A/N: And third chapter because I basically just split the last chapter in two for pacing purposes. XD This is going to be a very rare instance.

Chapter 3: Plan Phantom Gentleman Thief

All that could be heard in the night was a faint rustle of fabric and soft thud after soft thud as Krichevskoy hopped from rooftop to rooftop. Once again the prince had donned his handmade cloak, as much to give himself the proper look as it was to hide his identity. As much as there was a certain look to be had when stealing away from home, there was an equally proper look when one decided to become a thief in the night. They may have looked a little similar, but all of this had been on short notice and Krichevskoy hadn't had time to make a nice mask. However, the flair that came with rooftop travel seemed to make up for that just fine.

He had a vague idea where the richer part of town was, and the gaudy displays of wealth that became more and more frequent as he neared the mansions helped guide his way. All he needed to do was find the richest person in the area and relieve them of a few of their valuables. It didn't need to be much. All he needed were a few items easily pawnable for a good price and he could continue to the second part of plan Phantom Gentleman Thief: giving those items to the neediest demon he could find out of the kindness of his heart.

But while he was at it, why not have a little more fun with it? He could be a thief of hearts as well, and attempt to win over any of the beautiful lady nobles he found during his mission. He knew from his careful study of the male protagonists in his novels how to accomplish that, and this was the perfect venue for practice. He even had his daring, dynamic entrance planned in advance.

Visions of success and adoration swimming in the teen's head, Krichevskoy slipped inside of the mansion that was his destination. As it was the largest building in the area, save for the Overlord's Castle itself, surely the mansion's occupant must have had considerable money to his name. Krichevskoy grinned to himself, dashing from shadow to shadow and looking over every last vase and portrait for the most expensive thing he could find.

Unfortunately most of them looked to be fakes on closer inspection. "They must be keeping the real ones further in." Or so he hoped that was the case. If the owner could only show pretty fakes for all his wealth, he was truly a sad individual indeed.

With a few leaps, Krichevskoy made his way to the upper floors and slipped into the inner chamber. There! Nearly everything in the room was made of gold or silver, and the moonlight that filtered in through the windows gleamed off of the jewels encrusted into the furniture and tableware, casting a kaleidoscope of colors onto the walls. It truly was a beautiful sight, though Krichevskoy was of the opinion that such a collection would be better served being shown throughout the castle rather than crammed into one little room. It just seemed a little… gaudy.

Nevertheless, he set his sights on the goblets resting on the table and a few rings set off to the side on one of the dressers. As nice as it would be to take something larger and grander (for the individual that would be on the receiving end of such a kind gift would certainly be overjoyed by its very sight), portability was key, and they looked to be the most expensive small items in the room.

The prince stood tall, puffed out his chest, and let out a long, loud laugh. "You who own this mansion, prepare yourself! Swift as the wind… Mysterious as the clouded moon…! I, the Phantom Thief of Hearts have come for that which you treasure!"

The demon that had been reclining on the ottoman quickly snapped to his feet. "Wh, What? Who-? Guards! Get in here, you lazy pieces of trash!"

Krichevskoy smirked. "All of the guards in the Netherworld could not spare you from your fate! En garde!" He flipped forward off of the banister to the floor below. Everything was going better than he could have imagined. His introductory speech had not only been perfectly delivered, but it had been perfectly received. Now… All he needed to do was—

Krichevskoy jerked to a sudden stop, legs kicking at the empty air as his hands immediately went to his neck. His cloak had managed to get caught on the sword of a large Valkyrie statue on the way down, and he was mere inches away from the floor. As he struggled to get free, the guards finally filed into the room and stared blankly at what could only be called a perfect failure.

"Is that… a kid?"

"You called us in here to take out a kid?"

Flushing with rage, the owner pointed at the prince. "I don't care what he is, just kill him already!"

