Chapter 212

Kana waited in one of the academy’s buildings they rarely visited. Sunlight slanted through tall windows, catching dust motes midair like frozen sparks. It felt like the calm before a storm.

Boris leaned against a stone pillar, utterly relaxed, while Thorne scampered at his feet. Suri stood beside Kana, arms folded, eyes half-lidded in her usual state of quiet vigilance.

Then the atmosphere changed.

“Kana!”

Chelle Pint’s voice arrived before she did, bright and eager, cutting through the stillness like a blade through silk. She nearly skipped over, eyes glittering with anticipation.

“It looks like you’re up to something exciting again,” Chelle said, lowering her voice with theatrical intent. “Let’s talk over there.”

Kana didn’t miss the way Chelle’s fingers twitched, or how her posture leaned forward, hungry. Chelle Pint missed that kind of thrill. The kind that never made it into reports or dinner conversations. Not the northern expedition, not the annual tournament. Those were loud victories. What she craved were the quiet ones.

The kind that only a handful of people ever knew had happened. Like the ambush with the shadow man.

They moved to a bench beneath a broad tree outside. The branches overhead filtered the afternoon light into broken patterns, shadows shifting with the wind. Boris immediately began throwing small stones, and Thorne darted after them with startling enthusiasm.

Suri tilted her head. “You know it’s a lizard, right? Not a dog.”

Thorne returned anyway, tail wagging, stone proudly delivered. Boris laughed arrogantly while looking at Suri.

Kana watched the scene for a heartbeat before turning back to Chelle. Her voice dropped, shedding its casual tone.

“I have a proposal,” Kana said. Then, after a pause, “And we need your help.”

Chelle’s eyes widened, breath hitching just a little. That was all the invitation she needed.

“I knew it,” Chelle said, practically vibrating. “Who are we killing this time?”

Kana stiffened, then cleared her throat. “For the record, I am not that kind of person.” She met Chelle’s gaze evenly. “We’re capturing someone. Alive.”

Chelle didn’t hesitate. Not even a fraction of a second.

“I’m in.”

Suri blinked. Boris stopped mid-throw. Thorne chirped.

Kana exhaled slowly. “Good. Then where will you be on the first night of the weekend?”

Chelle frowned, enthusiasm faltering just a bit. “That night… I won’t be home. My parents are attending an auction. They’re taking me with them.” She hesitated.

Kana and Suri clapped in perfect unison.

Chelle was startled. “W–wait. Why are you happy?”

Kana smiled. “Very good,” Kana said. “That’s exactly where we’ll meet you.”

Chelle’s grin spread.She had thought she was not going to be part of something thrilling again but looked like she would have an opportunity to feel that same excitement again.

Kana continued, “If we succeed, you’ll receive ten gold.”

Chelle let out a low whistle. “You must be swimming in coin now.” She waved her hand dismissively. “But you can keep it. I don’t need money.”

Suri muttered, “Must be nice to have rich parents.”

Chelle immediately hugged her, flustered. “No, no! I didn’t mean it like that. I just… I want in. That’s all. You don’t need to pay me.”

For now, Chelle Pint would be a temporary member. If she had no signs of being a spy of the empire then she would plan to hire her in the future. What could she offer though for someone who did not show any interest in coin?

Kana nodded once. “Then we’ll see you at the auction. Suri will contact you there.”

….

Late winter pressed its cold palms against the academy windows, turning the glass into dull mirrors of frost. The lamps in Kana’s room burned low but steady, their light pooling across her desk like liquid gold. Books lay stacked in uneven towers around her, spines cracked, pages dog-eared. Every title whispered the same promise and the same frustration.

[Thief] Skill Compendium.

Advanced Mobility Skills.

Spatial Shortcuts and Conditional Movement Skills.

Kana leaned forward, elbows on the desk, eyes skimming dense lines of text while her fingers absently traced the margins. [Teleportation], [Blink], [Phase walk], [Shadow Step]. Every skill came with rules, costs, and cruel limitations. Sight-based conditions. Anchors. Mana thresholds. Preparation time disguised as instant movement.

Nothing was ever truly free.

Behind her, Suri occupied the bed in the most unbothered way possible, rolling from side to side like a cat that had declared the world someone else’s problem. The blankets twisted around her legs as she stared at the ceiling, occasionally kicking the mattress in idle thought.

