#72 Dauphin the Phantom Thief (16) – Infiltration

Rumors, by their very nature, are subject to exaggeration, distortion, and adaptation during their spread.

In that regard, the rumor circulating in Levreuk was rather peculiar, because its content was remarkably consistent.

—The 8th Squad Leader is colluding with Dauphin! The reason the 8th Squad Leader has been so successful all this time is because they were in cahoots with Dauphin!

—But when a righteous Knights Order appeared and her position was threatened, this time she helped the culprit by leaking information from the inside!

—What a despicable and sordid act, the 8th Squad Leader must be severely punished immediately!

In the rumor, the Knights Order were victims who were unable to display their full potential due to the betrayal of a vile ally. Dalia, meanwhile, was the scum who, out of jealousy for the Order, concocted a foul conspiracy.

Of course, that was inevitable.

After all, it was the hired propagandists of the Knights Order who were actively spreading the rumors in the first place.

“What’s the public reaction?”

“For now, everyone seems rather perplexed, but it’s only a matter of time before that changes.”

At the Vice-Captain’s answer, the Knights Order Captain gave a satisfied smile.

Thinking about it rationally, the rumors currently sweeping Levreuk had more than a few dubious points.

Even so, is it really possible to carry out such grand schemes with just one accomplice?

Numerous people watched the confrontation between Dauphin and Dalia directly, their emotions rising and falling with each twist and turn. Is it really possible to deceive all of their eyes?

Even if the rumor were true, that would simply mean the Knights Order was a group manipulated by one internal traitor. Can they really claim to have no responsibility in that case?

In fact, among those who heard the rumor, some even argued against it with these logical points. However, their voices never became the mainstream opinion.

—Are you taking the side of a thief and a traitor? Are you part of the same gang?

The moment they tried to express their opinion, the Knights Order’s hired shills branded them as being on the traitor’s side, overwhelming them with one-sided accusations.

By forcefully suppressing dissenting voices and amplifying the voices condemning Dalia, even those who were initially tilting their heads, thinking “Is this right?”, were slowly being swept up in the current.

It’s still just a “rumor” for now, but it won’t be long before that rumor is transformed into the real truth.

“The others aren’t important. Devote particular attention to controlling the public opinion in the upper-class district. The other rabble are just a bonus. What truly matters is how the powerful accept this matter.”

“Understood.”

The Knights Order Captain’s eyes flashed as he nodded sharply to the Vice-Captain.

“Now is the critical moment. We must not show Dauphin any openings for the time being!”

The Knights Order evaded all responsibility by shifting the blame for their past failures entirely onto Dalia.

However, conversely, this meant that if Dauphin were to strike again while Dalia was captured, then no excuse would be possible.

Given that they’ve been helplessly defeated thus far, one might think that merely changing their mindset wouldn’t improve their situation, but the Knights Order Captain wasn’t entirely witless either.

Because some of the targets, utterly terrified by the sight of the Knights getting thoroughly trounced, collectively swallowed their pride and bowed their heads to the victims, the number of individuals the Knights now had to protect had dwindled to fewer than ten.

Ordinarily, not being able to safeguard that many people would be a bad thing, but at least in terms of direct protection, it was overwhelmingly advantageous.

Adding to that, they’d succeeded in confining all their charges to a single building for roughly a month.

Even if it *was* Dauphin, he wouldn’t dare stick his nose into a place swarming with over a hundred Knights, with the Order’s Commander himself residing there.

And if Dauphin hesitated to act, they could further solidify the claim that he was scared and shrinking back because his ‘inside collaborator’ had disappeared.

Of course, after a month, they’d have to resume the difficult fight against Dauphin, but at least they could wash away the humiliating label of “Knights, worse than the Guards.”

“This time, we’ll show them the true strength of the Sarnos Knights!”

“Yes, Commander!”

The Knights, in their own way, had devised a plausible plan, but they didn’t truly understand.

They didn’t grasp what they had meddled with.

*

As the Knights intended, public opinion toward Dahlia in the upper-class district had definitely soured.

