Chapter 168
Translator: penny
Chapter: 168
Chapter Title: Abduction
-Around the time Ian was meeting the woman from Earth Guild at the auction house.
"S-Sis. I looked into what you asked for."
"Hm? What I asked for?"
Sweat pouring down his face, the man clutched a paper summarizing his three-day investigation and knelt before the woman shrouded in a purple robe, delivering his report.
"Th-The guys we sent a few days ago to take out that healer old man... who they got taken down by..."
"Ah, right, that happened."
She had brought it up herself, yet she seemed to have completely forgotten about it. Watching her, the reporting man cursed inwardly but kept a straight face on the outside as he handed over the prepared report.
During the investigation, a few of his subordinates who had been loitering around the auction house for no reason had gone missing... but he buried that thought. The auction house wasn't his territory anyway.
Damn it. Pushing too hard to get intel in three days...
"After investigating everyone around the clinic at the time... we've narrowed it down to three candidates. From those being treated inside the clinic and passersby, we picked out anyone intermediate adventurer rank or higher..."
"I'm not interested in that. Hand it over."
'Fuck...'
Taking the report he'd worked so hard on, the woman called "sis" skimmed disinterestedly over the papers detailing the three different adventurers' info. Unless there was something particularly noteworthy, just eliminating all three...
'...This one?'
In the midst of it, her eyes stopped on one adventurer's info sheet. Ignoring the other details, her gaze fixed solely on a photo of a male adventurer, captured from afar with a magic imaging tool.
A decently handsome face. Black hair and eyes—nothing special for a human adventurer. But she stared at the photo intently.
"What should we do, sis? Take them all out like planned...?"
"Get out."
"Pardon?"
"I said get out."
'Why the mood swing now?'
The man paled at her words, but since this woman was known for her whims, he scowled and headed out. Word was the temple was developing an antidote for 'Angel Dust' by mixing herbs, so there was plenty piling up to do anyway.
Once the man left, the woman called "sis" slowly rose from her seat and ascended the stairs permitted only to her. Passing a corridor filled with the "dolls" she'd made herself, she entered her room and locked the door.
-Click.
Lights flickered on inside the room, revealing what had been shrouded in darkness.
The room was plastered with countless photos everywhere, and adorned with various valuable-looking magic tools. What they all had in common? They were all made by the same creator.
And that creator was the same woman featured in all the room's photos.
The same person as...
"Haa~♥ Vivian♥ You're so beautiful again today!♥"
Calling out the name of the woman in the photos, the one dubbed "sis"—the witch Beatrice—hugged tight a lovely doll strikingly similar to Vivian, with purple hair and eyes, and shed her clothes.
From the moment she'd entered the room, her pussy dripping with arousal juices, she inserted straight into it a magic tool Vivian had made and sold in the past—a long, rod-shaped one. Skillfully adjusting the depth to avoid touching her hymen, which was the witch's core, Beatrice continued masturbating while chanting Vivian's name over and over.
"Vivian♥ Vivian♥ Vivian♥ Vivian♥"
Back when Vivian was still an immature witch, she'd invited the cute Vivian to her lab and tried to pounce after dosing her with a special aphrodisiac, but that day Vivian realized her own 'anesthesia' condition and escaped, ignoring the drug's effects.
Ahh! Vivian! Poor girl!♥ Unable to feel this pleasure!♥ She must have run because she didn't know the joy of ecstasy back then.
'Don't worry, Vivian. I've found a useful tool now♥'
In the labyrinth city, searching desperately to meet Vivian somehow, she'd coincidentally encountered an otherworlder. A man with the potential to surpass alchemy, able to craft all sorts of drugs with the exact desired effects.
'With that otherworlder's abilities, he can cure Vivian's anesthesia♥.'
She hadn't managed to make a drug to restore lost senses yet. But his skills were growing steadily—it was only a matter of time. The failed byproducts from the process? She'd handed them to the trash to sell and fund more materials.
"Hngh♥"
Her body shuddering in pleasure, Beatrice reached for the paper she'd set aside earlier. With a casual wave, she sliced off a portion with mana—the bracelet on the photo of the man—Ian's wrist—and brought it before her eyes.
"Haa♥ No way, Vivian♥ Gifting me something like this again?♥ Hee hee hee♥"
To others, it was just an unremarkable bracelet, but it couldn't fool her eyes, collector of Vivian's magic tools. This bracelet was definitely Vivian's work. She could tell without seeing it in person. This was Vivian's magic tool. And this was a gift from Vivian to her.
'Everything Vivian makes is all~~ mine.♥'
So that bracelet too was a gift Vivian sent her. That man? Just the gift wrapping Vivian prepared.
'Thanks, Vivian♥'
I'll make good use of it.
"This feels shitty."
After deliberately lingering inside the auction house for a bit (hey, they owed me that much courtesy), I slowly exited, slipped away from the eyes watching the entrance with an nonchalant expression, activated [Stealth] once clear of the auction house, and let out a sigh.
