The pickpocket slowly opened his eyes.

Soon after, children wearing pure white clothes, each as beautiful as angels, entered his field of vision.

“Is this… heaven?”

When he came to his senses, he had been caught by Ather due to gambling debts that had ballooned like a mountain, and had been involved in bad deeds for a long time.

But it seems the merciful Goddess Kirelia still remembered him. Seeing as she even sent angels in person like this.

As he was about to smile brightly, the angel-like beautiful children pulled out daggers, swords, and magical flames.

Hmm, right. There’s no way this could be heaven.

In fact, he didn’t think he could go to heaven after doing bad things. After all, even Goddess Kirelia wouldn’t visit places other than gambling dens or racetracks that often.

He recalled a passage from a book that said demons trying to deceive people would rather have beautiful forms.

…That saying was true after all.

It was when he was about to close his eyes and humbly accept hell’s punishment, the price for his sins.

Bang!

Startled by the tremendous sound that made his ears ache, the pickpocket opened his eyes wide in surprise.

As if the dark-haired ones had higher ranks in hell, the black-haired girl thrust the magical flame in her hand right in front of his eyes.

Her calm face with no change in expression was even more frightening.

When he turned his head to avoid the terrifying silent threat, he saw a large hole next to him, cleanly pierced through, with the beach clearly visible.

If, if I had been hit by that just now…!

He moved his body erratically, unable to control himself as his mind became hazy with fear.

“Don’t try anything foolish and open your eyes quickly.”

At the firm voice, he regained his senses and opened his eyes wide.

Then, as if to let the pickpocket know that this place was neither heaven nor hell but reality, the wind of Obelius carrying the scent of the beach blew through the large hole and brushed his head.

“It would be best to spill all the information you know while I’m still being nice. If not, I’ll personally show you how a person can die in the most painful way possible.”

Following that, cruel words that even a demon could learn from spilled from the lips of the angel-like girl.

For the pickpocket, his life right now was more important than his past vows of firm loyalty to the organization, so he let go of everything and opened his mouth.

“So you’re saying you’re going to Ather to find the stolen goods I obtained?”

“Yes, and you’re going to guide us to Ather.”

With Nigel’s words, the pickpocket who became a guide couldn’t even open his mouth and accepted his situation.

Anyway, he was fine with being a guide or whatever. As long as he could keep his life.

“From Ather’s perspective, just stealing doesn’t make money, so they’ll deal in stolen goods too, right?”

“Th-that’s true, but……”

He trailed off.

……Swish.

Immediately, swords and magical flames threatened him from all directions.

“I-I’ll talk! I’ll tell you everything, so please do something about those weapons and that damn flame!”

As Nigel raised her hand to signal, only then did the group put away their weapons.

“……So cool.”

At the small mumble that escaped from under the robe, the girl’s face softened for a moment.

But since only Nigel’s magical flame remained undiminished, still blazing on her palm, he, unable to overcome his fear, opened his mouth.

“Taking you to the entrance of Ather is easy, but the problem is what comes after. You want to make deals in Ather, right? The issue is that expensive high-level transactions are only possible with the permission of Ather’s leader, and a small fry like me can’t just meet the leader because I want to.”

“They steal and then deal as they please, they’re really something else.”

As Nigel sighed, the magical flame wavered up and down. Seeing this, the pickpocket took a step back.

“Then is there absolutely no way to trade the stolen goods?”

Yeni said, fidgeting with her hands.

“Well, there is one way.”

“What is it?”

“It’s……”

He trailed off and then raised his hand to point at Nigel. More precisely, at Nigel’s purple eyes which were openly expressing displeasure.

“Our leader is crazy about purple eyes like the young lady’s.”

“What?”

“Huh?”

Noah responded to the absurd answer. But his voice was drowned out by Yeni’s loud voice.

“Ah, this is why I didn’t want to say it.”

The pickpocket scratched his head roughly.

“You know the princess who passed away about 5 years ago? Our leader is completely obsessed with that princess. In a good way or bad way.”

Everyone’s faces took on a gloomy look.

The meaning Princess Abelin held was very significant not only to those who were close to her but also to nobles and commoners alike. Born in the most noble position, she always stood on the side of the weak.

