I Became A Thief Who Steals Overpowered Skills

Chapter 3 The Secret Archive

Why are you pretending not to know? About whats between us? Im aware youve cared for me since I was born. In some ways, doesnt that bind us together?

To Kraush, Aliod was both a father figure and a precious person who had raised him.

However, for the butlers of Balheim, there was one terrible rule that applied.

The rule stipulated that the butlers own ascension depended on how firmly the direct line they served could establish their standing within the family.

They must follow the direct bloodline they serve for their entire lifetime.

Even if that bloodline were to be sent to Balheims Green Pine Hall.

The only way out of this curse-like hierarchy was if the direct line they served died.

Typically, when the direct line they served died, they would retire as well.

But Aliods case was different.

Because Kraushs third elder brother had made him an offer.

The one condition given was nothing other than the poisoning of Kraush.

He promised that if Aliod could kill Kraush with poison, he would provide not only a new position for him to live out his future but also a large sum of money.

Our third elder brother truly detests me.

The fundamental reason the third brother hated him was because of his fourth sister.

There were five direct members in the Balheim lineage.

Among them, two shared a different bloodline from the rest.

The first through the third were children by the former wife.

While the fourth and the youngest, Kraush, were offspring of the current wife that the head of the Balheim family had taken.

And among them, the fourth one, Kraushs sister Charlotte Balheim, was the biggest issue.

The greatest genius birthed by the Balheims.

Charlotte Balheim possessed a talent so extraordinary that it might be seen once in a thousand years within the Balheim family.

With that talent, Charlotte upended the order of the direct lineage within the family in an instant.

Thus, not only the third brother but also the second sister had their rankings seized by Charlotte.

The result was that the third brother harbored a festering anger, having nowhere to direct it.

Since the family was overtly supporting Charlotte, the third brother indeed was relegated to being the neglected one.

The direction of the third brothers ire then became none other than me.

The youngest, who shared blood with Charlotte but was devoid of her remarkable talent.

Already, the third brother loathed the presence of Kraushs mother, who had recently entered the family through marriage.

He poured out all his fury onto the innocent Kraush, fury that had grown from being pushed down in the direct lineages ranking due to Charlottes ascent.

It was as if he wanted to kill Kraush for real.

Since he cannot stand against Charlotte, it seems he directed all his anger toward me, perhaps due to our slight resemblance.

It was an exasperating situation for Kraush, but he himself did not possess the strength to resist.

Even the butler, who was meant to serve him, would eventually acquiesce to the transaction.

Well, its done. If youre going to pretend ignorance, I wont bother with it anymore.

Kraush didnt scold Aliod any further.

In the end, his butler sided with the third brother because Kraush himself was regarded as worthless.

After all, Kraush was still alive because the attempted poisoning had failed.

Which was expected.

On the day that Aliod was to perform the assassination.

That guy committed suicide right before my eyes.

Aliod snatched the poison that was to be mixed into Kraushs stew, consuming it himself just before Kraush was about to ingest it.

I apologize, my lord. I have committed a crime deserving of death. You are as dear to me as my own offspring, how could I dare

The image of Aliod apologizing while dying from the poison on that day was still vividly etched in Kraushs mind.

But for now, follow me.

Yet, that was a separate matter, and there was something else he wanted to ask.

Yes.

Was there a shift in his mood?

Aliod answered surprisingly agreeably.

Ignoring Aliod, Kraush moved forward.

It should be here now, if my memory serves me right.

Hopeful that his recollection was correct, Kraush headed for the library of Balheims Green Pine Hall.

Even though the library housed a multitude of books, in reality, it was mere window dressing.

Kraush, who had actually read the books, knew all too well their lack of usefulness.

Balheims Green Pine Hall was not simply a place where Balheims discarded members ended up.

There was nothing of value in Balheims Green Pine Hall.

Except for one thing.

Master Kraush, are you looking for a particular book?

Out of the blue, Kraush entered the library. When Aliod cast a questioning look, Kraush continued walking without answering and abruptly stood in front of a bookshelf.

Aliod.

Yes.

Clear this.

Aliod displayed confusion.

Yet, there was something unmistakably compelling about Kraushs command.

Where have I felt this presence before.

The patriarch.

The patriarch of Balheim.

But he quickly dismissed the thought.

It was premature to compare the patriarch to Kraush.

Obediently, Aliod cleared out all the books and then dismantled the bookshelf itself.

A plain wall of the library was revealed.

Cut down this wall, Kraush ordered.

Pardon me?

From clearing away a bookshelf to cutting down a wall?

It was quite perplexing.

However, Aliod was Kraushs butler.

Thus, unable to refuse the command, Aliod drew his sword, around which a blueish glow began to swirl.

A butler of the Balheims, by necessity, must have the skills of an elite knight.

Only then could they adequately assist the Balheims direct lineage.

I will cut it down.

With the surging of his swords energy, Aliod sliced through the wall.

Following Kraushs order to a tee, Aliod completed the task with a clean cut, and suddenly a deep thump resonated.

Shortly after, the walls facade was neatly cut into a square and toppled backwards.

In that moment, Aliod realized.

There was a space beyond the librarys outer wall.

Had he known about this place in advance?

Even Aliod, although assigned to Balheims Green Pine Hall, had been unaware of it.

As Aliod gazed at the spot, Kraush climbed over the cut-out wall.

Good job.

Kraush briefly praised Aliod and then walked inside.

Aliod, as if under a spell, followed suit.

Not long after, they came face-to-face with a massive lock.

A lock so large it dwarfed a human hand was firmly fixed in front of a door.

Kraush stood before the lock, coated in dust.

Do I need to cut this lock as well?

No, that wont be necessary.

Behind the librarys back wall at Balheims Green Pine Hall.

