I Became A Thief Who Steals Overpowered Skills

At that moment, Sizelry’s body buzzed into the air.

It was because Sera, who had approached without notice, had slipped her hands under Sizelry’s arms and lifted her up.

“Even if you prattle on about the imperial body, I won’t let you go.”

“Sera.”

Despite Sera’s grumbling, Sizelry kept her gaze fixed straight ahead.

“It seems an interesting character has shown up at this martial arts tournament.”

Watching that, Sera quietly let out a sigh.

“Do you know how many times I’ve heard that?”

“This time, it’s the real deal.”

The martial arts tournament was organized under the pretext of gathering students for Rahelrn Academy.

Maybe, Sizelry thought as she smiled, this tournament might actually be fun.

[ You have some luck too. Running into the fourth princess right after arriving. ]

Crimson Garden seemed to have noticed as well.

Kraush scratched his head.

Even he didn’t expect to run into the fourth princess right after arriving.

That tomboy had always been full of erratic actions, often popping up unpredictably.

‘I caught her by reflex when she was about to fall over.’

The look on Sizelry’s face as she looked at him lingered on Kraush’s mind.

She had undoubtedly the expression of someone who had discovered something fun.

‘If I get entangled with that woman, it’d be a hassle.’

Sizelry, a brainy princess yet hiding her true capabilities.

Kraush was aware of her future in the Empire.

A future that did not seem fitting for such a brilliant mind.

And it was a future that only such a brilliant mind could accomplish.

‘Enough of that.’

For now, he wasn’t particularly eager to get involved with any woman.

Thus, Kraush first completed his registration for the martial arts tournament.

The name he used was Kradd, age 14.

His origin was Ozijwen, a remote village on the fringes of the Empire.

Having quickly noted down his details, Kraush finished the tournament registration and went outside.

Fortunately, Sizelry did not follow him out.

‘Now all that’s left.’

Is to place within the top three to obtain the Golden Dragon Grass.

With that thought, Kraush set off to find an inn to stay in for the preliminary rounds happening in two days’ time.

Little did he know the inns were full of spectators and participants until he was told there were no rooms available.

“Ha, crazy.”

Kraush had always known the Empire was crowded, but he hadn’t expected the capital’s inns to be completely full.

Taking a seat in a corner, he let out a sigh, as there was not a single space to step foot in due to the onlookers and contestants.

At this rate, he would have to sleep rough just for tonight.

‘And it won’t be just for tonight.’

He’d need a place to stay not only for tomorrow but until after the finals as well.

“Hey, kid.”

Amid his thoughts, Kraush heard someone calling to him.

He looked up to find an old woman.

“Do you not have a place to stay tonight?”

With a look of concern, the old woman asked.

“I don’t.”

“Goodness, you’re all alone too? I’ve been watching you from the store in front of this park where I work and noticed you’ve been sitting by yourself pondering.”

The old woman worked at the store in front of the park where Kraush had been sitting.

That’s why she had seen Kraush sitting alone, brooding the whole time.

“Did you come here alone to participate in the martial arts tournament? Oh dear, so pitiful. If you’ve nowhere to stay, would you like to come to my house?”

There was no deceit in her expression.

She genuinely felt sorry and was offering Kraush a place to stay.

The appearance of a child seemed to have its uses in this way.

Eliciting pity from kind-hearted adults seemed to be enough.

“Thank you so much. I am indebted to you.”

So, Kraush readily accepted her offer.

[ Didn’t you ever hear not to follow strangers when you were a kid? ]

Crimson Garden teased him, but Kraush had no intention of sleeping on the bare ground.

Especially since he’s had enough of that from dealing with world erosion.

The house the old woman led him to was slightly removed from the center of the capital.

Given that the city center was excessively pricey, this was only natural.

Her house wasn’t big, a modest size.

But it was more than sufficient for living in.

“There’s just one empty room left. Lucky you. Are you hungry? I’ll whip up some food in a jiffy.”

“Thank you.”

“Go ahead, up to the room at the very end of the second floor. It should be comfortable enough for you.”

The old woman treated Kraush with kindness, as if he were her own grandchild.

