Traversing the town with his face visible was somewhat uncomfortable. But he couldn't be too aware of it since he still had to find the right way. Although the village was small and he had spent a lot of time here, he had never paid any real attention to the streets and buildings before.

In comparison to the capital, the houses lined the large but empty streets sparsely, with much empty space in between.

All in all, this area felt a lot less lively than what he was used to. He would have preferred more people going about their business outside so he could just blend in, but instead, everyone he encountered eyed him up leerily.

Eventually, he arrived at a large wooden house in a central location. He stopped to make sure it fitted the description and then used the doorknocker to give notice of his presence.

After a few seconds, a voice from inside answered.

»You can just come in. No need to wait in the cold.«

Vern opened the door and entered as ordered. The room that greeted him looked a lot less than an inhabited space and more like an entry hall of an administrative building.

But there was only one figure in the very back that manned a massive desk.

»So what do you want from the major?«, the man asked as Vern approached him, sounding like he had just woken up.

»Oh, uhm. I don't know if I'm at the correct address then. I am looking for the village eldest.«

»Ah, yes. That would also be me.« The mayor smiled, and Vern now was able to see the wrinkles that covered his face in the dim light.

»Surprisingly, I have outlived most of my peers, although my body had been so weak«, he continued while staring reminiscently on his desk. »Or well … probably that what prevented me from dying by doing stupid things.«

He laughed out loud and looked up at Vern, who had come to a halt in front of him.

»Oh dear, you look even worse than me.« He chuckled. »What have you been doing to end up like this?«

»Uhm, just some bad nights … so don't over exaggerate it.«

»Hahaha, well, whatever. So why have you come to see the village eldest? Usually, nobody visits me for that reason.«

He pointed at a chair in front of the table.

»Thanks«, Vern replied as he sat down. »I wanted to know about any lore and the history that surrounds this village and the great eastern forest in general.«

»Hmm, that's very diligent of you to want to know that. Most travelers are just here for the hope of quick money and don't care about any of our culture or origin at all. Let me order my thoughts for a bit.«

He leaned back in his chair, which turned out to be a rocking chair. So it followed the shift of his weight and started to seesaw. Vern waited patiently for him to speak up.

»Well, to be honest, there is not much interesting about this specific area. It had always been rather underdeveloped compared to the capital and other major cities. Only with the appearance of the bailiwicks people moved to this area in the first place. Although that was about a thousand years ago, the ones that came had all kinds of cultures and folklore they brought with them from other regions. Consequently, there isn't much specifically tied to this area in terms of unique traditions or superstitions. I can tell you a lot about those if you want.«

»Hmm … what about the people that founded the villages. Where did they come from exactly?«

»Well, this was one of the first areas that spawned bailiwicks. So, actually, from everywhere. But only a few settled here, as others appeared in better locations. Those were mainly from the poor southeastern region, where agriculture had always been difficult due to the barren land.

It is said that there was also a nomadic tribe that frequently visited the village, and some settled down permanently. But that is rather disputed.«

»Oh, why is that?«, Vern asked, intrigued.

»There are described as having snow-white hair, which is something I've never actually seen on anyone living here.« The major brushed through his own grey hair. »At least, not in their prime.« He chuckled.

»I understand. Do you know anything more about that alleged group of people? Did they live in the north, the south, the forest …?«

»Yeah, well. That's the next doubtful thing. Many believe they lived in the far north due to their hair … but how any human could sustain life there? I don't know. So I think this entire thing is just nonsense. These things happen, you know? Truth getting mixed with fiction is essentially what creates lore. But I personally like to stick more to the truth when telling stories like this.« He winked.

Vern slowly nodded and thought about what he had just heard. It might be useful information, but it also could suggest he was looking in the wrong area, to begin with.

»And what about you, young traveler? What is your history?«

The question caught Vern completely off-guard, and he instinctively moved backward in his chair.

»Hahaha. You don't have to tell me. I am just interested in what the young folks lead here.«

»Uhm, well. I am just looking for an opportunity to make some money here and there. So there is no special reason for me to be in this exact place.«

The major nodded. »Yes, I thought so. You can always come to me and ask for permanent residence if you like it here and plan on staying for longer. Young people are especially welcome to settle and start a family. After all, we always have to combat the drain of people, and recently many decided to leave the city due to the worse market conditions.«

»Mhm, yes. I've heard of it.« Vern averted his gaze and looked around the room instead.

