"Get the Information of Ryder Flynn. I want that on my table by tomorrow. Also, check if he has any relationship with Aluren or not. If he is with Aluren, then itâs not shocking. But if he isnât, then this would be interesting," Itsuki told his assistant.
The Assistant nodded in response. It wasnât often that she saw Itsuki so curious about something. It seemed as if something had attracted his attention this time. She felt pity for whoever it was as she turned back and left the room.
"Aaliya is my subordinate, helping me keep an eye on Aluren and handle an important part of my business in the states since I personally canât go there. The way she described this person, to be able to change reality, he isnât normal. And if he isnât normal, then what is he?" Itsuki muttered as he rested his head on the table, losing himself in deep thought.
"The way she described it. She isnât crazy, Iâm certain. So someone not only changed the footage, making him invisible from cameras but also altered the memories of the men. Moreover, five bodies had disappeared. As for one of the dead body walking out, impersonation is most likely involved."
" So many things... It reminds me of one particular god that could do such things with ease. That trickster Janus with his strange abilities. But he wouldnât be here. Who appears with similar abilities? I canât let such strange elements stay unknown since they might affect the Trial of mine," he further said as if talking to himself.
"The only way this could be possible is if that person is related to Aluren who helped him with some of these abilities like those toys he calls kings. But he knows Aaliya works for me. After the mess with Adrian, he wouldnât interfere in these matters which relate to me. Should I contact him directly and ask him to see who this guy is?"
"After I get the report on that guy, Iâll ask him. Since it can affect us all."
....
Back home, Ryder had left the world of Divinity. It was morning when he left the room as he heard a strange drilling sound coming from outside.
He wanted to check what was happening.
Leaving the room, he realized that the sound was coming from the stairs.
"Whatâs happening here?"
Reaching the stairs, he saw a person drilling. The main butler of the Mansion was standing behind, watching the work.
"Oh, good morning Sir Ryder. Did the noise disturb you? Just a little bit of renovation going on here. How about you use the other stairs if you want to go down for now?" The butler told Ryder, pointing towards the second stairs nearby.
"Iâm not going down. I just heard the noise and came to check up. I still need to freshen up."
Ryder went back to his room after checking what was happening here. He took a shower and got dressed before he finally left the room.
He already had plans for today, and that also involved Aaliya. The only reason he hadnât killed Aaliya was because of this research.
If he had killed her, the confession on the letter would be proven useless since the company could have claimed that someone forced Aaliya to write that before kidnapping her. So he wanted to use some mind tricks.
He wanted to show us that he wasnât that easy to mess with. After the small show before, finally, he was going to contact her again to finish this.
...
Alice had gone to college, and Shu had left for a business meeting as well, leaving no one but Ryder, who was also leaving.
After informing the butler, he left the mansion. He was again going to meet Aaliya physically.
...
A silver-haired man was sitting in an air-conditioned room, talking to someone over the call. He was speaking in Russian while the other side also talked in the same language, believing that this man didnât know English.
"Verno. Eto vse chto ya mogu skazar po etomu povodu."
After a lengthy conversation, the well-dressed man disconnected the call.
"Who was it?"
Another man was sitting in front of the silver-haired man, who asked him as he saw him looking upset.
"Hah, The authorities in the states. Apparently, Luke is being investigated for keeping a couple of hostages before going on a run. Iâm amazed they managed to get my number," the silver haired man said.
He was none other than Adrian who had sent one of his men to bring Alice here. It was unclear how it happened, but that man disappeared someday. There was no contact from him. And calling that number wasnât working either.
That much was enough for Adrian to guess that his man was dead. But what amazed him was that people were able to contact him because of that guy.
"I told him to stay away from Aluren if he saw that guy. Iâm sure he didnât listen and messed with that guy. Thatâs why he died. Aluren should be the one who also gave my name. That bastard, one day Iâll really kill him. He was lucky last time I didnât," Adrian said as he placed his phone on the table roughly.
"Do you plan to go there personally?" The other man asked Adrian.
"Sigh, I badly want to. But I canât. This is a mess. Alright. I have a plan. Tell me how it is."
...
Adrian started describing the plan to the other guy, who had many vivid expressions throughout the explanation.
"Are you sure?" he asked Adrian.
"Iâm sure."
Seeing the determination of Adrian, the other person could only agree.
"Alright. But just know, it can just as easily invite a war on our land. Think again," the man told Adrian again.
"Hah, why would I be scared of a war? I donât even know what fear feels like, so donât worry," Adrien answered.
"Sigh, alright."
...
Ryder reached the building which belonged to the company which was said to rule over a pharmaceutical empire.
It was also where he had met with Aaliya.
Without worrying about a single thing, he casually entered the building and walked to the receptionist he had met before.
"Hello, pretty lady. How are you doing? Can you tell Aaliya that Iâm here to meet her? Last time I couldnât since something urgent had come up. I was thinking I could finish the meeting today when I am free," he told the receptionist, who seemed stunned to see Ryder.
Ryder was the person her boss was hallucinating about. She imagined meeting him and him killing her men. It all seemed like a dream, but she did remember Ryder not meeting her boss last time.
She wasnât sure if this was the right thing to do. Was reminding her boss about Ryder a good idea?
"Wait a minute. Iâll tell our manager about your arrival. He will handle the rest," she told Ryder. "Please wait on the sofa there."
Without arguing, Ryder walked back to the sofa calmly and started waiting.
...
Only about five minutes had passed when a middle-aged man arrived near Ryder.
"Are you Mr. Ryder?" the man asked Ryder.
"Yes, who might you be?" Ryder asked in return n
"Iâm Rom, the manager here," the man answered.
"Rom? Donât tell me you have a brother named Ram, too," Ryder replied as he smiled wryly.
"I canât say thatâs the first time I heard that joke. Itâs pretty boring at this point," the middle-aged man replied without a change in his expressions.
"Man, it wasnât a joke. I was genuinely curious. Anyway, Iâm here to meet Aaliya. Take me to her."
"Madam canât meet you this time. Sheâs not feeling healthy," the middle-aged man answered.
Through the conversation, his eyes kept staring at Ryder, wondering what it was about this man which was making his boss hallucinate him killing the bodyguards?
This man didnât seem very strong. There was no intimidating aura about this man. In fact, he seemed like a harmless bird. The thought of this man killing a person seemed like a big joke.
But even if he knew that, he couldnât do anything since it wasnât him who was hallucinating but his boss.
"Sheâs unhealthy? How about you take me to her? At Least let me wish her well? I do know sheâs in the office. So donât waste my trip. Iâll go after seeing and wishing her well, I promise," Ryder told the man, talking normally.
"I told you, we canât. Please leave. In any case, you donât have an appointment. Next time you want to meet her, call her office and make an appointment. After that, you can come meet her. Please leave now," the middle-aged man again refused.
"Sigh, I thought I could surprise her like this. But youâre making it impossible. Whatever, I guess Iâll spoil the surprise," Ryder said, sighing.
He brought his phone out of his pocket as he called a number.