So, Kraush didn’t say much and followed her instructions.

‘Fortunate, indeed.’

Never would he have expected to find a room this way.

As Kraush climbed the stairs and walked through the second-floor wooden hallway, one of the room doors creaked open.

Thinking it might be the old woman’s family, Kraush turned his head, only to freeze at the sight of the person he encountered.

“Oh, it’s you!”

As if by some coincidence, the blue-haired girl pointed at him and cried out.

“The friend who helped me during the day!”

And then, Kraush felt a faint headache.

With her doll-like pretty face adorned with blue hair.

She was none other than the fourth princess, Sizelry Ephania.

Her face was not known outside the imperial palace.

Thus she thought no one would recognize her and freely roamed around like that.

‘The rot.’

And then Kraush realized.

Somehow, she had led him here, even though he didn’t know how she did it.

Why she employed her brilliant mind in such a way was beyond him.

Kraush took a moment to look at her before turning around and entering the room as directed by the old woman.

“Hmm, are you shy?”

Ignoring the words that came from outside, he closed his ears and dismissed them.

And so, the short cohabitation between Starlon’s pride, the Balheim, and the Empire’s most powerful princess began.

＊ ＊ ＊

Knock, knock, knock!

The next morning.

Since today was the last day of registration and the preliminaries were the following day, Kraush was enjoying a sound sleep in bed for the first time in a while.

Knock, knock, knock!

But with the insistence as if someone didn’t want him to enjoy his sleep, the door was knocked upon once more.

Kraush turned the pillow over his ears to silence the sound.

Creak—

But when there was no response to the knocking, this time the door actually opened.

He was certain he had locked the door the night before.

Hearing the door open, Kraush sat up in bed and the first thing that caught his eye was the blue hair.

Of course, it was Sizelry Ephania.

Shamelessly, she held a tiny wire in her hand—her tool for picking locks.

Really, what princess carries a wire to unlock doors?

“An early riser catches the prey. Sleeping in late won’t get you anything.”

“That doesn’t mean you should be picking other people’s locks because they’re sleeping in.”

“Then what am I supposed to do? It’s so obvious you’re avoiding me.”

She deliberately concealed her royal manner of speaking and approached him in a natural way.

“Why are you avoiding me?”

As she questioned him, Kraush got up from bed, straightening the sheets.

It wasn’t good to converse with her.

Through experience, Kraush knew her mind was dangerously sharp.

If he engaged in conversation, it was almost guaranteed something would slip out.

“You’re just not my type.”

So he decided to respond with an unexpected answer.

And that surely hit the target.

Sizelry’s big eyes widened before she soon laughed as if flabbergasted.

“I’ve only ever been called pretty or cute in my life.”

How shameless.

But just like her words, Sizelry’s appearance was not that of a criminal.

“Plenty are prettier than you.”

“Oh? Who are they?”

Sizelry asked with sparkling eyes.

Watching her, Kraush momentarily thought of Bianca before shaking off the thought.

“I’m not telling you.”

“You have a lot of secrets. Your face is as obscure as your words.”

“Thanks for the compliment.”

“You should be grateful. After all, it’s a compliment from someone of significance.”

Ignoring her, Kraush stepped out into the hallway, and Sizelry quickly followed after him with light steps.

“Where are you going?”

“Don’t follow me.”

“Why? To become your type, we should get to know each other better. I’m making such an effort, being this gorgeous next to you.”

It was annoying.

Kraush honestly felt that way.

He was almost overwhelmed by the urge to deliver a flick to her forehead.

The issue was that if he did flick her, Sera, her ever-present attendant, would surely appear.

‘If I fight with the Mad Sword, I’m as good as dead.’

After all, she was a master-level expert.

Even now, the presence of watchful eyes somewhere was pricking at his sixth sense, making him feel edgy.

“How about now? Am I your type yet?”

“You’re making it worse.”

“That’s curious.”

As if it were the first time she received such treatment, Sizelry’s eyes rounded in amazement.

“How can you act like that even though you know I’m the princess?”

At her continued words, Kraush tensed up.

‘That damned woman.’

What she just said wasn’t thrown out randomly.

She had noticed that Kraush was aware of her identity.

