Fairy tale: Little Red Riding Hood's wolf mentor

Beside the road, a tall mountain stood towering.

Ahead, a mountain village revealed its form.

"This is the only village for miles around.

Although it's closest to the main road, this mountain insulates it from the scorching sun and north winds, so it's still relatively safe."

Hans paused, then suddenly said, "However, it was there that my pig was exchanged for a goose."

"Why?"

"I'm not sure yet…"

Hans's expression shifted, and he added, "Anyway, don't do anything unnecessary when we get there. Don't bother arranging dinner. Just go to the tavern and rest early, and we'll leave early tomorrow."

The village was remote, and the tavern had few patrons, mostly villagers, chatting idly.

"Boss, two rooms, no dinner."

Leake, wearing a hood, pushed a few silver coins onto the table.

"Guest, it's not enough."

The owner sized up the group, his gaze lingering on Leake's backpack and some of the game they had brought from the road.

"How about now?"

Leake was taken aback and took another silver coin from her backpack.

"Oh, that's enough now."

The tavern owner smiled, took out two keys, and placed them on the table.

"Really, you don't need dinner? Our dinners are very special here."

"No need, Uncle."

Watching Leake and the others go upstairs, a look of greed flashed in the tavern owner's eyes. When Leake took the coins from her backpack, he glimpsed a flash of gold!

It's gold!

He beckoned and called over a barman in the tavern.

"Some rich customers?"

"The real deal, they have gold!"

The tavern owner said in a low voice, gesturing to the silver coins on the table.

"Gold!?"

The barman's eyes widened, revealing undisguised greed!

"Can our village swallow them up?"

"One of them looks like a hunter, but sounds like just a little girl, not very strong. There's a tall, thin one who looks like he's always mourning; he'd be down after a few hits!

The main thing is the dog; it looks pretty fierce. Getting bitten would be terrible."

"Okay, call some more people tomorrow!"

Upstairs, inside the room, the tavern's interior was rather dilapidated.

The walls had many cracks, and even the bed had some gaps, creaking and shaking when you lay on it.

Poro's ears twitched, and he frowned.

"This village does seem to have a problem. This tavern was empty just now, how come suddenly…"

"What did you hear, Poro?"

"There are footsteps. We haven't been up here long, and a lot of people have come in downstairs."

"Then… should we not stay and rest in the wild?"

Leake was stunned and asked nervously.

Poro looked at the darkening sky outside and shook his head:

"Forget it, we've already paid for the room. Maybe the village has a habit of eating late-night snacks. We don't need to be too sensitive."

Even so, Poro adopted a more vigilant posture when sleeping.

As a canine, his advantage allowed him to keenly sense the movements around him even in his sleep.

But fortunately, nothing happened overnight.

Could I have been overthinking it?

Until the next day, the fat tavern owner took the two room keys and looked at Leake, saying with a smile:

"The room fee is still… ten gold coins."

"Huh?"

Leake was stunned and said, "That's not right. I already paid the room fee yesterday when I checked in. Why do I have to pay again today…"

"Oh, yesterday's payment was for the room fee."

The tavern owner still had a warm smile on his face. "But today, you have to pay for the room damage!"

"Ah? I was very careful with the room and didn't mess anything up!"

Leake argued.

"Heh, the room you stayed in not only had cracked walls but also a broken bed—you don't want to pay for it?"

The tavern owner's expression instantly disappeared, and he shouted loudly.

"It was already broken when I stayed there!"

Leake said loudly, feeling wronged.

"What? Are you saying—I gave you a broken room to stay in!? Everyone in the village knows that my tavern is the best!"

The tavern owner sneered, raised his hand, and slammed it on the table with a bang!

"Villagers, someone wants to stay in the village's room without paying! They're looking down on us!"

The tavern owner shouted loudly.

Immediately, in just an instant, more than a dozen villagers sitting at the tables in the entire tavern stood up all at once!

They all looked at Leake and the others, glaring angrily!

"What's going on? Hiding their faces, staying in a hotel and not paying, are they robbers?"

"They broke the innkeeper's things and want to leave without paying?"

"Do they have any morals!?"

"Looks like a little girl, but I didn't expect her to do such a thing!?"

"They even brought a dog to stay in the hotel. Such a dirty thing, they ruined the place. How will others stay here in the future?"

"That's right! Don't even think about leaving without paying!"

"Don't even think about bullying the people in our village!"

"…"

Leake's face turned pale, and she looked at the people pointing at her from all directions, her voice trembling slightly:

"No, I really didn't…"

"Stop explaining, Leake."

Poro silently looked at the villagers around him. Most of the villagers were holding pitchforks, sticks, and knives, and a large number of them were staring at him.

These villagers… came prepared!

"These people and the innkeeper are in cahoots. They set a trap and are after our money."

Poro licked his lips. "All the things in his shop aren't worth even half a gold coin!"

At this moment, Hans, who was standing behind, suddenly stepped forward.

His numb eyes scanned around, then he suddenly gave a fake smile, turned to Leake and Poro, and said:

"Yes, I remember now, they cheated me out of my pig like this before—but the scale was much smaller than now!"

Then, Hans looked at the villagers, and said:

"You guys did this before, a few people said they lost a pig, and then someone else said they wanted to help me, and exchanged my pig for a goose.

You took the pig and made me feel grateful—what a good plan!"

Hans paused, staring intently at the villagers holding weapons. "What about now? After not seeing you for a few years, are you so greedy that… you're not even willing to give a goose?"

Several villagers were stunned and looked at each other.

Hans's words were like tearing off their last fig leaf. Finally, a villager in the crowd shouted in exasperation:

"I didn't expect you, the pig thief, to dare to come back?"

"These people must be swindlers! No need to negotiate with them, just beat them to death!"

"Take back the stolen goods!"

Then, the villagers raised the sticks, knives, and pitchforks in their hands, and swarmed up!

"Okay Leake, it's a black shop, now we have to run!"

Poro looked at the villagers inside the tavern, and then at the tavern door that was closed by the villagers behind him. His claws slightly hooked on the wooden floor, calculating how many villagers he would have to knock down at least to rush out.

"Why are they doing this with so many people?"

Leake was still a little puzzled, but the hand reaching under the cloak had already gripped the hilt of the silver dagger.

Then, the cold light flashed as it was drawn.

"It should be greed, humans are like this…"

On the other side, the lucky Hans, still looked loose, but his tone was a bit cold, "But these people's fortunes, today—

Are over!"