I Became The Villain's Master

25

* * *

In the midst of the bustling crowd in front of the Grand Temple, Helena gazed at Louis with an icy stare, cutting through the air between them.

“Louis. Is it really true? The slave that stayed with Rosette is Kiris?”

“Yes! It’s true! Please don’t look at me like that…”

Louis readjusted his robe and twirled the candy stick in his mouth nervously. In response, Helena let out a deep sigh.

A few days ago, Louis sent her summons, claiming to have found Kiris. Hearing that, Helena abandoned her magical experiments and hurried to the capital to meet him.

Louis had gathered circumstantial evidence by interrogating a slave and deduced that the person living with Rosette was indeed Kiris.

Initially, Helena doubted his words, but his unwavering dedication to finding their missing superior convinced her otherwise. Louis, driven by a passion unmatched by anyone else, wouldn’t fabricate such information.

“In my opinion, Rosette must’ve coincidentally encountered Kiris… Anyway, we needed to contact her, so I gave her a communication device.”

Helena hit the back of Louis’s head upon hearing his casual remark about giving away such a valuable magical device without permission.

“Fine! We’ll just take this opportunity to meet them.”

Soon, however, Helena perceived this turn of events as an opportunity. By granting her the magic devices, she and Louis had already earned some favor in Rosette’s eyes. That was why she agreed to Louis’ plans.

“Why did we have to come to the Grand Temple in the first place? We could have contacted her through the communication device after the event.”

Louis suggested that since they were already at the Grand Temple for the event, they should try to see their superior. Helena believed it to be unnecessary, but she reluctantly followed along, as Louis claimed to possess good intuition.

“But wouldn’t it be nice to attend the event at the Grand Temple? Trust my instincts! I have a feeling that if we go today, we might encounter our superior!” Louis exclaimed cheerfully, only to be met with Helena’s cold refusal.

“No.”

“Oh, you say it so harshly! Well, if we can’t find them today, there’s nothing we can do. It’s been tough ever since Kiris disappeared. We’ve followed some leads, so why not enjoy ourselves today?” Louis suggested, trying to lighten the atmosphere.

“I should’ve just gone back to the Tower.”

“No…!” Louis interjected, attempting to lighten the mood by talking about the order of events and the fun of the festival. “Mages always conduct their experiments so seriously. They should learn to enjoy festivals like me.”

“That’s your opinion.”

“Helena, you know why I’m doing this,” Louis said, his tone tinged with gloom. He observed Helena closely, hoping to sway her.

“….”

“We can’t disregard even the tiniest possibility…”

Helena sighed softly and agreed with Louis’ words.

Honestly, without Louis, they wouldn’t have found a single clue about Kiris. She had to admit his unwavering dedication.

“Fine. You’re right. Or I can try tracking Kiris’ magical power.”

Helena pondered the likelihood of Kiris being amidst the bustling crowd. According to Louis, Rosette hadn’t left the Grand Temple during the event, so there was a chance they could still be there.

“Should I?”

He nodded in agreement to use her power. However, even after some time had passed, she failed to detect any familiar traces of magic.

“I sense nothing.”

“Is that so?”

Since they couldn’t perceive anything even within the Grand Temple, it was possible that their superior was either not here or that his powers had somehow been suppressed.

“That’s a shame…”

After surveying their surroundings for a while longer, they decided to depart. Unbeknownst to them, amidst the numerous onlookers, their superior’s gaze remained on them.

* * *

After an awkward hug, I blushed and hastily withdrew, realizing for the first time how easily my face betrayed me. However, despite my inner turmoil, I refrained from speaking out, aware of Sion’s urgent need to meet me.

An awkward moment of silence passed, and just as I mustered the courage to break the silence, a voice pierced through the tension.

“Kiing!”

Ah, I forgot it was here—the fox. It pressed against my leg, emitting a fierce growl directed at Sion. Though it seemed threatening, I found it rather endearing.

“What’s wrong?”

I gently comforted the fox as I cradled it in my arms. Sion’s gaze shifted to the creature, his brows furrowing in mild disapproval. Did he not appreciate its cuteness?

“What is that?”

Truly, raising this adorable fox should be something that the temple is proud of. However, it appeared that Sion did not share my sentiment. I was about to offer a retort, but when he arched an eyebrow, my words dwindled into silence.

“Look at it! What a cute little…”

“Is that so?”

Sion’s countenance grew somber, prompting me to swiftly change the subject.

“Oh, um… I stumbled upon it during my prayers at the temple. It seems someone has abandoned it.”

“Then we should find its owner.”

“Yes, I was going to ask the priests about it!”

Sion nodded and asked, “But… Mistress, did you get lost?”

“Yes. I don’t really know how, but when I came out of the prayer room, there was no one around, so I got a little lost.”

Sion pondered my response for a moment, glancing back and forth between the fox and me.
Of course, the fox, whose eyes met Sion’s, displayed its hostility once again, despite my reassurance.

“Kiing!”

“Do you dislike Sion?”

“Kiing!”

I tilted my head in confusion. The fox’s animosity towards Sion remained steadfast, even after my assurance that Sion posed no threat.

“Shall we go in then, Mistress?”

“Yes, let’s go.”

I intended to ask the priests about the fox and also receive assistance. However, before I could take a single step, the fox suddenly wriggled out of my grasp.

“Huh? Fox!”

The fox swiftly slipped into the bustling crowd, vanishing from sight.

“What do we do?!”

In a state of panic, I frantically searched for the vanished fox amidst the crowd. Sion, however, gently took hold of my hand, urging me to stop.

Soon, I found myself locked in a gaze with a pair of deep crimson eyes.

“Please don’t go.”