34 The Cobra Rises

That night was almost as insane as the one from half a month ago. No one even realized that it was the exact same rascal that was the real culprit in the center of the two events.

That culprit was now in his carriage riding away from the Auction House with a painting in his [Storage] and a girl leaning on his side.

"Don't be too depressed, Karmina, the painting will find its way back one day." He said.

"Thank you for your kindness, Alfonse. You have been my only support this evening." She said in a heartbroken voice.

"It's alright." He said as he patted her back.

The two were close, closer than what is appropriately allowed between two strangers and that is just the first day they met each other.

The reason for being this close is the fact that those two were just stuck together for seven hours as the auction was turning into absolute chaos.

Leon stole the painting, that much is true.

How did he steal it? Well, that is the easy answer. He simply acted as if he stumbled to draw the attention towards him, made a few silly remarks and as all eyes were on him, his hand snuck under the cover of the portrait and stored away the painting itself with Space Magic.

Nothing even moved from its place as Leon successfully managed to exclude the frame of the portrait and took the painting itself. He was training on that move for a few times in Zal's workshop as he was planning for it all along.

What followed this Sleight of Hand trick was the discovery of the theft followed by the long investigation that took place until the time of dawn. Even a few Mages were summoned to inspect what happened and look for the painting but no one saw through his [Space-Time Magic: Storage] spell.

Aside from how scary thrilling that experience was, Leon had prepared a plan B, C, and even D in case things go south but he was still clean and walked out of the front door with the rest of the guests.

During the wait, however, all manner of absurdities happened. He had to show his forged identity, avoid dangerous people, and display a decent amount of innocence when he was questioned. After all, he was one of the prime suspects who were last seen with the painting.

Christophe De Sade almost went insane at the disappearance of the Portrait and the first one he accused was his sister Karmina who opposed the idea of selling the painting. A lot of people also pointed fingers at her but it was then when the actual Thief stepped in and defended her with honor and chivalry. Leon put on a decent act and spoke to those who accused Karmina to be ridiculous and jump fast to conclusions just because she is a woman. He also said they were all acting like Real Sus.

The attack afterward was directed to him but he easily dismissed it. He indeed was present, same as others, and he was never seen moving the painting or anything of the sort. He also showed them the Identification Artifact which he clearly forged into something very innocent and rather docile for a nobleman.

But those were merely the first five minutes of the seven hours.

The estimated price of the Pride of Del Mar was said to be around 20'000 Gold Crowns which is enough to buy a small town or to feed the entire northern district for a week.

Back to the topic, once Leon pushed the blame away off himself and Karmina was also clear, the ones that were questioned next were the guards that transported the portrait and they were accused badly but after too much pressure, they seemed clueless and ignorant.

It then got to accusing it framing the enemies around. No one just stood still and the so-called noblemen started to bite and tear into each other by words, accusations, and glares. While that was happening, Leon was consoling Karmina who wasn't feeling rather well.

Christophe and Karmina had another clash later that evening and they said the harshest of words to one another. She accused him of being a wasteful drunkard and someone who puts himself in front of everything and everyone while lacking talent as a businessman in every conceivable way. On the other hand, he accused her of being sentimental towards inanimate objects that the family is better without and since their situation in the market is worsening as thanks to all the enemies they made because of those art pieces, their trade won't last long, he also may have mentioned that she is a woman and has no right to interfere in men's business.

All in all, it was Chaos.

As the noblemen found no trace of the painting, they kept nagging the Mages to do anything about but not a speck of magic was found in the scene and there was a lot of traps and magic detection totems that were installed all around the auction house, it was practically impossible to cast some sort of magic unless the caster is some sort of a Magic Master.

Leon was impressed by these statements said by the Mages. He indeed used magic but it hadn't been traced to him even with this number of mages working on it. Even the stand which carried the portrait was very magic resistant and it didn't work against him.

