I Became A Thief Who Steals Overpowered Skills - Chapter 27

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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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Chapter 27. Turning Misunderstanding to Advantage

Sizzly Epania.

After the 1st Prince fell to Sigrin’s hands, and just before she could place Arthur on the imperial throne.

Sizzly hid the White Dragon Jade Seal—the symbol of imperial authority—in a place no one could discover, then took her own life.

An ancient, unwritten law: whoever does not possess the White Dragon Jade Seal cannot ascend to the throne.

As a result, Sigrin and Arthur, unable to seize the seal, failed to unite The Empire under a single hand.

They rose to the throne in name only—hollow emperors, nothing more.

They were powerless to quell the discord that festered within The Empire.

All because of one act orchestrated by Sizzly.

‘She meant to eliminate that obstacle before it could become one.’

Sizzly’s mind simply worked differently than everyone else’s.

Even acclaimed geniuses often found themselves outmatched in her presence.

So Sigrin must have calculated that no matter how quickly she obtained the White Dragon Jade Seal first, Sizzly would find some way to interfere.

For Sizzly would never allow Arthur’s ascension to pass unchallenged.

‘She’ll use Night Raven to murder Sizzly, then pin the blame on the 2nd Prince for controlling them—destroying both in one stroke.’

Krashu felt the final piece of the puzzle lock into place.

‘Not that I’m one to judge, having murdered my own half-brother with these hands.’

Still, he could see just how ruthlessly Sigrin was willing to act toward family.

“What’s taking you so long to think?”

Crimson Garden, perched atop the Bandaged Man’s head, tilted her head with curiosity.

At the sight, Krashu exhaled slowly.

He had grasped the situation well enough.

And he also understood why Night Raven had entered this martial tournament.

The 2nd Prince must have wanted to spread word far and wide that he controlled Night Raven.

And this tournament was the perfect venue for such rumors to take root.

He would be hoping that Night Raven claimed first place in this tournament.

Not realizing it was all part of Sigrin’s design.

And Sigrin’s blade would fall cleanly upon both Sizzly and the 2nd Prince.

“Crimson.”
“I told you not to call me that.”

The moment Crimson Garden lunged at him with her beak, Krashu sidestepped her attack with ease.

“I could use a bit more help.”
“I’m already training you as my disciple. To ask for more assistance on top of that—don’t you have any shame?”
“Shame or not, this is connected to my getting stronger.”

He understood what Sigrin’s true objective was.

Before entering Raheln Academy, she wanted to bring down the 1st Prince and 2nd Prince by any means necessary.

What she was after was the throne of The Empire itself.

And Krashu had no intention of letting Arthur become Emperor of The Empire.

‘Black Hood fundamentally creates a Dial based on the target’s sense of self-worth.’

The higher that self-worth, the more solid the Dial becomes, the harder it is to open.

But conversely, the more lacking in self-worth, the more the Dial loosens.

It was only natural.

To raise the value of what one possesses, one must first believe oneself to be of value.

‘So I cannot allow Sigrin’s purpose to succeed.’

For what lay ahead, her skill was something I absolutely had to steal.

Which meant I could not let her ascend to the throne of Emperor.

‘And if that damned woman takes the imperial seat, The Empire will almost certainly collapse.’

Sigrin possessed natural talent with the blade, but her mind fell short of what an Emperor ought to be.

Her lack of discernment alone—her eagerness to place Arthur on the imperial throne—said everything.

The collapse of The Empire is the flood of World Erosion.

I absolutely had to prevent Sigrin from becoming Emperor.

“If you want to steal a skill from someone, you have to ruin their plans before they can execute them.”

Crimson Garden clicked her tongue at Krashu, shaking her head.

“In any case, you Returners always act on whatever scraps of future knowledge you possess.”

Unfortunate, though, that the real Returner is someone else entirely.

“But it was I who chose to help you, so fine. I’ll lend a hand this once.”

Fortunately, Crimson Garden agreed to help readily enough.

