Chapter 227
But in truth?
Everything was designed to serve the heroines.
Every mission. Every reward. Every single ounce of effort.
The real beneficiaries were always them.
“He was nothing more than a tool.”
The words left her lips with eerie finality.
Max felt sick.
“He… he…” His voice trembled. “He deserves better.”
His small fists shook.
“Lucian deserves to be loved too. He deserves to be happy. Why should he be”
“Why should he be a pawn?” she interrupted, smirking.
She leaned forward, her golden eyes gleaming.
“It’s for the greater good, Max.”
Her voice was calm, unbothered.
“He’s not suffering, is he?”
She raised an eyebrow.
“We’re giving him the best life possible l power, wealth, women, luxury. Everything.”
She leaned back, crossing one leg over the other.
“Sure, it’s short-lived. Sure, he dies at the end.”
She shrugged.
“But isn’t that a fair trade?”
She smirked.
“Ask any human would they rather live a long, uneventful life… or thirty years of absolute indulgence and power?”
She tapped her fingers against the book.
“It’s a win-win.”
Her voice turned teasing.
“And on top of that… he gets to save an entire world in the process.”
Max shook his head violently.
“I GET IT!”
His voice cracked as he yelled.
“But NOT HIM!”
His small body trembled, his black eyes glistening with emotion.
“He’s not like that! He’s not just some pawn!”
For the first time, his voice broke.
“Not Lucian.”
A heavy silence filled the room.
The Seer of Fiction simply watched him, an unreadable expression on her face.
Then…
She sighed.
“Oh, Max…”
She leaned forward, her golden eyes gleaming.
Her voice was soft, almost affectionate.
“You’re making this far more complicated than it needs to be.”
Max’s fists clenched, his small body shaking.
But before he could say another word
She gently placed the book onto the table.
And smiled.
“Call it a sacrifice, Max, but… Lucian is the only one. He has to do it.”
Max clenched his tiny fists, his entire body trembling.
“Master… can’t you just do something? I… I can’t lie to him anymore.”
His voice cracked. His large, dark eyes shimmered with emotion.
“I’VE LIED TO HIM SO MANY TIMES!”
His tiny hands slammed against the table.
“HE TRUSTS ME BLINDLY!”
His breath was ragged, his small body trembling from the sheer weight of his guilt.
“He always trusts me… and here I am the biggest reason for all his pain and suffering!”
His voice choked with emotion.
“He doesn’t know the truth yet… but I”
Max swallowed hard, his voice dropping to a whisper.
“I can’t lie to him anymore.”
A heavy silence settled between them.
The woman sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.
“Ughhh, don’t look at me with those eyes.” She turned her face away. “I already told you I can’t do anything.”
She folded her arms, leaning back slightly.
“And don’t think I haven’t noticed all the things you’ve done.”
Max stiffened.
She adjusted her glasses, her golden eyes narrowing at him.
“First, you changed the mission rewards boosting them far beyond their intended values, giving Lucian absurdly high bonuses for the smallest of achievements.”
Her fingers tapped against the table.
“Sometimes you even rewarded him for nothing.”
Max flinched.
“And let’s not forget…” She gave him a long, knowing stare. “The nukes.”
Max pouted and looked away.
“Thousands, Max. You gave him nukes in batches.” She pressed her fingers to her temple. “Who even does that?!”
She gestured dramatically.
“Satellites? Fine. A couple of them? Sure. But hundreds?”
She sighed deeply, shaking her head.
“I swear, before the world even collapses on its own, that kid is going to destroy it first!”
Max huffed and crossed his small arms, turning his head to the side like a sulking child.
The woman exhaled, waving a hand dismissively.
“I overlooked it for you.” She gave him a firm look. “But don’t think I didn’t notice. You’ve been breaking the rules just to favor that kid.”
Her eyes darkened.
“And let’s talk about the worst offense of all.”
Her finger pointed directly at Max.
“You reset the entire world’s timeline.”
Max froze.
“Do you even understand what you’ve done?” Her voice was low, serious.
“Our plan was working. Victor Veinz was already becoming enemies with nearly all the heroines. Arthur wasn’t the protagonist yet, but we had time.”
She tapped the book on the table.
“But you ” Her eyes flashed dangerously. “you used a forbidden technique and rewound everything.”
She took a step forward, her golden gaze piercing through him.
“Do you even realize how much you’ve lost?”
Max said nothing.
His small fists trembled.
“Just because of one human.”
Her voice was sharp.
“Just because Lucian died, you threw away everything. You reversed the entire world’s time.”
She stared at him, waiting.
Max didn’t lower his gaze this time.
He stood firm.
His tiny body, his trembling fists, his unwavering eyes everything about him screamed defiance.
If given the chance, he’d do it again.
And he didn’t regret it.
Not one bit.
The woman clicked her tongue, crossing her arms.
“Don’t look so proud.”
She scoffed, shaking her head.
“Not only did you sacrifice so much to use that forbidden technique, but you also put billions of humans and trillions of lives in danger just to save one person.”
Her voice grew cold.
“You should be ashamed, Max.”
Silence.
Max’s small fists clenched harder.
But she wasn’t done.
“And even though you reversed time, you completely shattered the universe’s natural order. You challenged the author’s influence, messed with the prewritten fate of this world…”
She exhaled sharply.
“The heavens won’t intervene anymore. The world’s natural laws won’t force Lucian Kane into the suffering he was originally meant to endure.”
She rubbed her temple.
“The curse that made everyone hate him it’s gone.”
She narrowed her eyes at Max.
“But do you know how lucky you are? Do you even realize how close you were to being erased?!”
She looked away, running a hand through her golden hair.
“Tsk.” She clicked her tongue.
“You could’ve died.”
Max’s small shoulders trembled.
She took a deep breath, then sighed again.
“Whatever.”
Her voice softened just barely.
“You’ve already paid for your mistakes.”
She looked at him, expression unreadable.
“And as your master, I’ll forgive you.”
A brief pause.
Then
“But now, after everything, you have the audacity to ask me for another favor?”
Her golden eyes darkened.
“For him?”
Max didn’t back down.
His dark eyes, filled with unwavering determination, met hers without hesitation.
The woman sighed, running a hand through her hair again.
“Max…”
She looked at him, her voice softer this time.
“You shouldn’t forget who and what you are.”
She shook her head slowly.
“Not your duty. Not your purpose.”
Her gaze turned distant.
“You were supposed to be a rising system star, Max…”
She sighed, a hint of regret in her voice.
“But because of him…”
Her words trailed off.
She stared at Max Sighing to herself.
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