Her early death, being the most royal-like and yet the least royal-like, left an unforgettable wound in the hearts of many people.

“Anyway, our leader apparently saw the princess once when he was young or something. Since then, he goes crazy over anything even slightly related to the princess. Especially purple eyes, he’s obsessed with them. So if the young lady goes, you might be able to make a deal. If the leader goes nuts after seeing the young lady, I can’t guarantee what will happen afterwards though.”

“…Alright then. Let’s get ready to go.”

Nigel firmed her decision.

It was rather the rest of the group who had troubled expressions.

“Why don’t you all lighten up? Why are you all looking at me like I’m about to die any moment?”

Despite Nigel’s playful words, the group’s expressions showed no signs of brightening. They didn’t know what Ather’s leader might do to Nigel.

While the lost item was indeed precious, it wasn’t worth a friend’s life, so the three faces were deep in thought.

“If you don’t want to because it seems dangerous, I can go alone.”

“Nigel!”

Three voices called out to Nigel simultaneously.

“Now you respond. Weren’t you all saying we should take responsibility together before?”

“Th-that and this are different. You could really be in big danger!”

“That’s right. This time, the risk is too great.”

Allen and Noah said with completely stiff faces. Nigel could see their worry for her in Allen’s teary green eyes and Noah’s gestures of not letting go of his sword.

And.

Behind Allen and Noah was Yeni, who didn’t know what to do and was just fiddling with her hands, wearing a pained expression.

Nigel took hold of Yeni’s left hand. On the empty ring finger, only a clear ring mark remained.

When Nigel first discovered that ring mark, she finally put together the last puzzle piece she had forgotten in her memory about why Yeni got involved in bad things in the original story. After all, what Yeni had lost was her engagement ring with the Crown Prince.

The future Crown Princess who lost her engagement ring as in the original story, the male protagonist who would solve this splendidly.

And unlike the original, with herself, the culprit of this incident, and Allen, an additional victim, all gathered together, there was no way these four couldn’t find one ring.

Above all, she didn’t want to keep seeing Yeni, who suited smiling so well, continue to look upset.

Nigel smiled towards Yeni, and then towards Allen and Noah, as if to say not to worry.

“If it looks like I’m in danger, you guys can protect me, right? I trust you.”

For a moment, a strange light passed through the eyes of her companions.

It was the moment when the trip to Ather was decided.

“Did you communicate well?”

Nigel spoke to Allen, who was holding the communication stone.

“Oh, I told mom and dad that I’m staying at my villa because we’re watching an auction. Sebastian agreed to back up the story. When I mentioned your name, Nigel, they immediately dropped their suspicions!”

Allen smiled brightly after committing filial impiety. And Nigel, who had planned and directed this filial impiety, couldn’t close her mouth at Allen’s words ‘my’ villa.

“Then this is……”

“Oh, it’s my villa! It’s a bit modest compared to mom and dad’s, right?”

Could a two-story mansion where you can see the beach right when you open the door be described with just the word ‘modest’? Nigel once again realized the power of the Evans name.

“Ah, they’re here!”

At that moment, the pickpocket, Noah, and Yeni appeared. Noah and Yeni were awkwardly touching their changed hair colors.

Thanks to the potion the pickpocket had, Noah’s dazzling blue-silver hair had changed to a dark navy close to black, and Yeni’s light pink hair had turned to a light brown close to blonde.

“You both look great!”

“They really do.”

Noah and Yeni’s faces brightened at Allen and Nigel’s compliments.

“Hmm…… Looking at it this way, you two, you two look like siblings.”

The pickpocket, who had been staring at the four children, pointed at Nigel and Noah, and then Allen and Yeni in pairs.

Swish.

At the same time, swords and magical flames threatened the pickpocket again.

After the commotion ended, Nigel and her companions finished preparing to leave.

They changed from pretty, fluttering white outing clothes into more functional clothes in preparation for any situation, and packed and hid various weapons and other items.

There was a strange tension and anxiety on everyone’s faces.

“Are you ready? Then let’s go.”

The door slowly opened and sunlight stung their eyes. Now, it was time to enter the darkness where not a single point of light enters, avoiding the bright sunlight.