Chapter 26: The Thieves
“Pepé, what do you need weapons for? It’s dangerous!”
Pagos wore a puzzled expression, his gaze fixed directly on my face like a bear scrutinizing his next meal.
Being stared at by such a hulking figure made me feel a bit uneasy. Not to mention, he was also quite annoying, so I decided to ignore his words and turned to the Duke instead.
“What’s a Moon Blade?”
The Duke smiled slightly, opening his mouth to speak right when Pagos interrupted.
“I’ll tell you! The Moon Blade is a weapon designed using the rare Moon Crystal as the main material! Sounds like useless chatter, doesn’t it? Hahaha! Anyway, Moon Crystals are incredibly rare and extracting them is tough, plus the manufacturing process is complicated and requires top-tier craftsmanship. So, in over a hundred years, the workshop has only created twelve of them, known as the Twelve Moon Blades of the Workshop.”
Got it! So this thing is amazing and rare—essentially the best of the best from the Central Workshop.
A simple explanation would have sufficed—no need to ramble on!
“Pagos, where did you put the blueprints and pencil? It’s such a mess here. Pasifal, you go to the warehouse and find some good steel and dragon bones.”
“Wait, Skarlij, why are we making weapons for Pepé? Do you want her to join the Shanter Army as a Workshop Hunter? Don’t mess with me…”
“Exactly, old man. I’ve been itching to ask, why make weapons for Pepé? Isn’t it a bit weird?”
“She’s just a little girl! Let her get married and have kids in the future, why are you all messing around with this?”
Upon hearing that last line, my eyes widened.
What? You want me to have kids!?
Why don’t you go have kids!?
The more I looked at this red-nosed strong man, the less I liked him. I shot him a fierce look. “You say that again, and I’ll pluck every hair off you!”
Pagos immediately feigned innocence.
“What did I do?”
“You’re annoying.”
At this point, the Duke was finally growing impatient.
“She is a Pope Knight.”
“……”
“……”
With that one statement, the air fell silent for a moment.
After a few seconds, both of them stared at me with looks of utter disbelief.
“What? Why? No way?!”
“Skarlij, I think my ears are malfunctioning. Did you say Pepé… what did you say she was?”
“Old man, are you joking? Pepé can’t be a Pope Knight! She’s scared of dead people! This makes no sense! How can that be…?” Pasifal was sounding a bit incoherent. “That’s a Pope Knight! A hero! What kind of joke is this…”
“I’ll explain the details to you later. Now everyone, get back to work.”
“…… Oh.” Pasifal responded in a daze, made his way to the door, and then looked back. “Pepé, you really are a Pope Knight…?”
“Uh-huh.” I nodded.
Seeing the two still staring at me in disbelief, I suddenly felt a wave of frustration.
What’s going on here?
Do you think I’m shorter than you? Do you look down on me? Why can’t I be a Pope Knight?
Am I going to need your approval to be a Pope Knight or something?
…Uh, I guess I might be eating some of your rice.
“What are you stalling for? Go!” The Duke’s words jolted the dazed Pasifal awake, and he dashed out like a rocket.
Tch.
I rolled my eyes, feeling a bit tired just standing there like a fool. So, I casually walked over to the table, kicked aside a few empty bottles, smoothed my skirt under my bottom, and plopped down in a chair.
“Oh, just rest for a bit, will you?” the Duke said to me, patting Pagos on the shoulder. “Stop daydreaming and hand over the blueprints and pencils.”
“…… Okay, it should be in this drawer. Hahaha! Oh, sweet Thirteen Moon, I’m coming to get you!”
Looking at him, he seemed as carefree as they come—a classic case of brawn over brains.
I was a bit bored, so I opened a paper bag and took out a dessert. While savoring its sweet meltiness, I watched the Duke and Pagos spread out blueprints and scribble notes, occasionally whispering to each other.
After a while, Pagos pulled a pitch-black stone from a sealed box behind him.
“It’s too small and has some impurities…”
“I’m afraid we won’t find anything larger. If one isn’t enough, we’ll have to remelt it. Impurities can be removed.”
“Hmm, how much Moon Crystal do we have left?”
“That should be enough, but this might really be the last one. The scythe’s blade is too large; we’ll deplete our stock…”
“……”
Looks like there was nothing for me to do here anymore, and I started to feel a bit bored.
I should’ve just gone to the parish with Carlos. That would’ve been much more interesting! Who knows, I might have even found some good food along the way.
I remember he said something about checking out the Underground Prison… I wonder how those merchants they caught are doing.
