The Strongest Dull Prince’s Secret Battle for the Throne

A little delay on this one. I tweaked it too many times I guess.

-Mr.Graverobber

The Mysterious Thief

“I see. It was a disaster huh.”

“Right? They were so difficult that I want someone to praise me for improving their relationship even just a little bit you know.”

While having such a conversation in my room, I look over the accumulated documents on my desk.

Each one of them had important details written on it and there were red marks marked over each of the documents.

These marks indicate the matter written on the document had been resolved.

While I was away, Finne tried very hard and worked on them. These documents are the result of Finne’s effort so to speak.

“Please have some black tea.”

“Thanks.”

Finne grinningly brews black tea and serves it to me with sweets.

This is the task that she refused to hand over to Sebas.

Sebas no longer offers his help with it anymore and obediently receives the tea from her.

“Hm? Finne. Has this issue already been solved?”

“Ah, it’s the thievery cases, isn’t it. Forgive me but after various investigations, I think that we should leave that case alone……”

“Leave it alone?”

“Allow me to explain.”

Saying so, Sebas elegantly sip his black tea and start explaining.

Putting it shortly, several merchants came to us and requesting our help to deal with a certain thief.

However, upon closer inspection, it seems that those merchants were shady merchants who have nothing but bad rumors about them.

Another fact that was uncovered is that whenever those merchants got robbed, there would be money and valuables scattered for the people of the outer layers.

Moreover, from the sighting information, the thief seems to have a child-like figure. However, it seems that even the city guard and the soldier of the imperial capital garrison couldn’t catch the thief.

That seems to be the reason why they came to Leo’s faction for help with the promise that they would cooperate with us in return.

“A thief that can even elude the city guard and the imperial capital garrison. Not to mention that it would require a lot of manpower to catch such a thief, the people’s dissatisfaction will rise if we do catch him. That being the case, I advise Finne-sama to postpone our response.”

“I see. That seems like one interesting guy huh.”

The imperial capital garrison and the city guards are not incompetent.

Even if the victim was some evil merchant, they wouldn’t leave such a case alone. It’s a great feat for the thief to be able to escape their serious arrest attempt.

“An assassin?”

“I don’t think so. Judging from the state of the crime scene and the witness’s testimonies, the thief’s modus operandi was fairly aggressive. I don’t think that it would be a work of someone who was trained as an assassin. Rather,”

“An adventurer huh?”

“Yes. considering the rough and aggressive methods, I would be convinced if it was the work of a high-ranking adventurer.”

However, I never heard of any high-ranking adventurer who looks like a child.

Still, the fact remains that the thief was able to sneak past the imperial garrison and the city guards.

“Leo will be looking for a woman called Rebecca from the Earldom of Sitterheim. All he knows about her is that she is a female knight in her mid-teens.”

“The name Rebecca is not uncommon as well. This will prove to be difficult.”

“That’s right. To make things even more troublesome, we can’t use flashy methods to find her. We can not afford to let the other faction notice this. Still, if the scale of that kidnapping organization is as big as we expected then they are probably hunting her down right now.”

“I see, they would know that the Lord of Bassau decided to go against them since they have eyes and ears everywhere.”

If they get the report that one of the Lord’s trusted knights has left Bassau, they will definitely chase after her.

Her objective is easy to see through after all.

“Her goal is definitely to reach the Emperor. She is carrying a letter with her which is probably the Lord’s confession letter. If it reaches Father’s hand then the wrongdoing of the southern nobles will be exposed. We have to find this Rebecca as soon as possible.”

“We need to recruit more people to do that, correct?”

“That’s right. Lynfia is not with us this time and I want someone who can move around freely. If possible, it would be best if we can have someone who has enough power to fend off an assassin or a former assassin that can work for us from the shadows.”

“Don’t you think that would be too much of a requirement?”

“I thought so too. Still, we can make do with someone who has a similar ability. there would be no more effective way to boost our faction’s strength other than this.”

“But how do we recruit such a person?”

Hearing Finne’s question, I put up one finger.

“We already know someone that is qualified and has a lot of free time right.”

Saying so, I immediately moved out.

“Seriously……You roped me into this the day my house arrest was lifted……?”

Elna complained under her thick hood.

With Aneue, Leo, and Jurgen’s plea, Elna’s house arrest was lifted. However, she still can’t return to the Imperial Knight Order. In other words, with no duty to perform, Elna is currently free.

“Sorry, but we do not have enough manpower at all. I can’t afford to let talented people loitering around.”

“Still, having me guard some evil merchant’s merchandise is……..”

“Don’t worry. We will crush him once we are done with this.”

“Really?”

“Sebas already sneaked into their office. He probably grabbed some evidence and handed it over to the city guard by now.”

“Then it’s fine.”

Elna looks at the wagon with a relief expression.

We are currently transporting the merchandise of said evil merchant. It is being guarded by Elna along with other escorts from our faction. The merchant offered to dispatch some of their men as well but we told them that it was unnecessary.

It would be troublesome if they are with us after all. If they were one of the prominent merchants of the imperial capital then they would insist on dispatching their own escorts but this time we were dealing with a mid-tier merchant.

They obediently entrusted their merchandise with us since they were robbed blind and their company can no longer afford to operate normally anymore.

