Before we moved, we decided to exchange some information with each other. The headmistress put up a soundproof barrier around us as we stood near the intersection under a street lamp illuminating us with a warm light.
"My niece contacted me earlier."
Alesia started with surprising information. Milea contacted her?
And when I was curious about it, the headmistress continued.
"Her pocket is enhanced with <Space Magic> I used. It's big enough to hide [Earring of Communication] connected to mine. I am quite protective of my family."
"…"
I was speechless.
<Space Magic> was one of the most difficult kinds of magic, which needed a long time to train and many requirements before even learning Lv 1. Not to mention, no one managed to learn it up to Lv 5, which was the requirement to be able to enchant an item with it.
To say Alesia wasn't strong just by looking at her Level would be underestimating her. That was why she was coined as one of the strongest characters in Sins Paradise. And that was also the reason why I put up my guard around her.
And that was what made her so desirable too. However, she loved her academy and family, which I found out just now, more than anything.
"Do you know her location?"
Because that information wasn't too important in this situation, I ignored it and asked the most important question. If Milea contacted Alesia, most probably knew where she was kept or at least the general location.
"I traced the call, and she's in the Capital City. But I am unsure where she is unless I use magic."
"That's enough. You don't need to use magic to trace her if it's within this city. There is a chance the culprit will notice it." I nodded at her reply, but she wasn't done yet.
"Also–" The headmistress looked at me with a serious face. "–the culprit seems to be one of your nuns. According to the little girl, it's the green-haired one."
"I thought so."
With a process of elimination, Mia was too suspicious to be ruled out as the culprit. Disappearing and couldn't be traced even by my <Presence Detection> all day was enough for me to suspect her.
And when I went to the church, there was no sign of Mia at all. I ignored all that because I thought she wanted to have private time, like many other girls. But, this… It was my fault, right?
I heard from Garcia that Mia was anxious about not being called for night duty. Probably, she snuck into my room just like at that time and then met the sight of Milea getting punished with rotors in her crotch and hands and legs bound with rope.
In the situation where she had a hard time controlling her actions due to the full moon, I guessed she went by instinct and just kidnapped Milea. Of course, it was all just my assumption, and I didn't know the truth. I just knew someone was instigating her when I was away from my mansion. That was all.
"Lucy. Can you track all of them at once?" I called out to the vampire girl beside me, and she nodded under her hood, giving her confirmation.
Alesia looked confused at first, but when Lucy started to use her skill, the headmistress' eyes widened with recognition.
"A vampire?" She muttered, to which I replied with a small nod.
"Please keep it a secret. Not many people in the Virtue Kingdom like a vampire's existence."
And that was why they hid, especially the half one. I didn't even know Mia was Half-Vampire before this because I hadn't used my <Appraisal> or 'Requirement Appraisal' on her yet. Identifying Half-Beastmen or even Half-Elf was difficult because they looked more like a human.
But when I thought about it again, weren't there a lot of Halves in the church? People often looked at them differently, so I guessed the church was like a safe haven for them.
Anyway…
"I understand," Alesia replied without asking too much. "So what will she do?"
"Use the blood in the letter given to me to track the culprit. It's good to know that they are in the Capital City. I can find them easily by looking at where this trace goes."
"Arthur, I am ready. There are 8 locations in total inside the city, according to what I smell."
"That's easy." I showed a reassuring smile. "Just activate it when you're ready. I will see where they are going."
Lucy acknowledged my words and raised her hand. On top of her palm were 8 drops of blood, each of which wasn't visible to the naked eye.
But with my heightened senses, I could see them just fine and differentiate them from the night sky.
The plan was simple. I would follow each drop to where they were going until I found Mia.
Alesia probably noticed that plan and muttered, "That's not humanly possible."
Normally, yes. But I was not normal, and my status was all way past 300. It was possible if it was me.
Besides… I didn't say I wouldn't use a magic item to aid me.
"5 seconds with each blood is enough, Lucy."