As one, the guards returned the order with a nervous, vigorous nod. A Warrior was first to charge, his axe raised to cleave the boy in two. Even through the black spots beginning to invade his vision, Krichevskoy managed to see the blurry form headed his way and directed his struggle into a firm kick that sent the guard flying across the room.

The remaining guard, a Brawler, glanced back at his partner—who had made a Warrior-shaped dent in the wall—and hesitated a moment before running in himself. It was a stronger kick than he had expected a child to have, but it probably no more than a fluke.

Krichevskoy twisted his body around and tried to kick again, but the Brawler deftly dodged and landed a punch to Krichevskoy's side. The force was enough to rip the fabric of the cloak, releasing the statue's hold on Krichevskoy as well as sending him crashing into a mound of gold.

He gasped a few breaths of air, black receding from his vision as the guards and master started to come back into focus. Krichevskoy shoved himself to his feet unsteadily, tugging his hood further over his face.

The owner laughed and fixed Krichevskoy with a sneer. "You must be regretting coming here, boy. I took every single one of these myself… from the cold, dead hands of my enemies."

"Ah. I thought you spoke crassly for a noble. This is a trophy room, is it not?"

"You got that right. Hate to share the wealth with others, but these two more than make up for the cost. It means I don't have to deal with little rats like you."

The corner of Krichevskoy's mouth turned downward. "Rat? The only rat I see before me is you."

As the owner and Krichevskoy talked, the Warrior had managed to free himself from the wall. He leapt into the air and struck the ground as he landed, sending a great wave of energy erupting from the ground. It was all Krichevskoy could do to dodge at the last second. The Warrior moved to follow up on the attack, but the sudden angry shouts of the owner, cursing his guard out for nearly hitting the treasures in the room.

Krichevskoy took his chance, jumping forward. His fist slammed into ground next to the Warrior, freezing the area around Krichevskoy and sending spikes of ice sprouting upwards. The Warrior was frozen in place, his axe still raised from an attempt to strike Krichevskoy down during his attack. Krichevskoy stood up just in time for a kick to go whizzing past in a blur. The Brawler had closed the distance between the two of them. He followed up with another kick and a punch, Krichevskoy throwing his arms up in front of him to block the final blow. He slid back a few inches from the force, but before he could even retaliate he felt a sharp pain in his side.

The mansion's owner had joined in the fight, his sword stained red. "You're a lot more trouble than you're worth." His eyes narrowed and Krichevskoy took a step back, glancing between the master and his guard. Being a thief… was much more complicated than he thought.

Krichevskoy hopped backwards to avoid a punch from the Brawler and sidestepped the master's Blade Rush. As the Brawler ran toward him again, Krichevskoy grabbed his arm and flung him at his master. The two were sent flying backwards in a tangled mass of limbs, the mansion's owner trying to shove his guard off of him.

Immediately, Krichevskoy took his chance. He dashed toward the dresser where the rings were, snatching up the goblets as he went and shoving them under his cloak. Once he got what he had came for, he jumped back up to the banister he had entered on and made a break for the exit. He ran until he got into the business district and slipped into an alley, pressing himself flat against the side of the building. He held his breath as footsteps charged past, only letting it go in a relieved sigh once it seemed as though they had missed him.

Krichevskoy reached down to his side, wincing as he touched the cut in an attempt to get a better look. He'd received many like it before in the past, but… never at the hand of someone trying to kill him. It was strange, exhilarating, and a little scary all at once. The mark of a truly great demon was to have someone try to kill you, some demons said.

After a last glance cast out of the alleyway to check for his pursuers, Krichevskoy pulled out one of the rings he managed to steal from the mansion. The red ruby sparkled in the Earth's light as Krichevskoy turned it around in his hands. He stood there awhile in silence as he stared at the ring, mulling something over.

"Well," he finally said. "I suppose it could not hurt to take one of these as pay for my services…" It was a very beautiful ring. Surely the recipient of his other gifts would not miss it.

He put it away and started toward the poorer part of town.