I Am a Villain, So What?

Chapter 233: Shadows of the past

The next few days passed without a single notable incident.

Life at the estate quickly settled back into its chaotic, yet comfortably familiar rhythm. Classes at the Academy continued as usual. The Boss disappeared into the Academy District every morning, only to return in the evening with either a mountain of bureaucratic paperwork, highly questionable magical artifacts, or exhausted stories that somehow always involved an explosion.

Ariana remained happily buried beneath towering stacks of alchemical research in her new workshop. Merle spent most of his time locked inside the study, muttering to himself as he drafted complex firearm and mana-cartridge designs. Irina continued creating problems much faster than Lily could possibly solve them, while Nero quietly and efficiently handled whatever chore was placed in front of him without a single complaint.

For Alicia, the mundane routine was a profound relief.

The cold unease that had followed her ever since that strange shopping trip had gradually begun to fade. The more she rationalized it, the more ridiculous her paranoia seemed. Fifteen years had passed since the catastrophic fall of Valemont. The idea that remnants of her family’s Royal Guard would suddenly appear in the Capital of the Aurelian Empire—the very heart of the enemy—bordered on absolute absurdity.

She had convinced herself that it was merely a trick of the light. A phantom born from old trauma.

But a few days later, she realized she hadn’t been hallucinating at all.

It happened during another routine supply run to the lower market. Lily was haggling with a spice merchant, and Alicia was idly scanning the crowd.

Then, she noticed it. A familiar, heavy dark cloak disappearing around the corner of a nearby street.

Alicia froze.

The figure was already moving away by the time her eyes fully focused on it. There was absolutely nothing remarkable about the man’s appearance. His height was average. His build was average. Even the worn fabric of the cloak itself was completely ordinary.

Yet, she recognized his gait immediately. It was the exact same man.

The absolute certainty arrived before her logical mind could even explain why. Her heartbeat immediately quickened, a cold spike of adrenaline hitting her chest.

The cloaked man turned down another street.

Without thinking, Alicia took a step forward.

"Alicia?" Lily glanced back, noticing the sudden shift in her posture.

"I just remembered something I need to pick up," Alicia said, the excuse leaving her mouth automatically. "Wait for me here."

Before Lily could ask another question, Alicia was already walking away.

She wasn’t running. She wasn’t rushing. She simply moved with a brisk, calculated purpose, slipping through the dense crowd like a shadow.

The cloaked figure remained visible in the distance. Alicia kept her crimson eyes locked entirely on the back of his head as she navigated the bustling market. People crossed between them. Merchants pushed heavy wooden carts down the cobblestone road. Several times, a passing carriage completely broke her line of sight, and her breath hitched.

But each time, she managed to catch another glimpse of the dark fabric before he disappeared completely.

The chase continued for several tense minutes. Slowly, the loud, bustling commercial district gave way to the quieter, older streets of the Capital. The crowds became significantly thinner. The stone buildings grew taller, casting long, dark shadows over the alleyways.

Alicia frowned. This neglected sector of the city rarely attracted casual visitors.

The cloaked man continued moving forward without a single moment of hesitation. He didn’t check street signs or look around. He walked like a man who knew exactly where he was going.

Alicia maintained a safe distance. Years of moving silently and keeping her head down in slave camps and crowded streets made the task surprisingly easy. Most people paid absolutely zero attention to a young woman dressed in a simple maid’s uniform carrying a grocery basket.

Eventually, the figure turned sharply into a narrow, dimly lit alleyway wedged between two decaying brick buildings.

Alicia immediately quickened her pace, her grip tightening on the handle of her basket.

When she reached the mouth of the alley a few seconds later, she stopped.

It was completely empty.

Alicia’s eyes narrowed dangerously. She stepped into the damp shadow of the alley, scanning the brickwork. It was a dead end. There were no side exits. No intersecting streets. Nowhere obvious to disappear.

Yet, the man was gone.

She walked deeper into the narrow passage. Nothing. Only the stale smell of damp moss and total silence greeted her. The buildings on either side showed heavy signs of age and neglect, their windows completely boarded shut. A thick layer of undisturbed dust covered the stone pavement near the back wall.

