My daily routine for a while was simple: eat, sleep, bathroom, repeat.

  Or that was my plan after my chores, but things went a bit differently.

  The night after I got the payment, I realised my sickness was getting serious. At least, I had done most of my chores.

  I looked at my wounded leg and the necrosis had taken over the wound. I also realised the slash on my cheek had become dark. I had to hide it with a gauze.

  Some may think that sickness was not that bad. They would be right.

  There were places where every inhabitant was sick. Be it their body, soul or head.

  But sickness made my recovery slower.

  And I was still wary of attacks during my sleep…

  What made me worry even more was the knowledge that it was a sickness due to the infection. I doubt I would turn into a zombie, but if my condition were to get worse, this place could only treat me with a painless death.

  The initial prediction of less than three days had become a week.

  I would be in top form in no more than 168 hours.

  First day of my recuperation.

  I had a visitor.

  ‘Knock’, ‘Knock’.

  “It is unlocked, you can come in,” I said so, but to be precise – the door had no lock to begin with.

  I had my pistol and knife hidden under my pillow for safety reasons. Unlike some women, I could not hide a weapon between my chest.

  My visitor was her. She was neatly dressed, clean and her look was as good as the first time I saw her. Her hair was playfully swaying with her head’s movements, her smile brightening the room. She was like the sun.

  She wore the same clothes as the first time we met – jeans and a long-sleeved t-shirt. I secretly hoped she would be with something emphasising her body’s curves…

  What was I thinking? Horny thoughts get lost for a week at least!

  When she entered, I could detect a pleasant fragrance. It was light and did not make me feel nauseous like most women with heavy makeup and strong perfume.

  If someone asked me what the first thing I saw in a woman was, I would have had a hard time answering.

  Chest? Rear? Thighs? Hair? Eyes? Killing intent? Skin? Or something else?

  All of them were possible. It all depended on the situation I met with them.

  With this one? It would have been her eyes, her dark blue eyes that showed confidence and belief in what she was doing, followed by her long blond hair, even skin and chest.

  “Hello, how are you doing?” Mary asked me while I was in my bed.

  “Tired. You?” I said while my eyes’ focus went downwards from her face to her chest area, my hand near my pillow.

  “Thanks for asking! I’m also fine.”

  After a closer look in a “normal” situation, I had to admit that her figure was pretty decent.

  Her “womanly charm”, also known as breasts, were a decent size too – medium.

  It was … what was the idiom for it? ‘A feast for the eyes’, was it?

  Her thighs and legs were also great. Her rear must also be nice.

  If I did not fear she might be a trained assassin and if my health condition were better, there was a high chance of me trying to have a go with her at least once.

  I was going to give her just a quick look and focus on her eyes, but I remembered her mistake the other day. Thus, I decided to punish her like this!

  It was by no means for my own pleasure or anything of the sort!

  “What a day the other day was! It was my first time experiencing such a thing! I’m glad you and my friend were with me back then. I’m also glad we came back alive.”

  “Yes.”

  I was prepared for her to get out a gun from somewhere, maybe even from her bosom and aim at me…

  But no such thing happened.

  If nothing were to happen to me before my recuperation ended, I would mostly be able to let her be, even if she were a potential enemy of mine.

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  “I’m not used to going to such dark places. At some point, I thought we’d never come back alive! I’m so grateful to the ones who restored the light. Without it, I might’ve lost my mind in the darkness.”

  “Aha.”

  She had to realise where my eyes were looking, but she either dismissed it or was into that.

  I gave her face a quick look and her cheeks were a bit reddish.

  Then I went back to punishing her.

  “I’ll be staying here for a while. I intend to rest for a day or two and continue with the work. I’m not from here. I came a few days ago. I think I’ll go sightseeing at the market and shops. Girls adore shopping!”

  “Aha.”

  Yes, the few times I agreed to accompany a woman to shop, I wasted half my day waiting for her to pick one of the identical items she was looking for an hour. The clothes were the worst. She dressed countless times. But the worst part was when she asked me which one looked the best on her. It was like grabbing a double-edged sword.

  Anyway, about this one, I just hoped she was not into “those” types of stuff. I almost entirely focused on her chest, but she kept on as if I were not looking.

  Although I stopped going to brothels, I still get the urge sometimes.

  I was in no health for that, but if a pretty woman asked for it, then how could I reject her? Even if I were at death's door, how could I miss such an opportunity?

  Dammit all! Why did I have to get injured now of all times?! First, the waitress, and now her!

  However, getting her naked would have made me sure she had no hidden weapon…

  “I came here to apologise for my mistakes. I’m really, truly sorry! I never intended for something like that to happen! Please, forgive me!” she said while making a bow, allowing me to see her breasts from another angle.

  “Yes.”

