I Became A Thief Who Steals Overpowered Skills - Chapter 29

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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 29. The Only Necromancer

Krasu first met Evelask through Arthur.

One day, Arthur brought Evelask to the Barracks where the Generation of the Sky was staying.

Unable to do anything by herself, she kept her distance from everyone.

Let me correct that.

More precisely, she avoided all of them.

She never set foot outside the Barracks.

From the start, the Generation of the Sky had no love for her—a World Eroder.

They kept her around only because Arthur brought her, assuming she’d be useful.

In the early days, Krasu rarely spoke to her either.

He knew only that she was the one and only necromancer in existence.

But one day, Krasu did begin a conversation with her.

‘So you’re cursed even worse than I am? Pathetic.’

It started with one of Evelask’s characteristically conceited remarks.

Krasu turned his gaze to the man before him.

A man whose presence was barely perceptible.

He was none other than Evelask’s Corpse Number 12.

And across his chest lay a single Raven Tattoo.

‘A family that rules the hidden face of the Empire, or so they say.’

In reality, it was nothing but a faction comprised of corpses.

Though in fairness, a necromancer might well be the most efficient tool for assassination.

A corpse, unlike a living assassin, yields no information even if captured.

‘That’s why they named her the Night Raven, then.’

A raven that scavenges corpses.

A fitting epithet for the necromancer Evelask.

“Your naming sense is something else.”
“Huh? Yeah?”

When Corpse Number 12 turned around, Krasu waved his hand dismissively, as if he’d said nothing of consequence.

Corpse Number 12 responded with a lukewarm grunt and continued walking.

He was on the move somewhere now, bringing Krasu along with him.

‘Come to think of it.’

Krasu glanced sideways at Crimson Garden perched on his shoulder.

Crimson Garden was a World Eroder, just like Evelask.

If that were the case, she might have already known Evelask.

“Crimson, you don’t know Evelask?”
-I don’t know anyone weaker than myself.

An arrogant answer came back.

And Krasu knew that what she said was true.

‘It makes sense, really. World Eroder aren’t exactly colleagues to one another in the first place.’

It was understandable that she wouldn’t know.

“We’re here.”

At that moment, Corpse Number 12 came to a halt.

Before him stood a weathered door and a dilapidated building.

It was far too shabby a structure to be the residence of the world’s only necromancer.

At that instant, with a sharp click from within, Corpse Number 12 opened the door.

What unfolded was a space decorated to excess.

The interior bore no resemblance whatsoever to the outer appearance.

Seeing the room that reeked of vanity, Krasu clicked his tongue.

‘A creature who never even leaves the corner of her room.’

She must have arranged everything this way simply because she wanted a grand and impressive house.

Thinking that she truly hadn’t changed—not then, not now—Krasu continued to follow Corpse Number 12’s guidance.

And the moment they arrived at a certain door, Corpse Number 12 opened his mouth.

“Since you’ve brought me this far, tell me now. How exactly are you going to recover my Heart?”

Looking at Evelask speaking through Corpse Number 12’s mouth, Krasu’s expression grew lukewarm.

“Didn’t you listen to what I said properly? What, a goldfish?”
“A goldfish?”
“I told you—I can only verify my skill by meeting you directly. Open the door before I break it down.”

Krasu furrowed his brow as if warning her not to make him repeat himself.

Because he’d picked up on the fact that she was being difficult simply because she didn’t want to let him in.

-What a terrible personality. Anyone watching would think she’s a different person entirely, the way she fawns over that white chick.

Then, dismissing Crimson Garden’s chuckle from beside him, Krasu pressed on.

Evelask required a firm hand.

It was something Krasu had come to understand thoroughly at that time.

This woman, to put it mildly, seemed to believe she held the upper hand and strutted about accordingly.

The sight of it repulsed him.

“Whimper, gasp.”

After a moment’s hesitation from within the room, the door cracked open just slightly.

Krasu shoved his hand through the gap and yanked the door wide open.

He had no patience for such delays.

“Aaaah!”

At the cry, the woman who had been lying on the floor immediately buried her head beneath the blankets scattered across it.

