Myths Reawakened

“You haven’t told me why you could transform into an elf.” Filomina nudged the tentacles away. When Wayne turned back into his human form, she did, too.

“The original bloodline is complicated. No, maybe it’s the ancient god’s all-encompassing nature...”

Wayne suggested the possibilities and allowed Filomina to fill in the blank. Someone as smart as she was would surely come up with a logical explanation for him.

Filomina pondered. Although she was smart, she was in love.

Wayne pulled her into his arms and attempted to transform again, succeeding without trouble.

Gulp!

He was satisfied with Filomina’s reaction. He should perform this for his other girlfriends, especially Kristen and Vera. Both their evolutions followed the elven path, so they would surely salivate over him.

“Although this works, I’ll need an assisting item...” Wayne mumbled to himself. The solution was simple: an artifact that could store mana.

“Mina, do you have a mana-storing item?”

“Why do you ask?”

“I have so much mana that I’m gonna store some for fun.”

“Lying again!” Filomina rolled her eyes, guessing that it had something to do with his elven transformation. “Your mana is so pure that regular items won’t be able to contain it. I’ll need to pick out three quality gems and forge them with my thoughts. It’ll take time, so come to me in a few days.”

“Thank you. I’ll visit in a few days. You should rest well tonight. I’ll get out of your hair.” Pleased, Wayne turned to leave.

Filomina angrily jumped onto his back and pounded him with her fist. “Bastard, you’re not leaving tonight. Stay with me.”

He just had to anger her all the time.

Wayne shrugged. See, it was the High Reverend who asked him to stay the night.

***

The next morning, at eight o’clock, Wayne left through the sewers under the twins’ derisive gaze. There was a door, and if that didn’t work, there were windows, too. Why did he always leave through the sewers? Didn’t he do enough plumbing last night?

Wayne returned to his residence and changed into clean clothes. While enjoying breakfast, he listened to Veryl’s briefing on his schedule.

They were just like Auston and Megan.

“At noon, you’re going to the detective agency. In the afternoon, you’re visiting Cambrook County. If the trip doesn’t take you too long, you should return just in time for Miss Kristen’s lesson.” Veryl smiled. She would be Mistress Kristen soon if nothing went wrong. There would also be a Mistress Filomina. It was time for Veryl to start including supplements in Master’s daily meals.

Veryl had done the same for Auston back when he was the head butler of the Lando Estate. With Veryl’s expertise, Wayne would never suffer from consuming so many nutrients that they did more harm than good.

“Such a hassle...” Wayne frowned. “Cancel the trip to the detective agency. Mona will do the work for me.”

“Master, Miss Mona asked for your presence. A lady named Solar offered a high price and requested a meeting with you.” Veryl described the lady: a black-haired woman in black clothes, generous with her offers.

“Solar...” Wayne came to a realization. His handler from Franc wanted to talk business.

“When is the meeting going to be, according to Mona’s arrangement?”

“Afternoon tea time.”

“Alright. I’ll head to the detective agency now and take care of work.”

Once in his office, Wayne took a seat and signed the pay slips.

Sitting on his lap, Mona, his secretary, asked curiously, “Boss, who is Solar?”

“You know the answer already,” Wayne said with a smile. “Weren’t you eavesdropping?”

“I wasn’t. I accidentally overheard because I was worried that she would threaten your safety,” Mona admitted to her action in a roundabout way. Then she said tentatively, “Boss, are you really from Franc?”

“No, I’m not. It’s complicated. I’ve taken on multiple undercover works, or do you think I could’ve fooled a demon easily on my first try? I’ve had prior experience.” Wayne patted her on the bottom to stop her from asking too many questions.

Receiving the message, Mona established a soundproofing barrier and got under the desk.

(一`´一)

You misunderstood me.

It would be wrong for Wayne to stop his employee from being ambitious, though. He quietly endured his loss.

In the afternoon, Solar showed up in all black, finalizing the working relationship between Wayne and the Francan intelligence agency. He calculated the time and concluded that the partnership wouldn’t last long. Once Franc raised her hands in surrender, his work would conclude.

Haha. It was something worth laughing about.

Solar was pleased with Wayne’s concession. She immediately gave him two investigation missions, both related to the Tulip Families. She wanted him to get results as soon as possible and contact her via phone. She would visit for his findings and report back to headquarters via radio.

