“We have confirmed Astar’s presence in the mansion; hence, the mansion will be sealed until he reveals himself. If you spot anyone suspicious, use a net gun to detain them immediately, no questions asked. I’ll assume responsibility, so no fooling around! I’ll cover the right side of the building; you follow me, and the rest take the left. Understand? Then don’t just stand there; move out!”
“Yessir!”
After Shan’s command, the officers hurried outside. Astar, disguised as the policeman searching the curtains, merged with the exiting group. The unfortunate officer who searched Astar’s hiding spot was knocked unconscious, slumped on the window ledge behind the curtains.
The incident went unnoticed.
Shan, unaware of the deception, locked the door, thinking the room was secure, thus narrowing down Astar’s hiding spots. Astar surveyed the area and dashed towards the study where his target was sleeping.
Astar’s arrival caused chaos in the mansion. The nobles, oblivious to Astar’s prior notice, scrambled to safeguard their valuable jewels, while undercover officers hastened to execute Shan’s directives.
Beginning at the mansion’s main gate, which was securely locked, all doors were shut. At every entrance, pairs of police officers kept vigilant watch over the crowd, alert for any sign of Astar in disguise. Amidst the chaos, the scene was ripe for action.
Upon reaching the study, Astar produced a police notebook from his pocket and presented it to the guards flanking the door.
“Good evening. Astar has infiltrated the building. Following the detective’s orders, may I enlist your help to ensure all the windows inside are secured?”
After scrutinizing the notebook presented to them, the guards shared a look. Satisfied, they rapped on the door. The Count, visibly trembling, cracked open the door to greet the visitor. The guard relayed Astar’s request word for word.
“Of course, come in! The window’s been shut and the latch glued. Verify it’s secure, then off with you!”
Oblivious to the true identity of the officer before him, the Count swung the door open. Astar, with a cursory salute, stepped into the study. He surreptitiously surveyed the room’s occupants through his peripheral vision.
The study was plain, featuring only a bookcase, a desk, and guest furniture. He examined Astar’s notice but found no trace of the earlier man.
Astar inspected the latch at the corner of the large window. The Count’s claim about it being glued was accurate; it was securely in place and immovable.
While feigning an examination of the clasp, Astar produced a dissolving solution and applied it to the glue, forming an unnoticeable white puddle. Concealing the now corroded and fizzing clasp with his body, he discreetly dropped a loosely tied sachet behind the curtain before addressing the Count.
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.
“Is this the sole window in the room? Please detail all access points to this area, even if it’s just a tiny mouse hole,” Astar inquired.
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“Don’t fret; we’ll do everything we can. Moreover, Astar has never harmed anyone, so there’s no need for undue worry,” Astar comforted.
Whether the Count heeded Astar’s words was uncertain. The Count simply swayed like an aspen in the wind, denying possession of an Ashtarte, despite records of a clandestine purchase.
The Ashtarte in the Count’s possession was acquired through secret dealings with the Chancellor. Perhaps he speculated that if all Ashtartes were to be destroyed, owning the last would grant him the prestigious title of Dawn, reserved for the finest Ashtarte.
His ambition was unlikely, yet the Count held a firm belief in its feasibility. Possessing no Ashtartes meant zero chance, but with one, perhaps a 0.01% chance? After all, there is a distinction between 0% and 0.01%.
The transaction was concealed, so Astar’s notice left everyone baffled except the Count. Counts in the empire were forbidden from owning an Ashtarte; had Astar developed a new preference? Nonetheless, the notice explicitly stated his intent to claim an Ashtarte.
Others reassured him it was a mistake, but the Count was uneasy. How had Astar discovered his secret? Any misstep leading to the Ashtarte’s theft would doom the Count, the Chancellor, and their accomplices under the emperor’s scrutiny.
The authorities believed Astar had never harmed a soul, but they were unaware of the full story. Exposure would lead to execution by the emperor, a fate tantamount to a human casualty. Unable to express these fears, the Count merely nodded stiffly in response to the officer, tension seizing his neck.
Before withdrawing, Astar saluted the Count and offered a warning.
