After choosing to leave, they regretted it.

Vivian is probably the pseudonym used by Villian. After all, the name of the great witch cannot be used casually.

This man was undoubtedly a local noble. Considering that Villian's disguised identity was also a noble, he must have come here for a courtesy visit.

The trouble is, in front of him, Villian directly calls herself his wife, and Aize can't expose it.

Once the truth is revealed and the other party becomes suspicious, it is possible that his and Villian's identities will be exposed, and then trouble may come.

If they don't expose it, it means that they will have to pretend to be a couple in all public occasions in Tafia.

Got cheated.

In order to make this lie come true, he even arranged for the maid to block the door and change his clothes so that he could look more like the real person.

What clothes did you take to wash? You believed her ghost!

Aize turned his gaze towards Villian, who simply smiled softly, pretending not to notice, and nodded at the guest.

"Yes, he is a very good husband that I am proud of."

Even adding fuel to the fire.

Being tricked to this point, Aize had nothing to say. He could only smile and respond to the other party:

"Yes, nice to meet you. My name is Ain (a pseudonym I made up), Vivian's husband. May I ask your name?"

"Sean Edgar, Viscount, Lord of Tafia."

The man stood up, placed one hand on his chest, and performed a very standard aristocratic salute.

"I heard that Miss Vivian would be staying in Tafia for a while, so I came to visit her to see if there was anything I could do for her. I'd appreciate your guidance, Mr. Ain."

Chapter 21: The Witch's Persecution

Aize, who was born a commoner, does not like these nobles. It can even be said that they constitute the second largest source of stress in his work as a hero.

(The first one is teammates)

But since the other party greeted him with a smile, Aize didn't want to embarrass him.

"Thank you very much, Viscount Edgar."

After returning the greeting in a proper manner, he sat down next to Villian.

Just as he was about to speak to test the other party, Villian's jade fingers wrapped in black lace gloves naturally wrapped around the back of Aize's hand.

Aize, who was suddenly attacked, subconsciously wanted to pull his hand back, but Villian secretly used some magic, and his left hand, which was touched, was like petrified and unable to move.

"you--"

"What? Are you shy? That's annoying! We've already gone from lovers to husband and wife, what's there to be embarrassed about?"

Miss Witch said this with a charming smile, her eyes mixed with a lot of teasing and threats.

The threat probably means: Hero, you don't want your secret to be known by other nobles, right?

Very bad.

But Aize, who had completely fallen into the trap, could only cooperate and tried to push her away with an awkward smile.

"Okay, let's talk about it later. There are outsiders here..."

"What's the matter? Our relationship is not something shameful."

As Villian said this, she continued to move closer to Aize.

"Also, can't you just call me dear, like you do when we're alone?"

Stomach ache, hot face, headache.

Aize now just wanted to stab himself - why bother entering the door? If he could just say goodbye and leave, there wouldn't be so much trouble.

Fortunately, perhaps because this display of affection was too eye-catching, Aize was still struggling with it, while Sean Edgar, who was left aside, coughed awkwardly and joined the conversation.

"Ahem, the two of you have such a good relationship."

"Uh, well..."

"certainly!!"

Before Aize could finish his words, Villian, who was still adding to the pressure, had already hugged him, interrupting his speech while gently stroking his face as if to show her affection.

"Viscount Edgar knows that marriages between nobles and commoners are very troublesome. If our relationship wasn't good, we would have been separated long ago!"

Villian's skin was very smooth, and the witch's body temperature was lower than that of humans, making the intimate contact feel as comfortable as jade.

Coupled with the faint scent of incense on Villian's body and her beautiful face, even someone as calm as Aize was dazed for a moment and could only let her control him.

Seeing this, Villian smiled lightly and took advantage of the situation to continue the performance.

"But the opposition within the family was too strong, so we had no choice but to leave and avoid the limelight. That's why we came to this side house that has not been used for a long time. As I said before, we will be bothering you for a while."

"Of course not. It's an honor for me, the lord, that Miss Vivian is willing to visit this small border town so close to the war."

Most people would probably be unable to bear watching such a blatant display of affection.

But aristocrats are aristocrats after all, and the polite smile on Sheen's face never broke.

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

Villian continued to close the distance between herself and Aize, and asked jokingly:

"Are there any good places for a date near Tafea? Anywhere with a nice view will do. We've been so busy traveling that we haven't had much time to enjoy our honeymoon. We'd like to spend a good honeymoon here."

Speaking of this topic, Sean's face, which always had a perfect business smile, began to waver, revealing a hint of embarrassment.

"Well, there are certainly beautiful views, but for the time being, please avoid leaving the city as much as possible."

"Oh?"

Having regained his composure, Aize seized the opportunity to change the subject, pushed aside Villian, who was pestering him, and asked seriously:

"What happened?"

