I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

As if her innermost thoughts had been touched, Yuka in the shadows let out a muffled "hmm" and then fell silent.

Seeing this, Noah's smile deepened, and he let out a long, meaningful sigh: "Yuka-chan is really not frank... If you continue to be so dishonest... perhaps, the opportunity will slip away from you~"

While the two on this side of the seminar were arguing, Shadowy Snow listened with starry eyes full of curiosity.

The four members of the gaming club... each displayed different behaviors.

Momoi: "...I always feel like they're talking about topics that we can't possibly relate to."

Little Green: "Sister...you need to be more careful."

Yuzu: "...(Looks hopefully at Amamiya from the side and behind)"

Alice: "'A marriage contract'...?"

"Hehe... It seems that all of you 'foreign visitors' are quite curious. However... let's leave that topic for later."

Shadow Noah smiled and shook his head, then turned around and looked up at the endless bookshelf spiral tower.

"If you want to defeat the Demon King... I can definitely help you... However, I have one special request."

Following Noah's movements in the shadows, Amamiya tilted her head slightly: "Special requests?"

"Um……"

Noah in the shadows seemed to be pondering.

A moment later, she pointed to the endless bookshelves before her: "Once the Demon King's castle collapses... all the lost knowledge hidden here will be reduced to ashes."

"I can help you destroy this place... but I will never allow 'knowledge' to be buried and cut off."

"If you can salvage this knowledge... I can help you and contribute to your plan to destroy the Demon King's castle."

"Is that all the requirements...? That's quite simple."

This 'knowledge from another world' does indeed warrant preservation...

After all, these books stored in the Demon King's Castle Library correspond to all the knowledge and skills that Rion possesses.

"Since you've agreed to my request to preserve this knowledge... then I'll tell you the true location of the 'treasure'..."

Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Treasure's Infiltration Route Confirmed

"Since you've agreed to my request to preserve this knowledge... then I'll tell you the true location of the 'treasure'..."

As Shadow Noah spoke, he clapped his hands lightly, summoning a holographic 3D map onto the 'holographic projection device' in the center of the library's rest area.

"The true location of the treasure..."

Shadow Noah marked two locations first: one was 'the Demon King's palace' and the other was 'the underground weapons depot'.

She first highlighted the location of the bedroom, then gently waved her hand at everyone: "Ordinary people like to hide their most important things in their bedrooms... Do you know why?"

'Truly a literary girl... ? 迩易衤三武韭l々iu?衤三尔... even at this time he has to 'educate' me...'

Feeling a mix of emotions, Amamiya didn't answer immediately. Instead, she looked at the four members of the game club to see if they could offer their opinions.

Seeing that Amamiya didn't respond but instead looked at the four members of the game club, the 'understanding' Noah instantly understood and followed with a smile, asking softly, "Do you know why... you little guys from the game club?"

"Well……"

Realizing that the focus of the attack had suddenly shifted to them, Momoi slightly opened her cute chestnut-shaped mouth, revealing a surprised and puzzled expression.

"Hmm... because everyone thinks the bedroom is an absolutely safe zone?"

Xiao Lü lowered her brows in thought, and after a brief silence, she followed up with a further guess based on her sister's: "The bedroom has a lot of furniture for storage, such as wardrobes, so there are a lot of storage spaces...?"

"because……"

Yuzu's voice was timid, with a hint of wavering uncertainty.

"Because... no one but the Demon King can get here?"

Following Yuzu, Alice excitedly raised her hand: "Alice knows! This must be 'intuitive design' and 'counterintuitive design'!"

After receiving feedback from the four members of the game club, Shadow Noah nodded in agreement.

"You're all right..."

"Ordinary people would hide treasures in their bedrooms because bedrooms are 'safe' for them...and are perfect for hiding things, and it's difficult for others to get in."

"But... the 'Black Demon King' wouldn't hide the treasure here..."

As Noah spoke, he waved his hand, dimming the 'palace' on the holographic projection and then highlighting the 'weapon storage area' section. His tone became more serious and earnest: "The Black Demon King is a demon king who reveres force... She likes to hide secret treasures on her personal guards..."

"And her personal guards... spend most of their time in this 'armory,' guarding the legendary ancient weaponry—the Abishu armor."

'Abishu...armor.'

The familiar name touched Amamiya's forehead, reminding her of the name of a king from ancient Babylonian history.

The name itself is not well-known... but the grandfather of this name must be very famous, even a name that most history students will encounter in their required course—

Hammurabi, one of the most famous monarchs in ancient Babylonian history, created the Code of Hammurabi and was the pioneer of the Golden Age of ancient Babylon.

Hammurabi had a grandson named Abish.

According to references like Elidu... the so-called Abishu armor, its original form could not be this, could it?

"In other words... the Demon King's 'secret treasure' is hidden on her most loyal Shadow Dancer..."

Momoi scratched her short, blond hair, looking puzzled, and said, "So, to obtain the secret treasure, we have to defeat that... Shadow Dancer?"

It seems... even a 'phantom thief' can't avoid the inevitable boss battle...

"That's right..."

Noah nodded slowly and meaningfully, then added in a calm but increasingly unsettling tone, "At that time, you may face not only the 'Demon King's Shadow Dancers,' but also... her endless mechanical legions."

"If you don't find the corresponding strategy... you'll only be slowly dragged to your death in endless battles."

That's true...

If Amamiya and Sofia don't join the battle, the four members of the Game Club alone probably won't be able to reach him before being overwhelmed by the sheer number of Arms robots.

"So...we will provide you with assistance at that time."

