I Became A Thief Who Steals Overpowered Skills

[ How shameless. ]

The naive-faced Kraush was judged briefly by Crimson Garden. He felt sorry, though he, too, struggled to adjust to pretending that someone he used to joke around with was now a complete stranger. It was suffocating.

However, he had no choice.

She didn’t recognize him at all. Kraush knew well that the memories in his head no longer existed in reality. So, despite feeling odd about it, sometimes he was actually relieved. At least, considering his current relationship with Lirina, he preferred it this way.

‘Her face is the same as it was back then.’

It was fine when he saw her at the store, but now that she was right in front of him, he felt strangely unsettled. He couldn’t help it; they had been entangled in many ways.

Lirina, having received a question, closed and then opened her eyes again. She then realized belatedly that she had appeared out of the blue. Her usually half-shut eyes now showed a glimpse of embarrassment.

“Ah, I’m sorry. My name is Lirina, and I’m in charge of the maid duties for the Igrit family. I’ve been feeding Kami recently.”

Upon hearing the name Kami, Kraush looked back at Crimson Garden. His look suggested, ‘Kami, huh? That suits her well,’ nearly causing Crimson Garden to squint her eyes at him.

“So that’s what it was. I wondered where Crimson always disappeared to. I didn’t realize she was being fed elsewhere. I thought I was taking good care of her. Was it not enough?”

“Please don’t scold me. I fed her on my own volition.”

“She’s a clever bird. If she overate, she would’ve restrained herself, so it’s fine. Instead, I’m grateful to you for taking care of her.”

Rumble—

Just then, a rumbling sound came from Kraush’s stomach. Lirina covered her mouth slightly, trying to hide an inadvertent laugh.

Seeing Kraush’s embarrassed reaction, Lirina showed him the basket.

“I haven’t touched the dessert at all. Would you like some? It’s going to waste anyway.”

Today, Aslan hadn’t touched the desserts at all, so they were still in the basket untouched. Kraush gave a wry smile upon seeing Lirina’s offer.

“It might be rude for me to feed off you after Crimson.”

“It’s disrespectful to nature to waste food. On the contrary, it’s a good deed. To Kami, ah, I mean, to Crimson, and to Crimson’s owner too.”

As always, she spoke eloquently. Yet, Kraush smiled apologetically.

“May I ask for a favor, then?”

If those who knew Kraush had seen him now, they would have been astonished.

[ Good grief, you’ve really got a nerve. Seeing you purposely skipping meals since morning, I thought maybe you were planning to starve to death before taking my immortality. Were you actually looking to charm a lady? ]

And sure enough, Crimson Garden’s taunts jabbed at him mentally.

She already knew everything, yet why was she so anxious as if she couldn’t bear not to eat him alive? Pondering over it, Kraush soon realized. It must be because he had been using the crow as a messenger in the last few days. But what could he do? In order for Kraush to grow stronger, even Crimson Garden had to assist—that was the reality.

“I’ll sit next to you, if that’s alright.”

And shamelessness was Lirina’s trademark, not Kraush’s. Even at their first meeting, Lirina had sat down beside him without much concern. She had felt refreshed after her encounters with Crimson Garden in the past few days. Therefore, she naturally had a favorable impression of Kraush, Crimson’s owner. After all, it is said there are no bad people among those cherished by animals.

Lirina opened the basket and took out the leftover cheesecake and tea for dessert.

“This is from Alina’s store.”

Recognizing the food, Kraush commented as if he knew the place.

“You’re familiar with this store?”

“Yes, it’s a store I often visit.”

Even though it was a modest place, Kraush added that the food tasted good, and Lirina nodded in agreement.

“That’s why students from the magic academy frequent it. It’s great because they operate late.”

A hint of bitterness crossed Lirina’s expression, reminiscent of someone from her past. She then composed herself and passed the cake on a plate to Kraush.

“If it’s a taste you know, I’m glad you’ll enjoy it. Here you go.”

“Thank you. I won’t refuse and will help myself.”

Kraush took a fork from Lirina and cut into the cheesecake.

Observing him, Lirina fell into thought.

