Glocara-3

"You really don't remember?" Elin asked, shaking his head as he leaned forward.

"No, I don't."

"Not even a hint of recollection?"

"None. Who are you?"

"Oh, there's no need to emphasize it again. It's not convenient to talk here; we need to find a place to sit down and have a proper chat. You haven't eaten anything today, have you? Even if you have, you need some real food to wash away the taste of the detention center's porridge. Follow me."

"Why should I go with you?"

"Even if you don't remember me, there's one thing you understand very well. If I hadn't come here today, those guys would have continued to keep you locked up, love to keep you locked up as long as they can, and eventually throw you out of Stormwind. So, show a bit of basic friendliness to someone who's helping you, Miss Glocara. Besides, I know you probably have a lot of questions."

Glocara followed him to a nearby tavern. On the short walk there, he asked about her interrogation at the detention center, as if gathering evidence for their shared complaint. It wasn't until they sat face to face at a wooden table that Glocara suddenly remembered something.

"Oh, I've seen you before," she said. "You're under Jorgen."

Elin hadn't settled into his seat yet, his hands resting on the table, and this statement made him pause for two more seconds before he truly sat down.

"I completely understand why you would see it that way. But in fact, he and I are in the same class... at least in title. I hope you still remember my name, Elin Tias. Well, you don't have to express your opinion on that, I've already seen the answer in your eyes."

Glocara recalled the brief encounter with this man a few years ago. That night, after a series of card games, a few drinks, and conversations built on lies, she brought him home, only to be met by Jorgen, who knew the true identity of this man. Of course, she understood that such proactive companionship was often driven by lies that the other party liked to hear, but as long as the atmosphere was right, she could temporarily ignore it, leaving the future to unfold as it may. And at the time, the situation was: everything was uncovered too quickly, forcing her pride to intervene. After all these years, what left the deepest impression on her about the whole thing wasn't the slap she gave him afterward, but rather the fact that before that, they had indeed had a good rapport in the casino. Sometimes she would argue with her own memory, thinking that the man she wanted to take home and Jorgen's subordinate were not the same person, and the longer the time passed, the more blurred this memory became. But now, even though she still couldn't fully place the face of the man in front of her in her memory, at least she reaffirmed the true experience of that night. That night, she wanted to temporarily abandon the identity of Lady Death and find a man who could make her forget her established life like an ordinary woman, but she fell into an ordinary scam like an ordinary woman. The brief happiness and excitement couldn't offset the embarrassment and anger she felt after slapping him.

"So, was it Section Seven that got me out?"

Glocara immediately redirected the conversation to the present, but Elin seemed not to hear, turning to call the waitress instead. He asked Glocara if she wanted something to eat, not getting a clear answer, he ordered for both of them. Then he asked Glocara:

"What about a drink for you?"

"No. I don't want one," Glocara automatically associated the drinks here with liquor.

"Well, you'll have a drink, but this lady won't?" the waitress said.

"That's right. Frankly, I've had to drink alone a lot lately."

"That's unusual for you, Mr. Elin. Maybe next time I can come and have a drink with you to improve the situation."

"Why suggest that when I'm sitting across from a pretty lady like this? Playing games with adults like this never ends well. Don't say I didn't warn you. Before your chef father starts putting rat tails in my roast beef, I'd better go to the next table."

"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on him while he's Cookeing," the waitress smiled and left.

"You're quite popular," Glocara leaned back, arms crossed. "That girl is twenty years younger than you."

"Don't mind her, just a kid's prank. She probably discussed it with her boyfriend, deliberately trying to tease single dads like me for fun. Young people in society nowadays, really. But I won't let her succeed."

"Prank? That reason sounds far-fetched."

"Just now, you asked if Section Seven got you out. Now you're more interested in other topics?"

Glocara turned her head to look out the window. "I didn't say anything." She was unsatisfied with her sudden sarcastic remark because it seemed like she was sending a signal to Elin that she hadn't forgotten about that incident yet. If she was really treating the man in front of her as a stranger, she shouldn't be concerned about whether he was exchanging banter with a waitress twenty years younger.

"I still work for Section Seven," Elin said. "But it wasn't Section Seven that got you out."

"What do you mean?"

"This is more like personal conduct, also a coincidence. I roughly learned about your situation from Jorgen, like you rejecting the job he offered."

