[Translator - Pot ]
[Proofreader - Kawaii ]
Chapter 248: A Little Better Than My Past Life Self
Kreutzel established a small village in a mountain valley that didn't even appear on maps.
The soil was barren and the roads treacherous, making it unsuitable for human habitation in many ways.
That's why no one had ever lived there before, but...
"A place like this would be the perfect sanctuary to hide us."
Neither the lords who ca to collect taxes nor the underworld organizations that demanded protection money could reach them here.
"Even though we're poor and have little to eat, it's so comfortable not having to worry about others watching us."
"But what will we do when winter cos?"
"We'll hunt, go out to sell things, and gather so food. We'll manage sohow."
"Brother! Does this an we don't have to wander around anymore?"
"That's right. Don't worry."
However, Kreutzel and the village elders knew the truth.
The money they had saved would run out quickly, and soone would need to earn a lot of money, or they wouldn't survive.
"I'll go earn money. It's not difficult. I just need to slip things out of wealthy nobles' pockets."
"Kreutzel, I'm sorry."
"There's no need to be. Those who can do it, do it."
He felt no guilt.
He had already watched his family mbers die by the sword simply because soone found them annoying.
What was so wrong about taking a few valuables from the wealthy to feed his family? If he didn't do it, everyone would go hungry.
"This spatial pouch is a treasure I happened to acquire in my youth. Take it and use it however you wish."
Thanks to the gift from the deceased old mage, he could steal anything much more easily than others.
"Hmm? Food supplies to such a remote mountain valley? The transportation costs would be expensive."
"It doesn't matter. But I need porters who are discreet and strong."
"Well, that's our business. As long as you pay the price."
"...Would this be enough?"
"Hmm? Haha! Look, we don't deal with stolen goods. I'll introduce you to a fence where you can exchange it."
"How troubleso."
"There are procedures to follow. Dirty money without laundered origins always leaves trouble behind."
"...I see."
Fortunately, he found a trustworthy supplier.
He also learned just how untrustworthy fences could be.
"Impressive. Where do you keep stealing such precious items from? Do you have a master?"
"I do, but this has nothing to do with him."
With his acrobatic skills, boldness, and magical knowledge, there was nothing he couldn't steal once he set his mind to it.
Moreover, thanks to his natural intelligence, his skills improved daily, and his magical abilities were enough to easily kill any diocre warrior.
Gradually, the village beca a better place to live.
"Brother, let co with you this ti. You need soone to help you, don't you?"
"Anna."
Among his siblings, one particularly looked after Kreutzel.
"You should eat your als properly too."
"If I eat too much, my body becos heavy."
"If you don't eat enough, you'll have no strength."
At so point, Anna began staying at his house to wait for him, and when he returned from his several-day trips, she would prepare hearty als.
Though Anna called him brother, she was actually a child with no blood relation to him.
"Isn't it hard? Taking care of everyone by yourself..."
"That's what family is. If it weren't for those people, I would have died wandering the streets long ago. I'm just repaying the kindness of being raised."
Honestly, just having soone acknowledge his struggles gave him strength.
Eventually, Anna beca Kreutzel's lover.
The two understood each other's hardships and sorrows, and they knew well that they had to depend on each other to survive in this harsh land.
Finally, the hearts of these two people who relied on each other bore fruit as brilliant as pearls.
"I'm pregnant."
Kreutzel wept his heart out that day.
"I swear. This child will never live as an orphan."
The child who had been abandoned in front of a circus tent had beco a father.
***
Fifteen years passed...
The na Kreutzel had beco known as that of a great thief.
The village gradually grew larger.
New lives were born, and occasionally they took in holess wanderers.
The harvest from cultivating fields and hunting animals was also substantial.
But as the population increased, so did the things they couldn't produce themselves and had to buy from outside.
"Kreutzel, our child keeps getting fevers."
"We'll need fever dicine. I'll get so this ti."
"I'm really sorry."
But as ti passed, anxiety also grew.
"When money circulates and goods flow, there are always watching eyes."
Indeed, intruders began appearing occasionally, and Kreutzel had the trained young n and won defend the village.
Thanks to his magical skills in setting traps and deceiving intruders, there had been no major problems so far.
"Should we move this entire village to a safer place?"
Soone made such a suggestion, but they didn't have the resources.
Moving so many people and houses would require enormous amounts of money, and finding trustworthy rcenaries was also difficult.
However, a tragedy that would change Kreutzel's mind soon occurred.
"Honey, our child..."
His daughter had contracted an incurable disease.
To save the child, he would need to take her to a doctor called a divine healer or to a high priest.
Kreutzel needed money. Much more money.
"If you really need ergency funds, how about I recomnd so wealthy but dangerous people?"
The supplier rchant, who had beco a friend over the long years, made the suggestion.
"I don't mind danger. In fact, the more dangerous, the higher the pay. But I don't have ti, so I want to receive a massive amount from a single job."
"Are you sure? Those guys are very dangerous people from the underworld."
"Are they trustworthy?"
"As far as I know, they're not the type to play gas."
"Then it doesn't matter. I'd take money from the devil himself."
Thus Kreutzel t the underworld.
"Ridiculous. You want to break into the Valkenhain Duchy's treasury and steal sothing?"
"Are you not confident?"
"It's not that I'm not confident, it's just an unexpected request."
