chapter 27
nerve warfare
The man tried to keep his composure.
There is a phantom thief Raven in front of you, but what does that mean?
Your opponent is only a small thief at best. There’s no need to be afraid of a guy who can’t do anything other than steal things.
“···Wow, there is nothing like your money here!”
“Hmm. okay? Then what is all this money?”
tuk.
A wad of money falling next to him.
It seems that the money has already been taken from the safe.
Raven smiles with a smile.
However, as much as the gaze towards him was terrifyingly cold.
“Hey. Do you know why I came here without a notice as usual?”
“What do you know about that!?”
also not this You don’t even have to deal with criminals one-on-one.
The man immediately turned around and ran away from the safe, trying to ask for assistance.
swish!
“Aww!”
However, the attempt was immediately thwarted by the flying rope.
The rope, which had completely wrapped himself around his body, did not tolerate even the wriggling of a finger.
“Where are you going to run away? You should listen to me.”
“Ugh…! Crazy Psycho!”
“How far did you say it? okay. It was about a preview. Anyway, to just say the point, today is different from usual. I’m not here to steal, I’m here to get it back.”
The man who fell to the floor and barely looked up at the phantom thief fell into a deep fear.
What if that guy kills him like this?
A primal fear of death came over.
“I only took a little look inside, and it was definitely amazing. It was almost dazzling to see how many gold bars were piled up. I could steal them all if I wanted to, but as I said before, my purpose today is to get my money back.”
“Then you’ve got all the money, so you can go!”
“woah. calm down. I was going to do that too, but I had something to ask you, so I waited on purpose.”
thud!
The phantom thief lowered the stick he was holding to the floor and asked softly.
“Is this all my money?”
“···Sure. I put them all in the safe.”
“I will ask you again. Is this really all right?”
The man was almost on the verge of losing his temper.
In a situation that was driven to the extreme, I was tired of asking someone to help me, so I gave up. Then, at some point, his attitude became remarkably weak.
“please. Please save me…”
“Who killed you? Don’t be silly, just answer the question. Is this all my money?”
“···yes. All the money that inspiration gave me. They tried to rip it off, but they said no.”
To be honest, is it all over?
Are you going to release the pressure now and save your life?
“Didn’t you get your money from somewhere other than that orphanage?”
“yes. I don’t know where else I donated. Are you okay now? Are you releasing me?”
“of course. Of course you have to release it. I’ll pay the price for stealing my money instead.”
“···yes? what it is.”
Phantom Thief Raven smiled meaningfully.
The man’s eyes trembled violently as he saw that smile.
“Oh, no···.”
“Congratulations in advance. Tomorrow you will be a celebrity.”
***
As soon as I entered the class, it was filled with shouts.
It was roughly expected, but it seems to have been a topic of discussion beyond my imagination.
[Don’t you think it was a little harsh?]
‘Not at all. I have to set an example of what it would be like to take my money.’
It seems that people take Raven the phantom thief too much.
Of course, I didn’t want to be imprinted as a vicious criminal and terrified, but I didn’t want to remain as a hogu who touched dogs and cows.
Julia, who saw me coming in, ran straight over to this side and said,
“Cro! Did you read the newspaper today?”
“yes? why?”
Of course I saw it, but when I deliberately removed the shichimi and pretended not to know, I opened the newspaper in front of me and showed it to me.
<Phantom Thief’s Punishment? Raven’s atrocities invading the National Tax Service.>
Quite a provocative headline. However, it is quickly erased by the overwhelming presence of the subsequent photos.
Is it really the background of modern Europe, before the development of human rights?
In the photo, without a single mosaic, the ghastly desolation was vividly revealed.
A public official who was tied up and naked inside the safe room, turned over on a ceiling rope.
To control the water level, I covered the secret area with a phantom thief card.
What was written on the card was this:
Whoever steals my money will make this happen.
– Phantom Thief Raven
What a concise and clear warning indeed.
Again, it looks clean and uncluttered.
Julia’s expression showing the newspaper was complicated and subtle.
“What do you think···?”
“Well. what is it That’s great.”
