Chapter 18: Chapter 18: Thieves Must Be Good at Hide and Seek (2)

༺ Thieves Must Be Good at Hide and Seek (2) ༻

Stay calm.

Let’s count the prime numbers.

Primes are lonely and complete numbers that can only be divided by themselves and 1.

1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 12, 15, 18…

No, wait, everything I said after 7 isn’t prime at all!

I couldn’t regain my composure.

“Why are you so flustered?”

Cariote furrowed her brows.

She alternated her gaze between the girl who had come into the room and my face, displaying an expression of incomprehension.

The little girl looked like a princess from some country.

Perhaps because I had muttered something unpleasant, the girl had reacted as if I had stepped on her foot or something.

“…How dare you utter such rude words in the presence of Lady Cecily Von Ragdoll..?! Go ahead and apologize…! If you don’t, I will have to inform our grandparents, and you’ll be in big trouble…”

She was like an angry cat, who was plunged into cold water.

I looked back at the nape of her neck.

A clover-shaped mark with four leaves.

The same mark that was on me and Naru, was also on Cecily’s body.

I want to see it in more detail.

Should I ask to see it?

If I were to say, “Hey, little girl, can I take a look at your body?” The girl would probably scream and run away in fear.

Cariote would likely say, “You psychopathic criminal! You’ve finally revealed your true colors!” and pull out a stake to thrust into my chest.

“……”

Stay calm.

It’s not certain yet.

For now, my hypothesis is this.

Naru is from the future.

Naru called herself my daughter.

However.

Now that I think about it, Naru didn’t explicitly state that she was the only ‘daughter.’ So, she might have had siblings.

In other words…

This daughter of mine from the future might not be the only one.

Stare-

I stared at Cecily’s face and appearance again.

A just-turned-six-year-old blonde girl.

Her eyes were so blue, she looked like an expensive doll.

While Naru had the characteristic black eyes and black pupils, this one didn’t resemble me at all.

…Was the clover pattern just a simple coincidence?

Could such a coincidence even exist in this world?

What’s certain for now is that I need to ask directly.

“You said your name was Cecily, right?”

“Yes. My name is Cecily Von Ragdoll. You should apologize for using vulgar words in my presence!”

“Right, right. I’m sorry for using profanity. So, Cecily, I have something I’m curious about. Who are your parents, your mother and father?”

“……”

Cecily, who had been chattering just moments ago, closed her mouth at my question.

It was an unexpected reaction.

Her expression became subtle, as if it contained many secrets, making her look even more suspicious! I want to ask for more details!

Then, a sharp metal sound rang out.

When I regained my senses, Cariote was aiming her sword at my throat.

“You, Judas, you’re giving me the same look as those thieves who kidnap rich kids to demand ransom. You’re just like those demons. Are you asking about her parents so that you can kidnap her for ransom?”

Cariote had keen senses.

She immediately saw through the fact that I was looking at Cecily in a suspicious way.

Certainly, Cecily had the potential of an A-class princess.

She had the potential to build a mansion with her body’s value alone.

But…

No!

I’m not trying to kidnap her!

I couldn’t figure out how to explain this.

How could I say that I might be her dad or something?

Cariote still didn’t know about the relationship between Naru and me.

Even if Brigitte were here!

No, even with Brigitte here, explaining the situation would be difficult in many ways.

Looking more closely.

Naru and Cecily have absolutely no similarities.

The only hypothesis I can come up with using my brilliant brain here is one.

I have two wives.

The possibility that my future self marries two women.

“Ow, holy shit…”

Having two wives.

It made no sense to me.

I’m getting dizzy!

“Hmph! I no longer wish to stay here. Bandit Judas, where is Lady Naru? I will personally deliver this item to Lady Naru!”

This cheeky kid.

Of course, I didn’t know where Naru was at the moment.

Fortunately, I didn’t need to answer as Cariote did it for me.

“If you’re looking for Naru, she was playing with the other children on 55th Street.”

“55th Street… It’s a bit dirty there. Can’t trust thieves like you. Alright. Smith! We’re heading to 55th Street, so prepare the carriage!”

Cecily yelled outside.

“Miss Cecily, my name is Simpson, not Smith.”

“Whatever!”

With the sound of horses’ hooves ringing in her ears, the small disturbance vanished quickly.

* * *

As the evening approached,

Brigitte returned.

In her hands, she held a handful of vegetables, bread, and meat, likely from going to the central market for groceries.

“I bought clothes, school supplies, bags, and various other things. Girls need all sorts of things for school, after all. You wouldn’t have bought such things, Judas.”

“Correct.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

It was a valid point.

I didn’t even know what Naru needed.

In that regard, Brigitte, another woman, played the role of a mother quite well.

“Well, well. Why are you looking at me like that?”

It seemed like Brigitte noticed my gaze.

I looked at the face of the auntie-like Brigitte again.