»However, now it has balanced itself again, I assure you«, the major said. »So there is plenty of opportunity to make money by hunting monsters. Probably even the best conditions in years as competition is lacking.«

Vern looked at him and smiled. »I'll keep it in mind and will try my luck. Thanks a lot for your hospitality.« He slightly bowed his head.

»Oh, nothing to thank me about«, the major insisted. »I'm glad that at least some travelers come by to introduce themselves. Most don't even know this townhall exists, much less bother to visit.«

»Is that so …?« Vern mumbled and said goodbye once again. He probably shouldn't tell him he was part of that very group.

As he left the building, a voice popped up in his head, and his hand instinctively went towards his liquor.

But then he realized it was Velveting speaking.

›See? Wasn't too hard, was it? And it provided us with some useful information.‹

›Nah, I don't know about that.‹

›Well, with your attitude, it won't lead anywhere for sure.‹

Vern shook his and started walking. ›Why do you talk to me like that? Telling me what to do … it's not like you've even shown up yourself for such a long time, so you better stay quiet about my behavior.‹

›What do you expect? After all, you stay in the same place all the time, and it's even more boring than the forest I used to live in … you promised me to travel the world, but you barely ever leave that inn. And besides, it is mentally exhausting for me to deal with all the other stuff inside of you, so I need much more rest now. Not that you ever thanked me for that.‹

Vern just snorted and kept his response to himself. It didn't feel like Velvet was of any help in his situation.

›Well, whatever. But don't tell me to go outside when you don't even bother to show up yourself at all. If you just use my eyes to see, you have no right to complain about the lack of excitement in the first place.‹

He didn't get a response. However, a few moments later a shimmer left his body and manifested at his side.

Velvet swung his head left and right and ended up gazing at the clear sky. Vern turned around to have a look at his body which he hadn't seen in a long time. But as expected, there wasn't any change to it.

Suddenly, Vern's eyes widened as he spotted something through Velvet's transparent body. The next time he blinked, it was gone. But he was sure he had seen someone watching him from behind that corner of the building.

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›Velvet, there might be someone following me.‹ He pointed at the spot in the distance and walked in that direction too. ›Find out who it is.‹

He did as he was told and jumped ahead but came back empty-handed. ›If there was someone, he's already gone, mixed with the people I can see on the street. But are you sure you're not just too paranoid?‹

›There definetely was someone‹, Vern emphasized and continued on his way back to the inn. ›Didn't we agree, that you would be my eyes? If you were following your duties, stuff like this wouldn't happen …‹

›Tss, you just want someone to blame after all that time you've wasted. But that won't work on me. Besides, you have to keep up your promises as well, if you expect it equally from others.‹

›Fine. I will.‹

They continued the rest of the way in silence. Only after they had entered Vern's room, Velvet moved back into his body.

›So what do we do about the one following you?‹, he asked. ›Do you want me to keep an eye out while you bait them by going somewhere?‹

Vern fell on the bed and sighed. He felt quite exhausted, even though he hadn't done a lot since waking up.

›No, that won't be necessary. Now that I've pondered it for some time, I'm actually quite certain whose face I've seen there, and I don't think it is anything to worry about too much.‹

With that said, Vern spent the rest of the day sleeping as he had to catch up on it now that he wanted to continue his search.

When he woke up, he emptied his pocket bottle and went downstairs to eat. This time, his rest hadn't been too quiet. Many images he desperately wanted to forget had popped up in his brain, but the booze took effect soon enough.

Based on the urge to visit the bathroom, his hunger, and the bright sun, he concluded that he must have slept an entire day.

As he approached the counter, the inn owner looked at him perplexed.

»I want the usual he said and handed him his metallic bottle. Is there a problem?«

»No, no. Right away.«

Vern sighed and watched the man refilling. He should have known leaving his cloak upstairs was a bad idea as now everyone could freely look at him.

After receiving back his bottle, he seated at his usual place and waited for his food to arrive. Velvet had appeared beside him and observed him as well, which made Vern roll his eyes.

›Hey, Velvet, you wanna do something useful?‹ Vern said this rather nicely as it was actually important. So he didn't receive that snappy of a response.

