Chapter 99: The Early Bird Catches the Worm (1)

“What do you mean by that offer?” Louis asked, his eyes fixed on Page with keen interest.

“Your goal is obviously the treasure, isn’t it?”

“Well, of course! It’s rather obvious.”

“In that case, let’s collaborate.”

“Huh?” Page blinked at this unexpected suggestion.

“C-collaborate…?”

“Yes, let’s work together to secure the treasure.”

”…Are you suggesting we steal it together?”

“Oh, come now—do we really need to use such a grandiose term as ‘steal’? It’s already considered loot anyway. Whoever gets their hands on it first becomes its rightful owner, don’t you see? That’s precisely what Lord Samuel is trying to pull off. And weren’t you aiming to snatch it from him mid-transfer?”

“That… well, yes.”

“So how about it? Will you join forces with us?”

Louis stared intently at Page.

It had been twenty years since the Night Bats first emerged in the Fall Continent.

That meant she’d been raiding heavily guarded noble estates from the age of nineteen—experience that couldn’t be ignored.

On the other hand, while Louis and his team possessed superior combat skills compared to her, they were practically novices when it came to theft.

Thievery isn’t just about brute force.

Simply breaking everything in sight and stealing whatever remained seemed like a straightforward approach. But why create unnecessary complications?

After all, he had a highly skilled talent right before him.

To seize the loot with minimal repercussions, they needed the expertise of a master thief.

“Hmm…” Page gazed at Louis with a skeptical expression. She couldn’t begin to fathom what this unusually intelligent young master was up to.

Is he really just after stolen goods for their own sake?

Her thoughts raced through various scenarios in rapid succession as she tried to make sense of it all.

Louis patiently waited for her to reach a decision.

After a long moment, Page finally spoke up.

“Alright. But there’s one condition.”

”…A condition?”

“We split the profits from selling the stolen items fifty-fifty.” A hint of nervousness flickered in Page’s eyes. Would this old codger accept her proposal or not? Given his precarious position, he might have been tempted to take advantage of her situation.

Contrary to her expectations, however, Louis readily nodded in agreement.

“Let’s do it. But we’ll have first pick of the stolen goods. Is that agreed?”

”…?!”

The too-easy agreement made Page realize Louis had been thinking about a 50/50 split from the start. She nodded her head.

Seeing this, Louis smiled inwardly.

There’s no better way to control a thief than with money.

Rather than whipping him every time, it was better to offer a carrot now and then. After all, repeated lashings could just as easily lead to rebellion.

And honestly, I don’t stand to lose anything in this deal.

She had risked her life to find out there were any stolen goods at all. Plus…

Since she’ll be doing most of the work anyway… heh-heh.

Was giving half of everything really such a bad idea?

No, this was a problem that needed to be thought of in reverse.

I can just lie back and do half the work with my hands tied behind my back, right?

On top of that, he would have the first choice.

Over a hundred ancient relics?

Such things were plentiful in Genelocer’s lair. All Louis needed now was shiny gold and medicinal herbs.

If I take all the medicinal herbs and precious metals on an exclusive basis…

It would still leave plenty for Louis.

As he chuckled inwardly,

Page was also deep in thought.

Not bad.

Those who knew her true identity—of course, no one had ever seen her face—and Kai, who shared information with her, had joined their side.

If they change their minds…

They had robbed the Fall Continent of all its treasures. Now, observing how their new companions would fare seemed like the best course of action.

Louis watched Page lost in thought before chuckling softly and speaking up:

“Pablo.”

“Yes?”

“Untie her.”

Pablo, who had been watching from afar, cut through the ropes binding Page. Finally free, she rubbed her slightly numb wrists as she stood up. With a smile, she extended her hand towards Louis.

“Let me properly introduce myself. I’m Page.”

“I’m Louis.”

“A pleasure to meet you, Prince Louis.”

“The feeling is mutual. Nice to meet you too.”

“Well then, let’s work together!”

“My thoughts exactly.”

Louis and Page shook hands, both wearing warm smiles directed at each other.

As their eyes met at different levels, they both had one thought:

Keep him close and use her as much as possible!

Stay by his side, keep an eye on things, then take everything and run!

The former was Louis’s plan; the latter belonged to Page.

And so began the game of wits between these two men with separate agendas.

Who would come out victorious in this battle of minds… remained to be seen.

