I will not die a Villainess's death

Elysia had walked away as soon as she realized that her companions were not paying attention to her. It was the prime time for her to successfully slip away and not be noticed.

As long as Enma and Emma kept on following after her, Elysia would not be able to do what she wanted. So she wanted them to go their way while she fulfilled the purpose of her visit - to snoop around the forest.

She could sense the bond that had been keeping Elysia under lock wavering. It meant that Sorias was nearby and Elysia was free to roam around.

'Finally, I am free. The outside air feels so good and fresh. I love it.'

Not to complain or anything about that 'other' world Elysia had spent a year in but the air quality there sucked.

Too much resource consumption had led to their air quality declining and it was tough to find good quality air anywhere.

"Well, time to head to the forest now."

Elysia whispered just as her eyes met Emma's. She tensed up, hoping that Emma would not say anything.

Emma was not the problem here, Enma was. He could cause a problem if he spoke too loudly and brought Sorias or anyone else here after her.

"Shhhh."

Elysia motioned for Emma to keep quiet and she nodded along with Elysia's wishes. It was a good thing that Emma was so understanding.

Once Emma distracted Enma, Elysia managed to successfully manage to skip away. She could feel that Adam was nearby, so Elysia avoided him.

Elysia could feel Adam coming after him and she picked up speed. If Adam caught her then Elysia would be forced to go home.

She was running away when she noticed a cloaked figure entering a small house in the middle of the forest. It was a space that was suspicious no matter how one looked at it.

But Elysia was the fool who would decide to check this place out anyway. Especially when she watched a hooded figure enter the building.

Elysia had hazy eyesight so it was not often she could recognize people. But her other senses were sharp, and Elysia retained most of the information she found interesting.

There was one person she vividly remembered finding interesting but only meeting once. And that had been the mysterious person that had been talking to Head Priest a long time ago.

This person had an aura similar to that mysterious prisoner she remembered.

'It all screams suspicious. I should check this out right now.'

Thoughts about Adam and being followed escaped Elysia's mind as she jumped down near the house. She could see the shady figure inside and it made her want to go in right now.

Elysia waited to see the shadow leave the front room before moving toward the door and opening it.

Her heart leaped in her throat as soon as the handle moved without Elysia even doing anything to move it.

The door opened inwardly and Elysia was yanked along with that motion as well. She all but crashed into the open arms of the person who had surprised Elysia that badly.

"You look like you are trying to flee to somewhere but cannot escape your pursuer. If you want to be alone, then do come in."

The melodious voice made Elysia calm down. Suddenly, it seemed like nothing else mattered anymore but the voice that was reassuring Elysia.

All her hesitation melted away as Elysia entered the house. The door snapped close behind her but Elysia did not notice.

All that while, the shady figure who had invited Elysia inside gave a small wave to the other figure Elysia had followed in.

He gestured toward Elysia who seemed unaware of anything going on around her. She sat at the table and picked up the empty cup.

"The incense is working as intended. It will be ready to use with a few minor adjustments soon. So, will you be going now?"

The figure Elysia had been following this far did not say anything. He did not seem to mind anything happening but looked at Elysia with narrowed eyes.

"Make sure you do not break her and no harm comes to Elysia Dirac during your experiment, or I will make you pay Rahan. And do control your pets before they lead others to our main base. We cannot be discovered at such a crucial point of our plan."

There was a sort of affection in the man's voice as he spoke. Rahan shivered once he heard the mysterious stranger speak but he bowed anyway.

"I will take care of Elysia and make sure nothing happens to her. But if it comes to her safety and Lucas Dirac, which one should I prioritize? After all, Lucas Dirac is...fine, I will shut up now."

Rahan faltered at the empty glare he got from the cloaked figure in front of him. He had made a mistake he should not have.

The cloaked figure left the house and Rahan watched until he was far enough to not be seen. Once he was sure that everything was clear again, it was time to close the incense he had used.

It had been a gamble to see if it would work on the humans as it did on the beasts but had paid off. It opened up a lot of doors for their success.

"Now then, time for you to come back to your senses, Elysia Dirac. Hope you do not end up causing trouble for me in the future."

Rahan clapped his hands and Elysia snapped out of the daze she was in. she blinked slowly as she looked up at Rahan.

"What-? When did I walk in here? I'm sorry, who are you again?"

___________________

Elysia blinked her eyes slowly, trying to get used to the sudden shit in her location. The last she remembered was being outside the door and seeing this person open it all of a sudden.

Her mind brought forth the images of being offered entry into the house but Elysia did not remember if she had accepted it or not.

"Is your head spinning? Don't worry because it happens in this forest. It is a little weird but I have gotten used to it. Here, drink this to clear your head."

Elysia took the cup she was offered but she did not drink from it until Rahan did.

Since the tea had been poured from the same source, they both must have drank the same ingredients.

Elysia's headache felt much better after she drank the tea and even her hearing cleared up. She had not realized that she had been feeling this bad before but now she was in the clear again.

"Man, it is no sense to have company in this house again. I have been living here alone for a few years now without any visitors. I was going mad with boredom before you arrived. Ah, I am Rahan by the way. Nice to meet you"

Elysia jolted in surprise at hearing Rahan answer her answered question. But Elysia did not believe when Rahan said that he was alone in this house.

She had seen that mysterious figure entering the home but she doubted that it had been Rahan. Rahan's frame was a little wider than she remembered her figure's being.

"You have lived here alone for a few years? But you look to be in your young twenties. Where are your parents?"

Elysia's question caused the man to go quiet all of a sudden. It was enough for Elysia to take the clue that he was an orphan.

A better person might have apologized and tried to change the topic but Elysia did not do that. She just kept quiet and the man in front of her also did not question her any further.

That awkward silence lasted for a few minutes before Elysia snapped out of her daze and decided to break the awkward silence.

"A-Anyway, I have a few questions for you. As you know, there had been a few monster attacks that happened in this area recently. Did you see anyone or anything suspicious regarding those attacks?"

Elysia decided to rip the bandage off and ask the question outright. The more she tried to beat around the bush, the more difficult it would get to ask these questions in the end.

"Anyone or anything suspicious? I don't think I saw something like that around here. The forest has been quieter than usual these past few days."

Rahan's words did not make much sense when looked into context. There was no doubt that these parts of the forest had been the center of attack for the past few days. And yet, Rahan said that nothing was wrong.

That implied that he was lying or trying to hide something.

"Elysia Dirac, you should not be so curious about things that don't involve you. Now you leave me with no other choice but to make you forget."

Rahan sounded almost sad as he spoke but it was all for show.