"Oh, Silas, it's you."
Seeing Silas outside the door, Benson greeted him warmly.
"Good evening, Benson." Silas smiled back at him.
Benson Moretti, the eldest of the three Moretti siblings, had bravely shouldered the responsibility of raising his younger brother and sister after their parents passed away.
He not only ensured they had food and shelter but also made sure they could all attend school.
As an older brother himself, Silas greatly admired him for this. Moreover, Benson was socially experienced and well-spoken.
He'd provided Silas with a lot of help when he was looking for a place to rent, and Silas was grateful for that.
"I heard from Klein that you two are going on a business trip together tomorrow.
Are you here to discuss something about the trip? Come on in and have a seat. He'll be out once he finishes making dinner."
Benson sent the young maid back inside, then said to Silas with a smile, welcoming him to come in and sit for a while.
Unlike Silas's situation, Klein's family didn't know he was a Nighthawk.
They thought the Blackthorn Security Company was genuinely a normal company involved in antique protection, so Silas couldn't casually reveal anything in front of them.
"No need, I still have things to do," Silas declined. "Besides, I'm not here to see Klein. I actually have something I'd like to ask of you."
"Me?" Benson asked, puzzled.
"Yes, it's like this. If I'm away on business, Cecilia will be home alone, and I'm a bit worried about her."
Silas spoke frankly about his concerns. "So I was hoping you could keep an eye on my sister.
You don't need to look after her daily needs, just... if something happens, I hope you could help out."
"I understand. That's the kind of thing I should do even without you asking," Benson said with a smile. "Actually, what a coincidence. I was just thinking of asking you the same thing.
Klein just graduated from university not long ago. He's not too familiar with how things work in society yet.
With this business trip, I was hoping to ask you to look after him a bit, too."
Two older brothers, thinking the same thing.
They exchanged knowing smiles.
Since he still needed to hurry and buy a suitcase, Silas didn't linger.
After saying a quick goodbye to Benson, he left Number 2 Daffodil Street.
He went to a luggage shop on the commercial street and bought not only a suitcase for himself but also a smaller, more portable one for his sister Cecilia, along with a good-quality calfskin handbag.
Returning home, he quickly packed his things and had dinner. Silas left Cecilia enough money, reminded her to be careful, and then returned to his bedroom to go to bed.
***
Silas drifted hazily through a dream.
He dreamed he was in his rental apartment from his previous life, drinking soda, scrolling through videos, with a TV and game console nearby.
These things he hadn't touched in so long filled him with nostalgia. Just as he was about to turn on the game console for a few rounds, the world suddenly shook.
The dream, which had been like water vapor, rapidly became clear. The surroundings were familiar... it was the living room on the first floor of Number 6 Daffodil Street, where he was renting.
I'm dreaming?
Strange, I know what I'm doing...
Silas consciously realized he was dreaming.
This feeling seemed familiar, like it had happened before. When was it?
Oh, right, it was when Captain Dunn forcibly pulled me into a dream... As Silas thought about this instinctively, he looked up and couldn't help but jump in fright.
Dunn was pressed against the window glass, staring intently at him!
What does the Captain want?
What should I do?
While Silas's mind raced with confused thoughts, Dunn had already circled around to the door.
He pushed it open and entered without ceremony, barging right in.
He hung his hat and black trench coat on the coat rack behind the door, nodded at Silas, then walked straight over and sat down on the sofa across from him.
No choice. I'll just have to play along.
Silas put on the manner of someone in a dream and asked, "Captain, what's going on?"
"Am I not welcome?" Dunn raised an eyebrow and smiled.
When in someone else's dream, he seemed less serious than usual.
"Uh, of course you're welcome."
Silas's head was spinning. He had no choice but to serve Dunn with the tea on the table. After that, Dunn didn't leave immediately. Instead, he kept examining Silas, as if he himself couldn't quite decide what to do.
Could he be trying to act out "Nightmare"? Whatever you're doing, hurry up and finish your acting, and stop disturbing my sleep! I have a business trip tomorrow!
"On this trip, be careful and watch out for your safety," Dunn suddenly spoke, perhaps because Silas's silent complaints had some effect.
"Huh? Oh, I understand."
"Be careful of that Lanevus. He has a grudge against you, and he still hasn't been caught."
"Understood..."
"Watch out! He's right there behind you."
At that moment, Dunn suddenly pointed behind Silas.
Silas instinctively looked back, and sure enough, Lanevus appeared. Wearing his signature mocking smile, he was making threatening gestures behind Silas.
Uh...
Looking at this "Lanevus," whose image matched the newspapers perfectly, Silas felt somewhat at a loss.
Because this illusion was created by Dunn, who didn't understand the real Lanevus, the real Lanevus hated him so much that if he saw Silas, he'd probably tear him apart alive. He wouldn't just harmlessly try to scare him like this.
Facing "Lanevus," Silas couldn't help glancing at Dunn from the corner of his eye. He noticed the Captain was expecting something.
The Captain wants to scare me.
Should I cooperate with the Captain and pretend to be frightened?
No, if I fake it, it won't provide real "feedback" at all. It won't help the Captain digest his potion and might even affect his understanding of "acting."
In a flash, Silas had made his decision.
Give my most genuine reaction!
"Lanevus, you bastard!" he roared in anger, grabbed the teapot from the table, and with a crash, smashed it over "Lanevus's" head. Fragments scattered across the floor.
Both Dunn and "Lanevus" froze in shock.
They might be stunned, but Silas wasn't. Taking advantage of the moment, he'd already rushed to the coat rack and grabbed the walking stick hanging there.
This walking stick was something Cecilia had bought for him earlier. She felt that as a gentleman, he needed a walking stick.
Silas had carried it around for a few days but felt it wasn't quite right, so he'd tossed it by the coat rack. Now it was coming in handy!
"Whack!"
He charged forward and brought the stick down on "Lanevus's" head!
"Lanevus" collapsed to the ground.
"Whack! Whack!"
"You've got some nerve, daring to come back for me?"
Silas shouted furiously, continuing his assault on the fallen Lanevus.
The walking stick flew freely, swinging in wide arcs as he struck hard against his head and back.
Lanevus held his head, wailing.
Seeing his opponent lose all fighting capacity, Silas swiftly drew his revolver from the holster at his waist and aimed it at his head...
"Whoosh..."
A gust of wind wrapped in black mist came howling, sweeping away everything in that world.
When Silas opened his eyes again, the dream had returned to chaos. Both Dunn and "Lanevus" had vanished without a trace.
Finally gone.
Silas gave a bitter smile. Captain, go bother Klein instead. He's right next door to my next door...
After some time had passed, he finally found his drowsiness again. He let the dream envelop him and fell into a deep sleep.