"That will be enough. I've also told Walter. There's no one better than him when it comes to getting in and out of places."
"So, what do I need to do?"
"These theft cases have been going on for a few months now. They only occur in wealthy districts. Even though the people living in those areas have their own guards, no one has managed to find a trace of the thief. I'll place you and Walter with one of the police patrol units assigned to those neighborhoods. If you run into the thief, even if he slips away, it will be easier to catch him later," Mr. Herman said.
So all he had to do was wait. If they were lucky, they might run into the thief. But since no one had managed to do so so far, that seemed unlikely. Still, if he could find even a trace of the thief, he wondered whether he could push the limits of his siuni—even without seeing the man's face.
In the evening, even though Walter continued to grumble about having other plans he didn't want to miss, he was ready and waiting after dinner without further protest. Mr. Herman gave Arsh a badge.
"This badge shows that you are working with the police, even if you aren't one," Mr. Herman said. Arsh noticed that Walter already had the same badge on his jacket.
They set off together in the carriage Herman had arrived in. Arsh found himself in the same neighborhood he had visited with Bera the other day. There, they met with a four-person police team waiting for them.
"These friends will be with you on patrol today. They are quite skilled at tracking," Mr. Herman said to the police officers waiting for them.
"Accompany them on patrol. It's fine even if you don't run into anything. The thief's patterns are unpredictable. So far, he hasn't gone beyond Goldenhill, Oldcastle and Olly District. That means even if he acts, it could be in other districts as well. I'm leaving for now. See you later," Mr. Herman said before leaving them.
After he left, the police officers approached Walter and shook his hand. They looked quite familiar with each other.
"We haven't seen you in a long time, Walter. Where have you been?"
"I took a bit of a break," Walter replied, shaking hands with each of them.
"Let me introduce you to my new friend. He's the one who's really skilled at tracking," he added, pushing Arsh slightly forward with his hand.
"Hello. Ash Godwin," Arsh introduced himself.
After the brief introductions, they patrolled with the team until midnight.
"Don't robberies usually happen closer to dawn? Why are we stopping now?" Walter asked before the patrol team dispersed.
"This guy likes to commit his thefts while the streets are still crowded, the homeowners are awake, and everyone is at home. All the thefts he's carried out so far were between 5 PM and midnight... so since nothing happens after this hour, we leave the work to the night watchmen," one of the officers said.
For several days, they continued spending their evenings patrolling with the team alongside Walter. There was no sign of any activity from thief. The police believed that the increased patrols had discouraged him from making a move. At the very least, the fact that he wasn't acting for a while seemed to reduce the pressure on them, so they appeared content to spend their evenings with the patrol teams.
…
"There is a party at Miss Belowich's house today. Our dear thief has almost always shown up on days when there are parties like this. There is a high chance he will make a move today. The police chief has already warned Miss Belowich's staff. This means the security measures are tighter compared to other cases. Besides us, two other patrol teams will be in the neighborhood. We are going to blend into the Belowich party," Mr. Herman said as he distributed waiter uniforms to Arsh, Walter, and the other officers.
"The Belowich family is already aware of your presence. They will recognize you by the stripes on your ties. Therefore, you will be able to move around freely once the party begins."
After everyone took turns changing in the carriage, they arrived in front of the Belowich manor. The lights of the manor illuminated the entire street. Carriages belonging to various families and new automobiles were dropping off guests in front of the house one by one.
Shortly after, they all entered through the garden gate used by the staff and, guided by a waiting security guard, blended in with the other waiters. Each of them arrived at the main hall where the guests were being hosted, carrying a tray. According to the plan, everyone would disperse to the different floors in pairs after the speech.
A moment later, Miss Belowich appeared in the middle of the spiral staircase. She was a woman in her sixties or seventies, with white hair that still held a few stray black strands here and there. She was tall and thin for a woman, wearing a navy blue dress that shimmered as she moved. She had a stern appearance. She began the speech that the guests in the room had been waiting for.
