I Became A Thief Who Steals Overpowered Skills - Chapter 144

Chapter 144

Hardenhartz is About to Explode!

***

Despite it being spring, snow was still falling in the Hardenhartz territory.

A commotion was brewing there.

First, it was the intrusion of a World Erosion Species into their land.

Then, there was the ridiculous demand from the Empire, which led to a war of nerves.

For the past few weeks, they had been dealing with one headache after another.

“Goddamn it, how did things end up like this?”

Meliocan Hardenhartz, acting head of the Hardenhartz family, grumbled as he buried his face in his hands.

For now, the struggle with the Empire had been put on hold.

This was largely because the royal family had stepped in to smooth things over.
T h is w a s c o pie d fro m k i n g m t l . o r g

But skirmishes with the Empire were not uncommon.

The real issue lay elsewhere.

The World Erosion Species was a serious matter that the entire world took seriously.

Naturally, the royal family had dispatched a search party, and the personnel involved were impressive, to say the least.

This was because none other than the Vice Head of Balheim and one of the Ten Strongest Under the Heavens, the Sword King, Rai Balheim, had personally come to visit.

Given that the Poison King, also one of the Ten Strongest Under the Heavens, had been injured, it was only natural for Starlon to make a significant move.

Thi s w a s c o p i e d f r o m k i n gmt l . o r g
“If that were all, it would be reassuring, but…”

The problem didn’t end there.

Kraush had suddenly sent a mission request.

At first, it was a commendable request, stating that he wanted to help his fiancée’s family, which was in danger.

There were no direct members of Hardenhartz attending Rahelrn Academy.

Therefore, they didn’t know the structure of Rahelrn Academy and were inclined to accept the mission request.

T h is w a s c o p i e d f r o m k i n g mt l . o r g
However, before Hardenhartz could issue the mission, the royal family intervened and sent the mission themselves.

The problem was that the Lion Order, led by Charlotte, was participating.

Charlotte Balheim, a genius born in Balheim, often mentioned when discussing the future head of the Balheim family, was apparently coming to Hardenhartz.

This naturally caused a headache for the Hardenhartz family.

The Sword King, who was the Vice Head of Balheim, had his strength proven by being one of the Ten Strongest Under the Heavens, so that was fine.

But Charlotte, genius though she was, was still young.

If something were to happen to her in Hardenhartz due to the World Erosion Species, they might end up bearing the responsibility.

And yet, the problems didn’t end there.

‘Why is there a princess from the Empire affiliated with a group created by Balheim’s direct line?’

The person affiliated with the Lion Order was none other than the 4th Princess of the Empire, Sizelry Ephania.

Naturally, as a member of the Lion Order, she was also expected to visit Hardenhartz.

The sudden appearance of such high-profile figures made Meliocan feel like coughing up blood.

And this situation brought about yet another problem.

While the 4th Princess had no claim to the throne, the fact that an Imperial Princess was visiting Starlon meant that Starlon had to match her in terms of formality.

And the one who emerged was none other than Starlon’s First Prince, Hilnider Starlon.

He personally came to visit Hardenhartz, stating he wished to greet and converse with the 4th Princess.

As a result, the actual head of the family, Douglakan Hardenhartz, had to rush off to greet him.

“Is Hardenhartz trying to disappear from this world?”

Meliocan sat there, utterly at a loss.

For some reason, his stomach hurt.

He had never felt this way before in his life.

Just then, there was a knock on the door from outside.

“Who is it?”

“It’s Jenica.”

At the appearance of his sister, Meliocan sighed and told her to come in.

When Jenica entered, she was holding a letter for some reason.

“A letter from Bianca. She says she won’t be coming to Hardenhartz.”

“What?”

Meliocan’s face turned shocked at Jenica’s reply.

Upon hearing that Kraush was coming, Meliocan had immediately summoned Bianca.

Since things had come to this, he intended to firmly establish the engagement between Bianca and Kraush in front of the Balheim family and the Starlon royal family.

Just by showing the two of them getting along well, the engagement would be more secure.

Additionally, if any trouble arose with Balheim during this mission, he planned to use the engagement as leverage to negotiate and smooth things over.

