Chapter 234: The Mystery of the Sacred Sword

In a dilapidated mansion in the City of Saint Sanos.

Like tossing trash, Miss Vilyric casually threw the broken sword onto the ground. The clanging sound sent a shiver throughout the thieves, their nerves already frayed to the limit. It was uncertain whether they trembled in terror at the sheer might of someone breaking such a divine object with their bare hands, or if they were merely shocked by the words spoken by the White Fox Girl.

“Tsk… I knew it wouldn’t be that simple…”

In a volume only she could hear, Miss Vilyric grumbled to herself.

From the very beginning, she sensed something was off.

After all, as long as the brains of the demons ruling this city hadn’t completely short-circuited, there was no reason for them to leave the battlefield’s ruins unattended after the great battle. Whatever was buried here was likely something they deemed to have little value.

If the Judging Saintess’s “Arbitration Sacred Sword” had truly been lost in this city, it would have been nearly impossible for the demons who later occupied it not to find it, whether to destroy it or to collect it. There’s no way it would just lie buried in the ruins.

In fact, the weapon resembling both in form and energy the “Arbitration Sacred Sword” was merely a flashy counterfeit; behind its brilliant appearance and formidable aura, it was nothing but a hollow facade, unworthy even of the title of a purple-grade magic weapon.

That’s why the White Fox Girl didn’t sense anything worth noting at the time.

Perhaps it could fool some outsiders, but an expert like Vilyric, upon getting close or picking it up, could immediately discern the truth.

With that in mind, there were only two possibilities.

Either the demons deliberately buried a counterfeit near the heart of their power in the temple and spread the rumor as a kind of fishing bait.

Or, it was the work of some third-party force differentiating itself from both the demons and the Holy Kingdom, but what their specific motives were remained open to discussion.

“…?”

Seeing the White Fox Girl fall silent after breaking the longsword, though he couldn’t see her expression through the mask, Gerald could guess she was deep in thought.

To be honest, he was already a bit lost as to what was going on.

Emotionally and logically, Mr. Thief genuinely struggled to believe that one of the three sacred artifacts passed down for a millennium by the Holy Kingdom could be destroyed by a bizarre girl under bizarre circumstances.

Even to escape reality, he’d rather accept that her earlier muttering was the truth.

But…

If this “Arbitration Sacred Sword” truly was a fake, then where was the real one?

Better yet, how much validity was there to the rumor of the “Arbitration Sacred Sword” existing in the City of Saint Sanos?

Though he still felt baffled by current developments, for a fleeting moment, Gerald’s hairs stood on end as he realized he might be caught up in a massive conspiracy whirlpool, and that his group was merely pawns, insignificant pieces moving the intricate plan forward, inconsequential little ants.

Who was pulling the strings behind all of this?

Gerald wanted to suspect the strange duo that had suddenly appeared, but he quickly realized that if they were the culprits, they would never appear in front of the pawns and definitely wouldn’t have discovered the truth about the “Arbitration Sacred Sword” being a fake only now.

He wanted to say something, but the succubus’s earlier request to “be quiet” firmly restrained him, leaving him only to stare wide-eyed at the White Fox Girl, who was lost in her own thoughts.

Finally, she looked up again.

“You’re the leader of these thieves, right? Tell me everything about this incident, your backgrounds, and all the details as thoroughly as you can, but don’t ramble. Got it?”

As the last word fell, the young succubus standing slightly behind the White Fox Girl immediately repeated the command in a sweet, soft voice. Though feeling bitter inside, Gerald had no choice but to follow her impulsive orders honestly.

“Okay, first off, we are…”

After about ten minutes, Gerald fully explained his group’s organization, identities, and everything he knew about the search for the “Arbitration Sacred Sword.”

With the charm guiding his speech, it was extremely concise, even surprising him with how seriously he could communicate with others.

“That’s it. Shortly after entering this abandoned mansion, we ran into you.”

“Mmm… the Thief Alliance, huh.”

The girl nodded thoughtfully, preparing to speak again when she suddenly turned her gaze, as if sensing something, and looked towards the courtyard outside.

“Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!”

Then, there came a sudden commotion from outside the front door, heavy and violent, resembling something being struck or even rammed!

“They found us that quickly? Are these guys throwaways…?”

Glancing down at the broken “Arbitration Sacred Sword” lying in two pieces and dimmed of light, Vilyric understood.

Even during her earlier investigation, she had noticed it was attached to some unsavory things and had decisively chosen to destroy it. But now, it seemed it was a bit late.

Or perhaps… did this direct and crude severing of the bait provoke some parties?

Whatever the case, she had no intention of following their lead and foolishly acting like a marionette.

Ignoring the increasingly intense knocking and crashing from outside, the White Fox Girl fixed her gaze ahead, her pupils reflecting the thieves, slightly tinged with a hard-to-detect pink hue due to the charm.

“Gerald, right? You seem like a clever fellow. I’ll ask you just once—do you and your gang wish to live or die?”

After a moment of silence, a small succubus behind them hurriedly responded as if just realizing something.

“Ah, Uncle Gerald, you can speak freely now.”

The restraint that had gripped his throat vanished suddenly, the old thief instinctively raised a hand to touch his neck, his expression complex as he locked eyes with the peculiar duo before him, especially the White Fox Girl, who seemed to be directing things instead of merely being a pet to the little succubus.

Years of seasoned thieving experience and instincts sharpened by near-death encounters warned him not to say anything unnecessary; this might very well be the last opportunity to survive for them, who were like ants facing the overwhelming tidal wave of an era about to crush them.

Thus, he delivered the answer the girl wanted, one that would satisfy her.

“We want to live.”

After that, the night deepened.

“Is this the hideout of the Thief Alliance in Saint Sanos?”

Standing before a seemingly ordinary wooden door in a remote district, the White Fox Girl lightly touched the weathered doorknob, then turned her head, filled with some confusion.

“Yes, at least as far as I know, this is it.”

After escaping the demons pursuing them with the inexplicable help of the White Fox Girl, Gerald temporarily left his group in a different safe spot, then led the strange duo to this location per their deal.

Though he was reluctant to break the code of conduct of a thief, he had no choice but to pin his hopes on these two mysterious figures, one of whom was clearly a succubus but didn’t seem completely aligned with the demons.

Even if he didn’t agree, it wouldn’t matter; Gerald knew full well that with the little succubus’s charm, she could easily extract any secret from them, even through sheer coercion.

In other words… it was actually her giving him a chance.

   

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