The story of the black silk female knight

"I'm not! I didn't! He's talking nonsense!"

Miss Phantom Thief immediately responded with a furious triple denial:

"Didn't I tell you this already, Junior Sister? I'm not like you. I'm a normal woman who likes strong men and handsome young men! How could I possibly flirt with someone else's wife and daughter?"

"That's hard to say... People's preferences change... Uh, Senior Sister, I was wrong!"

Seeing her senior sister growing increasingly angry and on the verge of hitting someone, Valensa quickly softened her stance, and then asked curiously:

"So what is the truth behind that incident, Senior Sister?"

"……Why."

The phantom thief sighed again and took a sip of her milk tea:

"At that time, I was on vacation in a small town not far from Viscount Ston's territory when I suddenly heard that Viscount Ston had a treasure stolen by 'Phantom Thief Red Fox Mask'."

I was both shocked and furious, and immediately decided to catch that imposter and teach him a lesson.

So I quickly inquired around and found out that the imposter was really convincing; the entire modus operandi was exactly my method and style.

More than ten days had passed since the incident, and the chances of catching the counterfeit goods were slim. So I used my own methods to analyze and search, and eventually found the lost item at that farm.

"Oh?"

Valensa raised an eyebrow:

"So, in that incident involving the Phantom Thief Red Fox Mask, it was you, the real Phantom Thief Red Fox Mask, who found the treasure that the fake Phantom Thief Red Fox Mask had stolen and hidden?"

"Yes."

Miss Phantom Thief nodded, her expression complex.

"That viscount gave me quite a few gold coins as a token of his gratitude... His daughter even wanted to invite me to the opera, but I declined."

"I see... Then what about the Viscount's wife and daughter being harassed?"

Valensa continued to recall:

"The records show that before stealing the items, the fake thief disguised himself as a maid in the Viscount's house and infiltrated the residence for at least three days. He also did certain things while serving the Viscountess and Viscountess as they changed and bathed... Did the fake thief really do all this?"

"...What? You still doubt me, your senior sister?"

Miss Thief glared at Valensa, a mixture of sadness and annoyance on her face.

"I don't want to doubt you either, senior sister, but..."

Valensa shrugged:

"According to the Viscount and his wife and daughters, the maid that the phantom thief was disguised as was almost flawless, and I only know of two people who can do such a good disguise... One of them is you, Senior Sister, and the other was just killed by me not long ago. It's impossible for him to come to the Divine Blessed Continent to frame you, Senior Sister."

"...The other person you mentioned, is it the Sin Angel?"

Miss Phantom Thief took a deep breath:

"Actually, I also suspected that guy, the Sin Angel, at first. There aren't many people who can use the art of disguise so well... It wasn't until I encountered the imposter again in another case that I realized he wasn't the Sin Angel. But he was also good at disguise, and it's very likely that, like me, he learned the art of disguise from the Sin Angel."

"Could you explain in detail how your disguise techniques differ?"

Valensa hesitated for a moment, but then asked directly.

"Of course you can tell your junior sister."

Miss Phantom Thief was quite straightforward:

"My disguise skills are not inherited from my master, but rather I learned them from the Sin Angel when I first joined the Revelers. I was taught by her during that time... or rather, I learned her way of thinking."

The Sin Angel's disguise skills seem flawless, but there is actually a limitation... Almost everyone who has been impersonated by her has been murdered, right?

This is because the Sin Angel must gather detailed information about the disguised target, requiring the target to remain completely compliant; therefore, the best method is naturally to kill the disguised target first.

"Collecting information on camouflaged targets?"

Valensa interrupted briefly, asking curiously:

"What specific information is included? Height, weight, facial features, skin color, etc."

"Similar, but more detailed."

The phantom thief nodded, then reached out and touched Valensa's face, uttering a theory that Valensa found very much like a technological civilization:

"How do we distinguish between people? First, of course, we look at their appearance. But what is appearance? Is it their face and figure? Actually, no. It's the light reflected from their face and body. Our brain receives these light signals through our eyes and then interprets them into specific information... This is the whole process of how we see a person. It seems simple, but the principle is actually very complex."

