Chapter 285 - Illegal Guilds
The long winter was receding, and as the piled snow melted day by day, it became clear that the mood of the city had grown brighter.
The number of people and vehicles moving through the streets had visibly increased, and the number of requests flowing into our office had risen as well.
Aside from big jobs, we couldn’t afford to neglect the smaller, everyday tasks. That was how you solidified your footing.
“A thief? You’re telling me some petty burglar broke into a private home, and you expect us to handle that? That’s not our job. Besides, don’t you hire your own security guards? If you’re paying them, why not have them do the searching?”
Defining the boundaries of public order was vague and difficult.
In principle, all public security operations across Exembra should be handled by an administrative body known as the “Guard Force.”
Though their duties had apparently changed over time, the Guard Force’s primary role today was essentially police work within the city.
Dealing with external threats and monsters was the responsibility of the knightly orders maintained by the Royal Capital—but Exembra had no such knightly orders.
It struck me as absurd, no matter how you looked at it, that the city lacked any organized force to combat monsters. Then again, that was just common sense.
“I understand your position, Third Seat Gradena, but this city is vast—where exactly should we search? It’s unreasonable to expect results if we force the Guard, whose specialty is security, to conduct investigations.”
In truth, the Guard Force—tasked not only with crime suppression but also deterrence—was tragically small, woefully inadequate for a city of this scale due to various circumstances.
The reason? Over eighty percent of this sprawling city was controlled by the Three Great Families of the underworld, leaving the Guard with practical authority only in certain districts, primarily the Administrative District where nobles and officials resided.
And just for the record, even our own territory—the smallest among the Three Great Families—was still slightly larger than the Administrative District.
“Well, maybe so. But then go talk to the Guard. You run your business in the Administrative District, don’t you?”
“We both know that would be a waste of time, Third Seat. The victim’s home isn’t in the Administrative District. That’s why we’ve come to you.”
If the Guard tried to crack down on crimes committed by the Three Great Families, they’d only get beaten back. The cost of confronting this city’s underworld forces was so high it became laughable the more you thought about it—such was the overwhelming power of the hidden society here.
They could try to handle things properly, gradually implementing countermeasures, but just as the former Five Great Families had secretly allied with the Administrative District, the current Three Great Families and the Administrative District were tightly joined, having evolved into an even more efficient arrangement.
Essentially, the Guard protected the Administrative District, while the Three Great Families guarded and managed their respective territories. If a territory fell into chaos, it would disrupt livelihoods—so the Families had to maintain a certain baseline level of order.
I wasn’t in any position to talk, but we lived in this city too, and nobody wanted things to get out of hand. Even criminals would rather not see corpses littering the streets of their own neighborhood. More than that, they’d prefer to live comfortably, without fear of sudden violence. If even I valued peace on ordinary days, ordinary citizens would feel that way all the more.
Roughly speaking, the Guard and the Three Great Families each protected their own domains.
But here was the catch: the role of the Three Great Families was strictly limited to suppressing and deterring professional criminals and ruffians. Their involvement in incidents—like those occurring at shops that paid them for protection—was at best an expanded interpretation. They didn’t concern themselves with general crimes in the broader sense.
“Whether your home is in our territory or not, catching petty thieves is the Guard’s job. Sorry, madam. Even we have our jurisdictional boundaries.”
In short, we didn’t deal with anything beyond what a bodyguard-for-hire might handle—personal theft, assault, murder, embezzlement, and so on, committed by ordinary individuals for personal reasons. We didn’t investigate, arrest, or imprison anyone. The baseline assumption was that law enforcement, grounded in fundamental legal principles, remained the responsibility of the Guard Force—even within the territories of the Three Great Families.
That was why the boundaries were so hard to define. But from our perspective, since criminal investigation wasn’t our specialty, this arrangement seemed perfectly reasonable. Catching someone might be doable, but who had time to deal with trials or what happened after tossing them into a cell?
The Three Great Families could offload minor issues onto the Guard, while the Guard could dump troublesome criminal organizations and violent offenders onto the Families. It was a convenient arrangement that worked well for both sides.
Well, this was the kind of city it was. The Guard wouldn’t move for trivial matters. That laxity was part of Exembra’s charm, in a way.
“You know as well as I do what would happen if we went to the Guard?”
Madam’s sharp, incisive retort left Gradena struggling for words. If she’d been arrogant or dismissive, the response would’ve been different—but we had neighborly ties, and she was making a sincere plea, making it hard to brush her off.
“That’s precisely why I’ve come to you.”
If a gang of thieves had taken root in our territory, they couldn’t be ignored. Naturally, that would be our cue to act—but we’d heard nothing of such a group.
