บท 5: Mr. Preston's Book
Walking out into the fog Fedrick soon found himself once again on the busy streets of New Draklanka. "I knew it was busy... How did it change so much?" Just as he was lost in thought a woman ran up to him.
"Sir I finally found you! We were supposed to have the meeting with the Fenrir group half an hour ago! We are going to be an hour late! We need to go!" Seeing his secretary Fedrick calmed himself as he put on a nueteral expression as he looked at her like she meant nothing. Despite his happy and casual demeanor from before, now he looked like a stone block.
"Alright let's go." Leaving it at that he followed her to a car.
The secretary looked at him with great curiosity as before this he had always been on time for everything and no matter what he always focused on work. For the first time in the three years she had worked for him, he had a book and a key with a gem at the end. The key was clearly a decorative piece and the book for leisure. Still, as much as she wanted to ask him about it, she did her job first and quickly made preparations for the meeting that they were late for.
Fedrick on the other hand looked at the book and key he had been gifted. "A key with a gem? He said it would help me find him again, he probably meant symbolically. As for this..." Throwing the key in his pocket he ignored it and focused on the golden cover of the book.
"Beautiful color, 'Basics of Personalities and How to Recognize Them'? haha... I guess that would help my problems. Still need to meet the right people don't I?.... I have half an hour to myself in this car might as well see what help you have given me, Alex, I gave you a hundred times the price of a normal book, this better not disappoint me too much."
Ignoring everything else Fedrick opened the book only to be met with random lines that seemed to mean nothing. "Huh?" Focusing on the lines in confusion they seemed to come to life as if by magic the lines that meant nothing became words that perfectly showed an idea. As he focused more the words became clearer and their meaning seemed to reveal themselves.
As if in a trance Fedrick read each page without being able to unfocus himself. Even as the half an hour passed and the secretary opened the door for him.
"Sir? SIR? SIR!" Suddenly feeling angry at the interuption as he stopped looking at the page reluctantly Fedrick looked at his secretary angrily.
"What now!"
"Sir, we are here and the meeting is about to happen."
Looking at the folder that was being handed to him, Fedrick shook his head. "Phone."
Looking at the cold attitude of her boss the secretary could only take out his business phone and hand it to him along with the documents. Surprisingly he ignored the documents and took his phone. He quickly dialed a number whose name was, 'Fenrir - Big Boss' which was quickly picked up.
"WERE ARE YOU!"
"I will call off this meeting we had planned."
"WHAT! YOU SHOULD HAVE SAID SOMETHING YESTERDAY!"
"..."
"Hah, Hah... Fine but this big deal is completely off."
"If you cancel this deal because of this then it shows you don't understand the sympathy I have given you, so all business with your company will be shut down after this."
"You don't have the balls. Our partnership make 20% of your company."
"And I have saved enough to ride past this and keep my business afloat and go further in a month, the question is, can you?"
"FUCK YOU! This deal is of-"
Hanging up the call Fedrick ignored it and told his secretary in a calm voice, "Take me home."
Although shocked she followed his words as she watched her boss become infatuated in the book he bought before. She suddenly felt like she needed to start looking for a new job just in case things went further downhill. She liked this company and her boss, but the sudden change made her worry.
As she dropped him off Fedrick suddenly looked back up from his book and spoke to her in a kinder voice than she had heard before, "Sally, you don't have to worry for this company will just get better with time." He paused before his voice became solem, "That is my guarantee."
Sally stood there in complete shock. "That is the second time he called me by my name..." She stood there for a full twenty minutes before she could focus again and nearly ran away from there. "What kind of changes are you planning? Mr. Preston?"
Sally could only drive away and do her best to deal with what was going to come next after her boss finished that book that seemed to change him completely.
***
Alma stood in front of a guard hut that belonged to a man every orphan knew well. He went by the name Olsen. He was famous for giving food to the poor and looking scary. His entire face was very disfigured and could make a child cry. Still, his kindness won over every child he came across.
"Mr. Olsen!"
"Huh? Who might that be?" Walking out of the hut a heavily disfigured man came out confused. Looking at the thin child who called out to him Olsen smiled and waved a hello. However, a smile on his face looked like someone who wanted to kill instead of a person who was happy to see a child.
"I needed to see you!" Happy that the kind guard was at least here at this early morning Alma quickly set her plan in motion. "I wanted to bet something with you."
"Bet? No child I could never take your money." Shaking his head Olsen quickly denied the girl's suggestion.
"Fine, but at least humor my challenge! I bet I can knock you down and make your head hit the ground. Originally it was going to be a coin, but instead..." Alma paused before gritting her teeth, "I will give you an apple seed if you are still standing!"
