The player patissier of MITRON, the bakery in front of Eungwang High.
The words he just said.
Crows.
The situation seemed like an obvious riddle.
The person speaking to me, his words, and the landscape of where we have bounced around in my head.
And the biggest clue — the words that Yong Jegun said to me.
— If you’re going to wear the crow mask, you have to respect the Crow Devil King and his beloved human’s preference.
— I can tell you. The human cherished by that Devil King is in Eungwang District.
Yong Jegun added a few words, mostly about what Ungnyeo (Sad Bear Goddess) said in the past.
From Yong Jegun’s words, there are two clues regarding the Crow Devil King.
First, there is a human being in Eungwang District that the Crow Devil King cherishes.
Second, there is a common preference between the Crow Devil King and his beloved human.
Hints about this preference have been abstractly referenced in the game.
‘Something that shines’
‘Something that people could either like or dislike’
Those alone wouldn’t make sense, but the second one has been mentioned in this world before.
— The Crow Demon King and I have very different tastes, but I recently noticed something about the person related to him
In the first place, there aren’t a lot of people who have the same preferences as Yong Jegun.
Even his fellow Dragon Clan takes a step back when he smiles ecstatically.
In any case, it’s likely that Yong Jegun and the Crow Devil King have different preferences, and Yong Jegun’s only friend revealed some of those.
— My drinking buddy doesn’t like sweet alcohol. Drinking these alone isn’t very exciting, so these are the only drinks left behind.
— Is it Yong Jegun? If a descendant eats or drinks with us, they should appreciate whatever we serve them.
Yong Jegun’s dislike for sweet things was mentioned by Kim Shinrok during one of the drinking parties with the Tiger Clan.
And the favorite thing of the Crow Devil King is sugar or anything sweet.
‘So I can make the assumption that this patissier from Eungwang District and is related to sweets, is the agent of the Crow Devil King. It makes sense.’
This man in front of me is a patissier, a chocolatier, and a sugar craftsman.
He makes Hani, someone who’s a reasonable consumer, overspend on sweets.
If the Crow Devil King loves sweets, it wouldn’t be strange that his agent is someone who can make sweets.
‘Hwang Jiho said something about this patissier too when he first saw him.’
On Teacher’s Day, we visited MITRON to buy food to eat with Professor Ham Geunhyung.
Hwang Jiho, who saw the patissier for the first time that day, said something.
— A strong order from someone of royal lineage. Who could it be?
It’s not a strange thing for the patissier, who is also a player, to have some sort of order, so I didn’t pay much attention to it.
‘So it’s the Demon Race.’
Out of all things, I didn’t expect him to have an order from Sidelentium, the Crow Devil King.
Another crucial thing was the question this patissier once asked me.
‘He asked a strange question out of nowhere that day.
October third, the morning of the Tigers’ birthday party.
At that time, MITRON was supposed to be closed for the Chuseok holiday, but because of the patissier’s consideration, I was able to order a cake.
When I went to pick up the work of art of a cake, the patissier asked me something.
— Isn’t it cool? A beautiful and sweet work of art is perfect… Except it melts easily in high temperatures.
— What do you think?
When I said I agree with him, the patissier suddenly gave me the cake as a gift.
I’m sure now that the question was some sort of test.
‘So it was a test to see if I respect the Devil King’s preference.’
And I could guess why the Patissier, the Devil King’s contractor, appeared in front of me and said something that revealed his identity.
When I offered a deal to Sidelentium, who intervened in the otherworld at the time of our class’ first practice, he said he would come to see me soon.
— When should we settle the deal? You won’t be able to take the item card with that appearance.
— would be difficult for me to move around in the Tiger Clan’s territory. Before the season changes, I will have my contractor meet you sooner or later.
And now, the patissier has come to see me outside of Eungwang District, alone.
Our first practice was last September, and it’s now the end of October, just before Halloween.
The Crow Devil King has kept his word.
Looking at the patissier staring at me and waiting for my answer, I finally spoke.
“Hello. You are that person’s agent, aren’t you? I see you came to see me before the season changed, just as he promised.”
Considering the possibility that the patissier wasn’t the Crow Devil King’s agent, I left some room for ambiguity.
The patissier replied with a smile, affirming my guess.
“You are as polite and intelligent as I have heard. I thought you wouldn’t recognize me or you’d be surprised at least.”
Being surprised is one thing, but I wonder what would’ve happened if I hadn’t recognized him.
The patissier continued speaking as if he heard the question in my head.
“If student Jo Euishin hadn’t recognized that I was his agent, I would’ve been at a loss on how I should introduce myself. I would’ve been disappointed too, so it’s a relief.”
With that said, I can see the similarities between Sidelentium and this patissier.
The Crow Devil King threw me a challenge during our first practice, and this patissier tested me with a question last October 3rd, and now he gave me a riddle that helped me figure out who he was.
The devil and his agent seemed to like to test people.
“Are we going to make the deal here?”
“No. I think the possibility of you bringing such a valuable item overseas is quite low, Jo Euishin.”
If I didn’t have the item window function, he would’ve been right.
I can’t openly carry an item that I intend to use for future transactions.
