A World Where You All Are The Villains - Chapter 50.2
Unlike the salon, which had stairs inside the shop, this building had an iron staircase attached to its exterior.
Thanks to that, I was able to reach the first floor without running into anyone.
I briefly hid myself beside the building and peeked toward the entrance of the dress shop.
Unfortunately, the escort the Duke had assigned didn’t seem to have noticed a thing.
Still, he occasionally craned his neck to check the back door, proof that he had indeed been sent to keep an eye on me!
“Hmph.”
A scoff escaped me.
It wasn’t like I’d planned such a thoroughly executed escape from the start.
Somehow, it had escalated to the level of an intelligence operation.
‘I should give Eston a bonus.’
Thankfully, I was about to meet her soon.
I climbed into the carriage that was already waiting beside the building.
Clack!
As I opened the door, my part-time secretary appeared, clearly anxious.
“Hello?”
“Lady Edith!”
“Shh. There’s still a guard outside.”
At my words, Eston furrowed her brow and hastily shut her mouth.
Knock knock.
I tapped on the wall to signal the carriage to move.
Once we had distanced ourselves from the salon district, Eston immediately exploded.
“What are you thinking, doing this again?!”
“What do you mean, what? I’ll just have to make sure I get back in time.”
“You didn’t say anything about an escort!”
“I know, right? I didn’t think Father would distrust me this much.”
“I’m doomed now. If the Duke finds out again, I’ll be thrown out with Theo and left with nothing!”
“Here. Then use this to rent an inn or something.”
“How can you say that so casually…!”
Just as she was about to rip her own hair out and scream, she caught sight of the two gold coins I was offering—and fell silent immediately.
She accepted them with both hands, unusually polite, and then asked,
“…Do you really have to go all the way to Volner?”
“What else can I do? I don’t have any better options.”
“You could send someone else…”
“Who would I even send? You want to go instead?”
“Even if you go yourself, there’s no clear plan…”
Eston muttered in frustration.
But that’s only because she didn’t know what I knew.
Since I knew the contents of the novel, going there in person was the only viable choice.
Volner.
Three years ago, it was where the novel began.
The very first city the female lead purified.
Originally a satellite city of the capital, Volner was home to middle-class merchants and minor nobles who ran shops or trade businesses.
But three years ago, a massive Gate had opened there, causing catastrophic damage.
Though the Gate was eventually closed, by then a large number of people had already been exposed to miasma.
With the city in complete chaos as Infected and survivors intermingled, the one who revived Volner from the brink was none other than the female lead!
‘It was her grand entrance, flashy and dramatic…’
But after that, all the wealthier residents fled, and the city quickly became a haven for outsiders.
Now it was a battlefield for all sorts of underworld powers—gangs, guilds, black-market merchants, and more.
So why was I trying to go to this dangerous city?
「 Born a commoner, Llewellyn was well-versed in the workings of the back alleys.
Though she was an exceptional Awakener, she needed information in order to establish herself among the prominent nobles.
Thus, she relied on her childhood friend, the guildmaster of Blue Moon, to gather all sorts of intel.
Blue Moon, which maintained a mutually beneficial relationship with Llewellyn, settled in Volner and gradually expanded its influence… 」
Exactly.
This was the twist—or rather, a unique aspect—of the novel.
The female lead wasn’t just a sweet, kind-hearted girl.
She had ambition and used strategy to infiltrate both high society and the imperial court!
‘Though the intel she gathered wasn’t all that impressive…’
At best, it was information about the male leads, or weaknesses of the villains who disliked her.
Still, thanks to that, she managed to dodge several traps Edith had carefully set for her.
Anyway, point being.
I was now on my way to visit the Blue Moon Guild myself.
If anywhere could lead me to the female lead’s whereabouts, it would be there.
“…I still don’t understand why you’re so determined to find the Purifier.”
Eston muttered just then.
“Isn’t the situation actually better as it is? The rival who stole all your men is gone now.”
“Eston.”
“Yes?”
“Do you want to be kicked out right now?”
I stared at her and asked seriously, and she immediately straightened her posture with a jolt.
“N-No, ma’am!”
“‘Your men,’ you say… Ugh. I’m already feeling sick, so don’t ever say crap like that again.”
“Y-Yes, ma’am!”
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