The Tale of Hero Alice’s Social Death

Lilith's work efficiency was high, as expected. Even though she wasn't an heir to the throne, she still wielded considerable authority in the Rhine Kingdom as the princess. Moreover, Canlat, her target this time, was only an ordinary working-class citizen on paper. So, when Lilith abused her authority and mobilized the police to apprehend him, there was nothing he could do to resist.

Of course, if Canlat was willing to go all out, he could utilize the skills he developed as a thief to escape from the police who had apprehended him. However, if he did that, his name would definitely be added to the Rhine Kingdom's wanted list for the rest of his life. That wasn't something he wanted, so he obediently let himself be arrested.

It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from tinyurl.com/37k7u89t.

Before he was arrested, Canlat had tried to find out what crimes he had committed from the officers. If he were to be honest, he truly didn't know who he had offended. However, after being brought to Icarus City and seeing Sylvia, Lilith, and Alice walking into the interrogation room the next day, he quickly understood what led to his arrest.

Although Canlat didn't recognize Sylvia, he recognized Lilith's and Alice's faces. It was a standard for active thieves to stay updated on popular information. With Lilith and Alice being the princesses of the Rhine Kingdom and the Gryffin Kingdom, Canlat had naturally memorized their faces.

For the Rhine Kingdom's princess to look for him personally, it went without saying that he had committed a severe crime that even the royal family had to take it seriously. Meanwhile, if they were talking about a crime of such severity, the only thing that came to Canlat's mind was his theft of the book Demon King's Shadow.

However, Canlat was still a little confused. He was certain he had already performed Traceless at the crime scene. Even if the police realized that Traceless was used at the crime scene, it shouldn't be enough for them to single him out as the culprit. After all, although most thieves had already abandoned the use of Traceless, there were still many thieves who knew how to use it.

So, just how did the police determine that he was the culprit?

Canlat probably wouldn't have ever thought that what exposed him was a toy hidden in a nearby children's book. While Traceless could erase all residues left behind by people, it couldn't erase the mana used to cast the it. It was similar to how an eraser was incapable of erasing any handwriting on itself.

"You must be wondering how we found you, right?" Lilith asked as she sat on the chair opposite Canlat and looked at the office worker, who was restrained by a pair of magic handcuffs. At first glance, Lilith honestly couldn't tell she was looking at a thief.

"Is it because of the taboo I stole?"

Canlat knew that he was already caught red-handed. Although a thief who would rat out their employers would have great difficulty finding any more work through the Thieves Guild, if he continued to resist, he might not be stepping out of this interrogation room today.

While public opinion on Princess Lilith and Princess Alice was considerably positive, with some netizens even shamelessly declaring things such as "Alice is my wife," Canlat wasn't so foolish to believe they were as angelic as they were described to be. The two girls were members of their respective kingdoms' royal families, after all. For people of such high standings, they absolutely wouldn't be afraid of taking the lives of others.

"It's good that you know. Well, out with it, then. Who hired you to steal the book Demon King's Shadow? This is a taboo that can be used to summon a Demon King. Who gave you the courage to steal such a dangerous item?"

Lilith slammed the table before her with her hand, making an imposing interrogation posture. From an outsider's perspective, Lilith's actions did not look intimidating in the slightest. On the contrary, it looked a little funny. However, Canlat, who knew about Lilith's identity and the crime he had committed, broke out in cold sweat when he saw Lilith's actions.

Even so, Canlat did not open his mouth right away. Instead, he remained silent as he pondered whether he could use false information to deceive Lilith and Alice.

Canlat dared to do such a thing because he knew about the confidentiality of the Thieves Guild's internet.

Because the developers of the Thieves Guild's internet had already died, there was no real administrator of the network. Meanwhile, the network was set to keep all of its information thoroughly sealed. Unless the two parties involved in a commission chose to share the contents of the commission with others, no third party would be able to see it.

Hence, even if Canlat provided Lilith and Alice with false information, he was confident that nobody could tell whether his words were true or false.

"You bastard. Don't tell me you're thinking of making up information to deceive us?" Lilith was an astute person. Since she had managed to convince so many talented people to work for her, she naturally wasn't just a simple otaku. So, when she saw Canlat staying silent after hearing her question, she immediately realized what was going through the other party's mind. "I guess it makes sense. After all, you accepted the commission through the Thieves Guild. Even if you give us false information, we won't have any means to verify it…is what you thought, right?"

Canlat's heart convulsed several times. He indeed had such thoughts. Only, he didn't think that Lilith would see through his thoughts so quickly. This further reaffirmed his notion that members of royalty couldn't be underestimated.

Of course, even though Lilith had guessed his thoughts, Canlat doubted the Rhine Princess had any means of verifying his words. So, his plan remained unchanged. Even if Lilith suspected his words, he would simply insist on the false information he provided. In such a situation, the only thing the princess could do was to release him. Unless, of course, the princess decided to abuse her authority and keep him detained regardless of whether he spoke or not.

Of course, Canlat had also considered telling the truth to protect himself. However, he was well aware that if he told the truth, the repercussions he would suffer afterward would be even worse than what Lilith could do to him. At that time, he might not even be able to keep his life, let alone continue operating in the thieving industry.

"Hmph. Forget it. Even if you reveal false information, I don't have any ways to verify it," Lilith said, frowning when she saw Canlat's expression. Then, she turned to Alice and continued, "Alice, you said you have a way to keep him from lying. Hurry up and make your move."

Keep me from lying?

Canlat was stunned. The first things that came to his mind when he heard Lilith's words were truth serums and spirit magic. Truth serums existed in this world, and they were a type of potion that carried properties of spirit magic. They were similar to high-level spirit magic. With the influence and authority of the royal family, it was indeed possible for Alice to get her hands on some.

However, Canlat did not panic. This was because he had long since prepared for such a situation. Specifically, he had embedded a bone that could protect him from spirit magic into his body. He had paid a lot of money to have a senior alchemist make this bone, and it could render him immune to most spirit spells. Its effects could rival even the expensive Ring of Divine Wisdom.

So, if he was fed a truth serum or had a spirit spell cast on him, he could simply pretend that the truth serum or spirit spell had taken effect and say the false information he had prepared.

Just when Canlat thought he had come up with the perfect escape plan, he suddenly noticed Alice looking at him. Then…

Canlat didn't know what happened next.