“Even if you have the item card now, Jo Euishin, it will be cumbersome if I was found with a UR-rank item that I didn’t have when I left the country. I do not intend to make the deal here.”
He made his intentions clear, so what does he want?
“Actually, the person that I serve was invited to the Halloween Party. I will be attending on behalf of him.”
The Fomorians invited Sidelentium?
Well, they’ve secured a treasure of Tuatha Dé Danann, so they will want to attract as many guests as possible.
In that case, it could be a natural move to send invitations to high-ranking demons.
“The fact that you’re here in London, Jo Euishin, means that you’re going to participate too, right?”
I suddenly had a bad feeling.
We’re not going to talk about the deal, but Sidelentium’s agent suddenly has something he wants to say to me.
‘Don’t tell me he’s going to ask for ‘that act’? It wouldn’t matter if it were a normal circumstance, but now isn’t the right time…! No, it’s possible that that’s not it. I shouldn’t jump to conclusions.’
I embraced the hope in my heart and asked him.
“…May I ask what the message is?”
“I’m sure all the participants at this Halloween Party were advised to wear masks.”
The patissier completely shattered my hope.
“Please wear a crow mask at the party.”
My vision turned black.
I have to wear a crow mask, something that I wear as ‘that word’, in front of the Phantom Thief Neon?
There’s no way that he hasn’t seen the article about me.
I’m sure he unnecessarily treats me as his rival!
‘No, the connection between ‘that word’ and the crow mask isn’t obvious to the public. Even if I wear the mask, it’s possible that he wouldn’t recognize me.’
Forcing an optimistic outlook, I nodded at the patissier.
Still, the ominous feeling hasn’t left.
Because the Phantom Thief Neon has good wits, especially in strange places.
***
In the hideout of the Phantom Thief.
Holograms containing the news of the announcement on Big Ben covered the walls.
The boy, who was exhausted and defenseless because he just flew the giant signs, looked satisfied with the headlines.
It was because of his new nickname.
“Congratulations on getting a nickname, Phantom Thief Neon.”
Phantom Thief Neon smiled brightly at Seodol’s words.
From Seodol’s perspective, he knew that the Phantom Thief couldn’t laugh out loud since his energy wave is exhausted.
Still, he looked lively.
He looked motivated as if he really liked his new nickname.
“Thank you. I’ll do what a true thief does in order to keep this name!”
“I’ll be rooting for you.”
Seodol brought food and refreshments for the Phantom Thief Neon.
If the Phantom Thief’s condition doesn’t improve, he could miss the Halloween Party and all these would be for naught.
Seodol couldn’t wait to see what would happen, so he did something out of character.
“Do you have something else to ask of me? It wouldn’t be cool if I just stop at helping you with your announcement.”
“I’ve already received a lot of help from you, Designer Seodol… Oh, I do have a favor to ask of you.”
Phantom Thief Neon’s face suddenly looked serious.
Seodol mirrored this and listened seriously to his request.
“Please find someone wearing a crow mask at the party.”
“…A crow mask?”
Seodol immediately thought of the Crow Devil King at the mention of a crow mask.
It’s a party held by the Demon Race, it’s impossible not to draw the connection.
“Why do you need to find someone with a crow mask?”
The Phantom Thief Neon answered.
“I think the one who wears a crow mask is some sort of thief too.”
“…A thief?”
Is being a thief such a common job?
So there’s another strange child other than this Phantom Thief Neon.
Seodol thought so, and the Phantom Thief Neon spoke again.
“He got his name from the Korean media before. The Red Wall Thief!”
“Oh, I know about the Red Wall Thief. Does he wear a crow mask?”
Seodol recalled the existence of a mysterious thief who broke into the Hwanmong Auction on New Year’s Day, causing an uproar in Korea.
Seodol paid close attention to the incident since some people who had his order was involved.
However, no matter how hard Seodol tried to remember, he couldn’t recall anything about a crow mask.
The Phantom Thief Neon turned on his device and floated a file.
‘Is this the list from Hwanmong that time? I think more content is added here.’
The file floated by the Phantom Thief was data containing the personal details of those involved in the Hwanmong Gate.
The Phantom Thief seemed to have done additional research as there were several explanations, articles, and photos linked to each person’s name.
He opened the link on ‘Choi Pyeondeuk’ and showed an article.
In the article, a blurred photo of someone wearing a crow mask was shown.
“This case is related to the disappearance of a person involved in Hwanmong Gate. And here, a mysterious person wearing a crow mask.”
‘But this information is lacking to conclude that he’s the same person as the Red Wall Thief, isn’t it?’
Seodol thought so, but the Phantom Thief Neon’s passionate speech continued.
“The rule is to always cover your face with a mask or a monocle! The first one he wore was Yeom Junyeol’s face, and then he began using a crow mask.”
“…There’s such a rule?”
“My guts tell me that the Red Wall Thief will wear a crow mask and commit a theft tonight. It’s just a gut feeling between thieves.”
With the boy’s answer, Seodol felt like he was thrown into a dungeon of mystery.
A gut feeling between thieves?
Does he have to act like a thief to feel it?
Phantom Thief Neon asked Seodol again.
“If you find the person with a crow mask, stick close to him or let me know.”
