Chapter 22: The Red Wolf (2)

“Have you sorted everything out roughly?”

Glenn asked, brushing off the bloodstains clinging to him.

“Most of them ran away after the first clash. Shall we chase the rest?”

“Chase them a bit, but don’t go too far.”

At that, Sir Nedian gave a subtle glance to a few knights.

The knights who received the signal immediately mounted their horses and began the pursuit.

“Ah, who’s the village chief here?”

Glenn shifted his gaze to those who had been staring at him from one side since earlier and asked.

But once again, there was no answer.

…Why do their expressions look like that?

“Why are you all like that? We’re not the enemy, so don’t be so tense.”

As he said that with a faint smile, the faces of those watching him turned even paler.

Thud.

The woman who had almost been scared out of her wits earlier was so shocked that she let out a small whimper.

“Doryeon-nim… you should rest first.”

Unable to bear it, Sir Nedian stepped forward and whispered.

“Hmm? Ah… behind—”

Suddenly lowering his gaze to himself, Glenn saw the bloodstains and pieces of flesh splattered everywhere.

Judging from the blood flowing down his cheek, his face must be covered too.

Now the gazes fixated on him made sense.

But how could he be cold about it?

If he didn’t even have the time to rest properly or guide anyone, bloodstains like this wouldn’t even register in his mind.

Sir Nedian asked the trembling village chief about the location of the well.

…No, it’s not like I’m going to eat them. What’s there to be so scared of?

Glenn nodded slightly, somewhat shaken.

“…Alright, we should head to the well first.”

Glenn clicked his tongue softly and shook off the unease.

This was his attempt to shed his rogue image, but it seemed to backfire instead.

Damn it.

***

Glenn roughly stripped off the armor and clothes covering his upper body and splashed water over himself.

The cold water poured down between his well-defined muscles.

“Hoo…”

The water droplets falling were all stained red.

Having smashed the band of robbers who had been ambushing a merchant caravan before coming to this village, this was only natural.

Throwing the bucket back into the well, Glenn drifted into thought.

“Whether it’s a principality or a kingdom, security is a mess.”

It had been a week since he left the Northshine Family.

Even there, he had encountered the Red Hood bandits, but now it seemed like the entire northern region was crawling with thieves.

He wondered if it had been like this in his previous life, but he couldn’t recall clearly.

“At a time like this, I was probably just drinking away.”

He was likely doing something pitiful after being kicked out of the Lion Knight Order.

He had no interest in worldly affairs then.

Thinking of drinking made him crave a drink now, preferably a cold northern grape wine.

Luckily, he still had some left from the merchants he had rescued earlier, so it was a small mercy.

“Um, excuse me…”

“Hmm?”

Just as he was about to splash water again, an unfamiliar voice entered the room.

Turning his head, he saw two women looking at him.

The one speaking from a short distance away was the blonde woman who had whimpered earlier.

Behind her stood another young woman.

“I thought you might need a handmaid… or something.”

She spoke cautiously, blushing.

She was holding… dry clothes and a towel, perhaps?

On closer inspection, both looked quite young—maybe a year or two younger than Glenn.

They weren’t unattractive, just somewhat modest in appearance.

Glenn guessed that the village chief had probably sent them on behalf of the local nobility or something.

They weren’t particularly bad-looking, but neither were they remarkable.

It was probably just how they lived.

Glenn splashed water on himself again.

Though the red stains still ran down, it was much less than before.

He smiled gently to avoid appearing threatening and replied,

“Phew… So, the village chief sent you?”

“Yes, yes… Ah, no. We just came on our own…”

Neither of them could even meet his gaze properly, trembling with the bright red faces and nervous movements.

Glenn suddenly felt a bitter taste in his mouth.

Damn, first impressions really suck.

“Thanks for your concern. But I can manage this much myself, so don’t overdo it.”

“Ah, no, we—”

Still unable to meet his eyes properly, the handmaids were hardly in any position to help.

Glenn smiled faintly again and motioned with his chin.

He meant, put those down and go.

The two placed the clothes and towels down and started backing away, still glancing back and sighing quietly.

Unconsciously, they looked pitiful.

Regardless, Glenn splashed water over himself once more.

He roughly cleaned the small areas of dried blood and smeared wounds.

“Hey.”

Come to think of it, the blonde… I wonder how she’s doing?

A stubborn face of someone appeared in his mind briefly before fading away.

She’s probably doing better than me. Who’s worried about whom?

Suddenly, he felt hungry.

Luckily, he wouldn’t have to resort to that damn jerky today.

***

Glenn’s group, including himself, numbered twenty-one.

Originally, it had been thirty, but seven from the Northshine Family—including Brunel—and two knights had been sent back.

Both had injuries from the abandoned mine, making it difficult to accompany the group.

Fortunately, no one had been seriously hurt during their journey here.

Thinking back, it was rare for mounted knights to get injured in skirmishes with bandits.