But in other districts, voices quite different from the Knights’ intentions were beginning to emerge. This could be gleaned from a certain conversation unfolding in the commoner districts.

“Squad Leader Eight and Dauphin are actually allies? So… they’re on our side?”

The words, blurted out by a young man with a slightly dim-witted look, caused the expressions of the other young men at the table to shift subtly.

“Hey, weren’t you just gleefully denouncing him as a villain blocking the righteous Dauphin, a dirty lackey hanging around with nobles?” one chided, questioning such a quick change of heart. But the simple-minded youth remained unapologetically confident.

“That’s because I thought he was stopping Dauphin! If he was actually helping him, then he’s an ally!”

“Uh…”

The young man who had initially challenged him stammered, momentarily lost for words. Others chimed in.

“No, but it’s not that simple, is it? If this whole thing was a plot between Dauphin and Squad Leader Eight, then it’s the same as betraying and deceiving us.”

“And secretly sabotaging the organization he belongs to is… a bit much.”

The dim-witted youth looked genuinely perplexed by these opinions. “Why is that betrayal? I didn’t lose anything. In fact, I feel great seeing those nobles get taken down. And anyway, besides Squad Eight, the Guards were useless, and the Knights treat us like insects. What’s wrong with stabbing those b*stards in the back?”

“Well, obviously… um.”

The young men who had reflexively tried to argue back suddenly fell silent, lost in thought.

‘It sounds a bit… off, but isn’t the core of what he’s saying not exactly wrong?’

If Dahlia *was* truly an internal collaborator.

Had it caused them any harm?

Dauphin’s main targets were, after all, the malicious power-holders and perpetrators. Citizens who were direct victims received compensation, and even those who weren’t directly affected reaped indirect benefits.

“Betray the Guard? The honor of the Knights dragged through the mud? What’s it to us? Isn’t it a good thing those b*stards got what was coming to them?”

If Dahlia was complicit, shouldn’t they be praising her, not cursing her, from their perspective?

Outright scorn for the nobility and Knights, like the rantings of drunken youths, was rare (not for lack of discontent, but for fear of prying eyes), but more than a few were secretly pleased by the news that Dahlia and Dauphin were, in truth, on the same side.

“Knew it all along. The only ones in the Guard who ever looked out for us were that lass and her crew, weren’t they?”

“Aigo, aigo! And here I was, cursing her something fierce, without knowing… I feel terrible!”

To the citizens of Levreux, the 8th Platoon had always been something like the Guard’s ‘conscience’.

After all, while the rest of the Guard only lingered in the affluent districts and neglected them, these were the only ones who protected them from crime. It was only natural.

So, when they saw Dahlia blocking Dauphin, they felt even greater disappointment, as they had inwardly considered her one of their own. But now that they heard Dahlia was actually in league with Dauphin, their faces lit up, finally understanding her true intentions.

This, too, was a reaction far from the truth in some ways, but it was also evidence that they needed a reason not to hate Dahlia, or a basis to believe she was an ally.

If Dahlia or the 8th Platoon had been disliked from the start, even if such rumors had spread, most people would have either ignored them or been busy cursing them, rather than trying to interpret them positively.

The firewood was steadily, meticulously, being stacked.

*

A grand manor in the northern part of the upper-class district.

The place Count Sarnos used when staying in Levreux, now serving as the Knights’ residence. A young man strode confidently toward the building.

Without even a carriage, let alone attending servants or guards, the knight guarding the main gate stepped in front of the young man, blocking his path.

“Halt. Unauthorized personnel are not permitted beyond this point.”

“Authorization? Are you talking to *me*? Are you daft?”

The young man clicked his tongue, seemingly dumbfounded, and the knight’s expression soured in response to his irritable outburst.

Each knight belonging to the Sarnos Order was a noble from the Kingdom of Virka, and a powerful fighter with skill of at least the 4th level, so they were all known for holding their heads high.

Just as he was about to retort with some heat, the other gatekeeper, who had been looking at the young man’s face with a hesitant expression, suddenly jumped forward, startled.

“Greetings to the Tax Officer of Levreux!”

