Chapter 124

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Episode 28 - Special Card [2]

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Mia walked calmly while people passed near her.

The plaza was sunny. There were only a few people around, and the knights, as usual, patrolled the area.

Today, Mia had decided to clear her mind. She felt exhausted, and with the recent special invitation to Black City for the Auction, along with the invitations from the past few months to join several villain organizations, she had ended up completely drained.

Alchemy required a great deal of concentration and effort; mental exhaustion and fatigue constantly overwhelmed her.

Perhaps today she could take a walk through the plaza and some tourist spots in the Imperial Capital.

She wore a short skirt, a white blouse, and a straw hat. She carried a bag with her belongings and money.

And wherever she looked, some men and nobles would secretly stare at her.

Mia was considered extremely attractive, far above average, and her outfit drew a lot of attention.

She shrugged as she felt the persistent gazes of several men.

She quickened her pace and decided it was time to return to her shop.

And while hurrying along, she occasionally felt chills.

They were not caused by the stares from the men, but by something far darker.

Although she did not know what it was.

’Why have I been getting chills on such a sunny day since this morning?’

Especially during the last three hours, she had repeatedly felt chills, as if someone were about to do something to her.

Mia wrapped her arms around herself as she moved away from the plaza.

’I should get back to my shop as soon as possible. I don’t think today is a good day for me.’

She wanted to relax for a while and calm her mind, but she had felt uneasy the entire day.

She was a Class 5 villain. Normally, she should not feel like this, almost as if she were sick.

But somehow, she had felt strange all day long.

Soon, she moved far away from the plaza and walked along a busy street filled with carriages and pedestrians no matter where she looked.

She did not stop to buy anything. In any case, she did not need anything at the moment.

She walked carefully, avoiding several knights riding on horseback.

Since she was a villain, even the slightest carelessness could release a trace of the Power of Chaos and expose her to everyone nearby.

She would be surrounded in less than a second and killed on the spot.

’Ugh... if they hadn’t forcibly turned me into a villain, I would be walking peacefully right now.’

The memory of a distant past came to her mind for a second before she pushed it away with all her strength.

Tap! Tap!

"...?"

Mia wanted to look back, but somehow the chills only grew stronger.

The footsteps echoing behind her had persisted ever since she left the plaza.

’Oh no, no, no... a stalker. Please don’t let it be that, not now.’

Her heart pounded heavily against her chest while cold sweat formed on her forehead.

She had already been in similar situations before.

It was not arrogance, but she always told herself that she was beautiful and that she even made other women jealous.

But it also bothered her, because some men used to follow her in the middle of the street.

Of course, she could easily beat them up or scare them away.

But, since she was a Witch, her physical strength was, at best, comparable to that of an adult who trained just for fun and nothing more.

So she would have to use Sorcery, but that would make it obvious that she was a villain.

Tap! Tap!

Her heart started racing even faster.

Her footsteps quickened as, almost without realizing it, she wanted to start running.

She was introverted and panicked whenever she couldn’t keep up with a conversation.

And situations like this terrified her more than anything else.

Mia turned the corner of the street and looked around, trying to find a crowded place.

She wanted to use the crowd to lose the stalker.

But, to her bad luck, the street in front of her was completely empty.

"...?"

’Shit, shit... people, I need to find people right now...’

But before she could even continue that train of thought...

"....?"

She felt a hand rest on her shoulder.

It was cold, almost freezing, yet soft at the same time.

"Kyaahh!!!"

She screamed so loudly that she fell to the ground. Her face reflected pure terror, and she was close to using her Sorcery.

Fortunately, she had a ring that sealed her Sorcery. She used to be clumsy, so she had bought that ring.

Mia, still on the ground while her heart lurched, looked at the person who had touched her shoulder and froze.

’W-wait... a blind man...? You’ve got to be kidding me.’

Quickly getting back to her feet, she noticed a few gazes coming from the other street.

’Oh, no... I’ve drawn attention. The knights might come because of my scream... ah, how embarrassing. How could I scream like a madwoman?’

After standing up, she looked at the blind man in front of her.

