The Strategist of the Magic Emperor Shatters the Second Destruction - Volume 1 Chapter 8

Upon entering Dazril Royal Capital, taking the main street straight ahead leads to a building that stands out for its bustle.

Opening the door, the clamor intensifies, and despite it being daytime, the smell of alcohol hits the nose.

People armed with various weapons fill the place with overwhelming energy.

Sturdy men, refined men in robes, notably short and stout men, women with beast ears, and slightly older beautiful girls.

No regard for age or race, the Dazril Royal Capital Adventurers’ Guild is teeming with people.

The moment we open the door, countless gazes fall on me and Anim.

Evaluating, scorning, indifferent.

After receiving all kinds of gazes, everyone loses interest and looks away.

“It’s my first time at the guild…”

“Me too. Let’s not mind the stares and quickly sell the magic orb.”

“Okay.”

Leading a slightly hesitant Anim by the hand, we head to the guild’s reception counter.

Anim places the magic orb on the high counter, not designed for children’s use, and hands it over to the receptionist.

“Excuse me, we’d like to sell this magic orb…”

“Welcome to the Dazril Royal Capital Adventurers’ Guild. Selling, eh? Running an errand?”

“No, we defeated the monster ourselves.”

“Really? At that age! Impressive.”

The receptionist proceeds with the work efficiently while responding casually and smiles lightly upon seeing the swords I carry.

“Carrying three swords like that, you must be a remarkable swordsman.”

“Oh, uh, haha…”

Around my waist, I have the wooden sword, the stone sword, and the recently made “Agito of the Gray Wolf.”

Probably seems like a child fantasizing about being a swordsman from fairy tales…

I can hear some adventurers chuckle. I’m not sure if it’s mockery or if they find it adorable.

But Anim, thinking I was praised, nods proudly.

“Balam is amazing!”

“Is that so? Are you the little swordsman’s companion?”

“No, no! I defeated a monster too! Like this!”

Without any preparatory movement or concentration, Anim instantly creates a column of fire in her palm.

The flame illuminated the guild interior with a whoosh, attracting the adventurers’ attention.

Magic control and casting speed, among others.

All beyond what’s expected of a ten-year-old.

“Wow, that was amazing! …Really, truly amazing…”

The receptionist, astonished, quickly regains her composure and smiles.

“Sorry, you were here for selling, right? I’ll need a little time for appraisal, so please take a seat anywhere you’d like!”

With that, she takes the magic orb to the back, and Anim and I casually take a seat in the tavern area at the back.

However, the attention drawn by Anim’s magic doesn’t seem to fade.

On the contrary, now that we’ve taken our seats, several adventurers approach Anim.

“Hey, little lady! That was incredible!”

“Even adults can hardly use magic so precisely, right?”

“Hey, are you considering becoming an adventurer?”

“Uh, um… Ba, Balam…”

Being somewhat shy around strangers, Anim hides in my shadow, shrinking back.

“Sorry, this child is still ten years old, so she can’t become an adventurer yet.”

“What!? The young lady is ten years old!? For her to do that at such an age…”

“My interest is piqued even more now.”

The circle of attention around Anim quickly expands.

Though she seems a bit intimidated, surrounded by so many people, she frequently beams with delight at the whispered words of praise.

Naturally, some gazes fall on me as well, but those directed at me are mostly lukewarm compared to Anim’s.

“Boy, you better keep up with the little lady or you’ll be left behind!”

“First of all, choose one sword to stick with, haha!”

“That’s true. I definitely need to try harder.”

Reaffirming Anim’s incredible talent from the reactions of those around us, I lightly grip the sword’s hilt.

Then, I sense a strange gaze from beyond the circle of many people.

What is it…? It feels more like being observed from above than simply being looked at.

I can’t perfectly sense gazes like a master could, but I have a vague premonition.

Looking around the guild, not on the first floor, but from the second floor’s balcony, a small shadow catches my eye.

Wrapped entirely in tattered robes, with lightly adorned feet visible from beneath and notably pale, slender legs.

More than anything, the long, line-like object wriggling within the robes.

That’s… a tail?

Taking a closer look, the top of the robe has a bulge as if something is being pressed down.

A cat beastman, huh.

Cat beastmen in Dazril during this era… that catches my attention.

The sounds around me seem to fade― a sign that my [Clarity] ability is activating.

Dazril Royal Capital. Cat beastman. An observational gaze from above. Light armor.

Lining up the facts, sorting, fitting them together.

Maybe it’s time for a little test.

Lifting my face from my sea of thoughts, I purposely make it obvious to the person looking down from the second floor that I noticed them.

“!”

The figure, which twitched momentarily as if by accident, averts its gaze and pretends to stretch before starting to move.

However, that gaze intermittently catches not Anim, but me.

Then, the hair swaying within the robe catches my eye.

Among the red hair, a solitary strand of white hair stands out distinctly. The person is shorter than me. Still a child.

The unique hair color, and the age.

“…Anim, wait here for a bit.”

“Eh? Balam?”

“Everyone, could you keep an eye on Anim for me?”

“Oi, lad, going to the toilet?”

“Something like that.”

Leaving words behind for the crowd still immensely curious about Anim, I hasten my pace.

Entering the corridor leading to the training grounds built deep within the guild, I make sure we are out of sight.

Stepping into a dimly lit corner of the corridor with poor visibility, I lean my back against the wall.

Tat-tat-tat!

The sound of footsteps, as expected, draws closer to me.

And then, the figure who had been watching us jumps out in front of me.

“!?”

I pinned “It” against the wall by the neck, whose expression made it clear that It had not expected me to be lying in wait.

“Nyya!”

To It, who let out a surprised cat-like cry, I flash the newly made “Agito of the Gray Wolf” with a threatening gesture.

