Chapter 23

Akio remembered as soon as he saw her face. She was definitely the person who was cursed a few days back. He had not seen her face when she first came in. But now that the hair was out of the way, he could clearly identify her.

The first questions that popped into his mind were-

『Why is she here? More importantly, did I really help such an important figure?』

Now that Akio thought about it, he remembered that her house was in the high-end district. Her house too was full of servants and guards.

『Tch! Why in the world didn't I think of it before?』

The moment he realized that it was a person high up the ladder, he regretted his decision to help her back then.

Zark was right beside him. If this woman was loose-lipped and ran her mouth, it could end up being a really nasty situation for Akio.

He racked his head, thinking of all the things he could say to get out of this situation. But no matter how much he thought, he couldn't think of a way he could get out of this predicament without the use of magic. There were just too many variables.

The method he thought of would depend on what the lady's character was. But even if her personality turns out to be different from his envisioned one, he still had a backup plan ready.

He secretly hoped in some corner of his mind that he wouldn't have to use the backup method. It would be very cruel. If it comes down to it though, he would not hesitate to execute the plan. After all, he himself came above a recently acquainted woman.

In the end, he decided to go with this. It was the only way to resolve this without Zark suspecting anything.

Akio made a microscopic warped hole from him to the woman's ear. This path continued till her brain.

He started to code mana clouds and send them through the warped space. They did not take even a second to reach her.

However, Akio had to be extremely mindful of the frequency at which he was sending the coded mana clouds. Sending them too fast at a high speed would lead to a brain spray in the middle of the shop. He didn't want it to happen in a clothes shop at least. Sending them too slowly will result in the recipient not being able to understand the message.

As soon as Akio sent mana to the woman, the woman who had been standing still suddenly had words popping up and echoing inside her head.

『Hey, hey, hey, don't freak out even if you are surprised right now. It's me Akio.』

When she heard this, her eyes opened wide, and was at her wit's end. Not knowing what to say or believe, she instinctively glanced at Akio.

And Akio, who saw her gaze nodded his head once. Just this was enough for the woman. Just this was enough for her to believe that it really was him. Normally, nodding would be considered a formality but this woman didn't think so.

When she met Akio's gaze, she could feel it, his confidence. There was not even a shred of doubt shown in his eyes.

『I guess you understand now. So, I need you to follow some very basic instructions for me. And if you fail to do so, well, it...may not end well for both me and you.』

Akio had to mix in at least a little bit of threat in his speech and tone. It was kind of a reassurance. Otherwise, he would just seem like a pushover.

The woman did not question anything. Rather her brain could not question anything. She could only listen while trying to make herself believe that this was still the reality.

『So, all things aside, I don't know what kind of a person you are or what do you do. But I need you to at least listen to me for what is in both of our best interests. First, when Zark asks how I know you, you have to make up an excuse yourself. Perhaps you could tell I helped you with the work you do or something similar to it. Anyways, you can make up an excuse yourself. No need to stress yourself over it. But what I am about to say next, that is, the second point, is extremely important. Make sure you follow it no matter what, even if you die.

So, the thing is, you are not allowed to mention magic in front of Zark nor will you mention that I used magic. Now, do. You. Un.Der.Stand?』