Chapter 033: Mine
The girl who appeared behind him looked to be about fifteen or sixteen years old. She had pale pink eyes and long pink twin tails, dressed in an elegant pale pink dress and little leather shoes. Even her delicate and adorable face was flushed a soft pink with anger.
“Finally, I’ve caught you, you despicable thief! How dare you make me look so humiliating!” she shouted, storming up to Kobayashi.
Though she didn’t know how he had stolen her wallet, she yelled, “I’ll take you straight to the guards. They’ll lock you up for sure! Mark my words, you’re finished!”
Anyone would be upset after being suddenly berated like that, especially when misunderstood. But Kobayashi knew better than to speak at this moment. The more he tried to explain, the more it would seem like he was guilty, fueling her anger even more.
The best course was to let the girl vent her fury until her mind calmed.
Kobayashi stayed motionless.
Once her shouting lost steam, he calmly asked, “Finished talking?”
“Huh?! You thief…” she sputtered.
“Stop calling me a thief so rudely. Don’t you know that’s impolite? And what proof do you have that I’m a thief?” Kobayashi’s retort left the girl momentarily speechless.
Though inwardly annoyed, she couldn’t find a rebuttal, so instead glared at him angrily.
“This purse was given to me by an elderly woman who’s crippled and visually impaired… Oh, I see you’re starting to understand now,” Kobayashi said with a faint, mocking chuckle as her expression suddenly changed.
“N-No, I was just trying to help her out of kindness…” The girl seemed incredulous that her goodwill had been exploited.
After a moment, she regained composure and, somewhat haughtily, said, “Then you should return the wallet to me. It’s mine!”
“Yours? What evidence do you have?”
“There’s nine gold and fifteen silver coins inside. You can open it if you don’t believe me.”
She sounded certain of the amount.
Kobayashi opened the purse and counted roughly—it was exactly as she said. Not only that, but there were plenty of copper coins at the bottom. The money was more than she claimed.
“Hey—so it really is,” he said.
“I told you so! Doesn’t that prove the wallet is mine… Wait, what are you doing?!”
With a disbelieving look, the girl watched as Kobayashi casually took out a gold coin and slipped it into his own pocket.
“Now it’s no longer the same,” he said.
“Huh?!”
“Now it’s eight gold and fifteen silver; the amount doesn’t match what you said.”
His smile widened.
Being accused without reason—did they think he was that easy to fool? If he wasn’t going to make things difficult, how could he?
“The amount of money inside can be guessed at randomly. You might have just been lucky to guess right. Without concrete proof, I’m not giving it back to you.”
“You scoundrel…!”
The girl ground her teeth, glaring fiercely.
She had never met such a shameless person, yet she was powerless against him, even briefly harboring the terrifying thought, “I just want to blow him away!”
But she couldn’t leave without her money.
Pursing her lips and clenching her fists, she reluctantly whispered, “My name, Main, is sewn on the inner lining of the wallet.”
Opening it, Kobayashi found two small characters stitched inside.
Though he had never seen this script before, he inexplicably understood the meaning—Main.
It seemed the purse truly belonged to her.
He pulled out the gold coin from his pocket and tossed both it and the purse back to her.
“Eh?”
Main was surprised; she hadn’t expected Kobayashi to return the money after just a little trouble.
“Don’t want it?”
“Of course not!” Main clutched the purse tightly, afraid it would be stolen again.
Seeing her like this, Kobayashi couldn’t help but chuckle softly.
Main, realizing she’d made a fool of herself, still elegantly lifted her hem and struck a noble lady’s dignified pose.
“Thank you anyway.”
“You’re welcome. If you could just tone down your temper a bit, I think we’d get along much better.”
Kobayashi teased her lightly, a small act of revenge.
“You…!”
Main was momentarily speechless but, having just suffered a loss, muttered grudgingly, “I understand. Thanks for the advice.”
“By the way, if you really want to thank me, why not buy me a meal? I happen to be hungry.”
Kobayashi raised an eyebrow, suggesting this to Main.
“Hmph, just a meal? No problem!”
Main was generous and agreed readily.
—At a small tavern—
“Let’s order first.”
The three sat in a corner, ordering some food before starting to talk.
Most of the time, Kobayashi asked questions while Main answered.
From the information she provided, this country was an ancient land with a civilization spanning a thousand years, also the most powerful nation in the world.
Its supreme ruler was the emperor; the government was divided into civilian officials managing politics and military generals managing the armed forces. The highest-ranking civilian was the prime minister, while the top general led the military.
The city Kobayashi was in now was the imperial capital, where the emperor and prime minister resided.
Despite being the empire’s heart, it was rotten and decayed, and the people lived in hardship.
Rumor had it that the prime minister, who manipulated the emperor from behind the scenes, was the root cause of the people’s suffering.
Main’s clenched teeth when speaking of the prime minister suggested a deep-seated grudge.
But this was just background information.
What caught Kobayashi’s attention most was Main’s mention of something called the “Imperial Tools.”
According to legend, a thousand years ago, the founding emperor, to maintain long-lasting rule, summoned the world’s finest craftsmen using the empire’s vast wealth and power. They used legendary, extremely dangerous creatures as raw materials, combined with rare metals like Ohaari steel and long-lost secret techniques, to create forty-eight unique weapons that could never be replicated. These were collectively called the Imperial Tools.
Imperial Tools, empire, imperial capital, prime minister, Main, and the darkness hidden beneath the splendor…
Kobayashi knew exactly what world he had entered.
“How can you not even know something so basic?!” Main, parched from talking, took a large gulp of water and then vented, “Unbelievable. Are you some country bumpkin or what?”
“Ah, I really am from the countryside,” Kobayashi didn’t deny it. “I left my village hoping to make a name for myself in the imperial capital.”
“Countryside?”
Main looked at him strangely, then glanced at Ryuushi, who was dressed in even more splendid attire than her.
But everyone had their secrets, so she didn’t press further.
When she saw Ryuushi sitting quietly without a word, she politely offered, “Perhaps the dishes we ordered don’t suit this lady here. Should we order something else?”
“No, no need.”
Kobayashi gently declined her kindness. “She doesn’t need to eat, or even drink water or sleep.”
“Huh? Who doesn’t need to eat, drink, or sleep… Wait!”
Main started to retort but suddenly stopped, recalling Kobayashi’s strong reaction when the Imperial Tools were mentioned, seeming to realize something.
“Could it be… she is an Imperial Tool?”
“…Yes.”
Under Main’s anxious, expectant gaze, Kobayashi paused briefly before nodding slowly.
An actual Imperial Tool?
Main’s eyes widened with excitement. She had encountered a wild Imperial Tool user!
It was well known that Imperial Tools were incredibly powerful.
If they could find another user, they’d have a better chance of overthrowing the prime minister and toppling the empire’s rotten regime!
No Imperial Tool user could be left behind!
Recalling what her boss had said, Main cleared her throat and said to Kobayashi, “I remember you said you’re from the countryside and came here to make a name for yourself?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Would you like some help? Consider it a reward for finding my wallet.”
“Well…”
“Stop hesitating!”
Seeing Kobayashi’s reluctance, Main slammed the table in frustration. “I rarely thank anyone. Since I said I’ll help you, just accept it! Otherwise, starting from being a low-ranking soldier, how long do you think it takes to become a captain or general? In the imperial capital, connections are the most important!”
“Having connections helps you get promoted faster?”
“Exactly!”
“…Alright, I accept.”
Seeing Kobayashi accept her offer, Main’s heart leapt in triumph.
—He’s hooked!