Wolf rushed as fast as he could, but the sun had already been up for hours before he managed to reach the rooftop where he had left Anna last night.

From the distance he could see the girl crying and nervously looking around.

“I thought you left me behind!” Anna exclaimed as soon as she spotted Wolf.

He didn’t have time to argue since they were still several hours away from South’s street. Instead the boy hastily apologized, cast a couple of Subtle spells while he was at it and then they were off.

Anna and Wolf rushed to South’s alley and reached it in time. When they walked into the junk filled backstreet it was around two in the afternoon. Wolf let out a breath of relief. He had more than enough time to prepare dinner.

“Little brother, you’re later than usual.” South slurred a bit as he spoke, then glanced at Anna. “Ah, I understand everything. It is usually like that... Once a woman appears, man tends to forget his brothers…”

“Big brother don’t be like that... I was running half the night to get the ingredients for dinner!” Wolf blushed, not really sure why.

“That’s what they all say at first. I’m tired, I was up all night… Then, before you know it, you’re changing diapers. Enough about that, what’s for dinner?” South dismissed Wolf’s excuse before chugging more wine from his wineskin.

Wolf blinked in confusion. He didn’t understand what diapers had to do with being late, so he decided to ignore that statement and answered the question.

While Wolf and South discussed today's menu, Anna carefully examined the man in front of her.

South was imposingly long and would probably be tall if he ever actually stood up. He was dirty and unkempt. His hair was greasy and the drunkard had a general appearance of someone who wallowed in filth all day long.

All in all, the girl found his appearance extremely repulsive and disgusting. Yet he had an extremely strange quality that made it seem like his outer appearance was just a facade. Was this strange person really her knight’s big brother? He seemed too old.

“Sir Wolf, may I know how the two of you are related?” Anna asked politely, while still staring at the messy drunk who looked nothing like Wolf.

“What did I tell you? She just appeared in your life and she already needs to know everything there is to know about your genealogy,” South grumbled because Anna interrupted Wolf’s passionate monologue about what he wanted to make today.

“This here is my Big brother. He did me a great favor when I first arrived here. Ever since then we’ve had this tradition of sharing a meal on Sunday.” Wolf ignored South’s complaints and told Anna the gist of how he had met South.

Anna listened and nodded with a disapproving face. She understood what Wolf said, but didn’t approve of his choice of company.

South was a forward person. At a glance it was obvious that he disliked Anna as much as she disliked him. “Little brother, if you really want to have a woman, you should consider going to a whorehouse...”

Hearing this Anna’s eyes went as wide as saucers.

South however, continued talking at the same leisurely place, as if he didn’t notice the girl’s shock.

“… it’s much cheaper. You don’t have to care about the consequences and you are free once you leave the place…” As he was talking Wolf started blushing.

The boy was still fairly innocent, but after living on the streets for a couple of months, you get to learn a thing or two.

He didn’t know what whores did. He knew that they screamed and moaned and banged the bed behind closed doors and that apparently it was a great insult to be compared with one. Anna, on the other hand, knew exactly what a whore was.

The girl started screaming before South could finish his sentence. “You cur! How dare you talk like that! I said stop talking!” She balled her small, delicate hands into fists and they turned white from how hard she was clenching them. “How dare you call me a whore!…”

However South was unmoved by Anna’s shouting and just kept on talking. “… See, she hasn’t been here for two minutes, and she’s already telling me to shut up. A good whore would never…”

“… Goodbye Wolf!” Anna screamed indignantly before running away. Tears of anger and humiliation streamed down her face. She had never been disgraced like this in her entire life.

South never stopped his speech. Not even as Anna escaped the alley. “… make such a fuss. They are always smiling and moaning. At least they try to look like they are having a good time. So why bother with other women? Remember little brother, in this world a woman is a curse upon you, not a blessing.”

Wolf looked at Anna as the girl ran away. At the same time he listened to what South was saying, all the while trying to make sense of what just happened.

How did such a disaster happen without a warning?

Wolf looked at South with a confused expression. “What? Why?”

“Like I said little brother. Whores are the best. Easier to deal with as well. You’ll understand when you grow up. That girl, she’ll grow up into a real whore one day and then you’ll be sorry you’ve ever met her. Better to nip the whole thing in the bud.” South sloshed some more wine into his mouth as Wolf stared at him.

“I’m going after her!” Wolf ignored South and ran after Anna. Once he got serious she had no chance at escaping him. The first thing he did was cancel the enchantments he’d placed on her. That way she wouldn’t be able to get far before collapsing.

“Hey little brother, I’m saying this for your own good! Whores are better for your mental health! Trust your big brother!” South shouted halfheartedly even after seeing that Wolf didn’t want to listen. Then he perked up, as if remembering something important.

“If you can’t make it back in time, I’ll settle for a late night snack! I’ll be waiting!” South continued shouting even after Wolf left the alley. The drunk was so loud that Wolf had the feeling he was right behind his back the whole time he shouted.