Would we move for a single petty thief? Normally, no. A “lone burglar breaking into a private home” fell squarely within the jurisdiction of the Guard Force, especially since they maintained a base within our territory.
But realistically, the Guard wouldn’t bother with a few minor theft cases. Unless a high-ranking official was involved or the losses were enormous, they wouldn’t lift a finger.
Ironically, the Kikyo Society’s dominance played a significant role in crime prevention.
Drug trafficking was nearly nonexistent in our territory. Fraud in shops, street muggings, pickpocketing, assaults on women, murders—such incidents rarely occurred. It was due to our patrols’ deterrent effect, our swift response when incidents did happen, and the consistently grim fates that awaited those who defied us.
Professional criminals found it nearly impossible to operate here, and reckless troublemakers thought twice before causing trouble. Most crimes that did occur were committed by ordinary citizens driven by personal circumstances—and handling those was the Guard’s responsibility.
That was the loose division of roles we operated under. But because it was so loose, the Guard ignored minor offenses. They could afford to, because if things got too out of hand, we’d step in.
It was only natural, given the city’s state, that ordinary residents would come to us when victimized. Few dared approach the Kikyo Society with casual requests—after all, even violent criminals steered clear of us.
That said, just because someone came asking for help didn’t mean we’d readily accept their request. It depended entirely on how they approached us.
Gradena, currently handling the matter, seemed genuinely unsure how to respond to this woman’s dignified and direct appeal.
If she’d mistaken us for some convenient errand service, we’d have knocked her out and thrown her out. But this madam wasn’t condescending, flaunting money or connections, or groveling. She’d made her request honestly—and that earned her points. Her clear understanding of the established roles only increased our goodwill.
Gradena shot a glance toward me, where I’d been pretending to rest at an empty desk instead of the chairman’s office. Normally, such requests or petitions were handled not in offices but in the café space, where idle members would listen. But the café had been under renovation lately and was unusable.
Well then. To accept the request or turn it down?
If stolen goods were being sold in our territory, we could identify and apprehend the culprit in no time. Even outside our domain, as long as it was within Exembra, we could usually find out what we needed to know—if we wanted to.
“Yukari-chan, got a sec!?”
“Huh? What is it, oba-chan?”
The older woman who ran a diner on Lightning Street had entered the office.
Even after we’d moved headquarters, our members were allowed to eat on credit at her diner. It was a formal agreement: payment was settled periodically by the Kikyo Society as a whole.
Not just her—other older women we knew from before frequently visited our new, fortress-like headquarters when they had free time, just to chat. Though the building wasn’t designed for casual entry, they were granted free passage into the café area by our members through informal recognition.
She didn’t seem to be here just to pass time, and the café was under renovation anyway. April must have escorted her all the way to this office. Apparently, she wanted us to hear her out. Fine, I’d humor her.
“Listen up. The blacksmith’s father’s house got robbed. Now, that family’s wealthy, so I suppose it’s bound to happen—but word is, a precious family heirloom was stolen.”
“A thief, huh? Sounds familiar.”
“You’ve already heard about it? But that’s not all. You remember the little girl from the general store who got married recently? Turns out her place got robbed too.”
So thefts were happening in multiple places?
Given how well-connected she was with local gossip, the information this diner owner brought was likely fresh. It seemed several burglaries had occurred since last night.
“Third Seat Gradena, is that over there Yukarinowe Chairman?”
“Yes. She’s also got a petty theft complaint—”
Suddenly, a shrill beeping sound rang out, repeating over and over.
The alarm signaling an emergency within headquarters stopped after a few seconds.
“W-what was that?”
“It’s fine. Gradena! Since it’s stopped, there shouldn’t be a problem, but go check the situation. Make sure the guests are safe.”
“Got it. It’s just me and the Secretariat members here—we can handle it.”
I put on my coat, left the office, and headed to the Security Bureau’s duty station.
There was no sign of panic in the headquarters. Since the alarm had stopped, the threat must have already passed.
Still, this was the first time a threat had occurred since we’d moved to the new base. Reports would reach me in time, but given that we’d just been discussing a string of thefts, I felt uneasy and decided to go see for myself.
The Security Bureau’s duty station wasn’t just a waiting area for members—it also served as the control room for security magic tools. While the alarm could trigger automatically, only this room could shut it down.
I entered the station, returning greetings from members, and made my way to Director Zenobia’s office.
“Yukari? I already sent a report.”
“I was curious. Tell me what happened.”
“An intruder. They bypassed the composite traps beyond the outer wall—that surprised me—but were apprehended on the spot. We’re about to begin interrogation to determine their purpose.”