“What about him?”

“Don’t bother. We don’t need it anymore.”

She understood the situation completely.

Sigrin knew it as well as Krashu did—there was no one who grasped their circumstances more precisely than he.

“Hmm, well, since we’re here anyway, let’s plant a seed in him while we’re at it.”

With that, Crimson Garden stamped down hard on the Bandaged Man’s head.

A moment later, a black star appeared etched between the bandages.

“Go.”

Crimson Garden’s command sent the Bandaged Man turning on his heel and trudging away without hesitation.

“So what’s the plan?”

Crimson Garden approached Krashu with heavy, deliberate steps, her eyes fixed on his.

“Simple. We need to smoke out the Night Raven hiding in the main tournament.”

To do that, she’d need to provoke them into the open.

And as it happened, the timing was perfect.

“I’m going to need you and this face of mine to make some waves.”

Let’s make a wager—who’s the real raven?

* * *

Sizzly was having a delightful day, as usual.

Her recent joy stemmed from a single person.

The child who’d come from Staron, who knew her true identity.

Krashu.

Every time he grew exasperated with her sudden whims, Sizzly found herself fighting not to laugh outright.

Of course—it made perfect sense.

Until now, everyone around her had only offered bewildered responses to her impulsive antics.

She was the princess of The Empire.

Only Sera, her attendant, could ever dare to scold her playful outbursts.

But when she hid her identity and played pranks, she understood it was only possible because her true self remained concealed.

That was what made Krashu such entertaining prey.

He knew her identity, absolutely.

Yet he had never—not once—treated her as a princess.

That was what truly fascinated her.

It was the kind of feeling that made you wonder how such a cunning creature could possibly exist.

The peculiar glint that occasionally flickered between those half-lidded eyes made him look nothing like a fourteen-year-old boy.

Sizzly had concluded that he was hiding his true age.

And that part of it was amusing to her as well.

An old soul in a child’s body—wasn’t that exactly like herself?

Sizzly went so far as to judge that he had disguised his very appearance.

The makeup he’d applied without her knowing was subtle, yet her overwhelming powers of observation pierced right through it.

Surely his name was false too.

But it didn’t matter.

She’d noticed that he cared about nothing but the martial tournament.

“Do you find that boy so appealing?”

Sera posed the question to Sizzly, who had been gazing out the window.

At the question, Sizzly let out a soft laugh.

“Are you asking if I’m attracted to him romantically?”
“It’s natural for the Fourth Princess to feel drawn to males her own age, is it not?”

Sizzly stroked her own chin thoughtfully.

“Biologically speaking, it’s natural for males and females to be drawn to each other. For the continuation of the species, it’s true that hormones peak at this age. Especially for someone like me, with my weak constitution, I should perhaps be all the more desperate to leave behind offspring.”
“Please don’t speak in circles.”
“I have no particular interest in that. I would have reacted exactly the same way even if he were the same gender as me.”

Sizzly declared this with certainty.

“I am Sizzly Epania. The Fourth Princess of The Empire. Even if such feelings were to arise, they are not things I should claim.”

As she said this, Sizzly smiled slowly.

“That is what it means to be the Fourth Princess.”

Watching her, Sera felt a pang of sympathy.

For her, being a princess was nothing but chains.

What good was a brilliant mind?

God had given her a frail body and the position of Fourth Princess.

She would have no way to live her life except as a tomboy, forever.

Or perhaps—just perhaps—there was another way.

But the moment she chose that path, she would have to use that brilliant mind to harm every person around her.

Because she hated that prospect, she remained here, living always like a wild girl.

“Oh, you’re here.”

It was then that Sizzly spotted Krashu walking in from outside.

“I heard you put on quite a show in the preliminaries. Let’s go heap some praise on you.”

Sizzly descended toward the first floor with an animated expression.

Sera watched her go and simply faded from sight without a sound.

Sizzly bounded down the stairs and planted herself at the door.

She’d planned to tease him the moment he stepped through.