Wolf didn’t know whether he should laugh or cry at his Big brother’s goofy character and the things he had to say at a time like this. He chased after Anna and caught up with her in less than a minute.

The girl felt furious, embarrassed, humiliated and probably had a dozen other emotions fighting for their right to be heard. She ignored Wolf’s shouts and the people looking at her oddly. She just kept running, until she finally tripped from fatigue.

Anna was about to crash down face first on the hard stone, when a firm, yet gentle hand caught her.

“My lady, you should watch your step. Falling hurts.” Wolf tried to continue their play and make light of the whole thing, but Anna exploded.

“Let go of me this instant!” she shouted. “I’ll scream if you don’t!”

You’re already screaming though… But that was the second most inappropriate thing to say at this moment. The first being that South was right at least about some of the things he’d mentioned.

“I am sorry! I have no idea what happened! Big brother is usually a very amicable man. He must be drunk. Yes! That’s it! He’s drunk all the time! He never leaves that alley and only has me to talk to, all right? Please forgive him.” Wolf rambled, trying to come up with an excuse and make things right.

However, Anna didn’t give a damn. “Let go of me! My mother always told me you can tell what people are like by the friends they make! Let go!”

Wolf helped Anna up before letting her go.

“Aren’t you my friend too?” he asked with a hushed voice. Sometimes even an idiot strikes gold.

Anna opened her mouth and forgot to close it. She wanted to say something, but came up blank. Seeing an opening, Wolf continued speaking.

“You are my friend. My second friend ever! And for better or worse, South is the first friend I’ve ever made. He was the only one there for me when I needed help. And he helped me with some very important things too. No matter what you say that won’t change. Just like no matter what he says won’t change how I feel about you.”

Anna was visibly torn at the moment. She wanted to say something, but she didn’t know what. Finally she managed to gather her thoughts. “That man and I will never be friends. Ever! No matter what you try to do or say, I’ll never forgive him. Ever! Calling ME a whore!?”

Wolf could understand her. He never dreamed something like this would happen. But after thinking for a moment he realized that Anna and South were polar opposites.

Anna was clean and took care of the way she looked, while South… Well, he was South, a dedicated alcoholic living in trash.

Yeah, I was stupid. What was I thinking? Those two should never have met. Anna would’ve been happier while South… He probably doesn’t give a rat’s ass either way, as long as he gets his dinner.

“Look Anna, I have to prepare food for South and myself. A couple of days ago I wasn’t lying when I said I could cook. So, what I want to ask you is whether you can be the bigger person and overlook what South had said? I would like to have dinner with you too?”

Anna looked at Wolf and really wanted to say no, but that part about being a bigger person was not something she could ignore. “Fine. Just tell him not to talk while I’m there.”

A pained smile appeared on Wolf’s face. It was obvious that he felt like crying right now. Ask South to remain silent? Why not ask him to make the whole world silent? That thought gave Wolf an idea. “How about we all eat in silence?”

Anna gave it a thought before nodding. “That’s fine I guess.”

“All right then, come back in a couple of minutes please. I need time to prepare everything” With those words Wolf rushed back to South’s alley.

“You know Little brother, I’m only thinking about your best interest. Women are trouble in general. If you need to have any dealings with them, whores are an ideal–”

Wolf never found out what was ideal about whores, because at this moment he had finished casting Subtle Silence. Half a minute later Anna entered the alley.

When she entered the spell zone all sound abruptly ended. For a moment the girl was startled. Manlings aren't used to absolute silence, but Anna took it fairly well. She sat down and waited for food to be prepared.

South kept on opening and closing his mouth as if talking while chopping vegetables.

He only briefly stopped every now and then to take a swing from his wineskin. Meanwhile, Wolf was taking things out of his Ring of Holding.

When he took out the second magical heater South excitedly opened and closed his mouth all the while nodding approvingly. After recovering from shock from seeing Wolf’s possessions, Anna watched South process vegetables. She thought that he kind of looked reliable. The only problem was that his big fat mouth never stopped moving.

Even though Anna wasn’t proficient at lip reading she saw South mouth the word whore on several occasions. Thankfully, all she had to do was avert her gaze while waiting for food.

After a while Wolf silently handed Anna a bowl of soup. When she looked up she saw that he was giving one to South as well, after which he poured himself a serving.

Anna was happy that she got the food first. She tried to say bon appetit, but no sound came out of her mouth, even though she knew she’d said the words. However both Wolf and South noticed her intention and nodded their thanks. Surprisingly, even South was civil when it came to food.

The bowl had a layer of chicken fat floating on top of the soup, as well as chunks of vegetables and bits of parsley swirling around. She glanced at Wolf and South and saw that two men were eating happily, while smacking their lips.

Apparently they liked it, but the layer of fat made her lose her appetite. Seeing her hesitation, Wolf stirred his bowl in an overly exaggerated manner. Apparently he knew what her problem was.

Anna stirred the soup and then took a spoonful with her eyes closed. It was exquisite! After eating nothing but bread and jerky for three days, this soup tasted like food for the gods.