If I had to come back to the auction house, I'd bring Alensia next time, or level up more first.
For now, though, other things needed my focus more.
"Earth Guild... Earth Guild, huh..."
I could brush off the Earth Guild woman's attitude, but the fact they bought every single statue I sold nagged at me.
'Do they know something?'
Statues from labyrinth ruins in Earth's cultural style. And Earth Guild, presumed made of Earthlings. Maybe they knew why Earth-culture items appeared in the labyrinth?
Even if not, if Earth Guild really was full of Earthlings... there might be people transferred here way before me.
'If so... they'd have answers to some questions I'm dying to know.'
Vivian said she'd answer my questions once I hit advanced adventurer, but waiting on that alone felt too vague. But if there were prior otherworlders, they'd know why we transferred here, the labyrinth's connection to Earth, what that voice in the labyrinth was...
'No clue.'
Approaching Earth Guild wasn't happening now anyway. Better to investigate more first. Head back to the mansion and take the spirit elixirs for now.
Wait, no. I bought other materials too—maybe process them all and take together? I've taken spirit elixirs before. If Alensia were here, I'd ask her...
'Hm? Hold on.'
Come to think of it, when parting with Vivian, she said ask if I had questions. I've been reading the tech manual she gave me bit by bit... but even aside from that, couldn't I ask about mana spirit elixirs?
'Yeah. That's what having a master is for.'
Never really got much mentor perks before—time to cash in. Now, the crystal orb...
-Step. Step.
"Huh?"
About to pull the crystal orb for contacting Vivian from my inventory, footsteps approached from across the alley.
Lifting my head to the sound's owner, in the sunset-lit alley beyond stood a woman in purple-tinted attire, wide-brimmed witch hat screaming "witch," walking slowly toward me.
"Master?"
The instant I saw her, Vivian—the one I'd just planned to contact—flashed in my mind, and I called out unwittingly. But as the woman raised her head at my voice, I corrected my mistake.
'No, slightly different.'
Overall resemblance to Vivian, similar outfit, but closer look: features, build, all subtly off.
'But damn, she really looks like her.'
Like someone cosplaying Vivian. Vivian was famous enough for copycats, right? But it felt too spot-on, even sensing Vivian's mana... a magic tool maybe?
"Master?"
"Ah, sorry. Mistook you for someone."
Hearing me, the approaching woman gave an intrigued look and spoke. Embarrassed at the mix-up, I apologized vaguely and tried to leave, but the Vivian-lookalike blocked my path.
"Master... master. Who'd you mistake me for?"
"No, excuse me, if I could just pass..."
"No way... Vivian? Did you confuse me with Vivian? Hm♥ That'd make me so happy, hee hee hee♥"
"?"
What? Suddenly twisting her body all giddy at Vivian's name—kinda weird. But calling Vivian so casually? Acquaintance maybe? Or given the strong resemblance, sisters? Witches having siblings, who knows.
'Or maybe she's Committee too, or something.'
Having met multiple Committee members already—rare for most—I suspected. No one matching her among those I knew, but who knows. My theory: no normal Committee members. Could be a hobbyist dressing like that.
Anyway, might be high up, so polite tone...
"Are you perhaps an acquaintance of Lady Vivian...?"
"And what if I am."
Today's full of people cutting me off.
The woman suddenly thrust her face close, eyes gleaming ominously, voice laced with ill intent.
"But~ what was that 'master' bit you said earlier?"
'........'
This...
Staring into the close woman's eyes, even before [Intuition] triggered, I realized.
This... was madness.
"Hm? Won't tell me? Are you, by chance, Vivian's disciple?"
If this woman had a friendly tie to Vivian, my master, affirming might be smart. Her blissful expression at Vivian's name screamed affection... no, love.
But...
"Lady Vivian of the Committee third seat? Me, her disciple? No way."
Time to act again. Deny any connection, like a nobody like me couldn't possibly link to lofty Committee folk.
"Hmph... really? No relation to Vivian?"
"Yes... who might you be? Close to the Committee? As for me..."
Lowering my voice, eyes glinting greedy, I kept up the act. Like a hyena chancing on a bigwig, sniffing for scraps.
"Really? I see..."
My desperate performance worked? The madness in her eyes faded, interest draining from her face.
Good, no idea who she is, but wanna avoid entanglement, so just like this...
"But."
The moment I relaxed briefly.
"Then. What's this? Hee hee hee♥"
Suddenly yanking my hand, she held up my wrist's inventory—the magic tool Vivian made—her eyes now thicker with madness, voice pitching higher.
'Shit...'
Before I could sense danger and draw my sword from inventory, the ring on the witch's finger glowed ominously—faster.
'Vivian?'
Familiar mana flowed from the ring, and the surroundings flipped inverted.