Extra's Revenge: Reincarnated As A Slave-Chapter 57: Scheming (Part 1)
’Logan... It’s you.’
Rey had a dark glow in his eyes as he stared at the much older fellow who was twirling his mustache.
He had already noticed something off about Logan since much earlier.
He also had a feeling the man secretly despised his Master, Augustus. There were small hints that showed this to him, but they became even more blatant whenever Logan spoke to him in private and Augustus came up.
’From back when he taught me about Ancient MajiK and even before he awakened me, he tried to make Augustus appear unreasonable, likely to drive a wedge between us. I mean, he wasn’t particularly wrong about how inconsiderate Augustus was towards me, but it was very suspicious that he would be referring to his own Young Master that way...’
That wasn’t the only thing he noticed.
Apart from badmouthing Augustus in subtle ways, Logan also attempted to get closer to Rey by acting fatherly.
He would often give him warm smiles and pat his head whenever he did something well.
This clearly showed motive.
Deep interest.
’He wanted to bring me over to his side. Back then, I didn’t understand why. Now I do.’
Rey hadn’t focused too much on Logan in the past because the man ceased his attempts at manipulation and even grew rather distant from Rey after his awakening.
Rey clearly remembered the evident disappointment on Logan’s face when he discovered the former only had an affinity in Chaos Art.
’It’s like he gave up on his previous plan because he considered me worthless. But after I proved him wrong by showing my incredible potential, he began to take an interest in me again. But he must have known that he couldn’t use his previous approach, since he had already burned down that bridge. So instead, he decided to use more hard handed methods. It’s just as the shadowy figure said. It’s not that he can’t trust me. It’s simply insurance...’
All of this, and many more, made perfect sense to the current Rey.
He had very little doubt in his mind.
’Logan wanted to sow seeds of dissatisfaction in my heart against Augustus, but now he knows that is no longer necessary. Not only has Augustus constantly been reckless with me, but he didn’t stand up for me the two times when my life has been in danger. If Logan were to approach me, as he is doing now, and eventually offer me freedom in exchange for cooperation, he would expect me to cooperate.’
This was especially the case because he thought Rey didn’t have memories of their conversation.
An amnesiac version of Rey would likely not deeply suspect Logan of being the mastermind.
Even if he did, he wouldn’t know about the slave agreement.
Thus, he would be more willing to work with Logan and not Augustus. And if he tried to disobey, Logan would simply use the Slave Contract which he kept as insurance.
It all made sense.
’I expect that Logan will be nicer to me in the coming days. Rather than using Amara to become free, I can use Logan to obtain the information I need and then ensure my freedom. He would even secretly encourage me to try to free myself, and since his own slave Contract is hidden, I won’t be aware of it. Once I believe I am completely free and that it couldn’t have been done without his help, he’ll swoop in and try to use me for his own plans.’
’But... hehe... who said I want to stick around?’
Since everything was clear in his mind, Rey also had his own intentions, and they didn’t involve the Desgarron Family whatsoever.
He was already planning to escape.
’Forget my plans for revenge or the Acadeny for now. I need to secure my safety for now. Once I preserve my life and get away from all of these schemes, I can start properly plotting for my grander goals.’
The best part about all this was that Logan wouldn’t suspect him.
Because he didn’t have any memories.
Rather than taking a big risk escaping on his own, he would likely try to rope Logan into his plan and ’take advantage’ of Logan’s kindness to help him.
This was how Logan would see Rey’s actions.
He would think Rey either truly bought into his manipulation and had grown to care about him, or that he was trying to ’use’ Logan’s kindness to gain the best benefits.
Both of which were simply not true.
Rey didn’t actually care for Logan at all and wasn’t planning on using him beyond finding a way to be free.
Yes, he still wanted to have his revenge.
But now wasn’t the time.
He had to save Augustus and Logan for later; when he had the strength to fight.
’As long as I time it right and facilitate an escape when Logan isn’t present, I can surely leave the Manor and escape successfully. Afterwards, I’ll avoid him until I am able to get rid of his own Slave Contract.’ Rey’s goals were already set.
Now, he had to be a lot more sensible and pragmatic in his approach. His acting had to be flawless, and he could afford no errors.
The same way he was able to glean so much from Logan, it was possible for the opposite to also happen.
That was why he had to be careful.
Logan underestimated Rey, which was why he had been exposed to such an extent.
’I won’t make the same mistake!’
******
More time passed.
Months rolled by, and although everything seemed stable on the surface, Rey had no room to relax at all.
He had learned from his encounter with Alistair and the whole debacle with Amara’s poisoning that many factors in this Manor were beyond his control.
There were certain forces at play which sought to harm the Desgarron Family.
Rey could tell.
The Culprit was merely a symptom.
This showed a much bigger problem at hand, and Rey could already feel a deep scheme brewing in the background.
He didn’t want to be a part of it.