Olsen was clearly shocked and looked the thin girl over a few times and wondered why a girl who was all bone would bet against him who was all muscle. He ignored the seed talk he didn't understand, just assumed it was for food. "Are you sure you won't just stab me?" He was not well liked so he quickly came to the conclusion that this girl was just promised to be paid to kill him by one of the guards. She probably didn't even know he helped kids like her.
Alma quickly shook her head, "NO! I could never do that! You have given kids like me food when we were dying of hunger, I could never hurt you!"
Looking at the scared and honest look he was getting from the child he hoped that it was true she wasn't hired to kill him and decided to give her a chance. After all he wouldn't be helping orphaned children if he didn't have hope for humanity. "Alright, fine, go ahead and try your best, I promise a copper coin if you can do it! HAHA!"
Alma's complexion brightened and the first step of her plan started here. "Alright! Here I come."
Not expecting much, Olsen opened his arms and watched as the girl walked towards him. It was then that the girl seemed to become elastic and her movements flowed like water as she approached him at a fast pace. Then, she disappeared... "Huh?" Suddenly he found his knee had been pushed to the ground without him doing anything.
Confused he suddenly found that his body was moving on his own as if it was working against him and making his face fall to the ground. He quickly tried to use his arms to stop his fall only to find that his arms instead moved in just the wrong way allowing his face to hit the dirt.
"I did it!" Olsen quickly stood back up from the ground and looked at the fragile girl behind him. He, a trained soldier, was forced to the ground in seconds by a child not even half his age. Just as she was cheering for herself she paused and put her hands together as if in prayer, "Thank you, God Alex. Thank you for your knowledge for giving me strength." As soon as she stopped she quickly started cheering for herself again as if nothing happened.
Olsen suddenly felt his mind stop, 'God? Did a God really help this child achieve such techniques? Or was it a random traveler? He must be one hell of a teacher to make a child this powerful.'
"Hello, what was your name?" Olsen asked while giving the girl the copper coin he promised.
The girl looked at the coin like a treasure before rejecting it, "No, I don't need it, instead I have a favor to ask. Oh- my name is Alma!"
"Alma is it? A lovely name-"
"Thank you! He bestowed it on me!"
'Bestowed? Is she talking about that god in her prayer?' Shaking his head Olsen spoke with a smile, "Well before I give you a favor could you tell me about that God you were praying to? I haven't heard of an Alex in the pantheon. What type of God is he?"
"Type?"
"Yes, like, what is he like, and what is his divinity? Like Astra the God of the stars and myths."
"Well, he is a super nice God that lives in a library, so God of books and kindness? Oh, he also made an apple branch appear out of thin air! What divinities is that?!"
'Wait made a branch appear out of thin air? Did this girl really meet a God?!' Despite being shocked Olsen suddenly took this girl much more seriously. "So you say he lives in a library? Can you tell me where this library is?"
"It is in the fog!... Well, that is where his bookstore is. That is where I met him!"
'A bookstore in the fog! This is a small town, it doesn't even have enough books to fill a bookshelf much less a library or even a store selling books.' "So books is a big part of him?"
"Yes! It was his book that allowed me to beat you!"
"You can read!"
"No, it was the book that revealed itself to me!" Alma had stars in her eyes the more she thought of the magical book.
'What the heck did this girl experience?' "Uhh- well he is probably the God of knowledge then."
The little girl nodded her head at the assessment. "OHH! Before I forget, my favor I want from y-"
"What the hell is a street rat doing here? Oh wait is it yours? HAHA!"
As if from a book a big bad bully appeared and mocked Olsen and Alma. Olsen on the other hand simply straightened himself and called out respectfully, "Hello Sir Fitzpatrick!"
Despite frowning from the interruption Alma only stayed silent and stood to the side and let Olsen deal with it.
"What are you frowning at little shit." Alma stayed silent. Olsen did the same.
"Humph, At least you know how to shut up. Olsen, for feeding the trash again you will have reduced payment for this month!"
"You can't do that!" Alma quickly defended Olsen.
"Shut up slut!" Fitzpatrick quickly tried to hit Alma only for her new skills to kick in causing him to miss completely. "YOU DARE DODGE!"
As a fight broke out Alma dodged every hit aimed at her while hitting him back at specific spots until a loud *crack* sounded. "AAARGGHHHH-"
"This is what you get." Alma looked down on the man now crying on the ground.
Olsen on the other hand froze completely. He could barely understand how this weak child could beat him, but now he had seen her dodge a hit and even break a solid bone. "H-How?"
"Oh that is the clavicle, one of the weakest bones in the human body."
Suddenly he snapped out of his daze and called out, "Run! He might not be the best fighter, but he is the son of the Baron! He might have gained his position through politics, but he has a lot of power! You need to run! You might fight one barely trained soldier, but soon you will face twenty fully trained soldiers!"
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