Chapter 22: These Villainesses Are A Character [Bonus - ]
Theo was quite surprised to find another Hidden-grade Investment. He hadn’t expected another one so soon, or at all.
[You have made several decisions in the past twenty-four hours, solely considering yourself less and putting your wives first. This is not to encourage selflessness all the time but rather goes to show how genuine you are towards those you care about] [You have received reward: Unknown Egg]
Theo was on his way home, a taxi already ordered, studying the message as the streets slid past the window.
[ ??? Egg]
Rank: ???
Type: ???
Description: Not much is known about this strange egg, perhaps it is meant to be cooked or to be hatched. There is an advantage and a disadvantage to both decisions, but nothing is known for certain.
___
For the first time, Theo was left dumbfounded.
He read the description again, then a third time, as though staring hard enough might shake something more definite loose from it. Nothing came.
’Why am I getting a reward like this?’
Hidden-grade investment rewards did seem more unique than the ordinary ones, but they were also quite random.
’This is just the second one. Maybe it’s too early for me to start surmising anything.’
Theo sighed and waved the system away.
’I’ll just let it sit in the inventory and look into it properly when I finally enter the Tower.’
His mind drifted to that last word.
’Right... the Tower. I have to get a license.’
To enter the Tower, he needed a Hero License. He had already been tested and awakened, and was supposed to, of course, return for the license after one day. But he never got the chance to.
The good thing, though, was that he could always collect it at the association branch in his own district. Aside from the license, there was another thing Theo wanted to do...
He took out his phone and pulled up the website he’d minimized earlier, lingering for a while on one particular profile.
___
Hero Uthedaisis
Affiliation: None
Rank: D
Ability: Claims to be very good with the sword
Hire Price Per Hour: 75$
___
There were two reasons Theo found himself glued to this man’s profile, and neither of them had anything to do with how low the hire price was.
The first was the important one.
The man had no affiliation. His wives were a very sensitive subject. To anyone. Especially after he’d seen how Disaster King casually pulled up to their wedding. Theo wanted to be as secretive as possible about everything regarding them — even the fact that Thalleria was lying in a hospital bed, and everything else besides.
So he needed someone who drew less suspicion, and not being tied to any agency was one qualifier for that. Of course, there were other checks he would run to make sure the man was clean.
The second reason was the man’s ability. Theo was fairly convinced he’d need a sword teacher before long, and this just made things easier.
So he’d have to put to use the superpower he had cultivated.
Over years of stalking Jupiter Lady, he had honed the ultimate stalking method: the ability to draw information out of the little clues people dropped, unintentionally, out of habit, all over their profiles.
For example, the fact that the man priced himself so low most likely meant he was either small-minded or simply didn’t want much. He wanted to be a true hero. But if that were the case, why not set his hire at a single dollar, so that anyone at all could afford him?
That led Theo to think the man probably had bills of his own to sort out. But if he could still afford to sit at seventy-five, there was one very likely reason behind it, and that reason made the stalking easy. It was simple: he lived out in the outskirts.
So Theo pulled up the map of Meteor City and zeroed in on the outskirts. People in the lower districts, and the outskirts beyond them, were simple folk by nature. So he just typed the name into the map.
’Ah, right there...’
Almost immediately, a match surfaced: Uthedaisis Dojo.
’Ah, he has a dojo. How expected.’
Theo nodded and bookmarked the location. At the same time, the taxi was pulling over in front of his building.
It was already around 2:45 PM when he finally got home, and he had to go back and forth, hauling all the goods up to the rooftop. He carried the first load to the midway landing of the stairwell, set it down to catch his breath, then gathered it up again and lugged it the rest of the way to the top.
When he reached the rooftop, he paused. Sesan was still staring up at the sky, even though the sun hung bright and harsh overhead this afternoon. The moment the door swung open, she turned her head. Her blue hair fell wet and tangled around her face, and her cold gaze settled on Theo, radiating a strange, deathly kind of beauty.
He was so awestruck that he stopped where he stood, quietly marveling at how gorgeous she was. The goods in his arms had gone heavy against his chest, and he didn’t notice.
’How can someone look at you like she wants you dead and still look like that...’
He belatedly remembered to move, carrying the goods inside while Sesan’s gaze followed him the whole way, right up until the door shut between them.
Estea was in the sitting room, parked in her wheelchair, staring toward the kitchen.
Theo was almost spooked by the way she glared at the wall.
"Ar—are you okay?"
"Yes. Just practicing how to murder my enemies with my eyes."
Theo gulped and slowly went back to what he was doing.
"O... okay."
He started unpacking a few things, tucking them under the counter. Then, in the middle of it, Estea’s voice came again.
"How is she?"
Theo paused and turned around. The package of dish soap in his hands drifted slowly down to his side. Then he smiled and answered.
"She’s actually stronger than I expected. She’s going to get through it. Even the doctor was amazed at how strong she was."
Theo smiled wider, and this time it looked more genuine.
"You know, I’m happy I came into your lives at such a time. Thall can finally have her rest, right?"
"Snooooorreeee... snooooorreee."
Theo blinked.
Estea, eyes wide open, made a snoring sound as though she were fast asleep. Then she glared at Theo and wheeled herself off into the room.
Theo stayed where he was, kneeling on the floor, utterly confused.
’She could have just told me to shut up... no?’