Mino knelt beside the bed, fumbling under it with her head buried so deeply she didn’t even know what she was doing.
Luciel returned to the shed, carrying two buckets of water, and froze for a moment at the sight.
"What are you doing?" he asked, trying not to laugh.
Mino jumped in shock.
Her head hit the bed with a sudden thud.
She scrunched up her face, rubbed the back of her head, and crawled out from under the bed, looking thoroughly aggrieved.
Luciel’s lips curved slightly. "Are you okay?"
"You... what did you do?"
Mino glared at him, a dozen questions swirling in her mind, none of which she knew how to ask first.
"Go fetch some food," Luciel said casually.
"Fetch some?" Mino’s eyes widened as she noticed the two large wooden barrels on the floor.
She rolled her eyes in disbelief. "Are you kidding me? You’ve already emptied the leader’s house!"
"Nope, there’s still plenty left to move," Luciel said calmly.
He was thinking of the remaining items in the leader’s house, feeling a strong urge to go back for more. By the time he had returned, many people were already at the house—proof that Agu had done his part.
"You really... you dare to do this," Mino muttered, covering her face, though her guess had proven correct.
She stepped closer, cheeks puffed in exasperation. "Next time, at least tell me before you do something so I can be ready!"
Mino’s mind raced, still anxious about how to hide everything.
"This plan... can’t always keep up with changes. I just wanted to bring back some water," Luciel said, shrugging helplessly.
She pursed her lips. Whoever listened to the leader’s frantic orders would usually just end up killing people.
"The leader will notice something’s missing soon."
Mino asked quietly, "We hid everything behind the little Black Tortoise... what do you think?"
"No need to hide," Luciel waved dismissively.
"Why not? The chief will send people to search the house!" she exclaimed, stamping her foot. "There’s too much here to hide!"
Luciel’s voice remained calm. "The leader has already been killed."
"Eh? Eh? Eh??" Mino’s blue eyes widened in shock. She stared at him, unable to believe what she was hearing.
"It’s true," Luciel said, his tone matter-of-fact.
Probably referring to the leader’s collusion with Bloodbeard, Luciel added lightly, "Good riddance. He deserved it—an inhuman bug."
Mino’s anger flared, her fists tightening. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novel•fire.net
Luciel smiled faintly, watching her puffed cheeks. It was a cute sight.
"What... what are you looking at?" Mino’s face flushed as she stood up.
"Nothing," Luciel said gently, averting his gaze. "Tomorrow, the people in the camp will move out."
Mino’s eyes sparkled. "Then... shall we follow them?"
"No. We stay in the camp for two more days," Luciel shook his head.
"But that’s too dangerous! Bloodbeard’s people could attack at any time!" she said, frowning.
"There’s no danger," Luciel replied calmly. "We just wait for Bloodbeard’s spies to arrive."
A faint, enigmatic smile curved Luciel’s lips.
"Wait... what are you planning?" Mino asked uneasily.
"I’m going to steal Bloodbeard’s house," he said calmly.
"Huh?" Mino’s eyes went wide. Shock and disbelief painted her face. "Luciel... you... say that again?"
"You heard me right. I plan to go to the thieves’ gathering place and take some valuable things for us."
The idea came to him after learning that the leader had collaborated with Bloodbeard, sending thieves to attack the camp. Now, he planned to lure Bloodbeard to strike, while he executed a "move the tiger from the mountain" strategy—stealing their treasures in the process.
"Luciel... you’re insane!" Mino’s face turned pale as she grabbed his arm with both hands.
"This is a gang of over five hundred people! If you’re not careful, you’ll die!"
"According to my plan, there won’t be five hundred people," Luciel said, raising a finger and smiling gently.
"Today, were the rogue spies killed?" he asked.
"No spies are returning today," Luciel continued. "Tomorrow, Bloodbeard will send new spies."
"The thieves’ gathering place is more than a day away, so the spies won’t arrive until the day after."
He recalled the information gathered from interrogating thieves and spies. "At that point, we’ll act as if everyone in the camp has just fled."
"Mino, if you were Bloodbeard, would you send someone to chase after us?" he asked, a faint smile playing on his lips.
"Of course," Mino hesitated, surprised.
"You see. Then the rogue spies will rush back to report. Bloodbeard will believe he’s been tricked by the leader and will bring people to exact revenge."
Mino nodded, understanding dawning.
"But in reality, when Bloodbeard attacks, everyone in the camp will have left three days earlier. He won’t be able to catch up."
Luciel’s confidence was unwavering. "By then, the thieves’ gathering place will be lightly guarded. That’s when we steal their treasures."
The trick relies on timing, making Bloodbeard believe the camp’s valuable assets have only recently escaped.
"Are you sure about this?" Mino asked nervously.
"If it fails, it’s just two extra days wasted," Luciel said indifferently.
It was a trial attempt. Success could yield a large number of fierce beast treasures—and maybe even allow a level 4 domesticated beast to evolve.