But the summoned Bianca didn’t show up.

Given how close she seemed to be with Kraush, Meliocan thought she would come running the moment she heard he was visiting Hardenhartz.

Why on earth?

“Could it be that their engagement is on the rocks?”

“I don’t think so.”
T h i s w a s cop ied f r o m k i n g m t l . o rg

Jenica shook her head, looking as though such a thing was impossible.
Th i s w as co p ie d f r o m k in g m t l . o r g

After all, she had seen firsthand how deep their relationship was.

It seemed that even if the sky split in two, nothing could separate the two of them.

“The letter only says she’s holding back to keep herself from wavering in her resolve.”

“What resolve?”

“How should I know that?”

Having delivered her message, Jenica made her exit.

Meliocan couldn’t help but feel envious of her for not getting too involved in family matters, at least today.

“Damn it.”

He could only pray that this situation would pass quietly.

Meliocan clasped his hands together and prayed.
T h i s w a s c o p i e d f r o m k i n gm t l . o r g

* * *

Kraush was making his way down a snowy path alongside the Lion Order, searching for the World Erosion Species that had gravely injured the Poison King.

There was no direct teleportation circle connecting Rahelrn Academy to Hardenhartz.

So, they were traveling via the nearest teleportation circle, which was closest to Hardenhartz.

The problem was that the Lion Order wasn’t the only party traveling with them.

Kraush noticed a familiar figure among the group.

A man with dark black hair and blue eyes.

His presence was quite striking due to his height.

It was none other than Felray.

He had grown significantly taller since his growth spurt, looking quite different from his appearance during the martial tournament.

‘The Great Sword Order.’

It was the group led by none other than Felray.

Sigrid couldn’t directly participate in this matter.

So, as Kraush had expected, Sigrid was furious.

With everything related to Kraush going wrong recently, it was only natural.

In such a situation, her suspicions of Charlotte had grown even stronger.

Since Charlotte was involved in this incident as well, it was to be expected.

But even with her rage, she could do nothing.

No matter how formidable she was, Sigrid could not directly confront Starlon.

In the end, she took a step back and moved Felray into play.

Though Felray was affiliated with the Empire, he was a commoner.

Moreover, Felray’s group included not only Imperial commoners but also commoners from various kingdoms.

‘Thus, Felray’s participation is less conspicuous. That’s the idea.’

She was likely planning to keep tabs on the situation through Felray.

As a result, there were now two orders participating in this mission.

But the real problem lay elsewhere.

‘We still don’t know who the real culprit is that injured the Poison King.’

According to Crimson Garden, the Poison King’s injuries were very real.

In other words, it was clear that someone had inflicted those wounds on him.

“Sizelry.”

“Achoo!”

Sizelry, who had been sneezing at that moment, turned towards Kraush.

Her nose was flushed red.

She was usually in poor health, so it was understandable that she wasn’t accustomed to the cold and the long walk.

Although her bodyguard, the Light Sword, occasionally carried her or checked on her…

She couldn’t help that her body was weak.

“Sniff, what is it?”

Seemingly embarrassed by the sneeze, she rubbed her nose as she responded.

“Do you know who the real person behind the Poison King’s injury is?”

Kraush asked quietly, so others wouldn’t hear.

Sizelry glanced briefly at Haring.

She must have judged that this was something Haring, the Poison King’s daughter, might be sensitive to.
T his w a s co p ied fro m k i n g m tl .o rg

She waved her sleeves as she crossed her arms.

“I don’t know for sure. The royal family is keeping the information tightly under wraps, so it hasn’t easily reached me either.”

She grumbled, wishing she had planted more informants.

“But the claim that the person who injured the Poison King was a World Erosion Species is probably not false.”

“Does that mean there’s really a possibility that a World Erosion Species has infiltrated Hardenhartz?”

“That possibility can’t be denied. But be careful.”

T hi s wa s co p i e d f r o m k ing m t l. o r g
Sizelry cautioned Kraush as she tugged on his collar.

“The Empire never moves with the intention of capturing just one rabbit. There’s likely another underlying reason besides targeting the head of the Night Ravens, whom you intend to help.”