His "Storage" spell as well as the "Read" and "Forgery" spells were now considered unique even by the standards of known Magic Spells. Storage can store items very discreetly in an absolutely safe space, Read can just appraise anything almost like a charm, and Forgery can make the status look completely different. The most interesting thing is that those three spells always seem to be not expected by the people of this world which means they are not just rare but maybe even unique only to him as these were the ones he got by Reincarnation.

In the end, the Mages said that there is no longer a way to detect how the portrait was stolen and the Thief seemed to have prepared for a very long time and used a lot of resources else it wouldn't have vanished like this. If it is bound to be a mystery then a mystery it shall become but the Mages took an oath to try and uncover this no matter what it takes. After that, the Aristocrats decided to start getting out.

It was safe to say that Alfonse (Leon) and Karmina got very close during those seven hours as she relied on him more than her own family thus she let him take her back to Villa De Sade.

In front of the manor, Leon descended first from the carriage and gave a hand for Karmina whose complexion was slightly paler and her appearance was rather pitiful.

"Lady Karmina, Lady Karmina, I will escort you in." Butler Dexter came out running as soon as he spotted the lady coming down.

"Lord Alfonse, I am terribly sorry about today." Karmina said.

"Don't be, my Lady. It is a gentleman's duty to look after a lady." He replied.

"Thank you…" She said as she took the hand of the Butler who supported her in but as she took a few steps, she turned back to look at him, "When will you come again?"

Leon's face showed a hint of uneasiness as he avoided eye contact with her.

"I am sorry… after tonight, I… I don't think…" He kept trying to find his words.

"… You won't stay." She realized his intentions.

"It is something I can no longer afford." Leon said, "What happened tonight with the other noblemen was… I don't know how to say it."

"Choose the neighbors, not the home." She mumbled, "You said that."

"Indeed." He nodded and looked down.

"Such terrible neighbors we are." With a faint smile, she spoke in self-mockery.

"Not you, my Lady. Not you at all." Leon stepped forward towards her with an honest face.

"Ehem!"

Yet at this moment, Zal who was sitting on the coachman's seat cleared his throat.

"… It is almost dawn." Leon let out a sigh and backed off, "You need to rest. I… I will be going."

As he stepped into the carriage, Karmina called.

"Is this farewell?"

He looked back at her with a warm smile.

"If this is not the last of me you see then a day shall come when some accounts are to be set right. For now, it is goodbye."

And the carriage walked across the roadway across the garden back to the street. Karmina didn't react for a minute but she seemed weak and said.

"Such a gentleman!" The Butler said in a matching tone of sadness.

"He is… or maybe he is just too good of a gentleman." Karmina said and walked into her manor.

***

To call this a Heist, would be a stretch. It was mostly just a big lucky trick.

A trick that is not even halfway done.

How so?

——————————

[ The Pride of Del Mar ] < Unique >

- Marked by a "Mystic Mark" spell.

——————————

"Keep driving, Zal." Leon spoke.

"Goddammit, Leo!" Zal cursed, "Where is the painting?"

"Safe. Just give me a second." Leon said as he kept watching the buildings as the carriage walked by, "I want you to drive slowly beside the auction house and stop two blocks away."

"What? Why?"

"I'll go grab the painting." Leon said, "Keep the engine running."

"The who?"

"… my bad!"

Leon slipped from the Carriage and descended on the street then in a second, he used Rush and disappeared from view.

Not long after, he was standing on the nearby rooftop.

"This will take me 5 seconds but they will get a hold on me." He thought as he put on the Chameleon Cloak and took out the Painting.

"Seal!"

"Read!"

< Analysis… 1% >

He was a couple of blocks away from the Auction House where he spent the evening at. His aim was to do two things. First, to seal the tracking spell on the painting; Second, to analyze it so he can potentially learn a new spell.

The Sealing and the Reading went together for a second, two, three, four, five…

"THIS WAY! WE FOUND IT!"

There wasn't much time left. Just a few seconds later and the Mages from the Auction House came out running.

"Almost there." Leon was trying too fast to finish things as he was finally detected.

