My Child Is A Villain - Chapter 77

While Sana was keeping a close eye on Adele, a woman arrived in the port city.

“Woaah!”

“Miss Aika, please maintain your dignity.”

“Come on, Anna. Cut me some slack. I’ve been on that carriage forever. My backside is killing me.”

“Please, maintain your dignity.”

“Sometimes you seem like a machine, Anna.” Grumbling, Aika confidently walked toward the harbor. “Who would have thought that heartless man had such a tender spot? Honestly, he just needs an heir. Why does he even care?”

“Miss Aika.”

“I know, I know. It’s not dignified, right?”

“If you understand, please restrain yourself.”

Aika stuck her tongue out playfully before plopping down on the sturdy harbor ground. Anna sighed but said nothing further, knowing that now was the time for Aika to focus.

“Alright, my dear friends. Listen to me.”

At Aika’s call, water spirits began to gather around her. Usually, summoners summon and use spirits. However, some spirits existed in reality, known as nature spirits. These were the ones Aika was calling now. They were harder to summon and less obedient than her own spirits, but she needed them for this task.

[What’s this, a human?]

[A summoner!]

[No wonder we understand her.]

Several spirits gathered around Aika.

“Have you seen this person?” Aika placed a portrait she had been given in front of her. Soon, the paper began to wrinkle and soak with moisture.

[Hmm, I think I’ve seen her.]

[Yeah, we saw her the other night.]

[Some dark-clad men took her onto a ship.]

“Can you tell me where those men went?”

[That’s difficult. They went too far away.]

“Can you at least point me in the right direction?”

The spirits finally pointed south.

“Let’s see, if you go straight south, there’s a small kingdom.”

“The Kingdom of Camellia.”

Because the kingdom was closely aligned with the empire, it was an empire-friendly kingdom.

“Then we can continue our investigation there.”

Aika abandoned the now-ruined portrait and stood. She went to a nearby inn, borrowed some paper and a pen, and quickly jotted down the information she had gathered. “Do we need a carrier pigeon?” she asked.

Anna, Aika’s maid, could handle a low-tier wind spirit, which made her quite fast in delivering messages. She replied, “That won’t be necessary. The head of the family is arriving soon.” 

“The head of the family? Really? Oh my!” Aika clasped her cheeks with both hands, her face a picture of surprise. “Oh my, he’s coming in person to find her? Could it be we’re really getting a new mistress this time?”

“Please, don’t get ahead of yourself.”

“But it’s exciting, isn’t it? Though, honestly, I don’t want to meet the patriarch. He works people too hard.”

Handling nature spirits instead of her own drained Aika’s energy. She was already exhausted and knew that meeting Heirn meant she’d be put to work immediately. She had planned to leave just the information and flee, but it seemed that wasn’t an option anymore.

“Let’s rest a bit until the patriarch arrives.”

“That is acceptable.”

“Sometimes, I really don’t know whose side you’re on, Anna.”

Aika rented a room and went upstairs, intending to sleep as much as possible before Heirn arrived.

***

However, her grand plan was soon shattered as Heirn arrived faster than expected. The horse he rode collapsed as soon as it reached the inn where Aika was staying, having been pushed to its limits by the spirit’s power.

Heirn left the fallen horse in the care of the innkeeper and approached Aika.

“Y-you came here on horseback?” Aika asked, bewildered.

“Yes. What did you find out?”

“The masked men put her on a ship heading south. Specifically, toward the Kingdom of Camellia.”

“Then we’ll set our course accordingly.”

Aika had anticipated this. She grimaced, but Heirn paid no attention. He immediately hired a ship, along with its captain and crew, offering a substantial sum to ensure the best.

Heirn boarded the ship with the most reputable captain, and Aika had no choice but to follow.

“I just wanted to rest.”

“Follow the trail,” Heirn commanded.

“Yes, yes. If the patriarch orders it, it must be done.”

Aika sat at the edge of the deck, focusing her mind. Doing what drained her for just one day over the span of several days left her utterly exhausted.

“This is the last spot,” she said, sprawled out on the deck. Her tone was disrespectful, but Heirn didn’t reprimand her, nor did Anna, who was usually strict about manners. Aika had been pushed to her limits. “It seems they threw Miss Adele into the sea here.”

Heirn looked around. It was an endless expanse of ocean.

“Here?”

“Yes.”

She asked again, but the answer remained the same.

She’s probably dead, Aika thought. She had no energy left to investigate further. Her nose had already started bleeding earlier, and any more exertion could be life-threatening.

As she lay there like a corpse, Heirn stepped forward.

“No, wait, wait! You’re not good with water spirits, sir!”

Spirits have affinities. Fire does not mix well with water, water with earth, and earth with wind. This meant that Heirn, who mastered the highest level of fire spirits, was incompatible with water spirits. While he could handle low-level spirits, nature spirits were a different matter.

Aika sprang up like a flopping fish. “Are you crazy?” She couldn’t help but blurt out harsh words. “Why are you, of all people, doing this? You know it’s dangerous!”

Aika tried to stop him, but Heirn ignored her and summoned the water spirits. Unlike with Aika, the spirits did not gather easily, but he persisted. Eventually, he managed to capture the attention of a few.

[How strange.]

[Indeed, strange. Such a strong fire, yet he summoned us.]

“Answer me.”

[No~ Why should we answer you?]

Since he didn’t have a strong affinity for water spirits, their attitude was hostile.

“Please,” Heirn said without hesitation. “I need to find this person.”

[Family?]

“No.”

[Loved one?]

“I don’t know.”

[Then why do you want to find them?]

The spirits giggled, but one finally answered Heirn. Just as Heirn started to bleed from his nose, the answer came.

[A large ship rescued her.]

That was all. Heirn coughed up blood from deep within his chest.

“What did they say? Wait, are you okay, sir?”

“I’m fine. Adele was rescued by someone.”

“Given our proximity, it seems we should investigate the Camellia Kingdom.”

“Indeed. We shall head there at once. Anna.”

“Yes, I will send word ahead.”

With many spirit wielders in the Weatherfield family, they had contacts spread across various kingdoms, including the Camellia Kingdom.

“Can I leave now?” Aika looked at Heirn with a pitiful expression.

“Not yet.”

“Ugh, I knew it.”

Aika lay back down on the deck, resigned to her fate.

***

More power and influence are needed, Lucas thought. He was willing to do anything to find Adele.

It was necessary anyway.

Thus, Lucas decided to return to Frederick. Kayla welcomed him.

“You’ve made the right decision, sir.”

Leon watched Lucas with anxious eyes but didn’t try to stop him. He just felt helpless. His master and Ronschka were both risking themselves to find Adele, but he couldn’t do anything. No matter how much he trained with his sword, he couldn’t become significantly stronger overnight, nor was his strength the kind that would help in finding someone.

All he could do was stay by Lucas’s side and watch over him.

With Frederick back under his control, Lucas more actively searched for Adele. Kayla did not stop him, merely clicking her tongue and saying it was a pointless endeavor.

It’s not pointless.

His master was risking his life for Adele. The prime suspect was Lucas’s mother, Kayla. Leon knew this as well. That’s why he listened carefully wherever he went, hoping to catch any useful information that might help his master.