He looked to be in his mid-teens. Knowing about Alina’s shop, which was only known to certain people, was he perhaps a student at the magic academy? He ate with a certain grace. With that alone, Lirina could tell he must be from a well-to-do household. It was impossible for her, who worked as a maid in a noble house, not to notice such a thing.

“Come to think of it, I forgot to introduce myself.”

Meanwhile, having taken a bite of the cheesecake, Kraush belatedly spoke up. Indeed, Lirina had introduced herself, but he hadn’t.

“My name is Kraush Balheim, and I’m affiliated with the Blue Sea Knights.”

But at those words, Lirina froze. Balheim was a household name that even she, living far away in the magic city of Halgram, was familiar with.

It was the start of an unusual first encounter with the boy.

* * *

After that, Lirina added a visit to the park to meet Kraush to her routine. It wasn’t that she had to go, but for some reason, she found herself heading to the park again and again.

‘Why do I always go to the park?’

Today, as Lirina was walking to the park, she seriously pondered this question.

First, feeding the crow named Kami had become a part of her routine. The crow called Crimson was intelligent and charming enough for her to feel affectionate, which made her feet wander there unwittingly.

Second, she thought, ‘Why leave the leftovers be anyway?’ Despite the fact that Kraush surely mentioned being a Balheim, he ate well whenever she brought food. She wondered if the Balheim household was less affluent than she thought, but according to what Kraush said, he was often hungry due to the strenuous training with the Blue Sea Knights.

However, he seemed reluctant to talk about Balheim. Hence, Lirina had discreetly inquired about Kraush among the chattering maids, as the story of Balheim was quite famous even in Halgram.

As a result, Lirina discovered one fact: the youngest of Balheim was dubbed a halfwit. Lacking any talent for war, he was shunned by his family. Hearing this news, Lirina realized several things about Kraush’s behavior. Despite being from Balheim, he was exiled to Halgram. His constant hunger was likely because Balheim had cut off his support. It made sense why he was always hesitant when talking about Balheim.

Halgram was quite a distance from Starlon. Halgram was an independent city, not within the fence of Starlon. Therefore, the recent changes in Kraush’s life were not yet information accessible to mere maids. Consequently, Lirina, due to the absence of information, fell into a misunderstanding.

She felt pity for him. He was still a boy, not yet an adult. Being cast out by his family would have surely wounded him deeply. Perhaps it was because of Aslan, but she had a soft spot for hurt boys.

In fact, her actions might be considered an escape. Unable to heal Aslan, she was finding consolation in helping Kraush, who faced a somewhat similar situation.

‘How pathetic of me.’

Yet seeing Kraush eating well made her feel proud. Despite traveling a long distance every evening to buy the food, Aslan only took a few bites. So she was somewhat grateful to Kraush who at least ate what Aslan had not touched.

“I’ve finished eating.”

“It’s nice to see you eat well. You seem like you’ll grow up tall later, Mr. Kraush.”

Recently, Lirina only packed the food untouched by Aslan, allowing herself a unique smile.

Kraush, observing her, fiddled with his hair, seemingly having something to say. Noticing this, Lirina tilted her head.

“Do you have something to tell me?”

“Well, I feel awkward saying this as someone who keeps getting meals, but it seems there might be a situation regarding the food you bring, Ms. Lirina.”

Indeed, anyone could feel that the situation was peculiar. The meals Kraush ate were always from the same restaurant. Leftovers, to be exact. Lirina worked for the Igrit household. It was clear that bringing leftovers from the same restaurant every time was not normal.

Noticing this, Kraush glanced at her, and Lirina rolled her eyes. Honestly, this wasn’t something to discuss with others. But she felt stifled too. It wasn’t easy being beside someone who continually attempted suicide.

‘Talking about this makes me no different from the maids I scolded.’

As she pondered this, recalling the maids she had reprimanded, Kraush was the first to break the silence.

“I’ve pried too much for someone who’s just mooching off you. I asked because I’ve noticed you often look troubled, Ms. Lirina, but it’s alright if you prefer not to answer.”

Hearing his words, Lirina covered her face.

“…I don’t think my facial expressions are that strong to be noticeable?”

“I have someone around me who’s even more expressive. I’m confident in reading expressions.”

