A Few Small Notes:
These are the very first complementary notes providing explanations for certain aspects of the characters in this work. So, without further ado, let's begin.
When a character's speech begins with a dash followed by parentheses, it indicates an inner thought. Without parentheses, it means the thought has been spoken aloud.
The expression "…GLOUPS…" signifies that the character has just swallowed something, usually saliva, due to the tense situation they are experiencing.
And that concludes these brief explanations. With that, I wish everyone an enjoyable reading experience.
Chapter 8: The Puppet
Today, like yesterday and all the days before, the streets and alleys of this beautiful city were bustling with life. Children played, merchants used their ingenuity to attract customers, and elderly men chatted peacefully. All of this added a vibrant touch to this lively city. But strangely, for the past few days, the usually calm royal castle had been experiencing a wave of agitation. Soldiers could be seen coming and going in waves, even they did not understand why so many men were deployed to search for a child that no one seemed to care about.
Within the castle, the king, in a foul mood, was walking down a corridor toward his chambers. As they approached his quarters, he asked his attendants:
"It's been almost a week since you've been looking; why haven't you found him? He's just a kid, for God's sake!!!"
"Forgive us, sir, but the forest is immense and..."
"Silence; I don't want to hear your excuses. Just find him, that's all!"
Once the king had finished speaking, they arrived at the door to his chambers. He entered, turned to look at the servants who remained at the door, and said:
"I want to be alone and rest, so do not disturb me for any reason!!!"
"Your wishes are orders, sir."
With that, the king closed the door, glaring at his subjects. But barely had he shut the door when he heard a voice behind him:
"My patience has limits, sir!!!"
The king was struck with fear, as he knew he had left no one in his chambers and that the door was locked. But the real issue was that, although he had not turned around, he had distinctly recognized that voice, and to make matters worse, its owner seemed very displeased. When the king finally turned around, his fears were confirmed. Standing in the room with him, his face marked by anger, was the butler who had taken Nate.
"M-m-mister Himma, h-how did you get in here?"
The man looked out the window, much to the king's astonishment, who realized they were on the fourth floor. But far from caring about what the king was thinking, the butler continued:
"Can you explain to me why you still haven't brought him back???"
The king began to panic and tried to calm the situation:
"Ahahahaha, let's calm down, my dear friend."
But this only served to irritate Himma further, whose veins were now bulging on his face.
"I remind you that it was you who asked me to get rid of the kid; so you will find him!!! I have given you enough time!"
"I know, Mr. Himma, but we lack the men to conduct the searches, and then there's that man who came looking for the child..."
"Are you more afraid of him than of me?!!!"
"N-n-n-no; dear God, no, I wouldn't dare."
"I thought we had a deal. You let us conduct our experiments without meddling in our affairs, and in return, we keep you on the throne."
"Yes, I know very well, and that deal still stands."
"..."
"But tell me, since you weren't initially interested in the Elementalist, couldn't we simply forget this unfortunate incident???"
Overwhelmed by the man's stupidity, Himma took a deep breath to calm himself and replied:
"Except that Count Daniel Louztrov is aware of the child's existence and is waiting for me to deliver him. Do you have even the slightest idea of what will happen if we don't find this child??!!"
Hearing this revelation, the king turned pale as if he had been touched by death itself. His legs began to tremble, and his teeth chattered. In a panic, he stammered:
"I-I-I will double, no, quadruple the number of s-s-soldiers conducting the search. I swear to you..."
But, visibly tired of this charade, Himma interrupted him:
"That will no longer be necessary. In fact, you are no longer necessary!"
Before the king had time to comprehend what the butler meant, he realized that the latter had pierced his belly with his bare hand. After this lethal blow, the man stated with utmost detachment:
"After all, there is no shortage of actors!"
Then, with a swift motion, he brutally withdrew his hand, pulling it out of the king's entrails in a huge spray of blood and guts. The king collapsed, bleeding out as he watched Himma turn on his heel and say:
"As for the Elementalist, from now on, I will take matters into my own hands."
With those words, the butler left, leaving the bells of mourning to toll throughout the castle a few hours later.