›What do you mean?‹, Velvet replied. ›What could I possibly do bound to this place while you eat here?‹

›Well, do you remember the girl that harassed me? She's sitting a few tables away with two other men. I want you to listen in on their conversation, as I am pretty sure it was her who followed me.‹

Hearing this, Velvet's eyes glinted in excitement.

›Roger, I'll report every single word back to you.‹

›Nah, the gist of it is more than enough‹, he replied and eyed up the food that was brought to him. ›Just listen while I'll eat and report to me afterward. I'll decide on our future cause of action accordingly then.‹

Velvet nodded and moved away to fulfill his task. Vern smiled as he took his first bite. At least now he could eat in peace with one less pair of eyes staring him down.

He took his time, chewing every single bite exhaustively, trying to rediscover the joy in food.

As he neared the end, it really seemed to taste better, though he wasn't sure if he hadn't just talked himself into it. Either way, his belly was content, and so was he – at least somewhat.

Velvet reappeared next to him as soon as he had moved his plate aside.

›You don't seem to concerned‹, Vern said. ›So nothing of interest, I presume?‹

›Yes. They just talked about the food, the drinks, the shops, and the areas they visited today. Apparently, the three of them are siblings that have just recently come to this village with the intention of hunting monsters, as far as I can tell from the context. So I didn't pick up on anything that would suggest they are here for you or know who you are.«

Vern stretched his neck by moving his head around as he listened to Velvet's report.

›Well, I didn't assume they would know about me in the first place«, he replied. »But now I wonder what this was about. I would have put it down as a coincidence, but it has happened twice now, so there is no way it is … guess I'll have to find out by asking them directly.«

With his last words, he pushed himself back onto his feet and walked towards their table. Velvet's expression at his side contained way too much joy for Vern's taste. It looked like he was still the old sucker for shenanigans like this and didn't bother much about the risks.

He approached the table at an angle that only allowed him to be spotted by the two boys. Consequently, those two looked warily at him first while the girl remained blissfully unaware. As she just burst into laughter, but the two others didn't react to it, she noticed something was a miss and turned around.

Their eyes met just for a moment, and the girl didn't show any signs of recognizing him. Instead, she just smirked and turned back as if he wasn't there. At this point, Vern knew this would become very annoying to deal with.

»Do you have any business with us?«, one of the boys spoke up.

»I do. With her.« He pointed at the girl's back.

The boy slowly nodded in response, and to Vern's surprise, he looked a lot less worried now.

»I am very sorry«, he said and slightly bowed his head. »Our little sister has the nasty habit of bothering other people. So while we try to keep her in check, we haven't been able to do that very well so far after having arrived. I'll hope you excuse her behavior.« He had a forced smile on his face that told Vern he had to deal with it all the time as if he tried to garner his sympathy like this.

Although Vern returned the smile, he didn't let them off the hook yet.

»Well, I do appreciate your apology on her behalf. But unfortunately, I can not let this matter go so easily. After all, it wasn't a one–time occurrence.«

The boy nodded again, and his face stiffened as he looked at his sister.

»Joyce, you'll better not messed up badly. I really hope so because you'll have to deal with any consequences on your own entirely.«

He got a high–pitched laugh in response, and she turned around again.

»It is very rude to interrupt people that enjoy together, darling. So I would greatly appreciate it if you could please leave me and my brothers alone.«

Vern's face twitched, and his hand instinctively moved to the sword hilt on his side. For just a moment, he wanted to follow the voices' orders and slay her down right here and there.

The two brothers jumped out of their seats, ready to draw their own weapons. Realizing what kind of a commotion he had created, he quickly rose his hands up conciliatorily. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Velvet having the time of his life watching things unfold.

»I'm sorry«, Vern said. »It wasn't my intention to unsettle you. More so, I agree with what that girl had said. But at the same time, I think it is equally as rude to stalk somebody and follow them around.«

Joyce was neither fazed by his actions nor words and instead continued to eye him up, very much intrigued. The brothers looked at each other with resignation on their faces.

»Well, I guess it's better to sort this out now …?«, one of them said.

»Oh, you can finish your meal first«, Vern swiftly replied. »I am willing to wait as long at my table. Just come over when you're done.«

Without waiting for an answer, Vern walked back to his table.

›Oi, that girl looks like the fun type‹, Velvet commented as Vern cleared his table of the dishes, only leaving behind his mug.

