บท 7: A Phantom Thief is a creative and tricky artist.
The Westa Northern Exhibition Hall was a huge place known for hosting events. They would place marvelous paintings, detailed sculptures, and even rare gems. That's why it had a strong anti-magic barrier placed on it 24/7 to avoid having their prized possessions getting stolen by thieves.
In that hall, there was going to be an auction. They will sell some prized paintings and rare artifacts with the White Star being the main event. However, the White Star was Spade Echo's target.
The 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 13th units of the Westa Knight Order were guarding the hall and its surroundings. Security was real tight that even a mouse would have a hard time entering.
It was already time for the auction as various people entered. They all wore expensive-looking clothes.
"Whew. We sure have a crowd tonight", Temma said.
"There are around 200 guests right? And Spade Echo is among them", I replied.
I walked around to kill time. We were dealing with nobles so I couldn't just act rude. If one talked to me, I wouldn't know how to act.
"Excuse me", a voice said.
I turned around and saw a silver-haired woman staring at me. She was wearing a blue dress with her navel exposed.
"I heard that a thief will attempt to steal the White Star. Are you prepared for it?" she asked.
"W-We're doing our best, ma'am. We have guards all over the place and the anti-magic barrier is active", I answered.
"Yes. The anti-magic barrier is indeed active... But what about you?"
"Me?"
Her eyes were scary. It felt like her stares were piercing right through me and were seeing every nook and cranny of my soul.
"Oh. It seems it's time for the auction to start. Thank you for your time", she bowed and walked away.
What the hell was that about?
"Woah. Do you have any idea who you talked to?" Temma asked.
"Nope. Not a clue."
"Her name's Reine Pavolia, the Lady of the Peafowl. Her family's quite influential and she is a very powerful mage. When she was studying at a magic academy, an accident occurred that sent her to another world. She said that the world limited her magic but she still found a way back."
I then saw a small pink-haired girl. She was wearing a pink dress and had a crown on top of her head.
"Is that girl important?" I asked.
"Ah. You must mean Princess Luna. Yes, she's the second princess of the Candy Kingdom. You know, the neighboring country north of Westa. The White Star must have grabbed her attention."
"Everyone, before we begin, we would like to inform you that Spade Echo, a phantom thief, is planning to steal the White Star. Since she could disguise as anyone, we would like you to go to the person you trust the most and have a secret password between the two of you", the broker said.
Everyone paired up and said their passwords to each other.
"My password would be Alexandrite", Temma told me.
"My password is Demon May Cry", I replied.
The auction started. First was a painting of a famous artist. Next was a sculpture of a griffon. Time passed as the auction continued. I saw Amelia walking around and I decided to approach her.
"Hey. Do you have any idea on who Spade Echo is?" I asked her.
"No. But she's definitely in this crowd", she answered.
"How can you tell?"
"My intuition says so. That's why the password shouldn't be trusted. It's meaningless since she already infiltrated and is among us."
It was finally time for the White Star to be sold. Captain Noel was holding the case containing the gem and when she opened it, everyone was captured by its beauty. Even I, who have zero skills in appraising gems, knew it was expensive. It was shaped like a star and it's whiteness was so pure it looked like it was glowing.
Then, the lights went out. Darkness consumed the room as many people were panicking. After a few seconds, the lights returned. The broker, Captain Noel, and Temma were standing near the case of the White Star.
And inside the case was a white piece of paper. Amelia and I went closer to take a look at the note.
The White Star is in my hands. Thank you for your patronage -Spade Echo.
"Everyone! Confirm your passwords with your buddy!" Captain Noel shouted.
"Mikage, my password is Alexandrite", Temma told me.
"And my password is Demon May Cry", I replied.
Everyone else followed suit and talked among themselves.
"Hey, what's that?" a merchant asked when he saw a black box with runes engraved on it.
"It must be a magical device that could go off!" Temma shouted.
The crowd panicked and almost everyone went out of the room despite the knights trying hard to contain them.
"Not good! Spade Echo could be among them! We mustn't let them escape!" Temma said.
"I got it! Mikage, Temma, follow me. I know where Spade Echo is", Amelia said and we followed her as she ran.
We arrived at the basement.
"Ummm... Amelia? Where's Spade Echo?" I asked since there was no one else in the room.
"Oh... She's right here. Isn't that right, Temma Kishido? Or should I say Spade Echo?" she pointed at Temma.
"W-What are you saying? There's no way that I am Spade Echo. Besides, my password with Mikage matches, isn't that right?" he asked.
"That password is meaningless if you already infiltrated before we came up with the passwords."
"But even if that's the case, why would you suspect me? I was the first one who got to the case and protected it even in the dark."
"That's right. In the complete darkness, you went to the case in a short amount of time without bumping into anyone as if you were expecting it all along."
Now that I think about it. It was indeed strange. I couldn't even see my own hands in front of me in that darkness.
"You were probably wearing contacts that dimmed your vision beforehand. When the darkness came, you took it off and since your eyes were already adjusted, you could navigate and easily steal the White Star", Amelia said.
Temma was being unnaturally silent.
"Also, your reaction to that black box was unnatural. You suddenly shouted that it could explode without even getting nearer to inspect it. You just want people to panic and then use that confusion to slip out", Amelia grinned.
Our Communicators beeped, "This Hatori. S-Spade Echo is in the plaza!"
What?
Even Amelia looked a bit confused. She took my Communicator and spoke to it.
"Are you sure?" she asked.
"Yes. She's right in front of me a-and...hey!" the man's voice was cut off.
"Hello hello, Westa Knight Order. Such a shame that you couldn't stop me. And is the detective there? You didn't even come close to catching me unlike last time. Maybe you were just lucky and it wasn't your skill", Spade Echo's voice taunted.
"What?!" Amelia fumed.
"Are you sure you should be yapping to me right now? I could be escaping from the plaza at any minute."
"Mikage! Amelia! We have to go!" Temma said and began to run.
We followed him and then we rendezvous with other knights. When we arrived at the plaza, Captain Noel was already there.
"Where is that damn thief?!" Amelia shouted.
"She's not here.... Instead, we have this", Captain Noel pointed at a sleeping man.
It was none other than our vice captain, Temma Kishido. He was snoring soundly and a Communicator and a recorder was near his body. Amelia picked it up and played it.
"This Hatori. S-Spade Echo is in the plaza!" a man's voice said.
After a few seconds of silence, the man's voice returned, "Yes. She's right in front of me a-and...hey!"
"Hello hello, Westa Knight Order. Such a shame that you couldn't stop me. And is the detective there? You didn't even come close to catching me unlike last time. Maybe you were just lucky and it wasn't your skill", Spade Echo's voice said.
After another few seconds of silence, her voice returned, "Are you sure you should be yapping to me right now? I could be escaping from the plaza at any minute."
"Hey Amelia, there's something on your back", I pointed out when I saw a small paper on her back.
She took it off and began reading. Captain Noel, the other knights, and I were curious so we got close and took a look at it.
[So close! You should have trusted your deduction instead of a prerecorded message! -Spade Echo]
And so the White Star was stolen with the Westa Knight Order and Amelia suffering a humiliating defeat.
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