A guttural roar echoed behind Astar, calling out his name. With his right hand clutching his twinkling bounty, Astar grabbed a rope from the end of the building and effortlessly scaled the wall. The Viscount’s face from earlier kept replaying in his mind, causing him to snicker. Of course, now was not the time for that. He had to focus on the task at hand.
“It’s Astar! Astar has appeared!”
Hearing the Viscount’s screams, plainclothes officers began firing flares at the shadowy wall. Astar put his thumb and forefinger in his mouth and blew heavily as the flares’ round lights slowly rose.
Piiii-!
As soon as the sound of the whistle pierced the air, he threw the watch he was holding high into the sky, grabbed a rope, and plunged to the bottom of the building. The police shone their lights in the direction of the whistle, but no one was there.
Gripping the rope tightly, Astar moved swiftly along the wall, taking in the scene inside the building through the windows he passed. He noticed women scrambling to secure their valuables at the news of Astar’s approach, while others were fastening their windows and pulling their curtains closed.
Not everyone was fleeing or hiding timidly, though. A slight nuisance were the windows that burst open as he made his way along the wall. Most of these were young nobles, eager to catch a glimpse of the infamous Astar, poking their heads out. These youngsters posed little trouble for the skilled thief.
As he surveyed the windows, the study of the Count, the manor’s owner, drew his attention. Astar secured the rope around his waist and leaned in for a closer look. The Count, the banquet’s host, stumbled from his study to address the disturbance.
Four guards were stationed at this room—two outside and two inside. Despite the chaos, they stood still, unyielding.
The Count, having been informed of Astar’s presence by a servant, didn’t dare to step outside. Instead, he hurried back into the room, gnawing at the nails on his quivering right hand. He paced back and forth, clearly agitated, casting frequent glances at the bookshelf—a peculiar behavior.
Bingo. Exactly what I was looking for.
Astar gave a knowing smile. In total, there were five individuals present, including the guards and the Count. Paranoia had gripped the Count so tightly that he wouldn’t disclose the Ashtarte’s location to anyone, not even the authorities. His irony lay in the fact that he hadn’t canceled the banquet, perhaps because it would wound his pride.
Over a month prior, Astar had donned various disguises, even that of a police officer, finding them easy targets due to their predictable behavior. He now nudged the window open just enough to make a gap.
It’s time to craft another tale for the ages.
“Your Excellency, Astar has arrived! Have you been informed?” called out the Count’s worried voice through the gap.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Your Excellency? Astar pondered who the Count could be addressing so formally. Given the Count’s status, few would receive such respect without a title. The Count, a stickler for tradition, had even petitioned the emperor for a nobles-only pathway, disdaining the presence of the untitled on his streets. It was surprising to see him extend courtesy to someone apparently without a title.
Ca atja wbwfca, j njuef oluegf vfajmtfv ogbw atf kjii jcv jqqgbjmtfv, tjialcu pera bearlvf atf klcvbk’r nlfk. Crajg gfagjmafv tlr tjcv vlrmgffais. Mgbw yftlcv, atf oluegf’r jaalgf reuufrafv gfolcfwfca, tlr rifcvfg olcufgr uilvlcu bnfg atf vfrx’r regojmf.
“……”
Is this the nobleman the Count is referring to? Astar had never encountered him during his time spent infiltrating the manor for intelligence. It was unexpected for the Count to permit such an individual into the study where the Ashtarte was believed to be kept.
Ktf vfrx, qijmfv lc ogbca bo atf klcvbk Crajg kjr byrfgnlcu ogbw, ujnf tlw jc ecbyragemafv nlfk bo atf ragjcufg’r wbnfwfcar. Lf kjrc’a mjgfrrlcu atf vfrx; lcrafjv, tf kjr ufcais agjmlcu tlr olcufgr bnfg j cbalmf ja lar mfcafg—atf nfgs cbalmf Crajg tjv qfccfv vjsr fjgilfg.
The man merely gazed at the notice, disregarding the Count’s spoken words.
You’ve got some nerve, you know, ignoring the Count so blatantly.
Considering the Count’s history of striking a servant and branding him a scoundrel for missing a summons, his tolerance for the man’s silence was out of character.