Noah's tone was very deep—after all, this was a once-in-a-lifetime battle that would determine the future and the path ahead... If he didn't speak deeply and get close, he would truly be letting himself down.

"We only have one chance... Just as your battle is about to reach its climax, we..."

Noah extended his slender index finger, pointed to himself, and then pointed at Shadow Yuka and Shadow Koyuki from a distance.

"We will disrupt the Demon King's security system at that time..."

"Cease the mechanical legion's actions and disrupt the 'Shadow Dancer's' key movements, preventing her from escaping."

The four members of the gaming club all understood.

Yuka, Noah, and Yuki, this "seminar team," will provide the most crucial off-site assistance—once they can defeat the "final boss" to the turning stage, everything else will fall into place.

"and many more……"

After thinking about it for a while, Momoi suddenly felt that something was not quite right.

"We shouldn't have dealt with all the enemies yet... Aren't there still a few maids we haven't taken care of?!"

"Are you talking about those 'maid' members?"

Noah smiled, but there seemed to be a hint of coldness in his smile.

She shook her head and said softly, "They...it seems they violated the Demon King's prohibition, arousing his suspicion, and have now been 'executed' by him..."

"W-what?!"

Momoi's eyes widened in disbelief.

—Did the Demon King execute the 'maid' who served him?

Why? !

Shouldn't she have sent those maids to be farmed like elite monsters or bosses? Why did she deal with her own people first?

Momoi didn't quite understand, but her sense of smell and intuition about the game's plot made her think of Nero's defeat and retreat not long ago... Could it be related to this event?

It was because they chose to set aside their hostility and talk to Nero after her defeat, and didn't kill her... that Nero 'retreated'...

Then, the Demon King discovered this and concluded that 'maids' were all untrustworthy...

So, they simply 'executed' the maid who served them?!

"It seems you already have the answer in your hearts..."

Shadow Noah clicked his tongue softly, not revealing his true thoughts, but subtly acknowledging the guesses of the four members of the game club.

'Perhaps... this corresponds to our dealing with Nero from the other world, and Nero from the other world revealing information, causing Rion in the real world to become suspicious of the maid club, and this suspicion prompting her to take action in the real world...'

'In the other world, this manifests as Rion no longer trusting the members of the maid club...'

Amamiya had previously witnessed a similar situation with Shido Masayoshi—when Shido was conquering the palace on the cruise ship, Shido Masayoshi would become suspicious of his trusted members because Amamiya and the Phantom Thieves were dealing with the shadows associated with them.

And then... the paranoid Shido Masayoshi will send his subordinate Akechi to deal with these 'no longer trusted guys'.

Thinking about it this way... wouldn't members of the maid club be in great danger in the real world?!

Amamiya's eyes narrowed, and he keenly sensed a hint of danger, realizing that he probably needed to accelerate his pace further...

To prevent Rion from making an even bigger mistake in the real world... the 'Hall of Fame Strategy' can't be delayed any longer; it must be completed in one go.

"Alright, that's all I can tell you."

After waving his hand to disperse the holographic projection, Noah lowered his voice and said calmly but expectantly, "Next... it's up to you."

"After making the final preparations... he swiftly stole the Demon King's secret treasure..."

"Then, burn this place to ashes."

Chapter Twenty-Eight: A Letter to Rion Previewing Her Heart-Stealing Mission

"Whew...I feel like I did so much today!"

Looking at the familiar sunset over Kivotos, Momoi, despite her exhaustion, felt a sense of boundless freedom and refreshment.

Watching the sunset after a victory is actually a unique kind of enjoyment...

The setting sun cast its last rays upon the glass-encased building of the seminar, bathing the already bustling building and the students in its vicinity in a soft, rosy hue.

With her hands raised high, Momoi wore a look of pure enjoyment, exuding an air of 'all eyes are on me' and a comfortable ︿(￣︶￣)︿ expression.

"Sister... let's tone it down a bit. After all, although we've done a lot, we haven't been that helpful..."

As her heels repeatedly rose and fell gently, Xiao Lü, feeling both happy and slightly apprehensive, let out a sigh, her face showing a barely perceptible hint of disappointment.

Not only her… Aside from Momoi, who has a more easygoing personality, Yuzu and Alice also keenly realized…

This journey seems to be coming to an end.

In the future... will the game club still be able to provide such immersive and magnificent adventures for heroes?

Can Sensei still find the time... to keep them company while they happily 'goof around'?

Everything is uncertain... just like the sunset in early winter, which hardly brings any warmth.

With her hands awkwardly clasped behind her back, her fingers intertwined, Xiao Lü ultimately couldn't bring herself to utter the words hidden deep within her heart, words that felt terrifyingly weightless, like, "Can we play this game together for the rest of our lives?"

If the gravity is this strong from the start... it'll definitely scare Sensei and cause her to distance herself...

"So, next... is it time to release the 'announcement'?"

Burying her weighty words deep in her heart for the time being, Little Green moved closer to Amamiya, who was looking at his phone, tilting her head slightly as she waited for the young man to casually stroke her while asking curiously.

'Sophia's activities in the other world also drain my phone's battery twice as fast... Looks like it's time to upgrade my phone to the technology of Giwatos...'

Looking at her phone with its battery almost dead, Amamiya thought to herself.

—Sophia's 'activities' in another world include releasing her Persona, using magic and physical attacks, etc...

It seems that it will still drain my phone's battery in a very small amount...

In other words, Sophie Adam used her phone's battery as her own 'blue bar'?

Hearing the girl's expectant question from beside him, Amamiya nodded casually, while using his free hand to rub the top of her head, which was slightly 'rough' due to the cat-ear headphones and carried a faint girlish scent (shower gel and hormones).