A chill ran down the spine of the knight who had almost started a scuffle at his comrade’s words.

It wasn’t the title of Tax Officer that mattered. Rather, it was his lineage that was more important.

The Tax Officer of Levreux was one of Count Sarnos’ children.

Although not a child of the legitimate wife, but of a concubine, the Count held the Tax Officer in such high regard that he had placed him in a key position in a major territory.

“You’re the ones who told me to come here, aren’t you? Inviting a guest, and *this* is how you greet them? Huh?”

The two knights began to sweat at his exceedingly prickly response.

They displayed an overbearing attitude towards the commoners, but they weren’t so stiff-necked as to dare to stand up to the Count’s beloved son.

Especially since the Tax Officer was known for his extremely fastidious and mercurial temperament.

“W-we apologize. We were slow to realize, as there seemed to be no one else here to properly greet such a distinguished guest.”

“Having seen a thing or two, moving in a pack just makes you an easier target. Quiet and sneaky, that’s the best way. Those with luggage will arrive later, so keep that in mind. And you, what’s your name?”

“Pardon?”

“Your name, what is it?”

The knight’s eyes darted this way and that.

He didn’t want to answer, his face betrayed worry that refusing would only bring a greater misfortune down on him.

The tax official clicked his tongue.

“Hah, forget it. I’ll let it slide just this once, so open the damn gate.”

The eyes of the two knights flashed to meet each other.

They, too, yearned to be done with this charade, but the Captain of the Guard had issued strict orders.

“We, we apologize, Tax Official. Before entering the manor, you must undergo a physical examination.”

“Dopang is skilled in disguise, and he has used it to deceive people more than once. This is to perfectly safeguard those staying at the manor, so we humbly ask for your cooperation.”

“Damn it, so you’re saying you suspect *me* of being that dog, Dopang?”

“We beg you to understand. This is also for the safety of you and all the esteemed guests!”

The tax official cursed a blue streak, railing against them, but the knights, though cringing, wouldn’t let him pass.

In the end, it was the tax official who waved the white flag.

“This sucks. Aish, all because of that thief b*stard.”

The tax official’s grumbling went on and on, and unsure when his rage might turn on them, the two knights quickly carried out the search.

Checking for strange devices hidden within his clothing, tugging at his cheeks to see if it was a false face.

“Ow! Aagh! Can’t you be more gentle, you son of a b*tch!?”

*Thwack!*

The tax official slammed his palm against the knight’s head repeatedly, making his cheek twitch.

A strong knight’s body wasn’t injured by something like this, but the feeling was another matter entirely.

Secretly, the knights had hoped this man *was* Dopang, so they could draw their swords without consequence, but alas, the search turned up nothing.

Even after the examination, the tax official lingered, continuing to berate the knights for a good while. The two knights, having finally managed to get him through, could only glare daggers with their eyes, unable to voice their resentment.

Some time later, just as the tax official had said, his servants hurried toward the manor, lugging baggage.

This time, the knights bared their teeth, their usual tempers flaring.

“In this precarious situation, how could you possibly leave the person you serve to wander around alone? Are you out of your minds?”

“We, we apologize. It was such a sudden decision on his part, we didn’t have time to react.”

“Tsk, all of you must line up to be searched. Be warned, anyone acting suspiciously will be dealt with severely!”

Screams escaped the servants’ lips during the somewhat violent search, bordering on a tantrum, but again, the results were clear.

Not long after, all the residents and their servants who were slated to enter, had completed their inspection and stepped inside the building, whereupon the Order of Knights bolted the manor’s main gate fast.

This gate would not be opened, not under any circumstance, until the morning sun graced the sky.

The manor itself, designed in a manner closer to a small fortress, according to the Count’s peculiar tastes.

Guarding it were a hundred elite knights and their attendant squires. And even Sarnoth Order’s most formidable warrior, their Captain, besides.

No matter how high and mightily Dauphin could soar, he wouldn’t dare so much as set foot inside these walls.

So the Knights assured themselves.

*

[But why him of all people? How uninspired.]

“He’s plump with flesh, making it easy to conceal things and such beneath his… bespoke skin.”