The concept behind the Sin Angel's Disguise Technique is based on this... Since you, Junior Sister, have already personally killed the Sin Angel, you should have known long ago that she was actually a master of illusion. After collecting various physical data of the target being disguised, she can use sophisticated illusions to deceive the viewer's brain, causing the viewer's brain to make incorrect interpretations and thus take her as the target being disguised.

My disguise technique is also based on this concept, only the method is different... I use the power of my mind to truly rewrite the data of the light reflected from my body in order to deceive other people's eyes.

Overall, however, the Sin Angel's disguise is superior... because she can directly deceive the brain with illusions, while I can only disguise my own light reflection. Therefore, the Sin Angel's disguise is almost flawless, while my disguise can be detected by her keen sense of smell and touch.

"Understood……"

Valensa nodded thoughtfully, then asked again:

"So what methods did the imposters use?"

"...His methods were quite cruel, even more so than those of the Sinful Angels."

The phantom thief's face turned slightly pale, and her hands clenched into tight fists.

"To be specific, we need to start with the case of the America Cardin Putra Museum..."

Chapter 24 Senior Sister Joins the Team

"The case of the America Cardambu Museum..."

Valensa quickly recalled the information she had reviewed earlier:

"Is it the case from six months ago? Senior, you sent a letter to steal a sculpture by a master artist from a museum, and later the sculpture was found under a manhole cover... That incident was actually done by an imposter?"

"That's what he did."

Miss Phantom Thief nodded:

“After what happened at Viscount Ston’s estate, I became very concerned about the imposter and have been tracking him down to find him.”

"So, have you found any clues, senior sister?"

Valensa picked up the cup, took a small sip of her milk tea, and asked.

"……No."

Gudong.

Miss Phantom Thief shook her head somewhat dejectedly, picked up a cup of milk tea, and took a big gulp, as if trying to wash away the bitterness in her heart with the sweet liquid:

"After the incident at Viscount Ston's territory, that imposter went into hiding, and I investigated him for almost a year without any results... By the time I heard from him again, he had already succeeded in Danbu City."

"So, just like you did in Viscount Ston's territory, you found the artwork hidden under the manhole cover and returned it to the museum?"

As Valensa spoke, she picked up the large pot and refilled her and her senior's cups with steaming hot, sweet milk tea.

"Do not."

Miss Phantom Thief shook her head again:

"The lost item that time at the museum wasn't something I found... I wasn't involved in the whole search for the lost item at all that time; I was investigating how the counterfeit goods were made."

The imposter used similar methods to me. After identifying a target, he would first target the servants who had long-term contact with it, then conduct thorough investigations and planning before manipulating the guards and security forces during the actual operation.

"so……"

Valensa frowned slightly and rubbed her chin a little, her slightly parted, pigtailed legs crossing over each other:

"Senior, in the museum incident, you didn't pay much attention to the lost items, but instead focused your investigation mainly on the person who was replaced by the imposter? He should be a museum staff member?"

"Yes."

Miss Phantom Thief seemed to have already finished her milk tea, placing the cup directly on the coffee table and sinking completely into the soft sofa.

"I am the real Phantom Thief Red Fox Mask, so I naturally know very well the procedures of those guards and security teams after an incident... Since I usually disguise myself as an inconspicuous servant, even if someone disappears, it won't attract much attention for a short time, as everyone is busy searching for the lost item."

Because everyone knows that I, Red Fox Mask, never take the treasures I obtain with me. Instead, I hide them near where they were lost. The first person to find the treasure not only receives a thank you from the owner but also a reward from my game.

"Indeed."

Valensa nodded.

Due to the influence of the Church of the Sun, the level of social civilization on the continent of Frenoia is much higher than that of the feudal dynasty in Valensa's previous life.

However, feudal society is feudal society after all. Those who are truly valued are still the kings and nobles. It is difficult for servants and ordinary people to get attention immediately when something happens to them... especially when everyone in a certain area is completely immersed in a treasure hunt.

"So, what clues did you discover this time, Senior Sister?"

Valensa asked again.

"Ah."

Miss Phantom Thief continued:

"While everyone was engrossed in the treasure hunt, I made a few inquiries and easily learned that a cleaner at the museum had disappeared after the treasure was stolen... In fact, many people guessed that the cleaner had been replaced, but no one was willing to investigate; they all wanted to find the lost items first."

