I will not die a Villainess's death

'Is it just me or is the air getting colder? I think I should have worn a few more layers before heading out.'

Elysia knew that complaining would get her nowhere but she still wanted to express her displeasure. It was not like she could have worn more layers to keep herself warm anyway.

Wearing more would obstruct her wings from functioning properly. It would also make navigation more difficult.

'As if I don't have enough problems on my plate already. I cannot spot anything from this height.'

Elysia cursed her eyes as she lowered her fight's altitude. As much as she did not want to get spotted by humans, she also did not want to miss any obvious clues that might occur due to her inability to see.

'I guess I should land in a back ally now. I can cover the rest of the distance by foot.'

Elysia was not sure if it was her faulty vision, but it looked like the town was covered with a thin fog. It was not too noticeable yet but the more time Elysia spend outside, the more noticeable it became.

And it was not only the fog that was triggering Elysia but also the sweet smell it gave off. It was subtle but Elysia's sense of smell was stronger than a normal human.

That was why she was able to pick up the subtle provoking smell hidden beneath the layer of fog.

'Someone went to great lengths to conceal the smell. I wonder what their objective was.'

Elysia could not think of any reason one would spend so much money to hide the subtle smell unless it had an objective.

But since Kelvin town had no incident of wild animals running on the rampage, Elysia was not sure what to make of the situation.

More investigation would be needed to make the situation clear.

Elysia was just walking through the empty town without much care. Her vision was not picking up any clues and the fig seemed to be getting denser the further Elysia walked.

It seemed like she was alone in the world at that moment.

"Hey, you. Yes, you Please stop and give me a second of your time."

The whisper was subtle and Elysia almost jumped when she heard the voice calling out to her.

So far, Elysia had been convinced that she had been alone but it seemed not to be the case. The existence of that voice proved that there was at least one other person out here with her right now.

"Are you talking to me? I'm sorry but I cannot see you. The fog is a little too thick for me to make anything out. Can you come out so that I can see who you are?"

"Oh! Are you not afraid of me? Or the fog? People often cry in fright when they get lost but you seem to be rather calm."

Purple eyes. That was the first thing Elysia registered when the female stepped ahead.

The girl was wearing a cloak over her head, making it impossible for Elysia to see anything but her eyes.

But something about that voice and that hand screamed 'familiar' to Aurora. She could tell that she had seen a hand like that before.

"Excuse me, but have we met before?"

Elysia was more nervous than she had first thought herself to be. It was not until the question was out of her mouth did she realize how her words might sound to someone else.

"My! I never expected you to be this bold. You could have just said that you were interested in me."

'But I did not mean it like that.'

Denying that accusation was no longer a wise decision on Elysia's part. It would be like fanning the flames. Keeping quiet would ensure this storm to pass.

"So, what is a girl like you doing in these parts of the town? You don't look like someone who would be interested in such things."

"Such things?"

"The black market. Did you walk in here without knowing even that much?"

Ahhhhh, Elysia had not been aware that Kelvin town had a black market. The area she had walked into looked no different from the upper town where she had landed in the morning.

Had the lady not informed her where she was, Elysia would have likely never known her whereabouts.

"Ah, I accidentally walked in here. I should get going now. Please don't tell anyone you saw someone like me."

Elysia was not sure how much of her face was visible in the fog. Knowing her luck, the other female would be able to see her face.

If the news of the Dirac noble venturing into the black market got out then things would get difficult for Elysia.

"Someone like you? Sure, I don't mind. A lot of people make the same mistake. But I was more impressed to see you out at night. Weird things are going on around in this town."

Elysia was about to turn back but she stopped when she heard the female speak.

As much as Elysia did not want to get involved with this new female, Elysia also knew she was her best source of information.

"Can you tell me about it? About the weird things going on in this town?"

Weak compulsion magic was mingled with Elysia's voice. Elysia had no trouble learning dark magic like this, but she was not a big fan of using it.

'I guess my calling is really of a villainess. I have all the talent to be one.'

Thankfully Elysia did not want to be a villainess and stunts like these were not ones she needed to pull quite often.

"I knew I should have stayed indoors today." The female in front of Elysia mumbled before she spoke more strongly, "You don't need to use compulsion to get my help. Follow after me and I'll tell you what you want to know."

