I Became A Thief Who Steals Overpowered Skills - Chapter 84

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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 84. That Crosses the Line

Everyone within Balheim knew what Krash had endured during his time there.

Though his circumstances had improved after passing the Chief Steward’s trial, the past could not be erased.

So they had considered Krash’s position—his discomfort—in their decision.

“With all respect, that’s overstepping.”
“Well, from your perspective, it’s understandable to be concerned.”

If conflict ever arose between the direct descendants of Balheim, the knight order would suffer the collateral damage.

It was the classic case of a shrimp’s back breaking in a whale’s fight.

In truth, it would have been strange not to worry about it.

“Don’t worry. I have no intention of even talking to Lilish. Besides, looking like this, she won’t recognize me anyway.”

Thinking about it, Krash had scarcely spoken to Lilish in the past either.

Lilish was a taciturn woman.

The type who focused solely on the duties assigned to her, nothing more.

During his years at Cheong Song Manor, Krash had encountered her even less frequently.

‘We share blood, but she’s my half-sister.’

There had been little reason to grow close.

“Once we enter the Forbidden Territory, I’ll need to move independently for a while. Just keep an eye on that, will you? I won’t try to shift responsibility.”
“Understood. I shall do so.”

Krash had expected Leblian to warn him at least once that individual action was dangerous in the Forbidden Territory, but the man answered far more readily than anticipated.

Then, as if he’d read Krash’s thoughts, Leblian smiled faintly.

“You moved freely about the Forest of the Spirit King without restriction, did you not? I’ve already assessed that solo action poses no problem for you.”

Now that he thought about it, a knight skilled in shadow movements had been casually trailing him then as well.

It seemed reports had reached Leblian during his time in the Forest of the Spirit King.

This was exactly why it was valuable to have someone sharp stationed nearby.

“I’ll look forward to working with you.”
“It shall be my privilege to serve you.”

Once the conversation ended, Krash made a point of committing the name Leblian Phenox firmly to memory.

By any measure, he was too talented for the position of vice-commander of the Cheonghae Knights, a Fourth-Rank order.

‘Though whether opportunity will arise, I cannot say.’

If he ever came to establish his own knight order, he would at least make a scouting offer.

* * *

A week passed in that manner.

By frequently participating in the Cheonghae Knights’ training and gradually building a modest reputation, Krash had integrated seamlessly into their ranks, buoyed by their warm welcome.

So even now, wearing the Cheonghae Knights’ uniform, Krash felt entirely at ease.

“Bianca, want some of this?”
“Yes.”

In the meantime, Bianca—thoroughly doted upon by the female members of the Cheonghae Knights—accepted a piece of chocolate.

Since Bianca’s name hadn’t spread far, using her real name raised no suspicions whatsoever.

“So you’re operating independently?”

The one who’s really out of place here is me.

Krash turned to face the man who’d called him by that name.

It was Colin, a fellow knight—tall, broad-faced, with an open, ingenuous expression.

The man had a subtle gift for gathering information, and he’d already picked up on Krash’s independent movements.

“Ah, I’m just not used to group operations. I’ll take on reconnaissance instead.”
“But you did fine when we trained together.”
“Training and actual deployment are different things.”

Krash had already secured prior approval from both the vice-commander and the commander himself.

Colin had merely asked out of curiosity—nothing more than that.

“Krash.”

Just then, Bianca’s voice reached them.

They’d established themselves as siblings to keep up appearances.

Perhaps because of that, when Krash gazed at Bianca as she addressed him, she offered the chocolate she’d been holding to his lips.

“Here, have some.”
“You like chocolate. Go ahead and finish it yourself.”
“I’ve already had plenty. And I like it better when you eat it.”

Of late, Bianca had been notably attentive to making sure he ate regularly.

Could it be she was still bothered by how he’d been scrounging meals from Lirena?

“Go on, then.”

She’d already unwrapped the chocolate from its paper.

Krash opened his mouth reluctantly.

Then, with her small, pale fingers, Bianca placed the chocolate between his lips.

It was sweet, as chocolate ought to be.

Glancing at Bianca, I found her wearing an expression of quiet satisfaction—the kind others might have missed, but it was unmistakably there.

Unable to resist, I let out a soft sigh and began stroking her hair slowly.

I’d have to procure some different chocolate soon.

“What a wonderful sibling bond.”
“Both of them are so adorable.”

At that, the female knights burst into delighted laughter.

-Are their eyes broken? What makes them siblings? Paired with this pitch-black crow of all people. Honestly.

