Chapter 133

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Episode 30 - Black City [4]

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The air around her burned her lungs; the smell of the villains was so suffocating and nauseating.

Even more so considering the kind of place the First Layer of the Infernal Plane was.

Rinna felt her nose twitch uneasily. Beneath her mask, she had her nose covered with a cloth.

Even her eyes burned as if someone had splashed them with hot sauce.

’This is not a suitable place for me. It’s not even remotely bearable.’

Her Light Attribute, combined with her blessing as a Saintess, directly clashed with the entire Infernal Plane and the Power of Chaos that permeated the air.

It was like a poison to Rinna. Even the Relic, which was slightly different from those of the others, could not fully protect her.

Its effect, even while active, was not enough.

Somehow, the Power of Chaos seeped through and entered her body, making her feel slightly weaker.

’Ugh, I feel like I’m getting sick, but it’s bearable.’

Rinna walked alongside Diana. Both remained silent as they made their way through the streets of Black City.

Wherever they looked, they could only see disguised villains.

Naturally, Rinna forced herself to suppress any foolish action she would normally take upon encountering a villain.

’Alright, then about the list.’

She looked at the list Alessia had given her.

So far, she had already obtained almost everything; only one item remained.

’I think end-of-semester exams usually come with rewards. Could this be why they’re buying these things? Although the Headmistress has plenty of... Oh, no, wait...’

It was true that Headmistress Bernice possessed many things she could easily hand out to anyone, but her resources were not unlimited.

And, based on Rinna’s general understanding, anything in Headmistress Bernice’s possession was probably far too powerful.

’Yeah, that must be it.’

She looked at Diana when Diana took her hand and said,

"Let’s go to that shop over there."

Rinna pointed toward a certain establishment, and after seeing the place, Diana nodded.

Without saying anything else, the two of them walked toward the shop.

It was a store that sold elixirs considered rare and extremely difficult to obtain.

Yet that shop had not just one, but dozens of them.

Rinna could not help widening her eyes in surprise.

She had never seen so many elixirs before, and every single one was at least Advanced Grade.

’Good Lord, Ordeal... This is excessive.’

She could not imagine how strong someone could become after taking three of those elixirs.

Not all elixirs were made solely to increase mana and help someone advance quickly to the next Star.

In general, there were elixirs that increased base stats such as strength, endurance, physique, and so on.

There were also elixirs that enhanced eyesight, senses, and other abilities.

The first thing Rinna noticed was an elixir that improved vision.

’Could an elixir cure Adel’s eyesight?’

She frowned as she went over a few memories.

The day Adel became an eight-year-old child for two days, Rinna learned about his Unique Trait.

Later, she asked him about it again out of pure curiosity, and he said that his blindness was probably caused by that very Unique Trait.

’If it’s because of a Trait, then there’s no way to cure it.’

She felt disappointed when she remembered it. She wanted to help him regain his sight, but when she shared her thoughts...

Adel dismissed them, saying that he didn’t even have trouble walking or fighting; it was as if he weren’t blind at all.

But the important thing was that he couldn’t see what a normal person should be able to see, and that was what Rinna always thought about.

’It’s not about being comfortable; it’s about being able to see the world around you.’

In any case, Rinna set aside the elixir she had been examining.

Then she checked the list once more, having forgotten which elixirs she was supposed to buy.

"There. That one."

Diana pointed at one of the elixirs inside a display case. Rinna looked up and nodded.

"Ah, right, that’s one of the elixirs on the list."

Diana picked up the vial and then pointed somewhere else again.

"There."

Only a few seconds passed before they finally gathered all the elixirs on the list. There were ten in total, each of Advanced Quality or higher.

Finally, after paying and noticing the shop owner’s gaze—which seemed to fear that they might steal her money—the two girls quickly headed toward the door.

Just as Rinna reached for the doorknob to open it, the door opened from the other side and a woman walked in.

She was wearing a dress and a blouse, with a handbag hanging from her shoulder. She was quite short, even shorter than Rinna or Diana.

