful Spirit by her thirst for revenge, killing the Poison King.

And in the war between the Empire and Staron that followed, Bianca was ultimately killed by the Poison Sovereign and Haring.

That was the incident that had occurred before the Regression.

And now, perhaps a similar incident had unfolded.

Naturally, it was not Bianca’s doing.

The Poison King had not annihilated House Haden Hartz, and Bianca still had a long way to go before becoming a Vengeful Spirit.

Yet why had this incident occurred now?

Krash’s brow furrowed.

The real problem lay in what Glen had said afterward.

‘The World Incursionist who had wounded the Poison King gravely had apparently attempted to assassinate the Fourth Princess before fleeing, and now the Empire is in pursuit.’

Upon hearing the words that followed, Krash’s eyes widened.

For he knew all too well who that World Incursionist was.

‘Ebelasc.’

Whatever the truth of the matter.

According to the rumors spreading through the city, the one who had attempted to assassinate the Fourth Princess, Sizzly, was Ebelasc, the head of the Night Ravens.

And it suddenly struck him that perhaps the collision between the Poison King and Ebelasc had occurred because of him.

In the past, he had asked her to prevent the Poison King from harming House Haden Hartz.

If this incident had unfolded because of something he had said?

It would mean that an event unprecedented before the Regression had occurred because of his words.

An indescribable emotion surged within him.

Perhaps a single, trivial flutter of a butterfly’s wing had overturned everything.

—It wasn’t Krash. That’s not his style.

In that instant, Crimson Garden’s voice pierced through the Brooch and into his mind.

His wildly racing heart began to slow, gradually returning to its natural rhythm.

His mind, stunned for only a brief moment, sharpened once more.

‘I’ll track her down.’

With a single utterance from Crimson Garden, Krash snapped back to reality and began pursuing Haring.

The immediate problem was Haring.

Because Krash knew better than anyone what consequence she had faced in the aftermath of the Poison King’s death all those years ago.

“Crimson Garden.”

Krash called out to her as he ran, seeking to verify the truth of the matter.

A raven descended from the sky, alighting upon his shoulder.

“You’re certain it wasn’t Ebelasc?”
—Yes. I’m certain.

Krash exhaled sharply.

As his mind cleared, Krash became convinced it couldn’t have been Ebelasc’s doing.

‘No matter what entanglements House Haden Hartz has, Ebelasc would never choose open warfare with the Poison King.’

The timing alone made no sense.

The Second Prince’s expulsion from the Empire and his asylum in House Haden Hartz—even if accelerated to its fullest—

could not happen now.

‘The Emperor hasn’t died yet, after all.’

The other imperial princes did not yet have the power to drive out the Second Prince on their own terms.

“Then whose doing was it?”
—The Poison King was attacked. Multiple witnesses saw him lying wounded on the ground.

Upon hearing the next word, Krash’s eyes began to narrow.

“So the Empire pinned it on Ebelasc regardless of who actually attacked the Poison King?”

As Krash grasped the situation, his gaze turned razor-sharp.

“The Empire has discovered Ebelasc’s location.”

Ebelasc is the leader of the Night Ravens.

And she bears the accusation of attempting to assassinate the imperial princess.

‘Above all, they wouldn’t want to let her slip away.’

Her value had already been proven beyond doubt during her time with the Night Ravens.

So the Empire would have pursued Ebelasc relentlessly, unwilling to let her slip through their fingers.

And as a result, the Empire caught wind that Ebelasc was in Hadenhartz.

But that didn’t mean the moment the Empire Knights crossed the border, it wouldn’t be a disaster in its own right.

The Empire had no mind for reckless war with Staron at this juncture.

—Exactly. So a World Incursionist who reduced the Poison King to that state is supposedly hiding in Staron, and now they’re formally requesting entry permits for the Empire Knights.

They’ve made quite a spectacle of it.

For them, so long as they capture Ebelasc, the outcome is profitable regardless.

So they’ve blown this wide open, betting on whatever means—whether Staron or themselves—to seize her.

If Staron captures her, they’ll demand extradition on charges related to the princess’s assassination.

If they capture her themselves, well, that’s an even better outcome.

“And where are the Empire Knights requesting entry?”
—Hadenhartz.

Just as expected.

“Has anyone confirmed who actually reduced the Poison King to that state?”
—Not yet.

Krash’s brow furrowed.

‘Intelligence is lacking.’

Krash had never faced the Poison King directly.

Even the Poison Seal, Haring, had been little more than a senior in his year back then, with barely any connection to him.

Moreover, Haring had left afterward, departing all the way to the Starry Generation, vowing vengeance against the Vengeful Spirit.

So no reliable information came to mind.

Krash bit his lower lip slightly.

‘One thing is certain: this never happened before.’

This incident was surely the result of the Butterfly Effect from various events occurring in this cycle.

But separate from that, Krash couldn’t shake an uneasy feeling.

‘It’s flowing in a different yet similar way.’

The Poison King being connected to Hadenhartz for whatever reason.

The Empire pressing into Hadenhartz.

These various pieces all seemed to be retracing the same conclusion as the previous cycle.

As if this world moved only within predetermined boundaries.

And those predetermined boundaries seemed to advance inexorably toward Destruction.