"I no longer have any personal relationship with him, there's no reason for..."

"I know, I know. And 'no longer have any personal relationship' is probably his phrase, you don't need to quote that to explain yourself. He's inevitably a bit inconsistent in his words and deeds. Having worked with him for so many years, this aspect annoys me the most. Regardless of whether it's in Booty Bay or Stromgarde, you've helped him a lot, so those words of his are probably just self-defense."

"Did he have you surveil me?"

"Not exactly. I just hinted to him a few times about whether he should pay attention to how you've been lately, and he didn't object." Elin raised a finger, then immediately put it down. "But he didn't support it either. Translating his attitude into human language would be something like 'you better behave yourself, or else I'll secretly resent you'."

Glocara suppressed a laugh that was almost at her lips, releasing a small sigh from the corner of her still-closed mouth.

"Of course, he's only like this when dealing with personal matters, he's clear-headed when handling official business."

At that moment, the waitress brought the food over. She didn't leave immediately but glanced between Glocara and Elin, smiling, asking what they were talking about. Elin waved his hand vigorously to shoo her away.

"You want to have your own life, I understand that, and support it. I believe Jorgen feels the same way." Elin said as he ate. "But it's impossible to let those lazy guys from the Security Bureau just throw you out like that. You probably don't know, but Jorgen has accepted your help several times when dealing with very important—almost life-and-death—tasks, so from a work perspective, Section Seven should give you some rewards. And from my personal perspective, there are two things I never tire of: making trouble for the Security Bureau guys and helping a lady in distress."

Glocara understood that Elin's statement was half serious and half joking. Although there was indeed an intention to please her, it didn't come across as too overt because of the self-deprecating tone. If he had said this sentence just now without the small incident with the waitress, it would have seemed overly earnest, perhaps effective for sheltered young ladies but would come off as hypocritical to a woman like Glocara who understood the realities of life. Perhaps this person's nature was like this, she thought. It seemed that he didn't hastily disguise himself as a strategist when encountering women. Even if he used explicit lies to please others, he deeply believed that he meant no harm.

"Thank you," she said.

"I've been waiting too long to hear that," Elin raised his glass. "To good deeds being rewarded."

"So," after taking a sip of wine, he continued. "What are your plans now?"

"First, I'm going back to find the person who hired me."

"Unfortunately, he probably won't want you to work for him again."

"I understand that, and I don't want to work for him either. Payday is in two days, and I don't want to work for him for a whole month for nothing."

"Of course not. Let me go with you."

"Okay." Glocara understood that she had a low chance of success if she went alone and would attract more trouble.

After finishing their meal, the two went to the funeral parlor where Glocara had worked. The employer clearly didn't anticipate Glocara's reappearance. He originally insisted on only paying her half a month's wages, but when Elin said, "You must compensate for slandering this lady," he had to give up his stance.

After leaving the funeral parlor's gate, Glocara said to Elin, "How much did that meal cost? I'll pay half."

"No need. Why, are you very concerned that it looked like a date just now?"

"I'm not." Glocara pressed the coins deep into her pocket.

"Even if that's the issue, paying half won't change anything. Well, now that you've received your work earnings, what's next?"

"Thank you for coming with me. But you don't need to worry about what happens next. I'm going back to Mrs. Rosalind's house to retrieve my belongings. I believe I can handle that without you standing behind me glaring at people."

"Have you found a place to stay for the night?"

"Not yet, but I plan to stay at a small inn for a day or two."

"Even in a small inn, supporting yourself with your salary, I think a day or two will be quite challenging."

"I'll find a new job and a new landlord soon."

"My daughter lives at boarding school, her room has been empty..."

"No. That won't do." Although Elin hadn't made it clear whether his daughter's room was in the same house as his own, Glocara immediately refused. "Thank you again. But as I mentioned earlier, both you and Jorgen support me having my own life, so it's best to leave it at that. I don't like Section Seven people watching me all the time. Really don't like it. Goodbye."

Without waiting for Elin's response, Glocara left. This was mainly because she noticed that Elin had casually mentioned being a single father earlier, and now he emphasized his daughter. Regardless of his reasons for saying these things, Glocara just wanted to distance herself from what he had recently falsely hoped for.