Crimson Garden, for her part, wore an expression of utter disbelief.

“Cheonghae Knights, all personnel, listen up.”

A male voice rang out across the courtyard.

The speaker was Leblian, and beside him stood a remarkably large man whose distinctive mustache immediately caught the eye.

The Commander of the Cheonghae Knights—Vega.

“Cheonghae Knights, as I’ve mentioned before, we’re heading to the Demonic Territory, which is part of the Forbidden Territory. We’ll be moving alongside the First-Rank and Fourth-Rank Knights, so let’s conduct ourselves without friction and complete this mission professionally.”

With that, Vega led the Cheonghae Knights forward and they began moving out.

Their destination was the spatial magic circle installed in Balheim.

“The First-Rank and Fourth-Rank Knights, then.”
“So we’re handling the support work.”

Anywhere else, the Cheonghae Knights would have been considered elite, but this was Balheim.

Perhaps for that reason, every member of the Cheonghae Knights already seemed aware of their actual standing.

The gap between them and the Fourth-Rank Knights was already substantial, not to mention the First-Rank.

“I don’t mind the First-Rank so much, but I can’t stand those Fourth-Rank bastards.”

Colin, walking beside Krash, wore an expression of clear irritation.

“You can’t stand the Fourth-Rank?”

Krash looked at him with curiosity.

Krash wasn’t particularly well-informed about the internal politics of Balheim’s knight orders.

“Ah, you haven’t been here long enough to know. See, the Fourth-Rank has quite a few former Wandering Knights. You’d actually be welcome there, Krash. But those guys—their temperament’s a bit foul from their time as Wandering Knights, if you catch my drift.”

Perhaps because Krash himself was a former Wandering Knight,

Colin explained the situation with a somewhat awkward tone.

The Fourth-Rank Knights. The Nok Hai Knight Order.

As Colin had said, the Fourth-Rank housed many former Wandering Knights.

It made sense—any Wandering Knight that Balheim would bother recruiting would need to be at least Expert Supreme level.

Naturally, then, the Fourth-Rank Knights found themselves drawing a disproportionate number of Wandering Knights into their ranks.

“The knights above us are superior in every respect, so even the Fourth-Rank doesn’t touch them. But being directly beneath them, we catch all the friction.”

Krash finally understood what Colin meant.

Wandering Knights carried a certain resentment—or disdain—toward those who had wielded their blades solely within the order’s ranks their entire lives.

They spoke of themselves as hardened by the wilderness, striking down World Erosion with their own hands, while the others had been coddled in comfort.

To Krash’s eye, there was little to distinguish between them.

“Be careful yourself, Krash. You come from Wandering Knight stock, so you might get some allowance. But there are a few nasty characters among the Fourth-Rank all the same. If anyone picks a needless fight, just ignore them or call for the Deputy Commander. Even they don’t dare mouth off to nobility.”

It sounded as though Deputy Commander Leblian had his hands full.

Learning these unexpected details about the order’s inner workings, Krash nodded along appropriately.

‘Picking fights is the last thing I need. If anything, I should be the one avoiding trouble.’

A Direct Descendant of Balheim—that was Krash.

If Leblian, who knew his true identity, ever caught sight of him embroiled with the Fourth-Rank, he’d come rushing over in a panic.

Given the debt of honor he owed, Krash resolved to keep his head down.

When they arrived at the designated location, the Fourth-Rank Nok Hai Knight Order was already waiting.

The First-Rank Knights, it seemed, had not yet arrived.

As Krash watched those assembled before the magic circle, Leblian suddenly approached.

“Krash.”

Leblian gestured for him to come closer.

He clearly had something to discuss.

“Bianca, stay here with Crimson Garden for a moment.”
“Understood.”

Leaving Bianca in charge of Crimson Garden, Krash followed Leblian away from the gathering.

Once they had moved a safe distance from the knights, Leblian spoke.

“Lord Krash, an unexpected person has appeared in Sefira, near the Demonic Territory.”

Krash’s breath caught in his throat.

Bad premonitions, it seemed, always proved accurate.

The problem he’d been avoiding had just walked through the door.

“……Who is it?”
“Seirang of Sefira—they call her the Princess of Sefira. She’s the daughter of the Chief Steward of Sefira’s first rank.”

Of course. That name had surfaced.

He’d sensed something off from the moment Sefira had requested reinforcements.

As expected.

“Seirang has a guard stationed beside her in Sefira, doesn’t she?”
“Yes, according to the reports, she appeared in Sefira yesterday with just a single guard in tow.”

Leblian seemed unfamiliar with details about the guard.