"ARREST HIM!"

"SURRENDER!"

The Mages now fully locked on the presence of Leon and surrounded the building he's on.

"And…"

< Analysis Complete! >

< [Mysticism Magic Lv.1] has been added to your Status >

< You have learned [Mysticism - Mystic Mark] >

"… Done!"

[A/N: I have changed the Soul Magic to Mysticism Magic for the sake of versatility.]

All of a damn sudden, the signal coming from the painting disappeared and Leon took it away. A second after, some Mages flew up the building with their magic and surrounded Leon darted away from his place using Rush.

"Stop him! Form an array." One of the Mages shouted.

"See ya, Suckers!" Leon leaped up with his skill and in the middle of it, curled his legs together.

With a middle finger raised up and his face well hidden, he pushed the air with his feet one more time launching himself from one roof to the other.

A Double Jump!

Something only he could figure out after knowing about it from the Game. Even though it was an ability activated by a cheat code, his existence as 200% Talent is a cheat in itself thus he immediately thought of this cheat the moment he got the ability of Leaping.

The Mages, however, almost didn't believe what they saw.

The Leap was inhumanly powerful and lasted longer than possible. Leon was not only out of range but further from where they wanted.

"Discard caution! Shoot him down with Air Magic. He has the painting!"

This method is the only possible way to bring him down. The Mages ran like mad people to catch Leon but he wasn't out of tricks yet. Actually, this was a trick he was preparing for some time now.

As soon as the Wind Projectiles rushed at him from many angles, Leon had one possible way to escape now. He looked at the sky and saw it brighten but the sun was not there yet. Still, there was a small amount of light illuminating the world.

"Divine Step!"

And he jumped off the building.

The Mages never understood what happened next. Rather than understanding, they were just standing there with their mouths wide open.

That's Light Magic, they all recognized it.

A Rare Element, they all know that.

Used by a Thief, not something unheard of.

Still, this spell they saw was vastly different from anything they ever saw, heard of, or knew.

In front of them, a man was madly jumping off a building then a light came from beneath his feet and he surfed.

He was surfing on air as if he was sliding on a smooth floor. It was that until the spell suddenly stopped just as he entered the shade of one building.

The Spell worked with the light of dawn and stopped in the shade. A common weakness for spells that rely on Light but… it wasn't over yet.

Leon's feet may have lost footing on the light but he was not too far from the ground and the spell was still active. Moreover, there's still plenty of light within him and the surfing never stopped.

He may have surfed on the light just now but on the ground, he switched sports into a ground-friendly one, Skating.

Divine Step! A spell that alters the magnetic properties of the natural Light allowing it to affect the caster's movement depending on their trajectory. Combined with the Photosynthesis spell which stores the Light Mana inside the caster, this spell can use that reserve of Light to make the caster Skate.

Skating is one thing; Speed Skating, however, is something Shady enjoyed in the past since one heist in Moscow where he had to cross a frozen lake above a certain speed limit to evade detection and… long story.

This just revived that experience for him. The moment his feet touched the ground, he was already surfing like a madman waving his limbs around and taking turns around the Auction Building without looking back.

Just as he was out of sight, he used Earth Control in order to raise the ground in front of him and slow himself down enough to stop. With a fast roll on the ground, Leon was already doing his next turn and rushed straight into the street just before the Carriage which Zal was driving stopped.

"Go go go go!"

"What?" Zal never even realized that Leon would arrive before he even takes a stop.

"Just drive. Enter the main street."

"Alright."

Without even doubting anything, Zal drove the carriage into the next turn and entered the main street dissolving between the carriages of the early morning.

Not long after, the Mages arrived where Leon stopped himself with Earth Magic and the trace of his Mana ended.

For them, going after him can no longer be possible. He is all gone.

But… there is one thing he left behind, one thing he most surely left deliberately.

A small card of wood soaked with black ink and had a drawing of a Cobra on it and the two words…

Black Cobra!