After the leave of Bandits, everyone took some rest. It's a good thing they bought a small team of medics. Hart is also working hard on taking care of the injured ones and collecting herbs from the forest trees, using his vast knowledge of herbs and forest trees.

After all the healing, mourning and rests, everyone thanked Hart. Captain Jouque shared his whisky and food with Hart. They all rejoiced with a feast. Then, they continued their journey.

Within a day or so, they finally reached the border wall.

Upon reaching the border, the great gate opens. Soldiers welcome them. A group of rangers are also there. One of the rangers yells at Hart "Hart! You are here on time. A report just came from the nearest farmer house. There was an invasion of a hunter. "

"What?" Hart expresses in shock " We must quickly take our weapons and stop the hunter before he can cause more deaths!"

The other ranger replies "No need. The matter has already been handled. But, we need to aid them as they are severely injured."

"Amazing! It must be Piran's house. Isn’t it?"

"That's right. But, he had a helping hand."

"Interesting. I am curious to know more. But, we can discuss them later.

Let's not waste any more time and gather all the medics and troops, and head for his house."

Eyes are slowly opening. The feeling of numbness is still there. Upon waking up, Mir realises that he is lying in a bed. Looks like he is still in Piran's cottage. Piran is standing in front of him.

"How did you cure the poison?" asks Mir.

Piran grabs a bottle. The bottle is labelled with a big capital "A".

" A is for antidote."

"I wasn’t unprepared." Piran smirks.

"Looks like you did your homework well." Mir says "Where did you get the poison sample to study for? "

"From my parents murder scene." Piran replies " By the way, cops and rangers are already here. Taking care of the body and investigating the scene."

Mir nods. "Finally, we can get some cash from the bounty reward."

A voice interrupts "You must be Mir." Hart is scanning Mir with his curious eyes. He is looking at Mir as if Mir is a homeless crazy hooligan.

"Newsflash." Mir nods.

"Are you a private detective? "

"Depends on the situation. Usually, I am a private detective, but at this moment, I am a patient and a victim."

"Oh, thank God, you pointed that out. Or else, I couldn’t have figured it out if you haven’t told me. I thought you were the criminal."

"Criminal! Here I was thinking you thought of me as one of those lifeless incels. That’s a relief."

"So, what about you? What's your name?"

"Hart Harrwitz. I am a ranger."

"Oh, a ranger. Then, you should be able to understand more than anyone. " Mir pauses for a moment

"Understand my struggles."

"What do you mean?"

"I investigate the things that go bump in the night."

Hart looks doubtfully at Mir from head to toe, and pinches his eyebrows.

"You must be bluffing. Someone like you survived this long. Gods must be in your favor."

"Maybe they are. 'Cause here I am. Defeated a hunter and still alive."

"Barely."

"Living life on the edge, mate. Just like you."

"Indeed. Just like me. Only except without skills and strength."

"And without money and facilities too. Add it with lack of magic."

Mir continues

"But I have my own ways of doing things. May be sometimes I fall for some itsy bitsy troubles. Like getting some severe beating, punches in the face, falling from building roofs, getting stabbed in the liver, and getting poisoned. But, hey, the job gets done."

The conversation is interrupted.

"Mr. Mir Jack. We need to talk to you about the details of what happened."

A wild, fat, huge police officer with a gigantic body enters the room along with multiple police men.

This plump looks like someone who can take bullets in his belly and can survive without having a bruise. It's because the bullet will not be able to cross the threshold of the multiple layers of his blubber.

"I am Officer Rhino Chunk. You will need to do some paper work." Officer Rhino clears his throat "and you will receive your reward. After that, you are free to go."

"Roger. " Mir replies.

Piran and Hart chuckle.

After going through all the paperwork and inquiry, Mir received his reward. 300 dollars and a certificate showcasing that he is a national hero. Reward was split between him and Piran. Piran got extra money for saving Mir from poisoning and going through all the trouble in his house.

Mir has finally returned home. He bought a lot of ammunition for his gun. He has also bought a lot of food for himself. Payed his rent.

Now, a lot of stress is relieved from his head. He takes a cool, refreshing bath.

He is in his room.

Before him are delicious bunch of food items waiting to be devoured.

He licks his fleshy lips and grabs a handful of oily h’ors devoures. They are little shrimps, fried to a crisp. He places a pile of shrimp on his plate and drenches them in creamy, sweet sauce. His pudgy hand clenches the oil soaked shrimp and stuffs them into his mouth. His licks his fingers, smeared with cream and oil. He crunches another handful of crispy shrimp. He snatches a large chicken leg and a large steak. He saturates them in the rich, sweet sauce and pops a large chunk of steak into his mouth. The steak is too thick to chew with his mouth closed, not that he is concerned. 

After finishing his meal, he drops to the bed and takes a long nap.

After couple of hours of sleep, Mir wakes up, dresses up, grabs his trusty .38 caliber gun, and heads out.