"Come in," Darkwill habitually called out. "Hi, sir, what would you like to buy? Let me tell you, I have a medicine that every man dreams of..."
"Thank you, but I think I already have that," the man who entered said with a smile. "I'm here to buy some herbs... May the Red Moon bless you."
Darkwill cautiously stopped talking. Several seconds later, he said:
"Oh, yes, may the Red Moon bless you... It seems you're also a believer of the Goddess of the Night?"
He even raised his hand and drew the symbol of a crimson moon over his chest.
"You're a believer of the Goddess of the Night?" The man sized him up as though he had heard something absurd. "Since when have members of the School of Life converted to the Goddess of the Night?"
The man was handsome, with deep-set features, pale skin, and blood-red eyes.
The instant Darkwill saw that face, his expression turned awful. His body began trembling nervously, while the owl beside him flapped its wings twice and hooted twice.
"How many times have I told you? I don't have anything to eat here!" Darkwill roared, smacking the owl as though trying to bolster his own courage. "Who are you!"
The owl staggered from the blow, flapped up from the shelf, and after hooting twice, actually flew toward the man at the door. It craned its neck and cried out, as if truly begging for food.
"Sorry, I don't have anything for you to eat either," the man apologized to the owl, even giving it an elegant gentleman's bow before turning to Darkwill. "I'm your future companion. Relax, dear."
Darkwill trembled even harder. The owl seemed to understand, hooted twice more, and flew out of the herb shop.
The man turned back in