After a brief handshake, Page suddenly exclaimed as if struck by realization:

“Oh wait, you haven’t even secured your tickets yet, have you?”

“No need for that.” With a sly grin, Louis produced airship express tickets from within his coat. “I’ve already taken care of it.”

“…?!”

Thus unfolded a conspiracy hatched in Samuel’s modest inn.

Louis’s group had been able to rest comfortably during their stay at Samuel. On their last day in town, they hurriedly moved about early in the morning so that they could catch a airship ship.

Finally arriving at the dock, the twins rushed toward the enormous vessel before them.

“Whoa!”

“Oh wow!”

Louis chased after his rambunctious children as if he were herding cats while others followed more leisurely behind him.

“Hurry up!”

Page dressed extravagantly like an aristocratic lady called out impatiently.

“Pardon me… I’m just not used to these clothes…” Pablo fidgeted uncomfortably; it was his first time wearing such formal attire.

Pablo felt Page’s hands on his arm as she stood close to him with her arms crossed.

“Hem!” Pablo cleared his throat awkwardly at Page’s touch.

In response, Page leaned down and whispered softly into his ear:

”…Work on your expression. Remember, we’re supposed to be married right now.”

“Oh, of course. My w-w-wife…”

”…”

Seeing that Pablo couldn’t pull off the act, Page shook her head slightly, seemingly giving up.

As they chased after the children who had run ahead, the unruly twins caused trouble once again.

Thud.

Khan bumped into a middle-aged man, causing the bag he was carrying to fall straight to the ground.

Crash.

Something inside the fallen bag shattered on impact.

“Oh no!” The middle-aged man jumped in surprise.

Meanwhile, Louis caught up to the twins and grabbed them by their scruffs.

“I told you not to run!”

“Hic…”

“Hee hic…”

Louis lightly pinched their foreheads. Though he didn’t hurt them, they clutched their heads and slumped dejectedly.

After finally calming down the twins, Louis bowed apologetically towards the flustered middle-aged man.

“My goodness! I’m terribly sorry about that. Khan, what are you waiting for?! Apologize immediately!”

“It was my fault…” Khan responded with a deep 90-degree bow, his belly touching the ground.

Louis approached the middle-aged man and asked, “Are you alright? If anything was damaged, we’ll compensate for it.”

“W-What do you think is in here?”

“Well, what is it? Is there really something inside?”

“What?”

“Is it some kind of medicine? I’ve been smelling a foul odor for a while now.” Louis wrinkled his nose as he looked at the bag emitting a strange stench.

The middle-aged man became flustered by Louis’s reaction instead. He jumped up, glanced around nervously, then hugged the bag close and shouted:

“N-no idea! Just watch where you’re going from now on!”

With that, he hastily ran off into the distance.

“What’s going on…?” Louis had been prepared to compensate for any damage caused by his mistake but now watched blankly as a man suddenly dashed away from them before breaking into laughter.

“Well, if he says it’s okay… My money is safe!” He wasn’t sure what it meant that the man disappeared without demanding compensation, but Louis decided to interpret it favorably and accepted their good fortune.

Instead, he grabbed both twins firmly by the back of their necks so they couldn’t run around causing more trouble.

“You two better behave yourselves,” he warned sternly.

“Wahh…” one twin whimpered.

“I’m sorryyyyy…” cried out the other.

The twins allowed themselves to be dragged along by Louis since they knew they were in the wrong.

As Louis strolled leisurely, he found himself approaching the airship. His eyes sparkled as he gazed up at its massive body.

Not bad at all.

The overall shape of the airship resembled a huge ship without sails. Where the sail should have been, there was an enormous balloon, reminiscent of a rugby ball laid on its side. Additionally, two engines that appeared to be propulsion devices were mounted on either side of the vessel.

Having honed his understanding of artifacts during his stay in the Tower of Wishes, Louis immediately grasped the principle behind the airship.

It operates on a similar principle to hot air balloons, but with sacred scripture incorporated.

To Louis, who had even created hovercrafts, it seemed like rudimentary technology. However, this airship might very well represent the pinnacle of engineering in this world.

It was as I suspected… The Tower of Wishes is truly extraordinary.

Dexter had created this relic by leaping beyond conventional worldviews with his over-technology, resulting in a transcendent artifact. Its technology was so far ahead of its time—and people lacked the discernment to appreciate it—that it received little recognition. Yet, there was no need to elaborate on the greatness of the Tower of Wishes.

