Chapter 75 The Little Thief
Moving along the night street.
I watched Teti walking down the night road from a distance.
Teti was carrying a large sack, its contents swaying as she walked alone.
Next to me, Maia, who had suppressed her presence using her job skills, was also standing by.
"For now, there doesn't seem to be anyone suspicious."
Feeling somewhat uneasy, I watched Teti from afar.
"Hehe."
Maia chuckled softly.
"What's wrong? Did something strange happen?"
"No, but Adel-sama really seems like a father watching over his own daughter."
"Does it look like that?"
"Yeah. If Teti-chan is the child and Adel-sama is the father, then I'm the mother, right?"
"No, what are you talking about, Maia?"
I sighed as I watched Maia, who was lost in some kind of daydream right next to me.
Totally, when I shifted my gaze to Teti, I noticed there was no tension.
"Hmm..."
As Teti walked down a narrow alley, a small figure wearing a hood appeared.
――Is that the infamous thief?
"Hey, Maia."
"Adel-sama is the father, and I am the mother... Hehe, hehehe."
"Get a grip, Maia."
"...Huh? Oh, s-sorry!"
As I shook Maia's shoulders nervously, she quickly responded.
It was unusual for Maia to be distracted during work, but now she focused on the person who had appeared in front of Teti.
Although it was hard to tell due to the hood and androgynous features, the person seemed about the same height as Teti. They appeared truly childlike.
"What should we do? Should we catch them right away, Adel-sama?"
"No, let's stick to the plan. There are things I want to confirm."
"Right. Then, I leave it to you, Adel-sama."
In response to Maia, who had regained her composure, I reached out my hand to the child wearing a hood so as not to be noticed.
====================
Subject: Rick Gold
Execution Score: 52 points
====================
"..."
As expected, when I measured the child's Execution Score, a low number was displayed.
"How is it, Adel-sama?"
"Yeah. Just as I expected."
Just like Reisha, who used to steal for the orphans at the orphanage.
Despite what they are doing, their Execution Score is not high.
――There must be a reason for it, a reason that piques my curiosity. I feel like I need to know more about that child's background.
Setting aside the questions that arose in my mind, I continued to display a pale blue string of text in front of me.
==============================
Total Execution Points: 19,533,509 points
Do you want to execute [Magic Beasts Summoning] by consuming 5,000 points of Execution Coefficient?
==============================
Agreed――.
"Magic Beast Summoning, Blood Spider."
As I muttered quietly, a large spider appeared beside me.
It's a magic beast that can spit out a special thread called "Magic Thread" to restrain people.
I'm not too thrilled about using the same method those scumbags used.
While sighing, I gave "a certain command" to the Blood Spider and then turned my gaze back to the child facing Teti.
"..."
"What's wrong? Do you need something from me?"
Teti called out to the child standing in front of her. However, the other person remained silent. The amber eyes floating behind the hood showed no particular change.
Feeling a strange and strong will from those eyes, just as I had that impression, the child thrust their arm forward.
"...What's that?"
Seeing what the child held in their hand, I unintentionally let out a sound.
In their hand was a darkened stone.
"(Magic Crystal), Release――"
"This is..."
Suddenly, the surrounding space was dyed black.
"Adel-sama!"
Maia next to me must have reacted instinctively. I felt the sensation of holding hands and sensed Maia's body warmth.
Thanks to that, I realized that I hadn't lost senses other than sight.
――Is this the child's job skill?
I had various expectations about the job of a thief from the client's story, but I had never heard of a job that used a stone as a medium.
It's clear that the ability that child used was to steal the vision of the people around them.
Probably, they were using this ability to commit theft.
――As expected, it was good to have prepared in advance.
Thinking of breaking this situation first, I ordered the Blood Spider I had on standby to 'reel in the thread.'
"Ah!"
After a short scream, the darkness that covered the surroundings cleared.
The child in front of Teti fell down, and the sight of them dropping the black stone they were holding came into view.
It seemed like the child noticed my presence there, glanced at me, and immediately stood up.
"Darn!"
It must have been unexpected for the child. They picked up the black stone that had fallen on the ground and ran in the opposite direction from us.
Without chasing after them, I slowly walked towards Teti.
"When faced with a mysterious event, do they retreat? It may seem quite wise, but did someone teach them that?"
"Did Adel do it this time?"
As I put my hand to my head, Teti turned around and asked.
"Yeah. I had the Blood Spider lay magic threads around that kid's feet in advance."
"The magic threads of the Blood Spider are made of the same material used in Adel-sama's black clothing. Taking advantage of the effect of concealing presence, Adel-sama had them hidden so they couldn't be seen."
"It's not really about winning or losing though."
Later, Maia also approached, and Teti nodded approvingly a few times.
Then, Teti looked towards the alley where the child had run off, moving the beast ears on her head.
"But, was it okay not to chase after them? That child ran away. Since we couldn't confirm it in an instant, I can't track them by scent either."
"Oh, that's not a problem."
"...?"
"Earlier, just as Maia said. The magic thread of the Blood Spider has a concealment effect. So, I wrapped the thread around the stone that child was holding."
"I see. So if we follow that thread..."
"Yes. That means we can track that child."
"Nice."
Teti clapped her hands this time, convinced.
Judging from that child's Execution Coefficient, it doesn't seem like they are stealing for mere selfish reasons.
I can't see the reason now, but I should understand if we follow them.
"Now, what kind of circumstances are there?"
I mumbled while nibbling on the apple I took out from my pocket.
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