There was no sign, magical or physical, that anyone had passed through here moments earlier.

Alicia slowly exhaled, her shoulders slumping slightly.

She had lost him. Again.

A heavy mixture of frustration and deep confusion settled in her chest. For several long moments, she simply stood in the damp alley, wondering if she was actually losing her mind. Should she continue searching the adjacent streets?

Then, a flicker of movement near the main road caught her attention.

She pressed her back against the brick wall, hiding in the shadows, and watched.

Two men emerged from opposite ends of the intersecting street. Neither of them looked unusual in the slightest. One carried a heavy wooden crate on his shoulder, grunting with effort. The other wore simple, dirt-stained work clothes, looking like an exhausted laborer finishing his shift.

They were completely ordinary people. At least, at first glance.

As they walked past each other in the middle of the street, the man carrying the crate briefly adjusted his left sleeve with his free hand.

Without missing a beat, the laborer responded by casually brushing two fingers across his right collarbone.

The entire exchange lasted less than a second.

Anyone else on the continent would have assumed they were just two tired men adjusting their clothes.

But Alicia saw it. And her entire body went rigid.

The woven basket nearly slipped from her grasp, her knuckles turning white.

She recognized that exact sequence of gestures. It was burned into her childhood memories.

It was a military signal. A highly specific, silent communication protocol used exclusively by the vanguard scouts and elite patrol units of the Valemont Royal Guard to confirm identification and secure perimeters without drawing civilian attention.

A signal she had watched the palace guards practice countless times from her bedroom window.

The two men continued walking. Neither of them looked back. Neither acknowledged the exchange verbally. Within moments, they both disappeared down opposite ends of the street, melting seamlessly into the Capital’s underbelly.

Leaving Alicia standing completely alone in the shadows of the alley.

A freezing, heavy dread settled deep in her stomach.

One symbol carved into a sword pommel could have been a bizarre coincidence. One cloaked man could have been a trick of the light.

This couldn’t.

Her crimson eyes lingered on the empty cobblestone road long after both men had vanished. A flood of terrifying questions rushed into her mind, drowning out all logic.

What are former Valemont soldiers doing operating in the shadows of the Aurelian Capital? How many of them are here? And more importantly... why now? After fifteen years of silence, why are they suddenly mobilizing?

"Alicia!"

A familiar, concerned voice echoed from the far end of the street.

Alicia flinched, blinking rapidly. Only then did she realize just how far she had wandered from the safety of the main market.

Lily approached quickly, her brow furrowed in deep concern. She wasn’t out of breath, but she had clearly been searching frantically.

"There you are," Lily sighed, her shoulders dropping in relief. "I was starting to genuinely worry. Did you get lost?"

Alicia lowered her eyes, staring at the cobblestones.

For a brief, desperate moment, she considered telling her. The words almost spilled from her lips. She wanted to tell Lily about the dead kingdom, the ghosts in the street, and the terrifying realization that her past wasn’t actually buried.

But instead, she forced her jaw shut and slowly shook her head.

"...Sorry," Alicia murmured, her voice uncharacteristically hollow. "I thought I saw someone I knew. I was mistaken."

Lily stopped, studying Alicia’s pale face carefully.

As the manager of Kitchen 21 and someone who had survived years in the grueling merchant caravans, Lily’s observational skills were incredibly sharp. The older woman clearly sensed that something was fundamentally wrong. Alicia looked like she had just seen a ghost.

But Lily didn’t press the issue. Not here. Not standing exposed in the middle of a deserted street.

"Alright," Lily said softly, gently placing a hand on Alicia’s shoulder. "Let’s just go home. The Boss is probably wondering where his dinner is."

The two women eventually returned to the bustling market, quickly finishing their shopping, and caught a carriage back to the Academy District.

Neither spoke much on the ride back to the estate.

Yet, despite the warm sunlight and the normal, comforting conversations surrounding her, Alicia found herself entirely consumed by a cold, rising panic.

Because for the first time since she saw that broken silver phoenix, she could no longer dismiss the truth as her own imagination.

Something directly connected to the fallen Valemont Kingdom existed within this Capital.

And whatever it was, it was finally stepping out of the shadows.