I instructed her and took a necklace-shaped magic item from my inventory. It had a moon-shaped pendant, and the effect was quite simple, but there was a restriction. I could jump twice by spending 1 MP when it was a full moon.
It was the perfect item to be used today.
"<Tracing Blood>"
Once she used the skill, the blood flew to the sky at once. I crouched and prepared myself to follow the blood, starting with the first one.
It flew at a fast speed, and I followed the blood. It went south toward a market area. I followed it by jumping high in the sky and diving down by tracing its trajectory afterward. The air split, creating a rather loud sound in my ears.
Ignoring it, I landed in an unpopulated area.
Boom!
The dust was kicked up as I crashed against the ground with a loud sound. My <Presence Detection> didn't react, and there was a familiar jar near a stall that I just destroyed from my landing.
"A miss."
I quickly took the jar, put it in my inventory, and left a sum of Gold Coins under the wreckage. I wasn't heartless, but I was in a hurry. So leaving Gold Coins was all I could do right now.
Before people gathered, I jumped up to the sky again. The second drop of blood had already moved. This time it went west toward a clearing behind some kind of stables.
Just like before, I followed the blood and dove down by activating the magic item's effect. My body flew like a bullet, and just like before…
Bam!
The grassy area where I landed got destroyed, and the ground split like a spider web. I quickly scanned the surroundings and found another jar filled with blood. There was a presence, but that wasn't someone I was searching for.
"Scram."
Letting out my bloodlust, I ordered in a cold voice. A rustling sound could be heard afterward, and a person covered in black garb fell from the stable's roof.
"Tsk, as expected," I muttered in a low voice as my assumption proved to be correct.
Someone was helping Mia or even manipulating her to do this.
I took out a simple knife from my inventory and threw it toward the unconscious person, piercing his head cleanly. I couldn't afford to bring him right now.
"Next."
Putting the jar into my inventory, I moved again. The third one was a miss, and it was on the east side of the Capital City.
Many people shouted in wonder as a loud explosion from me landing on the ground rang frequently, and dust was kicked to the sky, creating something similar to a black cloud due to the dark sky.
Ignoring them, I went to the fourth place. This time, the gaze that had followed me since earlier was clear, and it came from one of the highest buildings in the Capital City. More specifically, it came from the tower of the Royal Castle.
With my vision, I could see a girl smiling while waving her hand on the balcony. Instantly, I knew that it was her who had instigated Mia, but I couldn't move without proof if my opponent was the Princess.
'What is she planning?' I only thought so as I followed the fifth blood.
This time, it went to the center of the city, near the Royal Castle. The blood flew inside a three story building, a mansion, and I couldn't land on it without destroying it.
So instead, I landed at the garden in front of the building and walked inside.
When I entered, she stood in the middle of the stairs with a shy smile that I often saw in my mansion, as if nothing was wrong. In her right shoulder was a trace of blood that flew inside through the window earlier.
"S-Sir Paladin. W-Welcome."
As if she did nothing, Mia greeted me with a bow. There was nothing wrong with her except that her arms were covered in a bandage, and so was her neck, which was exposed when she bowed.
Then she raised her head, and I immediately changed my mind. Her mouth parted from ear to ear in a strange, deranged smile. Her heterochromia eyes flashed a strange light as they turned bright right. Her hair began to turn white as she pulled it, throwing her veil away.
Her appearance changed almost completely. The shy and clumsy Mia turned into a crazy psychopath to the point her eyes and hair colors changed.
And then… She began to shout crazily.
"If you're here, that means you love me, right? AH! You're here to live with me! Don't worry, Sir Paladin. I own this place. Let's make this our love nest! You will stay here. Don't worry about work or money. I will do it for you. Just… stay here and look at me! Forever!"
This was why I didn't want to deal with a yandere.
"Let's have a lot of babies!"
But as she was my subordinate, it fell to my responsibility as her boss to deal with her.
