"Mind telling me why you're just standing here, sir? If you don't want to answer, that's fine too." Seeing that the guy wasn't hostile, Glen probed a little further.
He expected silence, but to his surprise, the man spoke—voice low and gravelly:
"I'm debating whether to save her. If I do, I'll have to go all the way back to Doud to find a clinic. If I don't… it doesn't feel right either…"
"Uh…" Glen hadn't expected him to be stuck on that. After a brief pause, Glen offered, "Maybe I can help. If you're willing, take these things back to my place, and I'll carry this… lady to a clinic. Deal?"
The man was silent for a few seconds, then gave a firm nod.
Seeing that, Glen smiled and held out his hand. "Hi, I'm… Glen Nibanklu."
Figuring he might not need to keep using Dylan's old acquaintances, Glen decided to go by his real name—plus, it didn't sound out of place in this world's language.
The man looked at Glen's hand, then slowly shook it. "Black Crow."
Black Crow? Weird name… Glen filed that away mentally but didn't show it on his face.
He told Black Crow his house address and where the spare key was hidden, not worried that the guy would cause trouble. First, there was nothing valuable at home. Second, the fact that Black Crow wanted to save someone showed he wasn't a scumbag.
Besides, Glen had already memorized Black Crow's scent—with a werewolf's sharp nose, finding him again would be easy.
Once Black Crow took the bags, Glen quickly checked on the woman lying in the weeds.
She was in her fifties, hair lightly streaked with gray, deep wrinkles on her face, plainly dressed—clearly a commoner.
There was a bit of blood at the corner of her mouth, and her exposed arms were badly bruised, signs of heavy blunt-force trauma. Rips and bloodstains on her clothes hinted at knife wounds, but they weren't deep—not fatal.
Glen did a quick patch job on her injuries, then hoisted her onto his back. To Black Crow, still standing quietly nearby, he said, "I'm heading off, Mr. Black Crow. Remember to drop the stuff at my place."
The man nodded, and Glen turned toward Doud.
…
After saying goodbye to her friends, Laila went home like usual—only to freeze in shock at the sight.
Furniture was overturned, the place trashed as if ransacked. But that wasn't the worst part. Her mom was gone.
"Mom! Mom! Where are you? God, please let her be okay!"
Tears poured down Laila's face as she frantically searched the small house. No sign of her mother anywhere.
She bolted outside and started asking neighbors.
Hearing the commotion, Mrs. Mann, who lived across from Laila, opened her door and saw Laila's panic. She seemed to know what had happened and motioned her over.
"Dear girl, Bob's back. He drank a lot and was beating Mrs. Dolby at your place. I saw him chasing your mother—they went that way."
Dad!? Laila's heart lurched. That maniac could do anything to her mom!
Without another word, she grabbed the hem of her simple dress and raced in the direction Mrs. Mann pointed.
…
Carrying a woman weighing over a hundred pounds for over ten kilometers wasn't hard for Glen now. After asking around, he finally got the injured lady to a private clinic.
Inside were three doctors and two nurses. Once the nurses wheeled her in, one doctor stepped up. "Sir, are you the patient's relative?"
"No, I found her on the road," Glen replied, explaining.
"I see. Are you willing to cover the cost, sir?"
"Sorry, I don't have any money. Let her pay when she wakes up."
"…Alright, sir."
Glen waited a bit, figuring it was better to leave after she regained consciousness.
Soon, a doctor told him she was awake. Glen stood up. "Then I'll be going…"
Just then, a familiar figure rushed into the clinic, grabbed Glen's hand, and gasped between tears, "Mister, did you carry an injured woman here just now?"
Laila? Why's she here? Glen blinked and nodded.
Doud wasn't huge, and folks tended to know each other. Carrying a bleeding, half-dead person through the streets would definitely get you noticed.
Laila had been searching forever, tears nearly spent, despair creeping in—until someone mentioned Glen. Hope flared, she memorized his description, and, ignoring her exhaustion, ran to the clinic.
Getting confirmation, she dashed into the treatment room.
Seeing the frail woman on the bed, she threw herself beside her, sobbing, "Mom…"
The woman on the bed clutched Laila tightly, crying too. "My poor child…"
Glen and the medical staff stood outside, watching in silence.
"What a touching scene!" one doctor sighed.
"Yeah…" the two nurses agreed, wiping their eyes.
Glen, meanwhile, looked like he was pondering something.
She really is pretty—eyes, face, nose, all beautiful. No wonder Dylan had noticed her, even remembered her name clearly… Glen mentally reviewed the scene.
Remembering she still owed him thanks, Laila forced herself to calm down, caught her breath, exchanged a few words with her mother, then slowly walked over to Glen. Her reddened eyes looked up at him as she bowed deeply.
"Thank you so much, sir! Really—I can't imagine what would've happened without you. Could I have your address? I'll visit and thank you properly. Please!"
Seeing such a gorgeous girl beg him so earnestly, Glen figured he should really be thanking Black Crow—but that'd require explanations, so he dropped the thought.
My place? You don't wanna go there. It'll scare you half to death… He considered refusing, but her attitude made it clear she wouldn't take no for an answer. So he nodded.
"Bayek Town. Go through the main gate, keep walking till you see a villa and a three-story building—my place is the one squished between them."
I'll have the beast shadow her for protection. Should be fine… Glen thought.
Laila's face lit up. She bowed again. "You're an incredibly kind gentleman."
Heh, you have no idea what's coming… Glen grinned inwardly.
"Bayek Town?"
The doctors and nurses exchanged confused glances—none of them had heard of it. Glen had expected that.
Seeing their blank looks, he just said it was a remote place, then excused himself and left.
Two towns this close—he didn't believe anybody in Doud knew Bayek. If Laila asked around, she'd find it.