Wayne made a casual sound of agreement. Then he brought the missions to the Lando Estate.

Old man, I brought a business opportunity!

Auston couldn’t be bothered with it, so he called Cumming Fleming. After their talk, Wayne met with the mustachioed man at his detective agency.

(ಠ灬ಠ)

(⁄⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄⁄)

“Isn’t this Brother Mustache? It’s been a while. Your mustache is looking better.”

His once handler became his handler once more. What a small world. Wayne knew that this was MI6’s way of protecting him, though. The fewer people who knew about his identity, the better.

Son of a Beach! The mustachioed man cursed in his mind. Looking at Wayne and his impeccable appearance, he couldn’t be more envious. While they were both spies, Wayne came from a much more affluent background. If Wayne was born with a golden spoon in his mouth, his would be a mud spoon. There was no comparing them.

After a moment, he said, “I know this is an inappropriate question, but I still want to ask. Why would Mr. Lando be willing to send you to Franc when he only has one son?”

“Um...” Wayne was speechless for a moment. “Perhaps I only became the heir of the Lando family because his daughter and I are engaged?”

“No way!” The mustachioed man had thought so in the beginning, but then he compared Auston’s photo with Wayne’s and concluded that if they weren’t father and son, they would have to be siblings.

“Alright, whatever you say. The relationships within a wealthy family are complicated. There was a time when I wasn’t welcomed, and my stepmother even tried to kill me. That was why I went to the military and joined MI6.” Wayne came up with the lies easily.

“I thought as much.” The mustachioed man nodded. That made more sense. The eyesore of an illegitimate son, a ruthless mistress, and a conflicted patriarch—that fit the stereotypes of a rich family.

Wayne rolled his eyes. No one bought it when he told the truth, and rumors ran rampant. Was the world doomed or what?

He left the mission document that Solar had given him on the table, sliding it to the mustachioed man. “I’m in a hurry, so I won’t call the police today. Handle this as soon as possible, but not too soon. Do it at your discretion. Franc is waiting for my response!”

Who’s the handler here?

The mustachioed man felt like a contractor, but he wordlessly left with the briefings. Once the Tulip Families completed their review of the information to be shared, he would bring the information to the detective agency.

It was four o’clock in the afternoon when the mustachioed man left. To make sure he could return in time for Kristen’s nightly tutoring session, Wayne drove to Cambrook without delay, checking in for work.

He didn’t see Ottilia in the library, only a letter she had left for him.

Bad news, she was gone and would never return to Cambrook County. She also took the ancient books she hadn’t finished with her.

Good news, she had moved to Londan and left him with a phone number, so he would get to meet his first love in Londan soon.

“It’s fine for you to leave, but taking my ancient books? You want me to call you.” Wayne huffed, surrendering to the bookish girl’s manipulation.

“Londan again. There are too many of you in the city. Couldn’t you have stayed in Cambrook?”

Muttering complaints, he picked up the phone on the desk and asked Ottilia to have afternoon tea the next day.

She said no to the tea, but yes to reading together.

***

Reading Room, Windsor Museum.

When Wayne spotted Ottilia, she was reading a book in a corner, keeping her delicate face obscured under a cap to avoid attention. He sat down beside her and put a hand on her shoulder like they were an item.

Ottilia rolled her eyes, slapping his hand away in warning. “Don’t mess around here. This isn’t Cambrook County, and I’m not my old self. If someone sees us, you’ll be interrogated or even lose your life.”

“Why? Are you a princess or what?”

Wayne didn’t get it. She didn’t look like the Queen, so they were unlikely to be family.

Ottilia simply smiled, telling him to sit down and read with her.

Behind them, a man who had been going through a shelf slowly looked up. His blond hair peeked out from under his fedora for a moment.

Leno!

He scoffed at Wayne and his messy personal life. With a sneer, he struck Wayne’s name out on his mental list of candidates and adjusted his position to capture the couple with his spy camera, which was slung over his shoulder in a leather case.

It was the latest model of Prussian spy camera, with an intricate design that placed the lens on the side, hiding the fact that the camera was pointing right at the target and making it seem like it was still covered.

The angle was good. The man and woman looked intimate in the shot.

Leno took a few more photos. This was concrete evidence that would eliminate Wayne from the preliminary selection, allowing Flora’s student to take the spot.

Mission accomplished!