The Youngest Son of the Northern Grand Duke Wants to Break Off the Engagement-Chapter 106

Chapter 106
Clarke was idly passing the time when he heard that the lord's daughter from the duke's mansion had returned to the capital.
Usually, he mingled with the other noble ladies, intoxicated by vanity, but when he became the phantom thief, he never tried to form close ties with anyone.
This made the duke's young lady stand out even more, and he couldn't shake off even the faintest curiosity about her.
'... Right. Is the wedding coming up soon?'
Clarke calmly vaulted over the wall and stepped forward.
His shadow left not the slightest trace, and even the sound of his shoes against the ground faded away perfectly.
As always, Clarke was exhibiting the ways of the phantom thief, stirring up Duke Illenat's mansion.
'I can't even tease her for being a lord's daughter anymore. After that, she'll surely become more manly.'
Suppressing a hint of regret, Clarke scaled the mansion's wall.
Even though he was walking vertically up the wall, his posture didn't falter at all.
No doubt it was thanks to magic, but various conditions had to be met.
'Come to think of it... the duke's's daughter just watched this for a moment and then tried it herself. Maybe she could at least mimic it because she's trained her body so well.'
Clarke let out a small chuckle, recalling his fight with Brillie Illenat.
He hadn't been injured then, but his clothes had been sliced briefly.
That meant, for a moment, she had caught up to his speed.
'If she's become even stronger since then, I'd be scared to run into her now.'
Clarke had already heard much of Brillie Illenat's reputation.
A knight honored by the imperial family, a hero of the northern region, the key contributor to the imperial restoration, a swordswoman who fought against dragons.
Truly, she was one of the mightiest figures of this era, capable of resolutely subduing any foe.
'I'm risking my life every time, but... it's worth it.'
In truth, Clarke was gambling between the two lord's daughters.
So far, he'd only encountered the lord's daughter of the grand duke's family, but depending on the situation, he might have to face off against the other.
How long would this luck remain by his side?
'If I just show my skills...'
Arriving on the roof, Clarke began to stroll leisurely.
He didn't like fighting and usually preferred to hide his presence, so he often acted passively.
However, if he showed his true colors, he could display an appropriate degree of force.
'Still, I'd rather not get into fights. That's not my style.'
Naturally changing direction, Clarke soon began to climb down the wall.
All he had to do was keep playing tricks on the nobles he disliked and help the unfortunate.
In the meantime, he allowed himself a bit of personal enjoyment by mingling with young noble ladies.
'They say he's the next great mage, so I can't underestimate him. Would he'd freeze me during a momentary lapse in attention?'
Clarke flipped open the window latch and slipped quickly inside.
This was his third visit, but since he had promised to help later, he wouldn't treat him harshly.
It was only a brief conversation, after all, so the lord's lady of the grand duke's family should understand.
"You come and go like this is your own home now."
"Rather than coming and going... I'm just popping in to show my face for a moment."
"Come and sit over here. There's something I'd like to ask you."
"Oh... a request for me! This is getting interesting after a long while."
Clarke approached lazily and then sat down in front of the table.
The usually cold lord's lady of the grand duke's family brought up the word "request".
It likely meant he had become familiar with him, but Clarke reminded himself not to take it lightly.
"I shouldn't really be trusting you with this, but there's not much time. I'll pay whatever you ask, so I want you to tail someone."
"I thought you'd tell me to steal something, but it's not that? This is getting more and more interesting. So... who am I supposed to tail?"
"...the Holy King."
At that word, Clarke was instantly seized by silence.
From here on, it would require approaching this as a matter of grave importance, not just a simple tailing job.
Why on earth was the next great mage interested in the Semerune Order?
"Can you tell me why? I might be a thief, but I don't move without a reason."
"It's a matter of the nation's survival. You want to keep thieving, don't you?"
"Well... If the country collapses, there's no thieving at all. Are you expecting patriotism from me?"
"Surely you have at least a shred of conscience. You're a phantom thief, but also a righteous outlaw."
"..."
Alter plainly exposed Clarke's true goals.
Clarke had carried out thefts as a phantom thief but also helped the people as a righteous outlaw.
It was both resentment toward the nobles and compassion for the commoners—a contradiction in itself.
"All you need to do is tell me where the Holy King is and what he's up to. I'll take care of the rest."
"Hmmm... I get the gist. So the rite of matrimony restriction was just a trick to draw attention?"
"..."
"I never understood it either. Why interfere with that, and why now? They didn't target any particular class; anyone could take offense. Why pull such a stunt?"
"..."
"You, my lord's lady from the grand duke's family, probably received your request from someone in the Order. At the very least, it'd be the archbishop... no, that's probably too low. It should be at least a cardinal."
"..."
"You couldn't have tracked him yourself. If you sent your fiancé, she might have gotten caught. That's why you're asking me, right?"
"... There's no one who can do this as well as you."
"Then let me ask just one question. I'm a wanted criminal—should you really be making this request?"
"I figured you wouldn't refuse if it was about the nation's survival. You're a citizen of this country, aren't you?"
"Oh my! Now you're making silly jokes. Citizen of this country... I can't even laugh at that!"
