Chapter 123

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Episode 28 - Special Card [1]

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It was already noon. After leaving the orphanage with Astrid and exploring the Imperial Capital for a couple of hours, we returned to the orphanage, and then I said goodbye to her.

As I walked back to the Academy alongside Rinna, I suddenly stopped.

She turned toward me and asked, tilting her head.

"What’s wrong, Adel?"

"I need to go somewhere, but..."

If Rinna returned to the Academy without me, they would give me a penalty and deduct a thousand points.

So, while searching for the villainess, I had to return to the Academy together with Rinna.

’The problem is whether she’ll agree or not.’

Rinna asked,

"Go somewhere? Well, it’s not like I really mind. If you want, I can come with you."

"Ah, that’s not necessary, but the problem is that if I don’t return with you, they’ll deduct a thousand points."

At that, Rinna struck her fist against her palm, understanding what I meant.

"Ah, right, that’s true."

’She actually forgot something that important.’

This Saintess... is it really a good idea for her to be a Saintess?

In any case, Rinna nodded and said,

"Well, in that case, I can wait. Meanwhile, I’ll be able to visit other orphanages."

"Thanks, then I’m off."

I said goodbye to Rinna shortly afterward and started looking for the way.

It was still difficult for me to find the correct routes in the Imperial Capital.

Anyway, the first place I needed to go was the Spring Hotel.

The villainess named Mia usually stays at that hotel.

I chose this location as the first destination, considering it’s where Mia usually lodges.

In total, there are five places where I could find Mia.

In the game, the description of her appearance is as follows:

Long red hair, just like her eyes. She is approximately 1.67 meters tall, fairly short by the standards of the Imperial Capital.

She appears to be between twenty-five and thirty years old, and with those descriptions, I only need to use people’s height as a guide.

Since I can’t see the color of her hair, I’ll only rely on her height and behavior.

At first glance, she is almost introverted, but at the same time, she runs a large potion shop that is very famous among villains.

’The reason she’s a special guest at the Auction is because of the recent potion she created.’

One that helps with a villain’s power growth.

It can’t make them advance to the next Class, but it does increase their overall power by seventy percent, making them much stronger.

At this point, she should have created the potion about two months ago.

She probably received invitations to join one of the five villain organizations that operate across all continents.

’But, because of her personality, she must have rejected every invitation.’

Since she is an exceptional alchemist, the Grimoire I have from the Black Spring Witch contains potion recipes that any other Witch would drool over.

If I show her this Grimoire, and especially who it once belonged to...

The chances of Mia submitting to me are high enough.

She isn’t prideful or stingy, and in any case, if she rejects me, I’ll threaten her. Simple as that.

I finally managed to find the Spring Hotel.

After entering, I walked to the reception desk and asked:

"Excuse me, may I know if there’s a guest named Mia? She’s a friend of mine who usually helps me."

I pointed at the bandage over my eyes.

The receptionist looked at me and nodded.

"Let me check... hm, no, I’m sorry, there’s no one registered under that name, although there is a record from last month."

I sighed and said:

"Thanks, then I’ll look for her somewhere else."

"You’re welcome, and be careful where you walk."

After leaving the hotel, I used my senses and confirmed that there was no one with the Power of Chaos.

In the end, she wasn’t in this place, so I quickly moved on to the next location.

The other place was a street called Alchemist’s Road.

A street filled only with shops related to alchemy.

After arriving at the street, there were many people entering, leaving, and walking along the area.

The smell in this place was completely different from anywhere else.

The scent of all kinds of ingredients used to create potions was intense.

I walked through several shops, using my senses and checking the height of some people.

Then I entered one particular shop and asked a clerk:

"Excuse me, I’m looking for Mia. She said I might find her at this shop. Do you know if she’s here?"

The man who appeared to be the owner of the place shook his head.

"No, sorry, kid. She hasn’t come by in a week. Maybe you got the wrong shop."

"Understood, thanks for the help."

As I left the shop once again, I sighed in frustration.

Of course, this was the second place where I could find her, but these were also the places she visited the most.

’It’s as if she’s aware that someone is looking for her.’

In the end, I checked a few more shops and still couldn’t find her.

So I headed to the next location; it was a rather famous café in the Northern District.

The Imperial Capital was divided into four districts using the cardinal directions as reference points.

Since the imperial family’s castle was located at the center of the Imperial Capital, if you drew a cross in the middle of a map, it would result in four clearly separated areas.

The café wasn’t very far from Alchemy Street. I walked for a couple of minutes while carriages and pedestrians passed by from time to time.

Some knights patrolled relatively important areas, since the Northern District bordered the Eastern District, also known as the Noble District.

Ting! Ting!

As I crossed the door, the soft sound of bells echoed.

As soon as I entered, I checked the height of the people inside, and to my disappointment, Mia wasn’t here either.

’Damn it, I only have two places left. The last one is the plaza, but it’s unlikely she’s there.’

Because right in front of the plaza was one of the major headquarters of the Holy Church.

It was patrolled by dozens of holy knights, and above all, the Ordeal Knight Order was stationed there.

A Knight Order that killed villains without leaving a single one alive. Furthermore, they were known for torturing their victims before killing them.

Before leaving the café, I ordered a coffee and then headed to the fourth location.

And, just like in the other places, she wasn’t here.

The frustration was starting to become obvious to anyone who looked at me, but without further delay, I headed to the plaza.

With the faintest hope that she might be there.

’If she’s really here, I should beat her up for making me walk all over the Imperial Capital.’

This place was nowhere near small; I had already spent more than three hours searching for her whereabouts.

After arriving at the plaza, I saw a large statue of a man raising a staff at its center.

The statue was probably of the first emperor, and in front of the plaza stood an enormous structure.

The church had two towers on each side, an entrance with a massive gate, and tall windows.

It stretched far into the back, guarded by 7-Star knights.

Several groups of knights were also patrolling the area, some mounted on horseback and others simply on foot.

The people nearby walked around peacefully; for the most part, they were just families.

There were also a few elegant-looking adults accompanied by children wearing refined clothing.

They were aristocrats or nobles.

I used my senses and searched for a restaurant.

Soon, I found one and took a seat at one of its outdoor tables.

The restaurant was fairly large, with many people coming and going and every table occupied.

A waitress approached me and said,

"Since the customer is blind, I’ll explain the menu and drinks."

She proceeded to list different kinds of dishes and beverages.

I ordered something simple along with a coffee that, according to her, was today’s special.

Shortly afterward, the waitress left, and meanwhile, I turned my head in every direction.

In my vision, white lines outlined every person in the area.

From children to teenagers and adults.

Then, I noticed one particular woman.

She was sitting not too far from me. She carried a bag and had loose hair beneath an elegant hat.

’There you are, my slave.’

I didn’t immediately get up to confront her; naturally, doing that would attract the attention of the nearby knights. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Mia was drinking some kind of beverage while writing something in a notebook.

As far as I knew, she was a Class 5 villain, Witch specialty, with Alchemist tendencies.

She wasn’t good at fighting, and her overall power left much to be desired for a Class 5.

Now that I had found her, I needed to put my plan into motion.

But first, I should eat what I had ordered.

Minutes passed, and the same waitress brought me what I had asked for.

Since it was already past noon, I was quite hungry, so I finished it quickly.

Then I noticed Mia getting up from her seat. I picked up the coffee I still hadn’t finished and started moving as well.

’Well then, I should start with a kidnapping.’

I had several ways to approach my plan.