Chapter 125

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Episode 28 - Special Card [3]

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"R-right this way..."

Mia led the way as she opened the door to her shop.

To anyone entering, it looked like a simple two-story wooden house with a plain facade and a sign outside.

The interior was simple as well, just like an ordinary potion shop.

But naturally, villains make the most ordinary things look like hideouts full of villains.

Mia was no different.

I felt like she had a second side no one would have ever imagined.

I wasn’t sure how large her real business was, but seeing Mia’s emotions...

’Well, I like those emotions.’

Yes, that fear was incredibly satisfying.

I didn’t even need to use the other plans I had originally prepared.

Anyway, now that Mia was under my command, I also needed to control her and keep her under surveillance.

I didn’t know what her past was or why she became a villain.

But becoming a villain requires inhuman procedures.

So no matter how pitiful Mia looked, she chose to become a villain, and that changed nothing.

Even if she looked like a girl who only wanted peace and quiet.

Mia guided me to the back of the shop.

There was a small living room there, and near it, the stairs leading to the second floor.

I took a seat while Mia asked:

"W-would you like something to drink, Master?"

"There’s no need. I only came for one thing."

Something I didn’t expect was that Mia didn’t live that far from the Academy. Granted, it was a very hidden area.

But no one seemed to suspect that she was a villain.

And as for calling me Master, that wasn’t how slaves addressed their owners.

〖I didn’t know you were so... dominant, disciple〗

’What does that mean?’

〖Well, the way you treat that girl... a lot of women love being dominated. You’ll probably be surrounded by women in the near future〗

"...?"

Lately, I think my master jokes around too much, so I decided to ignore her.

Mia sat down across from me while her body visibly trembled with fear.

So, without wasting time, I got straight to the point.

"Give me your Special Card. I need to infiltrate the Black City Auction."

Mia was startled by my words and stammered:

"T-the Special Card... h-how do you...?"

"It doesn’t matter how I knew you had one. What matters is that it belongs to me now, so hand it over."

Mia quickly stood up from her seat.

"A-alright, but it’ll take me a few seconds."

I waved my hand dismissively.

To be honest, at first I thought obtaining the Special Card would be a little more difficult.

But when I went through my memories, there was a strategy guide for Chapter Two on how to obtain a Special Card as quickly as possible.

And, of course, in the easiest way possible.

First, obtain the Doppelgänger Potion. I would get that potion through Mia.

She had a recipe, and according to the strategy guide, it perfectly concealed the fact that someone was a doppelgänger.

Normally, someone could notice if they carefully observed the person and used Mana Sense.

But Mia’s potion was far more effective, especially one of Advanced Quality.

The second step was, obviously, obtaining Mia’s Special Card. The problem was subduing her, but it wasn’t very difficult.

In any case, you could threaten or intimidate her. Well, I did something similar and, honestly, it actually worked.

And lastly, naturally, take away her identity; everything that indicated you were Mia so you could go unnoticed during the identity check.

They were three simple steps. The guide was ranked second among the best guides for obtaining a Special Card.

’The first one is effective, but it doesn’t work here in the Imperial City.’

I couldn’t leave the Imperial Capital, so I used the second guide.

After waiting for approximately a minute, Mia returned with the Special Card in her hand.

She handed it to me and said:

"This is the Special Card... i-it’s not fake."

"I know, and I also need a Doppelgänger Potion, along with your identification. Ah, and..."

I paused. This part really needed some consideration.

Because my next words would sound very strange or could be interpreted in different ways.

Finally, I opened my mouth and said:

"And your clothes."

"...?"

〖Pfft... ha, ha, ha... this is the funniest thing I’ve heard in my entire life〗

Ignoring my master, I was obviously disguising myself as Mia, so I needed her clothes for obvious reasons.

And regarding my bandages, well, even though they were some kind of item, relic, or whatever...

The potion should conceal them, so I wasn’t worried.

Mia blinked a couple of times before moving without asking any questions.

I rubbed my temples as the fatigue kept growing.

