====== III. Thief in the Human World ====== ---- ==== 3-1 ==== If every single scar\\ Equals a coin,\\ Then the girl, always pursued,\\ Would be worth her weight in gold. Deception, theft, and night heists —\\ But her nerves failed her when it mattered most. The girl clutches meager loot to her chest,\\ And escapes, muttering curses, bearing her pain. {{ :readable:saga:fleet-footed.traveler:cipher3-1.png?200|}} //"If it were head-on, I'd definitely win next time!"//\\ She always longs for the Coin of Whimsy's blessing and creed. Yet the coin in the air always suddenly disappears,\\ As if in reply from the Trickery Titan. ---- ==== 3-2 ==== {{ :readable:saga:fleet-footed.traveler:cipher3-2.png?200|}} Day and night flow,\\ And the Thief Star makes circles across the sky,\\ While time molds the girl into an adult. The cloak once used to conceal her entire body\\ Now only suffices as a hood that barely covers her fringe. //"No matter — these days, I have no need to hide."//\\ With a confident stride and a silver tongue.\\ Her perfected fraud thieving every opportunity as a result. And at Curtain-Fall Hour,\\ Those treasure-seeking steps fade into the moonlight.\\ When she appears again,\\ Her arms are laden with money's weight. ---- ==== 3-3 ==== What is the art of thieving?\\ //"Stealing from the poor? Not enough loot.\\ Stealing from the rich? That's a boring task to boot."// The girl narrows her eyes of greed,\\ Towards those called the Chrysos Heirs. The golden vines of the sages' homes,\\ The sacred carcass of the deathward realm.\\ {{ :readable:saga:fleet-footed.traveler:cipher3-3.png?200|}} The divine lyre of the seashore's pearl\\ And the crystal chalice of the thousand gates... The girl knows not the treasure's origins.\\ Only that they are all valuable beyond measure. //"To have something priceless is the true art of thieving!"// ---- ==== 3-4 ==== A pity that deceits are eventually revealed,\\ And the thief meets a rare defeat. A golden thread discerns her meticulous disguise,\\ And the heroes hold down her third hand,\\ To imprison in this Thief Star made of human feet. //"I take defeat with my head held high. Spare me your sympathy."//\\ She frankly faces the accusations,\\ Knowing that escaping would be nothing more than child's play. So the Chrysos Heir outside the cage smiles sweet:\\ //"Would you like to see my most precious, a treasure bright?"//[(Spoken by Aglaea.)] ---- ==== 3-5 ==== It is a dress,\\ Like the beauty god Mnestia's divine body. More blinding than the sun,\\ Rivaling the moon in its glory. //"It is woven by divine threads, it captivates even the gods.\\ But all the lies and deceit are revealed under the golden thread's query."// {{ :readable:saga:fleet-footed.traveler:cipher3-5.png?200|}} The world-famous thief\\ Is stirred by such grand words into a flurry. //"Then, just you watch..."\\ This wondrous dress will forever remain in my own gallery.//