Hero?

Ravel, attempting to push away some of the hunger gnawing at him by distracting himself with chaotic thoughts, didn't notice the approaching footsteps.

Glen walked up to him, stopping about half a meter away, and observed Ravel's haggard appearance. Instead of feeling sympathy, he let out a light chuckle.

"Heh... looks like you've finally realized your situation. You did a decent job with the work," Glen remarked.

Glen had already taken a look earlier, and though it didn't quite meet his high standards, it was still enough to merit praise.

Hearing Glen's words, Ravel weakly turned his head, and upon seeing Glen, he gathered what little energy he had left and said,"I… I've done what I was supposed to do. Please, can you give me something to eat…?"

Glen tossed him a piece of bread carelessly. "Eat this to fill your stomach first. I'll give you more when we get back to the house."

Ravel's eyes immediately lit up at the sight of the plump, white bread. Without hesitation, he grabbed it and devoured it in a few quick bites, disregarding any image or dignity.

Wiping his mouth, he continued to look at Glen, still longing for more.

Knowing that the bread wasn't nearly enough to satisfy him, Glen glanced around, then said,"Let's head back, little noble. I hope you remember this lesson. Next time, you'll need to work harder."

At this point, Ravel didn't dare to argue. He simply nodded vigorously.

The two quickly made their way back into the village.

Once inside the house, Glen asked Tia for help, preparing dinner. Tia was overjoyed at the request. She had been longing to taste Glen's cooking for quite a while, as she believed his food was far superior to many of the chefs in noble households.

Soon, the rich aroma of the food began to fill the house, making Ravel, who was practically starving, lose his senses in anticipation.

The hunger was unbearable, and it felt like hours before the dishes finally appeared on the table. To Glen, the dishes were plentiful and simple, typical of home-cooked meals.

Since there was no rice, they ate the food with bread instead, but it was still delicious.

Ravel, clearly not thinking, was about to grab the spoon and dive into the dishes before Glen, with a quick flick of his chopsticks, knocked his hand back.

"Patience!" Glen said firmly.

Ravel had no choice but to sit and wait, obeying the rules. Only after Glen picked up his chopsticks did he dare to devour the food with abandon.

Normally, Glen wasn't one to pay attention to such minor details, but when it came to someone like Ravel, a noble brat, he preferred to be strict.

In the past, his father would always hit him for eating before being allowed, and now, Glen found the role of the "teacher" rather satisfying.

Meanwhile, Tia, who had maintained her impeccable manners, observed Glen being reprimanded. Instead of being upset, she thought to herself,"Heh, Young Master never listens. Serves him right."

Then she suddenly realized,"Oh no! How could I think like that? He's the Young Master! That's so disrespectful!"She chastised herself silently, then focused on enjoying the delicious meal she had helped prepare.

Maybe it was the effect of her thoughts, but today's food tasted even better than usual.

Having expended quite a bit of energy today, Glen ate far more than usual. But he had planned for this, so he wasn't in danger of going hungry.

After dinner, as Glen noticed the familiar presence of the old man, he sent Tia to clean up and told Ravel to tidy up his "room." Glen himself went out to greet the old man, who was just passing by.

"Old man, where have you been? Took you long enough to come back. I need to ask you something—what's the deal with that female mage? She seems like no ordinary person…"

The old man, still not accustomed to Glen's talkative nature, didn't have much choice but to respond calmly,"Looks like you've met her. Didn't you ask her yourself?"

"That kind of question is rude to ask face-to-face," Glen replied, walking up to the old man.

At that moment, Glen noticed the old man was carrying a bag on his back, and from the slight opening of the bag, a pair of round, curious eyes peeked out.That wasn't the rottweiler the old man had recently acquired, was it? Ah, so he went to pick up this little guy… Glen realized.

"Deva is the chief mage of the Mage Tower in Bartsy's main city. Of course, her background isn't simple," the old man answered Glen's question directly.

Bartsy's main city was the same place where both Bayek and Duder came from.In the Kingdom of Zern, a "main city" was more or less like a metropolis, comparable in size to the large cities Glen knew from his past life. The closer a city was to the capital, the more prosperous it was.

"The chief mage? Now that sounds impressive," Glen nodded in agreement.

From the original owner's memories, the chief mage of a main city was a figure that their entire family looked up to with awe.

The old man, noticing Glen's reaction, asked out of curiosity,"Aren't you interested in magic? Why didn't you ask her to take you as her apprentice and test your elemental affinity?"

Hearing this, Glen could only laugh helplessly."She wanted to make me an experiment, of course, I refused. In that case, how could I ever ask her for anything?"

"She wanted you as a research subject, you mean? Deva isn't the kind of mage who sacrifices others' lives for her experiments. Being her research subject wouldn't harm you. You could've agreed to it."

"I don't want anyone knowing too much about me. It makes me feel unsafe," Glen rolled his eyes.

"Hmm… that makes sense," the old man nodded thoughtfully after hearing Glen's reasoning.

As he was digesting this "wise" piece of advice, the old man suddenly felt a tap on his arm.

He looked at Glen, who had an almost mischievous look on his face."Old man, as a PhD in magic research, you must know more than one mage, right? Could you introduce me to some?"

I knew you weren't up to any good! the old man thought to himself.

"Sorry, I don't have that kind of influence," the old man replied stiffly, quickening his pace to leave.

Ha! As if I'm going to waste a magic user's favor on you… The old man thought as he hastened his steps and soon broke into a run, heading home.

"Old man! Old man! Hey! Can we talk some more? … Tch! So stingy!" Glen yelled after him, but received no response, his frustration growing.

Meanwhile, in Duder Town.

Compared to Bayek's quiet surroundings, Duder was alive with commotion.The news that the missing children had been found spread like wildfire, quickly reaching both the town and the surrounding areas.

The families of the lost children buzzed like a swarm of bees, rushing to the Duder Police Station.Upon being reunited with their children, some parents embraced their kids, crying tears of relief, while others angrily cursed those who had taken their children.Even those who weren't directly involved in the event found themselves moved by the atmosphere, shedding tears of their own.

For example, Leila and her daughter, who had just returned not long ago.

"We really need to thank these brave officers. If it weren't for them, these children might not have been reunited with their families," Leila, an emotional girl, had been wiping her eyes since the moment she arrived, and now her eyes were puffy and red.

But as soon as she spoke, one of the officers who overheard her chuckled and replied,"This credit isn't ours. The real heroes are someone else."