Elysia felt embarrassment creep up her face at being caught doing such a thing. She was not aware that her lack of practice had caused her technique to derogate.

"You don't have to look that embarrassed. I only knew what you did because I knew it was a possibility. Come, follow me and I'll tell you what you want to know."

If Elysia was interested before, she was hooked now. Not only her interest but her desire to know more had been triggered.

It might be dangerous to follow after an unknown person on such a dead night but Elysia would not let such a lead slip out of her hand.

_________________________________

"You can sit wherever you want to. Don't mind the mess because I will not be clearing it anytime soon."

When most people said this to you, they usually pointed to a clean room. However, Elysia would not describe her current surroundings as a 'disaster', but rather as an 'abomination.'

Not only clothes but plants and chemicals of all kinds covered the floors. It would be easier to find a clean spot than to find an unclean one.

How did Elysia know all this despite not being able to see the room? The magical aura was everywhere. It was so heavy that Elysia found it difficult to even breathe.

"Is it really alright for me to come in? I don't want to step on something unintentionally and set off a reaction."

Elysia did not have much experience with magical substances. The Head Priest had not wanted Elysia to venture into that field and risk causing an accident.

As such, Elysia only had elementary practical knowledge about magical substances. Even if she knew how to use a substance, Elysia would not be able to recognize it.

"Don't worry. The place might look like a mess but I did neutralize it to not explode. I know my habits and I won't risk harming my guest."

Elysia was skeptical of the female but she finally entered the room.

"By the way, my name is Sara. you can say that I am a part-time alchemist, a part-time freelancer. It is nice to finally meet you officially."

"Excuse me, you are a saying? Officially meet me? My name is Elysia"

"Ah, yes. You see, I had a dream a few days ago about meeting someone who looked like you. I guess it came true, right? My name is Sara and it's nice to meet you"

A dream that told the future? Didn't it sound rather familiar to an ability Elysia had?

Did that mean Sara had the same ability as her?

"Does it happen often to you? Seeing dreams that tell the future? Have you ever had such a dream before?"

Elysia knew she was being pushy. Sara looked uncomfortable to have her attention but Elysia could not back down.

The chance of finding someone similar to her was so rare that it made Elysia not practice caution at all.

"No, of course not. This was the first time and I was too out of it to notice when I fell asleep that day. Actually, I have no memory of that day so I cannot be of any help to you."

Elysia's enthusiasm droned as soon as it had risen. It seemed it was a coincidence that Sara had a prophetic dream. Maybe it happened the same day Elysia had her first future vision outside the ceremonial pond.

'In retrospect, the name "Sara" did conjure up memories. I wonder where I first heard that. Was it seen in a dream?'

Suddenly it struck Elysia where she had heard the name 'Sara' before. It had been in a vision.

'No wonder those hands looked familiar to me. I saw them in my vision yesterday. How could I have forgotten them?'

"Sorry that I cannot be of any more help to you about my dream. But I was not kidding when I said I will help you out regarding the Kelvin town issue."

Now that things had come to this, Elysia knew she could not back down. Sara was someone that was bound to become important to Eve pretty soon. So Elysia needed to do her best to keep Sara alive and well.

"Any help you can give me will be well appreciated. I will also find some way to pay you back for all this."

Elysia made that promise to Sara. This was the least she could do and Elysia did want to help Eve out.

"Alright. I will call you for help when I need it. But before that, you should know a few things about Kelvin town and what kind of case you are diving into."

Elysia opened her mouth to assure Sara that she could handle any kind of information but closed it as soon as Sara's hood fell.

The person standing in front of Elysia was not a human, but a mixture between human and beast. Elysia could still feel human magic on the female but the ears on top of her head belonged to a fox.

"Are you cursed or a mixed human?"

"I'm not cursed. Why does everyone ask me this? Is it that rare to see a mixed breed like me?"

Elysia could only node as she was asked this question. Rare would be an underestimation in these circumstances. It was more along the lines of unheard of.

Half-beasts rarely lived past the age of 16, much less grow into an adult. And the female in front of Elysia was an adult.

'No wonder she was being targeted in my dream. Her heart and her blood would be premium ingredients."

"You had a tough life this far, right?"

"You have no idea. Those fuckers already turned this town upside down to search for me. You see why I had to make use of this mist?"

Ah, things were finally starting to make sense for Elysia. She had one of her culprits in front of her.