“If you feel uneasy, only allow trusted individuals into your room and secure the door. Do not open it for any visitors. He excels at impersonating acquaintances and blurring personal boundaries. Since there’s no Ashtarte in the manor, he will likely leave empty-handed.”
“Ah, I understand. I’ll remember that. Thank you. Once you leave, I’ll lock this door so securely that not even an ant could enter.”
Bearing this in mind, the Count instructed the guard at the door.
“Did you hear that? I will be locking myself in here until sunrise. If anyone familiar requests entry, deny them. They could be deceiving you.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Understood!”
The responses were swift and assured. The guards were so well-trained it appeared they wouldn’t admit the emperor himself if he commanded them to open the door.
Very good, very good.
Astar saluted the Count once more before stepping back and approaching the door adjacent to the study, poised to knock with the back of his hand.
“Oh, that’s the parlor. It’s empty, so feel free to enter.”
A guard noticed him and offered this information kindly. Astar acknowledged with a swift salute, then proceeded to open the parlor door, stepping in and securing it behind him by locking it to ensure privacy.
The parlor was unremarkable. Confirming solitude, Astar moved to the window, opened it, and hesitated. The memory of the man clad in black, whom he had glimpsed earlier peering into the study, lingered as a faint image. It seemed the man had vacated the study upon Astar’s arrival, as he was absent when Astar had just been there.
“The fewer, the better,” Astar murmured to himself.
He retrieved a pocket watch from within his garment and noted the time. Two minutes had elapsed since his entry into the parlor.
Now’s the perfect time to act.
Astar pushed open the parlor window and gauged the distance to the adjacent room. The decorative ledge jutting out from the wall was no wider than his hand, yet for Astar, it might as well have been a highway.
He donned a gas mask, securing it firmly over his face, and cautiously stepped onto the ledge, advancing with deliberate steps. Circular beams of light danced across the mansion’s walls.
Adopting a crabwalk stance, Astar pressed his back against the wall, blending into the shadows. He paused at the study window, craning his neck to look inside. The two guards at the door and the Count lay unconscious on the floor, their snores filling the room.
If nothing else works, a good sleeping incense does the trick.
Astar gently nudged the window, which opened smoothly as the latch was corroded. It slid open silently, as if it were well-maintained and regularly oiled. Astar cast a glance at the sachet still releasing sleeping incense from behind the curtain before moving to the bookcase.
“Let’s see. The Count seemed interested in this area.”
Without hesitation, Astar ran his hand along the spines of the books, then paused. He detected a cover that felt subtly cooler than the others, a slight chill reaching through his glove.
There must be some sort of mechanism.
He tugged at the book in question. Instead of coming loose, it stopped midway with a metallic clank. A portion of the bookcase swung open, revealing a safe.
Did he spend his entire fortune on this Ashtarte?
The mechanism was elaborate, yet the safe was decidedly old-fashioned. Confident in his lock-picking skills, Astar placed his ear against the door and delicately turned the dial.
Click click… Snap… Click click… clank-
The safe yielded to Astar’s touch. Inside the now-open vault lay a golden goblet, ornately decorated. Each fine line depicting a descending angel was adorned with precisely cut, colorful gems, and at the center of the goblet sat a large, lustrous pearl.
Astar raised the goblet, scrutinizing it closely, then his brow creased in disappointment.
“Not another counterfeit. It seems every time I plunder the homes of those boasting an Ashtarte, I’m met with a sham.”
He remembered the Count’s quivering form, likely unaware of the deceit. Astar, stroking his chin veiled by the gas mask, resolved to seize all the jewels, counterfeit or not, confident in the authenticity of the stones.
Extracting a stiff card from his chest, he placed it in the vault as a substitute for the goblet, took up a pen, and began to write.
“Seized your… fake… Ashtarte. Ensure its… authenticity… next time…”
“So, it was a forgery after all.”
“Please… What?”
Mid-sentence, Astar halted, disoriented by the strange voice. The air was still heavy with the fragrance of the soporific incense. The man in black, whom the Count addressed as “Excellency,” had been observing Astar’s note-writing, seemingly unaffected by the narcotic fumes.
LMAOOO not the ML just lying in wait for him the whole time
I guess you could say he met his match. In more ways than one 😉