The next morning, after we had our breakfast (and me having Felicia fix my ripped pants from yesterday, which she thought was quite the laughter-worthy incident), we departed right for where the rotten alchemist was. We already had her name and location from Theo. Not that it would be hard to find her, seeing how she was the No.1 alchemist in the entire city.

We didn’t have to go far until we found her shop. After all, we were located in the same district.

Oh, and I neglected to mention the Amazonesses to Felicia. She was in a bad mood now and I didn’t want to worsen the situation. If I told her that I had to fight off two girls that would’ve kidnapped and raped me, I could only imagine she going out of her way to punish them as well.

It’d be bad if we ended up making enemies of other adventurers. Unlike the guards, they could actually be a threat  to us.

The building was large, easily the largest in the district. A sign above proudly declared that it was Ramushi's Atelier. Below it, in smaller, demon tongue letters, described that they were open every day of the week, seven to seven. And then, on a different sign placed at ground level, welcomed any customers who needed medicine, magic tools, and all sorts of sundries.

A lamia waitress stood in front of the door, welcoming us for our patronage before asking about our business.

"We would like to meet with Miss Ramushi. We have a medicine we would like her to make."

"An appointment? That would be ten silver coins."

Really? Just meeting her costs you?

Just like doctors, I suppose.

"Thank you very much! Please, follow me!"

We followed the lamia slithering inside. The first room we entered seemed to be an alchemy shop, filled with all sorts of goods for sale. Just like the sign at the front said, this place really selled everything relating to alchemy. I could even see a few cauldrons on the corner there. And, unlike our rented workshop, it had magic lamps lighting every nook and cranny.

After that, we entered a small hallway where there was a set of stairs leading upstairs.

"You two are lucky!" The lamia giggled. "The mistress is usually really busy with visitors!"

On the second floor, she took us to a large double door. I guess this is her office?

The lamia knocked on the door. "Miss! You have visitors!"

"Come in.”

That voice… I can just tell she would be a voluptuous snake lady.

Too bad she’s also an immoral alchemist on the side.

When the door opened, my prediction was proven correct.

There, sitting on a chair across the room, was another lamia. This one, however, had a far more mature look that exuded sexiness. She wore a bikini-like outfit that exposed her dark purple abdomen and cleavage. As for her hair, it was a long silver, going down all the way past her snake behind.

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/54/38/3e/54383e0ba6c030d0dbd49372ec005221.jpg

Damn, what a bombshell. She's the same type of "seductive, older woman" as Felicia, except she's evil.

The office itself was spacious, with it looking like a combination between an alchemist's workshop and a consultation room. There was a bed in the north end of the room that I imagine would be used to examine patients, while a cauldron sat on the west, near two tall shelves filled with alchemy materials. On the east was where she sat, with her tail folded underneath her. On the south were a couple more chairs, and there I sat, letting Felicia handle the talk. All with my hands near my wand and sword, of course.

"Welcome. I see you two are new here. Whatever can the great alchemist Ramushi do for you?"

Placing her right hand above her chest, she opened the conversation with a seductive yet arrogant smile.

"I want to inquire about a certain drug." Felicia replied with her own, poisonous smile. "I believe you were the one who made this?"

She took out a small vial from between her breasts (how convenient!) and put it on the table to the right of the lamia.

"Hmm, let me see…" The demon woman took the vial and brought it close to her eyes. "Yes, that is mine. It's a constitution booster. Do you need more of it? I can prepare some if you want. This isn't sold in the shop downstairs by the way. It's just too expensive for your average person."

"Oh? Really? How much is it then?" Felicia replied.

"Two gold coins per dose. Unfortunately, the ingredients for it don't come cheap…"

Wow, this lady is good. She even does that fake regretful look.

"I see. And how long are you supposed to take it again?"

"Hmm? What an odd question. This is not a cure to an illness. This is a booster. You take it every day for your entire life if you don't want to get sick. It's unfortunate but some people, mostly humans like you, are just born weak. I can't do anything about that, now can I?" She smirked.

