Dunn set down his knife and fork. His gray eyes met Closia's as he said earnestly:
"Ma'am, you've already done so much for me... I can't take anything more from you."
"You're as honest as ever, Dunn." Closia smiled and shook her head. "But your 'performance' this time did make my ritual go quite smoothly. I gave every spectator who took part a thank-you gift, let alone the two of you... So don't refuse!"
Closia sounded so serious that Dunn assumed the gift was part of the ritual. After some thought, he nodded. "All right... What are my three choices?"
"First, a year's use of the armor my husband built...
"I won't be accompanying you from now on, so I originally planned to take the armor back...
"But if you need it, I can lend it to you for a year. However, I need to form the Persona Masks of 'Iron Man' and 'Doctor Strange.' Even if you keep the armor, you can't use it to play the hero anymore, or do anything else that goes against its 'fictional persona.' Of course, I won't interfere if you use it for revenge or other things that won't have much impact."
At that, she looked at Abner. "The same goes for your 'Doctor Strange'... Consider this a request."
Now that he had advanced to Mysticism Mentor, Abner had no intention of using his Doctor Strange identity again. "Feel free to use that identity," he said generously.
He still didn't know what gift Closia had prepared for him, but he doubted she would let him come out on the losing end.
Satisfied with Abner's answer, Closia nodded and continued speaking to Dunn:
"Second, the Potion formula for Spirit Warlock.
"That will take a little time, though... I have a way to obtain it,