The Villainous Me Turned the Losers into Blackened Bosses-Chapter 17 - Outing and a Peeping Witch?

“I’m so sorry, Young Master! I’ll be more careful next time!”

On the bustling streets of the capital, Eir carried several bags of newly purchased goods, repeatedly apologizing to Will.

“It’s fine, really. It just stung a bit. After all, it was for changing the bandages.”

Though Will said this, he couldn’t shake the feeling that Eir seemed a little too happy about it. He hoped it was just his imagination.

His hand injury was no longer severe enough to warrant being wrapped like a mummy, but it wasn’t healing well either.

The main issue was that the lingering wound disrupted the flow of magic in his right hand’s circuits. For someone already lacking in talent, this was just insult to injury.

This setback had caused him to miss the practical entrance exams for Entark’s First Academy—the Empire’s top institution—which included tests in swordsmanship and magic.

And so, fate had brought him back to where it was “meant” to be.

As the young master of the prominent Hysterm family, missing the entrance exams yet still gaining entry into the elite class would undoubtedly make him a target for bullying.

Thinking about this, Will paused and glanced toward the tall clock tower at the end of the street.

The clock tower, a landmark of the capital, was located within Entark’s First Academy. Its towering height was said to symbolize the mysterious dungeons scattered across the world.

Just as no one knew how deep the dungeons extended underground, the tallest buildings on the surface symbolized humanity’s endless desire to explore both heights and depths.

Though he had missed the practical exams, Will’s admission to the academy was still guaranteed—thanks to the influence of his powerful father.

But, according to the original story, this very privilege would make many people want to see him dead.

“Young Master? You’re about to start school soon. Are you excited? You’ve always had private tutors before, but now you’ll finally get to experience a real school.”

Eir noticed his thoughtful expression and leaned in to ask.

“Hmm… how should I put it? I guess I’m looking forward to it. But wait, Eir, you’ve never been to school. Why do you sound like you know what it’s like?”

“Uh… Eir… Eir just imagined it! I mean… I heard it’s kind of like the lessons you teach, Young Master…”

Will chuckled and ruffled Eir’s ears.

“Don’t worry. Our little lessons will continue!”

“Yay!”

“But for now, let me find the Adventurer’s Guild here in the capital…”

After moving to the capital, Will couldn’t neglect his correspondence with the mysterious “Mr. S.” Many of the things he needed to learn and understand still depended on this elusive mentor.

Using his status as the Hysterm family’s young master, Will had arranged for the family’s Adventurer’s Guild to forward any letters from Mr. S directly to the capital, where he could pick them up.

However, upon arriving in the capital, Will realized just how massive it was. In the original story, only Entark Academy was prominently featured, but the city itself was sprawling. Entire streets were dedicated to shops, and at night, the city came alive with lights, music, and revelry.

“Hmm… it should be… around here…”

Following the map, Will turned corner after corner until he arrived at…

A quiet, narrow alley behind Entark Academy’s back gate.

A shabby wooden door with a small, barely noticeable sign.

An Adventurer’s Guild with an empty mailbox.

“What… is this?”

Will double-checked the address. This was indeed the capital’s Adventurer’s Guild. He hadn’t made a mistake.

Adventurers were the hottest profession of this era, creating real value in this world. Yet the capital’s guild was tucked away in a forgotten corner, desolate and neglected. It didn’t make sense.

“Hmm… actually, it does make sense.”

Will turned to look at the grand castle perched on the mountain behind the clock tower. The castle, home to the Entark royal family, stood even taller than the capital’s highest building.

It symbolized that, despite humanity’s obsession with exploring dungeons, the royal family was the true ruler of this world.

—Oh, sorry, Your Majesty. Times have changed.

That was a thing of the past.

With the reforms in dungeon exploration, the royal family’s reliance on agriculture and livestock was no longer sufficient.

The reforms had also undermined the authority of the scholars cultivated by the royal family. Now, the relationship between the royals and adventurers was strained, teetering on the edge of a cold war.

This dilapidated Adventurer’s Guild, located in the shadow of the royal palace, contrasted sharply with the thriving guilds in rural areas. It was a testament to the current state of affairs.

A breakthrough event was desperately needed.