In reality, he read Lirina’s expressions because they had known each other for a long time, but Kraush just brushed it off with a smile.

“You often look lost in thought. It’s bound to be noticeable.”

Lirina took her hand away from her face.

“To think you can read Crimson’s mind, now you can read mine too.”

Lirina laughed softly as she had seen Kraush behaving as if he was really conversing with his crow.

At the same time, she wondered how harshly he must have been raised by his family to have become so perceptive.

“…That’s true. A bit of venting. Mr. Kraush, you’re an outsider, so maybe I can complain without getting scolded by the steward.”

With that, she looked up at the sky, deep in thought.

“Lirina.”

Kraush called out to her.

“It’s difficult to discuss my situation in detail, but I don’t have many people to talk to.”

Being known as the halfwit of Balheim, Lirina, though feeling sorry for him, agreed to his point.

“People say that if you keep too many stories in your heart, they become too heavy, and you can’t move. Sometimes it’s necessary to lighten the load, isn’t it?”

“…You’re more eloquent than I thought.”

Lirina fiddled with her hair for a while, a gesture she made when contemplating something. After a pause, she eventually turned back to Kraush.

“That’s true. I suppose you might have heard about it recently.”

“…Are you talking about the direct descendant of the Igrit family attempting suicide?”

Lirina nodded up and down. It was a story that couldn’t be missed by anyone living in Halgram.

“I’m that Mr. Aslan’s attendant. The food I’ve been bringing to you was untouched by Mr. Aslan. He usually eats well when it comes to this store’s food. He has memories associated with it.”

Lirina slowly handled the basket. She missed the days when Aslan used to enjoy meals from this place with someone.

“I see. That was it.”

“Sorry. I ended up talking about a depressing subject.”

“No, it’s fine. But I heard that Mr. Aslan wasn’t always like this.”

Kraush had almost choked on his words when he tried to attach ‘Mr.’ to Aslan’s name but managed to speak.

“Yes, that’s correct. He was originally a bright person. Even in difficult times, he was someone who endured and overcame.”

Once Lirina started talking, it was hard to control her lips. It seemed that the stories she had been keeping inside were indeed too heavy, just as Kraush had said.

“…But after a friend of Mr. Aslan’s stopped visiting, he fell apart.”

It was after the disappearance of someone who might have been Aslan’s only friend.

“Stopped visiting means…”

“…She disappeared. I tried to search and even told the vice house head, but she instead told me to give up on looking. So…”

She started to pour out her words but then caught herself and lifted her head. She had absentmindedly blurted out everything.

“Please pretend you didn’t hear any of that.”

It wasn’t a conversation to have with an outsider. So as she requested, Kraush shrugged his shoulders.

“I don’t have anywhere else to talk anyway.”

Seeing Kraush’s casual response, Lirina gave a wry smile.

“Strangely, I talk a lot when I’m with you, Mr. Kraush. I’m usually quite reserved.”

“Really? I never thought of you as reserved.”

Actually, Lirina in Kraush’s memories was always talkative.

‘Well, I had my own intentions this time.’

Kraush had his own diplomatic skills to learn, but Lirina was someone he knew. Hence, every time they met, he shared various stories so she would become familiar with him faster. Unintentionally, it made her feel comfortable around him.

Almost there.

Kraush got up lightly from his seat.

“Then let’s resolve your worries.”

“What?”

Lirina looked at him with a puzzled expression, and Kraush smiled.

“Ultimately, if we find Mr. Aslan’s friend, your worries will be resolved, right?”

“…But I’ve tried to search quite a bit.”

“I am a Balheim.”

At his declaration, Lirina jolted. As he said, despite being considered a halfwit, he was still a Balheim. He might have access to much more information than Lirina, a mere attendant of the Igrit family.

“…It’s hard to trust someone who gets fed every day because they’re hungry and is from Balheim.”

“That’s a serious problem. How can I build trust, then?”

“I’m joking. I believe you.”

At this point, what could she lose, having already blurted out everything? Feeling slightly relieved, Lirina smiled.

“Then, I have a small request, Mr. Kraush.”

With a formal gesture of her hands together, she asked him.

“Please compensate for the meals.”

And in her typical fashion, she couldn’t resist adding a little jest.

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