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「…Ohhh, I see! That does become rather revealing.」

Mira looked down at her own body and grabbed her short upturned skirt, straightening it out. At the same time she understood that such a skirt would offer no protection while using Sky Stride.

(Hmm…I don’t really care about it myself, but I guess it’s a problem from an ethical viewpoint.)

She was finally starting to realize how negligent she had been about concealing her underwear. She still found it odd that it was two men calling her attention to it, but she took their concern to heart, and began thinking of a way to fix the issue.

Personally she thought nothing of letting others see her underwear, though that did not mean she flashed people on purpose, she simply did not care.

「Hmm, I’ll deal with it later.」

She had an idea in mind, so she began to grin as she said that, while adding, 「Thank you for your concern,」 turning to look at Julius.

He said, 「I’m just glad you understand,」 trying to smile in response. But his smile was not flawless. Mira’s current cute smile was overlapping with the fresh image of her underwear in his mind, filling him with an indescribable emotion.

Mira had managed to awaken something new in yet another person.

That marked the end of their discussion over her underwear, and they returned to discussing how to deal with Fuzzy Dice.

That started with a thorough explanation of how to use the device.

「Hmm, I see. I’ve got the hang of it.」

As a test, she targeted Julius, who then went to hide in an alley, and Mira successfully found him. That also showed how impressive the technology from the Patrolling Knights was.

「Moving on, your role in the plan…」

Now that they had verified the device’s efficacy, the detective revealed his plan, built around the device.

The plan obviously revolved around using the device to follow Fuzzy Dice, but figuring out how to get a lock on him was an important first step to accomplish that.

「His reaction times are incredible, but it’s also very easy to be put to sleep if you try to ambush him carelessly.」

There were three entrances to the Spellcasters’ Unions, the main entrance frequented by adventurers, a back door for employees, and a door on the balcony on the second floor.

The first step was to figure out on which entrance to lie at wait and record Fuzzy Dice’s mana signature.

And more importantly, how to do that undetected.

If the thief noticed he was being tracked, the whole plan would fall apart, as no sane person would ever return to their hideout while knowing they were being followed.

「I don’t think we need to worry about the back door, since it’s always locked and only employees have the necessary key. Not even Fuzzy Dice should have the skills to break through it. So we can forget about it for now.」
「Hmm, that leaves two places to watch for.」

The Union was an incredibly secure place, using the best locks available, so there was no need to worry about the back door.

「So Mira, my idea is for you to sit in that store on the other side, and keep watch over the balcony.」

The Warriors’ Union was on the other side of the street, so it was hard to find a good place directly in front of the Spellcasters’ Union. But next to the Warriors’ Union was a decently large store, with a balcony on its third floor, which offered a really good view of the Spellcasters’ Union. That was a perfect place to lie in wait at.

「I see, that would certainly provide a good vantage point. But you only mentioned watching the balcony? I’m sure I could also look at the main entrance from there.」

Two of the three entrances to the Union were facing the street, which meant they were visible from the store’s balcony.

But the detective told her not to worry about that. Fuzzy Dice would almost always enter through the balcony in situations like that.

「Fuzzy Dice only used the front entrance twice in all of his past heists. And that was whenever I blocked all the other entrances first. So if we don’t do anything, he’ll definitely use the balcony’s entrance.」

It was common for the thief to adjust his methods to the situation, but if nothing was altered on the detective’s side, he would also follow his usual pattern.

So they would alter nothing in the Union, luring Fuzzy Dice to use the balcony entrance as was his habit.

「Actually, I will add a slight roadblock so you have enough time to get a reading with the device.」

The detective grinned mischievously as he said that, not going into detail as to what that roadblock would be.

They still had to be careful so the thief would not decide to use the main entrance, as there was usually a large quantity of adventurers entering and exiting through it, which would interfere with the device’s ability to register Fuzzy Dice as a target from amongst everyone else there.

「The newer models actually fix that, so having one of those would’ve made this whole plan a lot more easier. But trying to get my hands on one would’ve been too risky and careless.」

Sometimes outdated models would find their way into the market, but those in active deployment were closely protected. If the detective somehow bought a new model, it would have been procured through illegal means, and that was a mess he did not want to touch with a ten feet pole.

He laughed a bit about that, then began to detail the other improvements of the newer models, envious of them.

Their range to record a target’s signature was three times larger than the outdated model, and they could track them within five kilometers. The sensors were also much more refined and could record targets within crowds. It was certainly a generational improvement.

「Maybe if I had accepted their invitation and worked with them for a while they would’ve made an exception for me to borrow one.」

The outdated model he bought had cost him a sizable fortune, and knowing how inferior it was to the newer models gave him some buyer’s remorse, especially since he had once been invited to join the Patrolling Knights. Working with them would have given him better connections.

Thinking of that, he began to dream of that lost future, relating his thoughts with a distant look in his face.

Once he was done and came back to reality, they went through the plan one more time to make sure they knew their roles and positions.

Mira would be on the store’s balcony with the device, ready for Fuzzy Dice’s arrival. The detective would be inside the Union, observing the situation from there.

Julius would be watching the mansion to see when Fuzzy Dice went there, and would report any movements out of the ordinary.

His reports would arrive through something familiar to Mira.

A set of boxes to send signals to each other, which she had already used in the Ancient Underground City when she joined a large group of adventurers, who used similar boxes to communicate across large distances.

But there was one difference between the boxes. The ones Mira had seen before were simple ones that used red, green, and yellow lights to send signals, but the detective’s could transmit letters.

The entire alphabet was available, and they had a panel to input the letters, making them a bit more bulky, but the enhanced functionality was worth it.

Considering how much more useful that would be, Mira began to wonder why they had not been used in the Ancient Underground City, so she asked the detective for their price.

Even if more expensive, the added functionality would surely make up for it. That was Mira’s simplistic thought, but the detective’s reply quickly convinced her otherwise.

The boxes she had seen in the Ancient Underground City cost 50,000 Rils each. That was already pricey, but nothing the adventurers of those areas could not afford.

But the boxes the detective had were on a whole different price tier, one with at least three more zeros appended to it.

They were sold for 30,000,000 Rils. The technology to send letters was brand new, and its usability was heavily desired by adventurers of the highest levels. That demand coupled with a diminished production run meant it was very hard to get hold of.

The detective had obtained his through some old connections.

(That sounds like a lot of demand for just one Magic Ware.)

Even though they were similar Magic Wares, just the difference of being able to communicate through proper letters was an improvement that warranted that price hike.

Their use was also much more widespread compared to the game, so seeing how much that had changed was something Mira was looking forward to.

But that was the world of adventurers. Tools that cost 30,000,000 Rils and clients who paid such large sums without a second thought. It really was a world where dreams could come true.

Thinking of all that, Mira began to grin, dreaming of a faint feature where she would go adventure on her own once her current mission was completed.