“Are you going to sleep at all?” Suri asked, voice lazy, stretched thin by boredom.

Kana didn’t answer. Her brow furrowed instead. She was not satisfied. I’m missing something here.

She closed one book and opened another, the pages whispering as they turned. Her eyes slowed. Stealing. Movement. Escape. Why did everyone assume the [Thief] class owned those concepts? Few [Assassins] probably had the same similar skill.

“Are [Thief] really the only ones capable of stealing things at the highest stakes?” Kana murmured.

Suri hummed. 

Kana ignored her, thoughts tightening. Classes were frameworks, not cages. [Knight] leading charge. [Mage] destroyed. [Priest] healed. Yet history was full of exceptions. Skills crossed boundaries. Concepts bled into one another. Like Suri.

So why was the Phantom Thief needed to be a [Thief] class? Kana went back to square one. She must study the other classes as well.

Before she could chase the thought further, the air near the window rippled.

A bird slipped through the glass like a thought made visible, its form wavering, feathers stitched from shadow and faint light. Suri’s illusion perched on the windowsill, head tilting once before dissolving into a soft echo of her voice.

“I got a response from the Duke,” Suri said, now sitting up. Her tone sharpened just slightly. “He won’t attend the auction himself. But Leo will go. He’ll check the skill book and buy it if it’s useful for a [Knight].”

Kana exhaled through her nose and leaned back, chair creaking under her weight. She stared at the ceiling, where shadows of turning pages danced like restless spirits.

“That’s a long shot,” she said calmly. “If it’s truly [Knight] skills, the Kergastel house probably used it already. They are not going to sell it unless.. They have their own secret condition to get the [Knight] class and all of them have equipped the similar skill.”

Kana heard the empire nobility had almost the same classes in each house which was the same as Kergastel House. That’s why they were her primary suspect as the spies of the empire. Should I be very careful around Andel?

Suri nodded, fingers idly braiding a strand of her hair. “Still, the Duke’s obsessed with making Leo stronger. He won’t miss this chance.”

Kana’s gaze drifted back to the books, to the words that refused to give her certainty. “At least one thing’s settled,” she said. “Our entry to the largest auction house is secured.”

Suri smiled faintly. “That alone is worth the effort.”

Outside, the winter wind howled, rattling the shutters like impatient knuckles. Kana reached for another book she borrowed earlier from the academy’s library, eyes alight with quiet determination.

…….

When morning came, it did not arrive quietly.

The trio stepped into the building full of senior students, and before Kana could even register the familiar smell of polished stone and mana-treated wood, a thunderous roar ripped through the hallway.

It wasn’t hostile.

It was joyful.

Shai burst from the far end of the corridor like a living avalanche of fur and muscle. The massive feline skidded slightly on the stone floor, claws scraping as she corrected her path, eyes locked onto Kana with unmistakable recognition.

“Shai—! Control yourself!”

Too late.

The impact was inevitable.

Shai collided with her in a crushing embrace, all warmth and power and unrestrained affection. Kana let out a short, resigned breath as the two of them went down together, her back meeting the floor while Shai purred loudly, tail lashing in happy arcs.

“…I missed you too,” Kana muttered, one arm awkwardly wrapping around the beast’s thick neck.

The hallway echoed with soft laughter and startled murmurs from nearby students who wisely kept their distance.

Before Kana could fully recover, a head peeked out from one of the classrooms.

Mica. Her eyes widened the moment she spotted Shai sprawled over Kana, and she bolted coming from the classroom without hesitation.

“Oh, that explains it,” Mica said as she approached, slightly out of breath. “Shai suddenly ran out of the classroom like something caught fire. She probably smelled you coming.”

Kana nodded, brushing fur from her face as Shai finally shifted just enough to let her breathe properly.

Mica looked… different.

During the annual tournament, she had carried herself like a seasoned warrior—focused, sharp, intimidating in her own quiet way. Now, she seemed smaller somehow, shoulders slightly hunched, eyes darting around as if every sound might startle her.

She looked like someone who hadn’t slept well.

Shai finally disengaged from Kana and began prowling in a slow circle, nose twitching. Her attention snapped to something new.

The lizard. Thorne.

Shai lowered her head, sniffing curiously at the small reptile perched near Boris. Her tail swayed, slow.

Boris froze. Did not seem to breathe nor blink.

