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orange-cheetah · 11 months

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The Thief and the Phantom's First Meeting

Undead Girl Murder Farce: Volume 2, Chapter 0

[Disclaimer: Translated from Chinese text. Some lines taken from the subtitles of the anime.]

"Good morning, Erik."

Upon waking up, he hears a friendly voice calling him.

The man groans, getting up awkwardly. Both of his hands are tied behind him.

He is in an unfamiliar, strange room. The walls and ceiling are bare stone, though a lavish dining table laden with desserts or fruit trays sits in the middle of the room. He can hear faint sounds of water.

On the chair before him sits a young man with his legs crossed.

"Your face without the mask is unexpectedly quite handsome, you know."

The man realizes that the mask he likes using has been taken away, to be put on the table. Hurriedly lowering his head, he tries to cover his face with his white hair. The young man smiles and says: "Don't be so shy."

The young man is about twenty-five or -six years of age. Beautiful golden hair and a fierce[1] gaze leave a deep impression; a tuxedo hugs his slender body, draped in a black cloak. The buttons on his jacket are probably real emeralds. His expression, dress and attitude overflow with considerable confidence; instead of a king, he gives one the sense that his style is more of a prince's. And a capricious, playboy prince at that. The man instinctively feels that this person is of the sort completely opposite to himself.

"Right, how do you feel, Erik? Because you've been unconscious for about half the day. Want to drink anything?"

"How do you know my real name?"

"Investigating in advance is the basics of the work. Oh, I know lots of things. You're from Persia. You were born with your white hair and disfigured face. Your singing voice is an unparalleled tenor. You live 23 floors beneath the Paris Opera. You've evaded capture for the past 20 years, elusive as though a specter; the nickname you were given was 'the Phantom of the Opera.' Am I right, our shy gentleman."

While listing out all sorts of information unceasingly, the young man plays with a large ruby with one gloved hand.

Right, he's beginning to recallーーit was a splendid night like any other. As it was the closing night of Don Carlos[2], the opera house had been very lively; the man was watching the opera from Box 5 of the second floor. But something strange had happened while Act 3 was in progress: this phantom thief had descended from the skies, stealing the ruby worn by the female vocalist. As it was the singer he adores, he had gone after the thief. After pursuing him to the top level of seats he had been hit by a counterattack from the enemy, and thenーーwhen he woke up he was already here.

"What is this place?"

"L'Aiguille Creuse[3]," the young man replies with a phrase he's never heard before. "Though I'm still working on it. It's a tad uncomfortable to stay in for the moment."

"Why did you kidnap me?"

"I stole you." Immediately corrected. "Along with this ruby. Things should be organized and collected to one place. I can't bear to see this passionate jewel never be more than some stage prop, and it's no fun to have a true phantom living in obscurity beneath an opera house. They should both belong to me; it feels more coordinated this way."

"Enough chatter. What are you after?"

The young man shrugs. "There's a job I'd like to do in London, but my subordinates have all ran off, so I'm a little short-staffed at the moment."

So he wants to find someone to help with this job? What an unorthodox way of recruitment. The man carefully asks: "What are you planning on stealing?"

"'The Penultimate Night.'"

"...Phileas Fogg's?"

"That's right."

"Are you mad?" No wonder all his subordinates ran. "I have heard of the jewel of the Fogg mansion, but it's impossible to obtain. That mansion's security is impregnable. And in London, there's Sherlock Holmes."

"Here, there's Arsène Lupin."

The young man touches the ruby to his chest.

If heard only from the sidelines, it would feel nothing more than a very arrogant statement. But behind the tone, one can feel an inexplicable majesty that is different from the common bluffing or exaggerated fantasies of fools. As though certain of the future.

The man senses the abnormality.

What His Royal Highness exudes is not confidence.

It's conviction.

Breaking through the mansion security that others would quail before, prevailing over the famous detective coined 'the best in the world'; these are all established matters in his mind and are to be expected. The plan is already perfect and flawless, all hypotheticals accounted for, leaving no rate of failure to speak of ー where would one even spare the time to be arrogant. It may well be madness talking, yetーー

Meeting Lupin's gaze once more. Golden eyes as though the sun.

"Any chance of winning?"

"I wouldn't have invited you here if there weren't."

Stepping into the Phantom's heart as though heat waves of summer. The life spent hiding under the opera house until now, the self-isolation imprisoned by the ugly right face; all of this is easily melted by the sun. Guided by that light, a foolish feeling surges up. As though wanting to cause a scene on the stage of a farce, a young and energetic impulse.

After a while, he stands up. At the same moment, the ropes that had been tying his hands together fall to the ground.

"You have other special skills besides singing?" Lupin says. "When did you undo them?"

"Around the time you said 'unexpectedly quite handsome'. I've always been good at handling ropes."

"I admire you even more now. So, what are you going to do? Go home?"

"I was stolen, wasn't I? I'll follow my owner's orders."

Strictly speaking, it's his loss this time. Even if he's unwilling to, he could only agree to a contract.

The Phantom approaches the table to pick up his mask, putting it on the right side of his face, experiencing the sense of coordination that had been mentioned in their conversation just now.

Bowing respectfully to his owner, he recites a line from an opera: "La Juive[4], Act 2. 'But come! Be it heaven or earth, the self-same fate and destiny awaits the two of us.'" [5]

"Though you've done well to quote these lines." Lupin surveys the surroundings of the hideout with an expression as though suppressing laughter. "I'm afraid, Erik, we are at sea."

Footnotes:

强悍 (qiáng hàn): strong, powerful

Based on conflicts in the life of Carlos, Prince of Asturias (1545–1568). Though he was betrothed to Elisabeth of Valois, part of the peace treaty ending the Italian War of 1551–59 between the Houses of Habsburg and Valois demanded that she be married instead to his father Philip II of Spain. It was commissioned and produced by the Théâtre Impérial de l'Opéra (Paris Opera) and given its premiere at the Salle Le Peletier on 11 March 1867. (wikipedia)

The Hollow Needle.

The Jewess. Tells of an impossible love between a Christian man and a Jewish woman. (wikipedia)

Act 2, Scene IV. Presumably taken from two separate sections, and I couldn't find any mention of 'heaven or earth'. You can read it here (pp. 19)

LEOPOLD. I know! But come! Let thine heart be mine, Let love enchain us, and Jew or Christian, Thy lot is mine. Let heaven's wrath o'erwhelm me. Thy love wants mine, The rest is nothing, I regret not.

RACHEL AND LEOPOLD. Let thine heart be mine, Let love enchain us and, Jew or Gentile, Thy love is mine. For us the self-same fate and destiny

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