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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: The Grimoire Heist
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Yulia kept glancing at the empty seat beside her. Emily hadn't returned, and she was starting to worry that she might have gotten lost somewhere.
“Is she building a bathroom in there? What’s taking so long?”
Her anxiety grew, but the auction continued on without end. She wondered when they would finally get to the last item.
“That’s it. I’m going to go find her.”
She declared this boldly and stood up, only to be told by the guard at the door, “Once you leave, you cannot re-enter,” forcing her to return to her seat with a dejected look.
The items were all bizarre, and it was even stranger that they were being sold for astronomical sums.
‘Then again, it’s just as strange that someone would buy a warlock’s grimoire at auction. Why would anyone buy that? It’s not like they’re a warlock.’
Of course, we’re buying it because we have a warlock… Yulia reasoned inwardly.
By this point, she was tired of thinking and was just staring blankly into space.
“Hm? Oh, we’ve just received some breaking news. Due to an urgent matter, the item originally scheduled for last will now be introduced ahead of schedule!”
“Huh?”
“This is an item that has returned to us after three hundred long years! Its preservation is excellent! For those who enjoy collecting unique antiques or items related to the Prophets, this will be a most coveted piece for your collection!”
The description was rather ominous. Edmond nudged Isaac, who was half-asleep.
*Th-thump, th-thump, th-thump!*
With a loud drumroll, a ghostly white smoke crept across the stage. The orchestra began to play an eerie tune, heightening the atmosphere.
“And now… item number 183, the warlock’s grimoire, Lemegeton!!”
*Flash!*
Dozens of lights illuminated the dark stage.
And what was revealed in that sudden burst of light was…
“...What is she doing up there?!”
Yulia shot to her feet, shouting.
Her twin sister, who she thought had gone to the restroom, was standing on stage wearing a staff uniform.
And she was with some suspicious-looking man!
The sudden commotion left everyone bewildered for a moment, but the auction staff quickly called for security.
“Guards!”
They were prepared for moments like this, when a suspicious individual might try to steal an auction item.
*Clang!*
Men armed with tall shields and iron armor surrounded Claude.
“Hmm?”
While Claude tilted his head with a leisurely air, the guards, thinking I was a staff member, grabbed me and pulled me back. In an instant, I was separated from Claude.
“Over here, here!”
Isaac, who had somehow run right up to the front of the stage, reached his hand out to me.
With his help, I threw myself off the stage, where Yulia and Edmond were waiting to catch me.
‘Everyone’s so focused on Claude that they’re not paying any attention to me.’
No one seemed to suspect that I wasn't an auction house employee. It was an incredible stroke of luck for me.
“You…! Where in the world have you been?!”
“I’ll explain later. For now, we need to run. I don’t think those guys can hold him for long…”
Before I could finish my sentence, a loud *bang!* erupted from behind us. Judging by the screams that followed, it was probably best not to look back.
“Aaaahhh!”
“Run!”
“He-he-help me!”
The people who had thought it was just a minor incident finally realized the gravity of the situation.
“Get out of the way! What are you doing!”
“A-a body is blocking the path…!”
“Guards! Guards!”
As people swarmed toward the entrance, the inside of the hall instantly descended into pandemonium.
“Isaac.”
As I called his name, Isaac stepped forward as if he’d been waiting.
“Okay. If there’s no path, we’ll make one!”
*Slash!*
He swung his sword, and a section of the wall crumbled with a roar. His skills were as sharp as ever.
“Up we go. Don’t struggle now.”
“?!”
He didn't stop there. Isaac tucked me under one arm and Yulia under the other.
“This is faster than you two running, so stay still, got it? You can keep up on your own, right, big brother?”
“Yes. We should leave this place immediately.”
As Edmond nodded, Isaac didn't hesitate any longer.
*Whoosh!*
“You’re too fast!”
The wind roared so loudly it sounded like thunder! My shout was lost in the gale, apparently not reaching Isaac, who yelled back as he continued to run.
“What?!”
“I said you’re too fast!”
“I can’t hear you!”
Then stop for a second! As a sign of protest, I jabbed him in the side.
“Haha! That tickles! Why are you tickling me now!”
*Stumble.* As his body swayed, I instinctively grabbed a fistful of his collar.
*Grip!*
“Gah, ack! Can’t… breathe…!”
“Oh, sorry.”
But I didn't let go. If I fell from this height, I might actually die…
“Phew. This should be far enough, right?”
I kept my eyes squeezed shut until Isaac announced our arrival.
I’d been so tense that my legs were now trembling.
“You look like a newborn fawn.”
“Please, just shut that mouth of yours…”
I muttered under my breath, and Isaac, sensing the mood, quieted down.
