Chapter 241: No more delicate face

Of course, Blake wasn’t able to sleep for the rest of the night.

As morning came, he was still pretending to lie down with his eyes closed, even though he had been staring at the ceiling for what felt like hours.

Every tiny sound had kept him awake: the hum of the air conditioner, the occasional movement somewhere beyond his door, and even the elevator opening and closing down the hallway.

And, worst of all, the memory of that thing.

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

Blake immediately pretended to wake up naturally. He sat up, rubbed his eyes, and let out a quiet yawn, as he turned off the alarm.

"Ugh..."

He dragged himself toward the bathroom and stared at his reflection.

He didn’t look horrible, considering he had basically stayed awake the entire night.

The makeup had survived surprisingly well.

His hair was still mostly in place.

The dress from yesterday was hanging neatly nearby.

The only problem was obvious... he looked visibly tired.

No matter how much he tried to fix his expression, there was a dullness around his eyes that makeup couldn’t completely hide.

’Great, this graceful lady’s face was ruined by that thingy!’

Blake splashed cold water onto his face.

He washed carefully, reapplied his makeup, fixed his hair, and eventually changed into a light summer dress that looked casual enough for sightseeing.

Before leaving, he put on the recording earrings.

The moment they touched his flesh, he felt the faintest sensation of the signal activating. At least someone should know he was moving around.

Blake picked up Sage’s purse and finally stepped outside.

He needed breakfast. More importantly, he needed to act normal.

The hotel dining room was downstairs, so he walked through the hallway slowly, trying not to look suspicious.

Unfortunately, his mind kept returning to the previous night, more specifically that creature.

Blake swallowed.

He still couldn’t wrap his head around what he had seen. Of course, Sylvan Nada was connected to AL-TECH, he’s even friends with the CEO Alfred Hicth.

But did that mean he had free access to aliens? Or was the thing from last night something completely different?

’Did I blow up my cover somehow?’

Blake frowned slightly.

’But I wasn’t unrealistic as a woman. The invite was legit, and I look exactly like Sage Larue, who has no connections whatsoever...’

There was no reason anyone should suspect him or, at least, he hoped there wasn’t.

Blake sighed lightly as he entered the dining room. The place was already busy.

Several hotel guests were eating at different tables, chatting casually as waiters moved between them.

Nobody looked frightened, confused, or just seemed to have noticed anything unusual in general.

Blake slowly sat down.

’...does this even make sense?’

He looked around again. Everybody looked absolutely unbothered.

’I seriously can’t be the only one who heard that strong bang!’

He couldn’t even suspect these people without reason.

Estelle had checked the guest list. She made sure to carefully analyse backgrounds, travel histories and identities. So, if someone here was suspicious, they had hidden it exceptionally well.

’Still...’

Blake’s fingers tightened around his purse.

’That thing took a new form out of nowhere.’

He had barely been able to see it properly in the dark. But if it could simply change its appearance...

’Then who knows if there’s an impostor here, just like me...?’

A waiter approached.

"Good morning, miss. May I take your order?"

Blake forced himself to give a relaxed smile.

"Yes. I’ll have the breakfast set, please."

"Of course."

A few minutes later, a plate was placed in front of him.

It was surprisingly elaborate.

Golden-brown French toast dusted lightly with sugar, a small serving of scrambled eggs, roasted tomatoes, crispy potatoes, fresh strawberries, and a little bowl of honey on the side.

There was also a glass of orange juice.

Blake stared at it.

’...Okay?’

He picked up his fork.

’At least something good happened.’

He ate, and kept eating... honestly, he hadn’t realized how hungry he was. The food disappeared much faster than he expected.

By the time he finished, Blake leaned back slightly.

’I guess being nervous all night makes you hungry the next morning.’

His exhaustion hadn’t disappeared, but at least he didn’t feel like his stomach was eating itself anymore.

He paid for the meal through the hotel account and got up. Then he headed back toward his room, and he could notice that the hallway was quieter now.

