Martin's Tragedy

"Not everyone has the courage to face a Legendary."

Mr. Fast's arrival put Annan at ease.

In Annan's life, Faster had been both a friend and an elder. But unlike Aunt Susan and Uncle Holin, he wasn't someone Annan had grown up needing to protect. Even now, Annan still needed Mr. Fast's strength.

And Faster's arrival raised the upper limit of the "unnamed organization's" strength—if hidden strength didn't count.

"Are those people outside the trouble you mentioned?" Mr. Fast looked toward the crowd beyond the Manor. "Or is it that Epic Mage?"

"Actually, neither."

"Then what is it?"

"I'm not the King of the North."

In the study, Annan spent a dozen minutes explaining how things had come to this and where they stood now.

"That sounds strange..." Faster undid another button in the stifling heat, letting a tuft of chest hair spill out like seaweed. "Who would go to such lengths to target the Reeves?"

"Bad people."

That much was beyond doubt.

The Reeves had led an idyllic life in Ossulund Territory. If their numbers hadn't dwindled, their only son would never have left to seek a city lordship and blundered into a vast web of conspiracy.

Annan began to miss peaceful Pinglin Town.

"What about the tavern now that you're here?"

"I promoted Evelyn to acting manager."

"What about Wood?"

"He does whatever work Martin does."

"Does he still crave human blood?"

"He's kicked the habit."

Faster shared an amusing story. "I took Wood to feed on a fellow who'd fallen into a cesspit. Wood threw up all day. After that, even the mention of human blood made him gag, and he stopped complaining that livestock blood tasted awful. Mr. Victor does occasionally ask for some 'vampire blood,' then gives Wood blood from Foreign Races to improve