The blind villain of the academy

Chapter 186: Ortlock City [2]

Chapter 185

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Episode 44 - Ortlock City [2]

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Hours passed, and it was already eight in the morning.

After using the Phlegra Devils to kill Cassian, Arwen and the others questioned me for almost an hour.

In the end, we came down from the mountain and returned to the Tower.

Shortly afterward, Arwen left to report Cassian’s case, probably to William Ortlock.

In any case, during the interrogation, I said that the two of us had been calm until the leader of the Phlegra Devils suddenly appeared.

Cassian had to fight to avoid being exposed, but in the end, he was injured, and as a villain, his blood was intoxicating to the Phlegra Devils.

So, within seconds, the other two Phlegra Devils appeared, and in the end, Cassian died.

Of course, I had to explain everything in great detail and repeat some things several times, in addition to answering questions about whether I already knew Cassian was a villain and other similar matters.

Naturally, I minimized any involvement on my part; I am usually not interested in being the center of attention.

But today, I had to go to Ortlock City to hunt down the other two villains.

So, if I attracted the attention of the Abyss Containment Team, they might keep an eye on me.

Of course, even if I had nothing to do with what happened to Cassian, they could still assign someone to monitor my movements.

However, it would not be for long, and naturally, I already have an idea.

’Since the two remaining villains are in the red-light district, this makes things even easier.’

If my plan works, then whoever is watching me probably will not think too much of it and will leave.

Of course, this plan only works if a single person is observing me. If I had become the center of attention, they would assign more personnel, and in that case, no plan would work.

And to avoid drawing attention, I waited the entire day.

The rest of the day consisted of exploring the other areas.

And apparently, the fact that Cassian was a villain was kept secret, so no one noticed anything.

At the end of the day, when work was over, Arwen gathered Clana, Lumina, and me.

Seated across from the three of us, Arwen looked through a couple of documents as if checking a few things.

’Now that I think about it...’

Before I could continue my train of thought, Arwen said:

"Today, you performed exceptionally well in the Field Exploration Squad."

Clana tilted her head, clearly confused, unlike Lumina and me.

Arwen looked at Clana with a smile.

"I’ve noticed that you seem very thoughtful, Princess."

Clana naturally nodded.

"Yes, we’re supposed to be here for the exams, but we haven’t taken any exams today, and it’s the first day."

At her words, Arwen maintained her smile. Then she raised both hands as if she were about to hug someone and said:

"Surprise, everything we did today was actually the first exam."

"...?"

Disbelief appeared on Clana’s face.

"Really...?"

"Yes, of course. Each Squad has a different exam for each group of cadets because of their areas of work. Today’s exam was quite simple."

"It consisted of evaluating how you perform during the daily duties of the Field Exploration Squad, and although none of you knew it, you all did very well, as if you were actually working there."

"So, congratulations. Based on your performance, you should pass the first exam with high marks."

I let out a sigh. Honestly, I thought the incident involving Cassian would cause problems with the exam.

But it turns out we got lucky, and nothing changed from what had been planned.

Even so, it is better to avoid interfering with the exams.

’I say that because I really don’t want to lose points or delay the exams and end up wasting a large portion of my vacation.’

In any case, we said goodbye to Arwen, and then Clana said she was going to get something to eat.

Normally, I would have done the same, but I had things to do, and at that moment it was around eight at night, almost nine.

And one of the rules of the Abyss Containment Team was that no one, except the guards assigned to the night shift, was allowed to remain outside the Towers or the Central Tower if they worked there.

The curfew was at midnight, so I had to return before then.

At that moment, Lumina was also following behind Clana, and in the blink of an eye, I stopped her.

I placed a hand on her shoulder and spoke quietly enough that Clana would not hear.

"I need your help with something, so please come with me."

Her body froze instantly, and I could see the emotions of surprise and panic before they faded away.

I could not help feeling a little surprised.

’This is the first time I’ve seen her emotions before she managed to suppress them.’

Lumina turned around and looked at me with her usual stoic expression, although a slight twitch appeared at the corner of her lips.