"Possible or impossible. Just tell that. We too have heard of your reputation and are specially entrusting you with a long-cherished task."
"...Well, if you give so ti, I'll give it a try. I need to prepare too."
"Then we'll pay the advance. We'll pay money worthy of the great thief Kreutzel's reputation, but if you fail, we can't pay."
"Well, if I don't have to return the advance even if I fail, that would actually be grateful to ."
The operation succeeded.
Kreutzel managed to steal the Ebony Oath, breaking through Valkenhain's impregnable security, all kinds of traps and security asures, and magical barriers.
"Good, with this money I can save my daughter and safely relocate the village people."
But his joy was short-lived.
Kreutzel discovered that the friend who had introduced him to this job had been brutally murdered.
"...Why?"
He had died outside, not in his own house.
Instead of going to his friend's house, Kreutzel headed to his safe house, where he found a note.
Kreutzel, they plan to kill you after receiving the item.
To leave no loose ends, they intend to kill everyone involved in this matter.
The porters who knew about the village all died keeping their loyalty, but I don't know how long the secret will be kept.
I'm going to die in the street to avoid this place being discovered.
I'm sorry it ca to this, Kreutzel.
Run away.
What exactly was this Ebony Oath that they would handle things so brutally?
Without even having ti to appreciate his friend's loyalty and sacrifice, he imdiately chose to flee through the night.
It was to escape quickly before they discovered the village's existence and sohow draw their attention away.
Co to think of it, this money is too little.
I'll look for a place that will pay a higher price, so handle things yourselves.
Kreutzel left a note as if he were money-crazed.
He imdiately chose a long flight.
Valkenhain's pursuers and the underworld's trackers followed him, afraid they might lose him, but Kreutzel's various deception techniques were superior.
'Even if I'm caught and killed by them, I want to sohow prevent the consequences from reaching my family.'
Whenever fearful and frustrating monts ca, Kreutzel thought of his daughter, wife, and village people.
'...I'll sohow survive and escape.'
But the underworld was much larger and more secretive than he thought.
"It might be better to hand the item over to Valkenhain and be imprisoned by them."
Kreutzel muttered.
"...But if that causes harm to my family, I'll go insane."
His heart felt as if soone had grabbed it tightly.
"Damn it. What the hell am I supposed to do?"
Just as Kreutzel's lant continued...
"What to do? It wouldn't be bad to give up soon."
There was a voice that casually responded to his muttering.
"?!"
Startled, Kreutzel turned around.
"Found you."
Karzan grinned wickedly.
"Well, well, this amazing bastard. Were you hiding with a barrier deployed in the midst of all this?"
"Damn it."
Kreutzel dispelled the barrier and pulled out poison powder and smoke bombs from his pocket, detonating them.
***
"Whoa, what a surprise."
I channeled dark mana and absorbed the poison powder and smoke bombs into my palm.
"Burp."
The amount converted to mana was considerable.
"Wow, using good stuff. Did you buy only these things with money earned from stealing?"
"Young master, we must pursue him!"
Siena and Reinholdt's slashes surrounded and bound Kreutzel.
"That would be hard to escape from, wouldn't it?"
Finally, Knut followed Kreutzel, whose escape route was blocked, with wild movents.
"Where are you going?"
CRASH!
Knut's fist struck Kreutzel hard.
"...Wow."
But this ti it seed to be another miss.
The form of Kreutzel that took the punch distorted and turned into so ugly doll that fell with a thud.
"It's a clone."
"Ridiculous."
Knut, picking up the doll that looked like Zizek, said:
"Usually, these illusions or clone techniques have no scent. So they're easy to see through, but he even put his own scent on the doll."
"...The fact that you slled that is more impressive."
I muttered.
"Moreover, that guy instantly switched positions with his clone and escaped."
"Hmm, even in the mage tower, it would be difficult to find a mage of this level."
Siena shook her head as if disgusted.
"Oh, co to think of it."
Sothing occurred to , so I asked Reinholdt:
"Does the pendulum react to this doll too?"
"...It doesn't seem to."
"Phew."
At least that was fortunate.
Valkenhain's tracking incense wasn't sothing that could be fooled by such tricks.
"After evading both the underworld and Valkenhain and running away, he even made miss."
This bastard is quite interesting.
"But as long as there's tracking incense, he'll eventually be caught."
He can't run forever.
I know that well from my past life experience.
Then at the very least...
"We need to catch him before the underworld does."
I looked at Zizek.
"What do you think about bringing that guy to our side?"
At the very least, if we use him as a ssenger or scout, wouldn't even the underworld guys find it troubleso?
"Are you serious, boss?"
To Zizek's question, I replied:
"If it doesn't work out, it can't be helped, but if there's room for recruitnt, we'll recruit him."
He's almost as good at running away as I was in my past life.
'Or maybe he's a bit better than ?'
Anyway.
"It would be a waste to just let him die."
"...Young master, you know, don't you? He committed a grave sin against our Valkenhain."
To Siena's words as she frowned, I replied:
"That's why we need to make him pay for that sin."
With sothing other than money or his life.
"Now, let try to persuade you all for a mont."
I suspect Kreutzel's purpose isn't simply money.
If we can gain the loyalty of such a man, it's not sothing that would easily betray us.
[Translator - Pot ]
[Proofreader - Kawaii ]
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