I yawned and rested my head on my arms on the table.
I hadn’t slept well last night, and I was starting to feel sleepy now.
Watching the two of them busy at work, my eyelids began to droop.
After a bit, it seemed Pasifal came back… he appeared to be helping out, looking quite serious…
Thirteen Moons, Moon Blade, strange weapons. What would it all end up being?
As I drifted off, I spontaneously fell into a deep sleep.
…………
In my hazy state, I caught the sound of unfamiliar voices.
“…My Duke, we caught a few thieves trying to steal weapons.”
“Thieves? Who dares come to the Central Workshop to steal? Don’t they know that’s treason?”
“Lord Pagos, they’re just a few kids.”
“Which kids are so bold?”
“Seems like they snuck out of the orphanage.”
“My Duke, how do you want to handle this?”
“Orphanage kids… Bring them here.”
“Yes, sir.”
What’s going on? Who stole something?
I slowly opened my eyes.
I realized I was still holding half of a dessert that I hadn’t finished. I quickly gobbled it down and looked around with a dazed expression, just in time to see two Workshop Hunters leaving.
“What’s happening?” I rubbed my eyes, my voice thick with sleep.
“Oh, little Pepé, you’re awake!”
“Someone stole something?”
“Yeah, a few thieves came to steal weapons, and they’ve been caught.”
Without looking up, the Duke continued discussing blueprints with Pagos.
“If we fix this with metal, will it affect the smoothness of the launch?”
“It won’t. We can maximize the lethality… Pasifal, hand me the ruler.”
I stretched, got up, and walked over to the work table, sticking my head forward to take a peek.
Several blueprints covered with dense sketches were laid out on the table.
I squinted and studied them for a while; I could only make out the outline of a scythe, while the rest was beyond my comprehension.
“How long will it take?”
“We can finish the design tonight, but the actual crafting will take quite a bit of time due to all the steps. If all goes well, it’ll probably take about two months.”
“Oh.”
That long, huh?
I pouted a bit, unsure how long they’d be stuck here. I contemplated finding an excuse to slip away, but felt a bit guilty since everyone was working hard on my behalf.
Just then, a chorus of children crying came from outside the door.
“Let go of me! Ugh, let go!”
“Wah… I’m scared…”
I frowned, looking toward the door to see a few kids with their hands bound behind their backs being escorted inside by the hunters.
Most of the kids looked terrified, not daring to make any moves. As they entered, they lined up and knelt down obediently, except for one boy who kept struggling against the restraints, and the hunter holding him had a short temper. Seeing the boy squirm, he kicked him, sending him sprawled on the ground.
“Settle down!”
The boy fell hard, hatred flashing in his eyes, his expression one of pure fury.
“Hey! Don’t glare at me. Got some spirit, huh?”
The hunter raised his foot as if to kick him in the face.
“Valar!” the Duke called out. The hunter named Valar quickly withdrew his foot.
“Let them stand up,” the Duke said, scanning the children. “Who will tell me why you stole?”
Most of the kids brought in were of a decent age, but no match for the Duke’s presence, and they all began to cry louder.
“Spare us… we didn’t come to steal—”
“You’ve got the wrong people, we got the wrong—wah—”
“Stop crying! The more you cry, the prouder they’ll feel!”
“Wah—wah—I’m sorry; please don’t k*ll me!”
Among them was a girl of about eleven or twelve, the one crying the loudest, her little cat-like face filled with fear.
I took out two desserts from my bag, thought for a moment, then put one back, then walked over to the little girl and offered it to her.
“Here, it’s really good.”
The girl was probably a bit hungry, her nose perked up at the scent of the treat, and she immediately stopped crying.
“Sister… um—” Her little hand reached out, then hesitated, looking uncertain.
I grabbed her thin wrist and placed the dessert in her hand.
“Eat up.”
“Hahaha! Pepé is still so cute!”
Pagos’s booming voice came from behind, and I frowned, not wanting to engage, but I noticed that Valar the hunter looked surprised.
“Pepé? Is that you…?”
He seemed to recognize Peilo, but I had no positive feelings for someone who would want to kick a kid. I didn’t mind him and instead focused on the little girl who was happily eating her treat. I tilted my head slightly and asked, “Is it good?”
“Uh-huh.” The little girl nodded earnestly and added, “Sister, you’re really pretty.”
I smiled sweetly at her.
“Okay, everyone stop crying.”
The Duke’s voice rang out beside me as he walked up to the only boy who hadn’t cried.
“Now, you tell me what’s going on.”