Blake walked at a normal pace. But then, he heard something.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Blake froze at the frantic footstep sound.

His eyes widened.

’! Don’t tell me—’

He immediately hurried forward, his shoes clicking against the floor as he rounded the corner.

However... there was nobody there.

Blake stopped, his breathing becominh shallow.

He looked left, then right, but it was all empty. There was nothing, not even a hotel employee.

His face slowly drained of color.

’There is no way I just imagined that!’

He stared down the hallway for several seconds, but nothing moved.

Blake finally rushed to his room, unlocked the door, stepped inside, and immediately shut it behind him.

He sat on the bed, clenching his hand slightly.

’...What am I supposed to do?’

For several seconds, he simply stared at the floor.

Technically, there was already a plan for today.

He was supposed to go out, visit places, look around... just, act like an ordinary girl from a declining family who had come to Drindia looking for connections.

He couldn’t just stay inside his room all day.

But if he left, maybe that thing would return and enter the room to snoop around.

Blake’s stomach twisted.

’T-then again...’

He looked around.

’There’s really nothing to get here.’

Everything important for combat was inside his system storage. There were nothing incriminating.

Well... aside from the earrings, but he already had them on.

’At most, it’ll just rummage through my clothes...’

Ba-dump.

Ba-dump.

Ba-dump.

Blake sat there for another minute.

Then he stood.

’No, get a grip. I can’t spend the entire day hiding. I’ve seen worse, kinda, so let’s get over it.’

If something really was looking for him, staying inside might actually make him easier to kill.

He grabbed his purse.

’Let’s just act normal.’

With that, Blake left the room.

***

His first destination was the Virelia Old Market, a historic shopping district a few streets away from the hotel.

It was exactly the sort of place a wealthy family’s daughter might visit while staying in Drindia.

The market was crowded.

Small shops lined both sides of the stone street, selling jewelry, handmade decorations, clothes, perfumes, and local sweets.

Blake walked slowly, occasionally stopping to look at things.

He didn’t buy much.

A small silver-colored hair clip caught his attention, but after checking the price, he quietly put it back.

’Women have it hard. Everything here is far too expensive.’

He eventually bought a small box of local fruit candies, but that was it, no need to waste money.

He continued walking until he reached his second destination.

The Drindia Cultural Gallery.

The building had once been an old government residence, and several rooms had been converted into exhibition halls.

Blake wandered through displays about the region’s history, trade routes, old diplomatic agreements, and traditional crafts.

That last part caught his attention.

Trade routes, shipping, borders and customs.

His eyes lingered on an old map showing how goods had historically moved through the surrounding region.

Blake memorized what he could without staring too obviously.

’Darsen is definitely positioned along one of the older routes.’

His third destination was the Lunara Riverside Promenade, a popular tourist area overlooking the wide river running through Drindia.

Blake bought a cold drink from a street vendor and sat on a bench.

For the first time that day, he simply watched people.

Blake took a sip.

’This place is perfect for a date! I should take Myles here sometime...’

As expected, Sylvan was nowhere to be found.

But for him, truthfully, it was probably better this way.

The goal of this trip had never been to force a confrontation with him, it was simply to appear ordinary.

A young woman from a family that had fallen from grace.

Someone looking for a future.

Someone who had come to Drindia hoping to meet influential people.

Someone who spent her day sightseeing instead of acting like an undercover operative.

Blake looked down at his purse.

’...I’m doing a pretty good job, actually.’

He smiled faintly.

Then his recording earrings gave the slightest sensation against his ears.

Blake’s smile disappeared.

His eyes shifted toward the crowd.

Nothing.

Nobody seemed to be watching him.

He took another sip of his drink.

’Just keep acting normal.’

For now, that was all he could do.

So Blake stayed seated by the river, surrounded by ordinary people and ordinary sounds, pretending that the previous night had never happened.

"Woah, this is so beautiful!"

Hearing that familiar voice made him instinctively cover his face, even if there was no need.

Looking over at the source of that voice, he saw someone he definitely didn’t want to see.

Asher.