Well, these merchandises seem like they were obtained through some dirty means so they have no one to blame but themselves though.

I pretend to be a merchant and stand on top of the wagon.

“Alright…..depart! Listen here, you morons! Don’t let any of my merchandise get stolen alright! Protect my merchandise with your life! This stuff is way more valuable than your measly lives!”

While impersonating a villainous merchant, we proceed through the night street of the Imperial Capital.

We will only be carrying these things from the warehouse to the store but the attack should come during the transportation.

They could just move these merchandise during the day but some of the merchandise seems to be too risky for them to move during the day.

For that reason, we steadily proceed through the Imperial Capital at night.

“Focus up! Don’t you dare get sleepy now! You don’t want to get paid!?”

“Haa….is that really necessary?”

“It made me look like a villain right?”

“Yeah, if I don’t know you I might end up truly believing it you know.”

I nod satisfyingly at Elna’s words.

If that’s the case then there’s no problem.

If the thief notices something unusual then he might not show up after all.

While I was thinking so, the two escorts who were walking in front of us suddenly collapsed.

“Finally huh.”

“Quite a young merchant aren’t you? Kid, if you don’t want to get hurt then leave your stuff and scram.”

Saying so, a small man wearing a hood appeared with a spear. However, the only thing that indicated that he is a man was only his voice.

His height is only around 1 meter tall. The spear in his hand is even taller than himself.

If I look at his body alone then he would look like a child but his tone of voice is much older than mine. What’s this? This strange sense of wrongness.”

“Are you the thief who has been ruining my merchandise lately?”

“Your merchandise huh. Are you joking? The only thief here is you. I just came back to get what’s mine.”

“I obtained these things legally you know.”

“Sure. if that’s the case then I have nothing left to talk with you. I will be taking those things off your hands now!”

The man then jumped at me.

Defending me, Elna jumped out and blocked the man’s sharp blow.

“Hou? You managed to block my spear huh. You are quite something aren’t you?”

“I haven’t received such a sharp attack for a long time too you know. It was a pity that I couldn’t get a match with Lizelotte-sama but it seems I can clear up my regret with you here.”

Saying so, Elna brandishes a series of attacks and pushes back the man.

Other escorts try to get into action as well but Elna stops them.

“Don’t come in! You will get in the way!”

“Quite a strong lady aren’t you. I like it. If the small fries mix in here it would only ruin the fun after all.”

Saying so, the man holds up his spear.

He then speaks with a low voice.

“I can’t hold back so don’t die on me now okay.”

“That’s my line. It would be a problem for me if you die here so do your best to stay alive alright.”

“Hmph…..Fool!!”

With that as the signal, the battle of speed has begun.

The wind pressure of each blow damages the surrounding buildings. He’s an opponent that Elna has to get serious with? Just who is this guy?

The man covers for his short reach with his spear and splendidly launches his attack on Elna. Is he a dwarf or something? No, he’s too small for that.

While I was thinking about such a thing, Elna thrusts her sword at the man.

The man slipped through and avoided it then suddenly turned toward me.

“Sorry Kid, but this is not a duel. Teyahh!!”

Yelling so, the man’s spear plunged toward me.

However, Elna seems to have expected that and swept the man’s feet off the ground with a leg sweep.

“Too naive!”

“What!?”

Elna attacked the man who lost his balance but he managed to catch her attack with his spear and got blown a great distance away.

The man was sent flying into a nearby pile of straw.

“Well done.”

“No. it felt strange.”

“Strange?”

“It seems you looked down on me huh. Fighting me while standing on such a thing.”

Looking at him, I certainly saw two wooden sticks rolling away from the man.

Don’t tell me he was standing on those while fighting? Against Elna to top it off?”

No, taking out those sticks, he is even shorter than that?

When such a question popped up in my mind, the man got up from the straw.

However, his appearance was far from what I imagined.

“You did quite a number on me, Jou-chan.”

(TLN: Young lady/ a way for an older man to playfully call a girl)

“……..”

“……..”

“Ha? What?”

The person himself may not have noticed it yet.

His hood was now lowered and the sticks he stood on were gone so his true appearance was exposed.

His appearance was,

“A bear cub?”

“Wha!? Shit!?”

Even though his speech was normal, his appearance was that of a small bear.

Brown hair, black eyes, his appearance looks no different from a bear stuff animal.

The man put on his hood in a hurry but it was already too late.

In the first place, it is just ridiculous for someone to stand on leg extensions while covering yourself with a hood. There’s nothing intimidating about him left at all.

“Tsk! Can’t be helped then! I will let you off today!”

“Ah! Get back here!”

“Don’t chase him.”

Elna looked dissatisfied as I stopped her.

It seems that Elna wants to settle the score with him but she stops since she understands that our objective was reached.

It was shocking but we were able to find out what we wanted. All that is left is to search for him.

From his act of distributing the stolen goods and money at the outer layers, we know his area of operation.

“Let’s head back for now. Put the ones who fainted on the wagon.”

I gave the order.

Still dissatisfied, Elna gazes at me and turns to look at the direction the man disappeared to.

It seems this encounter just ignited her soul as a warrior.

“If you catch him then let me have a rematch.”

“It will depend on him right.”

While having such a conversation, we started making our way back through the Imperial Capital’s night street.

Anyone care to comment………….