“Don’t make a loud noise. If you do, I’ll kill you.”

“!”

Without hesitation, It nods thrice, indicating it understood, and I remove Its hood.

Indeed, as expected, a much younger face appears.

“A red and white-haired cat beastman… with a slightly chipped right ear. No mistake. ―Milphile Alcent. I never thought you’d be in Dazril Royal Capital already.”

“Nya!?”

The being’s silver eyes widen in shock as it stares at me.

At this moment, I have never met this entity before.

But I know of them.

From my first life, I heard the name countless times.

The world’s worst thief, the “Phantom Thief” Alcent.

The thief that only targeted the nation’s treasury, a peculiarity that secretly garnered support among citizens dissatisfied with the country, a villain posing as a hero.

A fool who picked fights with kingdoms, empires, and everything in between.

In reality, she was a woman who inherited the blood of beastmen.

The first and last mistake of the Phantom Thief Alcent.

Sighted only once during her first theft at the treasury of Dazril Royal Kingdom, captured after a decade based on her red and white hair, and executed as the world’s most infamous thief.

And the one who caught her was the Magic Emperor Anim.

Of course, this information also reached me.

Her Talents could be quite useful.

An asset for the inevitable disaster to come.

I’m lucky to encounter her here.

Lots of things to try out.

■　　 ■　　 ■　　 ■

The child of a concubine.

The daughter of a king who led the beastmen and a courtesan of destructive beauty was Mii.

When she was born, things were marginally better, but after her father died, she faced neglect, abuse, and was nearly killed after things went as far as they could.

As if following a predestined script, Mii ran away.

By chance, in the holy city she was brought to, she stole a magic tool called the “Key of Divine Inquiry” that her blood-unrelated brother was showing off, and hid in a carriage headed for Dazril Royal Capital.

At the age of eight, she forcibly awakened her Talents that was only permitted to be unlocked at ten. While hiding in the carriage, she was discovered by an adventurer, but that person sighed helplessly and concealed Mii’s presence.

Mii is lucky.

Apparently, Mii is very good at stealing, and she was blessed with the talents for it.

But, one month after arriving in Dazril Royal Capital.

Mii didn’t have the talent to defeat monsters, fleeing for her life from the monsters she encountered in the forest every day.

She would steal money and food from the pockets of adventurers, but in the end, it was all just a temporary fix.

There were days when she couldn’t steal anything, without any relatives, not knowing when she might die or what she was aiming for.

During such times, people not much different from Mii came to the guild, laughing happily.

The girl with black hair used magic so effortlessly, it was unlike anything she had ever seen, making her envious.

The other one, a boy with grey hair, carried swords foolishly, to the point where even Mii couldn’t help but laugh at how ordinary he seemed.

The swords around his waist were like toy swords, one made of wood and another of stone.

There was another one wrapped in skin, hard to see, but it seemed like a better sword than the other two.

―Let’s steal that.

It would fetch a decent amount of money if sold.

Above all, their apparent happiness is irritating.

―And yet.

“Milphile Alcent. The former beastmen emperor’s concubine’s child, now eight years old, I presume. You were supposed to be two years younger than us.”

What are you talking about?

“Your Talents are ‘Phantom Theft Technique’… and ‘Empty’. You had those two, didn’t you?”

There’s no way you could know that.

“You’re not supposed to start stealing in Dazril Royal Capital for another two years. Oh, that’s right… you were living in extreme poverty until then… I didn’t think it would be here.”

Stealing in Dazril Royal Capital…?

“What… what are you talking about… nya?”

“Stop that way of speaking, it’s just part of your character act, isn’t it? I know.”

“Shut up, nya! It’s Mii’s identity.”

“Don’t shout, idiot!”

The one in front of Mii shouted softly, holding her neck tightly enough to not let go, but not so tightly as to cause pain.

“Listen, I don’t know what you’re planning right now, but it’s better if you stop stealing. You will face misfortune for sure.”

“What… what are you talking about…”

Mii is stealing, and this person knows it.

You will face misfortune. This person said it with absolute certainty.

While it’s unclear about stealing in Dazril Royal Capital, but Mii, having nothing to lose, might have resorted to it as a last resort in a desperate situation.

This means this person knows the situation Mii is currently in.

“Are you targeting my sword? You must be desperate for money to consider selling something like this, right?”

“What are you talking about… Mii has no idea nya… nyahaha…”

Mii’s stomach growled loudly.

“Got it, you’re struggling with money and food, aren’t you?”

“Shut up, nya! Even if that’s the case, so what―――”

“Stop stealing, and follow me. I promise to provide you with regular money and food supplies.”

“…Nya?”

Despite being just a bit older than Mii, his words carried a weight that made her voice slip out, enveloped in a pressure that did not make her feel any age difference.

“If I hand you over to the knights here, you’d be deported back to your country. You may consider this a threat… However, if you follow me, you won’t have to worry about starvation, and if I show any sign of betraying you, feel free to run away at any time.”

This person is convinced that Mii won’t refuse here.

For Mii, it’s an offer too good to refuse.

But…

“If you turn Mii over, you’d get money for it. Why don’t you do that, why nya?”

Instead of making money, he’s offering to keep Mii tied by providing money and food.

“It’s because your value can’t be matched with such small sums of money.”

As expected, this person’s gaze seems to be fixated not on assumptions but on undeniable facts.

“Why would you care so much for Mii…”

Being neglected, bullied, despised by someone unknown as if they wished she was gone.

Never having any expectations and being treated as if invisible.

Why would he…

“I told you before, didn’t I? I know.”

Releasing Mii’s neck, he says it as if it’s the most natural thing.

“I know you’re an incredibly amazing person.”

Turns out, Mii is indeed lucky.

“… Mii will follow, nya!”