"I seem to remember that you are also a wanted person, aren't you? A fallen dark mage," Murphy retorted.

"So what? Do you want to die together with me? Fine. I've been on the run every day anyway. Being reported by you would just bring me a bit more trouble. But you, even if you manage to escape the pursuit, you'll end up just like me, bidding farewell to your comfortable life and living in constant fear. How wonderful" In the end, the middle-aged man let out two dry laughs without any trace of joy.

After standing there for a long time, Murphy finally gave in. She took out an exquisite small bottle from somewhere and threw it to the middle-aged man. "Here's what you want, you despicable human!"

The middle-aged man grabbed the small bottle with one hand, opened it, brought it close to his eyes to examine it carefully, and then took a sniff. Only then did a satisfied expression appear on his face.

He took out a rolled-up piece of parchment, placed it on the table, stood up, and left the tavern without saying a word.

Murphy's chest heaved with anger that wouldn't subside. With a flick of her finger, the parchment on the table landed in her hand. She opened it and took a quick look, then also left the tavern.

Under the cover of night, Murphy transformed into a swarm of bats and flew into the air.

Muttering could be heard from the swarm of bats: "Damn werewolf! Damned mage! All of you are bullying me. You all deserve to die! Die—!"

...

In Bayek, in the early morning.

Just after finishing his breakfast, Glen heard a knock on the door. When he opened it, he was surprised to see the old man.

"I'd like to ask you to go to a place with me. I can pay you for it," the old man said expressionlessly.

Glen raised his eyebrows and thought for a moment.

It seems that I don't have much to do today except feed the pigs. I might as well go and have a look... Having made up his mind, Glen nodded. "Okay. How much can you pay?"

"Three silver coins," the old man said, still expressionless.

That's three hundred copper coins. The old man is indeed quite rich... Glen immediately agreed. "When shall we set off?"

"Wait for me outside the town," the old man said, then turned and went back to his house.

Glen shrugged, did a quick tidy-up in the house, and then walked straight outside the town.

When he got outside the town, he sat down on a rock and whistled.

Moments later, the beast came trotting out of the forest and stopped in front of Glen, sitting down.

"I need to go out for a while. Remember to get some pigweed to feed the pigs. I'll be back soon," Glen said, patting the beast on the chest.

The beast's single eye widened slightly, as if to say: You want me to get pigweed?

"Yeah, is there a problem?" Glen smiled wickedly.

The beast lowered its head in resignation, indicating that it was okay.

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"I'm doing this for your own good. You either sleep or eat all day. You've even gained some weight. It's time to get some exercise," Glen said, patting its head to comfort it.

At that moment, the sound of footsteps came from afar. Glen knew that the old man had arrived.

However, when Glen saw the other party, he was taken aback.

The old man was carrying two shotguns in his hands, had a leather backpack of some unknown animal hide on his back, and was wearing a standard hunter's outfit. Coupled with his burly figure, he looked extremely imposing!

Should I also bring something? Glen looked at the old man and then at himself. He realized that he was completely unarmed, with nothing but a simple set of clothes.

As soon as the old man left the town, he noticed the huge beast first. His eyes lit up, and he said, "What a fine dog!"

This old man... Glen was speechless.

The old man suddenly turned to Glen and asked, "Is this your dog?"

Glen paused for a moment and then nodded.

A hint of envy seemed to flash in the old man's eyes. He asked again, "What's its name?"

"Ah? Er... Hmm..." Glen was stunned for a moment. He struggled for a long time but couldn't come up with a word.

He hadn't named the beast. Since he didn't need to call its name usually and just gave direct commands, should he make up a name on the spot?

Seeing Glen's reaction, the old man seemed a bit indignant. He clenched his fists and proposed, "How about I help you give it a name?"

"Sure," Glen agreed without thinking too much.

The old man circled around the beast, sizing it up, while the beast didn't dare to move without Glen's command.

"Perhaps... it could be called NightRoar?"

The old man suddenly said after circling around twice.

"NightRoar..." Glen repeated the name in a low voice twice, then clapped his hands. "That's a good name! Let's call it NightRoar."

He turned to the beast and said, "Remember, your name from now on is NightRoar. Got it?"

The beast, NightRoar, also seemed quite satisfied. Excitement welled up in its single eye, and it bared its interlaced fangs, emitting a low whine.

After giving NightRoar some more instructions, Glen left together with the old man.

The two of them remained silent throughout the journey. They walked until they reached a yellow dirt road, where a horse-drawn carriage was already waiting.

It was the most rudimentary type of carriage, consisting of a wooden frame pulled by a single horse with two wheels.

The coachman was a short and sturdy man. At first, he had been grooming the horse. When he saw Glen and the old man approaching, he wore a strange expression and said, "Are you two together?"

One was fully armed, while the other looked as if he were going on a trip. They didn't seem to be a pair at all.

"Don't ask unnecessary questions. Just do what you're supposed to do," the old man said in a voice as cold as ice, causing the coachman to fall silent immediately.

Glen followed the old man onto the carriage and sat down. Only then did he ask, "Where are we going? And what are we going to do?"

"To kill someone," the old man replied briefly.

The coachman, who was about to drive the carriage, shrank his neck and secretly glanced back.

"An enemy?"

"Yes."

Glen nodded and fell silent. The only sounds were the rumbling of the carriage and the coachman's shouts.

...

At a certain unremarkable and hidden location on the road connecting Bayek and Dude, a group of people clad in knightly armor were lying in wait.

A figure, smaller and slighter than the other knights in armor, came trotting from the direction of Bayek Town in the distance.

Barber, who was crouching in the grass, narrowed his eyes and stood up straight.

The trotting figure, upon seeing Barber, immediately came to his side and whispered something. After hearing it, Barber cursed and then signaled all the others in hiding to stand up.

"Head to Dude. We'll rest there first and come back to check again at night," Barber gave the order, and all his subordinates responded in unison.

...

The carriage jolted along all the way from morning until dusk.

Glen had originally thought that the destination wasn't far away and that they could at least finish the task and return home before dark. But it was clear that this was not the case.

"How much farther is it? This journey seems like it's going to take a while," Glen said, propping his chin in his hand. He felt as if his buttocks were about to be bruised from the constant jolting.

"Don't have any doubts. You should be prepared for a long journey away from home. The destination probably won't wait for us," the old man said without looking up, as he had been examining a tattered map.

"Then you'll have to cover all the accommodation and food expenses during our time away," Glen said, shifting into a more comfortable position.

He now suspected that this journey was worth more than three silver coins, and he might have to consider asking for more money in the end.

"Of course."

At this moment, the carriage slowly came to a halt. Glen thought the coachman was going to feed the horse again, as he had done the last two times they stopped. However, the coachman said, "Gentlemen, we've arrived."