At this point, I could see Felicia reaching her limit. She was grabbing her staff so tightly her hand was turning white.

"...Stop lying, you overgrown snake. That’s no medicine. That’s a refined thalamyte mixed with bitter herbs synthesized into a candy. You’re giving your customers addictive drugs that would give them withdrawal once they stopped taking them.”

Wow, right to the point, eh? I guess she’s too angry to play the subtle game. Or she just doesn’t care about doing all the scheming she used to do before she met me.

Let’s see how the snake lady responds to this.

“Aha...ahahahahahaha!”

Dismissive laughter. Let me guess. She’ll say that Felicia is an idiot and that she doesn't know what she's saying.

Lowering her hand from her mouth, she answered, "What are you talking about?! Are you right in the head, Miss?"

"Don't lie to me. I too am an alchemist. And I won't stand by you dirtying my job with your rotten greed. Close your shop and never practice alchemy again. Or else I'll report you to the authorities."

The lamia froze for a moment before laughing even harder, her hand now holding her stomach instead of her mouth.

"You're funny! You're too fun—gahhh, w-what are you doing?"

Welp. There she goes. She's now strangling her with her shadows.

"Miss! How dare you—"

I dashed forward and pointed my sword at the waitress, blocking her way forward.

"Now now~ She's just here to have a chat~" I flashed her my grin.

Instead of comforting her, however, it only frightened her even more instead.

"Eeek!"

Before she could escape, I leaped forward and put my sword right on her neck. Intimidation aura go!

And then, she crumbled, losing her consciousness in the process.

With a loud crash, Felicia threw the other lamia to the other side of the room, right at the cauldron. In quite the hilarious manner, she dunked her right into it.

"Do you know who I am, snake?"

The lamia quickly recovered, slithering back upward and outside the cauldron.

And she looked positively livid. None of her previous flirtiness were there.

"You crazy bitch! You think you can leave this place alive after that?! I was being merciful, not humoring your delusions in the slightest! But now, you're going to face the full might of the genius alchemist Ramushi, she who has cured a thousand illnesses!"

Unfazed, Felicia resumed her speech.

"So, I assume this is an admission of guilt? That you really gave out false medicine to your customers?"

"Ha! So what if I did?! Those fools deserve to be fooled by me! In this continent, it's eat or be eaten! Humans like you should know your place! Right at the bottom of the food chain!"

Oh dear, is this how anti-human racism looks like?

I like how she confesses on her own though. For a supposed genius, she really is an idiot.

"No apology then?"

"No, you die instead! You and the kid over there!"

She swiped her tail, but not at Felicia or I. Instead, she hit a certain spot on the wall behind her.

Huh? That's—

"Psshhhh!"

It's a poison gas trap!

The open windows promptly closed on their own, followed by the door as well, blocking our escape. White smoke came out from every corner of the room, from tiny nozzles that came out from the floor and ceiling. It wasn’t a magical trap at all. Instead, it was a mechanical one.

"Aaand… you're dead. Just one whiff and your brain will shut down. This poison doesn’t work on us lamias by the way so—"

"It won't work, you imbecile reptile." Felicia cut her off. "I've told you before, haven't I? I am an alchemist as well. A far better one than you, I imagine. Both he and I—we had taken antidotes before we came here. We already knew you'd try something like this."

The lamia's face promptly turned pale. Hah, she really underestimates us, huh? Probably thought we're just like all of the other people she has robbed.

"Fine! I thought I would spare you two from a painful death! But clearly, that's too good for you!"

She faced her right palm forward. It didn't take a genius to see that she was going to fire a spell from it, as the air around it was now crackling with lightning. Heh, it might be a chantless spell but it's still too slow.

Now, I would intervene here but Felicia beat me to it. With her shadows, she had cut said hand from its wrist before it could fire its thunder spell.