Staron would refuse the Empire’s request without question.

There was no chance they would allow Imperial Knights to set foot in their own territory.

The Empire and Staron had never been on good terms to begin with.

The Empire might seize upon this as a pretext to make all manner of demands.

They had attempted to assassinate the Imperial Princess, drawn their swords against a World Incursionist who had gravely wounded one of the Top Ten Under Heaven.

Now they would nitpick over national interest, using it as an excuse to obstruct the greater cause.

As a result, relations between the Empire and Staron would begin to fracture, piece by piece.

This incident would become one of the catalysts that would eventually escalate into war.

‘So the Poison King’s destruction of House Haden Hartz was merely a trigger.’

The Empire and Staron had been at odds with each other since long before.

The destruction of House Haden Hartz was simply the true spark that would ignite war.

Perhaps both nations had been waiting all along for that single catalyst to set war in motion.

Just as every war born from trivial causes had shown signs of brewing long before it broke out.

‘That’s why Arthur.’

He did not move to prevent the war between the Empire and Staron.

No individual, no matter how hard they struggled, could stop an event unfolding between nations.

Perhaps Arthur had tried to prevent it more than once.

But the moment he saw that his efforts only led to war, he let go.

And instead of preventing the war, he changed his approach to use it.

The thought brought Krash’s teeth grinding together.

‘So these rotten nations just fight each other while he watches.’

During their war, the Empire and Staron depleted their forces so thoroughly that they could no longer contain the World Erosion.

And the problem was not limited to the Empire and Staron alone.

They were the two most formidable nations in the world, after all.

‘I’m just a student, when all is said and done.’

That was likely why Arthur had stepped back from the conflict in the first place.

A mere student had no authority to mediate between nations.

As Krash dashed forward, lost in thought, something suddenly struck him.

An idea—sudden and clear.

His pace quickened, even as he raced after Haring.

Haring Laggren—daughter of the Poison King.

She might hold the key to resolving this entire matter.

Krash’s footsteps began to slow as he ran.

He’d arrived at the Female Dormitory.

Haring had made for her own room.

She’d likely used the communication device in her quarters to contact her family back home, seeking a proper explanation of the situation.

Perhaps there was a free period today—unusual after the Martial Arts class.

With the Female Dormitory entrance ahead, female students began to gather, and eyes turned toward him.

“Oh, isn’t that—”
“Krash Valheim?”
“He must be here to see someone.”

The girls regarded him with keen, curious interest.

But Krash paid them no mind.

His focus was singular: he needed to see Haring now.

Yet he couldn’t simply march into the Female Dormitory uninvited.

“……You?”

It was then that Astria emerged, and they came face to face.

Her expression brightened at the sight of him, though she quickly composed herself.

“What are you doing here?”

She spoke with an air of studied indifference.

“Astria.”

But the moment Krash looked at her, his face lit up.

Seeing his genuine pleasure at her presence, Astria flinched slightly.

Then, as an involuntary smile tugged at her lips, he spoke.

“Perfect timing. Call Haring Laggren for me, would you?”

Yet that expression crumbled almost as soon as it appeared.

Astria stared at Krash with wide, shocked eyes.

And no wonder—the moment his eyes opened, a man with feelings was already searching for another woman.

Astria’s eyes trembled pitifully for a moment before she bit down hard on her lips.

“…Why?”

As Krash was about to answer, he noticed Astria’s shoulders shaking.

A man with feelings, suddenly searching for another woman.

And right here, in front of the Female Dormitory at that.

Astria had every reason to be shocked.

“I can guess what you’re thinking. But it’s not like that.”

So Krash quickly corrected her misunderstanding.

“A problem’s emerged between the Empire and Staron. The Poison King suffered a critical injury from a World Incursionist, and the Empire is claiming the World Incursionist is in House Haden Hartz in Staron.”

This was something unfolding on a massive, state-level scale.

The moment Astria heard those words, her face—which had been twisted by jealousy and shock—gradually began to reset.

At the same time, her brows furrowed slightly.

“…You didn’t call for me even though something like that happened?”

One of the Top Ten Under Heaven had suffered a critical injury, after all.

Naturally, the Empire would immediately summon the Saint first for treatment.

But the Empire had done no such thing.

What’s more, Saint Astria had only learned of this news through Krash himself.

“Are you really going to get involved in something like this?”

If Krash was telling the truth, then this situation was enormous—truly enormous.

It was essentially a confrontation between two nations, no less.

When her bewildered expression showed she thought Krash was reckless to involve himself, he nodded gravely.

“Yes. This could easily escalate into war.”

War.

Hearing that word, Astria’s frown deepened and she turned to face him directly.

“If you’re saying it like that, it must be serious. All right. I’ll bring them.”

True to her nature, Astria kept personal and professional matters clearly separate.

With that, she turned and walked away.

“Astria, thank you.”

At Krash’s words directed toward her retreating form, Astria’s shoulders stiffened.

Then, after a brief glance back at him, she let out a soft huff and turned away.

“…I didn’t do this to hear your thanks, so let’s drop it.”

Though Astria spoke those words, her heart was secretly pleased.

As she departed, Krash stood alone, his gaze lingering toward the Female Dormitory.

He could only hope that Haring wouldn’t act too recklessly on her own.

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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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