Dispute

In the afternoon, two young girls chatted and laughed as they walked along the outskirts.

What they didn't notice was three other young figures quietly trailing behind them.

"They're definitely hiding something from us," muttered Perlnas, wearing a wide-brimmed soft hat and a light-colored dress.

Behind her, two boys followed cautiously — it was Bork and Myer.

Bork looked uneasy. "Perlnas, you should go back. Lady Anya will be angry."

Anya was Perlnas' mother, a noblewoman with a title to her name.

"Shut up, Bork! If you want to go back, go back on your own. Leyla and the others are clearly hiding something from us. I have to see it for myself."

Perlnas' tone was firm.

Myer wanted to speak up to stop her but seemed to expect this, so he was silent.

The two boys couldn't help but think of that imposing, dignified woman and sighed deeply.

Byeck, Outer Forest

Glen changed out of his usual clothes and put on a loose work outfit. Holding a crude bow, he aimed at a target carved on a tree trunk.

With a sharp "whoosh," the wooden arrow hit the bullseye.

This was the only thing he could think of doing after feeding the pigs.

He retrieved the arrow, raised the bow again, and took aim.

But after a second, then two, and three... he finally lowered the bow.

"I never imagined I'd end up doing this. If my friends saw me now, they'd definitely laugh at me." Glen sighed deeply as he looked at his outfit.

He glanced over at Night Howl, the strange creature lying under a tree, bored and swishing its long tail.

It was Glen's pet — he still didn't know exactly how he'd managed to tame it.

As he thought about it, Night Howl suddenly perked up its ears and lifted its head.

Instinctively, Glen looked in the direction Night Howl was staring.

It was then he saw a figure walking toward him — it was none other than Perlnas.

"Looks like you're handling this well," she called out.

"Hmph. This is nothing. How could this little thing be a challenge?" Glen replied nonchalantly.

After a short exchange, Glen walked toward a nearby shed beside the pig pen — a storage building he'd put together when he was building a lumber shelter.

Glen took out a pile of tools and lumber, then grabbed a few logs from somewhere nearby, and started hammering around the pig pen.

While working, he turned to Perlnas and asked, "You see me using this wood — that means I chopped some trees down. Got anything to say about it?"

Perlnas looked at him with confusion. "What's wrong with chopping trees? We forest elves chop trees too. Our mother allows it."

Then she realized, "Oh! I get it. You think forest elves would get angry because you chopped a few trees down? That's a stereotype! Unless you're clear-cutting the forest, we won't mind at all."

"Is that so?" Glen said, surprised.

"Of course! Sometimes we use wood to build houses..."

Just then, Night Howl suddenly stood up and faced a particular direction. Glen did the same.

"What's going on?" Perlnas asked, confused by their sudden reaction.

"Looks like they're coming," Glen muttered under his breath. Then he sniffed the air. "There are more of them coming from behind."

Wait... If there are that many people, maybe I can get them to help with some work... Glen thought, already planning to try.

"You mean someone's coming?" Perlnas asked, her keen elven hearing catching his words.

Glen nodded and set down his tools. "A few friends. Don't worry. I'll go check it out."

"I'm not worried," Perlnas said defensively.

But Glen wasn't paying attention to her. He quickly headed back along the path.

From the trees, he could already spot two girls walking along the road, chatting quietly.

"Leyla! Bonnie! I'm over here!" he called out from a distance.

The two girls jumped in surprise, turning to see Glen's silhouette in the woods. Leyla hesitated and asked, "Is that Glen?"

As he stepped closer, his figure became clear. Glen walked a few steps forward and said, "I thought you two wouldn't come here anymore."

Seeing him in person, the two girls felt at ease and were glad. Bonnie immediately said, "We weren't going to, but I really wanted to see that 'big dog.' I told Leyla about it, and she wanted to see it too."

I knew it... Glen chuckled inwardly but responded, "I told you, it looks pretty terrifying. Are you sure you want to see it?"

"Did you?" Bonnie thought for a moment.

"Didn't I?" Glen shrugged with a smile.

"Doesn't matter! We're still going!" Bonnie said, shaking her head eagerly.

Leyla wore a similar expression of anticipation.

"Alright, alright."

Glen sighed. He had stirred their curiosity, so now he'd have to give them a tour to get them off his back.

"By the way, what about the ones hiding behind the bushes? Are they coming too?"

Just as the two girls were filled with excitement and nerves, Glen suddenly called out to them.

The two girls turned around and saw the bushes rustling. They jumped back, retreating behind Glen.

"Perlnas, we've been spotted," a voice said from the bushes.

"Shut up! He's probably trying to trick us. If you go out, we'll definitely be spotted."

From behind the bushes, a girl and two boys whispered to each other.

"Are we really exposed?"

Just then, Glen's voice rang out from above their heads.

All three screamed and tumbled out of the bushes.

Leyla and Bonnie, still a bit confused, had no idea how Glen had moved so fast. Seeing the three of them emerge from the bushes shocked the two girls.

"Glen! How did you... and Perlnas? Bork? Myer? What are you all doing here?"

The situation was a bit much for the two girls, and they stammered.

Perlnas, spotting Glen smiling at her, stood up angrily and pointed at him. "You... you actually scared me!?"

"It's your own fault for being so jumpy," Glen replied innocently, which only made Perlnas grit her teeth in frustration.

Meanwhile, Leyla and Bonnie moved forward, standing between Glen and Perlnas.

"Alright, alright, enough arguing. Perlnas, you still haven't answered me — why are you here? Were you following me?"

Perlnas brushed dust off her clothes, clearly unbothered. "As a friend, I wanted to know what you were up to. So I came along."

"I'm trying to protect you. Don't you care about what Lady Anya will say? It's not safe here, you can see that."

"I'm not worried! And as for my mother, as long as you don't say anything, and I don't, and they don't, she won't find out."

While the two girls were bickering, Bonnie tugged at Glen's sleeve and whispered slyly, "Glen, Perlnas is a noble. They're all bad people. Don't be friends with her."

This girl really has a child's temper... Glen leaned down, covered his mouth, and whispered back to Bonnie, "Yeah, I think so too."

Bork and Myer stood off to the side, unsure of what to do next.