The lamia, naturally, screeched in pain as purple blood poured out of the stump.

I would feel bad but eh, I really don't.

"You… you monster! You think you'll get away with this? I'm a friend of the Lord of this town! He'll put a bounty on your head and then you'll be— gaaahhh!" She was stopped mid-speech by her throat being strangled once more.

"Silence. A person like you… should just disappear from this world…"

And then, without stopping a beat, she snapped her neck with a sickening crack.

Aah, it ends up like this after all…

It can't be helped. She really doesn't seem to be the type that repents from her mistakes. Too large of an ego.

I guess her heart is rotten to the core. Unlike Felicia.

"Well, what now? She's still alive." I gestured at the waitress. "She'll report us for sure."

"I'll wake her up." Felicia answered with a smile. "Interrogate her first then we shall decide what to do with her."

-------

In the end, we decided to let the lamia go, as she had agreed to not report us to the authorities. Instead, she would say that a thief broke in and slayed her mistress.

She swore that she knew nothing about her mistress's illicit activities. Obviously, she could be lying, but we decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. We weren't really the type to kill people because of something that could or could not happen. If she were to talk, then we'd just handle the problem.

Yep, this is how one should live. Having confidence in one's own ability to face hardships, not running away and taking the easy path.

That's why I still need to be stronger. Not only to protect those close to me but to protect my ideals as well.

-------

We were now back outside the atelier. The streets were getting busier but luckily there weren't any people who looked in our direction. Quickly, we bolted to the markets.

I needed a new pair of pants after all, for my training. Preferably one that was fireproof.

You might think it's weird to go shopping right after you just killed someone, but I really was not phased by it anymore. And neither did Felicia. It's surprisingly easy to get used to murder in this world after doing it a few times.

In the end, we spent the entire day clothes shopping. Felicia dragged me around to a bunch of shops like a typical woman would , declaring she only wanted the best for me. Eventually, after what felt like hours walking around, she settled on a light teal tunic and a dark teal trousers combo. Both fabrics were made out of fire-resistant cotton, imported from the far south of the Demon Continent. They were expensive, but, with our full coffers, it was no problem at all.

"So, how do I look?"

"You look dashing, Milord. I knew that color suits you."

And thus, I officially graduated from wearing shorts.

--------

After having our lunch, we decided to give a visit to Theo. He needed to know the truth after all.

We didn't bother going to his house though. This time of the day, he should be hard at work training.

And so, at the same spot I met him yesterday, I found him once more.

"Heya! It's me! Your Master Hugo again!"

"O-oh! Master Hugo! And you too, Miss Felicia!" Heh, still flustered by our appearance. He really needs to learn to be more aware of his surroundings.

"Rejoice!" I declared with a dramatic voice. "For we bring you good news!"

We then explained the truth about his medicine and how he didn't actually need it after all. Though Felicia noted that the withdrawal would be unpleasant which was why she would give him her own drugs for a while until his body could readjust back to normal.

When we finished, he was slumped down on the dirt with a defeated expression on his face.

"All this time… Tira has been working hard for nothing?!" His body shook as fists formed on his hands. "Damn it!" He punched the ground beneath him. "I'm a complete and utter—"

I walked closer and placed my hand on his shoulder.

"That's enough. I'm not going to let you blame yourself. It's not your fault. It's the fault of that wicked woman."

Seeing him like this, it really reminds me of myself.

"M-Master Hugo…" He looked up, his eyes watering.

I flashed my best smile. "That's why I will give you this." Swiping my wand, I summoned a leather pouch from my Dimensional Storage. "This is all the money the lamia had. Use it to settle your sister's debts, alright?"

He fell silent, looking at the pouch with doubtful eyes.

"I… How did you get this?"

"We… uh… took care of her. We tried telling her to fess up to the guards but she decided to attack us instead."

"You… you killed her?"

Uh oh. This is probably too much for a "soft" kid like him. Now he's looking at me like I'm the bad guy!