Krasu watched her for a moment, then retrieved a nearby chair and sat down with a heavy thump.

The room was an absolute disaster.

Remnants of half-eaten meals lay strewn about, never cleared away, and books piled haphazardly around the chamber teetered precariously.

Observing the squalid state of the room—so unlike the pristine corridor outside—Krasu’s expression darkened with disdain.

“Clean this up and live decently.”
“I, I’m sorry!”

Embarrassed at having her room exposed, she lifted her head abruptly, her face flushed.

But meeting his eyes seemed to unsettle her, and she quickly lowered her gaze again.

With the movement, her hair—a blend of black and crimson—swayed gently.

She had gone so long without grooming that her locks fell nearly to the floor.

Her shirt’s neckline was stretched loose beyond repair, sagging from the unnecessary fullness of her chest.

Truly, she was shameful to look upon in front of others.

And yet she remained the world’s only necromancer.

Evelask Benaputchi.

That she had reduced herself to this wretched state was by her own deliberate choice.

“Never mind. Just lift your head.”
“W-what are you trying to do?”
“I told you. My skill can only be verified through direct observation.”

She reluctantly raised her head.

Her violet eyes met his.

The moment their gazes locked, she grew anxious, uncertain how to compose herself.

She seemed deeply uncomfortable with making eye contact with others.

Then, as if grasping something suddenly, her eyes widened.

“Since my eyes are small, it looks like I’m not looking at people.”

It seemed to be the fault of Krasu’s disguise.

Ignoring the pointless remark, Krasu activated Black Hood.

‘The target is the Heart.’

The Heart that should rightfully belong to her.

In that instant, five Dials appeared before Krasu’s eyes.

The moment he saw them, Krasu was certain.

‘The original owner of the Heart is Evelask.’

It didn’t matter that the Imperial Court possessed her Heart.

Because Evelask was the true owner, Black Hood had activated.

Which meant that by resolving the Dials, it would be possible to retrieve Evelask’s Heart through Black Hood.

“So, what is it?”

Evelask asked with anxious eyes.

A thousand years imprisoned by the Imperial Court.

She, who had been manipulated as their tool, had always yearned to reclaim her Heart.

And the reason she wanted her Heart back was simple.

She didn’t want to work.

The Empire had provided her with a room and conveniences, but she didn’t want to work.

Her only wish was to lounge in her chamber reading books.

So Evelask let Krasu in without hesitation.

Perhaps this boy who seemed to see through her entirely would know something.

And if he didn’t, she would simply make him into a corpse and add him to the Assassination Squad.

Conveniently, she even had a raven on her shoulder—it was perfect.

‘But isn’t the raven staring at me too intensely?’

When the raven’s eyes met hers, Evelask widened her own, unwilling to back down to a mere bird.

But when the raven looked at her, let out a contemptuous caw, and spread its wings, she flinched and turned her head away.

That raven was frightening too.

“It’s possible.”

In the meantime, Krasu had given her the answer she wanted to hear.

“Really? Truly?”
“Yes. But I’ll need your permission to transfer your Heart to me.”

There are two ways to break a Dial.

One is the straightforward method—fulfilling the Dial’s conditions and dissolving it.

The second is obtaining the other party’s consent. If they give their complete, whole-hearted permission, the Dial vanishes entirely.

‘But this is trickier than it sounds.’

If the other party speaks consent but doesn’t truly mean it in their heart, the Dial won’t disappear.

And that psychological component had proven more of an obstacle than he’d anticipated.

After all, the human heart cannot be controlled at will.

“Permission? How do I give it? I give it! I do!”

Evelask blurted this out in haste.

Yet her Dial still showed five marks.

It was easy enough to speak of transferring one’s Heart, but actually surrendering it was another matter entirely.

“Not in words alone. You must mean it with genuine sincerity.”
“B-but how—how do I mean it sincerely?”
“You must truly believe it.”

Evelask’s expression grew uncertain.

Seeing this, Krasu clicked his tongue and rose from his seat.

Then he lowered himself down to sit directly in front of her where she remained on the floor.

Before she could react to finding herself face-to-face with him, Krasu tapped her shoulder gently.