At the same time…

This was also the period when various factions, both overt and covert, were engaged in their fiercest power struggles.

No wonder, in the original story, the royal family chose to form an alliance with the Hysterm family through marriage at this point.

“Hmm… whatever. The political situation is too complicated to untangle in a day. I’m just here to pick up a letter.”

Will rummaged through the cold metal mailbox and, to his surprise, pulled out a letter stamped with the Hysterm family’s seal.

It was a reply from Mr. S!

“Young Master, your eyes are sparkling. Do you really enjoy writing to Mr. S that much?”

“He’s my benefactor, my brother, my mentor. Of course, I do.”

The thought of the experienced, reliable man on the other end of the letters filled Will with a sense of security.

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“Alright, alright… wait, Young Master!”

Before Eir could finish, her tail bristled, and her ears perked up in alert.

“Please stand behind me.”

She felt a pair of eyes watching them.

“Hiss—”

Recalling their previous encounter, Eir immediately activated her Ice Armor and positioned herself protectively in front of Will.

But as soon as she did, the presence vanished, as if it had never been there.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing, Young Master… maybe it was just my imagination. It felt like someone was watching us.”

“That’s normal. I’m a rich young master walking around with a weak-looking maid. If I were a thief, I’d be watching us too, waiting for the right moment to strike.”

“Um… but it didn’t feel like that kind of gaze…”

“Don’t worry…”

Will suddenly ruffled Eir’s hair.

“Your dark, piercing gaze will scare them off. Your icy armor will dispel all malice around me. Anyone who dares approach us will be obliterated by your hands…”

“Young Master, that doesn’t sound like me at all!”

—

“Too, too, too scary! Her dark, piercing gaze, her icy armor… it felt like just getting close would mean being obliterated by her hands!”

At that moment, the “thief” in question—Witch Leah—was crouched at the corner of the alley, clutching her oversized hat.

She had sensed the presence of her precious “witch coin” nearby and had followed it here.

As a witch, she could use detection magic to locate the rare and valuable coin, a relic passed down by her ancestors.

However, the magic wasn’t particularly precise. She could only sense the general vicinity, not the exact location.

In other words, she couldn’t tell if the coin was in someone’s pocket or… their underwear!

—Not that she’d ever hidden a coin in her underwear for safekeeping before. Definitely not.

Ever since losing the coin, Leah had been trying to recover it. She initially thought it might still be at the scene of the incident, but when she returned, the area was cordoned off by guards.

Today, while conducting an experiment in the school lab, she suddenly sensed the coin’s presence.

It turned out…

It had been picked up by the young master she was hired to target?!

“Hmph… not surprising at all! This was all part of my plan. Of course, he’d pick it up at the scene of the attack!”

But…

The terrifyingly strong maid who had given Leah PTSD was still by his side, making it impossible for her to act.

“Ugh… hmm…”

Leah paced back and forth in the alley, her large hat bobbing with each step.

“Will Hysterm! Hmph, just another spoiled young master relying on his family’s power!”

Leah had nothing but disdain for privileged nobles, convinced they lacked any real effort or talent.

“His magic is weak, just a lowly runt with no potential!”

She took two steps to the left.

“He didn’t even notice me nearby. His perception is terrible, just a useless weakling!”

She took two steps to the right.

“But…”

Leah stopped in the middle, clutching her head.

“His maid is so strong!!! She’s so young, yet she’s mastered basic defensive magic to perfection. She must be some prodigy bodyguard hired by the Hysterm family!”

—There was no way she was trained by the young master himself, right?

Leah concluded.

“If I fought her head-on, hmph, I’m a genius witch. If I went all out, I’d definitely win… but it’s not worth it.”

For the first time, Leah, who always believed in her invincibility, felt a deep sense of frustration.

“The client said this much was enough… but what exactly do they want me to do?”

She scratched her head.

“No matter. I need to get that coin back first.”

She replayed everything she had observed while following Will, trying to piece together a plan.

“He mentioned school earlier. His uniform looks like it’s from the Empire’s First Academy…”

She had overheard teachers at the academy discussing the Hysterm family’s young master.

He was in…

That notoriously troublesome class.

“Hmm, maybe this is my chance to get close to him?”