I really... didn’t want to dress as a woman, I really didn’t.

’Damn it, if only Mia were a man.’

As unfortunate as it was, things were the way they were.

Mia then brought the potion, her identification, and the rest of the items.

Everything necessary for me to pass as Mia.

"D-do you need anything else, master?"

I shook my head as I stood up.

"No, this is everything. Ah, and..."

Before leaving, I had prepared something that had been a little difficult to obtain.

I stored the items in my Inventory and then took out a scroll.

The scroll was a Loyalty Scroll.

As its name indicated, its function was to force the loyalty of any individual.

If I didn’t allow it, the other party couldn’t die, couldn’t betray me, and if they wanted to do anything, they needed my permission.

Basically, it was like giving permissions to an application.

Otherwise, it wouldn’t let you do absolutely anything.

’It’s more effective than the Slave Mark and a Mana Contract.’

A Mana Contract wasn’t very ideal in this case.

Since the other party possessed the Power of Chaos rather than mana.

When Mia saw the scroll, she nervously asked:

"W-what is that, master?"

"A Loyalty Scroll. Sign it."

Using mana, I created a pen.

Naturally, the Loyalty Scroll didn’t work through some kind of seal or signature using blood or ordinary ink.

Then I handed the pen to Mia, and she signed the scroll.

Without any further preamble, the scroll transformed into chains, binding Mia’s limbs, then her neck, and finally her heart.

"I’ll come by from time to time. For now, I’ll be busy."

Mia pressed her lips together as she held back her tears.

If she weren’t a villain, I would probably feel guilty for doing this to her.

But that wasn’t the case.

"Then I’ll get going."

But before leaving, I took out a Grimoire and a special potion.

Then I handed both items to Mia and said:

"I’m giving you the Grimoire. It’s just been collecting dust, and I don’t need it anymore. And about the potion, I need you to investigate it. I want to know exactly what it does." 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

The Emotional Erosion Potion was also among the things I found in the cave where the Black Spring Witch had once lived, the same cave I discovered in the Golden Forest after obtaining the hidden piece.

Up until now, I hadn’t had the time to investigate that potion.

It had truly caught my attention, since it was the first potion I had seen that directly affected emotions.

’My Trait affects emotions and the soul, so the potion isn’t very useful to me, but it might have some use later on. I just need to know exactly what kind of effects it has.’

Most importantly, how to make it.

When Mia saw both items, her eyes widened in shock.

"T-this is... are you really giving this to me?"

"Yes, I don’t care."

Waving my hand dismissively, I left the shop shortly afterward.

There was nothing else to do, so it was time to return to Rinna and head back to the Academy.

There were still a few more preparations left, but I could take care of those at the Academy.

So there was really nothing else to do.

’I really wasted a lot of time looking for Mia.’

Shaking my head, I started walking.

---

The room remained in heavy silence as Mia stared at the Grimoire and the strange potion in her hands.

In fact, today had been anything but pleasant.

She had only wanted to go out to clear her mind and find some quiet and peace, but somehow...

Everything had ended up like this.

’I’ve become a full-time slave...’

She was already aware of that, and there was no turning back now.

And now that she thought about it, Mia didn’t even know her "master’s" name, because she had never asked, and he had never revealed anything.

Putting that aside, Mia opened the Grimoire and flipped through a few pages.

And she couldn’t help but lose her breath.

Until now, she had ignored the fact that the Grimoire had belonged to a very famous witch from the past, one whose Spells were highly coveted.

No one knew where the witch had died, and her Sorcery had vanished.

’I really have that witch’s Grimoire.’

Excitement replaced every thought related to what had happened to her today.

Coming back to her senses, Mia walked toward the back area behind the counter of her shop.

A door appeared, and she went downstairs through it.

’I need to study it and...’

She looked at the potion in her hand. She had already confirmed the potion’s name, and her curiosity suddenly surged.

’This potion is very interesting.’

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Sorry, I hadn’t realized the Chapters were published in the wrong order, haha