Jorgen-19

Glocara slowly pushed open the door and entered the room. Crecyda, sitting in the center of the room, looked over and smiled.

"Hello. You must be...?"

"I'm Glocara. Hello, Crecyda," Glocara closed the door. "Jorgen sent me..." She raised her left hand, indicating the small toolbox she carried.

Crecyda nodded. Glocara approached her.

"What a coincidence, isn't it?" Crecyda said.

"How so?" Glocara paused. "Oh, you mean that night, downstairs..."

"Yeah. Never thought we'd meet again, especially in these circumstances."

"Not really a coincidence. I had a hunch."

"Why?"

"Because I know the room Galin assigned to you. Years ago, when I first came to Stromgarde, I stayed there."

"Really?"

"Yeah. That room, let me put it this way, anyone who goes in there isn't an ordinary guest. And Jorgen arrived almost simultaneously, so I figured something must be up."

"You must be quite familiar with Jorgen."

"Not exactly."

"Why would he send you, then?"

"It's a long story. Before I came here, I was at Booty Bay. That's where I met him, so he knows what I'm capable of."

"I see."

They fell silent for a moment. Glocara observed the woman in front of her, not out of suspicion but with a curious familiarity. In a way, they were former cellmates in the same prison.

"So..." Glocara said. "Do you want me to start now?"

"Wait a bit longer," Crecyda said. "Just a bit longer."

"Sure." Glocara set down her toolbox and sat on the bed behind Crecyda. She saw Crecyda lower her head, staring at the fingers lightly touching on her thighs, taking a deep breath to lift her shoulders slightly. Glocara was willing to wait; she understood that Crecyda needed some psychological preparation. In fact, Glocara needed some time herself.

Last night, a guard walked into Glocara's room and said something that struck her as particularly strange.

"A rare opportunity for you. An important person has taken an interest in you."

"What?"

"Didn't catch that? An important person wants you for the night. Seize the chance; if you manage to please him, you might get to move to a better place. Stop standing there staring at me, get going."

Glocara obediently followed the guard out of the room because she somewhat expected who was looking for her. However, when she saw him in Jorgen's room, Glocara couldn't help but cross her arms, leaning slightly forward with a furrowed brow as she spoke to him.

"Spending the night with you? Can't you come up with a better reason?"

"This is the most appropriate reason. The person watching over you won't suspect, and they won't think of reporting it to Galin. Of course, he also gets a little benefit. Sit down first; I have something to tell you. Would you like some tea?"

"Just get to the point. Start with the bad news and then the slightly less bad news."

"I'm about to share good news. You'll be leaving Stromgarde soon. Galin has agreed to let me take you away."

"What about Tusha? Can he leave too?"

"His situation hasn't been decided yet. That's all I can say for now."

"I really want to know what kind of game you're playing, but you definitely won't tell me everything."

"Knowing is enough. Also, I need your help with something. Have you heard the name Crecyda?"

"I've heard it once or twice, but I have no idea who she is."

"She is another person I need to take with me. Galin is obstructing this. To be able to take her away, I need your assistance."

"Jorgen, I really don't know what there is that you can't do or find someone else to do besides me."

"There is, of course. At least for now, only you can do this well. Listen to what I have to say."

After Jorgen made his request, Glocara immediately stood up, walked behind the chair, and rested her right hand on the back.

"No, this is... too strange."

"Are you saying you refuse?"

"I'm not refusing. Even if I did, you wouldn't allow it. I just find it... strange. Uncomfortable." She shrugged.

"I believe you can help me with this favor."

"She... Crecyda, did she agree?"

"She agreed because it's the only way. You're right; I won't allow you to refuse. You have to help me with this favor."

"I... I understand. But you have to explain more clearly to me, the whole process of this thing. At least let me know what I'm doing before I start. And is this really effective? Can it really deceive Galin? He may not be a fool, no matter how you look at it. If something goes wrong..."

"It's because I anticipate success that I say this is the only way. If a solution can't succeed, it's not a solution; at most, it's just struggling and making a fuss. If you really want to know why, I can explain more to you. But before that, you have to promise me that you will handle this carefully."

"Don't look at me like that. I know this is no joking matter. Fine, I promise. I will handle it for you, okay?"