She advised him to keep all possibilities in mind.

“So don’t try to figure it all out alone. Two heads are better than one when it comes to thinking.”

As she smiled, Kraush, who had been about to tell her to blow her nose, took her advice to heart and stepped back.

‘In the end, the most pressing matter right now is finding Ebelasque.’

The person most desperate at this moment was Ebelasque, who had been named the culprit.
T hi s w as c o pi e d fr o m k i ng mtl .o rg

She would undoubtedly be tracking down the true culprit as well.

After all, she was someone who took protecting her home very seriously.

She must have found some kind of lead by now.

“What are you so deep in thought about?”

It was at that moment.

An arm suddenly wrapped around Kraush’s neck, causing him to bend slightly.

He hadn’t sensed any presence at all.

When Kraush turned his head, he saw a figure wearing spectacles with completely black lenses.

A cascade of flowing blonde hair.

Her clothes clung tightly to her, revealing a rather sensual figure.

Kraush knew her very well.

She was one of the professors specially dispatched for this mission due to its difficulty.

The Ghost Master.
Th i s wa s c o pi e d f r o m ki n gm t l .o r g

Sena Myer.

She was a former Fighting Emperor, brought in as a professor by special invitation from Durandal.

She was an unpredictable person.

Her style of clothing changed every time you saw her.

Hiding her presence was one of her specialties, so even Kraush’s sixth sense couldn’t detect her.

Thanks to her, Kraush was startled by a human’s presence for the first time in a while.

“I was just thinking about things. Given the situation, you know.”

“Work, huh? Is that something a boy who confronted Durandal himself would say?”

She flicked the black lenses of her spectacles with her fingers, revealing a pair of red eyes and sharp fangs peeking out from her lips.

“It was because it happened in Starlon, so of course, I participated.”

“Hmm…”

She hummed as if finding his words amusing, then removed her arm from around Kraush.

“I heard something from Mr. Durandal. He told me to stop you if you looked like you were going to overdo it.”

“I’m not the type to push myself too hard, so you don’t have to worry.”

[ I hear a dog barking somewhere. ]

Crimson Garden’s voice chimed in, but Kraush ignored it.

“Alright, well, boy, given the nature of this mission, try not to cause too much trouble. I don’t want to clash with your brother if I can avoid it.”

The “brother” she referred to was none other than the Sword King, the Vice Head of Balheim.

Kraush was well aware that she and his brother didn’t get along.

‘They’re around the same age, after all.’

Rai Balheim, Kraush’s brother, was also known as a genius in Balheim.

Had Charlotte not been born, he would have been remembered as the most exceptional genius of his generation.

Given that, Sena, who was of the same generation as Rai, had often been compared to him.

Unlike the Skyborne Generation, theirs was called the Golden Generation.

That was the name given to the generation to which Rai and Sena belonged.

Sizzle—

At some point, Sena had lit a cigarette, the end glowing as she smiled at Kraush.

“And before I forget, the World Erosion Species is dangerous, so don’t act recklessly, boy. I’ll dock your points.”

“Yes, I’ll keep that in mind.”

[ Why are you getting more shameless by the day? ]

What can I say?

That’s just my nature.

At that moment, the signpost leading to Hardenhartz appeared, along with the sight of the estate on the horizon.

The northern estate of Starlon.

Hardenhartz.

It had been years since he last visited this place.

“Squeak!”

It was then.

Kraush looked down toward the sound of a rat beneath his feet.

Amid the snow-covered grass.

There was a rat with its back stitched up.

It was none other than a rat controlled by Ebelasque.

I had planned to find her.

But to think she would come to me this quickly.

‘Well, given how the news has spread, Ebelasque must have caught wind of it as well.’

Kraush discreetly stepped forward so that no one else could see.

The rat climbed up his pants leg and slipped into his pocket.

Inside, it deposited a small piece of paper.

When Kraush unfolded the paper…

[ Don’t look for me. ]

Kraush froze for a moment.

Then, slowly, he lifted his head.

“You idiot.”

Something had happened to Ebelasque.

End of Chapter