She acknowledged Wayne's guesses with her expression, but she dropped the childish accent and naive look she had used to mimic a typical twelve-year-old.
She said to Wayne, "Master Mathias underestimated you. Everyone did. The agents who claim to have known you for years, including Korin, called you a mindless fool. They didn't believe you were hiding anything; they thought you had an expert guiding you."
"You fooled everyone. You know things that even the Master doesn't know."
"So, Boss, now that you know who I am, what is your next move?"
Wayne spread his hands. "I'm a net cafe owner. I want to play games, watch movies, eat snacks, and make money."
"I guessed half of it the night you arrived, but I couldn't be sure. Earlier, before your father left, he realized I saw the truth. He was ready to kill me with his claws and take you away, until..."
Tess showed an expression opposite to her previous indifference: "Until what?"
Wayne tilted his head. "Until he said his daughter has to eat better, live better, and have a better life than me from now on..."
Wayne reached into his pocket for the four banknotes the King had given him, but his pocket was empty.
Tess, whose eyes had been red a moment ago, flicked her left hand. The four banknotes appeared between her fingers.
Wayne looked at her. "When did you steal those?!"
Tess gave a proud "Humph." "I'm a Greymane. Even without the curse, the talent for being a Rogue is in my blood."
Wayne: "I've been raising a thief."
He paused. "But you saw it—even he couldn't do anything to me."
Tess nodded. "I watched that night. Shadowstep and Cloak of Shadows are the Master's secret techniques. No one else uses them, yet you blocked them both."
Wayne: "Who was the other one that night? Shaw's disciple?"
Tess nodded. "He's strong, but nothing compared to the Master."
Wayne: "And what are you? Index Finger Agent? Middle Finger?"
Tess rolled her eyes, put the money back into Wayne's pocket, and returned to her food. "When I went to report, Mathias told me he would take over the mission personally. He said you were a high-tier Expert or a Master, and only he could monitor you safely."
Wayne took a few bites. "That money... you should give it to me."
Tess: "My dad gave it to me! Why should I give it to you?!"
Wayne: "Do you want to play games?"
Tess nodded. "I want to watch movies and play. Watching you is boring. You make me sit there like a hostess serving tea while I'm a Princess!"
Wayne: "Even if you're a Princess, I'm your guardian now."
"I need 500 gold for three more sets of equipment. I can give one to you and launch a better new game."
Tess: "A new game? Is it like hunting dragons? I don't like those as much."
Wayne: "No. This one is competitive. If I fight Master Mathias for real, someone might die. If we fake it, it isn't satisfying."
"In this game, you can fight each other and command armies to take cities."
Tess looked up. She was living abroad to avoid the curse, but her homeland faced many threats. If she learned to lead an army in Wayne's game, she might one day help her father reclaim Lordaeron.
"You aren't lying?"
"I'm a net cafe owner, not a Rogue."
"Fine. We are on the same boat. I can't spend this. A twelve-year-old with 500 gold is a target."
She handed the four banknotes to Wayne. "Where do you buy the equipment?"
Wayne smiled. "I haven't asked about your mother, your contact, or how your father entered Goldshire unnoticed. After this meal, you are still Tess, and I am the Boss."
"We both have secrets. Knowing too much causes trouble."
Tess smiled, then pulled two iron rods from her boot.
Wayne: "What are you doing?!"
Tess looked at him with a smirk. "Wait until it gets dark."
They finished eating and went back to the net cafe. Raymond and the others watched them but saw nothing unusual. Wayne returned to his movie, and Tess resumed her seat at the counter.
At 8:00 PM, the business hours ended for the customers. They said their goodbyes. Marlin and Zaldimar discussed magic with Andromath, while Ana went to the inn.
Sandar invited Wayne outside for a short talk. Soon, the Warlocks left, leaving only Wayne and Tess. Wayne locked the door, pulled the curtains, and they watched a movie together.
At midnight, Wayne was tired, but Tess was alert. "It's time. Stay inside." She stood up, took the iron rods, and walked toward the door.
Wayne looked out the window. He saw Bowles walking out of the inn toward the latrine, followed by a guard.
Wayne pulled Tess back. "The Warlock Guild wants him alive. He's useful."
Tess pulled away. "I won't kill him."
She vanished.
"Stealth," Wayne muttered. He watched through the curtains.
The guard followed Bowles to the latrine and was immediately hit by Tess's Sap. He fell to the ground. Inside, Bowles groaned in pain from his existing injuries.
When Bowles finished and opened the door, he saw the guard on the ground. Before he could shout, Tess hit him with a sequence of Garrote, Backstab, Kidney Shot, and Rupture.
He couldn't scream.
Wayne watched from the window. The iron rods wouldn't kill him, but Bowles wouldn't be leaving his bed for months.
When the silence was broken, Bowles shrieked on the street: "Help! Murder! I'm never coming back here!"
Shouts came from the inn. Wayne opened a side window, and Tess flipped back inside.
Wayne: "Feel better?"
Tess hid the iron rods under the counter and smoothed her hair. "Yes. After this movie, I want to play that new game."