Well, it would be strange if he did know.

Officially, the guard was listed as a young hire from not long ago.

In reality, though, she was something closer to an ancient monster.

‘If you’re retired, stay retired. Don’t come crawling back.’

Krash felt a dull ache spreading through his head, then shook it off.

“Got it. Thanks for letting me know.”

Leblian had deliberately shared this information with Krash out of consideration—hoping to spare him any trouble with Seirang.

Krash was about to move on, thinking he should pass this along to Crimson Garden as well, when—

“Ha. Bringing a child along and yet so talkative. When did the Fourth-Rank Knights become nursemaids? A disgrace to the order.”
“You two done?”

A quarrelsome voice reached Krash’s ears.

While the captains and vice-captains had paused their meeting at Seirang’s arrival, a commotion had broken out.

‘I heard the Fourth-Rank and Cheonghae weren’t on good terms.’

Sure enough, those bickering were members of the Nok Hai Knight Order and the Cheonghae Knights.

But as Krash watched quietly, his eyes began to narrow.

Because standing behind the arguing Cheonghae Knight was Bianca.

Bianca stood there hesitantly, clearly uncertain how to handle the situation.

Krash assessed the situation in an instant, piecing it together with the conversation he’d just overheard.

“Lord Krash.”

Leblian, noticing it belatedly, spoke in an alarmed tone.

There was an implicit offer to handle it himself, but Krash was already laughing softly.

Because he was disguised as Krad, that laugh carried a chilling edge—enough to make even Leblian shudder.

In truth, Krash had been prepared to tolerate things even if the Fourth-Rank Knights picked a fight with him.

After all, he was the one who’d snuck in on personal business, and they had no way of knowing they were picking a fight with a Direct Descendant of Balheim—an unfortunate situation.

Yes, he could have let that slide.

But not when they touched something they shouldn’t have.

“Leblian.”
“Yes.”
“The Fourth-Rank commander—what was his name again?”

Leblian’s face drained of color.

“Seems like you’ve been a bit negligent managing your subordinates.”

This was going to require a serious conversation.

But first—that loudmouth over there needed handling.

While Leblian stood frozen in shock,

Krash cracked his neck.

He decided to deal with this matter first, and get the answers later.

So he started forward, each step deliberate.

As he moved, Aura began to shimmer slowly across his knuckles.

The Nok Hai Knight Order member was simply unlucky, perhaps.

Who could have guessed that the one he’d chosen to provoke was the Direct Descendant’s betrothed?

But misfortune falls on whom it will.

In the end, it was his own fault for starting trouble.

“Krash.”

Only Bianca noticed him as he arrived.

By then, Krash was already standing before the smirking Nok Hai Knight Order member.

“Hey.”
“Huh?”

The moment Krash opened his mouth, the knight turned to look.

As their eyes met and Krash’s smile deepened, his fist was already extending.

Crack!

The fist tore through the air and struck true—directly against his jaw.

“Ugh—gah—”

They were the same rank: Expert Supreme.

Caught off guard, the knight couldn’t dodge. The moment he staggered,

Cun Jing.

The second impact erupted, shaking his head and body violently.

“Hrck?!”

Spittle flew from his mouth as the Nok Hai Knight Order member convulsed.

And with that, he tumbled across the floor.

Krash, watching him go, brushed dust from his hand with casual indifference.

“Daru!”

The flustered Nok Hai Knight Order members hastily gathered around the one called Daru to check on him.

Daru lay completely still, his eyes rolled back white.

“What in blazes—!”
“How dare a First-Rank Knight lay hands on a Fourth-Rank member!”
“Can you really answer for this?”

While the Cheonghae Knights stood bewildered by the sudden turn of events—

The Nok Hai Knight Order members unleashed their fury at Krash.

They tolerated hurting outsiders well enough, but touching one of their own was another matter entirely.

Watching them, Krash exhaled softly—and heat rippled forth with his breath.

Sensing an extraordinary force in that heat, the Nok Hai Knight Order members froze.

They were knights, after all.

Especially those among them who had risen through the ranks as Wandering Knights, hardened on countless battlefields—their instinct for matters of life and death ran sharp as a blade.

And so they understood.

The force radiating from Krash now stood unmistakably above their own.

“Fourth-Rank Knights, Nok Hai Knight Order.”

Krash spoke quietly, a cold light glimmering between his narrowed eyes.

“You’re the ones doing the things you can’t handle.”

The discord festering among the knight orders had grated on him long enough.

He was prepared to bring the whole thing crashing down if they pushed any further.

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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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