The general public was already starting to call Fuzzy Dice a chivalrous thief, mainly because of what happened to all his targets after a heist. Proof of all their crimes and sins would pop up, and all of them would undoubtedly end in prison or executed.
「After working as an adventurer and detective for a while, I also learned to read people better. So I knew as soon as I saw that merchant, losing his fortune wasn’t his biggest fear.」
The detective’s eyes gleamed as he said that, having something in mind.
But before he could continue, the new batch of pancakes arrived. It seemed they had timed the orders carefully, as Julius’ plate also came at the same time.
「Bon appetit.」
With a quick bow, the waiter left. Then the detective continued talking, 「That was the moment I realized that all the rumors were true.」
He did not seem bothered that the waiter had interrupted him earlier. So while Mira and Julius ate again, he continued relating what happened the day he began being involved with Fuzzy Dice.
In the end, the merchant had hired around fifty adventurers to help protect himself, many of whom were rank A as well. On top of that, he had also brought Alex’s Mercenaries to help, who were known for being some of the best guards for large merchant groups.
Armed with guards who could be trusted with defending, and adventurers who could adapt to any situation, the merchant fortified his mansion. The guards were placed inside, while the adventurers surrounded the areas outside. The detective was also assigned a location that allowed him to make full use of his skills. According to the detective, that was quite a smart decision, even if the merchant was corrupt.
「Then again, I guess the mercenaries’ strategist was the one making those decisions.」
The detective chuckled a little as he thought back to those times before his voice became graver as he continued, 「But no one could’ve anticipated what happened.」
While Fuzzy Dice always sent a notice warning about the day he would show up, so far he had also appeared at the same time in previous cases. Because of that, the adventurers were rather relaxed, as they still had three hours left before the usual time.
It was also around that time that food was served to everyone. It was a rather light meal, just sandwiches everyone could carry around and eat without much worry, but the ingredients used for them were so exquisite most adventurers would have not been able to afford them, so they appreciated the merchant’s generosity.
But the detective assumed that was also a suggestion from the strategist, to raise the morale and alertness of the adventurers who were starting to slack off. And surely enough, the adventurers looked more active after eating.
「I never thought that plan would also backfire though.」
The detective chuckled again before telling what happened. Just when it was almost time for the thief to show up, the adventurers began to fall one after another.
Everyone began to panic wondering what had happened, not knowing if they had been attacked somehow. The detective also hid himself to observe more carefully, before approaching one of the fallen adventurers. When he checked on the adventurer, it was clear he was simply sleeping.
As he moved along, he found the other adventurers were the same, until he found one that was still conscious, and it was someone he recognized.
「The source of everything was that food.」
The one adventurer who could still move was the same person who had brought out the sandwiches, saying they came from the merchant who hired them. Those sandwiches had been doped with a slow acting sleeping drug.
The detective had not eaten his sandwich though, suspecting something was off about them, and his instincts had been right.
But Mira noticed that the detective’s voice sounded slightly uncomfortable as he spoke of those events. Or rather, it was clear he was not the best at lying, since he had detailed everything else in rich detail, but here he was being rather vague about his reasoning. She suspected that it had just been a coincidence, and that he had not eaten the sandwich for an unrelated reason.
Trying to get more answers sounded like too much trouble for Mira though, so she did not point that out and instead focused on eating her pancakes.
「And so after perfectly avoiding the thief’s ploy, I finally stood against him.」
The detective’s voice gained more energy as he got closer to the climax of the story. At the same time, Mira finally realized that the other people in the restaurant had gotten silent and were listening attentively.
After all, they were talking about that popular phantom thief, and this was a rare first account of an encounter with him, so it made sense to get so much attention.
With all of those eyes focused on him, the detective continued telling his story.
「He told me, I’m surprised you didn’t eat, I can tell you’re very cautious. And I replied, please do it with pancakes next time.」
The detective noticed everyone was listening, so his face lit up even more as his narration became more dramatic.
The plan to capture Fuzzy Dice hinged on the adventurers outside, but they were all asleep. At the same time, the mercenaries inside the mansion were also passing out one after another. Since the mansion was an enclosed space, Paradise Fog was able to spread everywhere without the wind dispersing it, reaching everyone inside.
In other words, the detective was the last line of defense.
「I was the only one left standing. And that’s when he told me something else, that I’m the first person to ever stand in front of him like that.」
He was getting more energetic, his voice filled with emotion. In response, the audience gasped loudly, waiting in suspense. But Mira, who was sitting right in front of him, was not too into it, and casually called the waiter to order a third plate of pancakes, saying 「A Custard Ocean, please.」 As for Julius, he was listening attentively as well, as the detective’s work did mean a lot to him.
「It was my first time seeing the thief as well, and no one knew the extent of his power. But I didn’t falter, and stepped up to the challenge armed with everything I learned as an adventurer.」
Fuzzy Dice had already conducted various heists until then, but this was the first time someone stood in his way with the intent to fight. In the past, he would always get everyone to sleep first. In other words, the detective was also the first opponent Fuzzy Dice had ever met.
The detective continued narrating with emotion. It was a clash of strength against strength, skill against skill, and intellect against intellect, an exhilarating battle. But Fuzzy Dice was a foe too mighty, and the detective was unable to take him down. At that point, the detective’s voice mellowed out as he stared vacantly into space. 「I’m not chasing after him to arrest him, it’s just my manly duty to take down my rival,」 he muttered in a solemn voice.
(Wait, didn’t he say earlier that no one had fought him head on and his skills was shrouded in mystery..?)
Mira began to wonder how much of that story was real and how much was dramatization, as she quickly noticed certain points that contradicted what the detective had said earlier. But she hardly bothered to point that out, as instead she began eating her third serving of pancakes, the taste of which quickly absorbed her attention.
While Mira did that, the response from the rest of the audience was different.
They were all listening in as it was a story of Fuzzy Dice, who many admired there. Because of the thief’s reputation as someone who only targeted wicked men, he had a large following, and as the detective was trying to capture the thief, they antagonized the detective and the other adventurers and mercenaries from the story.
「That’s actually incredible, I’ll be rooting for you, detective.」
「I can tell he’s a real man now.」
「I see, so that’s why he’s been chasing after Fuzzy Dice…」
Now their opinion of the detective was starting to change, and some even showed their support for him, regardless of his intent to capture Fuzzy Dice. And that started a knock-on effect as more people began to voice their support for him.
「Thank you everyone. I’ll do my best.」
The detective addressed the audience before reaching for his tea and taking a sip, before regaining his distant look. It was hard to tell what was going through his mind, but his outward appearance was certainly that of a struggling man. But not long after, there was a swooning squeal from a woman.
That caused Mira to stop chewing her pancakes and look at the detective to see what was happening. In response, he just winked and said, 「The pancakes here are good, aren’t they?」 with a playful voice. He sounded like someone who had just gotten away with something.
Everything that happened there seemed like it was done in the spur of the moment, but considering the shrewdness that came with being a detective, it was quite possible that it had all been planned from the start. Mira glanced around at all the new allies the detective had gained, but then decided it was not worth the trouble to think about, so she just focused on finishing her pancakes.
