I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

Celery stared blankly as she slightly raised her head to look at the fantastical creature floating in mid-air, which had a single horn and looked like a white horse, but was actually a unicorn.

【psona - Unicorn (Arcana: Faith)】

[Description: A sacred white horse in Scottish legend, with a spiral horn on its forehead.]

It is considered a symbol of 'purity'.

It is said that unicorns will only open their hearts to and accept the touch of innocent young girls.

[Legend has it that the unicorn's horn has the power to cure all diseases and is a key ingredient in the making of "panacea".]

Then, she looked at the young man who had just rolled off the fantastical creature and helped her break free of her shackles.

The dagger in the young man's hand had vanished without a sound. He came to stand before him, slowly kneeling in a knight's kneeling posture, his eyes level with his own.

"I'm sorry... my 'princess,' I'm a little late."

Celery heard him say that.

The wind subsided instantly, and Serika, held in Amamiya's arms, suddenly felt an unprecedented sense of peace.

All the fear and negative emotions were released at once. With tears in her eyes, the girl hugged back tightly after she came to her senses, clinging to Amamiya as if she were afraid that he would suddenly disappear.

The magician-like trench coat and the glamorous, handsome smoky mask were hardly the attire of the 'prince' that Serika remembered.

The so-called 'Prince' should be someone who wears a magnificent white-gold robe and a luxurious crown, and whose elegant speech and aristocratic demeanor captivate everyone.

At this moment, what I clearly feel is strong and broad arms, a sturdy body, and... a somewhat elusive aura that often hides in the shadows.

What does "Prince" even mean?

That's clearly a "petty person" forced to perform because they're under the spotlight.

Celery felt as if she were in the night, on a stage.

Those richly dressed 'princes' and high-ranking 'nobles' all appeared kind-hearted, but they all had hideous and ugly exteriors and corrupt and depraved hearts.

At this moment, Sensei, with his trench coat billowing and surrounded by cold, eerie blue flames, walked in the center of the stage, surrounded by spotlights and watched by those seemingly kind but actually hateful faces... He was the one who truly seemed "righteous".

In comparison... the so-called 'splendidly dressed prince' is nothing more than a petty person standing in the spotlight, a thief who steals everything.

The prince... seems completely unimportant.

Because the one who will truly break through the darkness, ride a unicorn to her side, and give her wings to fly... is never the so-called 'prince'.

Those who consider themselves superior only confine themselves in cages, using themselves as a medium to achieve their goals...

The one who truly saves you is the 'Phantom Thief' who roams the night, silently stealing your heart.

Riding a unicorn, blending into the night, and dancing gracefully under the spotlight, how is the 'Phantom Thief' inferior to the so-called 'Prince'?

She didn't want some vague prince... she just wanted the phantom thief right now.

【~???~】

【~???~】

【~???~】

Amamiya, still in the embrace: "..."

Upon suddenly seeing the "best affection" indicator appear three times in a row—an unprecedented occurrence—Amamiya fell into a brief silence.

For a moment, he felt as if he were surrounded by countless blue double eighth notes and the sounds they made.

"Don't be afraid, I'm here."

Gently patting the girl's back to signal her to relax, Amamiya pressed her free hand against her cheek, and the eerie blue flames rose again.

At Amamiya's signal, the floating unicorn used its telekinesis to place Amamiya and Serika, who was still clinging to each other and unwilling to let go, back onto its back.

"Hold on tight."

After giving this instruction, Amamiya freed one hand and wrapped it around the girl's waist, while simultaneously giving the unicorn a command.

"Dive attack."

The unicorn, which leaped dozens of meters into the air, roared as it plummeted to the ground with unstoppable momentum.

War tramples, kid!

The horse's hooves landed heavily on the ground, kicking up a huge wave of sand and dust that spread for hundreds of meters.

Near the center of Unicorn's 'War Stomp', the Helmet Corps' vehicle was instantly thrown more than ten meters into the air before crashing heavily to the ground.

With a loud bang, the seemingly sturdy armored vehicle burst into flames and emitted black smoke, teetering on the brink of self-destruction.

Despite being embraced, Celery felt no shyness at this moment. Her gaze pierced through the dust, watching the vehicle being tossed high into the air and then crashing down by the impacting waves. She felt only a sense of satisfaction at having avenged her great grievance.

'Whistle—'

After a hiss, the unicorn's horn once again gathered light, and the blessing light, carrying intense heat, coalesced into walls of light.

The Helmet Gang members responsible for kidnapping Serika had never seen anything like this before.

There was no need for Amamiya to cast a single fear spell; they themselves were terrified and fainted from the continuous impact.

"It's safe now, Celery."

Upon hearing Amamiya's words, the 'Black Cat Princess,' who had been clinging to him like a pendant, seemed to snap out of her daze, her cheeks instantly turning bright red.

And then she...

Instead of letting go, they held on even tighter.

Amamiya: "..."

Fine, I'll just hold him then.

As long as it can ease her emotions.

Left with no other choice, Amamiya could only continue riding the unicorn, using one hand to hold the headset hanging by her ear.

"I've rescued Serika. Ayane, how's the situation on your end?"

Immediately, Ayane's voice, tinged with anxiety but mostly joy, came from the other end of the communication.

"Thank goodness...they've been saved?!"

“Sensei, we’re making good progress too… With the help of ‘Listening,’ we’ve captured all the members of the Helmet Gang who planned this operation…”

Immediately afterward, Hoshino's angry and serious voice, clearly showing his anger, cut off Ayane's conversation.