Kana noticed the tension immediately. “Easy,” she said calmly, placing a hand on Shai’s side. “She’s not food.”

Shai tilted her head, ears twitching, then sniffed Thorne once more before losing interest entirely. The great beast turned away with a faint huff, as if disappointed.

Boris exhaled like a man returning from the edge of death.

Kana glanced at Mica, her expression thoughtful. Shai’s senses were extraordinary—far beyond human limits. Smell, sound, instinct. On top of that, she was a magical beast, though she heard Shai was carefully breed.

Which made Mica invaluable. “You have plans this weekend?” Kana asked casually.

Mica blinked, then nodded. “Yes. We’re going back to our hometown.” Her voice softened. “My grandfather is very ill. He called for all of us to return.”

Kana sighed, already knowing the answer before she’d asked. “I was planning to hire you for something,” she admitted. “Looks like it won’t work out.”

Mica tilted her head. “Hire me?”

Kana gave a small shrug, eyes drifting briefly to Shai. “I was thinking of using Shai’s tracking ability. As a backup. If something went wrong.”

Mica’s expression turned apologetic. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Kana said, meaning it. Plans shifted. That was nothing new.

Still, as she watched Shai lazily stretch across the hallway floor, Kana couldn’t help but feel the absence already.

If the Phantom Thief slipped past them…

Having a predator beast like Shai would have made all the difference.

……

After classes, the trio along with Yuri and Rin made their way to the apothecary near the adventurers’ guild, the air thick with the layered smells of dried herbs, crushed roots, and faint alchemical bitterness that clung to the back of the throat. Glass bottles lined the shelves like captured rainbows, each one labeled in careful script. Kana leaned over the counter, listening as the apothecary explained the effects in a low, practiced voice.

“Strong scent potion,” Kana repeated, turning the vial in her fingers. The liquid inside shimmered faintly, oily and unnatural. “Long-lasting?”

“Indeed,” the apothecary lady said with a thin smile. “It will cling. Clothes, skin, mana residue. Hard to wash off for a few days.”

Kana nodded once and paid without hesitation. She wasn’t confident in traditional tracking. Footprints vanished. Trails lied. But a scent that screamed its presence into the world? That, she could follow. As long as it existed, her [High Awareness] would not let it go. Originally it would be for Shai but she should be able to pull it off though not as much as effective as the beast.

From there they went straight to the shops full of different clothings and shopping became unavoidable.

Suri drifted from stall to stall like a butterfly with intent, fingers brushing fabrics, eyes sharp despite her relaxed smile. Boris followed a step behind, arms crossed, the picture of suffering made flesh.

“Do we really need this?” he muttered for the third time on that street alone.

“Yes,” Suri replied without even turning. “Very much.”

Of course, Rin and Yuri tagged along, more for the spectacle than the purpose, whispering to each other and occasionally laughing when Boris groaned particularly loud. They browsed trinkets, admired enchanted accessories, and wisely kept their coins where they were.

“I’m not sprinting across rooftops,” Suri declared. “I’ll be standing. Looking important beside Leo as a noble. Well. Not really noble, but at least I must look like it.”

Kana opened her mouth to protest, then closed it again. She exhaled slowly through her nose.

…Everything would be billed to the King.

“Fine,” Kana said at last.

That was all the permission Suri needed.

She chose a gown with decisive confidence. Deep royal purple, the fabric catching the light like dark wine. It contrasted sharply with her pale skin, drawing the eye without shouting for attention. Subtle enchantments were woven into the seams, barely visible unless one knew where to look. 

Rin whistled softly. Yuri nodded in approval.

Boris looked away. “That’s expensive,” he said, as if the dress might overhear him.

Kana and Boris, by contrast, prepared for anonymity. Full armor beneath hooded cloaks, metal dulled, edges practical rather than ceremonial. No crests. No identifiers. Just weight and presence. They would stand behind Leo and Suri like shadows given form. As noble bodyguards. 

As they left the street behind, Kana ran through the image in her mind. The auction hall. The crowd. The Phantom Thief hiding among faces and false confidence.

I will definitely catch the Phantom Thief.

Still doubts formed in the corner of her mind. Could she really catch someone that no one ever catches?

Post note:
Recruitment phase finally done! (Tried to make it as entertaining as possible)
Hope you enjoy the chap! 🙂