I Became A Thief Who Steals Overpowered Skills

The next day, Kraush returned to Rahern Academy, seeing Bianca off.

It had been a short break, but one imbued with many meanings.

Perhaps because of that, Kraush’s heart felt much lighter than before upon his return.

It seemed to be thanks to acknowledging what needed to be acknowledged.

However, there was something that slightly worried him.

「A year from now, I’ll grow stronger before I enroll in Rahern Academy.」

Bianca had shown firm resolve, which was good.

「I’ll become an amazing woman who suits you, Kraush, and I’ll stay by your side.」

Yet, her firm resolve seemed to have taken a turn in an unexpected direction.

Kraush let out a dry laugh after reading the emotion in the blue eyes that had met his.

It was because he realized the emotions in her eyes were jealousy and possessiveness.

It was both endearing and, in a way, made him feel a little guilty.

After all, it was Kraush himself who had made her uneasy.

[ Isn’t it because of your usual behavior? You’re surrounded by women all the time. Why not go ahead and buy rings in every variety while you’re at it? ]

Taking this chance, Crimson Garden’s criticism came in rapid succession.

Kraush felt somewhat wronged.

Additionally, the corpse rat of Ebelasque was unusually quiet today.

She must be tired from the ordeal with the Mad Sword Emperor, so it seemed only fair to let her rest for a while.

‘Looks like I’m finally getting used to Rahern Academy.’

Walking down the hallway, Kraush stretched briefly.

Perhaps because he had taken a full day to rest, his body felt refreshed.

‘Now it’s time to get to work.’

With a mountain of tasks ahead, he had replenished his strength through rest, so it was time to put that strength to use.

It was as Kraush decided this and moved his steps that he overheard:

“Did you hear about the imperial princess’s assassin?”

“They said Lady Sigrid wasn’t coming out of her room, so someone checked on her, and she was shouting and making a scene.”

“It’s absurd. After all Lady Sigrid has done for them out of old affection, they go and do something like that.”

“Born that way, I guess. Actually, isn’t the story about being manipulated by the Night Raven leader all a lie?”

The sharp voices reached Kraush’s ears.

When Kraush glanced outside the second-floor window, he saw a group of students gathered there.

It was an ideal spot for sharing gossip and backtalk among themselves.

But more than that, was that smoke rising from cigarettes?

Smoking was strictly prohibited within Rahern Academy.

While some professors might sneak a smoke here and there, it was an entirely different matter for students.

Looking closer, he noticed that some of the students gathered there were notorious troublemakers within the academy.

Before coming to Rahern Academy, they likely had dreams and ambitions.

But after encountering real geniuses, their spirits had been broken, leading them down the path of troublemaking.

Kraush remembered these students vaguely, as he had crossed paths with them in previous cycles.

‘Back then, they were my seniors.’

Now, they were fellow second-generation students.

“Still, you’ve got to admit she’s hot. I kind of want to hold her just once.”

“Are you insane? You want to hold a criminal who assassinated the princess? Your taste is seriously twisted.”

“Come on, every guy should try holding a bad girl at least once to become a real man.”

“Ugh, is that really all men ever talk about?”

As always, they were as clueless as ever.

Kraush leaned his head out of the window frame.

“Hey.”

The group flinched and looked up at him.

When they recognized Kraush’s face, their expressions turned pale in an instant.

The top-ranked second-generation student and a direct descendant of the Valheim family.

Kraush Valheim.

There wasn’t a single person in Rahern Academy who didn’t know his name.

Kraush vaulted lightly over the window frame and landed right in front of them.

The troublemakers froze, unsure of what to do. Kraush, without a word, snatched one of their cigarettes.

Hiss!

He crushed the cigarette in his bare hand without so much as a flinch.

The burning ember should have been hot, but Kraush’s expression didn’t change at all, intimidating them even further.

He let the ashes fall from his hand and slowly fixed his gaze on them.

“Should I put it out for you myself, or will you do it?”

“We’ll put it out!”

The troublemakers hastily extinguished their cigarettes in various ways.

Kraush brushed off his hands, staring at them directly.

“Who was the one talking earlier about Sigrid Ephania shouting at Mary Diana?”

“M-me.”

One of them raised his hand immediately, panic written all over his face at Kraush’s question.

Kraush looked at him, crossed his arms, and leaned back against the wall.

“Tell me more about that in detail.”

These kinds of things were always best known by those who lurked in the background.

* * *

The incident where Mary, who stayed in the dormitory, quarreled with Sigrid.

It seemed to have happened during the brief moment Kraush was away.

Judging by the situation, Sigrid, enraged to her limits at Mary for disobeying her orders, must have sought her out.

Given her personality, she would have unleashed all the suppressed insults and harsh words she had held back until the end on Mary without hesitation.

‘Mary must have already been at her mental limit by that point.’

Naturally, Mary, who had no mental strength left to endure Sigrid’s verbal abuse, would have eventually exploded.

She was already convinced, manipulated by Kraush’s words, that everything that happened to her was entirely Sigrid’s fault.

When Mary, who had always obediently followed her orders without fail, finally shouted at her, even Sigrid must have been taken aback.

Not long after, she would have realized that the commotion was too much.

In the end, this drew attention from others one by one and Sigrid, prioritizing her image, felt the need to retreat for the time being.

