Brother and Sister

The burly man's words left Bob speechless, and he no longer said anything, standing aside with cold indifference as his two strong men dragged the two helpless girls away. Despite the pleading look in his daughter's eyes, he remained unmoved, still clinging to the delusion that he was her father.

"I'm sorry, Bonnie, I shouldn't have brought you here…" Layla sobbed, speaking softly to Bonnie, filled with regret. She wished she hadn't invited her friend along if she had known things would turn out this way.

Bonnie, however, remained silent, her body trembling uncontrollably, tears streaming down her face.

"Ugh…" A growl, low and resembling that of a vicious dog, broke the silence, causing all five of them to freeze in shock.

The two thugs instinctively turned around, their eyes widening in terror as they saw what was coming toward them, forcing them to loosen their grip on the girls. This allowed Layla and Bonnie to break free.

From the depths of the foggy woods, a massive silhouette of a beast became clear, its glowing single eye fixed on the two men, exuding an aura of malice. The growl sounded like a warning, much like an aggressive dog would issue to an intruder.

Though these men were no strangers to the criminal world and had even heard rumors about magical beasts, seeing one in person was entirely different. The sensation of not being in control of their own lives left them shivering with fear.

Bob, too, noticed the beast. His lips trembled, and he wet himself in terror, immediately screaming, "Oh my God, don't come any closer!"

As his shout echoed, Bob turned and ran, and the two burly men snapped out of their stupor, following suit in a mad dash, abandoning their mission entirely.

Having broken free, Layla and Bonnie clung to each other tightly, not daring to look around but only hearing the frantic shouts of the men behind them. They knew what had frightened the men, but neither dared to lift their eyes to confirm it.

After a few seconds, Layla mustered the courage to slowly raise her head. There was no one else in sight. She squinted toward the direction from which the growl had come but saw nothing unusual.

"We… we should leave. Bonnie, get up," she urged, helping her terrified friend to her feet. After brushing the dirt off Bonnie's skirt, she did the same for herself, and together, the two girls cautiously began walking back toward Dud Town.

Back in the Room

Glen was packing up, preparing to take the beast into the forest surrounding Bäyek Town for a hunt, intending to sell the game in Dud Town afterward. This was his temporary plan for income.

Just as he finished packing his tools, he heard a faint sound outside his room. Glen put his things down and opened the door. Standing in front of him was the beast, its fierce face peering in, a single glowing eye fixed on him, and saliva dripping steadily to the ground.

"What is it?" Glen raised an eyebrow.

The beast licked its nose and opened its jaws slightly, letting out a series of unintelligible whines—sounding both human and somewhat comical.

Though others might not understand what the beast was trying to communicate, Glen could.

"You mean… those two girls ran into three men, and you scared them off?" Glen guessed, trying to piece together the beast's message.

After a brief pause, he narrowed his eyes and muttered, "It's strange. It's unlikely anyone would wander so close to here and coincidentally block Layla and the others... Hmph, they must have been targeting either Layla or Bonnie. Well, as long as they're safe, that's what matters."

Noticing that the beast hadn't moved and was still staring at him with an eager expression, Glen paused, sensing the desire in its eyes. With a slight change in tone, he said, "Well done."

The beast immediately perked up, its whole body shaking with excitement, as if it were a large dog wagging its tail in glee.

Glen was both surprised and somewhat amused. "You're such a strange creature…" he said, quickly pulling the beast back from jumping around the yard to avoid any damage.

It was clear that the beast was quite joyful after receiving praise. Glen had never seen such an exuberant display from it before.

Realizing the commotion might have drawn the attention of some neighbors, Glen gave a casual glance toward one of the houses where he felt the gaze coming from. After the beast had left, he grabbed his tools and prepared to head out.

Inside the House

In a two-story house just outside the town, a puppet wearing a blue vest peeked out from behind a window curtain. As the house darkened again, only the faint flicker of a candle illuminated the room.

"That new neighbor is too noisy. It will disturb Aina," the puppet muttered, its voice monotone without any inflection.

"Parindis, you're being too petty. It's boring around here anyway. Isn't it better to have some noise?" A second voice responded, equally devoid of emotion, though it sounded like a young, cute female voice.

"I'm just concerned for you, my sister. I can't bear for anyone to hurt you. I can't accept it."

The blue-vested puppet, Parindis, walked to a wooden table, his joints creaking with each movement.

"Aina, you know I've had enough of this life here, but until we hear from the master, it's better that we stay hidden from others," Parindis continued, his voice growing softer, filled with concern.

Aina, the other puppet, walked toward the flickering candlelight, revealing her form. Unlike Parindis, Aina looked far more human, with delicate features, flowing golden hair, and an elegant dress, like a princess from a fairy tale. It was clear her creator had poured much more effort into her design.

"I know you've had enough of this, but staying locked up here won't get us any closer to the master's whereabouts. How can the news ever reach us if we stay cooped up here? You've got a wooden head!" Aina teased with a playful tone.

Parindis was about to argue, but then fell silent, realizing he couldn't refute her logic.

Seeing her brother's lack of response, Aina softened her tone and added, "My dear brother, perhaps the master is out looking for us. Even if we don't go searching, we should at least be nearby and listen for news. Staying here all the time is going to make my body start growing mushrooms…"

Parindis almost retorted that their bodies couldn't actually grow mushrooms, but instead he relented with a sigh. "Fine, but only around the area. We're not going farther."

Aina's face lit up, and she gave her brother a quick kiss on the cheek. "I love you, brother!"

Outside the Town

Glen rode on the beast's back, traveling through the thick forest. When he first arrived in this world, he had noticed the numerous animal tracks and droppings, indicating that hunting would not be difficult here.

With his enhanced senses, the various scents in the air were easily identifiable to him. Right now, he was tracking a group of wild boars, their scent being one he had memorized from a previous encounter. Tracking them now would be much easier.