Rinna stepped aside to let her pass and couldn’t help but notice her mask.

’It’s not exactly the same as Adel’s.’

The short woman wore a completely smooth white mask, with no eyes or mouth.

Rinna felt a strange sense of familiarity when she saw it.

’How can she see? Her mask doesn’t have any eye holes.’

A faint suspicion crossed her mind. Strangely enough, her empty-headed brain started working, using barely ten percent of its limited intelligence.

But she reached no conclusion.

Rinna shook her head and left the shop.

Then she looked at Diana and said,

"What a coincidence, huh?"

Diana agreed.

"Yeah. A coincidence."

However, Diana wasn’t stupid and couldn’t help glancing through the doorway at the figure of the short woman.

’Suspicious.’

That was her only thought before following after Rinna.

***

’Phew, I forgot to change my mask.’

I felt slightly nervous after noticing that Rinna and Diana were in this elixir shop.

I could ignore Rinna, since her intelligence when it came to anything other than villains was practically nonexistent.

It was so lacking that I sometimes wondered whether she had even attended elementary school or received any proper lessons as a child.

But I couldn’t say the same about Diana.

’I’m sure she noticed something strange. That girl, no matter how shy or unsociable she may be, is extremely intelligent.’

If it weren’t for my knowledge of the game or Lumina’s presence, Diana would always rank first in theoretical classes and exams.

’I just hope I don’t get exposed to the entire Club.’

I still remembered running into a large portion of the Club’s other members.

The coincidences were so frequent that I no longer knew whether it was some kind of joke played by that damned fate.

In any case, the reason I entered this elixir shop was to look for an elixir I had truly wanted to obtain.

’A Stamina elixir and an elixir that increases the Physique stat.’

Well, there were actually two. Although I could buy them outside Black City, their Quality would be very low, and after using my senses to analyze the information contained within the elixirs, I realized that the ones displayed openly for customers were not the best.

I walked toward the counter, where the shop owner, a woman who seemed to be reading some sort of newspaper or magazine, remained seated.

I took out my Special Card and placed it on the counter.

The woman shifted her gaze and looked at the Special Card. For a moment, her expression and emotions did not change, but in the very next second...

"A-a special guest..."

She rose from her seat and leaned slightly forward.

"How may I assist you, dear lady?"

the woman asked as she straightened up and rubbed both hands together.

I imagined how flies rub their front legs together. The vivid image appeared in my mind as I watched the movement of her hands.

’She’s a fly.’

And the emotion of greed was truly intense.

"I’m looking for an elixir that increases stamina and another that enhances physical capabilities."

The woman tilted her head and asked,

"You may look around, or I can show them to you personally, if you prefer."

"No, I don’t want the ones here. I want the ones back there."

I pointed toward a wall. Of course, there was nothing visible there; in reality, I was pointing at the secret room owned by the shopkeeper.

The woman understood my intentions and nodded.

"Understood. Then please follow me."

I followed the woman behind the counter. I walked down a small hallway until I entered a room.

Inside the room was a shelf filled with potions. The woman removed several of them, and suddenly, the shelf moved.

On the other side was a chamber with four display cases arranged along both walls and a single altar-like display case at the far end, right in the center.

The woman extended her hand and presented the room.

"You may inspect any of the Mythical Quality Elixirs. And the elixir in the center is of Divine Quality."

My heart skipped a beat.

A Divine Quality Elixir, one rank below a Supreme Quality one.

’My God, what if I just kill her and keep this?’

The temptation was enormous, and I seriously considered it.

But then I remembered that all special guests were being monitored before the Auction began.

’Tsk, I should steal them once I complete the Main Quest.’

Anyone who heard my thoughts would call me a damned thief.

But since when have I cared about other people’s opinions? And more importantly...

’These things belong to a villainess. No one would complain if I took her belongings.’

I laughed inwardly as I heard my master’s words.

〖What a maniac.〗