Rebecca left Eleanor's office and went straight to the counter. On the way, she got a glance at the hooded figure.
The figure was a muscular man with a sturdy build and a tall height. He wore leader shoes that shined, while the rest of his attire was normal. He wore a hoodie that covered his head and hid his face.
That was totally normal clothes to be worn in the early morning while jogging, and there was nothing suspicious about it.
Rebecca got to the counter and said, "I apologize for the inconvenience. I got rather occupied with something."
Rebecca thought the customer was waiting at the counter to get the bill, but upon noticing that his hands were empty, she sharpened her gaze and became cautious.
"Are you here to ask something about your shopping? Is there something you are interested in? I will take you to the row shelves."
However, the man didn't respond.
"..." Rebecca had started to feel uneasy, but there was nothing she could do. Her job was to deal with all types of customers, including drunkards and people with issues.
"Is there anything you need?" Rebecca asked again, this time a little louder.
"Yessss…" The man finally responded with a sharp husky voice.
'This person doesn't seem to be native. Maybe he is having trouble understanding me or my accent?' Rebecca wondered.
"What do you need?" she asked in a clear voice.
The man was facing the floor, but after Rebecca asked him, he raised his head and looked at her with a wide grin on his face. But the grin seemed creepy rather than friendly.
'Don't judge people too quickly without knowing the full story.' Rebecca recalled Eleanor's voice and refrained from reacting to the man's grin.
"I need… Rrrrrudiiii."
"Hmm? What was that? Radish?"
"No, no." The man shook his head. "Rrudi."
Rebecca raised her brow and repeated what the man said, "Rudi…?"
Her eyes widened in epiphany.
She quickly stepped back and made a run to Eleanor's office, but the man followed her, and he ran faster than Rebecca. Even if she managed to reach Eleanor's office, she would be caught while opening the door, or the man would enter Eleanor's office with her.
However, before Rebecca could reach Eleanor's office, the door suddenly opened, and Eleanor walked out with a double-barrel shotgun in her hand.
She pulled Rebecca behind her with one hand and pointed the gun at the man.
"Take one step closer, and I will blow your head."
"Oui~" The man scoffed while grinning. "A gun. West is scarry~"
"This is licensed. Don't worry. And I can shoot you in self-defense. I already have the footage as proof," Eleanor responded nonchalantly.
"Scarry woman~"
"Step back and get out of the store. I have already called the cops. You won't get far even if you run."
"Oho! Cops? They arree not allowed herre."
After hearing that, Eleanor raised her brow and moved her finger to the trigger. Only a few people knew that the cops weren't allowed in the town while on duty.
"Who are you?" Eleanor asked.
The man raised his hands in the air and said, "Don't worrry~ I am not here to harrm you. You… are prrotected… and…. marrked… by him. If I trry to harrm you, I will die."
"Good, looks like you have done your homework."
"Yess~ I never let my prrreyy escape."
Eleanor pressed the trigger and fired a shot, which only grazed the man's cheek. She quickly reloaded the gun using her thighs as support.
"Before you say anything, I missed that on purpose. The next shot will blow your head. I will count to three. Leave this store without turning around."
"Otherrrwisssee?" The man snickered.
"I will—"
"Yess." The man interrupted Eleanor and spread his arms wide. "Go ahead and shooot me."
Eleanor lowered the gun and said, "I warned you."
"Wh-what are you doing?!" Rebecca exclaimed. "Why did you lower your gun?!"
Eleanor turned around and placed her arm around Rebecca's shoulder.
"Close your eyes."
"What are you—"
ZAP! BOOM~!
Rebecca turned around to see that the man was nowhere to be seen, and the ceiling of the store had a massive hole in it.
"What… did... you do?" she asked with a baffled look on her face.
"That wasn't me."
"..."
Eleanor turned to Rebecca and said, "One thing you need to know is that Rudy is always here for us. He wouldn't let us be harmed, no matter what type of evil it is. We are not lucky, nor he comes at the right time; he comes when he feels something is wrong.
Once he has marked us, his powers warn him even if he himself doesn't realize it." She shrugged her shoulders and said, "I know this because I have been saved by him multiple times. That is why I have never been afraid of anyone, except the fear of losing him— which I know will never happen because he is the strongest."
"Yes, but…" Rebecca looked at the ceiling and muttered, "That man could have harmed us. He would have killed me if you hadn't come out at the right time!"
"No. We are marked. No evil can harm us. Had he touched us, he would have been incinerated."
"What if… he hadn't touched us to kill us?! What if he had used a weapon? Or another way to kill that doesn't require touching?"
"That doesn't work either," she shrugged. "What do you think was protecting you all this time? The town? No, it was Rudy's spell."
"You…" Rebecca's eyes widened.
"Of course, I knew about the town's spirit. I know the secrets you don't. While you were busy raising Rudy, I kept myself busy discovering more and more about him and his powers."
She handed the shotgun to Rebecca and said, "Wait here. I will claim the insurance."
"..." Rebecca looked at the damage of the ceiling and muttered, "How are you going to explain this to the insurance company?"
Meanwhile, the man crashed onto the mountain in a severely injured state.
