I Became A Thief Who Steals Overpowered Skills - Chapter 51

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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 51. Taking Hands

The Red Tower.

One of only three Towers in the world, and the Tower whose Master is the Flame King, ranked among the Top 10 Strongest Under Heaven.

The Red Tower possessed one distinctive characteristic.

It was the Tower’s extreme magical absolutism.

They believed that Magic could solve absolutely anything.

So they looked down on those who were not Mages, and regarded Skills and Curses as the most inferior of all disciplines.

They held that Magic created by humans occupied a higher realm than Divine Blessing and Curse.

Yet ironically, this very conviction had raised the Red Tower to the uppermost ranks among all Towers.

In order to solve everything through Magic, they possessed the most open-minded philosophy when it came to Magic itself.

Because they pursued new horizons through Magic each day, they advanced ceaselessly and grew until they reached the very pinnacle among Towers—one of the finest in the world.

So each kingdom supported the Red Tower.

Setting aside their ideology, their magical prowess was unmatched, and cooperation with them proved invaluable.

Krash had come to Halgram, the magical city where the Red Tower stood.

‘Same as always.’

Halgram, living up to its reputation as a magical city, overflowed with all manner of magical goods.

A mere glance around revealed a man using a Magic Tool to ignite a cigarette with casual ease.

Magic Tools had become part of everyday life.

And for Krash, this place held little welcome.

‘Abella.’

It was where she stayed—one of Arthur’s three women.

The memory of being unable to obtain the magically-crafted Painkiller in this place remained vivid in his mind.

Abella had barred him from ever entering the Red Tower.

More precisely, she had forbidden him to set foot in Halgram at all.

The woman who had treated him with consistent contempt showed an unusually intense reaction when it came to the Red Tower alone.

“Tch.”

He felt he needed to find out what that woman was up to now.

Magic as a discipline relied on inherent Mana, but ultimately the mind—the vessel of knowledge—mattered most.

Among the three who underwent Memory Succession, Abella was the one Krash considered most dangerous.

With enough Mana, she’d reach the apex of her power—the height she’d known as the Red Witch, the great Mage—faster than anything else.

‘The fact that I’ve regressed—no matter what else I lose sight of, she must never learn of it.’

That much, at least, Krash was certain he had to guard against.

‘Though knowing her, she’d probably just brush it off anyway.’

For some reason, that thought wouldn’t leave him.

“Krash.”

At that moment, Krash heard Bianca’s voice as she stepped down from the carriage behind him.

She glanced around with a curious expression on her face.

“Is this Halgram?”
“Yes. Where the Red Tower stands.”
“Being with you, I get to see so many different places.”

Halgram was a Free City, set far from Staron.

The journey had taken nearly three weeks, so Bianca had suffered considerably from the carriage ride.

Though admittedly, she’d spent most of it asleep.

“Next time, stay at Cheong Song Manor. Don’t make yourself suffer by following me everywhere.”

Krash had to grow stronger continuously over the next year.

Which meant he’d certainly be traveling to many places, and carriage journeys would only increase in frequency.

So when he said as much to Bianca, she raised her eyebrows slightly in displeasure.

“I don’t want to.”

She’d definitely grown more expressive with her feelings lately.

The way she’d fidgeted slightly when eating Imperial Chocolate not long ago was proof of that.

“I like being by your side, Krash.”

She said this with her white hair flowing, stepping closer to stand beside him.

Seeing that, Krash scratched his head and looked away.

“Do as you wish.”
“I will.”

Lately, wasn’t he losing ground in conversations to her?

Krash fell into thought for a moment, struck by the realization that he was being outmatched in banter by a mere thirteen-year-old child.

“Krash Balheim.”

At that moment, Krash heard a voice call out and lifted his head.

There stood a man in a blue uniform.

On the chest of the man, whose uniform cap was pulled down to match perfectly, was embroidered the insignia of Balheim along with five sword hilts nested within it.

The Fifth Sword of Balheim.

The symbol of the Azure Sea Knights.

“A pleasure to meet you. I am Reblian Phenox, Vice-Commander of the Azure Sea Knights.”