Quick capture—impressive. I’d consider this a perfect field test for our security.
“Just one person? Any belongings?”
“We’re searching the perimeter just in case, but it looks like a solo offender. Equipment-wise, lightly armed. Could be just a common thief. Or an assassin. Either way, we’ll start by roughing them up and seeing how they react.”
“Whoever they are, I can’t believe they had the nerve to sneak into this fortress. In broad daylight, no less.”
“Exactly. They’d have to be suicidal.”
Only someone either exceptionally skilled or utterly reckless would dare challenge this fortress. Attempting unauthorized entry into the Kikyo Society Headquarters was dangerous enough—but the fortress’s sheer imposing nature should deter even the thought of infiltration.
Setting aside their challenger’s spirit, the fact that they evaded our guards, scaled the outer wall, and bypassed our magical capture traps meant they were undeniably skilled. But someone that capable shouldn’t act so recklessly… It was puzzling.
“I just heard—apparently, there’s been a surge in thefts across the city. Maybe this intruder’s connected somehow.”
I had no real basis for this. I was just instinctively linking the recent thefts to this mysterious intruder.
“Thefts? I don’t know if they’re related, but I’ll pass that on to the interrogator.”
As we discussed possible motives, a Security Bureau member entered the room.
“Director Zenobia, ah—Chairman, you’re here too.”
“Don’t mind me. You have a report?”
“Yes. We searched the intruder’s belongings and found a letter…”
Director Zenobia took the letter and opened it. I leaned in to read it as well.
“…What is this?”
“It reads like an introductory letter, written with the possibility of capture in mind. Come to think of it, I don’t recall any illegal guilds operating in Exembra. Yukari, does this ring any bells?”
The letter stated that the intruder’s identity was guaranteed by a guild, and offered an apology, asking for leniency.
The entity claiming to vouch for the intruder appeared to be something called the “Phantom Thief Guild.”
“Illegal guilds—like gangs of criminals banding together?”
“From what I remember, Exembra never had such organizations, since the old Five Great Families absorbed them. But the system’s changed over time. It wouldn’t be surprising if new groups have started forming.”
“I see. But this still makes no sense.”
Judging from the letter’s content, it almost seemed like capture had been expected.
“Since they brought such a letter, they probably want to talk. I’ll attend the interrogation. Treat them respectfully—for now.”
“Understood. I’ll leave it to you.”
I left the Security Bureau, returned to the office to inform the guests that everything was fine, then headed to the Intelligence Bureau’s workspace.
If this “Phantom Thief Guild” truly existed, Josephine might know something. I went to the director’s office and explained the alarm and the letter.
“I see… No information has reached me. That suggests they’re likely based somewhere in the buffer zones. Since the letter mentioned an apology, did it perhaps include contact details?”
“A precise address, no less. It might be a trap, but it’s awfully bold.”
Exembra had long contained districts known as “buffer zones,” dating back to the era of the old Five Great Families.
Located primarily at the borders between the major Families, these zones existed less to prevent conflict and more to isolate those who didn’t belong to any large organization.
Along the border between our Kikyo Society and the Clad Family’s territory, several such buffer zones existed. It seemed the Phantom Thief Guild had established their base in one of these areas.
The buffer zones were lawless lands—refuges for unruly newcomers driven out by the Three Great Families, the last place they could end up.
“A thief carrying an introductory letter—capture was likely anticipated. Perhaps breaking through our outer wall and security magic tools was a demonstration of their skill.”
“So the intrusion itself was a rather crude form of greeting? A calling card from the Phantom Thief Guild?”
“Operating as an illegal guild in Exembra without prior coordination with the Three Great Families is impossible. In that sense, such a high-level performance—showcasing their strength—seems meaningful.”
Hmm. It made sense. If some newcomers simply showed up and introduced themselves politely, we’d probably ignore them. But if they demonstrated exceptional skill, it would at least pique our interest.
“A greeting worthy of phantom thieves… And if they’re truly offering an apology, that’s intriguing. I wonder what kind of apology they have in mind.”
“Shall I send someone to Graylease? I can dispatch a few others to investigate the buffer zones while they’re at it.”
“Yes. The situation might be shifting due to these newcomers. The Security Bureau is interrogating the intruder—check with them first.”
“Understood. I’ll attend as well.”
Phantom Thief Guild, huh? Honestly, it sounded kind of interesting. Maybe I’d hear them out, at least.
As long as they didn’t start unauthorized operations or do anything we disliked in our territory, their existence didn’t bother us. Especially if they stayed in the buffer zones. Frankly, the more different kinds of people around, the more entertaining things got.