#61 Phantom Thief Dauphin (5) – Conversation Under the Crescent Moon

The Crown Prince, feeling ashamed that Claudia had seen through his clone magic (or hadn’t), poured all his efforts into improving it.

He sensed that tinkering in his spare time, as he had before, would take far too long to see results.

First, to free up time for magic analysis and improvement, he snatched up all his subordinates’ paperwork and plowed through an entire week’s worth himself.

You might ask why he didn’t do that regularly, but in reality, this was a calculated risk for the Crown Prince.

Because people admire hard work and talent at first, but then they come to expect it.

Finishing a week’s work in a day doesn’t mean you get six days off; it means you have to do even more work in the remaining six days.

Look no further than why he’s sharing some of the Emperor’s duties at such a young age – because he was doing so well, everyone let him run wild.

Besides, there’s the morale and motivation of his subordinates to consider.

Imagine the sense of deprivation and futility someone would feel if another person came along, glanced at their week’s worth of struggle, and finished it in a day.

Helping out once in a while might be seen as incredibly lucky and appreciated, but if this happens too often, it ultimately leads to a decline in the overall work efficiency of the organization.

That’s what it took, risking all that, pouring time into clone magic, and the results were:

-In the past, spilled blood and detached body parts would immediately turn into mana, creating a high risk of detection. But the new clone leaves traces for at least a week, allowing for a more realistic performance.

-The clone’s disguise function has been greatly improved, making it impossible to see through, even in a weakened state, unless you’re a 6th-circle mage or higher.

-Before, based on single-point specialization, I could unleash 5th-circle power at the cost of self-destruction on top of a basic 4th-circle. Now, I can unleash strength near the tail end of 5th-circle at the cost of self-destruction on top of a basic 5th-circle entry level.

Of course, it’s harder to improve something that’s already good than to make something mediocre good.

Considering the Crown Prince modified clone magic originally used by a Great Demon, his ability to achieve this level of improvement in just over a week is nothing short of transcendent. No wonder the Great Demon treats humans like dirt.

And using this 『Clone Magic Ver 2.0』, the Crown Prince customized the abilities of Phantom Dope in his own style.

In a word, the concept is 『Tool Crafting Specialization』.

Just like how the phantom thief uses smoke bombs, firebombs, gliders, disguise masks, and other various tools to steal targets, Dope had the ability to craft various tools and wield them with expert skill.

Using dozens of temporary golems that only last one night, he performed multiple tasks that one body alone couldn’t handle. He also wielded knight-level athleticism with a body-enhancing suit, and manipulated all kinds of spells with self-made magic playing cards.

Unlike other clones, it requires quite a bit of preparation and materials, and its specs, excluding tool crafting, are at the level of a commoner, but even so, that ability is enough for a single individual to manipulate one of the kingdom’s largest cities.

Unless the Sarnos County family dispatched a knight order directly, at least no single guard could dare discuss capturing him, or anything like that.

─Logically speaking, that’s how it should be.

*Vwooom!*

Dope ducked the strike that ripped through the air while holding down his hat with one hand.

Leaping backwards and throwing a playing card, several stiff cards embedded themselves in Dahlia’s armor, unleashing intense electricity.

An attack that would normally be enough to incapacitate someone.

*Pshaaa!*

But Dahlia charged straight ahead, thrusting her spear without even a twitch, as if she weren’t affected by the electricity at all.

Dope widened his eyes, then asked, as if he were enjoying himself.

“Oho! How did you withstand that? Do you have some kind of special protective magic item?”

The answer came not in words, but in a thrust.

Dope dodged the fierce attack aimed at his shoulder by rolling to the side, and at the same time threw a wire with weights attached to both ends at Dahlia.

The wire spun around as if it had a will of its own, forcibly binding Dahlia’s body, and became tightly entangled.

“This is a special wire for restraint. You can’t break it with sword ki in one go, you’d need to saw through it!”

If it were adventurer Bern, he wouldn’t bother explaining the performance or function of his tools, but this is the jovial Phantom Dope.

The guys I’ve seen so far were all guys I needed to physically restrain before they got happy, so I didn’t feel the need to say anything, but this young lady seems alright.

Thinking so, Dope spread his arms wide and was about to continue boasting about his tools─

*Thud!*

─the next moment, he gaped when he saw Dahlia just tear the wire with brute force, without even using sword ki or anything.

“Hold on a second, will you? Even so, that’s a bit of a blow to my pride as a craftsman, oof!”

Dahlia narrowed her eyes behind her visor at Dophin’s flustered, riddled-with-gaps movements, yet somehow his responses to her attacks were perfect.

Vwooom!

Her attacks intensified, to the point where small gusts of wind whipped through the room with each swing of her spear. Dophin, left with no other choice, retreated to the hole he’d initially infiltrated.

Confined within the restricted space, there was a limit to how he could evade the heavy lance brimming with such terrifying power.

As Dophin nimbly clambered onto the roof, Dahlia leaped after him.

A crescent moon looked down on the night sky.

Dophin, ever dodging the attacks of the guard who fought with straightforward, almost stubborn spearmanship that seemed to reflect her very nature, didn’t stop talking.

“Come to think of it, what’s your name? I’ve seen my fair share of guards, but I’ve never encountered someone as skilled as you!”

“You’ve been running your mouth far too much…! I don’t have a name to give to a thief!”

“That’s certainly a justifiable sentiment as a guard, but that’s precisely why I must ask.”