Phenox was one of the knight families subordinate to Balheim.

Quite elite in origin, yet he belonged to the Azure Sea Knights, ranked fifth among the order.

‘Lost his position in the internal struggle,’ Krash thought.

Having grasped the man’s situation readily enough, Krash nodded.

“The commander of the Azure Sea Knights must have mentioned it.”
“Yes, we heard well that you wished to join the Azure Sea Knights. I’ve come to serve as your guide, but if I may ask one thing beforehand—would that be acceptable?”

He posed his question with utmost courtesy.

“Don’t worry. I have no intention of starting from the bottom once I join the Azure Sea Knights or anything like that. The reason I wanted to affiliate with them was simply to avoid openly announcing that a direct heir of Balheim has come to the Red Tower.”

Krash, understanding what his question would have been, answered preemptively.

Krash’s desire to join the Azure Sea Knights was, in essence, nothing more than creating an alibi.

Hearing this, the man placed a hand over his chest and bowed his head.

“I see. My apologies for the intrusion. In that case, I shall serve as your aide until you achieve your purpose.”

Within Balheim, the Azure Sea Knights might be treated as merely the Fifth Sword, but outside, they were considered the representative knight order of an entire house.

And yet the Vice-Commander of such an order was approaching with such formality.

And to a mere fourteen-year-old boy, no less.

Krash once again felt the weight of power that came with being a direct heir of Balheim.

At the same time, he remembered how pitiful his standing had been not long ago.

‘The Chamberlain must have spoken quite favorably of me passing the trial.’

In the past, Krash would not have received courteous treatment even from the Eighth Sword, let alone the Azure Sea Knights.

But now things were different.

Balheim no longer regarded Krash as worthless.

‘Still, there’s a long way to go.’

If it were Charlotte, the commander of the Azure Sea Knights himself would have rushed here.

“Work out the details with Aliod, my exclusive attendant.”
“Yes, understood.”

The man bowed once more to Krash, then turned to speak with Aliod standing behind him.

Watching this, Krash felt a pang of hunger.

It seemed the lack of proper meals during their carriage journey had sharpened his appetite considerably.

‘Eating well now is important.’

Krash was in the thick of a growth spurt.

With his height and weight increasing daily, eating was essential.

“Aliod, I’m thinking we should find somewhere nearby and grab a meal.”
“Shall I assign someone to accompany you?”

Aliod, who had been conversing with Reblian, asked at once.

But Krash, who detested such arrangements, waved his hand in dismissal.

“Never mind. Look, I know roughly where the Azure Sea Knights are positioned. We’ll head there after eating.”
“Very well, sir.”

For all he said that, Krash knew someone would be following in his wake.

Unlike that time he’d slipped into the Empire without warning, this was different—he’d informed Balheim directly and come with their knowledge.

Outside Staron’s walls, Balheim’s direct bloodline were shadowed by Shadow Knights skilled in concealment—a custom escort practice that lasted until they came of age.

So somewhere out of sight, such a knight was already trailing him.

Thinking back on it now, Krash could appreciate just how much maneuvering Aliod must have done behind the scenes when he’d gone to the Empire.

Even if Krash was a half-blood, he was still direct lineage.

Had anything gone wrong for Krash in the Empire, Aliod would have lost his post as steward on the spot—and faced execution besides.

Yet Krash was Aliod’s savior and his lord.

Which is why, from the moment Krash made his request, Aliod had staked his life—not only spiriting him safely out of the Empire but meticulously preparing the fallout to shield him from any harm.

In this respect, Krash felt anew the usefulness of Aliod.

Even among Balheim’s elite stewards, few possessed such capability.

“Bianca, let’s go eat.”
“Yes.”

At Krash’s call, Bianca followed at once.

She held the edge of his sleeve from behind, gazing around Halgram with wonder.

As Krash stepped out onto the main street, crowds quickly began to thicken around them.

“Oh.”

In the press of bodies, Bianca lost her grip on his collar without thinking.

She hurriedly reached out to grab Krash again.

But before she could, Krash’s hand shot through the crowd and seized hers first.

