Running along the crowded streets of Sirvaelin on a hot day was extremely uncomfortable.

Not only was the sky devoid of clouds which further enhanced the torture power of the sun, but also the maid clothes that I was currently wearing does not have a lot of openings where air can ventilate my body.

In other words, I was sweating.

I've gotten sweat all over Nola's uniform...

The frilly dress wasn't making this easier for me, either. Every movement of my legs was hindered by the possibility of the skirt flipping, revealing everything that was hidden by the thin fabric.

If I wasn't careful I might end up embarassing myself in public.

Being seen in a maid outfit is enough for my reputation.

Luckily for me, I opted for Nola's short-heeled shoes compared to the high-heeled ones she normally wears at home. It was easier for me to run in.

Passing through the main street, the place was covered with heavy crowds. It was like rush hour back in Japan, but replace the cars with wagons and add more pedestrians.

"Excuse me! Sorry! Coming through!"

Wiggling through the mess, I just barely caught the sight of the hooded figure as they turned right at an intersection.

I shifted my feet and turned.

With the abundance of people, it was hard to keep track of the thief, but thankfully not impossible.

Their hoodie was clearly visible in the dense crowd.

If a hooded cloak makes you this visible, then what's the point of wearing one?

Wouldn't it be more advantageous for them to take it off and blend into the crowd?

Well, whatever.

I'm not complaining.

It was helping me not lose sight of the thief, so I'll take advantage of that.

Speaking of, there is another thing that I can use to my advantage.

My magic skills.

As a legendary witch who was once part of possibly the greatest adventurer's party to have ever existed, I have a few spells that I can use up my sleeve for these kinds of situations.

First, I cast [Soul Speed III] on myself, temporarily increasing my running speed.

The adrenaline was starting to kick in, and my senses were heightening. In an instant, I became aware of every single person, cart, crate, and even loose road brick in my field of vision.

This is what Mario must've felt when obtaining the Super Star.

My reaction times and movements were becoming sharper and more precise, managing to dodge every single obstacle with relative ease.

Within a few seconds, I was already behind the hooded thief.

Based on body proportions, the thief is most likely a girl. She was about the same height as me, putting her age to be that of a teenager's (my body is still that of a teenager's despite living for 700 years. I didn't grow in any particular area at all aside from my hair and nails, which was a bit comforting).

"Gotcha!"

Stretching my right hand, I was able to grab the thief's shoulders, and with a small yank the hood she was wearing fell off.

Underneath was her hair, dyed in a fiery red color with a few yellow strands here and there. It was tied into a long, big braid that extended towards her hips.

"......?!"

She jumped in shock, turning her head around to face me.

Her wide opened eyes were tinted a deep shade of emerald green. She had a pretty face that was blessed by the beauty of youth, but her mouth was covered in a mask made of cloth.

......?

Huh?

Have I...

...Seen this face before?

For a moment, something inside me clicked.

Deja vu.

I had a feeling that I've met this person somewhere.

But where?

It was a nagging feeling, like one of those memories that you are so close to remembering that it's on the tip of your tongue.

Why?

Where?

And most importantly...

"Who... Are you...?"

Have we met somewhere before?

What is your name?

Questions flooded my mind as I continued to stare at her face.

There were a lot of things I wanted to ask her.

But the response I got was the least that I was expecting.

Suddenly, my ankles hurt.

My feet left the ground, and my field of vision was thrown around.

it was like I was falling into my own thoughts, watching helplessly as the world around me twisted and turned.

The blue sky above was the only thing I could see amidst the chaos.

The next thing I knew, my back hit the ground.

Pain spread through my body quickly as I snapped out of it.

"Ahh!"

That girl!

She took advantage of me spacing out and knocked me off my feet!

I immediately got up and searched my surroundings. Not much time has passed, she couldn't have gotten that far.

The building closest to me was a restaurant.

The door was swinging back and forth, as if someone passed through there in a hurry.

I stepped inside the place, which was also full of adventurers. The place was filled with noises, from plates clanking, beer glasses clinking, and the sounds of laughter and dialogue.

A full house.

There!

On the second floor!

The little brat was quickly making her way around the tables, but as soon as she saw me enter, she opted for moving them by force instead.

Tables were being flipped, and the sound of shattered plates were filling the air.

She was heading for the exit at the end of the room!

I have to get up there immediately!

But the stairs was all the way on the other side of the building. If I used the stairs, I'll have to cross the results of the carnage she left behind and I'll lose her.

No good.

I need to take a shortcut.

The second floor covered about half of the first floor, acting as a ceiling to the latter half of the building.

Maybe...

Of course, it was causing a commotion, which prompted what seems to be the owner to come out of the staff door.

"Oi! You! What do you think you're doing?!" He shouted to her. When I stepped forward, his attention turned to me.

"Oh! G-Great witch!"

"I'm sorry for this!" I said as I ran with all my might.

Imagining myself as one of those secret agents from spy movies, I leapt from the ground and extended my arms.

I heard the owner shout something to me, but I didn't catch it.

instead, I caught the the edge of the upper floor and pushed myself up and over the railing like a parkourist. (I don't know if parkourists actually do that, but I felt like one.)

With both feet on the ground once again, I resumed my chase.

Nothing beats the flexibility of this immortal body!

I love myself so much.

I carefully avoided the mess on the floor while the girl went through the door that led to what seems to be the terrace.

"Come back here, you - !" is what I last heard before following the thief outside.

I'm sorry, I promise to make it up to you later, I apologized to the owner silently.

When I went out, the thief was running along the rooftops.

Using the railings to boost myself up, I continued the chase.

The way she ran tiptoed with her arms positioned like that reminded me of ninjas for some reason. The mask she was wearing further emphasized it, too.