When I had been here before, it had already become a meaningless place, consumed by fire.

But now it was different.

After all, that was something from a distant future.

Balheims Green Pine Hall is undoubtedly a place where Balheims castoffs are sent.

Therefore, Kraush, deemed insignificant, was sent there too.

Kraush had squandered time in this place.

However, the original intent behind building Balheims Green Pine Hall was not so malevolent.

It had lost its original purpose after a long time since the establishment of the Balheim family.

The original purpose of Balheims Green Pine Hall was to assist those born into the Balheim family lacking abilities, so they might yet find a way to shine within the family again.

However, the significance of Green Pine Hall was changed by a single event.

It became known for birthing the greatest disgrace and devil of the Balheim family, one who sought to wipe out the Balheim lineage.

All because of Demaris Balheim.

Due to that, this place too became concealed.

Another like Demaris must never be allowed to be born.

Hence, this hidden spot.

The secret archive of Green Pine Hall.

It was intended for the half-pennies of the Balheim.

Known to none but the head of Balheim, beyond those in the direct line.

Upon arriving there, Kraush laid his hand on the massive lock.

Originally, even Aliod, a superior knight, wouldnt have been able to cut through this specially made lock.

But he was different.

What is the first thing one must do in order to steal?

It is, of course, to pick the lock.

For Kraush, who had opened countless locks before, this secret archive lock of Green Pine Hall was an easy task.

Time to display some active-duty talents.

Kraush immediately activated the Black Hood.

The Black Hood that steals what its target possesses.

And naturally, this applied equally well to objects.

Except that there is no need to assess the value of non-living things.

Especially if they have been ownerless for a long time.

Clang!

At that moment, Kraush had the ring of the lock firmly in his grasp.

Thunk!

The large lock, having lost its ring, clattered to the ground.

Upon witnessing the swift action, Aliods eyes bulged with astonishment.

In the meantime, Kraush carelessly threw the ring onto the floor.

Master Kraush, have you, perchance, struck a deal with a god?

Aliod asked with astonishment, wondering if Kraush had made a contract with a deity.

The ability that Kraush had just displayed was clearly a skill.

Skills are extraordinary and exert force in ways beyond the norm.

So when Aliod inquired, Kraush gave him a sidelong glance.

It seemed that at this point, he hadnt yet made a contract with a god.

Well, its just an insignificant god. Feel free to report to Father if you wish. The matter of the archive is of no consequence.

The butlers duty is to report everything up to the family head, the lord.

Knowing this, when Kraush spoke, Aliod fell silent before eventually nodding.

I will keep quiet about Master Kraushs intentions until they come to fruition.

The reply was quite unexpected.

In Kraushs memory, Aliod was a man with a strong desire for advancement.

And that ambition was borne out of the incurable disease afflicting his daughter.

The salary he received from Balheim was entirely spent on medication for his daughters illness.

Yet, even then, the money was not enough.

Thusly, he needed far more.

And so, he accepted the assassination proposition from Kraushs third elder brother.

Which led him to poison the stew.

And it was for his daughter that he ultimately consumed that stew himself.

On the day when Aliod saw his daughter in critical condition, his mind spun out of control.

He was supposed to carry out the assassination in exchange for a better cure from the third brother.

But his daughter died of her incurable disease at last.

After Aliods daughter died, he regained his sanity and chose to consume the poisoned stew meant for Kraush, dying in his place.

His last act reflected the guilt for failing to guide Kraushs growth as his responsible butler, blaming his own destiny as a born half-penny.

And now, he was approaching the situation with a different attitude.

Has he seen some vision for me in the meantime?

The Kraush who changed overnight.

It would be inexplicable under normal circumstances.

But its a different story if it involved a contract with a deity.

Even a half-penny could transform overnight depending on the god with whom the pact is made.

Skills granted by a deity are that valuable.

So Aliod had revised his thinking.

The Kraush now apparent to him might well shine brightly once more.

At this juncture, Aliod has only been approached with an offer by the third brother and has yet to act upon it.

In essence, he hadnt yet betrayed Kraush.

If Kraush didnt just judge based on right and wrong, it was an incident they could get past.

I see. This is the downside of regression.

Kraush vaguely realized the reason Arthur came to detest regression.

The Aliod now before him and the one who had consumed the poisoned stew were different.

And undoubtedly, they would progress down different paths.

Because the character known as Kraush had changed.

Arther couldnt bear this dissonance and eventually lost his regression to Kraush.

The problem remains Aliods daughter.

Aliod is useful.

Capable enough to be the butler assigned to manage the Balheim direct lineage.

At least for the time in Green Pine Hall, it is beneficial to keep Aliod by his side.

Additionally, Kraush was aware of the nature of Aliods daughters incurable disease.

And he even knew of the method to resolve it.

That shall be dealt with in time.

For now, the secret archive was the priority.

Kraush felt a slight surge of excitement, a sensation he hadnt felt in a long while.

Filled with that feeling, he opened the door to the secret archive.

Whoosh-

A gust laden with dust blew forth from the inside.

Due to his many experiences roaming in the world eaten away by erosion, this amount of dust scarcely bothered him.

And so, Kraush stepped confidently inside.

Once his eyes adjusted to the darkness, the interior became clearly visible.

The books ensconced in the old bookshelves met his eyes first.

The books in this place contained the hidden arts and knowledge of ancestors.

For the Balheims born as geniuses, these books of hidden techniques were in fact meaningless.

For at their birth, they were already endowed with an accumulation of all Balheims blessings.

Then what was the reason for these books of esoteric knowledge to be stored in this repository?

The answer was straightforward.

This place was solely meant for the half-pennies.

The creators of the Balheims hidden arts books were the half-pennies of the Balheim themselves.