“Tsuns, tsuns.”
“…Hello? Are you alive?”
Even I, after all this time, didn’t want to touch the body of a stranger, so I picked up a nearby stick and poked it.
“…Ugh… –”
It seemed like she was still alive, as there was a faint reaction.
If I leave her like this, she’ll probably die soon.
I let out a sigh and grabbed the ankle of the fallen person, deciding to drag her out.
When I touched her ankle, it was incredibly thin.
Was this person female, or suffering from malnutrition?
And when I grabbed her ankle, an indescribable chill ran through my entire body.
“Alright, I’m going to drag you out now.”
In response to my declaration, Eria, who had discovered the fallen person, looked on with curiosity, while Alicia and Edele frowned.
As for me, I was confused about the source of the discomfort I felt the moment I touched her, but I quickly got used to it.
“…Ugh… …Ugh… –”
“Wh-what is this!?”
The person I dragged out was a severely injured individual, bleeding profusely from her right flank, forming a pool of blood.
She had fiery red hair, and when I turned her over, a cool mask, like those used at masquerade balls, covered her face.
Looking behind the bridge girder where her head was, I saw a wide-brimmed hat had fallen off.
She was wearing a jet-black cloak, but her mud- and blood-stained outfit retained a trace of the splendor of formal knight attire.
Although her attire was peculiar, she didn’t seem like a mere vagrant, but rather someone with a story.
“Hal-sama, Hal-sama. I think I know who this person is.”
Edele, upon seeing the person I dragged out, pressed on.
“Eria seems to know something, but who is this person?”
“Hal-sama, haven’t you seen the wanted posters? I suspect she’s that notorious phantom thief causing a stir in town.”
“If this person is a phantom thief… then that’s why there was so much commotion around? So, are we just going to hand her over like this?”
“No, Hal. If we dally, this girl will die.”
At this point, Alicia, who had been staring cautiously, pointed out that the fallen person was a girl.
Indeed, upon closer inspection, I felt as though her chest was slightly developing.
I immediately chanted ‘Healing Magic’ and ‘Washing’ to heal the body of the girl, who I suspected was the phantom thief, and then washed away the bloodstains that had contaminated the surroundings, destroying the evidence.
“Eria, I’m sorry to trouble you, but could you go into the back of the bridge girder and check if there are any remaining items? There’s a hat lying back there, at least. I’ll carry this girl on my back to the inn.”
“Yes, Hal-sama.”
“Alicia and Edele, keep watch of the surroundings.”
“Understood, Hal.”
“Acknowledged, but it seems like we might have a new Party Member…”
Eria followed my instructions and checked the gap behind the bridge girder, finding the hat and a drawn rapier.
Then, looking at the girl’s waist, I noticed she was wearing a scabbard for the rapier.
If we stayed here any longer, there was a possibility of being found by the searching Espana soldiers.
It would have been fine if Alicia handled it as usual, but with such a large piece of evidence, or rather, a criminal, it would be difficult to come up with an excuse.
“Then let’s go back. Edele, who knows a shortcut, lead the way.”
“Hal, you’ll stand out in this getup.”
“R-right… How about this!?”
I took off the black cloak the girl was wearing and handed it to Eria, and then peeled off the mask covering her face.
Beneath the mask, the girl’s beautiful bare face was revealed.
However, she seemed to have lost too much blood and was unconscious.
At that moment, mixed with her fiery red hair, I saw a strand of dark blue hair.
So, when I pulled at her hair, a red wig came off, revealing lustrous dark blue hair braided and tied up.
I decided to have Eria take care of this wig as well.
Finally, I removed the rapier from her waist, along with the leather sheath it was hanging from, and handed them over. Then, I slowly lifted her up and slung her limp body over my back.
“How about this?”
“With this… she wouldn’t be recognized as the same person as the phantom thief, would she? Still, her features have a somewhat noble air.”
I managed to get a passing grade from Alicia.
And so, we headed to the inn, having rescued the girl who was likely the phantom thief causing a stir in the world.
Occasionally, we passed by soldiers from the Espana Imperial Army, their faces contorted with panic, but they seemed to believe the phantom thief was alone, and no one paid us any attention.
“Welcome back, Hal-sama. The others have already returned.”
When I opened the door to the rented room, Liliana greeted me.
“I’m sorry, Liliana, could you clear up one of the beds for me!”
“What’s wrong? Did someone get injured? But Hal-sama should be able to heal them right away…”
“On my way to gather information, I picked up a dying girl with a severe injury to her right flank. And this girl seems to be the phantom thief causing trouble in the world…”
I showed Liliana the girl I was carrying on my back with a wry smile.
“…I see. For now, please take her to the leftmost bed.”
“Understood.”
After laying the girl on the bed, I asked about the wanted poster for that phantom thief, and it turned out there was one posted on the lobby wall of this inn.
I hurried to check the contents, and it said the following:
◇
Wanted Poster ( Phantom Thief Le Vina☆Star )
This individual is an extremely wicked person who has raided numerous merchant houses and stolen valuables.
Her face is unknown due to the wide-brimmed hat and mask she wears, but she is a thief who excels at elusive, phantom-like operations.
The only known characteristic is her fiery red hair, which she lets flow.