"In any case, it's all up to you."

Glocara was not accustomed to having someone burden her with such words. But she knew Jorgen must have long adapted to burdens a hundredfold greater—just like now, where she was just a part of his entire plan. She didn't feel obligated to give anything to this detestable man, but she also didn't want to become his burden. Moreover, she knew the person who truly needed her help wasn't Jorgen.

"Jorgen said this is the only way to let me see him alive," Crecyda said.

"Who?" Glocara took a moment in the silence to recall and didn't immediately grasp Crecyda's meaning.

"Renner. My husband."

"Ah..."

"Glocara, have you heard anything about my husband from Jorgen?"

"No. Jorgen hasn't told me anything about these things."

"Is that so..."

After a short silence, Crecyda continued.

Actually, this morning when I saw Jorgen, I was happy. I was waiting to talk to him, waiting for a long time. I knew he would bring me some news. I was waiting for him to tell me, 'Crecyda, Renner is still alive,' and he did say that. Strangely, upon hearing those words, I became worried. I've known all these years that Renner must be alive... I've always believed it. Jorgen proved it to me, but I... It's not that I'm not happy, it's just that there's no real joy. Because I know things aren't that simple."

"What happened to your husband?"

"They are using him... conducting an experiment on him. Jorgen told me that to go see Renner, I must be mentally prepared for the changes in him."

Glocara sat up straight. Although she had heard something about experiments from Tusha, she never knew the person was called Renner. Glocara couldn't see Crecyda's expression because she kept her head down.

"Have you heard about these things?" Crecyda asked.

"Well... no."

"It's uncomfortable. Even just going to see him directly is very difficult. But I can't do it immediately now. I have to make sure I... have that chance."

"I know Jorgen's method is strange, but he must have done his best. Perhaps there really is no other way now."

"I know. Sorry for complaining to you about these things."

"It's okay."

Glocara stood up, rubbed Crecyda's shoulders with her hands, and then gently stroked her black hair.

"So, there's not much time left. Shall we begin?"

Crecyda nodded.

Glocara took out tools from the box. What she had to do here was to cut all of Crecyda's hair. After that, she would go to the room designated by Jorgen, where the recently deceased body of a woman with a height and figure similar to Crecyda's lay. Glocara would use her years of experience in repairing bodies in Booty Bay, through cutting, filling with materials, and makeup, to try to make the appearance of the female corpse resemble Crecyda as much as possible. The most crucial step was to transplant the hair back onto the corpse's head exactly as it was. She didn't understand this at all, but Jorgen told her, "I found out that Galin is infatuated with her hair. When the body is burning underneath, eyes covered with black cloth, the hair is the most important recognizable feature for Galin."

"Galin is infatuated? Her hair must be very beautiful. Are you sure you have to use this... particularly serious method for a girl? Alright, alright, you don't have to say anything like 'only' to me again. I'll do it. But, won't Galin want to see it with his own eyes..."

"He doesn't have the courage to witness the execution from the beginning. Even if he suddenly changes his mind, he won't care if I slightly move the scheduled execution time forward. He specifically goes to see Crecyda's body, not how she died."

"I understand. You sound really confident. Can I borrow some of that?"

Glocara had no problem taking things from the deceased and transferring them to the living, but she had never done the opposite. Holding Crecyda's hair in her left hand, she looked carefully, scissors in her right hand, hesitating to start.

"Didn't you say... let's start?" Crecyda asked.

"Okay."

After Glocara finished her work, Crecyda turned the small mirror on the table towards herself. Throughout the entire process, the mirror had been facing the wall. She looked at herself in the mirror, raised her eyebrows, pursed her lips, as if to confirm that they hadn't changed a bit due to the disappearance of the black hair.

"I... am a bit scared."

Glocara listened to her.

"For so many years, I've dreamt many times of meeting him again. Although the things in the dreams are different each time, both of us haven't changed. He is still the him just after leaving home, and I am too. But Jorgen told me he has changed. Now I have changed too."

"No, you haven't changed." Glocara placed her right hand on Crecyda's back. "Although I've only truly known you for a short time, when I first entered the room, I saw you, and now I see you. Don't worry, Crecyda. Everything will be fine."