"Sensei... what should we do with these helmeted squad members?"

"Take him back first and ask him what happened."

Chapter 41 Celery: Seemingly Relieved

The sound of the vehicle driving through the desert was very familiar... but only at this moment, accompanied by the banter of my companions, could I feel an extraordinary sense of security.

The constant care and teasing from her friends helped Qinxiang emerge from the shadow of almost being buried in the sandstorm.

But then, Celery encountered another 'special problem'.

Hoshino squinted, his gaze shifting back and forth between Amamiya and Serika before asking in a complex tone that was both teasing and inquiring, "Serika, are you alright?"

"No, it's okay..."

Hoshino asked such a light and seemingly casual question, and Serika's heart started racing uncontrollably, and a blush, like that of a princess, gradually appeared on her cheeks.

"Hmm~ Are you really alright? Celery's cheeks are all rosy~"

Faced with Hoshino's 'teasing', Serika, unusually, did not get angry or go berserk. Instead, she buried her head even deeper, while her cat ears twitched very actively.

"That's just because... I had only recently woken up after being knocked unconscious, and I was still a little dizzy... that's all..."

Nomiya, sitting in the passenger seat, suddenly turned his head and gave Amamiya, who was sitting in the middle row next to Serika, a squinting smile. He said meaningfully, "Shy Serika-chan is cute too~ Speaking of which, Sensei, the scene you just performed... riding a unicorn beast to save a damsel in distress, was really great~!"

"Hey?!"

Serika felt her breath catch for a moment. Forgetting all about being shy, she stared blankly up at Nomiya, seemingly surprised by his 'meaningful' teasing.

After a brief moment of surprise came the embarrassment of having "taken it to a higher level".

"Everyone...saw it...?!"

Nomiya chuckled softly, raising the tone slightly at the end: "What did you see? What's Serika-chan talking about? I don't know~"

Bai Zi, who was also sitting in the middle row, cast a 'eager to try' glance at him.

“Sensei’s actions were really cool... I want to try that feeling too.”

'laugh--'

The black cat's CPU burned out on the spot, accompanied by Bai Zi's seemingly insignificant words.

Then...doesn't that mean everything is perfectly clear?!

In other words... they saw everything clearly about my behavior at the time...

After a brief malfunction, Qinxiang slumped back in her chair, a relieved expression on her face, before her eyes became vacant.

(Seven) 4 Dance with silk (Celery: Seems relieved.jpg)

"Ah ha ha……"

Ayane, who was piloting the vehicle, could only manage a dry laugh, temporarily ending this topic that had left Serika feeling somewhat 'desperate'.

Indeed... that scene was more like a fairy tale than any fairy tale itself...

She also wanted to experience it for herself, as one of the participants...

That unique aura of the "Phantom Thief," so different from that of the "Prince"...

"Speaking of... those helmeted group members..."

Ayane slowed down and glanced in the rearview mirror at another vehicle following closely behind, carrying a helicopter and the Helmet Group prisoners.

Hifumi volunteered to drive the vehicle—perhaps because she felt she wouldn't easily join in the atmosphere of Abydos, so she didn't ride along but instead took on the responsibility of transporting prisoners.

"What exactly is going on with those helmeted group members?"

Ayane's doubts finally brought the topic back on track.

Upon hearing this, Hoshino, who was sitting in the last row, frowned uncomfortably and fell into deep thought.

"Having witnessed the power of our forces and having all their equipment confiscated, the Helmet Regiment wouldn't normally be able to organize another operation so quickly..."

"But they still did it... Why is that...?"

This is also a question that lingers in the minds of the girls on the countermeasures committee.

—They clearly defeated the Helmet Gang decisively, inflicting the heaviest blow on their target and seizing all their usable equipment. Logically, the Helmet Gang should have experienced a brief period of low morale and equipment shortages…

Under these circumstances, the Helmet Gang would have no chance to launch any more harassing operations against Abydos.

So why did the Helmet Gang immediately acquire special equipment such as helicopters and trucks, and even carry out kidnapping activities?

While driving, Ayane suddenly thought of something and made an uncertain guess: "Is it because the repayment period is approaching?"

"The repayment date for Abydos is coming up soon. Caesar's side probably thinks that Abydos is not capable of coming up with 788 million... which is the amount to be repaid this time, such a large sum of money."

Ayane analyzed logically and with evidence: "But what Caesar didn't expect was that Abydos suddenly and unexpectedly 'found' a [Pharaoh's Millennium Artifact] that could be sold for a high price, and successfully sold it on the black market..."

As Ayane analyzed the situation, everyone subconsciously looked towards the back of the car, where Hoshino was holding a shoulder bag full of banknotes.

Ayane continued to speculate: "However, our 'unexpected gain' clearly did not meet the Caesar Group's expectations... For some purpose, the Caesar Group had to take some special actions, thus continuing the attack that was originally planned..."

Ayane's analysis was logical and well-founded, and even incorporated some information obtained from the other world, which made a lot of sense to everyone.

Now, everyone on the countermeasures committee is well aware that the main purpose of the Kaiser Group in making Abydos repay its debts is not simply the issue of 'debt'.

The information obtained from the other world reveals this point in every aspect.

The Caesar Group was acting on instructions from a mysterious society called "Numerical Arcane Arts"...

Members of "Symbolism" may infiltrate the upper echelons of the Caesar Group as advisors, strategists, or commanders...

"It seems..."

Hoshino squinted, suddenly feeling that the bag of money in his arms didn't smell so 'good' anymore.