"Where are we going?"

"Ortlock City, the red-light district."

"....?"

At first, her expression remained the same as always, but then it cracked, and above all, I could see three emotions.

Surprise, disbelief, and embarrassment.

Then she shouted, but controlled herself enough that her voice did not echo loudly.

"W-what...?!"

***

Crunch! Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!

A pair of footsteps crunched beneath a two-foot-deep layer of snow.

Meanwhile, a man and a woman walked through the streets illuminated by lampposts.

Even though it was quite cold, many people strolled around leisurely.

However, all of those people were men and women.

Holding hands, some whispered to each other, while others laughed and flirted.

Oh, and of course, some houses had red lights and moans, along with creaking sounds coming from the rooms of several of these houses, which were actually brothels.

At first glance, Lumina’s expression was stoic and calm, as if everything around her, whether noise or any other disturbance, simply did not exist.

But then she discreetly glanced to the side, precisely at her hand and Adel’s.

Then Lumina recalled Adel’s words.

"Ah, and it’s not what you’re thinking. The reason we’re going to that place is that I’m going to hunt down two villains. Cassian told me there were two villains in Ortlock’s red-light district, so I’ll get rid of them, but..."

He paused for a moment.

"Right now, someone is watching me, and besides that, the enemy’s strength is unknown, so it’ll be easier with help."

And then, when they arrived at the entrance to the red-light district.

Adel turned to Lumina and said:

"It’s not necessary if you don’t want to, but it’ll be better if we pretend we’re here for something else so we don’t stand out. It’s better if whoever is watching me gets the wrong idea."

"So... we should hold hands."

His last words were slightly quieter. Lumina knew that, in truth, he felt uncomfortable saying them.

One of the main reasons was that Adel was not particularly close to Lumina.

Even so, she simply nodded, and shortly afterward, the two of them held hands.

Now, in the present, as she recalled what had happened, Lumina secretly enjoyed it, yet at the same time she could not help feeling embarrassed and panicked.

Embarrassed because her ears could not stop hearing sounds that, to an Awakened, were even clearer and more detailed.

And panicked because she was holding hands with the person who made her lose herself in fantasies the most, the one who appeared in her dreams imagining embarrassing scenes and constantly occupied her thoughts.

Ever since her previous regression, Adel had always managed to make Lumina show so many emotions and expressions, as well as act in such a childish manner.

Especially considering that her mental age was something no one could imagine, because she had gone through ten thousand regressions in which she lived for several years before dying.

’Calm down, calm down, calm down... you’ve always wanted to hold hands with him. You’ve always wanted him to tell you to hold hands.’

’Now you’ve finally done it, even if it’s only to keep up appearances and distract someone.’

’So calm down, please, and don’t make a fool of yourself, okay, Lumina?’

"...."

However, her cheeks were slowly turning red. Clearly, she was having trouble processing something she had wanted for such a long time.

For the current Adel, the time they had spent together might have barely reached six months, with very little interaction.

But for Lumina, who was a regressor and had been with Adel during her previous regression, they had talked and shared many moments over the course of several years.

It was something Lumina had always wanted. Even now, she wanted it even more because Adel had died right in front of her.

’But it’s okay to have these feelings.’

’And if I can’t prevent his death, then I can’t even prevent my own death.’

’It’s okay to hold on to the feelings from my previous regression for him, the one who helped me, saved me, brought my emotions back, and created a side of me that only he can bring out.’

While Lumina was lost in her thoughts, Adel suddenly stopped.

He turned around and then stood in front of a rather tall and extravagant brothel.

"This should be the place. Five hundred steps down the main street, eighteen houses from the main entrance, and an entrance crowded with people... this is it, right?"

Adel turned toward Lumina. Since he was blind, he naturally had to follow the directions he remembered to the letter.

And above all, he needed confirmation from someone who could actually see; in this case, Lumina.

She nodded and said softly:

"Y-yes, this is the place."

Adel smiled faintly and said:

"Good, let’s not waste time. We have to be back before midnight."

With that, the two of them walked toward the brothel.