Now that the tower belonged to Louis, he felt slightly uplifted at its immense potential.

As Louis smiled contentedly, a voice flowed into his ears from behind him:

“What are you doing here? Let’s go already!”

“…” Pablo and Page had approached without him noticing. Louis couldn’t help but stare incredulously at Pablo’s back.

Why is he acting like such an idiot?

It had only been a few days since Pablo was trembling at the thought of boarding the airship train. Yet today, for some reason, he seemed perfectly fine—no, even more than fine; he appeared to be in peak condition.

Louis glared at Pablo with a puzzled expression before taking his twins’ hands and chasing after him.

Soon, Louis’s group joined the line for the airship train. A man inspecting passengers scanned them over: a burly, menacing-looking fellow, a slightly older woman who seemed like nobility, two adorable and exceptionally pretty twins, and another child with bright eyes.

Though their overall appearance wasn’t ordinary by any means, they could easily pass as a family. The inspector checked their tickets without much suspicion, handed them back, and briefed them on safety matters.

“Weapons are prohibited inside the airship. If you have any weapons with you, please leave them here and collect them when you disembark.”

Louis’s group was already aware of the ban on bringing weapons onto the private train. Their arms had long been stored in Louis’s pocket dimension.

“We don’t have any weapons,” Louis replied.

“Once you’re aboard, a guide will escort you around. Since there are five of you, two cabins will be provided. Have a pleasant journey!”

“Thank you very much. Come, let us proceed.” Pablo, who had taken up the role of leader, awkwardly guided his companions into the train.

Soon, the interior of the private carriage greeted them.

How opulent it is, they thought.

The interior of the private train was indeed lavish, befitting the exorbitant price they had paid for their passage.

As they looked around, a woman dressed in a white blouse approached them.

“Welcome to the private shuttle Cryon. I will show you to your rooms. This way please.”

The group followed her up a large staircase.

“These two adjoining rooms should suit you well. If you need anything else, please find me in the central lobby.”

“Thank you very much.”

With that, she bowed slightly and left.

Although she was gone, one problem remained…

Pablo blinked his eyes as he asked,

“So… how do we decide who gets which room?”

Louis scanned their companions with a quick glance at this question.

There were five people but only two rooms available.

I need to keep an eye on the twins for starters…

Additionally, although Page was cooperating now, someone needed to monitor her since his allegiance could change at any moment.

After brief deliberation, Louis turned to Pablo and said:

“You’ll share a room with Page.”

“What?!” Pablo exclaimed, startled by this arrangement.

Meanwhile, Page seemed quite content with it.

“That works well enough. We’re pretending to be married anyway, so sharing a room makes sense.”

“I-I suppose you’re right…” Despite his words, Pablo’s ears flushed red as he imagined what might happen between them.

Seeing this reaction, Louis sent him a message:

Twitch, twitch.

Pablo vigorously shook his head as if he had never even entertained such thoughts.

Pablo nodded so quickly in response to Louis’s message that it seemed like his head might fly off.

With that, they split into two groups and entered their respective rooms.

“Oooohhh!”

“There are two beds!”

The twins excitedly jumped around on the large bed.

Just then, a horn sounded.

Toooooooot.

It was the signal announcing the departure of the airship. The twins and Louis rushed to the window.

Three small heads crowded together in front of the round window.

“We’re finally taking off?”

“It’s flying! It’s flying! It’s finally flying!”

“…It isn’t yet.”

“It hasn’t taken off! Not yet!”

“…Now it is.”

“We’re flying! We’re really flying!”

The large airship rose quickly into the sky. Louis and the twins enjoyed the sensation of their stomachs tingling as they looked down below them.

Samuel territory shrank in size from their view.

We’re actually leaving…

Just like when they left the winter continent, there was a bittersweet feeling about departing this eventful autumn land.

I think promising Grandpa Dexter made me feel even more emotional.

They had promised to return someday. Although no one knew when that would be, they were confident they’d keep their promise one day.

Is it summer already?

From winter through fall to summer—Louis had traversed half of his decade-long journey in merely two years at an absurdly rapid pace.

Now feeling more relaxed, Louis smiled broadly.

Goodbye, autumn.

He left behind the pleasant weather of fall.

Let’s go, summer!

His flight toward the passionate heat of summer began anew.