Dophin’s cloak, draped over his shoulders, seemed to flutter erratically before swelling up, obscuring Dahlia’s vision.

Dahlia swept her spear, forcefully clearing away the cloak, but Dophin was already standing on the spear’s blade, looking down at her.

“What are you fighting for?”

Dahlia swung the spear down as if to shake off dust, and Dophin, in response, executed a somersault in mid-air, landing not on the roof, but in the open air.

Dahlia’s eyes widened at the sight of the phantom thief strolling casually through the air at a height beyond the reach of her spear.

“Flight magic?”

“I’d prefer it if you called it ‘illusion.’ Well, compared to true artisans, I do mix in a few spells here and there, truth be told.”

Dophin shrugged and continued.

“There’s a lot of garbage in this city. No, to be honest, it’s almost admirable in a negative way. It’s a miracle the country’s even functioning.”

Dahlia remained silent.

Dophin knew that silence meant she was calculating whether or not to attack him, but he didn’t care.

It would be rather impudent to initiate a conversation during a fight and then expect the other party to simply listen obediently.

“The trash you’re trying to protect is no different. The victims who have suffered because of him are too many to count on two hands, and they are still suffering this very moment, without ever receiving proper compensation. Knowing this, are you still trying to protect him?”

Normally, Dahlia would have simply ignored the words of a mere thief, but this time, her mouth opened before she could even think.

“The fact that he’s a villain doesn’t justify your actions.”

A bright, light-green gaze pierced Dophin through the slits in her visor.

“If someone commits a crime, they should be punished. But that should happen according to the proper procedures and regulations, not just tearing everything down because you don’t like it! Just because people are enthusiastic about you, does that make you someone special? At the end of the day, what you’re doing is a crime! You’re just a criminal!”

“Hmm.”

Dophin stroked his chin.

Even after Dahlia’s harsh words, he didn’t seem upset.

No, if anything, he seemed almost pleased by them.

“Right. An individual arbitrarily judging and punishing the sins of others could be considered evil from a societal perspective. Because at the end of that is the collapse of order.”

“If you understand, just turn yourself in. If you do it now, we’ll apprehend you without breaking anything.”

“That’s impossible. Even if you don’t lay a hand on me, there’s no guarantee others won’t… and the fact that I’m not the right answer doesn’t mean *you* are, does it?”

“What?”

Dauphin spread his arms wide and raised his voice.

“Order! Discipline! Proper procedure! Fine, truly the right words. But that’s only when those systems are functioning properly. Does it seem to you that this city’s laws and regulations are working correctly?”

Dahlia didn’t answer.

Or perhaps that silence *was* the answer.

Appreciating her sincerity, Dauphin smiled deeply.

“The collapse of order may bring much blood and chaos. But, is it right to ignore those suffering under that order? Rather than constantly ignoring the pus because we’re afraid of spilled blood, isn’t it better in the long run to squeeze it out, even if it’s painful?”

“That’s just sophistry. What right do you have to judge that?”

“I told you, it’s not a question of the *right* answer.”

Dauphin stamped his foot hard in the air, his body sliding down to be right in front of Dahlia’s face.

“No matter what anyone says, I believe what I’m doing is closer to good. Not absolute and perfect good, but at least an action that leans towards the ‘good’ side of the scale of good and evil. So I’ll just do it! Simple as that!”

You can’t always come up with a perfect 100-point answer.

But if you repeat 60 points of good and 40 points of evil, the world will at least improve by 20 points.

That alone is enough reason to act, Dauphin declared.

“My actions are at least righteous to me, and I am at least guiltless to myself. Even if the world sees it as chaos and disorder, it doesn’t matter. If I was going to act according to the law and procedure, why would I be a phantom thief!”

As if trying to see through the mask into Dahlia’s face, Dauphin said, bringing his face closer.

“What about you! Are your actions righteous by your standards? Are you guiltless to yourself? If so, then I have nothing more to say. Even if we can’t work together, that’s clearly another path.”

But if not…

If she can’t declare her actions as good, if she can’t be guiltless about her actions…

“Then don’t hesitate to correct your path. The moment you ignore your inner conscience and deceive yourself, you’ll be reduced to the same being you despise.”

Dahlia’s emerald green eyes widened.

But she quickly gritted her teeth and pushed Dauphin away with all her might.

Dauphin, as if trying to use even that force, leisurely leaped back… but, whether the pushing force was stronger than he thought, he briefly lost his balance and staggered.

He clutched his chest and his lips trembled, as if struggling to endure the pain.

“By the way, are you *really* just a guard? If you’re voluntarily in that position, I have nothing to say, but if you happen to be receiving unfair treatment because you have nowhere else to go, I might be able to introduce you to a good job.”

“Shut up! You criminal!!”

As if refusing to be swayed any longer by that wicked tongue, Dahlia elongated the spear in her hand.

And, with all her might, she slammed that spear down from above.

Dauphin, using the transparent wire he’d preemptively set up, managed to rise into the air again, dodging the attack, but the ground he’d been standing on wasn’t so lucky.

Dahlia, who usually controlled her strength even against criminals, unknowingly let her momentum carry her strike right into the roof.

*KWA-aaaNG!*

Immediately, about a quarter of the building they were on collapsed completely.

“Ah!?”

With a flustered voice, Dahlia was caught in the collapse she’d caused and plummeted straight down.

Watching her fall from mid-air, Dauphin blinked and thought, sweating cold,

‘…At this rate, I might be the first doppelganger to die at someone else’s hand.’