  Well, I did think of killing you and your friends, but I patricianly gave up on the idea.

  I always seemed to compare her and the waitress. Both were undeniable beauties. I also knew little about any of the two.

  Therefore, whatever I thought of them was mostly due to their appearance, body and the few chats and experiences I had with them.

  I found Mary to be sexier of the two, but I had trouble reading her. I knew she was hiding something inside her, but I could not determine what exactly.

  My gut warned me about the waitress, whereas with Mary, it detected nothing.

  “I came to see how you’re doing and to ask about your plans.”

  “After I heal my leg, I think of going north into The King’s Territories.”

  She went silent for a while. As long as she did not start talking about the weather afterwards, I did not mind.

  I did listen to her, but I doubted we would meet much afterwards. Therefore, when she was saying stuff, as long as they were not questions, I replied with “Aha” or “Yes” and enjoyed the view.

  “My companions and I also have to go somewhere north. I wonder if you could be willing to come with me as a bodyguard?”

  And this sentence snapped me out of it.

  This was an opportunity to acquire sacrificial pawns for my journey ahead.

  Yes, they posed some threat, but the gains might be better.

  I looked her in the eyes and asked her.

  “How long am I supposed to guard you? How much would you pay? How much time will we be traveling and with how many more will you be traveling? And most importantly – when will we be doing so?”

  “We’ll be going in two days and about the period you’ll guard me…”

  “I heard enough.”

  I stopped her mid-sentence as I understood what I needed.

  “I will need…”

  How much time did I need? The leg hurt me a little, but if I were forced to fight for my life, I would have no problems moving. However, the skin’s cells around the wound died and turned black. I feared that if a doctor were to see my leg, the only solution would be to cut it.

  “…six more days to heal. If you are willing to postpone your travel, you can come and tell me so. If not, you better get someone who can and will not be a burden,” I continued.

  “Won’t you be able to come with us in two days? We will walk slower until you heal up.”

  “You have to see what is under the bandage to know why the earliest I would dare to move is a week.”

  “Mind me seeing?”

  Yes, I did. Even a sheltered girl like you would know what a necrosed body part meant.

  “Well… It hurts when I have to change the bandage. The dried blood is stuck to my skin. I have to eat pills to make it doable. It is also an unpleasant view.”

  “Why don’t you visit a doctor?”

  Because they would help me bite the dust.

  “If you know a decent doctor in here, do tell me about them.”

  “I’ll keep an eye out for one.”

  No, you should not.

  She was silent and was thinking for a while. I did not want to speak more and give away my lies. Her reply was simple yet firm.

  “I’ll have to think about it. I’ll come back tomorrow to tell you about my decision. Also, have you been eating the food rations all this time? I’ll make something and we’ll talk during breakfast if you are fine with it.”

  “No objections.”

  After all, the “mercenary food” has the taste of cardboard.

  “Good. I’ll take my leave now. Goodbye! See you tomorrow and heal fast!”

  “Thanks. Until tomorrow.”

  She turned around and headed to the exit. I managed to take a look at her gait as she was exiting.

  Even her way of walking showed she was refined. Her rear was also decent. Her butt was moving up and down with her gait. It was a good view.

  I could not deny that she got me excited to an extent.

  I would score her looks and body with 7.5 out of 10.

  She left the room.

  Without her and her constant smile, the room felt darker and lonelier. The pleasant scent was also losing its fragrance. I considered catching up to her and proposing a snack with the “mercenary food”, but I was certain she was not alone and it would have been strange.

  I also knew that I had to keep my clothes on until I was in top shape.

  She did not belong here…

  She was too feminine to be “mercenary”.

  The few women I got to know closely in this line of work were always forceful, stubborn and sure. Yes, they did take care of their outer appearance, but not as much as she did.

  She was too gentle, too fragile to survive the bloodshed and hell “mercenaries” experienced.

  What reasons did she have to go there, to a place where life was rarer than death? Going into the territory of a King was dangerous. She and her team would probably die. Not that I cared.

  If they were ordinary Joes, that was…

  And I could use them…

  I had no trust in them, but did I need to?

  If I were to go with them, I would have to test them.

  My plan to stay low had long since failed. This woman, Mary, noticed that I was more than most. This was her reason for coming. Yes, there was the slight possibility she felt guilty and her only intention was to apologise, but I doubted that.

  I had to admit that I was bad at keeping a low profile. From the beginning, I was peculiar to the others. She was keen enough to develop an interest in my abilities and tested me by letting me fight in a situation where any normal human would have died almost instantly.

  She was not the only one. The officer forced me to reveal some of my identity.

  But there was no need to think about possibilities at the moment.

  I would better rest. Until I recovered, neither women nor travel were allowed. The only exception was if my life was in danger.

  My burning fever was getting worse.