She wears a dark cloak and, based on her attire, which resembles the ceremonial uniform of the fallen Yangas Kingdom’s Royal Guards, she is presumed to be a remnant of that kingdom.
Her weapon is a rapier, which is also the standard equipment of those Royal Guards.
Her skill with the rapier does not exceed that of an average knight, but her elusiveness is her defining characteristic.
The reward is 50 Gold Coins (equivalent to 5 million yen), and her life is not spared.
◇
I reread the wanted poster and looked again at the girl in a comatose state on the bed. As Eria had pointed out, there was no doubt that this girl was Phantom Thief Le Vina☆Star.
Currently, we are investigating the Former Yangas Kingdom Territory for Liliana, but should we hand this girl over to the Espana Imperial Army as a ‘minor issue before a major one’?
However, if I hand her over, this girl will undoubtedly be executed.
On the other hand, this girl is not stealing for personal gain, but is a righteous thief who distributes the stolen goods to the impoverished populace.
What should I do!? This is giving me a severe headache.
It’s just that I rescued her in the usual flow of things. However, it would be cruel to abandon her in this state.
“Hal-sama, this girl is said to be Phantom Thief Le Vina☆Star, who is causing a stir in the world, but isn’t she dangerous? Shouldn’t we conduct a Body Check on her while we have the chance?”
Elise asked me with a black smile.
“This girl was near death with a fatal wound on her right flank and heavy bleeding. She’ll likely wake up tomorrow. And Elise’s concern is valid. We’ve recovered the rapier she had at her waist, but we can’t rule out the possibility that she has other Hidden Weapons. So, let’s proceed with the Body Check immediately.”
“Understood. The more eyes for the examination, the better, so I’ll call for anyone who’s free.”
When I mentioned conducting a Body Check on the rescued girl, Elise went around calling the Party Members who were relaxing in the living room, and in the end, everyone gathered in the bedroom.
It’s quite cramped, but there’s no other way.
“I will remove her clothes one by one, so please tell me if you notice anything.”
” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” “Yes, Hal-sama.”
Those who replied were the 12 members of the ‘Princess Harem’ Party, along with Alicia, and perched on my shoulder was the Sex Spirit (Ero) Oyajin, Holy Spirit Serena. A total of 14 people.
That Oyajin’s eyes were shining brightly, and he was perched on my shoulder, the best seat.
“Hey! Serena, don’t spit on her clothes!”
“Ah, I am calm… Yo.”
Oyajin says that, but I don’t trust him at all.
“Then, let’s begin the Body Check.”
I declared the start of the Body Check and observed the girl sleeping soundly on the bed.
Her complexion was pale from blood loss, and she was breathing shallowly.
Her hair color was lustrous dark blue; when I first rescued her, she was wearing a red wig.
Her hair also seemed to be grown long, like that of a Noblewoman, but it was currently tightly braided and tied up.
“Her complexion is certainly pale…”
In this state, there was no way to confirm her iris color, but her facial features were such that she could be called a Beautiful girl.
Continuing, I removed the duvet, revealing her knight attire.
“Th-this outfit is indeed the formal attire of our Yangas Royal Guard… but… I don’t recognize this girl.”
Liliana tilted her head, stating she didn’t recognize the girl after confirming her face.
This information comes from Liliana, the First Princess of the Yangas Kingdom, so it has high credibility.
Then, is this knight attire meant to impersonate remnants of the Yangas Kingdom?
“It looks like she was cut here with a sword.”
The right flank I pointed to had a tear in the fabric, revealing her bare skin.
First, I removed her knee-high boots, which I had forgotten to take off, and then her socks, revealing her cute feet.
Her legs were slender and smooth, and her toes were also cute.
Next, I removed the leather belt that held her rapier with a “Shu—”.
And then, though it’s a bit regrettable, I unfastened the button of her pants and started taking them off.
Beneath her pants, cute floral panties appeared.
The floral pattern made it difficult to discern the contours of her secret place, but since I’ll be stripping her completely naked in the end, I’ll save the enjoyment for last.
“For a phantom thief, she has quite a cute taste.”
Kirika reacted the most to these floral panties.
Furthermore, her pants were pulled down, and now the floral panties were fully exposed.
Naturally, her lower body, which was covered by the panties, was also completely visible, from her lower abdomen to the roots of her thighs.
Finally, her pants were pulled down, leaving only the floral panties to protect her lower half.
In a word, it’s a privilege to be able to see the slender legs of a Beautiful girl of marriageable age, and her crotch.
However, I was also mindful of the gazes of the girls around me.
“For now, it doesn’t seem like she’s hiding anything unusual.”
Ly seemed to be observing rather calmly.
Perhaps she had learned how to deal with assassins as a former princess of a great nation.
“Judging by her crotch area and leg condition, this girl appears to be a virgin. It wouldn’t be like this if she were a prostitute.”
The next to speak was Eria, a former high-class prostitute.
According to Eria, when a woman falls into prostitution, certain characteristics manifest in her body.
This time, I unfastened the gilded decorative buttons on her top one by one, and removed the luxurious knight attire adorned with gold trim, revealing a pure white Dress Shirt underneath.
The Dress Shirt was long-sleeved, and I removed the stylish cufflinks that fastened her cuffs.