“I certainly don’t think I am an ordinary person.”
For Julia, who was kind to Raven in her own way, the reaction was not very good.
I don’t know how many people would be happy to see something like that.
Then Rachel, who was sitting in the back, smiled and said,
“Because that bastard is crazy. It’s so funny.”
“·················ogue.”
Hopefully it will suit her taste. It just makes me feel bad.
Julia spoke carefully as she folded the newspaper.
“Still, after reading the article, the official wasn’t a good person either.”
“hey. Would a phantom thief care about that? I guess it’s because I feel bad because I just stole my money.”
“…Is that really the case?”
hey. You fall too easily I beg you to be a little more patient in your defense.
“So are you going to include this in the presentation?”
“Well···. Should I put it in first?”
Naturally, everyone’s eyes turned to Sharon. It was her job to decide the content of the presentation.
“yes. Let’s put it in.”
“a. It’s annoying.”
“By the way, the release date is close.”
Only two days left. If you add today’s content, it will probably be difficult to edit more.
What impact will the National Tax Service disciplinary action have if it is included in the announcement?
First of all, public opinion was negative. However, the disappointment towards the government also grew stronger.
A mere phantom thief broke into the national organization and made public officials like that, so it would be strange not to be disappointed.
So, the conclusion is that public opinion is becoming more and more extreme.
Those who criticize the current government often support me on the contrary. Somehow, it has become a representative symbol of anti-governmentism.
‘Is this okay…?’
[Isn’t this the path you chose?]
‘I’m not aiming to subvert the country.’
Whatever it was, I had one thing to do. Stealing beautiful jewels as a phantom thief. Everything else is just a process and means for that goal.
At that time, as usual, Sharon opened her mouth first and started talking.
“Is the church okay?”
“yes? what?”
“From yesterday’s newspaper. They say that the phantom thief’s money that the National Tax Service took was confiscated at the orphanage.”
“ah···. Then please!”
Upon hearing Sharon’s story, Yulia was also surprised and looked anxious.
“The money the phantom thief stole is probably not going to accept donations.”
“Actually, it makes sense, isn’t it? It’s not your money, it’s someone else’s money.”
Rachel answered Sharon with a smirk.
It cannot be said that the word itself was wrong. However, Julia raised the objection with a slightly sullen expression.
“But she must have used the money for good. Does the state have the right to take it away?”
“That’s it, I don’t know. What will the state do?”
“I don’t think it is either.”
I was quite surprised inside. It was because it was quite surprising to see Julia clearly expressing her opinion unlike the last time.
“What are you talking about so seriously?”
Then a new person broke into the discussion.
He was a layered boy who was quite reluctant to meet face to face.
For a moment, his eyes met. A very awkward exchange of glances continued for a while, and then the other person turned their head first.
“Ah, layered! hi.”
“yes. Good morning.”
Julia and Layered are pretty close. In the original story, to the extent of developing a subtle relationship that is more than a friend and less than a lover.
Obviously, the appearance of the two standing side by side talking was not a waste of the expression that they were a good man and a good woman.
[Are you envious?]
‘Not at all.’
After all, it’s not like I had a rational interest in her anyway, right?
Besides, as a fan of the original manga, I supported their relationship, so I didn’t get even more jealous.
“So what were you talking about?”
“ah. Did you read the newspaper today?”
“yes. Phantom Thief Raven?”
In response to Layered’s response, Julia’s eyes lit up and started pouring out stories.
“right. Actually, did you have a group assignment last time? We chose Phantom Thief Raven as the presentation topic.”
“okay? It’s a pretty sensitive topic, so it wouldn’t be easy.”
“So, I’m planning to include as much objective information as possible so that the listener can make their own decisions.”
To her rapid-fire-like explanation, Layered answered with a bitterness.
“What do you have to judge? They are just bad criminals.”
stand tall.
All movements of Julia, who were excitedly continuing the explanation, stopped for a moment.
His eyes, which had suddenly shone, calmly subsided, and he stared at the opponent quietly.
“no. That’s not right.”
[Oh. This is another exciting development.]