104 – Follower of the Phantom Thieves
“Hu…”
The first day of the exam is just over.
Fortunately, there were no major difficulties in the last period.
Of course, that doesn’t mean I hit it well, but it was more like literally slurping it over.
I’m sure it finishes earlier than usual, so why am I so tired?
The problem is that I have to keep feeling this tired for the next week.
I already have a headache just thinking about it.
It’s getting dark before my eyes.
“Hey. Let’s go hang out to commemorate the end of the exam.”
At Rachel’s suggestion, I looked at her, wondering if she had finally gone out of her mind due to stress.
“What. What do those eyes mean?”
“We are now done with the first day of the exam.”
“Who doesn’t know that?”
“You said let’s go play. Aren’t you ready for tomorrow’s test?”
At a question that seemed so common sense, she burst out with a snort of her cheek.
“That’s what you do after playing.”
“… That’s amazing.”
It’s amazing how you can have that mindset.
If you’re going to argue like that, wouldn’t it be much better to just play to your heart’s content all day? Anyway, I’m going to cram my studies right before tomorrow’s exam.
“Do you think it will make a difference if you come and study for a few more hours anyway? In that case, getting rid of stress would be much more effective.”
“Yes. You may be right.”
Even if I dare to refute, I don’t think they will listen anyway.
It was hard to see her behavior as unusual. She actually used to have a lot of kids who ran straight to the internet cafe during exam week, which she liked to finish early.
If there is only one difference, this is England in the 19th century, and unlike normal schools, magic academy is very passionate about learning, isn’t it?
“Okay. So, are you going with me?”
“Sorry. I can’t.”
“Huh. I thought so. Like a boring child.”
To be honest, I don’t really want to go home and study.
That’s something only model students like Yulia do.
To be honest, of the two, I’m more of a Rachel type.
But it seems difficult to hang out with her today.
“Don’t regret it, go home and study.”
“···Ha. I have to study. It would be a real big deal if I missed out on the scholarship.”
Every time I see you so nervous, I want to tell you the truth, but I managed to suppress it before I packed my bag and headed home.
[Are you sure you want to go?]
“Yes. If we miss this timing, we don’t know how long we will have to wait.”
[But don’t you have to prepare for the exam?]
“It is true.”
Sorry. Rachel.
Actually, I didn’t betray you just to quietly study at home.
It may sound like a no-brainer, but I can study to my heart’s content anytime later.
On the other hand, if you miss the ‘Gathering of Phantom Thief Followers’ today, you don’t know when it will be held again.
Once I realized that Yulia was involved, it was necessary to investigate exactly what group they were.
“How is it?”
[This is the first disguise I’ve ever seen.]
“Now that the foundation business has started in earnest, you can’t go around as Lupine anywhere.”
In particular, it is safe to say that the phantom thief followers are in fact an anti-nobility group, so it is very dangerous for Lupin, who has promised noble consulting, to appear at such a meeting.
[What is the name of this time?]
“Let’s go to Doyle LeBlanc.”
It was also the identity he used to trick the executioner last time.
I even made a fake ID just in case, but it’s a waste to use it once and throw it away.
Okay. Shall we start now?
***
It was not difficult to obtain information about the meeting itself.
It’s almost openly public, so you can find it right away if you pay attention.
I wondered if the government would impose sanctions on this, but they wouldn’t react that drastically right away.
Citizens’ public opinion toward the current government was not good.
In particular, the recent revelation of the palace raid was decisive.
The fact that people are intentionally hiding information to hide their shame seems to have come as quite a shock to people.
Thanks to this, the image of the government, including the parliament, as well as the royal family, who are clearly the victims of the incident, have suffered a significant fall.
Of course, public opinion toward me was extremely divided.
Most people think of him as a maniac criminal who crossed the line, but some even revered him as a hero who resisted an unjust nation.
Sir Grace is an old hero and Kaito Raven is a new hero?
Anyway, Grace was the one who benefited the most from this situation.
Since it is a painting that is no different from a whistleblower, everyone was enthusiastic about Grace, saying that she was the only shining righteous person in a corrupt government.
Of course, in this situation, I can’t honestly say that I didn’t do anything.
