༺ All Thieves Are Bad People! (2) ༻
A pretty transfer student was sufficient to pique children’s curiosity.
Especially 1st graders.
Having experienced someone’s ‘transfer’ for the first time, all the kids gathered around Hina at recess and asked her a bunch of questions.
“That’s a cool hair color. Did you dye it? What dye did you use?”
“Do you like dolls? Or live cats? Do you have any pets?”
“I like dog squirrels. The ones that have clear stripes on the back.”
It was mainly the girls who came and touched Hina’s hair.
Hina’s long, pink hair had a silky sheen to it which was enough to catch the eyes of her peers.
Of course, the boys snorted.
“So what if she’s a transfer student? It would’ve been better if it was a boy. Our class has an odd number of male students so it’s hard to divide into teams when playing soccer.”
“… But she is really pretty. Even I would like to speak with her once.”
“–Ack, young master. You want to speak to a girl? Girls and boys are enemies! You as our leader cannot forget that!”
“Th-That’s right!”
As it was getting noisy everywhere, someone asked Hina.
“Wait, didn’t you say Hina Barjudas? That’s the same last name as Naru. Are you Naru’s relative or something?”
Whose question was it?
Because there were so many of them crowding around, they couldn’t see who it was.
To this question, Hina nodded slowly.
“Yes. I’m… Naru’s family….”
Hina was Naru’s family.
Upon acknowledging it, Naru then finally exclaimed “Ahhh–!”.
“I remember! Naru had another sister besides Cecily! Oh, holy shh…! Naru’s family was actually three sisters! Hina is Naru’s sister!”
Naru abruptly lifted her arms.
Soon, the children laughed at Naru, saying things like, “What, you forgot you were sisters…?” and “Naru is really strange. But that’s why you’re funny.”
Due to all the noise, Cecily, who had been asleep since the morning, jerked awake.
“I, Cecily Von Ragdoll, did not doze off…!”
Though no one blamed her, Cecily shouted out of embarrassment on her own.
Soon, Cecily noticed the desk that all the kids were crowding around.
And that Hina was amongst them.
“Hina? What is Hina doing here?”
When Cecily asked, Naru responded.
“Hina is actually Hina Barjudas! She was Naru and Cecily’s sister! But Naru, for some reason, forgot it and remembered just now.”
“Sister…?”
Cecily thought about it.
If she looked back on her younger years, she and Naru grew up together and it felt like there was someone else, too….
“…….”
When trying to recall her memories, she couldn’t remember the remaining sister as if there was always a thick fog over her face.
But now hearing Naru’s explanation, the fog lifted and Hina’s face popped up.
‘Hina was the last sister! I remember now!’
Cecily regained her memory.
Then Naru asked Cecily.
“Did Cecily remember? Naru forgot somehow…. Though Hina is Naru’s sister.”
Of course, Cecily hadn’t remembered.
It was the effect of the space-time magic.
But forgetting one’s sister—.
─It was very unbecoming of a noble so she lied.
“Of course, I remembered. Hina is our sister.”
“I see!”
Anyway.
It was, in many ways, a hectic recess.
The children’s chatter continued until the classroom door opened and instead of their homeroom teacher, Salome, the substitute for history class, the middle-aged lady Teacher Histora, entered.
“Alright, everyone pay attention. Where did you leave off…. Here. The appearance of thief guilds.”
History class.
Hina, sitting at the desk, looked around.
Classroom.
The teacher writing on the chalkboard.
Flip— Flip—
The sound of pages turning.
“Hey, pass this to the back.”
“What’s this?”
“I don’t know. Naru said to pass it on. Should we open it?”
“…There’s nothing written. Uuu, Naru tricked us again…!”
Students passing around notes.
It was amazing that she was part of the scene she had only seen through the window.
At the same time, she was uncertain.
━If possible, don’t try to change the future. Hina, you’re smart so you should know what I mean.”
A long time ago.
No, it wasn’t that long ago but something crossed her mind that felt like she heard way back when.
Hina had avoided coming in contact with anyone in order to preserve the future.
The only exception was the heavily Nocturne-influenced imp, Horohoro.
However.
Hina was in the middle of a class.
She was nervous about having interacted with very many people.
Yet she was also happy.
“Then, Miss Hina. Can you answer my question?”
Just then, the history teacher asked something of Hina.
All gazes turned to the new transfer student, Hina.
“Will she be able to answer it?”
“Naru gets most of it wrong.”
“If she’s Naru’s sister, she might not be able to.”
Amidst everyone’s whispering, Hina carefully opened her mouth.
“Night Lords are…. Thieves who have received amnesty and noble titles…. And have been officially permitted to privateer across all countries and regions…. They are also known as Bandit, Thief, or Pirate Lords….”
“Excellent. I was told you entered Graham Academy with above-average marks for the written test, it must be true.”
Clap— Clap—
As the history teacher applauded, the children around the room voiced their awe.
“She’s different from Naru.”
“She’s smart.”
They compared her with Naru.