“Found him! Astar is here!”
For Astar, someone merely opening a window and peering out was seldom an issue. However, it becomes a significant problem when that someone is a police officer. And now, a policeman had caught sight of him.
The cry of the cop travelled through the window into the study. The man, who had been tracing his fingers over Astar’s notice, whirled around and immediately caught sight of Astar, who was peeking into the room with just the top of his forehead showing.
The man’s eyes sparkled as he made eye contact with Astar. With black eyes, black hair, and clad in a sleek black suit, the man’s character seemed discernible to Astar solely based on his looks.
Astar flashed a grin at him, but he couldn’t savor the moment any longer. He waved quickly at the man, offering a playful gesture, then shifted his focus to the yelling policeman.
The officer was pointing directly at Astar. Suddenly, the policeman vanished from the window, replaced by Shan, Astar’s designated detective, who had forcefully pushed the cop aside while bellowing,
“Move it! Get to the rooftop and seize that rope now!”
Shan targeted Astar with his net gun as he ascended the wall. A net shot out, unfurling broadly, but Astar nimbly dodged it with a strong push from the wall and a roll in mid-air.
After descending the rope to the lower floor, Astar swung into action, entering feet-first through the closest open window.
“Third floor! All troops on the third floor, prepare to capture Astar!”
Shan’s roar was nearly deafening, perhaps even rivalling a train’s horn. Once inside the building, Astar rubbed his ear with his pinky, tossed the rope outside, and quickly scanned the room.
Realizing he’d made it in just in time before anyone else entered, Astar slipped behind the curtains, the clamor of footsteps outside rapidly approaching. As soon as he hid, the door burst open, and the police poured in.
“Pick up the pace! Hurry and search this room on the double!” Someone barked.
Jolted into action, the officers entered the room and spread out, conducting a thorough sweep of the room, looking under the bed and flinging open the closet to check inside. Astar watched them through a small hole he made in the curtains.
The clumsy cops didn’t even bother to check behind the door.
Agh, I should have hidden there instead.
Stuck behind the curtain, Astar felt a twinge of regret.
A policeman approached the open window and reached for the curtains fluttering in the night breeze – the very same curtains Astar was hiding behind holding his breath.
“Ack…”
The police officer who lifted the curtain was pulled into it. The detective in charge noticed something was off and moved to check on him.
“Hey, did you find something?”
The officer peeked out from behind the curtain, declaring, “No, sir! There’s nothing here!”
After delivering his report, he retreated. Moments later, he reappeared; the police still had nothing on Astar. The detective exhaled deeply, his expression one of disappointment.
“If it’s empty, close and lock the window. Chief Shan will have your head if it’s left open.”
“Understood, sir!”
At that moment, Shan entered the room, breathless.
“Did you catch Astar?”
The detective who had commanded the search spread his hands wide and shook his head. Shan, upon hearing this, seized him by the neck and roared, “If he’s not here, then secure the door quickly. Stop dawdling!”
Shan’s tone was always sharp and authoritative. Astar, incognito as a cop, obeyed Shan’s command and locked the door with urgency. Once finished, he looked back and saw Shan eagerly molesting his fellow detective.
“…….”
Astar looked at him with scorn. It wasn’t just him; the other police officers also started regarding Shan with similar contempt. In the tense atmosphere, Shan, who was groping the detective from head to toe, explained the reason for his actions.
“Boys, it’s not what you think! Astar entered here, but since no one saw him leave, it’s more likely he’s disguised himself rather than escaped.”
Not bad. But if you think I’ll be caught that easily, you’re out of luck.
“Everyone, line up! I’m conducting an inspection!”
Upon hearing Shan’s command, the six officers complied and lined up to be searched, along with their police notebooks. With two detectives assisting, the inspection was over in a flash.
Astar had already memorized the watch he’d pilfered before tossing it to his accomplice above. Committing to memory the identity and mannerisms of the officer he was impersonating was par for the course. Hence, breezing through Shan’s inspection was effortless. After scrutinizing each officer, Shan exhaled in frustration.
“Hah. He certainly lives up to his reputation of being quicker than a mouse.”
Indeed, that is a compliment.
Thanks for the chapter! <3
Love the setting and prose! What a fun main character