Brigitte possessed the typical beauty of a Western woman.

Her skin was pale, except for the freckles around her eyes.

Her hair was slightly dark, to the point of feeling like a deep bluish-green.

Still, it couldn’t be denied that Brigitte looked like a ‘noble lady’ or a ‘princess’.

Perhaps Brigitte was Cecily’s mother…?

I should ask her about it.

“Brigitte, is it sometimes the case that a child’s hair color doesn’t resemble that of their parents? Or that the mana composition carried by parents and children different?”

“…?”

Brigitte slightly furrowed her brows in response to my question.

It was an expression as if to say, ‘What is this guy suddenly talking about?’

Then she opened her lips quietly.

“Why are you asking that?”

“What…?”

How do I even explain?

Should I just say “I saw a blond 6 years old girl today, and she might be my daughter,” even though it was uncertain?

As I hesitated over the unclear information, Brigitte asked me coldly once again.

“…Judas, are you, by any chance, investigating me behind my back?”

“What?”

“You wouldn’t have a reason to ask such a thing, otherwise.”

“…?”

What is she talking about?

I was slightly bewildered.

Because I had never seen Brigitte act so sharply.

Except for when the Demon King’s subjugation party was first formed, I had never encountered this sharp side of Brigitte.

Step─

Brigitte rushed out of the room.

I realized that I had stepped into some kind of trap while intending to consult with her about today’s matters.

There was a trap in Bridget’s mind, and I had unknowingly stepped into it.

Normally, my ‘intuition’ would have worked well, but it seemed to be lacking a bit today.

Tsk─

At that moment, someone clicked their tongue.

It was Cariote.

“It seems you’ve touched on that wizard’s sore spot.”

“Her sore spot?”

“Brigitte is a magician from the Walpurgis family. It’s a magical lineage that has been passed down for a thousand years since the Savior saved this world once. Do you know what their nickname is?”

The Savior.

I remembered that these were the beliefs of this world’s churches.

I, too, had briefly sought solace in religious institutions in the past.

However, I had never heard of the Walpurgis family.

Cariote clicked her tongue again when saw my even more puzzled look.

“I thought you were on good terms, but it seems I was wrong. So, what’s for dinner tonight? I thought the wizard would cook. Should I do it?”

My relationship with Brigitte just soured, is dinner really the priority here?

Of course, dinner was a significant event.

It was also almost time for Naru to come back.

However.

Even as more time passed, and the sun set, Naru didn’t return.

“It’s curfew time. She should have made it here already”

* * *

Cecily.

Cecily von Ragdoll was a noble-born girl.

If one were to compare her to a flower, she was like a newly budding crimson peony?

However.

She was still just a child.

“Look, Cecily is ‘it’ again!”

As the sun was setting,

Naru gently tapped Cecily on the back.

“Ugh, why do I keep getting caught?”

“Well, Cecily, it’s because you’re wearing those hard-to-run-in shoes and a dress! You’re really bad at tag, Cecily!”

“Ugh, how frustrating…!”

Cecily had come to this part of Freesia, even referred to as a poor neighborhood, to give Naru her gym clothes and shoes.

However.

She was only watching Naru in the beginning, until she realized she had been running with them for about an hour.

“Alright, Cecily Von Ragdoll, this Young Lady, will show how good she is at tag. Just wait a moment…!”

Cecily had intended to give Naru her shoes and gym clothes, but she ended up wearing them herself.

As she took off the baggy dress, she felt a bit more comfortable.

“Okay, I’ll count to ten with my eyes closed!”

“But Naru can count to a hundred, you know?”

“…Well, uh, I mean… I can count to fifty… Cough! Alright, I’ll count to a hundred too!”

One, two, three…

Cecily started counting.

And she stopped at fifty.

Fifty.

Anything beyond that was still a mystery to Cecily.

So she cleared her throat and shouted.

“One hundred!”

Whether correctly or not, Cecily had counted to one hundred.

When she opened her eyes, she saw the familiar sights of the back alleys and streets of the slums.

The setting sun painted the sky with a beautiful shade of red.

“I wonder where everyone is? This time, I have sneakers. I’ll catch every single one of them!”

Darang─ Darang─.

Suddenly, bells jingled from down the alley.

At that moment, she remembered a boy named “Bell” among the kids she was playing with earlier.

He wore a bell that made a clear sound around his waist.

So, Cecily dashed toward the alley.

“Bell, are you here—ugh!?”

A large hand blocked Cecily’s mouth.

Then, a rope-like object was tightly tied around her body.

“Boss, we caught another one! The kids are flocking to the sound of the bells! Hehe!”

“No time for chitchat! Get her on the cart!”

Neighhhh—

Everything happened rapidly.

Cecily was unable to gather her wits.

She couldn’t even tell where the cart was headed, as her head was covered by a sack.

The cart finally stopped in an area on the outskirts of the city.

