The story of the black silk female knight

Overall, it's very similar to the Victorian-style gowns Valencia wore in her previous life, which is also her favorite style of dress.

She really wanted to buy the blue evening gown, but unfortunately she was short of money and could only bite her lip in frustration.

The other noble ladies who witnessed all this did not mock Valensa's poverty. Instead, they racked their brains to find a way to buy the gown and give it to her without hurting her pride.

dong dong dong.

The beautiful auctioneer also tapped the wooden clapper lightly at this moment to draw everyone's attention:

"Distinguished guests... especially the beautiful ladies, you absolutely mustn't miss this next item at auction! It's one of the latest creations from a famous designer in the capital, and wearing it will surely make you capture the hearts of countless men!"

Quiet whispers, tinged with laughter, rose and fell throughout the hall.

This blue evening gown is indeed very beautiful. Not only noble ladies and young women, but also many men want to buy it to please their sweethearts.

"It seems everyone really likes this item..."

The beautiful auctioneer couldn't help but smile with a hint of pride. This blue evening gown was one of the highlights she had personally selected for tonight, and so far it seemed to be doing well, likely allowing the Chamber of Commerce to make a fortune.

Of course, her own commission would also be very substantial.

"In that case, let's not delay any longer, everyone, let's start bidding!"

thump.

The beautiful auctioneer tapped her gavel on the table again, and parted her lips slightly:

"The latest design by a famous fashion designer in the capital, the starting bid is... Ugh?"

Click.

Just as the beautiful auctioneer was about to announce the price, a series of sounds like shattering glass rang out in the hall, plunging it into darkness.

It seems that all the light-attribute magic crystals used for lighting have been destroyed.

"Enemy attack?"

Valensa immediately snapped out of her reverie about the auction, drew her longsword and round shield, gestured for the noble ladies to hide in the corner, and stood guard in front of them.

The noble ladies' gazes burned even brighter, and the images of princes on white horses and handsome knights in their hearts gradually blurred, replaced by a hot figure in a short skirt and black stockings.

"Ugh! How annoying!!"

Just then, the beautiful auctioneer in the middle of the hall let out another scream, seemingly attacked by the culprit who caused the chaos.

The Nora Merchant Guild's bodyguards were still unable to restore light to the venue, but several adventurers among the guests took matters into their own hands.

Chapter 32 The Revelers, the Phantom Thief

The first to make a move was a magician. He lightly tapped his staff in the air in the middle of the auction house and summoned a fireball the size of a football.

The fireball's brightness couldn't compare to that of a light-attribute magic crystal, but it was enough to make the dark auction house barely visible.

"Miss, are you okay?"

Several warrior-type adventurers, armed with weapons, cautiously approached the beautiful auctioneer who appeared to have been attacked, and asked her what had happened.

The beautiful auctioneer was kneeling on the ground, her hands tightly wrapped around her chest, her face flushed and her eyes filled with tears, seemingly frightened, or perhaps ashamed and angry.

"I...I'm not hurt."

The beautiful auctioneer breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that adventurers were standing guard in front of her.

"Someone suddenly touched me hard just now, very roughly... It felt like they stuffed something into my clothes, it was slippery and cool."

Snapped.

Almost at the same time the beautiful auctioneer was speaking, the bodyguards from the Nora Chamber of Commerce finally paid their wages and used new light-attribute magic crystals to restore the lighting to the auction house.

The beautiful auctioneer's voice was quite loud, and almost everyone heard it, so they all subconsciously looked towards the neckline of her long dress.

Sure enough, there was a rectangular white object there, which looked like an envelope, about two-thirds of which had already been stuffed into the beautiful auctioneer's clothes.

"This... could it be..."

Valensa, with her keen eyesight, also spotted the envelope. She seemed to guess what was going on; her tense body relaxed, and she even sheathed her sword and shield, smiling reassuringly at the noble ladies.

"It's alright now... If I'm not mistaken, there's going to be a good show tonight."

"A good show?"

The noble ladies were indeed quite frightened when the auction house first turned dark, but after Valensa took out her sword and shield and stood guard behind them, they quickly felt inexplicably at ease. At this moment, they were almost completely calm and even had the mind to express their curiosity.