Naru, who was dozing off, jumped awake at the commotion.
“Wow, holy shh…! Why is it so loud? Is it already lunchtime?”
Naru thought it was time for lunch because the kids were noisy.
Seeing this, the children laughed while Hina thought to herself.
‘Hina, you have to be better than your siblings. Don’t lose, especially to Naru. Because…. Mom said so….’
Hina was proud that she was acknowledged by her peers over Naru.
* * *
Black fliers.
They were spread all over Freesia.
Actually no, they were being scattered over the whole continent of Pangaea to be exact.
“Your Majesty, we’ve found these in the alleys of Ordor Kingdom….”
This was Ordor Kingdom, known as the top dog of the Pangaea continent.
A land of heroes and warriors securely built by humanity.
A black flier was held In the hand of Supreme King Ordor, master of the palace.
It was pitch black as if dried after dipping it in ink.
“Judas that scoundrel, I thought he’d stay quiet after leaving here. He’s planning to start something, after all, calling on the Night Lords.”
Night Lords.
They were criminals in different nations and cities authorized to steal and rob.
And this dark paper was a way to call on them since the olden days, meaning ‘gathering’
“Your Majesty, would it not be wise to prepare for what may happen in Ordor Kingdom? Or perhaps we should strike and eradicate them….”
The long-time faithful keeper of the palace, Lord Protector Cervan Tes1Cervan Tes: From Cervantes, the last name of the famous Spanish writer, Miguel de Cervantes who is best known for the novel Don Quixote suggested this.
At the elderly knight’s words, the King of Ordor only sat on the throne and stroked his beard.
“You know as well as I do, Lord Cervan. Long throughout history, the Night Lords have never been easily caught or captured, the deviants that they are, hence the reason for granting them titles and immunity to placate them.”
“That is true, however…. It is all the more reason to rally our forces while they are gathered in one location and eradicate—”
“Furthermore this is all caused by that Judas. I know that fellow well. That man, he is fundamentally different from the other thieves.”
“What makes him different?”
Lord Protector Cervan Tes questioned this since he couldn’t understand.
At that, Ordor, who had been called the Supreme King since early times, fell into consideration.
Then he expressed his thoughts.
“That man is powerful because he values nothing. Even when he instigated something ludicrous, he never had anything to lose hence he was able to become that strong. He had no such thing as greed.”
“Even as the King of Thieves, he had no desires? To this servant, he appears to be a covetous barbarian….”
“Exactly, that he would appear in such a way even to a veteran like yourself is the unnerving thing about him. But it seems that circumstances have changed. He has started to desire. That’s probably because….”
King Ordor had also heard.
That Judas had daughters.
Such rumors had spread famously even to this Ordor Kingdom.
‘Judas, even though I had been the one to advise him to marry.’
King Ordor had recommended marriage to Judas.
The purpose being to have Judas’ offspring and following generations to protect the kingdom—but that had merely been a surface-level reason.
By having a family, it would prevent Judas from being consumed by the overflow of evil in his karma after defeating the Demon King.
Raising children was a morally positive task, so he had thought to delay Judas’ progress of being overtaken by the Vessel.
‘It wouldn’t have been long until complete possession. I would’ve given it 3 years.’
Judas being consumed by the evil deity, Nocturne.
The offer for marriage without revealing this fact was King Ordor’s show of goodwill to the hero who had saved the world.
He hadn’t wished for people to equate Judas with Nocturne.
‘However, had it been a mistake to advise him to raise a family? He hadn’t summoned the Thief Lords even for Sabernak’s subjugation yet he’s doing so now….’
This meant that there was a situation that he could not handle on his own.
It was possible that a problem far worse than the likes of Pandemonium’s army of demons could occur.
This black sheet was probably a ‘warning’ to the rest of the world.
“That fellow was a funny man but he was never a clown. I fear that something will eventually happen. Lord Protector, how many available troops can we send to Freesia?”
“Your Majesty, if you, the Warlord himself, make a move, the surrounding nations and Duchy of Freesia will sense unease. Even for those whose lives are settling after the war with demons….”
“Yes, indeed. Then we will wait and see for now. The future of many will depend on what the Night Lords decide upon.”
Sigh—
King Ordor unfortunately had to set aside his intentions.
Like that, as he was leaning on the backrest of his throne—
The elderly knight, Cervan bowed his head and asked.
“But, Your Majesty. Those Night Lords. Will they truly gather? Are they not a band of miscreants bound by nothing?”
That was indeed true.
However, Ordor was certain.
“As long as they are alive, they will gather. Even I would like to travel to Freesia to hear what that Judas has to say. It is very unfortunate that one isn’t a thief.”
If only I were 10 years younger—
Muttering as if in jest, King Ordor waved the black paper around.
A pitch-black sheet.
To anyone else, it was just a black paper but thieves would see it differently.
This was a secret code that only thieves of high caliber could read.
‘What does it say, I wonder.’
As curious as he was, even the King of Ordor could not read it.
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