Short Story: Chivalrous Thieves in Another World

“Oh crap, a guard! Hurry, follow me!”

Five shadowed figures stood on a rooftop and watched the lone guard run toward the voice. The man was unaware he was being lured away on a wild goose chase.

“Heh, looks like he fell for the decoy…”

The voice had been nothing but a distraction, and now their obstacle was negated. The leader of the Red Cats, Nia Vermouth, grinned broadly and began to laugh.

“Nia, don’t let your guard down yet. We aren’t done here,” Est Floatier, the deputy leader, quickly reprimanded her commander. She’d known the girl long enough to know she often got ahead of herself.

“We managed the job faster than I expected.”

“Well, we do have this little fella on our side…”

Euri and Euni, two high-ranking members of the Red Cats, grinned as they gestured toward a little humanoid that stood nearby. It was a small, child-sized Gollem that was clad in red armor. At first glance, it looked like a standard automaton, but this little guy was Blood Rouge, the red crown. The crown series of Gollems were at the apex of Gollem power.

Rouge was carrying a small safe on his shoulder, one it had pilfered from the mansion. The safe contained some valuables, but it also contained documentation and evidence of illegitimate business transactions, along with embezzling. If they were ever leaked, then the merchant who lived in the mansion would lose the backing of the nobles who supported him, and he’d likely be ruined.

“Any issues, Rouge?”

“Negative. All systems nominal.”

Rouge had been damaged in a clash with another crown and had recently been repaired thanks to the help of a mysterious stranger.

This mission was also being used to test whether or not Rouge was operating smoothly again.

“I’m glad that Touya guy managed to fix you… But I really wonder what was up with that guy.”

“Yeah, he had a ton of valuable metal and could use all kinds of magic… He was definitely a weirdo, but I don’t think he’s bad.”

There weren’t many in the world that could use magic. Gollems were typically used as magical tools instead. It was a cheaper long-term investment to buy a Gollem than it was to hire the services of a mage.

“Weird or not, he still helped us. We’ll have to be sure to repay him whenever he comes back.”

“Yep. So let’s make money while we can.”

“Let’s get out of here, anyway… Don’t wanna run into the guards.”

“Roger.”

At Est’s urging, the five shadowed figures made their escape. And, as they vanished under the starry sky, the Reverse World felt just a little bit more righteous.