Martins ran through the forest trail after he managed to slip out of Botchwick Mountain's hidden base. Reaching a safe distance away, he rested beneath a canopy of a tree, leaning on the trunk as he took a breather.
Getting this far was already hard enough, considering the damage he had taken in that brief scuffle against the Alter Ego of an unknown person capable of body possession. A few of his ribs cracked, and bruises were all over his body. His limbs felt like falling off from the sheer strain they had withstood.
Martins weren't being pursued, which means he could have taken his time resting, but he didn't wish to do so for now, since that person would've ordered a hunting team to catch him.
For this brief reprieve, Martins relayed information he had gathered to his superior, and only after he did that did he relax a little. He chose not to delay the report as he wasn't certain of his capability to successfully escape from Cadia's pursuit, particularly since he was still deep in the enemy's territory.
Even when he's resting, he keeps his guards up and his senses on high alert, ready to bolt away at a moment's notice.
"Butler Martins?" He heard an oh-so-familiar voice from above. Martins was greatly startled as he cranked his face upward to look above his head, and on one of the tree branches, he saw Zachary perched.
Martins had received an order from Neil to kill Ria because of two things. The first is because she had outlived her purpose as a sleeper agent the moment she exited the Bohrson mansion and exposed the location of her organization. And secondly, because she had dared to harm Zachary, the young master of the Bohrson family.
Martins was sent to kill Ria, but Neil had explicitly stated that he should not attempt to save Zachary for reasons untold. As much as Martins wanted to save the young master, he decided not ask questions and did what he was told to do.
His lord Neil must have had his own arrangements for Zachary, and he trusted his lord's judgement.
Martin does not drop his guard when he sees Zachary, and instead, he bolts a distance away from the tree immediately. If he could disguise himself as another person seamlessly to infiltrate, it wasn't improper to think that this was also Cadia's dog in disguise as the young master.
The one that had been discovered back in the young master's room was an example of Cadia's capabilities in the art of impersonation.
Martins did not speak, and he only stopped for a few seconds to look at the impostor before he started running away. The only reasoning in his mind is that he had been discovered, and there is probably a squad currently approaching the place to capture him.
Zachary, who is perched on the tree branch, followed Martins closely, no matter how fast he ran. When Martins were finally exhausted, they had reached the outskirts of a small rural town nearly a hundred kilometers away from the Botchwick mountain.
Martins wanted to continue running, but his gas tank was completely exhausted. He barely had any stamina left to burn and needed to rest for a while. Seeing that he might be captured, Martins didn't hesitate to pull out a knife and was about to slit his own throat when a hand grabbed his.
Zachary had suddenly appeared in front of Martins before he could even react. Martins released the knife's handle and grabbed it with his free hand as he swung it at the impostor.
Zachary easily caught his hand mid swing too, but Martins answered with a low blow to Zachary's nuts, which caused the corner of Zachary's lips to twitch.
Zachary still managed to block the low blow with his knee. He twisted Martin's hand, gripping the knife, and it fell to the ground. With another swift motion, Zachary slammed Martins to the ground face-first, both of the man's hands firmly pressed together on his back.
"It really is me, Butler Martins," Zachary said.
~~~
After the situation was cleared up and Zachary finally managed to convince Martins of his identity, they both moved to the town together and are now sitting in a restaurant.
It is currently evening in this part of the world. Zachary sat on the opposite side of the table from Martins. The tension between them had dissolved, and it is now Zachary's turn to ask a question.
The tea in their cup had gone cold, with more than half still in the cup.
"How long have you been working for Father? I mean, as a… hmm, assassin?"
"….Not an assassin. An operative is a more accurate term. It's a long story-"
"Shorten it, then," Zachary cuts him off.
"…."
"25 years ago, Master Neil saved us from a bloody region. With nowhere to go, Master Neil took some of us with him to the El Malais Kingdom. We were supposed to be his secret confidants, trained for that, when he became the king…." Martins trailed off.
"Still too long, but okay. At least I know you had quite a past." Zachary smiled.
"I think this kind of life is fine too. It was peaceful." Martins added, referring to the fact that Neil did not end up as the king and his own life had taken yet another course.
Back in the woods, Martins had learned that Zachary had indeed been captured by Ria and was brought to the Botchwick mountain. The latter had also told him the reason he was kidnapped, and it was not too far from the reasoning of Lord Neil himself.
Lord Neil had reasoned that Cadia wanted Zachary to serve as a bargaining chip against the Bohrson family. While Zachary had told him that the reason he was kidnapped was that they literally feared Neil's involvement in the coming days.
Of that, Martins felt compelled not to dismiss, as he is more than aware of Lord Neil's capabilities.
Now that all the pleasantries were out of the way, it was time for Zachary to ask about the elephant in the room. Martins brought the tea cup to his mouth and sipped the cold tea calmly when Zachary, flashing a punchable grin, asked, "What's an Alter Ego?"
Pfft!
Martins sprayed the tea in surprise as he gagged and started a round of violent coughing.
The other customers in the restaurant, sitting at nearby tables, also had their attention pulled briefly toward Martins. Seeing the gaze on him, Martins made a gesture of apology to everyone around as he wiped his mouth with a tissue.
"How do you know that?" Martins who isn't as calm as he used to be, questioned Zachary with a serious tone.
"From you, duh~" Zachary rolled his eyes. Hearing that answer, Martins raised an eyebrow questioningly. Though Zachary didn't look like he was going to explain what he meant.
As far as he remembers, he had never talked about anything remotely close to this topic with Zachary ever before. He might already be over fifty years old, but Martins isn't a patient of Alzheimer's. That much, he knew for certain.
"This isn't a joking matter, young master Zachary Bohrson," Martins spoke gravely, but his tone was low to a whisper. Hearing Martins calling him with his full name, Zachary felt like someone who had been caught doing a bad thing.
He scratched his head awkwardly, but he masked that quite well as he clarified, doubling down on the statement he had made. Insisting that he really heard that from Martins himself.
This topic is sensitive, and it certainly wasn't wise to discuss in a public area. A restaurant, particularly as this place had too many eyes and ears.
Noticing the look on Martins face, Zachary understood what the man was implying as they both exited the building after paying.
Zachary didn't have any money on him, and a scene almost broke out at the table. Fortunately, Martins have some, and they manage to walk out of the restaurant safely. Well, at least they manage to avoid doing free labor in the kitchen.
For the first time ever, Zachary decided to show his capabilities to Martins. Zachary and Martins teleported to the other side of the world, appearing right in the former's chamber.
Martins were greatly surprised as he suddenly found himself standing in the young master's chamber the next moment. He curiously inquired how Zachary managed to do it, but the young master refused to elaborate and only made a silent gesture while smiling.
It is dawn time in the El Malais Kingdom, and there is a big time difference between here and the Eurysterr continent that both were on moments ago.
Zachary and Martins exit the room as they head straight to Neil's private study, walking past maids and butlers on the way.
Zachary greeted them like he usually did, though some looked a bit surprised because Zachary rarely woke up this early back before he moved out of the mansion.
Seeing Martins walking by his side, not wearing the standard butler outfit, also makes him look out of place to the other maids, but they didn't point it out and only kept that to themselves.
Right this moment, in the Botchwick base, even Malrick had been notified that the key prisoner for the Anti-Neil contingency had gone missing.