Chapter 46: Doubt
Her body trembled when she heard the name "The Butler." That legendary man who had approached her, who promised her a wonderful life and a colorful world, where monotony no longer existed.
Or where she could enjoy life again.
Even though it was incredibly painful, he told her that she was very talented, and she could see that by reaching these heights in so few years. She had managed to change paths...
No, rather, she had become a dual-path character. Something that should be impossible.
That’s why her master was so impressive—he had achieved the impossible. She didn’t lose the characteristics of her previous path but gained the characteristics of a new path.
It was great. She was really talented, and her master was a genius.
But there was a problem.
Although she was now a Puppeteer with the ability to control her master’s pets, she couldn’t use excessive force. She only had the ability to control those beasts and nothing else.
Furthermore, while in her Puppeteer state, she couldn’t flaunt her skills as a Martial Warrior; she had to wait a period of time between changes.
That was a considerable limitation, but since she had never faced anyone who could defeat her puppets (either because there were too many of them or because the final version was very powerful), she hadn’t had any problems, but on this mission, everything changed.
She was pushed to the limit of her abilities and encountered some really tough opponents.
Furthermore, no matter how hard she tried, no one responded to her calls for help. She had sent messages through special methods, but no one answered.
Although she tried to move and attack Ryan, her inner power was sealed, and she couldn’t use it. Unfortunately, she had become a useless woman once again.
Ryan mocked her when he saw her like that.
"This is what happens when you don’t even know how to enjoy the peace of mind that comes with what you’ve achieved," he said and hit her under the neck, sending her into unconsciousness with those words that began to pound in her brain and create different dreams in her.
Ryan dragged her back through the long hospital corridors and looked outside when he felt eyes on them, but they disappeared shortly after.
’I hope you don’t die before I find you, Butler. You should know that in the novel, you were one of my favorite antagonists.’ He smiled, excited to face this guy.
As he dragged her back outside, he frowned and looked behind him when he saw a shadow appear.
"I thought you’d wait outside, Leader," he said and stopped to look at him.
Martin was leaning against a wall, waiting patiently for him, and when he saw him, he stood up to face him.
"So the controller you were talking about was a teacher, huh?" he said.
Ryan frowned. "Sorry, speak up. My eardrums are healing, and I can’t hear very well," he reminded him.
Martin then repeated it, and Ryan finally nodded.
"Yes." Ryan smiled at him. "One who was against my progress this past week. I guess karma is pretty good to me, delivering my enemies to me quickly."
"I should say the same thing; you’re lucky to find her so quickly," he said, though then he tilted his head. "Or should I say you’re lucky to know everything in advance?" he asked.
Ryan shrugged. "If I knew things in advance, I’d probably be a fortune teller or some kind of psychic. But I don’t think my name is Brandon these days. If it were, I’d be the most decorated prince in history," he replied.
"You don’t look like the same Ryan I knew before, either." Although Ryan was clearly changing the subject, he stood his ground.
"Well, people change after so much suffering and near death, you know? If you don’t change, the world devours you."
’He’s good with words,’ Martin thought. Although he tried to get information out of him, it seemed that it would be more difficult.
He was afraid of one thing.
"You think I work under the orchestrator of this, right?"
That was exactly what Martin was thinking, so he remained silent.
"If he did that, then he would be pretty stupid to send me to find one of his controllers; he would be destroying his own forces internally. After all, each of his controllers is special to him, as they are the fruit of his hard work." He replied and then looked at him.
"If you want to know where I got the information from him... well, it’s not very difficult to guess when my tutor is Professor Austin, someone who loves investigating these kinds of cases. You can ask him if he’s sent me to investigate some things recently; he’ll surely be able to confirm it." Ryan started walking once he finished speaking.
Martin, for his part, watched him intently from behind. He didn’t know if what he had said was true, but if he approached Professor Austin, he would find out.
No one is more loyal to the kingdom than this professor, who has been the driving force behind most of the current important policies and is one of the most important figures in the expansion of Evigheden.
He may not have participated much in the conquest, but his policies and military strategies have helped many, including Martin, who owes part of his learning to him, as he was also his teacher at one point.
The mere fact that Ryan had brought his name to the table was enough to make Martin stop doubting.
It was perfect for manipulating people, although this time it was not his intention.
When they returned outside, Cecily was sitting on the floor, badly injured in several places, including a dislocated arm, while Samuel was trying to write a preliminary report on the incident. He was limping and had difficulty moving, but work was work.
Ryan quickly approached Cecily to help her.
She looked at the person being dragged along and frowned. "Was she a traitor? No wonder she treated you like that," she said.
"Yes, she’ll be useful in the future," Ryan replied as he helped her take some potions. "I’m sorry, you’ll have to settle for this level for now; I haven’t had a chance to go to the upper floors of the Alchemists’ Tower."
"That’s okay. I ran out, so this is enough." She thanked him and drank the potion. Afterward, Ryan helped her put her arm back in place.