An Extra’s POV
chapter-691

Adrien's eyes were nearly bulging.

He did his best to hide his surprise, but it was impossible to fully keep it all tucked away. Having such a bombardment of information had taken its toll on him, so adding one more surprise to his list was the last straw. He could only gawk as the very person he suspected walked into the tent in a casual stride.

"... Long time no see." He said, causing Adrien to tense up a little.

Before Adrien could think of much to say, his lips slowly parted and words flowed out like a smooth river.

"Yeah. It's been a while, Rey…"

Indeed, it had been quite some time since they saw each other. Yes, he and Rey interacted just a while back, but that was through a puppet he made through [Pinocchio]. In actuality, they hadn't seen each other since the desertion of the Otherworlders.

In a sense, Rey was correct. But, the fact that he was standing in front of him right now, despite the commotion and conditions surrounding the current situation, Adrien had a feeling Rey meant it in a more sarcastic sense.

If that was the case, then he instantly felt foolish about even responding.

'It's difficult to believe, but you're the only one I know who fulfills all of the conditions necessary to push me this far. I suspected it was you for a while, but it seems my reliance on Justin's information proved to be my weak link.'

Adrien had long made Justin his loyal minion, so the boy could not lie to him, even if he tried. All the information prior to this point was also incredibly accurate, so there was never any suspicion that he would be lying.

It made no sense whatsoever.

'And yet… here we are.' He ensured not to glare at Rey, showing a calm facade instead as his mind went into swift overdrive.

He had to manage the situation, and quickly.

"Relax, Adrien…" Rey's voice echoed within the room as he took another step forward, oozing nothing short of an air of confidence.

The Rey before him was nothing like the one he remembered.

It wasn't just the eyepatch covering his eyes, or the new attire he donned, or even the much more attractive body he somewhat developed after waking from his coma—if that was ever real, to begin with.

All of those things added to the change, but Adrien suspected there was something else about Rey that oozed out, making him constantly uneasy.

… Something beyond his own abilities.

"I just want to talk." He took a seat and settled right in front of Adrien, the wave of unease only getting stronger the closer he got.

Despite all of this, Adrien remained composed. He shifted on his chair, interlocking his fingers and giving the best smile he could muster.

"Sure, Rey. Let's talk."

*******************

'I never thought I would have you by the ropes like this…'

As Rey sat opposite Adrien, he could sense the boy's nervousness, or hesitance—-perhaps both. Perhaps this was some sort of predatory instinct, or a manifestation of his elevated senses, but he could tell everything about his mood due to the changes in his facial reactions, subtle movements, as well as a bunch of other details.

After seeing all of this, he couldn't help but feel some measure of catharsis.

'So he's not always a composed jackass. That's good to see…' He grinned internally, even when realizing how petty was being.

Rey already knew the probable reason why Adrien was so shaken. He had most likely deduced that Rey was the mastermind upon his entry, and the shock was something that he was yet to fully get over from.

'He must have millions of questions in his mind. He must have a lot going on in his head right now…'

Rey knew all of that because the same would apply to him if he was in Adrien's position.

'I wonder how much he has figured out already… about everything.'

From the moment Adrien began to lead his army towards the Elves, Rey had begun playing his game. 'Once I confirmed that Adrien left the Dragon Camp, I sent Emil there to disguise herself as a Dragon and infiltrate the camp—which she did. Then, I had her use an Illusion Skill that she gets whenever she turns into Ater to fool the Generals, who in turn turned the entire Camp against Adrien.'

Of course, Rey maintained constant contact with Emil through it all, and he would have had her return to the Elven Camp, where he was based, if things got too dangerous.

If she couldn't return, or if their communication disconnected for whatever reason, he was determined to go to the Camp himself to save her—though, based on what he already observed, he doubted that would ever be the case.

'I could have used Adrien's absence to destroy the Dragon Army once and for all, but based on what Ater said… I had to understand Adrien's motives, so it was a much smarter move to make them turn on him so I could see how his reaction would be.'

Depending on the outcome, Rey reckoned he would be able to estimate the importance of his goals.

'If he chose to destroy the Dragons after they turned against him, I was going to step in and confront him—killing them all myself in the process.'

There was no way he would leave free EXP alone.

'And, well… the outcome of everything was a little surprising—though still within expectation.'

Whatever benefit Adrien was going to get from the Dragons had to be worth a lot, considering all that went down with the Dragons and how Adrien reacted to it.

'I also did this to push Adrien to reveal his hidden cards and abilities. I knew he wouldn't show all of them, but I had to know his level of combat expertise since I haven't seen him fight before…'

Rey was disappointed on that front, since Adrien hardly put up a struggle, but after witnessing how Adrien responded to the whole thing—including the power he displayed to resolve everything, Rey was convinced.

'This guy is an absolute monster.'