"Dear guests, today is the anniversary of the day our kingdom's story of transforming into a world-spanning civilization began. Exactly thirty years ago, the decision was made to present our civilization to the barbarian nations. What a beautiful coincidence that today is also my birthday..." As soon as the woman started speaking, Arsh stopped listening, dismissing it as nonsense.
"Who is this woman?" he leaned toward Walter and whispered.
"She is a relative of the royal family. The late queen's sister."
The woman's speech continued in a similar tone. Arsh found himself thinking that he'd actually prefer it if this woman did get robbed. Nevertheless, he had made a promise to Mr. Herman. For now, he would continue the patrol. When it finally ended, Arsh and Walter left their trays at the bar area and exited the hall one after the other.
"You and I are heading to the third floor. Although they didn't specify the exact locations, the bedrooms and some valuable artworks are on that floor. The others will be on the first and second floors," Walter said.
They went up to the third floor and began walking through the corridors. Arsh thought the manor was at least three times the size of Professor Reiner's main estate. This place was more like a palace.
"If a thief broke in here, he'd definitely get lost," Arsh said.
"Perhaps," Walter replied.
They finished making their rounds through the winding hallways, with Arsh checking the unlocked rooms and Walter checking the locked ones. There was no sign of anything unusual, either on their floor or the ones below.
"In the end, he might not even show up... nothing is certain," said Walter.
"There are plenty of other places where he could steal something besides these floors. If it were me, I'd steal money or jewelry. Easier to carry. I wonder where they are kept."
They continued to walk in silence.
"Arsh…"
"Hmm.."
"I was wondering—can you find where the jewelry and money are? Maybe it's enough if we guard the place that actually needs protecting."
"Should I try?" Arsh asked, looking at Walter. When Walter nodded, he closed his eyes and focused. For a long moment, he thought about money, gold, the jewelry on Miss Belowich, and similar things.
When he opened his eyes, Arsh saw the golden threads. It had been easier than he expected.
"I found it," he said, surprising even himself.
"You'd make a great thief," Walter said excitedly. "Actually, if we teamed up, we'd make quite a pair."
"Do you need money?" Arsh asked. When he thought about how much Walter spent on alcohol every night, he wasn't sure whether the salary FFSD paid him would be enough.
"Extra money wouldn't hurt. Anyway, you go check that area now. I'll stay on this floor."
Arsh followed the golden threads. He passed through the hall where the guests were and continued down the corridors. When he was far from the hall, he found himself in an empty corridor. After walking a bit farther, he saw that the golden thread disappeared at the point where the floor met the wall.
'A hidden safe. Can 'The Ghost' find this too?' Arsh thought. There was no one around. Shouldn't the security in a place like this be tighter? Or were they simply too confident that no one would ever find it? It was probably the latter. From the outside, no one would even realize there was a safe here.
Just then, two guards appeared in the corridor.
"Hey, you. Waiters aren't allowed in here."
Arsh turned toward them and showed the tie at his collar.
"Even so, I don't think your access to this floor is approved. Please follow us," one of the guards said.
Without saying anything, Arsh walked back toward the main hall with the guards.
The men whispered among themselves, talking about the guests at the party, the women, the food, and how much money must have been spent on all of it. Arsh continued walking quietly behind them, ignoring their conversation.
At that moment, his eyes met those of a man passing by them. The man entered the very corridor they had just left. Just as Arsh was about to re-enter the main hall, he felt a sharp, intense pain in his head once again.
'I feel like I missed something,' he thought, trying to understand what was happening. But he couldn't quite grasp what he had overlooked. Then, he remembered the man who had just passed them. Only a minute or two ago, the guards had warned him that entering that corridor was forbidden. Yet, neither of them had said a word to that man.
Realizing this, Arsh stopped the guards.
"Wait a second. If entering that part of the manor is forbidden, why did you let that man pass just now?" he asked curiously.
"Which man?" one of the guards asked with a bewildered look.
"Didn't you see the man who just passed right by us?"
The two guards looked at each other first.
"No one else has passed through this side of the building except for us," the other guard said.
Hearing that, Arsh immediately turned and began racing back in the direction they had come from.