I’ll Steal Everything and Escape - Chapter 6

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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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6.
“Hic. Hnngh.”
Once again, Silvia Brunet sniffles. Robert sighs, trying hard not to let it show.
Ever since Elodie Pontaine died, the party’s morale had hit rock bottom. A Quinowolf, then a strange bird-type Demonic Beast, and on a plain beach with no dungeon in sight, Demonic Beasts had ambushed them twice in a single day. Even these self-assured students could not help but lose heart over the death of a classmate who had been chatting with them only moments before.
“It’s creepy here. I’m serious, it’s scary.”
“Stop it, Silvia! Nothing like that will happen again, I promise.”
“Everyone’s dead! From seven of us down to, hic, just three!”
“Silvia!”
Stefan lashes out for no real reason. He raises his voice, yet his dark eyes keep darting around, uneasy. He must be genuinely worried about the Demonic Beasts.
“…I never expected a bird-type Demonic Beast to show up from behind us.”
The prince grinds his teeth as he replays the situation in his head. He keeps pressing his fingers to his temples, and his red hair is messier than usual.
“Ugh, what if another bird attacks?”
“Shut up, Silvia.”
“Stefan!”
The silver-haired beauty sheds tears in every direction. Stefan’s dark eyes twist sharply.
“It couldn’t be helped. Right?”
“…Mm.”
Robert nods, arms folded. The atmosphere is already gloomy enough.
‘No need to drag morale down any further.’
The Spirit Mage, who had been jittering his legs nervously, shouted with gusto.
“That’s why we should’ve stuck close together! It’s Elodie Pontaine’s fault for wandering off on her own.”
“Don’t say that!”
Silvia shrieks at the top of her lungs. For a moment Robert wondered if she was taking Elodie’s side.
“Then that means I’m to blame too, since I was at the very back! How cruel!”
At the sound of her wailing, Stefan turned to Robert with a weary look.
‘Do something about this.’
That expression said it all. The prince pressed his throbbing forehead.
“…Nothing like that will happen again.”
Forcing up the corners of his mouth, Robert Bayern declared it.
“A healer is the most important asset in a situation like this. We’ll protect you above all else, so you needn’t worry.”
Only then did Silvia’s face brighten a little.
“Well, then. I’ll get the meal ready.”
Robert’s group caught themselves recalling the pale blond hair that had drifted through the air now and then, but they deliberately ignored it. No one brought that matter up again.
“I’ll go gather more wood.”
…Once rescue arrives, we’ll ask them to search for the body. That will do. Robert thought this as he looked up at the sky, where storm clouds were gathering.
* * *
Three days had passed.
Elodie enjoyed her first sweet rest beneath the Tree of Rest.
“Living alone is nice…”
A comfort she had never felt in her previous life.
[Didn’t I tell you to keep the fire going? Can’t you even do something this simple?]
[Hey, standing night watch alone for this long isn’t exactly—]
[What else are you supposed to do, when all you’ve got to do is stay safely tucked away?]
I was right to slip out. The longer the survival ordeal dragged on, the nastier Stefan got.
“Made it back safely today.”
The moment dew formed at dawn, Elodie diligently gathered strawberries and returned to her nest. The lush leaves welcomed her, the woman who had succeeded in standing on her own.
A great green tree, thick enough that five people couldn’t wrap their arms around it. This tree was the future Thief’s first residence. As for how she made a tree her home.
“Hup.”
Her brown walking boots sank beneath roots as thick as a person’s torso. Soil soft as castella sponge cake crumbled inward.
Beneath the roots of this green tree lay a spacious hollow where two people could eat and sleep comfortably.
“As long as we’re here, we should be safe for now.”
The Tree of Rest was her fourth shelter before the Regression. She hadn’t stayed long there either, but a month was a decent stretch, making it a rather useful resting place for such an early stage.
[Now that I’ve finally secured a solid shelter, I’ll call this tree the Tree of Rest.]
This thick, tough green tree withstands even most Demonic Beast attacks with ease. It resists lightning and flame, and the space beneath its roots is hard to spot from outside.
“There’s no better place to hide from Demonic Beasts.”
Elodie stuck her upper body out, then draped the Leaf Cloak and Green Net over the tree roots. Doing this greatly reduced the chance of her precious shelter being raided. This method, too, was knowledge she had gained after losing her base two or three times.
“Phew. Now I need to think about what’s next.”
For the time being, food was not the top priority. The strawberry patch was small, but it was enough for Elodie alone. Eventually it would run short, of course, but she had no intention of holding out here for long anyway. A month or two at most.
[Kyaaaaak!]
[W-what is that thing!]
She had to get well away from the beach before “that incident” happened. It would be best for her to stay clear of anywhere she could see the sand.
Elodie looked down at her rope-knotting fingers, now rough at the tips, with a certain pride. The calluses would only do her good the faster they grew.
“Right. Let’s get started.”
Clatter. She dumped everything out of the survival backpack onto the ground.
‘One water flask, two energy bars. A half-full emergency potion. A pack of waterproof matches. One pocketknife…’
Oh, and there’s the mirror and handkerchief I borrowed from Silvia.
‘Thank goodness the potion didn’t break.’
The head lamp and the distress flares were completely smashed to pieces.
[Kyiiik!]
The survival backpack, which had taken the hit from the Poison Snake in Elodie’s place, now hung in tatters with a gaping hole in the middle. It looked utterly pitiful.
The Elodie from before her death might have burst into tears over it.
“It’s fine.”
Elodie Pontaine tossed the bag aside with a resolute look on her face.
“Because I’m going to become a thief.”
Even if the backpack is ruined, it doesn’t matter. Today, I’m going to steal a new one.
* * *
Elodie headed east. Her destination was the Blue Rock Cliff on the beach.
“I’m only halfway there.”
The sun was already sinking low. Sweat beaded on her pale forehead.
“I have to get there before the sun goes down.”
The way back would be treacherous. If possible, she’d have wanted to return to the Tree of Rest and sleep there.
‘The dread of spending the night outdoors is creeping in.’
Elodie forced her steps forward, not caring that blisters were forming on her tender soles. How many times did she swallow her tears? In the end, the would-be thief arrived. At the cliff, at its very highest point.
Whoosh, the wind slipped between her legs as if mocking her. Beyond the strands of golden hair, all she could see was an endless sea.
Elodie tied the rope she’d brought at her waist securely to the nearest tree.