"Look, the auctioneer will probably read that letter out."

Valensa didn't explain in detail, but simply gestured towards the center of the auction house.

Sure enough, the beautiful auctioneer quickly pulled the envelope out of her clothes and angrily tried to tear it in half, but she couldn't get it apart after a few tries.

“This is not an ordinary envelope, miss.”

The mage who initially summoned the fireball for illumination spoke up at the opportune moment:

“Look at the sealing wax on the seal. That seems to be a special mark of the revelers… Destroying this letter might lead to retaliation from the revelers, miss.”

"Revelers?"

The beautiful auctioneer had clearly heard of this name before; she was so startled that her hand trembled and she dropped the envelope on the ground, then quickly picked it up.

"Let's open it and take a look. Many of those revelers are mentally unstable. Ignoring their warning letter could have serious consequences."

Several other adventurers also offered their opinions.

"……All right."

The beautiful auctioneer seemed to have quite a lot of authority in the Nora Chamber of Commerce. She didn't consult with anyone else, and after a brief hesitation, she nodded.

After removing the sealing wax according to the proper procedure, the envelope that I couldn't tear open before was opened smoothly, and a palm-sized piece of red cardboard fell out.

"ladies and gentlemen……"

The beautiful auctioneer began reading the contents of the slip of paper, but compared to her sweet voice when she was hosting the auction earlier, her voice was now noticeably stiff:

"It seems you all had a great time at tonight's auction. Did you find anything you liked? Well then, let me make tonight even more enjoyable!"

As usual, I will be taking away the prized possession of the Nora Merchant Guild's Clare branch at midnight tonight. You can try to stop me, or you can find the treasure as soon as possible afterwards~~.

Respectfully presented by Revelers, Phantom Thief, and Red Fox Mask.

"It really is her!"

Amidst the uproar at the auction, Valensa wore a knowing smile, seemingly enjoying the spectacle.

"The reveler...could it be that reveler?"

The noble ladies in the private box also realized what was happening and looked at Valensa with curiosity:

"Miss Bader, you guessed it all along? Have you encountered revelers before?"

"Yes."

Valensa nodded:

"And it's the same phantom thief."

"Revelers... I never expected to see revelers in a small city like Krall."

Upon receiving an affirmative answer, the noble ladies couldn't help but whisper among themselves, exchanging various legends about the revelers on the continent of Frenoia.

The revelers, nominally an organization, are more like a term referring to a specific group, much like the terms Valencia used in her past life, such as anime/manga fans or otaku.

They are the most arrogant criminals on the continent of Frenoia, giving all the maintainers of order a headache and often leaving people both amused and exasperated.

Unlike ordinary criminals who take risks for profit, hatred, or emotional entanglements, the motives of revelers are just as their name suggests: simply to have fun.

Objectively speaking, the revelers' behavior was closer to pranks than crimes. However, because many revelers didn't know their own strength, their pranks often posed a deadly danger to ordinary people.

Fortunately, the Red Fox Masked Thief, who is known as the Phantom Thief tonight, is relatively mild and harmless among all the revelers. She has committed dozens of crimes throughout the Frenoia continent, but there has never been a record of civilian casualties.

"The last time I experienced the Red Fox Mask phantom thief incident was probably when I was 7 or 8 years old."

Valensa also shared her experiences with the aristocratic ladies:

"At that time, I was still living in the capital... That night was also very lively. I think it was Her Highness the Queen's 40th birthday or something? Anyway, the royal family held a grand banquet, and all the nobles participated in the celebration."

As a result, just as the banquet was reaching its climax, the phantom thief's notice arrived, saying she was going to retrieve the birthday gift His Majesty the King had given to Her Highness the Queen.

"That incident...it seems to have caused quite a stir later, we've heard about it here too!"

The noble ladies of Clara City all stared wide-eyed:

"Rumor has it that the phantom thief succeeded? She stole Her Highness the Princess's birthday gift, keeping the entire capital busy for almost a week before it was recovered? Is that the truth?"