Those twenty-something men were eating their meals absentmindedly in a somewhat shabby inn.

Glenn and Sir Nedian were in the same situation, since their supplies and jerky were running low.

“Cold… finally feeling better. Oh, did we pay the bill properly?”

“Yes, we gave them a good amount.”

Sir Nedian answered with a dry throat when Glenn asked.

Empty plates were piled up on the rustic table in front of them.

Luckily, the cook Som was fine—or rather, as long as it wasn’t worse than jerky, it was acceptable.

“How many times has this been now?”

“Since leaving the Northshine Family, five times in total.”

Twice in the principality, and three times in the kingdom up to today.

Those were just the ambushes that had caught them.

They tried to avoid their usual routes as much as possible, but even so, it was that many.

In reality, there were probably many more bandits roaming around.

“The frontier is full of outlaws. Damn persistent bastards, really thriving.”

Glenn frowned deeply at this fact, displeased in his heart.

“I expected some of it, but not to this extent.”

“Thanks to that, it turned into an unwanted forced march.”

One problem solved, another attack would come from elsewhere, then once resolved, more would pop up.

This had been the schedule for several days.

Even the strong Lion Knight Order couldn’t keep up.

“That probably means the doryeon-nim’s popularity is increasing, right?”

“Pfft, are you serious? It just seems like his infamy’s getting worse.”

“That’s because doryeon-nim rushes into enemy lines every time, acting like a reckless rogue.”

“It’s ridiculous. Criminals roaming around in packs like that.”

Glenn said this with a frown but felt a warm sensation inside.

Come to think of it, he had been a notorious criminal in his past life too.

…Is this what self-loathing looks like?

“Well, it’s better to be a rogue like now than the old kind.”

Sir Nedian said with a sly smile.

Hmph, now he’s even joking.

“Why do I only have the option of being a rogue?”

“Isn’t that the karmic retribution you sowed yourself? Just accept it.”

“Damn it.”

The two chuckled and took a sip of their grape wine.

Lost in thought for a moment, Sir Nedian spoke again.

“Still, at least the orcs are quiet, aren’t they?”

“Hah, orcs?”

Glenn scoffed at his words.

Orcs quiet? No way.

They were probably fighting among themselves right about now.

Looking back on his previous life, that was certain.

There had been times when the orcs were calm.

Even the Glenn who used to drink excessively knew this from the rumors around him.

Rumors said that a plague spread among the orcs, and they fled to other northern areas.

Speculation ran wild, but the reality was different.

They were in the midst of a civil war.

Each tribe was fighting a brutal civil war to choose their king.

That was why the orcs seemed so quiet now.

And once that war ended, the orcs would unite under one banner and invade the north.

In overwhelming numbers no human on the continent could predict.

“Why is that?”

Sir Nedian asked as Glenn wore a halfhearted expression.

It was hard to believe even if he explained.

“Have you ever seen the sea before a hailstorm?”

The sudden question made Sir Nedian cock his head.

“…No?”

“The bigger the hailstorm gets, the more seawater gets swept away. The orcs are exactly like that. They’re creating a massive hailstorm right now.”

“How do you know that?”

“It’s just a feeling.”

“What… you sound like a fortune teller.”

“Interesting metaphor. Want me to read your fortune?”

“No, I don’t have any spare change today.”

“I’ll do it for free.”

“I don’t trust free readings.”

“You’re surprisingly picky.”

He raised his glass again but it was empty.

Just as he was about to call the waiter—

“Here you go.”

“Ah, thanks.”

Without being called, someone came quickly and refilled their glasses.

Then, blushing, the person vanished.

“Why do only the female waitstaff come to our table? Did you order them separately?”

Right in front of them, five people were serving food and drinks.

Except for two, they were all men, but since earlier, only the two females had been coming to their table.

It wasn’t a big deal, but Glenn felt curious.

At his question, Sir Nedian nodded nervously.

“No, um… probably to look good in front of the doryeon-nim?”

I see. How pointless.

Glenn thought roughly so as he raised his glass.

“Ahh… yeah, that’s the stuff. Northern grape wine is best served cold.”

Actually, it was quite a rare treat in a place like this since nobles usually preferred it.

Glenn felt glad he had rescued the merchants before coming to this village.

That grape wine he was drinking was their reward.

“Doryeon-nim Glenn.”

“Hm?”

While savoring the taste, a knight approached him.

“The herbalist you were looking for has arrived. His name is Herbert. Shall I call him over?”

“No. I just finished eating anyway. I’ll go myself if I have questions.”

Sir Nedian stood up to accompany him, but Glenn stopped him.

“I’m not going far. Just stay seated.”

“But—”

“In a small village like this, what could possibly happen? You and the others should rest properly. Of course, as long as it’s not too much tomorrow.”

“Understood.”

Sir Nedian reluctantly agreed with a hint of a smile.

After all, it was their only break in a while.

Glenn smiled lightly and stood up.

Not long after, he arrived at herbalist Herbert’s house.