She had become certain of it overnight.

Those eyes of hers, shining with a golden light, seemed to already see through everything.

Just like they encompassed all wisdom, Sizelry’s eyes appeared to have pierced through it all.

“What nonsense are you talking about? Why would you be a princess?”

Kraush acted nonchalant.

But Sizelry merely smiled faintly.

“It’s a joke. A joke! How could I possibly be a princess?”

With that, she extended her hand with a laugh.

“I’m Sizelry, nice to meet you. Kradd from Starlon!”

Damn.

Kraush barely held back a curse.

Not only had she blatantly revealed her name, but she had also realized where he was from.

“Not pleased at all.”

Kraush did not reciprocate the handshake and turned away.

Watching him walk away, Sizelry retracted her hand, uneasily placing it on her waist.

“Princess.”

In that moment, Sera discreetly appeared beside her.

“Is that boy really from Starlon?”

“Yes, the Empire and Starlon use the same language, but in Starlon, when syllables with plosive sounds come out, they come out slightly stronger. That boy, even with a mix of the Empire’s style, has that essence which can’t be changed; it was apparent.”

“…Only the fourth princess could notice such a thing.”

Sera shook her head at the peculiar way in which her lady discerned his origins.

“What does it mean when you say he knows your identity?”

“It’s just as I say. The way he approaches me, there are actions that only make sense if he has already recognized who I am.”

“Could you give a simple example?”

“The actions he showed when he first met the old woman compared to the actions when he first saw me were different.”

Sera blinked.

“Isn’t that just the difference between how one treats adults and children?”

“What you need to pay attention to is that it was their ‘first’ time. People’s treatment differs when meeting someone for the first time, but familiarity is clearly different from a first encounter.”

“I’m quite lost here.”

“It’s a matter of observational skills. I absorb much more information much faster than others.”

Her brain worked differently from the average person.

Especially in terms of observation, her intellect showed overwhelming efficiency.

An average person’s brain would simply register the information with the eyes and move on, but her brain remembered all of it and turned it into valuable data.

That’s why she saw more.

The rate at which she absorbed information was of such a degree that calling it a supernatural ability wouldn’t be too far off.

That’s why Sizelry was even more puzzled.

“But I’m seeing that child for the first time.”

How could someone who isn’t in her memory behave towards her as if familiar?

Was he feigning familiarity on purpose?

However, unless he was a con man of historic proportion, there was no way to pull the wool over her eyes.

As she considered various possibilities, she soon let out a sly chuckle.

“It’d be better if he were a con artist.”

Ironically, that was the most plausible explanation.

“Should I capture him?”

If he’s from Starlon, then he’s hiding his identity and participating in the martial arts tournament under false pretenses.

Sera quietly asked, and Sizelry responded by raising her hand and slapping Sera’s thigh lightly.

“With such an amusing thing happening, why create a disturbance! Leave it be.”

Sera, having her thigh slapped for no reason, could only grimace silently.

“More importantly, Sera, have you found out a bit about my sister’s matter?”

Upon her question, Sera, who had been rubbing her thigh, turned to look at Sizelry.

“Yes, I inquired as you directed. If we focus on the points you mentioned, it’s clear that Lady Sigrid is indeed a different person than before.”

The Empire’s third princess, Sigrid Ephania.

Armed with a talent for the sword, she was Sizelry’s older sister, expected to become a shining sword of the Empire.

Sizelry had already noticed that her sister had changed strangely starting a year ago.

“Hmm, something’s happening in the imperial palace, hm?”

Sizelry clicked her tongue lightly and moved on.

“Should we do something about it?”

When Sera asked, Sizelry shook her head.

“That’s enough. Matters of the palace should be resolved within the palace itself. Why should I get involved?”

She had intentionally distanced herself from the palace’s affairs.

Her inquiries about Sigrid’s change were out of personal curiosity alone.

There was no other reason.

Still, she couldn’t help but think that the first and second princes were a bit at risk.

“But now I’ve found something far more interesting.”

Sizelry’s eyes sparkled with curiosity for the first time in a while.

She simply hoped whatever she had discovered would satisfy her interest.