Dorian escaped from the vast expanse of grasslands and the Buckman brothers and finally arrived at the Hunter's Society.
Without hesitation, he headed straight to Jandar's chamber. No one stopped him as he walked through the building. Everyone knew who he was.
Though not a hunter himself, Dorian's act of saving Jandar's life had earned him unrestricted access to the building.
As he entered Jandar's chamber, he immediately spotted the face he was seeking. Just as he had guessed, Patricia stood exactly where he had left her, as if she hadn't moved an inch.
Her eyes were fixed on the floor, lost in deep thought, unaware of Dorian's entrance.
As Patricia stood in Jandar's chamber, she remained undisturbed. No one could enter without Jandar's permission, so the other hunters and staff in the building left her alone.
Dorian, who had finally reached her after several struggles, opened his mouth to call out to Patricia but stopped at the last second. Despite his efforts to get here, he was unsure of what to say.
If he told her that Lander might be dead, he would have to reveal the secret of the magic beast, which was out of the question.
Furthermore, he didn't want to be the one to deliver such tragic news, especially to someone who always cared for him.
After some contemplation, Dorian finally made up his mind. Despite the tragic nature of the news, he believed Patricia had the right to know the truth, no matter how harsh it might be.
Keeping such important news about her son from her didn't sit well with him.
"Patricia," he called gently.
Lost in her world of worries and hopes, Patricia looked up and saw Dorian standing before her.
"Young Master Dorian? What happened? Didn't you just leave? Did you forget something?"
"What? Patricia, do you know what time it is now? It's already noon. Have you been standing here all this time?"
"What? I... I... I didn't want to go home. I thought if Sir Jandar found my son, he would bring him here first, so I just stayed."
Suddenly, she bowed to Dorian and continued anxiously,
"I'm sorry. I didn't ask for permission to stay. I'll apologize once Sir Jandar returns."
"What? No... Patricia, please stand up," Dorian urged. "Jandar would never scold a worried mother. He'll understand, so don't worry."
Patricia raised her head, and Dorian continued,
"And yes, Jandar would have brought Lander here if he had found him. You were right to stay."
"Oh, Young Master Dorian, I forgot to ask. Did Sir Jandar come with you? Did you find Lander?"
Dorian saw the hopeful eyes of Patricia looking at him, and he hated the situation even more, knowing he had to tell her about her son.
"Patricia... about that. Jandar hasn't returned yet. He'll probably be back soon. But..."
There was a moment of silence in the room as Patricia waited for Dorian to finish, her eyes full of anticipation. Dorian struggled to find the words, feeling the weight of the news he had to deliver. After an awkward pause, he finally pulled himself together.
"But there is a chance that Lander might've dea—"
Before he could finish the sentence, a loud voice reverberated through the entire building of the Hunters Society, so loud that everyone could hear it.
"Sylas!!!"
Both Patricia and Dorian recognized the voice. It was Jandar's. Although Patricia didn't know who Sylas was, Dorian knew very well. Sylas was the head of the Apothecary in the Hunters Society.
Dorian couldn't help but wonder if something serious had happened to Jandar or Renga, given that Jandar called for Sylas immediately upon entering the building. Both Dorian and Patricia hurried outside to see what was unfolding.
Many others in the building also started moving towards Jandar. As Dorian and Patricia made their way through the crowd, they finally caught sight of Jandar carrying someone on his shoulder, the person's face obscured from view.
"Lander!!" Dorian exclaimed.
However, Patricia didn't need to see her son's face to recognize him. Having raised him diligently for the past sixteen years, she could identify him correctly, even in the midst of a bustling crowd.
Right now, all that filled Patricia's mind was horror and panic as Lander lay unconscious, his condition uncertain. Jandar, aware of Patricia's distress and thoughts, quickly reassured her.
"He's alive. He just needs treatment."
Patricia didn't hear a word he said and went behind him, tears streaming down her face as she gently held Lander's face.
"Oh... my dear... I beg you...Please don't leave me... Please... wake up."
Jandar watched, realizing that none of his words were reaching Patricia in her worried state.
"Ugh... Where is that damned Sylas?!"
"Jandar, you know Sylas. He's probably in the tavern, bathing in ale. It would've been a surprise if he was in the building."
"Yes, I saw him heading to the Drunken Moon Alehouse earlier," one of the hunters chimed in, while another quickly confirmed the fact. Just as they finished, another voice interrupted from behind.
"Snitches don't get stitches, wenches."
The voice was rough and coarse, almost eerie, and one would mistake it for a ghost if not for the man standing there.
He had a medium build and dark skin, suggesting he wasn't a native of the town. His face was hidden under an overgrown beard, and his long black hair was tied back in a ponytail style. He wore a lengthy, thick gown that covered his entire body.
It was none other than Sylas, the head of the apothecary at the Hunter's Society. Without waiting for anything, he hurried towards Lander.
Both the hunters swiftly concealed themselves within the crowd. Despite their mockery of him, they harbored a deep-rooted fear of Sylas.
"Move, woman!" Sylas commanded, not pausing for Patricia's tears to dry as he pushed her aside and assessed Lander's condition.
His eyes flickered strangely for a moment before returning to normal. Then he looked at Jandar.
"You're a professional, Jandar. But why do you always shout my name in the middle of the hall when you bring in an injured person? Bring the boy to my chamber," he ordered before leaving abruptly.
Jandar didn't argue and followed Sylas, with Dorian and Patricia trailing behind.
[I couldn't upload the chapter for the last 10 days because I had the flu, but I'm feeling better now. I wanted to do a mass release today, but I still get headaches if I use my laptop for too long. But I promise to catch up and upload all the left-behind chapters from the past 10 days by the end of this month. Don't worry, the novel is not on a break. Updates will come regularly from now on. I'm also writing extra chapters ahead in case I get sick again in the future.]