Chapter 68: Black Raven's Wife

"That's because they were cunning! And there were three mages! They worked together to capture me!"

Gotaya stamped her foot indignantly.

Glen responded with a dry, humorless chuckle. Then, with startling speed, he threw a punch. His fist, carrying a palpable gust of wind, stopped abruptly just inches from the face of the startled elf girl, who hadn't even had time to react.

The windblast ruffled her hair violently. Her pupils dilated sharply, trembling with shock.

"Let me tell you something," Glen stated flatly, lowering his fist. "Those three mages are already dead. By my hand. And last night, that mercenary band showed up around here. They're all dead too. Including a Tier 3 Dark Mage."

He patted Gotaya's shoulder, his tone matter-of-fact. "Got it?"

After that, the elven warrior offered no further objections to Glen's arrangements. She listened intently to whatever he said.

Satisfied she understood, Glen then took Laval into town via the deer-drawn cart, heading to the tavern he'd purchased in Dud Town.

He handed a key to the curly-haired minor noble. "Your task today is vetting."

"Vetting?"

"Yes. In a moment, I'll put up a recruitment sign outside. Anyone interested in working will come in for an interview. You will select the suitable candidates."

Glen outlined his requirements: no disabilities, no elderly, no weaklings – essentially, only capable workers.

Once Laval seemed to have grasped the instructions, Glen added a final note. "I'll come back tonight to see who you've approved. Don't mess this up."

Laval nodded vigorously.

Glen then found a suitably sized wooden board inside the tavern. Using his sharp wolf claws, he carved a simple recruitment notice onto it. Finding it insufficiently eye-catching, he bought some paint in town and added a few splashes of color and stylized graffiti. Finally satisfied, he placed the sign prominently outside.

The uniquely styled sign quickly drew attention, mostly from children aged ten to fifteen. The reason was the simple cartoonish figures Glen had sketched amongst the text, which captured the kids' gaze.

"Quite a few kids in town today," Glen murmured, observing the growing crowd. "School holiday again?"

The Kingdom of Zenn provided subsidies to families sending children to school, so most households with even marginally stable incomes enrolled their kids. Glen considered this policy rather enlightened.

After observing the sign's effect for a short while, Glen went back inside the tavern. No one had tried to enter yet; Laval sat leaning on his hand, waiting.

"Oh, one more thing," Glen said, standing by the door. "If there's any trouble, or anything unexpected happens, go straight to the constable station. The head constable there knows me fairly well. Don't pull any noble airs. If you get beaten up for being obnoxious, you'll deserve it."

"Understood…" Laval nodded again.

Exiting the tavern and approaching his cart, Glen shooed away a few children who were pestering the large stag. He was just about to climb aboard and leave when a familiar scent tickled his nostrils.

He turned his head and spotted a man and a woman hastily turning their backs to him. Glen recognized them immediately and changed course, walking towards the pair.

"If you want to go inside and look, feel free. I won't stop you."

Glen's voice from behind made them both jump visibly.

They slowly turned around. Both were dressed in plain, unassuming clothes, their faces heavily wrapped in scarves, revealing only their eyes.

"Respected Lord Chanis, Lady Sophia," Glen greeted them with a hint of mockery. "We meet again."

"How did you…? Never mind, it's not important," Lord Chanis's voice was muffled beneath the scarf, laced with caution. "We just wanted to see our son. We absolutely meant no offense."

"Yes, yes!" Lady Sophia chimed in hastily. "We have no intention of causing any trouble whatsoever!"

Glen offered a thin smile. "As I said, you're welcome to go in and look. I won't prevent you. But don't cause trouble. I'm not overly fond of nobles like yourselves, so my patience has limits. Understood?"

The couple frantically waved their hands and shook their heads. "Absolutely not! We swear on our family's honor!"

"Then feel free." Glen turned and walked back to his cart.

Lord Chanis and Lady Sophia exchanged a look. Seeing the formidable commoner driving away, they didn't hesitate any longer, pushing their way through the small crowd gathered near the sign.

...

Back at his farmhouse, Glen informed Tia briefly of his whereabouts. He then picked up the cake he'd bought earlier and set off deeper into the town.

"Black Raven's scent is faint… Is it because of the lingering mist?" Glen mused aloud. It was his first time taking this particular path, and he observed the surroundings with interest.

Passing by some buildings, he caught glimpses of residents moving behind windows. Some paused to scrutinize him; others just gave him a fleeting glance.

He continued on, following the fading scent trail. It led him to a weathered, bluish-grey stone house that looked decidedly old.

"Black Raven lives here? How… distinctive…"

Murmuring to himself, Glen stepped up to the peeling wooden door and knocked gently.

Knock… Knock… Knock…

Creeeak…

The door opened, revealing Black Raven's impassive face. "You came, my friend. Please, enter."

"Apologies for disturbing you. A small token for the visit." Glen handed over the cake box. Black Raven took it with one hand and moved aside to let him in.

The interior of Black Raven's home was starkly dilapidated. The walls and sparse furniture looked ancient. The wooden floorboards groaned ominously under Glen's boots. A single, dim, yellowing lantern hung in the center of the main room, providing the only illumination.

Glen walked over to a long bench, brushed off a layer of dust with his hand, and sat down without ceremony.

Black Raven produced a glass cup from somewhere unseen and filled it to the brim with a dark liquid from an unmarked bottle, offering it to Glen.

"Thank you." Glen took the cup, brought it to his nose, and inhaled. "What is this?"

"Bought in Dud Town. For the guest. Don't know what it is." Black Raven's reply was characteristically terse.

Glen simply grunted in acknowledgment and took a small, cautious sip. It tasted as weak and unremarkable as he'd expected, but it was drinkable.

"I recall you mentioned having a wife. Is she not here?"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a slightly frail, aged woman's voice drifted from a nearby room:

"Darling? Who is it?"

"It is Mr. Glen. He has come to visit." Black Raven's voice was slightly louder than usual when replying.

He then turned back to Glen. "My wife… she is in her room. Moving is difficult for her."

"Ah, I see…" Glen nodded, understanding.

But the voice from the inner room spoke again. "Oh, him? Mr. Glen? Would he… would he be willing to come in? So I might see him?"

Glen looked questioningly at Black Raven. The man gave a slow nod. "If it is acceptable…"

Without another word, Glen gestured for Black Raven to lead the way.

One after the other, they entered the dimly lit room.

When Glen saw the form of Black Raven's wife lying on the bed, even though he prided himself on being prepared for any visual shock, his eyelids gave an involuntary twitch.

She was a woman whose body was twisted into an extreme, unnatural configuration, reminiscent of gnarled tree roots. Limbs were entangled together like a knotted ball of yarn, making it impossible to distinguish where an arm ended or a leg began. A small lamp on the bedside table cast its feeble light on this distressing sight, but left her face in shadow, revealing only long, unkempt hair.

"You must find this… amusing, honored guest."

The self-deprecating tone in her frail voice snapped Glen back to the moment. He quickly offered an apology. "The offense is mine, Madam. I meant no disrespect."