Chapter 126: When He Gets Involved, Everything Goes Haywire

Chapter 126: When He Gets Involved, Everything Goes Haywire

A wave of astonishment washed over the “Puppeteer’s” mind.

This mission had once again developed in an entirely unexpected direction.

Time and time again, it was that silver-haired man who was the cause. He had disrupted every single arrangement the “Prophet” had made.

The Puppeteer had initially dismissed his interference as mere coincidence, like specks of dust too insignificant to warrant attention. But gradually, those specks of dust had transformed into boulders standing in the way of seemingly flawless tactics and strategies. At best, these disruptions forced plans to change course; at worst, they could shatter all calculations entirely.

Yet none of these setbacks had humiliated the Puppeteer quite like having his supposedly invincible “puppet strings” broken.

Of course, the “puppet strings” weren’t particularly effective against those with vast magical power. For some individuals with potential, attempting to attach the “puppet strings” could even result in conflict and loss of control.

But what the Puppeteer had encountered then was entirely unprecedented. A “beast” bound by “puppet strings,” presumed dead in a failed mission due to the strings’ programming, had somehow survived. Not only that, it had somehow managed to break free from absolute control.

The cause of this anomaly was none other than that silver-haired man.

He had somehow detected the other “puppets” hiding in the ruins and defeated them all before charging into the forest to hunt down the mages threatening the dragons.

Naturally, the defeated “puppets” had perished due to the effects of the “puppet strings.”

The remaining forces now consisted of only a few “puppets” and a handful of hybrid monsters—nothing worth hoping for anymore.

Regarding the monsters, the Puppeteer deeply regretted not preparing stronger ones. The opposition was a combination of Diagal’s two strongest Knight Teams. Even after trying to neutralize the Sky Dragon team’s aerial advantage with mages hidden in the forest, it still wasn’t enough to diminish their strength.

Once again, the silver-haired man was the root cause. Whenever he got involved, everything would spiral into chaos and turn completely unfavorable.

Everything he had done had transformed the silver-haired man from a mere “roadside pebble” into a top-priority threat to both the “Prophet” and the “Puppeteer.”

At this point, despite his reluctance, the Puppeteer had to break the limitations of the previously established plan. The strategy was simple: kidnap the boy traveling with them to stop the silver-haired man, then continue the assault until the Knights could no longer resist.

The main objective of this plan was to lure the silver-haired man back. The long-distance communication magic of that girl named Faima seemed ineffective when obstacles stood between her and her target. Troublesome as it was, the Puppeteer had somehow managed to arrange for the monsters to clear the path.

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Moments later, a man with silver hair emerged from the forest’s edge. He was riding what appeared to be a thin sheet of ice, advancing at incredible speed.

“Tell him to stop right there.”

“Understood.”

Responding to the command, the Young Lady turned toward the silver-haired man.

Somehow, this girl could make the silver-haired man obey commands just like the Puppeteer could control his “puppets.”

Could she have turned him into her own “puppet”?

Creating a “puppet string,” even on a mage with enormous magical power, could cause excruciating pain, though it wasn’t impossible if done gradually, day by day. There have been cases where either the puppeteer or the puppet died during the process. But given the effectiveness of this magic, such risks were entirely worthwhile.

Just look at what the silver-haired man was capable of—that was proof enough.

“Young Lady, you’re telling me to stop because of him, right?”

“U-um… yes…” Thanks for reading on ManaNovel!

The girl glanced toward the silver-haired man before quietly turning away with a troubled expression.

Meanwhile, the silver-haired man continued gliding on his ice platform toward the Young Lady, moving slightly faster than a person running.

But he seemed to completely disregard the girl’s earlier request.

Not just the Young Lady, but everyone else was staring at him in amazement. Wasn’t he afraid the hostage would be killed?

“Can’t you hear? He’s holding a hostage???”

The Young Lady was shouting exactly what the Puppeteer was thinking.

“What on earth is he thinking?”

“Kanna… please stop… the boy…”

The Young Lady was nearly in tears as the silver-haired man refused to obey. This guy—did he truly not care about the hostage?

And they’d thought having a hostage would help control him…

Wait, why was he lifting his leg?

“Catch this…”

Right after the silver-haired man’s shout and an odd stance, both the kidnapper and the boy were sent flying sideways by a kick.