“…Will this really work?”
Her hands, covered in scratches from branches and weeds, measured the drop below.
“Hngh…”
Elodie barely managed to hold on to her reeling senses. The road to becoming a thief was long and treacherous.
‘Is it my legs trembling, or the ground?’
Her bloodless hand forcibly pressed down on her heart, which was pounding wildly.
“I can do it. I can do it. I can do it.”
No, maybe I can’t.
As her confidence drained away in drops, the coward squeezed her eyes shut as a last resort. After tapping her quivering thighs a few times, those insufferable faces floated up before her.
[Useless bum, clear this away.]
[Huh? Food isn’t ready yet? Elodie!]
[…Elodie? You don’t need to bother attending the meeting.]
The effect was certain. Sparks crackled in her wine-colored eyes.
“Ugh.”
Elodie clenched her fist and kicked off the ground. To be precise, on the dizzying cliff above the crashing waves, she flung herself forward, clutching a rope that was absurdly short.
“Gah, gnnngh!”
A shriek burst out on its own, but thankfully, the cliff looked exactly as it had in her previous life.
Woong-
The sheer rock cliff revealed its true form. Elodie’s body rolled across the soft carpet of grass.
“I-I did it.”
There had been nothing but the sea and the jagged, menacing rocks jutting out, yet now there was grass. She had known it would be so, but a hollow laugh escaped her all the same.
“Ha, haha! Thank goodness. Even though it’s still early, it’s the same!”
The eastern cliff, where blue flowers bloom in winter. Somewhere in its middle, an invisible space lay hidden.
“Illusion Cave.”
Who would have guessed that a small ledge jutted out from a cliff bent at nearly ninety degrees? Slowly, she turned around, and a gaping hole greeted Elodie.

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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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