Before Glenn could respond, Laville leapt to his feet. “That’s the work of a dark sorcerer! Only they would commit such atrocities!”

  Luther let out a sorrowful sigh. “Of course—it could only have been a dark mage. But by the time I realized it, it was already far too late.”

  Indeed, Glenn thought bitterly, those dark magi are as detestable as ever. He crossed his arms and asked, “And then? Don’t tell me you were foolish enough to attack her?”

  “How could anyone remain sane after hearing something like that?” Luther clutched his head. “I lunged at her like a madman, but as you can imagine, she easily overpowered me. I awoke later, bound hand and foot, in a dim chamber filled with strange, sinister contraptions.

  “The dark mage had even captured my son. Together with her followers, she subjected us to all manner of dreadful experiments… until somehow, my son was turned into this dagger.

  “By the grace of the gods, a band of knights discovered her lair. As they clashed, I seized the moment to escape—with my son.

  “I thought if we reached the capital, we’d be safe. I blended in with those seeking work, hoping the city walls would shelter us. But a creature like my son could never be allowed to exist there. I had to hide him constantly, working by day, living in fear by night. I knew one day the strain might break me, so… so you see now why I’ve become what I am.”

  Silence fell over the room.

  Throughout Luther’s tale, Glenn had watched every twitch and flicker of his expression. Nothing suggested deceit. Unless the man could fool even himself, Glenn judged him to be telling the truth.

  Still waiting for a reaction, Luther finally asked, “Sir, don’t you have anything to say?”

  Rubbing his chin, Glenn seemed lost in thought. “Do you know where that dark sorcerer is now?”

  Luther’s eyes widened. “I don’t. After she fought that knight, she vanished. I’ve heard from an old friend that knights still patrol the ruins of our town—so I doubt she’s returned.”

  “What a pity,” Glenn murmured, a flicker of savage intent flashing in his eyes. “Are you certain she wasn’t captured or slain?”

  Luther placed a trembling hand over his heart. “I can feel her presence still. It’s as if she left a curse upon me—I know she’ll come for me again.”

  Glenn’s eyes lit with sudden interest. Rising to his feet, he clapped Luther on the shoulder. “No matter. From now on, you’re under my employ. Work hard—I’ll see to your safety.”

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “But sir,” Luther hesitated, “she’s a dark mage… truly dangerous. Do you have a knightly ally?”

  Glenn shook his head. “No need. I have my own ways of dealing with such matters.”

  Seeing the man’s quiet confidence—and remembering that swift, deadly motion when he’d disarmed him—Luther began to believe. “I… I don’t know how to thank you. I’ll prove myself worthy, you’ll see.”

  A faint grin curved Glenn’s lips. Another loyal employee earned. “I look forward to it.”

  “Then… do you believe my son and I have done anything wrong?” Luther asked quietly.

  “Of course not,” Glenn replied with a wave of his hand. “And I’ll not speak a word of this to anyone.”

  Laville, startled by the glance Glenn gave him, hurried to add, “I won’t say a thing either!”

  Luther bowed deeply. “Thank you, both of you.”

  “All right,” Glenn said, “get some rest. I’ll assign your duties tomorrow.”

  “Yes, sir. I’ll take my leave.”

  Once Luther departed, Glenn told Laville to wait by the deer cart while he locked up and walked off down another street.

  Half an hour later, he returned with two bulging sacks in hand.

  Laville sniffed the air—was that… cream? He was curious, but wisely kept his mouth shut.

  They rode back together in silence, the only sound Glenn’s idle whistling of some nameless tune.

  After checking on the elf girl’s progress—satisfactory, as usual—he brought her home with him.

  Setting the two sacks down, Tia caught the scent of something delicious and asked eagerly, “Mr. Glenn, what’s in there? It smells wonderful!”

  “Eggs, cream, flour—ingredients for a cake,” he called back from the kitchen.

  “A cake!” she exclaimed, eyes bright. “I want to learn too!”

  “Then watch carefully tomorrow,” Glenn said with a faint smile. “Whether you learn or not is on you.”

  “I’ll do my best!” she promised earnestly.

  …

  That same night, atop a wind-bitten ridge, three armored men stood gazing into the gloom.

  At their head was a middle-aged man with half-white hair and a crescent-shaped sigil on his brow. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, as though drawing in the entire night air.

  “The scent of Baggins and his men lingers here,” he muttered. “They’ve been missing for some time. I fear they’re already dead.”

  “Should we investigate?” asked the one with a metal earring.

  The leader considered, then nodded. “Yes. There might be a stray aberration nearby.”

  “Won’t that delay us?” the tall, hawk-nosed man ventured.

  “Only a little. It’s not even out of our way,” the leader replied carelessly.

  With no further hesitation, his two men followed him down the ridge, tracing the faint trail through the mist.

  …

  Morning came. Glenn awoke to the sound of Tia knocking on his door.

  Without a clock, he couldn’t tell the hour; outside, the eternal dusk of this land hung heavy as always, shrouded in mist.

  “Mr. Glenn,” she called, voice bright, “you said we’d bake the cake today! I came to remind you!”

  Scratching his head, Glenn pushed her gently aside and descended the stairs. “I’ve business to attend to this morning. We’ll bake this afternoon.”

  Tia pouted in disappointment.

  After breakfast, Glenn set off for Dood Town with Laville.

  Luther was already waiting by the tavern door when they arrived. For now, Glenn assigned him to cleaning duties—after all, the game for butchering hadn’t yet been procured.

  Laville’s task remained the same: to keep recruiting until he found at least three more hands.

  When those matters were settled, Glenn transported all the furniture from the lumber shed to the tavern.

  Once he found the time, he would remodel the place—turning the tavern into a butcher’s shop and furniture store combined.