How the Villain Invests in the Female Lead

Chapter 41: I’m just suspicious

After our conversation with Ronan, my wife and I began carrying out the inspection of the orphanage under his guidance. Before long, we had gathered all the necessary information and recorded it in our report.

Six hours later...

"Here. These are my gifts for you," Ronan said as he handed us the bags of coffee.

"Hope to see you again someday."

Carter nodded and gladly accepted them.

"Thank you very much."

Then we left the orphanage in the police car. Overall, we had completed the mission quite quickly without running into any trouble.

Aside from the children’s health, everything else at the orphanage was in excellent condition. The dining hall, the sleeping quarters, and the playground were all well maintained. There was nothing unusual or suspicious.

Inside the police car, Carter drove while enjoying a cup of coffee he had just brewed from one of the bags.

My wife and I sat in the back seat, lost in her own thoughts.

After a moment of hesitation, she asked,

"Henry... Do you like children?"

I ignored her question, casually crossing my legs. My gaze lingered on the bag of coffee in my hands.

I brought it to my nose and smelled it once more, but the feeling it gave me was no different from before.

I turned to Carter.

"Carter, may I ask you a favor?"

Carter shrugged.

"Sure. What can I help you with?"

I held up the bag of coffee.

"Could you have this coffee analyzed? If I’m not mistaken, the police department should have the facilities and equipment to do it."

Carter frowned.

’’Huh? What’s wrong with the coffee?’’

I sighed.

"Nothing much. I just want to check its ingredients."

Carter chuckled.

"Good idea. I’m curious about what’s in it myself. I’ll have it analyzed. Just send me your contact ID, and I’ll send you the results afterward."

I nodded and exchanged contact IDs with him.

A few minutes later, my wife asked with a hint of worry,

"Is there something wrong with the coffee?"

I replied,

"I’m just suspicious."

Whenever I smelled the coffee, it gave me an oddly familiar feeling, one that stirred the monster sleeping inside me.

I didn’t believe there was anything in this world besides blood that could provoke such a reaction.

After returning to the academy, we quickly reported the details of our investigation to Jonathan and received ten credits each.

When we got back to our dormitory room, my phone suddenly rang. I answered it right away.

[Carter:] Damn it! I had the coffee analyzed. Seventy percent of its ingredients are concentrated human blood. That sick old bastard actually gave us this disgusting crap.

My pupils widened for a brief moment, though I wasn’t particularly surprised. I had already expected something like this.

[Henry:] I knew there was something off about that old man. As for the blood... my first thought was that it came from the children.

[Carter:] I don’t think we can jump to that conclusion yet. The blood could have come from many different sources. Still, considering everything we’ve seen, I’m worried. I’ll keep him under surveillance for a while before reaching any conclusions. As for the children... I’m not comfortable leaving them alone with that sick bastard.

I let out a sigh and put my phone away.

"Li."

In an instant, my maid appeared beside me and lowered her head.

"I’m here, Young Master."

I looked at her.

"I have a mission for you."

The task I gave Li was simple. She only needed to hide within Ronan’s shadow, keep him under surveillance, gather any evidence she found, and report it back to me.

Ronan was only an [E] Rank awakener, so she could carry out the mission without being detected.

I also made one thing absolutely clear – under no circumstances was she to do anything to Ronan. I didn’t want to alert him before we had enough evidence.

For now, all I could do was wait.

The next day, my wife and I arrived in the classroom as usual, and everything seemed normal.

While Jonathan was lecturing about the fundamentals of mana, I suddenly received a message from Li.

A faint smile spread across my face.

At last, my maid had found the evidence needed to expose Ronan. At the same time, however, the evidence made me realize the situation was far worse than I had imagined.

The images Li sent showed children being butchered and fed into a machine I had never seen before.

Their blood was extracted and refined into [Blood Crystal Stones].

I let out a quiet sigh.

"So... it’s an illegal production facility for prohibited substances. It’s even worse than I thought."

Initially, I thought Ronan was just a deranged old man extracting blood from children to produce the coffee. If I could gather enough evidence to report him, the orphanage mission would simply become more complicated.

In return, I’d probably receive more credits for completing it.

But now...

I could tell that credits were no longer the issue I needed to care about. I needed to think far further.

Therefore, I didn’t send the evidence to Carter right away. Instead, I instructed Li to continue gathering evidence and collecting as much information as possible.

I was convinced Ronan wasn’t acting alone. There had to be a larger network behind him.

A few days later, I thought the perfect time had come.

I immediately sent all the necessary evidence to Carter.

That very day, social media exploded with news that the orphanage in the northern district of Dawnreach City had actually been an illegal facility producing [Blood Crystal Stones] and supplying them to the underworld.

The orphanage was swiftly surrounded as countless Awakeners and police officers stormed the building to investigate and rescue the surviving children.

Unfortunately, Ronan – the mastermind behind the operation – had already escaped before the police arrived.

My wife and I stood on the stage as countless cameras flashed around us. Reporters crowded the area, eager to capture every moment.

The mayor of Dawnreach City stepped forward, placing medals of honor around our necks.

"You’ve both done an outstanding job, Henry and Arthea," he said. "As the Mayor of Dawnreach City, I, Jasper Lincoln, hereby award each of you 1,000 credits in recognition of your achievement and your contribution to the city."

A faint smile spread across my soulless face.

"It’s an honor for us to make even a small contribution to the city. My wife and I humbly accept this award."