›Well, that's not the word I would choose … but I can see what you mean. Very much alike to a certain someone …‹

›Do you want me to listen in on them while we wait for them to finish?‹, Velvet asked, ignoring Vern's previous comment.

›Well, you might as well … maybe they have something interesting to talk about now.‹

While Vern waited and continued emptying his mug, Velvet dutifully monitored them. But it didn't reveal anything new, as the girl strictly ignored all attempts of her brothers, who wanted to know what was going on. At least Vern could be sure that only the girl was causing him trouble.

After a few minutes, the three came over to his table. The two brothers introduced themselves with their names, and by now, they acted as if they were very much on his side, just wanting to get this over with.

Vern nodded and looked at the girl who had sat down on the opposite side of the table. She didn't bother to introduce herself, not that Vern had expected as much. He already picked up her name anyway. However, she continued to silently stare back at him, not uttering a word.

Vern looked at Dilan and Garet, but they seemed like they didn't want to bother getting mixed up in this at all, so they remained quiet as well.

›So, why did you follow me … when was that … uhm … yesterday?‹

›I wanted to see where you go hunting‹, Joyce replied calmy. Vern was taken aback that she actually bothered to answer and admitted it.

›Okay, but why would you do that? I don't understand.‹

A cheeky smile formed on her face. ›Well, I wanted to know where the best hunter of the region was finding his prey.«

»I don't even know what you're talking about«, Vern replied, shaking his head. »I am non of that. How do you come to assume any of that in the first place?«

She tilted her head and looked at him alluringly. »Well, you don't have to pretend you don't know. I already know for certain that it was you who flooded the market some time ago. Now that you've approached us, I think you might as well show us how you've done that.«

Vern blinked perplexedly and looked at her two brothers. But they just stood there and shrugged their shoulders like it was none of their business.

»I don't know who you are looking for, but it is definitely not me. So I would appreciate it if you left me alone from now on.«

»I could do that … but … in that case, I would tell everyone in this village that you are that person who was responsible … whether true or not … so I don't know if you want me to do that.«

»But why? What is your problem?« Vern couldn't believe that this was happening to him.

»Well, I just want you to show us how you hunt, and then I will keep my mouth shut.«

Vern glared at her, but it didn't achieve anything. So he shifted his glance toward her two brothers, who still didn't intervene. They averted their eyes, not helping him out at all. Surely they could've, but they seemed also interested in where this would lead while playing innocent.

Vern sighed in resignation. »I am not the person you're talking about, so please, please, just stop this nonsense.«

»You don't have to keep denying it. I already know for sure. To save us the time of this unnecessary back and forth … here is my proposal. You'll go with us hunting tomorrow, showing us how it's done. Otherwise, I'll tell everyone. So what do you say?«

Vern raised his eyes brows and chugged the last contents of his mug to calm himself. He didn't want to do this. Not in the slightest. But unfortunately, he couldn't afford to attract attention as he needed to stay in this area. So there were only two options left – the one the voices suggested and giving in to the girl's demands. Well, he could probably try the second one for now, and if he were to be continuously black-mailed, he could still handle this differently later.

»Fine, I'll agree«, Vern said, smashing the mug onto the table. »But don't think any of what you said is true. I just want to be left alone in peace, and if I have to waste one day to make that happen, I am alright with it.«

»That's great«, Joyce replied and clapped her hands. »It's settled then. We'll meet tomorrow morning at dawn down here again. And don't dare to be late.«

Vern was speechless and so were Joyce's brothers, but she didn't seem to care. She just stood up and signaled her brothers to leave. They hesitantly followed her, exchanging glances with Vern and each other several times as they walked out of the inn.

Well, at least he knew now what this had been about. The only thing left he wondered was how she had found out.

›Do you plan on going through with this?‹, Velvet asked.

›Uhm, yeah … I guess … at least that will spare me the trouble … I hope. Do you think it's a bad idea?‹

›No, no. Not at all.‹ Velvet smiled. ›Sounds like a welcomed change of pace to me.‹

›Well, I guess …‹

Vern sighed and stood up. He carried the mug to the counter and headed upstairs. While it wasn't anywhere close to evening, he didn't mind already going to bed in order to get ready for tomorrow. After instructing Velvet to wake him up in time, he closed his eyes.

As he lay on the bed in his room and wondered how he should go about tomorrow, tiredness slowly crept into his mind and eventually overwhelmed it.