Cold sweat trickled down his spine, and Mikhail instantly sobered up.
"Brother..." The lumber merchant desperately tried to squeeze a smile onto his plump face, but his expression turned into one as ugly as if a dog had bitten his finger. He stammered: "...I didn't know you were..."
Hearing these words, old Dusaq became even more displeased.
"What?" Gerard raised an eyebrow, but his tone was kind and friendly: "I'm not from Iron Peak County, so you insult me worse?"
"No..."
"No what?"
"That's not what I meant..."
"Then what did you mean?"
The fat lumber merchant from Vernge County was cornered, daring not to say another word for fear of it being caught against him. Fearfully, he tugged at old Majiya's clothing under the table, tearfully seeking help from the latter.
Little Marcia, who was gloating, was surprised to find his usually cautious father, who never got involved in others' conflicts, standing up for a fellow townsman who wasn't particularly close.
