Zodiac's deal

A thief proposing a deal to return stolen goods. It was certainly a sight I hadn’t seen often in my life.

“What is his intention in saying this to all the visitors as if openly advertising like a beggar”

There was more than one thing that bothered me about the deal Phantom Thief Zodiac proposed.

First, the part where he said, “This doesn’t seem to be something this Phantom Thief Zodiac can handle.'

What kind of technique was it that he even used the expression that he couldn’t handle

The people’s reactions had been incredible during the demonstration at the banquet hall, but it wasn’t to the extent of using such extreme vocabulary.

Also, the source Zodiac mentioned bothered me. Did he mean that the core technology of this new technique and new product existed separately?

If so, how did Phantom Thief Zodiac know about it, and what did he mean by wanting to just look without touching

It was a truly suspicious deal proposal.

I could feel some sinister intention in every single selection of sentences and words he used as he spoke so that all the visitors could hear.

Would the Meredith Family accept this deal?

[We do not accept. Negotiations with a terrorist are impossible.]

Without even pretending to consider it, the overlapping voices of the Dolls were heard. The tone, which somehow induced displeasure, was unwavering. Was a figure from the Meredith Family remotely controlling them?

[Oops, a terrorist, you say. I am merely a Phantom Thief. That’s a disappointing thing to hear. It can’t be helped. How about adjusting the terms of the deal a little―.]

Before Phantom Thief Zodiac could even finish his sentence, the Dolls stepped in and cut him off.

[There is no deal. You will surely die under the name of Meredith.]

A bloody threat. In the hologram, Phantom Thief Zodiac slyly showed a startled look and raised both hands.

[Whoa, whoa. Calm down a bit. How about listening to what I have to say first? Let’s pretend the part about taking a look never happened. I will return it if you just guarantee my safety. At this rate, this Phantom Thief Zodiac is taking quite a loss, right? I’m not gaining anything either.]

This was a truly reasonable proposal.

It was even more so considering that the Meredith Family showed they placed great importance on recovering that 'Asset'.

However, the Dolls flashed their scarlet lenses and still repeated the same thing.

[There is no deal. You will surely die under the name of Meredith.]

An unimaginably hardline response. It was as if they were saying the Phantom Thief’s words weren’t even worth reacting to.

A deal with a thief who would damage their reputation as nobles through thievery, but to think they would consistently refuse to this extent.

[Did I touch a reverse scale or something? I’m not sure, but it seems I said something I shouldn’t have. I’m used to being hated, though. Anyway, it’s a pity. Since the deal seems to have fallen through, this Phantom Thief Zodiac will now have to find a new trading partner. If the best is impossible, then it must be the next best thing.]

The gaze in the hologram saying so moved away from the Dolls and headed toward the gathered visitors.

[To the honored guests gathered here, Phantom Thief Zodiac proposes a deal. As you know, I possess the major asset of the Meredith Family.

Originally, I didn’t intend to reveal its identity due to moral issues… but since Meredith treats me so poorly, it can’t be helped. What this Zodiac possesses is the command authority of the prototype artificial intelligence 'Prezen'.]

Prezen. Coincidentally, it was the limited artificial intelligence of the prototype that had the same name as the Raver I knew.

Come to think of it, even during the demonstration, Delmore Meredith had hidden Prezen’s functions, saying they were a secret, and hadn’t revealed it unlike the other prototypes.

[And the reason the Meredith Family values this artificial intelligence so terribly and is trying to catch and kill me as if in a frenzy is… because this artificial intelligence has the role of controlling the other prototype artificial intelligences, and the entire system of the Mirror Castle. To put it in a word, you could call it the king on a chessboard.]

At Phantom Thief Zodiac’s bombshell remark, the landing pad became incredibly noisy once again.

The king on a chessboard.

If all those words were true, it would indeed be a perfectly fitting analogy.

It made sense why the Meredith Family had their eyes lit up to find Phantom Thief Zodiac, even going so far as to make the unreasonable move of holding all the visitors captive.

The control authority of the Mirror Castle. It was like having their estate stolen right under their noses.

It was questionable how he had even managed to steal that.

If what he said was true, it also explained how Phantom Thief Zodiac was able to hijack the control facility in the Mirror Castle, the territory of the Meredith Family, and proudly project a hologram the size of a house like that.