Sheen nodded.

"Recently, there have been crystal centipedes active in the forest near the town. It might be dangerous to leave the city."

The Crystal Centipede is a large monster that lives deep in the mines and feeds on crystals. It can grow up to tens of meters long and is covered in an extremely strong mineral shell that is invulnerable to swords and guns. It can also spit out a terrifying poisonous mist that is enough to turn rocks into liquid.

Theoretically, it has the destructive power to destroy a city and can be called a natural disaster.

Even Aize has never actually encountered it.

Sheen sighed:

"Originally, I had already submitted a subjugation request to the local Adventurer's Association in the name of the lord, but... the strongest local adventurer team was found dead in an alley yesterday. The cause of death is unknown."

Most likely, they were the unlucky guys who had caused trouble for me yesterday and were killed instantly by Villian.

Aize glanced at the culprit beside him, who pretended not to see anything and picked up the cup on the table to take a sip of red tea.

"This morning, the Adventurer's Guild sent someone to tell me that they would be dispatching high-level adventurers from nearby towns, and that it would take several days."

"Or, we could send in more people from Tafia's existing adventurers, but to make up for the lack of individual strength, we'd need more people, which means..."

"Does it cost extra?"

"Yes, double the money."

Sheen smiled wryly and nodded.

"If I, as a lord, dare to double the tax, I will be beaten to death by my subjects tomorrow. These guys are really ruthless when it comes to making money."

The Adventurer's Guild in this world is no pushover.

Relying on its vast sphere of influence and considerable combat power, it has almost monopolized the daily monster cleaning work in various human countries. The fees are not low and everyone is treated equally.

Treating everyone equally means that no matter whether you are an ordinary citizen or a noble, you must pay the same amount of money as you should.

The cost of subduing a monster of the Crystal Centipede's level is already astronomical, and after doubling it, it would be a huge loss even for the lord of a city.

Upon hearing this, Aize leaned back on the sofa and closed his eyes to think for a while.

Then he shook his head.

"My Lord Viscount, is the monster outside the city really the Crystal Centipede?"

"what?"

"Crystal Centipedes live deep within mineral veins and rarely leave their territory. Over the centuries, there have been only a handful of sightings of them. Is there a large mineral vein nearby?"

"No."

Aize shrugged.

"Then it can't be a crystal centipede. Considering its habitat, it should be a forest centipede or a deep valley centipede... Has anyone been attacked?"

"Yes, it has happened several times to nearby villagers, caravans, etc."

"Location?"

“They’re all near the main roads.”

Aize frowned.

"Near a main road? Forest centipedes and valley centipedes won't leave their territories at will, and are unlikely to attack humans in areas of human activity. But the remaining species that might appear nearby... the nocturne centipede?"

"Nocturne Centipede?"

"A nocturnal centipede that wanders around without a fixed territory. It's considered quite weak among centipede monsters. I think this is the most likely one."

After hearing this, Xien's expression gradually became serious, revealing a very unhappy expression, and he muttered quietly:

"Tsk, those bastards—"

"what happened?"

"No, it's nothing."

Realizing his own gaffe, Xien immediately changed his expression and looked at Aize with a more sincere smile than before, asking:

"Mr. Ain, do you know a lot about monsters?"

"Know a thing or two."

This statement is really too modest.

Taking advantage of his status as a hero, Aize read a large amount of literature in the church library.

He might not be as good as the top scholars, but it's definitely safe to say he's a walking monster encyclopedia.

Moreover, in preparation for this operation in the Anlin Plains, Aize also studied in detail all the types of monsters that might appear in the surrounding area.

Listening to his words, a fire seemed to burn in Sheen's eyes.

"So, Mr. Ain, do you have a way to differentiate between these centipede-type monsters?"

"Hmm... the color and material of the shell are completely different, the body shape is quite different, as are the shape of the tentacles, etc. Oh, and by the way, the properties of the venom are completely different."

"How to say?"

"No matter how strong the venom of a regular centipede monster is, it can only kill humans. However, the poison mist of the Crystal Centipede can even melt stone. They are on a completely different level. To deal with them, completely different antidotes and equipment are needed."

"Special equipment?"

"Well, powerful antidotes, anti-corrosion agents, full-body armor made of high-purity fine steel, veils soaked in special potions, etc. Ordinary centipede monsters don't need these."

Then, Aize added:

"Just bring me some venom and I'll figure out what kind it is."

"Special equipment... Good, very good!!"

After thinking for a moment, Xien suddenly slapped his thigh, stood up, and shook Aize's hand with an eager smile.

"Thank you very much, Mr. Ain."

"Uh, I didn't do anything..."

"No, you've been a great help! Please be sure to attend the banquet I'm hosting with Miss Vivian soon. The invitation will be delivered soon!"

"No, no need..."