"What Book of Array?"
She looked at my face for a few moments before she took another bite from the biscuit.
"A book containing arrays," she answered with a straight face before she sighed and continued,
"It's something of a powerful artifact that the dark mages think exists here in Border Town."
"Is that why the number of dark mages have increased?" I asked with a slight pause.
"Yeah. Supposedly they need people who can control arrays… especially Dark Mages," she spoke as her eyes looked at Anna.
"Her father?" I asked, as I got the hunch as to why she was here right now.
"Have you heard of the Crazy Manipulator?" She asked as she took another sip of the tea. Noticing that the cup was almost over, I then poured another cup for her.
"The Dark Mage with string magic?" I wondered if there was any connection between the two.
"He is the kids' father," she took another bite as she wavered in between. It was my turn to be surprised as I looked at her.
"But…" I wanted to ask about the connection, but I paused as I saw her face while she closed her eyes for a few moments.
"He has two identities… that is all I can tell you. Wesker. If you are going to protect them, you might get involved in a mess that would shake not only the Border Town, but three nations. Be careful," she warned me with a serious expression.
I looked at her with a thankful smile before speaking,
"It's a beautiful town, Mrs. Thompson. I would like to stay here for quite a long time."
"I would too, Wesker. Anyways… I came here to ask for something. Can you install some defensive arrays throughout the city and surrounding area? Perhaps offensive as well, just in case?" She spoke as she looked at me with a hopeful gaze.
"Wouldn't that give me quiet control of the city? Are you sure you want that?" I asked straightforwardly.
"If you can stop this disaster, then you are already a powerhouse in this city. Putting you as the city's ruler won't be far-fetched either," she spoke without any hesitation. Her eyes looked rather sad than joking.
"Duke?" I asked curiously.
"He will run away tomorrow," she spoke without shedding even a single remorse as she continued,
"Fucker got sold for 10,000 Gold coins!"
Another piece of information that kind of shocked me. It wasn't a bad thing at all for me… in fact; it was an opportunity for me to take complete control over the town.
"Well. Back to the main point. Will you install them? I will pay you handsomely after all the shits are over," she spoke as she put down her cup and I closed my eyes for a brief moment.
'I can't tell her that I had already installed both offensive and defensive arrays in this town,' I thought before I opened my eyes and nodded,
"Okay. I will do it."
A smile blossomed on her face as she looked at me. She then put her cup forward as I refilled it before she continued,
"About Morpheus. Just pass on the news with the added fact that I want to hire him for a week to protect this town."
I looked at her and nodded before speaking," I will pass this on to him."
A silence covered the room before she asked what was in her heart," As his friend… do you think he will accept?"
"Well… I won't go as far as to call him my friend. But if you are asking about whether he will take the job, then yeah…. It doesn't break any of his rules, so it's fine," I explained, making her widen her eyes before a sigh of relief escaped her mouth.
-Thud!
Leena opened the door in a hurry as she saw me and Mrs. Thompson sitting and talking comfortably while Anna was peacefully sleeping on the floor.
"Now then. I will be leaving. It is going to be a long night. Hopefully, you can complete the task by the end of the week… we don't have much time," she spoke as she stood up and moved towards the door.
"Sure. Take care of yourself and your children. I would like them to visit sometimes too," I spoke as I saw her walking away.
Leena slowly stepped aside in fear as she walked outside the shop, before she fell on her knees once again.
Sweat broke out of her forehead as she looked at me with a half crying face. I smiled at her as I spoke,
"Seems like you guys had it rough. Next time, don't get out of the shop at night."
She nodded as she spoke,"Wesker…. Thank you."
Her look reminded me of the last time this even happened, but this time she was much more thankful. The impact must have been much worse this time.
"Is she fine?" Leena asked, looking at Anna.
"I erased a bit of her memories, but overall, she is fine. You can explain things to her later once she wakes up," I explained, and a relieved look appeared on Leena's face.
"I… think we should get out of here," she spoke as she looked at me. Her eyes seemed to be trying to decide between whether to leave or stay.
"Well… That's up to you. Though it would be better if you wait for the day to come. This city's night isn't really everyone's cup of tea," I said as I poured another cup of tea, this time for Leena.
She didn't speak anything as she nodded and then slowly sat here Mrs. Thompson was sitting. Her eyes were still scared a bit. She was looking at the table while her body seemed to be shaking a little.
"Tea?" I asked as I passed down the cup and slowly she took it before sipping it slowly.
"It has herbal effects that should help you calm down," I added as I served another set of biscuits and then stood up, moving to the open door.
Closing the door, I then closed the curtains as well before speaking,
"I am in the storeroom. Do not disturb me until anything important comes up."
I did not hear any answer from Leena as she simply kept sipping the tea. And after taking a second look at her, I then moved towards the storeroom where I was going to place my own bed.
"Wesker… Thank you again," Leena spoke while she kept looking at the tea.
"It's fine. Have a good sleep," I answered before entering the storeroom where I set my bed and began sleeping on it.
'Let's not save tonight,' I thought as I went to sleep directly.
Because I was both mentally and physically exhausted so much, it didn't take even a moment before I fell asleep.
.
.
I had a dream.
"Adam… Run…"
A male voice crying, asking me to run.
"Find them!!"
And the furious voice of an old lady chasing me.
"Adam… Run…"
I was running through the desert, not daring to look back. My body was shivering and shaking as if I ran away from an ice factory or something.
My body getting weaker every step that I took through the sand, making it difficult to move.
"There he is!!!"
The furious lady shouted from behind, and my heart skipped a beat as I started running even faster.
But then…..
"Fire!!"
She shouted as the sound of gunshots began from behind.
-Bam!
And a single thud woke me up as I returned to the storeroom.
My body was full of sweat as I could feel myself shaking even now.
And when I looked around, I found Anna standing there collecting the piles of books around her feet. I guess, the last sound came from the falling of the books.
"Okay?" she asked as she looked at me with a concerned look.
"Just had a bad dream," I said as I held my head for a moment before wiping the sweat from my face.
Meanwhile, Anna moved closer to me and held my hand as she asked,
"Heal?"
I shook my head as I patted her head and said,"it's fine. Thank you for worrying about me."
She nodded as she stood there silently. I looked around for a moment before standing up and removing my shirt.
"Where is Leena?" I asked while changing and Anna spoke," Outside. Cleaning."
Moving outside the door, while the dream still lingered in my mind, I saw Leena cleaning the shop just like Anna said.
"Good Morning," Leena spoke as she looked at me with a smile while I nodded at her. Outside, the sun shines brightly, stating the day is almost past 10 AM now.
Not including that strange dream and the situation of Anna and Leena, I guess I have to check the arrays outside the forest.
Not only that, but also about the dark mages that are within the town. Obviously including Anna and Leena's father, since that could solidify our bond once and for all if done right.
Free slav- I mean, people who can help out of their own good will should never be rejected.