While the treasure hunt was still going on, I found the cleaner's place... Junior sister, when you first cracked my treasure hunt, you used your mental power to enhance your sense of smell, right? I used the same method to investigate that cleaner, and sure enough, I found something.

In a secluded corner about four or five hundred meters from the cleaner's residence, I found the remains of the cleaner after he was murdered... Yes, remains.

Unlike the Sinful Angel, who at least leaves the replaced person with a whole body, the imposter will strip the victim of all their external flesh, leaving them like a peeled egg... a truly gruesome sight.

Seemingly recalling the horrific scene she witnessed upon discovering the body, the strange young lady's eyebrows furrowed tightly, her breathing becoming heavy for a few seconds, and her breasts heaving below her collar.

"That imposter deserves to die!"

Valensa also gave her comments without mincing words before continuing to ask:

"And then? What did you find on the victim's body, senior sister?"

"I discovered a very strange remnant of a spell, but I don't recognize it."

The phantom thief, being a seasoned veteran, quickly composed herself:

"However, I should know a friend of mine. She is a witch in the Witch Forest who specializes in collecting and researching all sorts of strange spells... So I carefully collected the victim's remains and took them to the Witch Forest to consult my friend."

"Has that witch figured anything out?" Valensa pressed.

"Of course... although that technique is said to be very strange and complicated, it is, after all, a reverse deduction based on knowing the approximate effect, so the process is much simpler."

Miss Phantom Thief continued:

“My friend told me that this is a very vicious procedure… It can remain dormant in the human body for 7 to 15 days, operating in secret. Once it is complete, the victim implanted with the procedure will become a shell used for disguise… Once the shell is in place, the practitioner can replace the victim.”

If the caster further infuses a portion of their own soul into the spell, they can even be reborn in the body of the victim after their own death... In short, it's an extremely vicious spell.

"A technique? A technique that lies dormant within the human body?"

Valensa immediately thought of what had happened to Centipede and hurriedly asked:

"Then, senior sister, can you recognize that kind of spell... or rather, the victim of that spell?"

"Of course...that's why I came to the Divine Continent."

The phantom thief raised her chin and said:

"After I basically figured out how that vicious spell worked, my friend made me a tool that could be used to test the spell... I took that tool and ran around, secretly testing those nameless corpses that died tragically, hoping to catch the imposter before he could make another move."

Persistence pays off. Just recently, I discovered another gruesome, unidentified corpse in America's area. Tests confirmed that it had been killed by that vicious spell.

I continued my investigation and soon confirmed the true identity of the unidentified corpse... and his family and friends were indeed unaware that he had been murdered, and had been living with the imposter all along.

Just when I thought I could catch the imposter, I suddenly learned that the imposter had come to the Divine Continent under the guise of the victim... The victim was a devout believer of the Sun Church who would make a pilgrimage to the Divine Continent every three to five years.

I don't know why that imposter came to the Divine Continent, but I couldn't let him get away with it... So I attacked a nun and impersonated her to follow him to the Divine Continent... uh."

At this point, Miss Thief, seemingly afraid of upsetting Valensa, quickly explained:

"Don't worry, junior sister. I didn't hurt that nun. I just gave her some sleeping potion and hid her under my bed. She must have been rescued or woken up on her own by now."

"Yes, I believe you wouldn't hurt anyone casually, senior sister."

Valensa nodded; she still trusted her step-sister's character.

"Then I'll continue..."

Miss Phantom Thief finally breathed a sigh of relief:

"After arriving at the Divine Favor Continent, I continued to use that item to search for traces of the vicious spell, but this time I didn't find anything. The imposter did not change his identity after arriving at the Divine Favor Continent... or rather, he did not take on the identity of another person."

Because I investigated the identity of his previous victim, I discovered that the person disappeared after arriving on the Divine Blessed Continent… I strongly suspect that the imposter abandoned the shell and infiltrated the Divine Blessed Continent under his own identity. After all, the shell's identity was that of a devout believer, and coming to the Divine Blessed Continent would require various cultivation and pilgrimage activities, which would be very inconvenient for him.

But this would be like searching for a needle in a haystack on the continent of divine favor... Just when I was wondering what to do, I heard that that bastard imposter sent another letter, this time to the Church of the Sun, saying that he wanted to take a treasure he liked from the church's treasury.