Horsling's tavern was located at the foot of a rocky hill north of the town of Ortleg. This humble tavern and several small inns in the vicinity were the northernmost bustling point in the Alton Kingdom area.
Its remote location made it rarely visited by royal soldiers, so the tavern often became a gathering place for bandits from the south who were trying to escape to the north. These bandits were joined by hunters who descended from the forests, as well as merchants who came from various regions who brought their bouncers. All of them were fearless, risk-takers, as well as cunning and dangerous to anyone who wasn't alert.
But that didn't mean it's a chaotic place. This tavern was safe because the owner, Master Horsling, was a respected person. He was big, had a thick beard, and liked to laugh, so he seemed friendly. But there were many stories about him, both real and exaggerated, about him being good at fighting and having killed many bandits. No one dared to get into trouble with him. That's why in his tavern, as well as in other places around it, visitors can felt quite safe.
Rogas told all of that. Therefore William could now sit comfortably in the tavern without being afraid to see the behavior of the rude people around him who kept laughing or shouting while drunk and gambling. William was never afraid to gather with people like this. Even at other times and in other places he often also drank wine until he was drunk. The thing was, now there's Muriel with him. If Bortez found out that William had brought his daughter to a place like this, he would have been severely reprimanded.
Remembering that, William was annoyed again. He should have thought about it one more time before leaving. Besides, Muriel's appearance which was like a nice girl from the village could also be a problem.
Rogas advised before they departed. If it could be called advice. He said, "If you dress like a grown woman, which is a bit revealing, don't blame these bastards if they think you're a prostitute and offer you money to be with you. It's up to you if that's what you want; none of my business. On the other hand, if you dress like a country girl like this, they can get suspicious too. They thought, why would a girl like you come here? There must be something. Whatever it is, if they ask all kinds of questions about us, I don't like it."
Muriel only replied to Rogas' words with an annoyed snort. It seemed the girl didn't care, and would still go with her usual clothes, just so that Rogas wouldn't like it. It was her right, but William was sure Rogas' words had some truth in them. At Horsling's Tavern, they had to be careful not to be the center of attention, even if they had no money to steal. In essence, a child or a good girl shouldn't go to this kind of place.
"Then what should we do?" he asked.
"Give her your clothes," answered Rogas. "Let her look like a man so that no one bothers her."
So, finally, Muriel left wearing William's shirt, pants, and vest. They were all William size, so of course, they looked too big to her. The girl's curly hair was hidden under the hood so that she now really looked like a boy. Meanwhile, William was wearing his other clothes.
They arrived at the tavern in the evening. The three of them entered and sat in the corner of the room, then ordered some wine and had a drink. They tried to appear like normal visitors so that no one cares about their existence.
Everything was according to Rogas' wish.
After drinking one bottle the man asked William, "Where's the guy?" He looked here and there. "We've been here long enough until it's past sunset."
William also looked around. In his observation, there were more than twenty people inside the tavern. Some played gambling accompanied by several girls in revealing clothes. Others just watched the game or sat talking at the table drinking and smoking cigars. Mornitz's tall figure was nowhere to be seen.
He shrugged. "Maybe soon."
"If he doesn't show up before midnight, I'm gone," said Rogas. "Tomorrow I will return to Alton. But, first, maybe I'll find a nice place to stay… and find a girl." He smirked as he glanced at Muriel. "Actually I wanted to invite you to accompany me, maybe you want it too. Hmm?"
Muriel, who had been silent all this time, suddenly glared. Her face was bright red. She almost threw the water in her cup on Rogas' face. Luckily William managed to hold her hand while smiling reassuringly.
"Hey, don't listen to him," he said, hoping it wouldn't catch the attention of those around them. "Rogas is an asshole, but he's just kidding."
"That's right." Rogas nodded. "You can mock me back if you want. Such jokes are common in a place like this." He gave off his ugliest grin. "Besides, I know that if you want to find a room, you'd prefer to be accompanied by William. Right?"
"Haha… good joke, Rogas." William gripped the collar of Rogas' shirt. If he wanted to, he could just punch the man and fight him. Their stature was almost the same, and William was not afraid of him. William did not hesitate to do so even though the man was older. But he quickly realized, Rogas was only joking, even though it was an annoying joke.
The problem, of course, was that Muriel couldn't take the joke as lightly as William. Her face was getting redder, though now it seemed more from embarrassment. When William looked at her, the girl immediately looked away.
William turned to Rogas and pulled back his collar, wondering if maybe Rogas was getting drunk. "Time to apologize."
"Um, yes." Rogas' expression immediately changed, as if filled with regret. "Muriel, I'm sorry. Really sorry…"
Which was definitely a lie. William wasn't sure Rogas really felt guilty. People like him deserved to be beaten once in a while. Yes, William was determined to do it later. But of course not here.
Muriel turned. Just staring at William, she didn't want to look at Rogas one bit. Her jaw hardened. "I want to go home."
"Are you sure?" William asked, somehow relieved too. Yes, maybe the sooner they leave the better.
"I love walking around here, and I also love seeing the people playing those cards. But I don't like sitting with a loser like him."
"Hey…" Rogas smirked. "I already apologized."
"Shut up, Rogas," William snapped, then turned and looked at Muriel again. "Okay, if that's what you want, we go home now."
"Wait a minute," Rogas held back. "Mornitz hasn't come yet. How do I know who it is when you're gone?"
"It's your fault for causing trouble," William replied irritably. "You can ask Master Horsling anyway."
"Yeah … it could be, but—"
"Shut up. That's him," William interrupted as soon as he saw a tall man enter the room.