Behind his mask, Clarke showed a somber expression.
Having been born a commoner, he'd lived his whole life oppressed by royals and nobles.
That's why he'd tried to break free of that status and, now, took pleasure in tormenting them.
How could someone like him wish for the survival of the nation?
"... So, what's your answer?"
"Not giving me any time to think? If you press that hard, I can't say no."
Clarke reluctantly nodded in agreement and stood up.
It was probably a matter of urgency, so there was no time to hesitate.
Only by proving that the Holy King was an enemy of the empire would the forces move.
"I hear the Holy King leaves at night, every evening. Don't get caught tailing him, and he might have set traps."
"Do you think I'd make such a mistake? I'll find out within two days."
"... How much do I owe you?"
"Could I take money from the young lady of the grand duke's household? I'll do it for free this time, as a special favor. Oh, maybe I should just ask you to call me 'Big Brother' instead?"
"You're as crazy as ever."
"Haha! That's how a thief survives, isn't it?"
Clarke headed toward the window but then turned around.
The fact that no one had broken in yet probably meant that the grand grand duke's's daughter trusted him.
But, with her aura so dangerous and sharp, he couldn't ignore it completely.
"Oh, right. Could you pass a message to the lord's daughter of the duke's mansion? Tell her she's too scary, so please keep some distance from me."
"You must have provoked my fiancé."
"It was just a little teasing... Surely that's just playing around?"
"If you get cut later, I'm not taking responsibility."
"Oh dear. I'd better hurry and run off, then."
Clarke pretended to rush in a panic and then slipped out the window.
At that moment, Brillie Illenat entered and surveyed the room.
"Nothing happened?"
"Yes. We just had a conversation."
"What did he say?"
"He said he'd find out within two days."
"That's a bit suspicious. Didn't he accept the request a little too easily?"
"He's a righteous thief, after all. We can trust him in matters like this."
Alter was willing to acknowledge the phantom thief, at least in part.
His desires were flawed, but there was a faint kindness within him.
Most of all, the phantom thief had never yet invaded the Imperial Palace.
'The phantom thief is acting wisely. As long as he leaves the Imperial family and the powerful factions untouched, there won't be any major problems.'
Not only commoners but also some officials and nobles likely supported him.
After all, he only stole from notoriously wicked nobles.
That's why, despite being aware of the phantom thief's existence, the eighth emperor had largely left him alone.
'If the Holy King really is a monster... he would have had to be assassinated.'
In the future Alter had seen, it was probably the holy apostles who detected the Holy King's true identity.
After lengthy deliberation, they would have decided to assassinate him for the honor of the Semerune Order.
That might be why they chose a new Holy King without revealing the assassin's identity.
'Then how did the Holy King's faction get dealt with? There must be more hiding in other dioceses.'
The Holy King couldn't have conducted monster transformations alone.
There must be someone behind him, and anyone who followed him should be suspected.
Perhaps the ban on the rite of matrimony was to complete his transformation into a full monster.
'He wanted to quietly finish things using the rite of matrimony.'
It was a move that would draw suspicion through a specific action—just to divert attention, even for a moment.
Once everyone's focus amasses in one place, they're easily manipulated, one way or another.
If this was even part of the plan, it would need to be cut off swiftly.
'The Order will probably want to resolve this internally. Things would get messy if the Imperial family got tangled up, too.'
***
Clarke postponed all his previous plans. He had grown tired of constantly rummaging through noble vaults anyway.
Above all else, since the grand grand duke's's daughter had asked him directly, he had to produce results.
'Never thought the beautiful lady would request something from me.'
Clarke felt an uncommon sense of enthusiasm.
This commission clearly came from a high-ranking cleric of the Semerune Order.
He'd mentioned bishops and cardinals earlier, but those ranks could never stand against the Holy King.
Only someone like a holy apostle could truly bring down the Holy King.
'It seems the Holy King's about to make a move...'
By now, Clarke was already secretly tailing the Holy King.
The Holy King constantly looked around, weaving between buildings and along the roadside to throw off anyone following him.
He was clearly being careful wherever he went, wary of being trailed.
'He's definitely set some traps.'
Clarke immediately saw through the Holy King's intentions.
Given the nature of his position, his movements were bound to be exposed at any time.
Yet, slipping out at night so secretly could only mean he was trying to deceive.
'Hmm... but does the Holy King really need to go out? If he stayed in the grand cathedral, he'd have everything under his control.'
At last Clarke realized the secret the Holy King was hiding.
Surely, some of his followers were active inside the grand cathedral.
If so, somewhere in the grand cathedral, there could be a hidden sanctuary just for the Holy King.
'That sort of trick won't work on me. I'll have to pull this off before dawn.'
Clarke then headed straight for the grand cathedral.
With countless parishioners and outsiders coming and going, it wasn't difficult to get a handle on the building's internal layout.
If he compared it to the floor plan he'd obtained in advance, any differences would soon become clear.
'Thanks to this, I'll get to meet the lord's daughter from the grand duke's mansion again. If I go back with no reason, I'd lose my dignity.'
-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
For those who forgot, the Phantom Thief always call Alter a lady, because he looks feminine...
【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】