A moment later, Edmond caught up to us.
“Isaac, you… seem to have recovered a fair amount of your physical abilities.”
“You think so? It’s been a while since I ran at full speed. Still not what it used to be, though.”
Right. I had forgotten, with Isaac’s body having become as frail as paper, that he was a knight skilled enough to be considered a candidate for the next commander of the Imperial Knights.
And the source of that talent was the blessing inherent to him as a member of House Walker.
‘Superhuman strength…’
For the old Isaac, carrying me and Yulia while running would have barely counted as exercise. He probably could have carried Edmond, too, without breaking a sweat.
His physical prowess was truly monstrous.
‘At this rate, do I even need to hone my own skills?’
The thought actually crossed my mind.
*Rumble…!*
Just then, a sound like an explosion echoed from the direction of the auction house. Even from a glance, we were quite a distance away, so it seemed the commotion over there wouldn't reach us.
“With a disturbance that large… the imperial family will surely launch a direct investigation. We were wise to get out quickly. Getting caught up in that would have been a headache.”
Let’s just keep the fact that the Duke of Walker pretended to be a mafia boss in the Kingdom of Cirasia a secret between us. That would be for the best.
“So. Who was that man from before? He looked incredibly suspicious.”
“The leader of the warlock group. Probably.”
“What?!”
Yulia, who had been about to slump over, straightened up instantly. She looked ready to grab me by the collar.
“Why on earth were you dealing with such a dangerous person all by yourself?!”
“Well, it seems like he’s holding off on eliminating the Walkers for now. So he wasn’t trying to kill me.”
“How can you say that now…!”
As Yulia fumed, Isaac stepped between us.
“Now, now, calm down. It’s not like Emily knew she was going to run into that guy, right?”
“It was a coincidence. An employee mistook me for a new recruit and sent me to the storage room. I figured since I was there, I might as well check if the grimoire was real. I never dreamed I’d run into that man again…”
“Again?”
Oops.
Edmond caught my slip of the tongue and seized on it. I tried to subtly look away, but he showed no signs of letting it go.
“...Tell me, Emily. When did you meet that man before?”
“Sigh. It was nothing. The day I went to see Donald, I was separated from you on the street for a moment. I just brushed past him then, that’s all.”
“How do you remember someone you just brushed past? Emily, I didn't realize you had awakened the same ability as me.”
My memory was indeed average, but hearing it directly from Edmond didn't feel great.
“...I see, it was that man. The one in the black robe.”
It seemed Edmond had recalled Claude without needing my answer.
For him, it must have been an incredibly simple task—just search through his memories, as vivid as a recording on a video sphere, for a suspicious individual.
“I told you, nothing happened.”
“Fine. If you say so, I’ll believe you.”
Why was he giving in so easily? Just as a smile began to spread across my face, Edmond shattered my hopes.
“However, it’s clear that something did happen this time. So I need to hear everything. Without a single omission. Everything.”
When Edmond was this resolute, no one could stop him. As I backed down with a whimper, Yulia and Isaac nodded eagerly behind me.
“Alright. I’ll tell you everything when we get home, so let’s just go back for now.”
“Can we just go back? Our original goal was the grimoire, wasn’t it?”
“What choice do we have? The auction house is in that state.”
Even from a distance, we could clearly see the auction house engulfed in flames. Hmm. That looked beyond saving.
“If we go back, we might get entangled in this and arouse suspicion. It would be a huge problem if they ordered us to get a medical checkup to see if we were injured. So for now…”
As Edmond’s explanation began to drag on, I pulled out what I had hidden in my coat.
“Ah, about that grimoire. I brought it with me.”
“...H-Huh?”
“You brought it?!”
Because the stage had moved mid-confrontation, Claude had only managed to break four of the five layers of the glass case.
“I couldn't just walk out with an auction item, so I brought a subspace pocket. I snuck it into here.”
I pulled it out, and the grimoire, glowing with an ethereal light inside its transparent glass case, revealed itself.
Just looking at it, you could tell it was no ordinary object.
“He’s probably noticed by now, don’t you think?”
That was why I had insisted we get as far away from the auction house as possible. If it was Claude, he would come after me the moment he realized I had outsmarted him.
But no matter how powerful Claude was, he couldn't recklessly attack the place where the Crown Prince was staying. Especially not with the Saint also residing nearby.
For once, I was incredibly reassured by the proximity of the Crown Prince and the Saint.
“Emily, you really…”
Isaac was at a loss for words, his mouth hanging open.
“She’s a Walker, after all.”
“Indeed.”
Yulia and Edmond muttered in disbelief.
Well, even if it feels like you're about to die, you have to grab what you came for. Isn't that how everyone is? I tilted my head in confusion.
