I Became A Thief Who Steals Overpowered Skills

The problem was that even Taria couldn’t monitor Rona for long using surveillance magic.

Rona’s magical tools affected Taria in the same way.

[ I will confirm it. ]

With no other choice, Crimson Garden soared into the sky to track Rona.

Meanwhile, Rona was advancing rapidly.

Using a magical tool that lightened her body and enhanced her speed, Rona was far faster than expected.

Thus, Rona arrived at the Theology Hall a step ahead of Taria.

Bang!

Swinging open the door to the Theology Hall and stepping in confidently, Rona stood before one individual.

That person was none other than Mirei Beakis.

「Rona Imblaze?」

Mirei asked, puzzled. At that moment, Rona loosened the buttons on her shirt.

Ping!

A magical tool that had been fastened around her neck suddenly shot out along with a necklace chain, pointing directly at Mirei.

The tool’s purpose? To detect servants of the World Eroder.

「Mirei Beakis.」

Drawing all eyes to herself, Rona smiled faintly.

「How does it feel for someone who serves the divine to become a servant of the World Eroder?」

Everyone around her collectively gasped.

They, too, knew what Rona had declared at the Women’s Association.

There is a servant of the World Eroder within Rahern Academy.

Now, the very person Rona was pointing at was Mirei.

「What are you saying…」

Mirei’s response was one of confusion.

Before she could finish, Rona raised yet another magical tool.

A pitch-black tool, the color of pure darkness.

The moment Mirei saw it, a sudden wave of nausea hit her.

At the same time, her eyes rolled back, and she began to collapse backward.

「Mirei!」

「Kyaah!」

Chaos erupted as people rushed to catch the falling Mirei.

Right before she hit the ground, black octopus-like tentacles erupted from the back of her neck, stopping her fall.

Everyone froze in shock at the sight, watching as Mirei’s pupils turned entirely black.

The sinister energy pouring out of her was unmistakably the aura of the World Eroder.

「Get back!」

Rona yelled, pushing through the stunned onlookers.

With a fiery magical tool in hand, she lunged at Mirei, intending to end it in one decisive blow.

But the speed of the black tentacles erupting from Mirei far outmatched Rona’s.

Wham!

「Urgh!」

One of the black tentacles struck Rona’s stomach with overwhelming force, sending her flying through the air.

At the same time, Mirei’s rampaging black tentacles whipped around in all directions, devastating the Theology Hall in an instant.

That was the full story of the incident.

Taria raised her hand.

Mana, the core of her magic, flowed out from her palm once more.

Crackle!

Lightning surged up from Taria, encircling Mirei’s arms and legs like shackles.

The moment the black tentacles were shattered, Mirei ceased all movement.

Taria quickly scanned her surroundings.

Thanks to Assistant Professor Denver, all the students had managed to escape to safety.

Even the students who had been caught up in the chaos earlier were now outside the Theology Hall.

Thankfully, there were no casualties.

With half-closed eyes, Taria stared at Mirei.

Mirei’s eyes showed no sign of awareness.

「The Black Witch can plant servants into others without their will.」

Taria recalled what Kraush had said.

A Black Witch could create servants without the victim’s consent.

If that were the case, Mirei might have been subjected to the same fate.

If she had become this way because of Black Witch without her consent, then Mirei bore no fault.

But this realization only presented a new problem.

If it became known that Mirei, a cardinal, had been turned into a servant of the World Eroder, faith in the divine would undoubtedly be shaken to its core.

And such a revelation would be utterly unacceptable in a theocratic kingdom like Freeman, where faith in the gods was paramount.

‘If this continues, Mirei will be executed.’

From Freeman’s perspective, it would be a preferable situation if Mirei had willingly betrayed the gods and sided with the World Eroder.

In that case, they would surely move to execute her by any means necessary.

And Mirei, as a cardinal, would likely accept such a judgment without resistance.

Taria furrowed her brow.

She couldn’t figure out how to protect Mirei in this situation.

“Miss Taria Vales.”

Assistant Professor Denver, wiping the blood from his forehead, approached Taria.

He looked at the restrained Mirei.

He, too, understood that Mirei had acted without consciousness.

For that reason, his expression was a mixture of unease and sorrow.

Whether Mirei became a servant of the World Eroder by choice or against her will, the result would be the same, her execution. Denver was well aware of this.

“Assistant Professor Denver, isn’t there some way to resolve this?”

Denver, a high-ranking priest himself, was known for his discernment and compassion. He often advised his fellow clergy not to rely solely on faith but to exercise reason.

But when Taria asked, Denver simply swallowed hard.

“There are too many witnesses. If it were just me, I might be able to cover it up, but the students in the Theology Hall are the children of high-ranking priests. There’s no way this won’t reach their ears.”

In other words, the news would inevitably spread, and once it did, Mirei’s execution was guaranteed.

“Hah, I thought I was dead for sure.”

A voice suddenly came from behind.

It was Rona, who had been struck down by Mirei earlier, now rising to her feet.

She spat on the ground, expelling whatever bile had risen to her mouth.

It seemed one of her magical tools had shielded her from the worst of the attack.

“Rona.”

Taria glared at her.

“Do you even realize what you’ve done?”

Rona turned to look at Taria, unfazed, and casually pulled a new magical tool from her bag.

“What did I do? I revealed a servant of the World Eroder. That’s all.”

