After a moment’s thought, Palindes decided that idleness was idleness regardless, and that moving his body would at least be something worthwhile. He nodded and said, "Aina, I’ll earn money to support you."

  Glenn raised an eyebrow—he had not expected the puppet to ask for wages. Ah, well. If he wants pay, then pay it is. Glenn had no idea what use a puppet had for human currency anyway... so he said nothing more.

  "You really are the dearest brother in the world!" The puppet girl stepped forward and wrapped her brother in a huge embrace.

  Afterward, Glenn asked about the strength of the two puppets. Both were powerful Fourth-Tier constructs, endowed with numerous abilities.

  For instance, either puppet could easily seize control of another creature’s body—even those of the same rank—and maintain that control for a long time. There was also a corruption spell known as the Negative Forest, capable of transforming any target into a mindless plant in the blink of an eye, among other abilities.

  For the time being, however, none of these talents were of much use to Glenn’s enterprise, so Palindes could only be assigned to manual labor.

  With the arrangements settled, Glenn returned to the underground laboratory to continue his magical research. He was already close to fully mastering the wind-blade spell; it would not take much longer.

  The learning process itself was smooth enough, but he encountered numerous difficulties in item crafting—ultimately a consequence of insufficient experience. The magic phone, perhaps, had been nothing more than a stroke of luck.

  As the farm expanded, relying solely on shops in Duder was no longer sufficient. Glenn therefore opened branches in several other towns as well. His butcher shops now had a name: Black Wolf Butchery.

  Using his own name felt unbearably awkward, so he chose a rather odd title instead. Odd, perhaps—but memorable, and that was good for building a brand.

  In the future, there would surely be Black Wolf Furniture, Black Wolf Apparel, Black Wolf Desserts, and many more. This was a necessary step toward his ultimate goal.

  Just one day after Daugherty notified the Knight's Temple, knights arrived in Duder. Through some unknown inspection methods, every townsman who had been brainwashed by the Church of Truth was identified and forcibly sent to Saint Savi’s Cathedral for cleansing and purification.

  The hidden missionaries of the Church of Truth were also captured to the last. What awaited them was the cruel judgment of the stake.

  It was not only Duder—many nearby towns had also been infiltrated by the Church of Truth, with ordinary people falling victim to its indoctrination. Unfortunately, Bloodaxe lingered one day too long and was detained by the knights for quite some time, only being released after it was confirmed that she had not been brainwashed.

  Glenn happened to run into her while traveling between towns. After a round of bitter complaints, Glenn laughed at her mercilessly.

  Before long, the matter of the Church of Truth seemed to have been suppressed by the Knight's Temple, and everything returned to normal.

  One day, Glenn brought several gifts—some handmade, others purchased in Caladria—and went to Captain Daugherty's home. After a light knock, a sturdy young man unfamiliar to him opened the door. Glenn recognized him as one of the constables from the station.

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  Seeing Glenn, the young man warmly invited him inside.

  The house was packed with people, noisy and lively, everyone smiling and chatting enthusiastically. At the center stood a long table laden with dishes of every kind, the golden-roasted turkey in the middle drawing the most attention.

  Decorations adorned the room, giving the scene the unmistakable feel of a birthday celebration. And in a sense, it was.

  Two days earlier, Captain Daugherty's wife, Mrs. Ryan, had given birth to a baby girl. Glenn had received the invitation yesterday. He genuinely enjoyed such joyous occasions—they added color to an otherwise hectic life.

  After asking where to place his gifts, Glenn set them in a specially prepared corner.

  "Mr. Glenn, what’s inside that big box? It looks pretty heavy," the young man who had opened the door asked curiously.

  Glenn brushed a wrinkle from his clothes and replied vaguely, "Toys for the baby."

  The young man nodded, puzzled but unconcerned. He would find out soon enough.

  At that moment, Daugherty came downstairs carrying a swaddled baby. Everyone gathered around eagerly to see the child. Glenn was no exception; he squeezed into the crowd.

  The newborn’s eyes were still closed, her skin rosy red, tiny hands clenching the air. Faced with the cluster of faces above her, she merely let out a soft snort through her nose, drawing affectionate laughter from the crowd.

  "I’ve named her Kina," Daugherty said, his face overflowing with happiness. "What do you think?"

  "Wonderful! She’ll grow into a beautiful girl!""It’s a lovely name—may she always be happy and blessed!""It suits her perfectly!"

  Praises poured in from every direction.

  Glenn added a few words of his own, then was the first to step back. His gaze shifted to a woman who had remained seated the entire time.

  He had noticed earlier that she sat alone, never speaking to anyone, never stepping forward to see the baby. At first, Glenn assumed she was simply reclusive and gave it little thought.

  But now, something about her felt distinctly wrong.

  Sensing his gaze, the woman turned her head. Surprise flickered across her face as she asked, "You can actually see me?"

  Her words made Glenn narrow his eyes.

  "You’d better be an invited guest of the captain," he said coldly.

  She studied him silently for several seconds, then rose to her feet. "Apologies. I saw the commotion and came in hoping to ask for some water. I meant no harm."

  With that, she dispersed like a gust of wind.

  Glenn did not stop her. There were too many ordinary people here; acting rashly could harm the innocent—and he did not wish to ruin the captain's joy.

  "Mr. Glenn, who were you talking to?" someone asked, noticing his odd behavior.

  "Nothing," Glenn replied with a smile. "Just hungry, that’s all."

  But inwardly, he was already considering how to deal with that woman.

  The instant she stood up, Glenn sensed a familiar aura—the aura of the dark mages he despised most in this world. It was easy to imagine that, had Glenn not been present, she might have brought unspeakable disaster upon this family at what should have been their happiest moment.

  Far away, atop a spired building outside the town, the woman reappeared. A cold smile curled her lips. "So bold—daring to ruin my plans. How detestable. Once I retrieve my pet, I’ll deal with you properly."

  She delighted most in inflicting the deepest agony upon people at the height of their happiness, watching them plunge from heaven into hell. That sight brought her the utmost pleasure.

  This time, she had merely intended to retrieve her escaped pet, avoiding unnecessary complications—but such tempting material had appeared before her eyes. She could not resist. She had not expected an extraordinary being of unknown strength to appear, and caution compelled her to retreat.

  Yet vindictiveness was a common trait among dark mages. She would not let this go. Once she learned his true capabilities, she would ensure he understood the price of provoking her.

  Recalling Glenn’s arrogant tone, she snorted softly—and vanished once more.

  She had set her sights on Glenn. And Glenn, in turn, had set his sights on her. Now that she had entered his field of vision, he would spare no effort to see her eradicated.