Reunion

Dud Town

As Glen neared the town, he noticed a large group of officers patrolling the area, which struck him as unusual.

Had something happened recently in Dud Town? It seemed like a serious matter... Glen paused for a moment to observe, then continued on his way.

A few of the officers saw him approaching and immediately walked over. With a stern tone, one of them asked, "Stop, what are you doing?"

"I'm bringing in pigs to sell," Glen replied, stepping aside to make way for them.

The officer in charge gestured to the others, and they moved to inspect the cart. They pushed the dead pigs around, some even taking out daggers to peel back parts of the skin and check for any abnormalities inside.

Glen stood to the side, not particularly concerned about the handling of the pigs. It didn't affect the quality of the meat, so he let them do as they pleased.

After a few moments of sweating and fumbling with the pigs, the officers seemed either tired or unable to find anything suspicious. They stepped back, shaking their heads at their leader, signaling that there was nothing unusual.

Only then did they allow Glen to pass.

As Glen adjusted the pigs on the cart, the officers watched in astonishment. One of them, impressed, said, "He's so thin and tall, but his strength is impressive!"

This time, the business in Dud Town was much quieter, which Glen had expected. If every trip was as successful as the first two, he would have earned the town's entire wealth within a few months, and that wasn't realistic.

Still, even a slower business day earned him far more than most common folk made. He remained cheerful, quickly becoming familiar with some repeat customers, even sharing a laugh or two between transactions.

After sending off one of his customers, Glen heard a familiar voice call his name.

"Glen, Mr. Glen!"

Leila appeared from somewhere, lifting her skirt with both hands, her face lighting up with joy.

"Leila, long time no see! Don't you have school today?" Glen asked with a smile, wiping the blood off his hands with a cloth.

"Yes, my friends wanted to go out, so I was dragged along with them," Leila responded, her smile radiant as she laughed. Then, her eyes widened in realization. "Are you selling meat? That seems like a lucrative business!"

"I live near a town with a lot of animals, so I figured I'd bring some here to sell," Glen explained.

"That's really impressive!" Leila exclaimed, before suddenly looking a little awkward. "I hope I'm not disturbing your business."

Seeing the way she looked, Glen found it amusing. He waved his hand dismissively. "No worries, it's not a problem. Don't be so stiff."

Before they could talk further, a voice came from behind.

"Leila, is this gentleman your friend?"

A red-haired, slightly plump young man was walking toward them, accompanied by two other boys and a girl.

"These are my classmates and friends—Bock, Meyer, Deyamella, and Pernas," Leila introduced them with a smile.

She then turned to the group and added, "Everyone, this is Mr. Glen. He's a really kind person."

"Hello, Mr. Glen," the three boys greeted politely.

Only the blonde girl named Pernas kept her face covered with her hand, looking away, silent, and maintaining some distance from Glen's stall.

Glen nodded in response, noticing the girl's reaction. He looked at her for a moment, offering a meaningful smile.

Leila, noticing the awkwardness, apologized. "Sorry, Mr. Glen. Pernas has a bit of a strange temperament. Please don't take offense."

Just as Glen was about to assure her, Pernas walked over to the girl and tugged at her dress, pulling her a little way off. She whispered, "Pernas, you're being so rude! Go apologize to Mr. Glen!"

But Pernas countered, "Leila, my dear friend, why are you hanging around with someone like him? Just look at him—he's filthy, covered in blood, and the smell is terrible! It's disgusting! Let's go, forget about him!"

Leila was stunned by Pernas's harsh words. She couldn't believe that such things were coming from a friend she thought she knew well. Although Pernas was a noble, she had always been kind to her friends, and Leila had assumed that she was different from those other high-and-mighty noble girls. But now...

Her face flushed with anger, and she could barely contain her shock at what Pernas had said.

Glen, although standing at a distance, had excellent hearing and caught every word of their conversation.

As the rift between the two girls seemed on the verge of deepening, Glen spoke up, cutting through the tension.

"Leila, what happened to that greedy little girl? Isn't she with you guys today?"

Leila, about to explode with anger, heard Glen's voice and, with a huff, shot her best friend an irritated look before running back toward Glen's stall, leaving him somewhat confused.

The three boys who had followed behind them stood there, puzzled and unsure of what was going on.

"Mr. Glen, I must apologize again on Pernas's behalf. She didn't mean what she said, really," Leila said, bowing slightly.

Glen stopped her with a hand. "That's enough. You've been raised too well by your mother. You don't have to be so polite with me. I won't argue with a little girl."

Perhaps out of respect for her benefactor, or for some other reason, Leila always tried to maintain politeness and reserve when speaking to Glen.

Leila, a little embarrassed by his words, muttered, "I'm really sorry."

Not far away, Pernas, who had been holding her nose and looking away, seemed to react when she heard Glen refer to her as a "little girl." Her expression changed, and she turned to look back, as though she wanted to argue. But after a brief moment, she swallowed her frustration and turned away.

Glen noticed Pernas's reaction but only smiled to himself inwardly.

He turned to Leila and asked, "Now, answer me—where's that little girl, Bonnie? Why isn't she with you today?"

A shadow passed over Leila's face, and she hesitated before replying, "Bonnie... she's not feeling well and didn't want to come out..."

"Is it because of you...?" Glen was about to ask if it had anything to do with her father, but reconsidered, clearing his throat. "Is it because of the danger we ran into that day?"

Leila was surprised. "Mr. Glen, how did you know?"

"The officers came to ask me about it. How could I not know?" Glen shrugged casually.

Leila looked concerned. "They didn't trouble you, did they?"

"No, they just wanted to investigate what happened that day," Glen explained.

"That's a relief." Leila sighed in relief, her hand resting over her chest.

Glen saw another customer coming and quickly began serving, continuing his questions as he worked. "So, tell me, what's going on with Bonnie? Is she too scared? Has she developed some kind of mental block? Is she still shaken up by what happened?"

At this, Leila's expression shifted to one of disbelief, and her voice was tinged with surprise. "Mr. Glen, you're absolutely right!"