The instant the door creaked open.

Sizzly’s words caught in her throat.

She’d glimpsed something unfamiliar flickering across Krashu’s face as he looked at her.

“What is it?”

Her usual manner slipped out unbidden.

“Why are you looking at me like that all of a sudden?”

Sizzly posed the question.

It was only natural, after all.

In Krashu’s eyes, which had been nothing but irritable all morning, there now gleamed something unmistakably like pity.

It was a feeling she’d often seen in Sera’s gaze, but not one he should have worn.

Frankly, it rankled.

However he’d come to know what he knew about her, she was not someone to be pitied by him.

“Nothing much.”

Krashu spoke thus and stepped inside.

“I just find myself thinking you lead a rather cruel life.”

His next words made Sizzly’s eyes trail after him.

“What happened?”
“Protect your own body. Remember that much.”

He left those cryptic words behind and walked deeper inside, and Sizzly stood frozen in place.

“Sera.”
“Yes?”

At her summons, Sera stepped out of concealment at once.

Sizzly’s eyes had grown cold and measured in a way they rarely did.

It was an expression that emerged when she revealed herself in her role as princess, and Sera immediately dropped into a bow.

“You’re the one feeding information from the palace.”

She spoke these words while turning to look at Sera.

“Is this person truly trustworthy?”

No matter how sharp her intellect, even Sizzly needed ears to gather information.

Within the palace, she was not free.

So it was through Sera’s accounts that she had come to understand how the palace operated these days — and when she asked the question, Sera bowed her head.

“I shall verify once more.”
“Please do.”

Sizzly spoke thus, then turned her gaze back to the room Krashu had entered.

Indeed, what information had that boy ferreted out?

Could he see things even she could not?

She couldn’t say for certain, but this martial tournament…

Something quite extraordinary might yet unfold.

* * *

The day the preliminary rounds of the martial tournament ended and the main tournament approached.

On that very day, a peculiar rumor was making the rounds.

It was none other than the news that Night Raven — treated as a mystery until now — had entered the boys’ division of this martial tournament.

Those who heard this news all showed great interest.

Night Raven had always been a subject of fascination, forever on people’s lips.

People loved to embellish stories about secretive organizations, after all.

Because of this, the spectators who had come to watch the main tournament were deeply curious about the rumors of Night Raven, shrouded as they were in mystery.

Could the rumors possibly be true?

So the main tournament proceeded.

Despite an unusually large crowd gathered for the boys’ division, the tournament fell short of expectations.

No matter how talented, these were children of fifteen and under.

The truth was their skill paled considerably against adults.

Even those who had advanced to the main round showed many gaps and made frequent mistakes.

While some might have found it entertaining, most found it less thrilling than the glittering adult division.

Just as people began to wonder if Night Raven had merely been a rumor after all…

“Participant Krashu for the Round of 32!”

A boy stepped forward.

The first thing that caught everyone’s eye was the raven perched on his shoulder.

The moment they saw that raven, the crowd couldn’t help but think of Night Raven in unison.

After all, the raven was Night Raven’s very symbol.

Moreover, the boy’s appearance itself evoked an uncanny atmosphere.

His garb, rendered entirely in black, gave him the air of someone from the Empire’s shadowy underbelly.

Especially those narrowed eyes—they revealed nothing of his inner thoughts, deepening the suspicion all the more.

“Is it really him?”
“It really seems to be.”
“Look at that shifty face. It has to be.”

In an instant, the onlookers’ thoughts aligned.

It’s him.

This boy is Night Raven himself!

“Round of 32 participant: Garda!”

As all eyes fixed upon the announcement.

His opponent stepped into the arena.

The man, whose well-trained frame was evident at a glance, gripped a large sword in one hand and fixed a stare upon Krashu.

“So, raven—you’re the famous Night Raven everyone speaks of?”

At Garda’s question, Krashu merely shrugged his shoulders.

He neither denied it nor confirmed it.

That cryptic posture only deepened the suspicion about his true identity.

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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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