"I did." Felicia interjected. "I snapped her neck in two. Milord was just there as my bodyguard."

"No. I approved killing her as well. We're both at fault here, if you want to go that route." Like hell I'm going to let her take all the blame.

Giving him a wry smile, I knelt down and looked at him right in the eyes.

"Look, kid. I suppose it's time for me to come clean. We are dangerous people. Felicia here used to be a necromancer. Killed a king and used his body to manipulate a kingdom and slaughtered hundreds of soldiers when they tried to capture her. I saved her from the Church's inquisitors, thus making me a wanted man in their eyes.

"As for myself, I killed a merchant and his bodyguards before I came here. Didn't like the way he treated his slaves, you see.

"So, I ask you this. Do you still want to be with us even after all that? Because tomorrow morning, we'll go back to the dungeon."

I placed the pouch in front of him.

"If not, then at the very least, take this money. If anyone asks, just say you found it from the dungeon."

"And here's your medicine." Felicia put another pouch beside it. "Eat one every day for two months. Since you haven't been taking that drug for long, two months of an adjustment period should suffice."

I stood up and ruffled his hair. "You're a good kid, Theo. Go talk to your sister and that catgirl about this. And please, heed their advice. Don't be like me who left my family behind."

Giving a nod to Felicia, we left the kid behind, heading back to the city.

He'll need some time to process that for sure.

------

On the way back, I had a small conversation with Felicia.

"Are you sure it's wise to tell him everything, Milord?"

"Eh. I think he can keep his secret." I flashed a smile to the ex-necromancer. "Those three… they are good people."

"Don't want to involve them?" Felicia smirked. "Just like with those three adventurers you were with before."

"It's up to them, really. Anton insisted that I shouldn't have rescued you and so, I didn't involve them. They deserved a normal adventuring life. And so does Theo."

Felicia fell silent for a moment before continuing her speech.

"How about Victoria? We're not going to pay her a visit?"

"Hmm, a letter. We'll send her one. Felicia, can you use your shadow magic to sneak a letter to her room?"

"Hmm? You're not going to give it to the butler?"

"It's a backup plan, in case he doesn't give it to her."

"I suppose I could manage. If the walls aren't warded anyway. But how about visiting her directly instead?"

"Heh, I doubt they'd allow us to do that."

------

I was immediately proven right.

"Apologies, but Milady is currently unavailable right now."

When we arrived back at the mansion, the guards immediately fetched the old butler from the day before. And, as I had predicted, he wasn't willing to let us see Victoria.

"I see. It can't be helped then." I let out an exaggerated sigh. "We came here to tell her that we would go back to the dungeon tomorrow."

"Milady is no longer an adventurer. She will not be joining you in your dangerous pursuits."

Yep. His expression might remain neutral but I can tell just from his aura that we are no longer welcome in his eyes.

"Then please, give her this letter. It's an apology. For not being able to take her to see her flower."

Taking out the thin parchment from my pocket, I handed it over to him, where he proceeded to receive it with a bow.

"Understood. I shall make sure she receives it. You have my word."

Hmm, this guy… He just wants Victoria to stay here. Perhaps he believes it's too reckless for her to continue going deeper and deeper into the dungeon.

Meaning, he doesn't trust us to keep her safe.

Oh, by the way, I wrote the letter after we gave the money to Theo, when we had our short detour to our workshop before going here.

"Then, we shall take our leave."

Giving him my own bow, Felicia and I left the mansion.

"So, how about it?" I opened my mouth once we were far enough from the guards. "Can you sneak your shadow in there?"

"Hmm, the distance would be a problem, Milord. I would have to manifest inside the estate walls if I were to send my shadow to her room."

"Hmm, too risky then. In case you haven't noticed, those walls—they have runes on them. Hidden, for sure, but I could see them with my Sight. Couldn't quite tell how they worked though since I know nothing about runes."

