The trees thin at last, and the mill clearing opens ahead of Parthus and the others. Wheat and barley fields lie in rough bands beyond the path, while a lone track runs between low homesteads and their chicken coops.
The villagers keep to their work, but every glance toward the road is tight with fear. The Merchant Father points northeast, where a squat mill sits apart from the rest, half-hidden by the slope.
The Merchant Brother
That one. My brother’s mill.
The Merchant Brother
He came in armor and cloak, and took grain as tribute, coin as tax. Said he spoke for the lord’s law.
The words strike like a blade turned in a wound. Not bandit greed, then, but a claim of office, thin and dangerous as parchment.
The Merchant Brother
Since then, no one dares shelter a man he names enemy. Not even those who hate him.
Parthus stands with shield and sword at his side as the mill keeps its silent watch. The road ahead looks ordinary, yet every door in the clearing seems to be listening.
✓ Quest Accepted
Secure the miller's trust
✓ Quest Accepted
Expose the captain's fraudulent tax claim