There, the unknown figures removed the sack from Cecily’s head.

“Ugh, ugh!?”

The place before her eyes looked like an abandoned warehouse. It had a sinister flag with crossed daggers, glowing ominously in the darkness.

“Hyaaaaang, hyeeeeng!”

“M-Moooom…!”

The warehouse was filled with children.

Most of them were Cecily’s age.

“Hey, you little bastard! Didn’t I tell you not to grab any random kid? Catch only the ones who look rich. Our boss needs a lot of money!”

“Well, that’s…”

“Because you idiots bring in anyone, there are too many kids! Are we an orphanage or something? Huh? We’re the Alubaba Bandits! Not only do we have too many, but they also won’t even stop crying!”

“That’s true, but… with so many kids, it’s impossible to tell who’s a noble and who’s not among them. Among the kids we brought today, one is definitely from a noble family…”

‘A noble child!’

Cecily could tell they were targeting her.

And these people were part of the notorious Alubaba Bandits.

“Darn it. If only our boss were here, he could easily tell who the noble child is just by looking at them. There’s nothing we can do. We’ll have to ask them one by one. Rich kids usually stand out.”

Swoosh—

One of the thieves began to remove the gags from the children’s mouths one by one.

“Hey, you. Are you a noble child?”

“I’m Naru! I’m the daughter of Mom and Dad! Dad is Judas! Naru is Barjudas! I don’t remember Mom’s name. I miss Mom…”

“…This one doesn’t look like a rich kid at all. Doesn’t seem particularly clever either. Obviously not a noble. But why did you bring her? To raise my blood pressure? She’s a Barbaroi, to begin with!”

“Well, it’s just that… I heard a while ago that Judas had a daughter. Wasn’t Bandit Judas sighted in Freesia recently? Our boss seems to have a particular—”

“Are you an idiot? There’s no way Bandit Judas has a daughter! Besides, Judas is probably sitting on the ‘Scum Throne’! Why would he come to Freesia? Huh? Anyway, next!”

One, two—

The sinister criminals from the band of thieves were gradually approaching Cecily. She couldn’t help but be nervous.

After all, Cecily was a well-behaved young lady.

Just like the sun on a hill, the fact that she was a noble couldn’t be hidden.

But…

She had no idea what might happen if they found out she was a noble here.

‘Thank goodness I’m not in a dress right now. I’m also dirty from running around! It’s also lucky that my body is all sweaty now! I truly am the girl chosen by the Four-leaved Clover!’

“Hey, you.”

Huh—

Cecily was surprised.

A sinister-looking bandit with one eye missing asked her.

“Are you a noble child?”

“No?”

“Really? But you’re the only one left. Hmmm…”

Cecily’s head began to spin.

She couldn’t hide her lofty nobility, after all!

What should she do?

How could she pretend to not be a noble?

Cecily desperately racked her six-year-old brain.

What came to mind at that moment was the image of a man rumored to be the worst person in the world among all people.

Being noble.

Having honor.

That person was the farthest from such virtues and courtesy.

The swearing he had shouted earlier today.

That moment came back to her.

“F-Fuck!”

“What?”

“Fuck!”

Usually, she would never utter such a curse.

However, as she let out a vulgar curse for the first time in her life, Cecily felt a strangely hot sensation rising in her chest.

A boiling feeling.

This feeling was new to her.

“Fuck!”

“…Well, she’s only about six years old, and she’s using curse words like that… She doesn’t seem like a noble child, more like an orphan with no parents.”

“…”

The one-eyed thief addressed as ‘Brother’ seemed quite flustered.

His expression resembled the look someone might give to mud on the street.

‘Brother’ spat on the ground.

“Damn it, it looks like there are no noble kids this time either. Nothing we can do. Let’s hand over the little ones we caught today to the boss. The boss said he needs plenty of sacrifices.”

“…Sacrificing children’s blood… Brother, I know I shouldn’t be saying this but isn’t our boss a real monster? He’s worthy of being called the king of thieves…”

Sacrifice—

Children’s blood.

Cecily’s eyes widened at the mention of that.

Now that she thought about it, she recalled the moment when her grandparents warned her, “Cecily, these days, cultists frequently appear nearby. Be careful.”

‘I would have just gone back home if I had known it would be like this…!’

Cecily slightly regretted her decision.

And it was at that very moment.

“Um, brother. But didn’t we have a Barbaroi child tied up here?”

“Why are you asking me? No, but what’s this? The ropes are untied, and there are marks of something sharp… What is it?”

Crash! Crash!

At that moment, the sound of something breaking was heard.

The warehouse, which had been lit with torches, was suddenly plunged into darkness.

“What’s going on? What’s happening!”

“Brother, I can’t see anything!”

‘What’s going on? What’s happening?’

The current situation terrified Cecily.

In the darkness.

A voice was heard.

“Shh, don’t worry. Naru will save you.”

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