"That's unfortunate." Felicia commented. "Let's just hope that old coot will actually give her the letter."

"Heh, and here I thought you wanted her gone.” I gave her a little teasing smirk.

“Hmph, I just wanted to see her resolve, that’s all.” She huffed.

Hehe, you really are a good person, Felicia.

--------

Victoria

Father… Mother… please… don’t leave me… I promise I'll be a good girl from now on… like Marlene...

Right as Hugo and Felicia made their little visit, Victoria was sleeping in her chambers.

Not a peaceful sleep, I’m afraid, as she was tossing and turning, heavy sweat turning her sleeping gown damp and translucent. Luckily, no one was there to see the bright pink bra and panties she wore underneath. Although, the way the fabric now clung to her skin was quite uncomfortable indeed.

Her nightmare only stopped from a well-timed knock from her butler.

“Milady, I have a letter from your friends.”

He didn’t bother waiting until she answered. Instead, he just slipped said letter underneath the door.

Groggily rubbing her eyes, she yawned and stretched. Her eyes gazed around the room. The same cramped room she has been living in for seventeen years.

Oh, how she missed sleeping on the outside, under the beautiful stars…

And then, her eyes landed on the white object in front of the door.

Oh right, the letter!

She jumped out of her bed and snatched the white object in one fell swoop. Tearing the envelope, she pulled the paper inside, opening it once she was back sitting in the bed.

Hold still, my beating heart!

"Dear Victoria. It's me, Hugo. I just want to tell you that we'll be going back into the tower tomorrow morning. If you still want to come with us, then you're welcome to do so. After all, we haven't brought you all the way to the fifth stratum to see that flower of yours.

"But, if you can't, then that's fine as well. I'll try to bring the flower to you instead. Though, if it's too big, then I won't be able to bring the whole thing.

"I'm sorry that we can't help you with your family. How they treated you is horrible, no doubt about it. But, know this. If you are to decide to abandon them, then you're welcome to go with us. I warn you though. It won't be easy. Our journey will be harsh and long and no doubt dangerous.

"P.S. Felicia likes you a bit better now that she's met your father.

"P.P.S. You might not be Ashleen or Ela but you're still Victoria, the half-fairy knight. I think that's cool too! So keep your chin up, alright?"

When she finished reading the letter, her eyes had begun to water once more.

Oh, Sir Hugo, Lady Felicia…

Her eyes moved to the corner of the room. There, her armor and skirt were hung from a stand. They had been cleaned just the day before. To her surprise, Gam actually allowed her to keep them.

But then again, he was the one who gave them in the first place, when he found out that she was planning to run away from home. Said that it would hopefully keep her safe.

And yet, he seemed to have changed his mind now, telling her not to go out anymore. Perhaps it’s because of her father’s orders?

She really couldn’t understand the man’s thoughts.

What should I do? I really want to go with them but if I leave, Father will…

Her hands gripped the fabric of her gown.

No, I can't be selfish. I'm not Ashleen or Ela. Even if I'm a half fairy, I'm still a burden to them. I can't do anything other than letting Sir Hugo do all the work. I don't have any talent or special powers that can be useful. Sir Hugo's fairies are more useful than me…

I shouldn't… impose on him… any longer…

Drip. Drip.

Tears began to fall from her cheeks, one by one wetting her already damp dress.

I'm… sorry…

Her overfilled dam soon burst. Quickly, she buried her face inside her pillow.

"U-uwaaahhhhh! Waaahh!"

As she exhausted herself crying, a certain woman stood outside of the room, pressing her ear onto the wooden frame.

It was her human mother.

With a big, happy smile on her face.

---------------

A/N:

In case you don't get it, the two women are the lamia and Victoria's mother.

Is this another blunder of Hugo, leaving Victoria like that? Well, at least this time around, Felicia is behind it as well.

And as usual, I'll shill for my new Patreon chapter where Hugo finally gets to fight an SS-rank monster.