Book 3: Chapter 127 (1) |
Having hustled in the Mid-District for ten years, Will could easily spot the rich.
And once again, the facts proved that “Gentleman Thief” Will had picked the right target.
With his superb understanding of the map, Will effortlessly shook off that clumsy man and woman.
Before losing them, he heard the man shouting something about lightning and whirlwind—
*Heh, chuunibyou!*
“I’m already past my chuunibyou phase, and he’s still stuck in it.”
That was Will’s heartfelt assessment of the guy who’d crashed headfirst into a pile of cardboard boxes.
After putting enough distance between them to ensure they weren’t following, Will found a corner and opened the freshly snatched wallet.
“Good grief, this much money? I couldn’t earn this in twenty years as a warehouse worker!”
Will gave a smug chuckle, “I knew I didn’t steal from the wrong guy. This has to be the blood-and-sweat money those royal bastards squeezed from us common folk!”
He was about to stash the *robbed-from-the-rich* fortune, but then he suddenly recalled what that mysterious man had told him:
“Kid, wanna join the Lionheart Society? Do something big to prove yourself—think of it as your *letter of allegiance*.”
*Letter of allegiance*.
Will understood this.
Back in his early days on the streets, eleven- or twelve-year-old kids formed gangs, and to join one, you had to pull off a “big job” as your *letter of allegiance*. Otherwise, no deal.
Rumor had it that the Lionheart Society was a revolutionary organization founded by the Empire’s former top dragon-slayer, Leon Kasmod.
It was filled with bold individuals daring to defy fate.
Though the Empire branded them with crimes like “treason” and “rebellion,” everyone knew how the Empire treated its people these days.
Having long heard of Leon Kasmod’s fame, Will had always wanted to join the Lionheart Society.
But the organization was so secretive that, after all this time, Will only suspected that “beggar” Nacho, who often hung around the Mid-District, might be a member.
So, Will had been pledging his loyalty to Nacho all along.
But Nacho always brushed him off with vague excuses.
This time, though—
Will weighed the wallet in his hand,
“This *letter of allegiance* ought to be heavy enough. Nacho, let’s see how you reject me now.”
Will was secretly gloating when a male voice suddenly came from above,
“Kid, had enough of looking? If you’re done, give me back my wallet.”
Will jolted, quickly looking up.
There, on a low wall, stood the clumsy guy whose wallet he’d stolen, arms crossed, looking down at him.
Will instinctively stepped back, a bead of cold sweat rolling down his forehead,
*“Damn… how’d he catch up so fast?”*
Catching up quickly wasn’t the real issue. The problem was that this guy had appeared in front of Will without making a sound.
For Will, who prided himself as a “Gentleman Thief”, this sparked a sliver of pressure.
“Heh, want it back? Let’s see if you’ve got what it takes.”
With that, Will turned to bolt.
But after just one step, he saw a tall, graceful figure ahead.
Black hair swayed in the breeze, the beauty standing straight-backed, arms crossed.
Though her face showed little expression, her silver eyes radiated overwhelming pressure.
Will nervously swallowed, then pivoted, sprinting down another path.
Roswitha, in her high heels, strolled over leisurely,
“He’s really the type to *not turn back until he hits the south wall*.”
Leon jumped down from the wall, hands on hips, watching Will’s fleeing figure alongside Roswitha.
He narrowed his eyes, gauging the distance, then said,
“Still wanna race? I’m feeling like I’ve got this in the bag.”
“Don’t *boast so big you sprain your tongue*.”
“Come on, I found him first. If I wasn’t worried about ruining your game experience, I’d have ended this match already.”
The queen rolled her eyes, “It’s not over till it’s over. Let’s keep going.”
With that, Roswitha headed down another path.
Leon grinned, turning and heading in the opposite direction from Roswitha.
Will, meanwhile, kept running.
*“Looks like I underestimated those royal types. They’ve definitely got training—otherwise, they couldn’t have caught up so fast!”*
With that thought, Will picked up his pace, trying to lose the two for good.
Unfortunately, the once-legendary thief had met his match this time.
A few minutes later, Will darted into an alley.
Just as he thought he’d shaken the man and woman, a familiar voice came from the corner ahead,
“Keep running, why’d you stop?”
As the words landed, Leon appeared right in front of Will, blocking his path.
Will gritted his teeth silently and turned to run the other way.
But his escape route was already blocked by the black-haired woman.
The couple had him pinned like *two slices of bread sandwiching cheese*.
Will glanced left and right, finally sidestepping to press his back tightly against the wall, guarding against a sneak attack from either of them.
Little did he know, these two didn’t need sneak attacks to take him down.
The couple slowly walked toward each other, eventually standing side by side, then turned to face Will, cowering in the corner.
“Looks like I won,” Roswitha said.
“No way, I won.”
“Hmph, then… rock-paper-scissors?”
“Bring it on, I’m not scared!”
And so, a scene that left Will dumbfounded unfolded.
These two *poor souls* not only caught up to him effortlessly without breaking a sweat but were now casually playing rock-paper-scissors!
*Are you guys even human?*
*This isn’t a street market game!*
While the couple played rock-paper-scissors, Will stole a glance at the alley’s exit.
He knew he couldn’t outrun these two, but then he spotted someone at the alley’s mouth who might just save his life.
“N-Nacho!!”
Like grasping a lifeline, Will scrambled toward Nacho, who happened to be passing by.