But now's not the time for that.

Luckily, the rooftops were devoid of people, so I can freely use my magic to restrain her.

I could use a lightning spell to stun her, but that would require pinpoint accuracy. I could probably pull it off even while I was running, but I'm here chasing her on top of angled rooftops, so the chances of missing her and hitting someone from the ground was pretty high. Considering the state of the streets right now, it was close to certainty.

Another option that I have is to utilize the herbal magic advantage that I have. Out of all the elements, plant-based magic was my greatest strength, since my healing magic specialty compliments it well. I could use [Vine Coil] to ensnare her with vines, but it doesn't seem applicable in this situation. Herbal magic is heavily reliant on soil, and from what I observe nobody has bothered to put a single potted plant on the roof.

I mean, why would they?

Unless you're fending off zombies.

Third option was to use ice magic. I could cast a freezing spell that would fasten her feet to the ground (or the roof rather), giving me enough time to catch up and cast a stun spell at close range.

But the sun was a problem.

It was really hot, considering we were closer to the sun.

The ice would probably melt, if not instantly.

I could also opt for wind magic.

But wind magic is mostly unstable and hard to control. It was primarily used to clear large hordes of monsters, but it could also be used to temporarily stun them.

Maybe I could use a wind spell to throw her off guard, use ice magic to freeze her to the spot, then finish it off with a simple stun spell. The sun's heat might be a problem for the second part, but if I can use a higher level spell that creates thick ice it shouldn't be a problem. I still have [Soul Speed III] on me too, so I had plenty of time to close the distance.

Yeah, let's go for that!

I stretched out my hand and started casting.

Casting multiple spells in succession is tricky, but can have devastating effects if done properly.

It was very often used by mages in battle to create chances and find an opening.

I'm doing the exact same thing here.

".......?!"

A gust of wind swept across the roof, making her lose her footing. Her hoodie was caught up on it too, and she was doing her best to not get it blown away.

Good, she slowed down to a walk.

Next, I casted a minor water spell, basically forming water from under her shoes. Then, I froze the water, as the ground (roof?) under her grew ice, trapping her bottom half of her body in a thick layer. Only her upper torso and arms were still mobile.

I needed her top half to be open so that I can effectively apply my stun magic. There was also the option of freezing her entirely, but that would cancel out my lightning elemental spell. Plus, there's only so much ice to form from such a small puddle.

I immediately sprinted towards her and spread out my hand. Small electric sparks were coming out of it.

"Gotcha!" I shouted for a second time.

...But.

Again, something foiled my plan.

Because, in between the moment I casted the ice spell and sprinted towards her, the red haired girl pulled out a knife.

A black survival knife.

And she used it to crack the ice.

In one hit, my entire ice trap shattered into pieces.

"...?!"

The fact that a single knife can shatter my ice threw me off guard.

No, even if she broke free, I'm now close enough to launch my stun spell without missing!

"Heed my call, guardians of the blue; let a shield of water absorb my foe's spell full!"

A huge shield materialized, completely nullifying my spell.

Using the opening, she entered one of the open windows in a nearby house.

"Nooo!"

I had her in my grasp already, yet she still managed to break free!

Pulling out a knife and a shield spell in such a short time... Just who is this girl?!

She has combat experience, for sure. A common citizen wouldn't have that quick of a reaction to pull out a weapon and chant a spell in a short amount of time.

She has to be an adventurer, at least. B-Rank with a strong affinity to magic based on the quality of her shield spell.

But it was rare for people to know shield spells.

Seriously, who is she?

Entering someone's house like this amounts to trespassing, but I can't lose her, not when I'm so close.

It doesn't seem like anybody is home though, so the both of us ran along the empty hallways.

I can't randomly fire off spells at home for obvious reasons, so I'm once again relying on my speed buff.

We entered a room covered in what seemed to be glass. The sun was heating the place, and potted plants filled up most of the space.

It was a greenhouse area.

Wait, this is my chance!

Not wasting any time, I touched the soil of one of the pots and casted [Vine Coil X].

I'm not taking anymore chances with this. This time, I'll go all out.

Instantly, a large vine grew from it, creating smaller but thick vines that ensnared her limbs.

The girl was surprised, but is powerless as more vines fastened her body, effectively stopping her movement.

Finally, I launched my stun spell at her.

"...Ghnk!"

She stopped struggling, and her body collapsed to the ground.

Phew.

I heaved a sigh of relief.

I haven't had a chase that intense in years. I was sweating all over.

"It's no use. Those vines are thick, so not even fire magic can burn it completely," I said, picking up the survival knife that dropped from her hand.

In her other hand was the thing that she stole.

It was fruit.

........

I chased her around the city just for a single fruit?

If I knew that was the only thing that got stolen, then I would've probably just let her keep it. I could easily buy another one.

If only I've checked my basket beforehand...

...Speaking of, where is it?

It's not with me at the moment, that's for sure. Maybe I dropped it somewhere while I was chasing her?

Losing my basket just to chase a thief...

What was the point of retrieving a single fruit then? I might as well buy the entire list again.

My mess-ups like these are costly to maintain. Good thing I'm rich.

"........"

The girl said nothing, staring at me violently.

With those eyes.

"Hisami!"

Lohre was standing at the doorway, with two guards behind him.

"...What are you doing in my garden?"

"Your garden? Wait, so this is your house?"

I quickly explained the sequence of events to him, from the moment I left him until right now. He didn't seem that bothered with me entering his house without permission, but was rather happy that I managed to catch the thief.

As the red-haired girl was being carried off by the guards, Lohre handed me something.

"Here. You forgot this earlier."

It was my basket.