Aiming to be the perfect butler for my lady

Chapter 89- Abandon

[Kyle's POV:]

A side character had died. I won't say that I didn't feel regret for not arriving just a minute ago, but my utmost concern rests on Alatia's safety.

Her source of fear became the reason why I was able to reach her. Thankfully, no one else saw her Slave Mark, or it would have been a problem.

Now, about the cause of my concern.

Naturally, since we were on the last floor of the labyrinth, there was a constant danger of high-ranking demons attacking us. However, something made me more worried and confused than the situation we are in.

Charlotte.

I have assessed her strength and for someone who has the skills to negate any spell or skill...to struggle against that Oni? She not only got beaten up but also invited the Oni towards the group of students.

She also pretended to be affected by the 'Dominance' which was an active skill of the Oni. That made me doubt her. She has received the training to be called the strongest freshman, which was against the plot, but to think she would struggle against Oni, which was relying on its active skills?

Suspicious.

Was she...deliberately trying to injure her classmates? Was there any chance for her character to shift so drastically even though I removed the cause of her trauma? Or did I traumatise her even more? But Charlotte is one of the main characters. Having such intentions, like getting rid of Logan and others would never align with the story.

Glancing back a little, I found Charlotte's eyes still zeroed on me, even though the other two were talking and were cautious of their surroundings. It was weird. What she was thinking was the last thing I could expect at the moment.

"Ow..." I winced softly, having my waist pinched sneakily by my lady.

I turned to look at her, but she was looking away, acting completely innocent. So my mistress has chosen to be mischievous today, huh.

Revenge will be taken tonight.

"Halt." I raised my hand and told everyone to stop. The place we were heading to was uncertain. Each floor of the labyrinth was like a maze. Unless you don't defeat all the living entities on the floor, reaching the Dark Water becomes impossible. Unless you are Protagonist level lucky.

But the Protagonist of this world wasn't that lucky.

Turning towards the others I said, "We need some source of illumination here. Does anyone know about flame magic?"

I knew no one did, so when none volunteered, I didn't feel disappointed.

"Any torch you have? Or any material which could burn for long?" Again, no response. I also didn't pack anything like that for Alatia.

Suddenly, it was Charlotte who hesitantly raised her hand and said, "My feathers...they can burn for long."

I raised my brows, "Can you summon them on will?"

With a beaming smile, like a child got the opportunity to show her talent, she nodded before closing her eyes for a moment and in the next, I was left awestruck.

A pair of wings appeared behind her back, giving an ethereal radiance. Her golden feathers reminded me of that time when Alatia accidentally summoned them back in Belur. I was mesmerized.

*Dhak*

This time it was an elbow strike. I didn't react since I kinda expected it. And Princess, this time, was actively glaring at me as well.

Ignoring her antics for now, I stepped toward Charlotte before asking her, "I will need six of them. You think you can endure that much?"

Feathers of a Divine Awakened are like their body parts. And plucking them definitely hurts the person.

Charlotte's expression suggested that she was scared however, she bravely nodded and offered herself to me.

(A/N: I would have punched you as well.)

Getting behind her, I touched her feather, only to get a "Hnngh" noise from her.

"Are you okay?" I asked and detached my hand from her.

Charlotte slowly nodded before answering, "I-It feels a little ticklish. Please be gentle with me."

Oi, oi. Aren't you putting those words in the wrong way and what's with that tone? A certain mistress of mine doesn't like how you are talking.

Regardless of my inner protest, I had to pluck them. Logan and Sasha were beyond tired and another attack from demons could lead to fatal injuries.

I finally touched her feathers again and plucked one of them.

"Ah~" She moaned in pain with her small face turning tomato in no time.

I couldn't endure it anymore, so I moved my hand in haste, and before she could react properly, I plucked six of them in an instant.

"I-Is it done?" She asked, with her eyes moist.

I heaved a sigh before showing her the flock I had plucked.

Her wings disappeared slowly, and with a soft smile that made her look pitiful because of those tears, she said, "I am happy that I was useful."

For a moment, I felt she was asking for some praise, but a jealous Alatia can cause problems here. So I just coughed and turned away from her.

"Mister Mask, do you have any way to return?" Logan, who gave me a weird name, asked in a hopeful voice.

I didn't answer him; rather, using Alpha, I conjured flames on my fingertips and ignited one of the feathers.

It easily caught fire while sustaining its natural shade, signifying it wasn't going to get burnt any time soon.

'Seriously these feathers are nothing but treasure...' Each feather can be sold for hundreds of gold coins and can be used in weapons and potions. However, the trade of feathers has been banned for a long time now.

"Waah..." I heard Sasha exclaiming and glancing at them, I could tell that Logan was surprised as well. After all, I have already shown the possession of Space-related magic and now flames. Having two attributes nowadays is like spotting dinosaurs back on Earth.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

I ignited the feathers and let them surround us like a ring of fire. Now that they were illuminating the place I could see our surroundings more clearly.

There was no distinctive feature except for footmarks of some demons on the ground, some cracks and the colour of the floor, which was deep red. This was enough for me to learn about my surroundings and use it for teleportation.

The training with the Sage has helped me use Beta more efficiently.

I called Alatia close to me before holding her hand. Turning toward the others I said, "I will be back in a minute. Do not, I repeat, do not leave this ring, alright?"

Logan glanced at Sasha, who looked frightened since I was going away, before nodding.

"You will return for me, right?" Charlotte asked, with hesitation laced in her voice.

I could understand her sentiment. Originally, when I came here, I showed that I was only here to escort the Princess to safety, so it was natural for her and the other two to feel anxious.

I assunringly rested my hand on her shoulder before declaring,

"Don't worry. I won't abandon you."

********

A/N:- Yeah right. You are paving a very dangerous path boy.