Hair as white as moonlight and a smile that somehow felt fake, as if it were forced.

A blindfold, or perhaps a strip of white cloth, covered his eyes. He wore clothes that were almost formal; somewhere between casual and elegant.

Mia had to tilt her head up, since the blind man was very, very tall compared to her.

"Ah, sir, I’m sorry for screaming. I just got startled when you touched my shoulder, so, if you’ll excuse me, I have to leave now."

She really did not want to stay there any longer.

Especially after her embarrassing scream. She had to leave as soon as possible.

She wanted to turn around, but right then the blind man spoke.

"Ah, I apologize. My assistant was nearby, but it seems I mistook you for them."

Mia understood his words and brushed it off.

"Yes, well, I hope you find your assistant, so, if you’ll excuse me, I really have to go..."

But the blind man stopped her.

"Wait a moment. Do you think you could help me look for my assistant? I feel lost, and I don’t even have my cane with me."

Mia looked at the man’s hands and realized he did not have the typical cane that helped a blind person walk.

Even knowing that, she still really wanted to leave.

"I’m sorry for not helping you, but I truly want to go."

However, this time the blind man said nothing.

He remained still, as though he were "looking" into Mia’s eyes.

A chilling sensation ran through her body, the same kind of chill she had been feeling throughout the entire day.

’T-this... what is happening...?’

But before she could do anything, the blind man spoke.

"I can touch you..."

".....?!"

’Huh...’

Question marks floated over her head as she processed the blind man’s words.

She thought maybe he had simply chosen the wrong words and dismissed it, so she tried to leave, but then...

"Growing Flower."

"...?!"

The very next second, Mia appeared near a hill and a field filled with all kinds of flowers.

Each color was different. The flowers stretched endlessly as far as the eye could see, while an orange light and dark gray mist covered the sky.

At the center of the hill was a small table with two chairs.

On the table were a cup and a vase, normally used for tea time.

Although this was coffee, and in truth, everything looked fake.

In any case, Mia’s heart skipped a beat.

’W-w-what is happening... w-where am I, and how did I get here...’

She felt the urge to scream and call for help, but before she could do anything about it...

The blind man’s voice reached her ears. It seemed to come from everywhere, but then Mia looked toward the chair beside the small table.

At some point, the blind man had appeared there.

He was seated while "looking" in her direction.

Mia swallowed hard and, honestly, she wanted to piss herself from fear and from how strange everything was, but she couldn’t.

The blind man was gnawing at her mind.

"At this moment, I’m feeling somewhat frustrated. I’ve been searching for you for hours, so I’ll give you two options."

Mia listened without daring to say anything.

The first option the blind man gave her was the following.

"First, be obedient and become... yes, a slave. I think that’s the correct word."

"..."

Then the blind man stated the second option.

"Or second, you refuse, and I’ll beat you until you accept. So, what do you choose?"

He said it with a smile, and the strangest thing was that the smile did not seem forced or fake.

Maybe it was an illusion, but Mia did not care about that.

The blind man’s words reached her ears, and honestly, she did not know what to say about them.

It was the first time something like this had ever happened to her.

She had never even imagined that someone would drag her to who-knows-where, whatever this flower field was.

"Well then, have you decided yet? If you don’t say anything within the next five seconds, I’ll consider that you chose the second option."

"...?"

’What? And why not the first one?’

Mia wanted to cry, but sweat covered her entire body.

Her heart pounded violently, and her thoughts...

Her thoughts were literally a mess.

"Three seconds."

Hearing the blind man’s voice, she staggered and tried to open her mouth.

"One second."

’N-no, wait! Why did you skip a second?’

Quickly, she opened her mouth before the blind man could say anything else.

"T-the first option... j-just don’t kill me, okay..."

Tears streamed from her eyes as she fell to her knees, pleading.

"Good choice. Originally, I planned to make a trade using the Grimoire of the Black Spring Witch, but it took me quite a while to find you, so I changed my mind..."

Mia was no longer even listening to the blind man’s words.

In her mind, there was only one sentence.

’I’ve been kidnapped... help me, Mommy.’