Doud Town
As Glen neared the town gates, he noticed a large squad of officers patrolling outside—unusual.
Something going on in Doud recently? Looks like a big deal… Glen stopped to watch for a moment, then kept moving.
A few officers spotted him and stepped forward, their tone commanding. "Halt! What's your business?"
"Taking pigs into town to sell," Glen said, stepping aside.
The lead officer gave a small gesture, and the others converged on the sled to inspect.
They shoved the carcass around, some even drawing daggers to slice open bits of skin and meat, checking for anything suspicious.
Glen stood to the side, letting them poke and prod—didn't bother him, wouldn't affect the meat quality.
After a sweaty, lengthy inspection, the officers finally gave up, probably tired or unable to find anything wrong.
They backed off and shook their heads at the leader, signaling no issues.
Only then were they allowed to pass.
Glen walked to the sled and with a few casual moves straightened the black boar, leaving the officers wide‑eyed.
One of them remarked, "Kid looks skinny, but he's strong!"
…
Business was noticeably slower this time, but Glen wasn't surprised. If every trip went like the first two, he'd drain the town's wealth in months.
Even so, this "slow" day still earned far more than the average commoner family.
Glen remained friendly, quickly warming up to a few repeat customers, trading jokes between sales.
After sending off a customer, he heard a familiar voice.
"Mr. Glen!"
Laila came running from somewhere, lifting her skirt in both hands, her bright face full of delight.
"Miss Laila, long time no see. Don't you have class today?" Glen wiped his blood‑stained hands with a rag and grinned.
"No, my friends wanted to go out, and they dragged me along," Laila said cheerfully, eyes curved in a smile. Then she marveled, "Are you selling meat? That's a pretty profitable business!"
"Lot of game near my town, so I hunt and sell it," Glen explained.
"That's awesome," Laila said sincerely, then looked a little apologetic. "Um, is me being here bad for business?"
Seeing her flustered look, Glen found it amusing and waved it off. "Nah, it doesn't really affect anything. Don't be so tense."
They were about to chat more when another voice called out from behind.
"Laila, is this gentleman a friend of yours?"
It was a red‑haired, slightly chubby boy, approaching with two other boys and a girl.
"These are my classmates and friends—Bok, Myer, Deyamela, and Pernerth," Laila introduced quickly.
To her friends, she added, "Guys, this is Mr. Glen, a very kind gentleman."
"Hello, Mr. Glen," the three boys greeted politely.
Only the blonde girl, Pernerth, kept her hand over her mouth and nose, eyes averted, staying a distance from the stall without a word.
Glen nodded in reply, casting a meaningful smile toward the blonde.
Laila looked embarrassed. "Sorry, Mr. Glen, Pernerth can be a bit odd. Please don't take offense."
Glen was about to brush it off, but Laila walked over to Pernerth, tugged her dress, and pulled her a little farther away. In a low voice, she said, "Pernerth, that's so rude! Apologize to Mr. Glen!"
Instead, Pernerth turned and said to Laila, "Laila, my dear friend, why are you hanging around someone like him? Look at him—covered in grime, and that overpowering stench of blood—disgusting! Let's just go, ignore him."
Laila was floored—she couldn't believe those words came from her friend.
Pernerth was nobility, but she'd always been kind to Laila and the others. Laila thought she was different from those snooty noble girls, but now…
Her face flushed with anger; she couldn't accept what Pernerth had just said.
Glen, though farther away, had keen hearing and caught every word.
Seeing the friendship about to capsize, he cut in, "Laila, where's that little glutton girl? Isn't she with you?"
Laila was halfway to blowing up, but hearing Glen's question, she shot a glare at her bestie, then trotted back to his stall, leaving the others confused.
The three boys trailed along, clueless.
"Mr. Glen, I really must apologize again for Pernerth. She's not usually like this."
Laila started to bow, but Glen stopped her.
"Come on, your mom's raised you too well—always so polite. I'm not mad at some little girl."
Maybe out of respect for her benefactor or something else, Laila always felt the need to stay courteous and composed around Glen.
Being held back, she blushed. "I'm really sorry."
Not far off, Pernerth, who'd been covering her mouth and looking away, changed expression when Glen called her "little girl." She turned to glare, but held back.
Glen noticed the blonde's reaction, but just smiled to himself.
He asked Laila, "Anyway, back to my question—why isn't Bonnie with you?"
Laila's face clouded a little. She hesitated, then said, "Bonnie… she's not in a good mood. Didn't want to come out…"
"Because of your…" Glen almost said your father, but thought better, cleared his throat, and changed tone. "Because of the danger you ran into that day?"
"Mr. Glen, how did you know?" Laila looked surprised.
"The officers came to see me—how wouldn't I know?" Glen spread his hands.
Hearing that officers had questioned Glen, Laila worried, "They didn't give you trouble, did they?"
"Nope, just asked about what happened that day."
"Good…" Laila patted her chest, relieved.
As a customer approached to buy meat, Glen served them while continuing, "So, what's up with Bonnie? Was she that scared she's still shook?"
At that, Laila's eyes widened in disbelief. "Mr. Glen, you're exactly right!"