"Yes, I even took Elena along for the treasure hunt back then."

Valensa smiled and nodded.

This is why Red Fox Mask is called a phantom thief, rather than a master thief or a chivalrous thief.

She loves to steal, and she even gives advance notice before stealing. However, she never keeps the stolen treasures for herself or robs the rich to help the poor. Instead, she hides them in the area where the owner lives, letting the owner find them themselves.

If it can be found, it means the owner has recovered their lost treasure.

If the item cannot be found, the owner can only accept their bad luck and helplessness, and the treasure will be buried.

Actually, there are still a few long-term bounty quests in the Adventurers' Guild, which are to help people who have been visited by the Red Fox Mask find their stolen treasures.

Is Chapter 33 really okay like this?

"Miss Bader, what do you think the Nora Trading Company will do next?"

A noblewoman from the city of Clare asked this question.

"How to do it..."

Valensa thought for a few seconds:

"This auction is most likely to fall through. The Nora Merchant Guild will probably do everything in its power to deal with the arrival of the Phantom Thief... They might even offer some bounties to recruit adventurers for help, since the security forces in Klar City are relatively weak compared to other cities."

Just as Valensa had predicted, staff from the Nora Chamber of Commerce soon found the VIP room and asked the noble ladies to go home for a while.

Valensa decided to stay and watch the excitement as an adventurer... because the Nora Merchant Guild had issued a bounty, saying that any adventurer who could stop the Red Fox Mask or retrieve the lost item could choose one item from tonight's unsold auction items as a reward.

Valensa still really wanted that blue evening gown that she couldn't afford for the time being.

Even though she knew that with her Candlelight-level strength, the chances were slim, she still wanted to give it a try... Anyway, as long as she didn't fight the Red Fox Mask himself to the death, there was no real danger.

The time for parting soon arrived, and many of the noble ladies of Clara were reluctant to part with Valensa.

Especially the one who had just pretended to fall and taken the opportunity to be held in Valensa's arms for a long time, now boldly stepped forward and grabbed Valensa's arm, his eyes burning with desire:

“Miss Bader… I’m quite interested in some things you’ve mentioned before… Could you come to my room tonight and give me some pointers?”

"This……"

To be honest, Valensa was quite tempted. After all, her interaction with this noble lady had already given her a chance to draw a blind box, and the noble lady's figure and appearance were also quite alluring.

Even if you decide to be a "bad girl," you still have to have a bottom line.

If Valensa stays in Sergintown, then having a passionate night with this noble lady from Claretown would be quite nice, and they could even develop a relationship and become true friends.

Unfortunately, Valensa will soon be going to the War Academy, and she can't just take advantage of a young girl just out of love and run away... Communication in this world is not advanced, and long-distance relationships are almost impossible.

Perhaps one day in the future, Valencia will be so desperate for survival that she'll fawn over any pretty girl she sees, but she's not that shameless right now.

So let's just leave it at that for these noble ladies of Clara City... Let them understand the beauty and potential of close friendships between beautiful girls, there's no need for them to get involved themselves.

In fact, Valensa's initial words to these noble ladies were not intended to win them over, but rather to teach those noble young men who kept harassing her a lesson.

You're lusting after my body, aren't you?

I've already given you guys the "friend zone" card, but you still keep shamelessly harassing me, right?

Then I'll instill the idea of ​​intimacy in all the women your age, let them internalize it, and make sure none of you stinky men can find girlfriends!

This was Valensa's original intention; she just hadn't expected her charm to be so great. Coupled with the unexpected suspension bridge effect, those noble ladies were almost falling for her...

"Feel sorry."

Fortunately, she had a serious matter to use as an excuse. Valensa once again pretended to be a noble female knight, righteously declaring that she would stop the Red Fox Mask tonight and politely declining the noble girl's sweet invitation.

The noblewoman's eyes held undisguised regret and resentment, but Valensa's handsome and upright appearance only made her like him even more... Even if Valensa didn't come to her room tonight, she was sure she would be intimately entwined with him in her dreams.

The other noble ladies weren't as exaggerated as her, but they all had beautiful, sparkling eyes.