He pulled her gently, drawing her smoothly to his side.

As she stared at him with wide, startled eyes, Krash clicked his tongue.

“You miss things when you’re distracted by the sights.”

Krash had been watching to ensure Bianca stayed close behind him the entire time.

So when he realized she’d stumbled, he immediately steadied her.

“I’m sorry.”
“Never mind. Just keep your grip and follow closely.”

Krash said this while continuing forward, her hand still clasped firmly in his.

Bianca found herself gazing down at their joined hands.

It was something he did often enough.

Gruff as he could be, he had a way of looking after her in these small moments.

His palm was rough from constant training, larger than hers.

Yet this time, his touch felt warmer than it ever had before.

Spring had arrived in full bloom, and the air was pleasant enough, but this—this felt different somehow.

Bianca couldn’t explain the tingling sensation that ran through her fingertips.

A vernal breeze brushed against her cheek.

The cheerful voices of people in the street echoed in her ears.

Spring sunlight fell warm and gentle from above.

The scent of flowers lining the roadside tickled her nose.

In the gentle spring of Halgram.

Surrounded by crowds, Bianca felt as though she and Krash existed alone together.

And strange as it was, that feeling was wonderfully, perfectly good.

Nothing more than walking hand in hand, yet it filled her with warmth.

She gazed absently at Krash’s back.

While she couldn’t see his face, she found that was all right—more than all right.

“We’re here. As expected at this time too, Bianca… why are you flushed?”

Krash had stopped at their destination and glanced back at her with a puzzled expression.

Bianca’s eyes snapped away from their hands, and she lifted her head belatedly.

She cupped her cheek with her free hand, tilting her head slightly.

“Am I flushed?”
“Yeah, your face looks exactly the same as when you’re eating chocolate or drowsy.”

Bianca blinked.

Then, with petulant indignation, her lips pouted slightly.

“I won’t cry.”
“No, your face right now is exactly——”
“I won’t.”

When she spoke with such certainty, Krash found himself at a loss, his expression turning incredulous.

Just moments ago her lips had curved upward, her eyes bright and animated—so why was she saying this now?

‘Perhaps she saw something she liked somewhere.’

He wasn’t quite sure what had prompted it, but Krash spoke up anyway.

“Fine then. We’ll eat here.”

Bianca lifted her head belatedly to look around.

There, tucked away, stood a small restaurant that looked rather worn.

Looking about, she realized they’d wandered quite far from the main thoroughfare of Halgram.

“It’s shabby,” she said.
“Don’t be blunt about it inside. You’ll draw unwanted attention.”

With that warning, Krash pushed open the door and stepped in.

He ushered her inside ahead of him.

“Oh my, what adorable customers we have.”

At that moment, a server caught sight of them and broke into a smile.

Two people who still looked very young had walked in hand in hand.

Only then did Krash realize they were still holding hands.

He tried to pull away, but Bianca quickly clasped his hand again.

Krash froze and turned to look at her.

Bianca merely stared back at him, dazed.

It was as though she didn’t understand her own impulse.

“You said… not to let go,” she murmured.

Why did she sound almost indignant about it?

“It’s fine if you don’t hold my hand inside the restaurant,” Krash said.

He released her hand again. Bianca wrapped her fingers around her own hand and remained silent.

The server watched their exchange with quiet contentment and led them to their table.

When Krash sat down on the wooden chair, Bianca naturally took the seat beside him despite the one across being available.

Krash had grown accustomed to such things; he simply unfolded the menu.

He called the server over, ordered what Bianca wanted alongside his own selection, then cast a brief glance around the restaurant.

It was lunchtime, and based on probability, she’d show up soon.

That’s when Krash’s gaze caught on a figure sitting in a corner booth.

The moment he spotted her, Krash exhaled with an expression of disbelief.

‘Found her already.’

A woman furtively stuffing bread into her own mouth while collecting food from a server into a basket.

With her light brown hair and half-closed, vacant expression, Krash knew her all too well.

The one who would come to be called the Flame Emperor.

Aslan Igrit’s personal attendant.

The key that would connect him to the one with the Woleum Body.

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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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