Although there was a little problem in the middle, in the end, it went the way I thought it would.
Anyway, due to such a complicated butterfly effect, the government was in a state of avoiding the body, and the phantom thief followers were rapidly increasing in size.
“Looks like this.”
[Hmm. It’s roughly what I expected.]
I agree very much with what the goddess said.
An organization that resists state power. Moreover, a radical ideology that worships criminals.
It is full of characteristics that are unreasonable in many ways, so it will be difficult to openly come out as a sunny place no matter how big it gets.
As if to support such a prediction, the meeting place was a dark underground bar.
The lighting is quite dim, and the entrance is blocked by tall, threatening-looking men.
The problem is that Yulia might be in a place like this.
Today is exam week, so there is a high probability that you will not be able to attend.
“Stop. No one can go in here.”
A big guy blocking me with his cavernous bass.
“I heard rumors. A gathering of followers is being held here today.”
“Hmm. It’s the first time I’ve seen your face.”
“Yes. I didn’t think much of it before, but after reading the last article, I changed my mind.”
The other person laughed lowly, probably being quite satisfied with my answer.
“hahahaha. Everyone gathers here with the same thoughts. Have a good time. Friend.”
“You too.”
Security was very lax. I bet you wouldn’t even check your identity.
Are you saying that they are friends who have the same thoughts?
As you slowly descend the steep stairs, the harsh music hits your eardrums.
It really felt like entering a club in the basement.
The underground scenery I faced after going down like that was beyond my imagination.
This is really just a club, right?
Drums sound like a heartbeat under dim lighting. In the middle of it, people holding a simple drinking glass in their hands and talking excitedly.
Honestly, I never imagined that I would see a landscape like this in this worldview.
I finally understand why people are so serious about following the Phantom Thief.
When they get together and have fun like this, they have no choice but to be sincere regardless of the purpose of the gathering.
As I was standing in front of the entrance, someone came up to me and started talking to me.
“Is this your first time here? Seeing you stand there like an idiot.”
“Yes. Little···. It is surprising.”
“Everyone said that at first. After a while, I’m busy playing the hardest among me.”
The woman with a lot of exposure smiled and handed me a drink.
[Tsk. Too frivolous. It is eliminated.]
‘Don’t judge me on your own.’
[Hmm? Could it be that you liked that child?]
‘That’s not it! Whether it’s good or bad, just don’t do it to anyone!’
[It’s tricky. I understand, so be quiet.]
A b*tch to know. I’m going to buy it for a while, but it’ll be back to normal soon.
Anyway, I’m worried about what to do now.
I was a bit embarrassed because it was so different from what I had imagined.
Originally, I was trying to figure out what the purpose of this meeting was, but looking at it now, it seems like they were just having fun without thinking.
Let’s watch a little longer. I took the glass that the exposed woman gave me and quietly sat down in an empty seat in the corner.
I erased my presence as much as possible and slowly looked around this noisy underground space.
There must be someone like the leader leading this gathering somewhere.
If you figure out what kind of character that person is, you will be able to know if the phantom thief followers are a threatening group.
The music is too loud.
Using magic, I intensively listened to the sound in the direction I was facing.
“Big! Killing the performance today?”
“You are a musician who joined recently. I heard the leader recruited him himself.”
“Huh? Drake recruited him himself?”
From the beginning, I got some useful information.
The leader of this group seems to be a man named Drake.
Now we just need to find out where that Drake is.
He must be here somewhere. It would be better if you show yourselves innocently.
“Looks like that rich lady didn’t come today.”
“Sure. Aren’t you caught by your parents?”
“Looking at his black hair, he might be Lady Grace.”
“hahahaha! Nonsense! That family name exposed our hero.”
Our hero?
Could that be me?
I think it’s right in context, but I couldn’t believe it because it was so absurd.
Anyway, the rich lady is probably Yulia.
Fortunately, it seems that he did not attend today.
Where is the leader anyway?
After eavesdropping on the story for a long time, I finally found the name in the conversation of people sitting in the shady seat in the opposite corner.
“Mr. Drake. Again, this is a new record. As planned, the number of participants is steadily increasing.”
“Okay. Not long now.”
I finally found it.