‘After leaving Mary’s room, Sigrid left with tears welling in her eyes.’

Afterward, she probably used her subordinates to subtly spread rumors.

The rumor went that Sigrid, out of consideration for her past connection with Mary, sought her out to comfort her for failing the recent midterm evaluation. ȓἈ₦ＯᛒΕŠ

But Mary, despite Sigrid’s kind intentions, yelled at her and drove her away.

Sigrid already had a good reputation among the students.

In contrast, Mary was only known for her notoriety.

Naturally, the rumor was interpreted to suit the students’ existing biases.

Mary, confined in her room without any response, let the rumor solidify into fact, leaving her completely isolated.

‘Sigrid has utterly cast Mary aside.’

It was already a situation with more drawbacks than benefits.

Given Sigrid’s personality, she would no longer keep Mary by her side.

With that, Kraush stopped in front of the women’s dormitory.

‘This is undoubtedly an opportunity.’

Now that Sigrid has completely abandoned her, this was the chance to fill Mary’s final “dial”—submission.

However, there was one problem here.

Would Mary, in her current state, even come out of her room upon hearing that Kraush had come looking for her?

Kraush knew Mary’s personality well.

‘That day, I succeeded in erasing Sigrid and securing my position to some extent, but…’

With time passing and reaching today, even that had significantly faded.

Now, even the act of stepping outside must feel more terrifying to her.

If Kraush personally went to her and called out, there might be a chance. But if an unknown figure appeared instead, she would likely flee.

‘What to do.’

Kraush glanced at the women’s dormitory.

Compared to the men’s dormitory, the women’s dormitory had much tighter security.

And for good reason, the women professors took turns directly standing guard over the dormitory.

Even Kraush couldn’t recklessly barge in.

[ What are you so worried about? ]

At that moment, a voice from Crimson Garden, soaring above the sky, reached him.

[ Isn’t there a way through that kid who was good at alchemy? ]

And then, the idea Kraush had been ignoring all along came back to him.

Kraush scowled fiercely and looked up at the sky.

After letting out a short sigh, he eventually turned around.

Annoying as it was, it seemed there was no other choice.

* * *

The Alchemy Lab of the Special Academy.

Kraush, who arrived there, had an unusually irritated expression on his face.

Perhaps because of this, no one dared to speak to him as he passed by.

Instead, people avoided his gaze, stepping aside as he made his way to a particular classroom. Once there, Kraush abruptly opened the door.

“Ahahaha!”

From inside, a sudden burst of laughter echoed out.

A woman, clutching a flask high above her head, was laughing maniacally, her demeanor soaked in madness.

Today, Kraush didn’t find that madness particularly amusing.

The future Alchemy Lord.

Darlene Dandelion.

She was someone Kraush knew very well.

“Huh? Boyfriend, what brings you here?”

Darlene, who happened to lock eyes with Kraush, greeted him with a playful smile.

She had grown familiar with him through his consistent visits regarding the improvement of enhancement elixirs.

Given that he’d already visited not too long ago, her response implied curiosity—there didn’t seem to be any reason for him to come back so soon.

“I need a favor.”

Kraush’s tone was far from welcoming.

Darlene tilted her head.

It wasn’t surprising; most of Kraush’s so-called “requests” were essentially orders.

“You’re acting strange, boyfriend. Did you hit your head somewhere? If you’re looking for memory-restoration potions, I’m all out of stock.”

She can even make something like that?

Kraush was once again struck by Darlene’s brilliance as he quietly closed the door behind him.

Then, he walked forward, stopping directly in front of her.

Their eyes met.

Kraush, reluctant to speak, remained silent. Darlene, waiting for him to say something, also stayed silent.

Pop-

Breaking the silence, a faint bubbling sound came from a flask that was boiling on her workstation.

After a while, Darlene slowly twirled a strand of her golden side hair around her fingers, her lips curling into a mischievous grin.

“For you to hesitate this much, are you finally confessing to me? I thought you only wanted my body, but I never imagined you’d give me your heart as well.”

Her voice was full of playful teasing.

“Where should we hold the ceremony? Since Charlotte has to be there too, we’ll need a spacious venue, right?”

“Darlene.”

When Kraush seriously called her name, Darlene flinched.

Ordinarily, he would have scolded her for her antics right away.

But today, his reaction was entirely different.

Kraush’s face was as serious as it could be.

The playful expression on Darlene’s face gradually began to show traces of bewilderment.

And her ears slowly started turning red with embarrassment.

“Uh, uh, are you, s-serious?”

Darlene stuttered, her eyes darting around.

Although she always appeared composed, she was completely flustered when Kraush turned serious.

“I-I should have, prepared myself mentally.”

As Darlene stood there, unable to do or say anything, Kraush let out a long sigh.

“Give me a potion that can turn me into a woman.”

Hearing this, the redness in Darlene’s face gradually faded, and she slowly clasped Kraush’s wrist with her hand.

“Kraush, you were serious. Let’s book our wedding venue today.”

In Darlene’s eyes, the image of a wedding venue was clearly taking shape.

It was an extraordinary sentiment.

Translators note:

 Ahahahahahhahaha~ this is hilarious~ I can see why the author reused it so much more in their next novel.

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