[The proposal is simple. Rescue this Phantom Thief Zodiac from various dangers such as the Meredith Family and terrorists, and accompany me to a safe area outside. It’s not that difficult of a task. The escape method is already prepared.

There is no need to use the landing pad necessarily. Did you know there are escape shuttles and pods prepared for emergencies all over this castle? They must be facilities secretly built with exactly this kind of situation in mind. Who - no, exactly which artificial intelligence do you think is controlling those facilities right now?]

[As long as we arrive together, we can get out safely. I can also tinker with the interception system, so there’s no need to worry about a shoot-down. If we just escape like that, I will hand over my command authority. As I said, it’s not an item meant for me.]

It was certainly an attractive proposal. It couldn’t be helped, as we were trapped inside the perilous Mirror Castle, unable to go anywhere.

Plus, the appetizing bait of the command authority of a prototype AI!

The problem was the one making the proposal. No matter how favorably you looked at him, he was ultimately a thief. Phantom Thief Zodiac was by no means a trustworthy trading partner.

Also, what if we joined hands with Phantom Thief Zodiac, only to incur the wrath of the Meredith Family and end up chased by the Dolls?

Not only was the authenticity of Phantom Thief Zodiac’s claim of obtaining the control authority of the Mirror Castle uncertain, but even if it were true, the Doll robots managing the Mirror Castle were clearly still under the control of the Meredith Family.

Since none of the visitors gathered here were thoughtless people, no one eagerly grabbed onto Phantom Thief Zodiac’s suspicious proposal.

Phantom Thief Zodiac must have expected that much, as he pulled up the corners of his mouth on the blurry image when a reaction didn’t pop out immediately.

[You are all very cautious? A good attitude. But you won’t be able to stay cautious forever. A situation will eventually arise where you have to accept this Phantom Thief Zodiac’s proposal, and perhaps that might not be too far off…

Bzzzt.

]

For a moment, the hologram flickered as if it were about to turn off, and a flustered look briefly flowed across Phantom Thief Zodiac’s relaxed expression.

[Oh my… it seems they are finally trying to block me. Perhaps because they lack the authority, they are so slow it makes me yawn? Everyone, keep this in mind. Meredith has no intention of protecting you all. The right to escape lies solely with me, and if you want to save your own lives, the method is―

Bzzzzzt

.]

With that, the hologram turned off. It seemed the Meredith Family had belatedly taken action to block Phantom Thief Zodiac’s propaganda. However, they were definitely far too late.

Most of the visitors were already noisily discussing Phantom Thief Zodiac’s proposal. Some even seemed to be discussing ways to make contact with the Phantom Thief.

When you feel a change happening around you, a sense of crisis naturally arises, making you wonder if you should keep pace with it.

Alexandra asked with a somewhat anxious expression.

“Hank, what should we do?”

“If the worst situation comes, we will have no choice but to consider it, but Schneider has a reputation to maintain, so it can’t join hands with a Phantom Thief. For now, let’s observe the situation a little more.”

It was a standard and principled answer typical of Team Leader Hank.

It was also the right thing to say. Unless it was truly the worst situation, there was no reason to consider cooperating with Phantom Thief Zodiac.

“But what if the worst situation really comes?”

Had he said a situation would eventually arise where we had to accept the proposal, and perhaps that might not be too far off?

It wouldn’t matter if he was just saying it, but if he said it knowing something… I didn’t have a very good premonition.

[We inform you that any collaborators of the terrorist Zodiac, who stole Meredith’s major asset, will be treated as the same terrorists and subject to kill on sight immediately.]

Perhaps because the atmosphere was unusual, the Dolls roamed around saying so in their usual eerie mechanical voice.

To me, it seemed to have only backfired. They called it an announcement, but wasn’t it actually a threat?

“Meredith has no intention of protecting you all.”. It was rather adding weight to Phantom Thief Zodiac’s words.

It was definitely a terrible, bottom-tier plan to just wait like this, believing the Meredith Family would cleanly resolve the whole situation.

The problem was that the option on the other side was a deal with Phantom Thief Zodiac, which was even more perilous.

It would be nice if there was a third option…

Tap, tap.

Someone tapped my shoulder as I was agonizing over it.

At first, I thought Ms. Kali, who had disappeared somewhere, had returned.

But it wasn’t. Looking back, I couldn’t help but be startled out of my wits.

A person I hadn’t imagined at all was standing behind me.