Her face showed not an ounce of guilt or concern for the consequences.

She seemed utterly indifferent to the situation of others, as if the concept of responsibility had been erased from her mind.

To be fair, Rona wasn’t entirely wrong.

Servants of the World Eroder were enemies of humanity, and they needed to be defeated.

Creating a tool to reveal them could even be seen as praiseworthy.

But she had caused a serious incident without understanding the context or considering the fallout.

“Step aside. I need to take down the servant of the World Eroder with my magical tool.”

The moment Rona said this, Taria’s eyebrows twitched.

“…I didn’t realize you were this reckless and thoughtless.”

Crackle!

Sparks flew from Taria’s clenched fists.

Taria didn’t intend to defend all those who became servants of the World Eroder,

but she knew that some were driven to it by circumstances beyond their control.

Abandoned by the world, with nowhere else to turn, they had sought solace in the World Eroder.

‘She’s reminding me that I’m Unnie’s servant all over again.’

Watching Rona’s blind condemnation of the World Eroder’s servants, Taria let out a hollow laugh, realizing just how deeply it bothered her.

And soon, Taria raised the lightning bolt that had burst from her grip.

Her hair swayed wildly, following the crackling electricity that surged upward.

She was fully prepared to subdue Rona then and there.

But in that moment, as her anger clouded her reason, a single question formed in Taria’s mind.

She was a servant of Crimson Garden.

Naturally, Crimson Garden was also a World Eroder.

So why wasn’t Rona’s magical tool, the one designed to detect servants of the World Eroder, activating against her?

Taria’s eyes darted to the magical tool around Rona’s neck.

It hung there silently, without the slightest indication of activation.

Not even a flicker suggested it was detecting anything.

As Taria processed this oddity, her hair bristled as if in warning.

A memory surfaced, Kraush’s cautionary words.

「Of course, it’s best to keep an eye on Rona as well, just in case.」

Those words, suggesting that Rona herself might not be entirely beyond suspicion, echoed in her mind.

Taria turned her gaze sharply toward Rona.

“You… could it be…?”

At that, Rona’s eyes met hers. She followed Taria’s line of sight to the magical tool on her neck.

“Ah.”

Rona let out a soft sound, as if something had slipped out unintentionally.

Then, tilting her head slightly with a faintly sheepish expression, she smiled slowly.

“You caught me.”

The moment those words left Rona’s mouth.

BOOOOM!

A deafening explosion roared through the hall.

The lightning that had bound Mirei was shredded to pieces as black tentacles surged violently upward.

In an instant, the writhing black tentacles shot toward Taria. Just before they could reach her.

Denver’s holy barrier surged upward in an instant, intercepting Mirei’s black tentacles.

The tentacles thrashed violently against the barrier, striking it with a maddening fury.

Their strength was no ordinary force; even Denver’s holy shield trembled under the relentless assault.

“Miss Taria, are you alright?!”

Denver shouted as he struggled to hold Mirei back.

Denver’s divine power was specialized in defense.

While it could contain Mirei, it wasn’t enough to fully subdue her.

Now, the black tentacles that had consumed Mirei’s body filled the space entirely, pounding ceaselessly against the holy barrier.

Taria’s help was desperately needed, but she was unable to assist.

Why?

Because Rona’s magical tools had suddenly surged from her back, as if acting on their own, and were now flying directly toward Taria.

Crackle!

Sparks erupted as Taria unleashed a bolt of lightning, striking out against the oncoming magical tools.

The crackling lightning collided with Rona’s tools, producing a deafening roar.

Yet, even through the storm of electricity, some of the tools broke through and continued their advance.

Taria dashed to the side, evading the tools while simultaneously launching another bolt of lightning at Rona.

But inexplicably, the lightning’s trajectory twisted midair and was drawn into a sword-like magical tool.

That tool, unmistakably, was designed to absorb lightning.

“Rona!”

Taria shouted in frustration.

Rona, standing amidst a circle of magical tools that orbited her like planets, stretched her lips into a wide, mischievous grin.

That smile was disturbingly grotesque.

It was too late to realize.

Come to think of it, while Rona was reckless and unpredictable, she wasn’t the type to act this thoughtlessly.

[ She’s lost the brain’s limit known as guilt. ]

Crimson Garden, noticing Rona’s current state, offered insight.

[ That girl is truly a servant of the Black Witch. ]

Rona Imblaze.

She was a servant of the Black Witch.

“Miscalculation. I planned to push things a little further.”

Rona Imblaze, now fully transformed into a servant of the Black Witch, floated her ominous magical tools in the air, glaring at Taria as she let out a deep sigh.

“Taria, who would’ve thought you were another servant of the World Eroder? This ruins my plans.”

Her original plan was clear:

Using this incident to convince everyone that her magical tools could identify servants of the World Eroder, she intended to follow the Black Witch’s orders to turn Kraush into a servant of the World Eroder as well.

Kraush carried the power of the World Erosion within his body.

By exploiting this, she could entangle Crimson Garden and Ebelasque, creating a high likelihood of success.

If Kraush could be branded as a servant of the World Eroder, he could be driven out of the human world entirely.

Once outside, it would be far easier to bring him to Ixion, the territory of the World Eroders, their true domain.

A witch hunt.

It was the ultimate goal of the Black Witch and Rona.

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