“Evelask, I want you to imagine something carefully now.”
“Mm, yes.”
“You don’t want to work, do you?”
“Of course not!”

She answered in the strongest voice she’d managed in a long time.

It was so perfectly her.

“Once you reclaim your Heart, you could spend every day rolling about in this room. You’d leave your attendants to the corpses and do nothing but lounge in a chamber of comfortable temperature, surrounded by all the books you want, eating whatever you please, wasting away the years.”

Evelask swallowed hard.

It was only natural—she had always longed for such a future.

“But if you fail to reclaim your Heart, you’ll serve the Imperial Court for the rest of your life. Day after day, working, and working still.”

And her complexion darkened.

Having endured a thousand years, he could be certain it would be so again.

“I feel sick just thinking about it.”

She reacted with visible disgust, as though the mere thought made her stomach turn.

“So you’ll keep living like this? Working every single day?”
“No, I hate it. I don’t want to work anymore.”
“Then you’ll have to truly surrender your Heart to me. So you can live a life where you never have to work again.”

As Krasu whispered those words, Evelask’s eyes wavered.

Then she looked up at him carefully.

If she gave her Heart to this boy, she would never have to work again.

At least, she would never have to live like this.

Killing people on someone else’s command—she didn’t want to do that anymore.

With that thought, she spoke to Krasu.

“I’ll surrender my Heart.”
“Be more certain about it.”
“I’ll surrender my Heart!”
“No—tell me clearly, properly. What is it you really want from me?”

As Krasu pressed her once more, she squeezed her eyes shut and even bowed her head.

“Please, take my Heart!”

That was the moment.

All the Dials before her eyes suddenly came undone.

“Done.”
“D-done? It worked?”

She looked up with surprise, and Krasu nodded.

‘Easy creature,’ he thought.

Opening one’s heart was supposed to be a more difficult process than he’d expected, but it showed just how strong Evelask’s desire to stop working truly was.

“Then give it back to me right now!”
“Why would I do that?”

But Krasu merely crossed his arms and tilted his head.

When Evelask’s eyes widened, Krasu spoke with an infuriating expression.

“This is a Contract, Evelask. I’ll return your Heart to you after the job is finished.”

So after saving her from drowning, he had the audacity to demand more.

“A job? You want me to work again? You demon! You wretch! I hate you! I said I don’t want to work!”

Then she began rolling on the ground.

A fully grown woman throwing such a tantrum was a pathetic sight to behold.

And Krasu, who had no intention of watching this display any longer, stamped his foot on the ground with a surge of power.

Only then did she flinch, glancing at him before she stopped her thrashing.

“Stop with the tantrums. I’ll give you what you want, you’ll give me what I want, and then the deal is done. You’re free.”

When Krasu fixed her with a pointed stare, as if to say she should understand something so simple, she clenched both fists tight.

“W-what do you want?”

She seemed to realize something and covered her chest with her hands.

“Don’t—don’t tell me! Children aren’t my type! Come back when you’re older!”
—Heh, clever little thing, aren’t you.

Krasu regarded her with contempt.

“All those sensual novels you read, no wonder you talk such nonsense.”

Evelask’s shoulders stiffened.

“I-I don’t read those!”
“Then hide the title of the book you’re sitting on and make your claim.”
“Eek!”

She hurriedly shoved the novel under the blanket.

Watching her pathetic scramble, Krasu returned to his chair and sat down.

“The deal is as I said before. What plan Sigrin told you about. And helping to stop it. That’s all—then you get your Heart back and your freedom.”

Krasu spoke to Evelask as if to forbid any further nonsense.

“So tell me what Sigrin had you do.”

Hearing Krasu’s words, Evelask hesitated for a moment.

Sigrin had found the Heart that had been passed down through the Imperial Court for generations and now held it in her own hands.

So long as that remained true, Evelask could never escape Sigrin until her Heart was returned to her.

To break free from her, Krasu’s help was absolutely essential.

“Cera Betela.”

In that moment, the name of Sizli’s attendant spilled from her lips.

“She told me to kill her, and then use her corpse to kill Sizli Epania.”

And a plan far more absurd than he had expected emerged.

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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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