The following day after the mission, we needed to perform some maintenance on our firearms and collect the reward for the mission.

  As I wasn’t good at it, my teammates, mostly Lily, spent most of the day helping me learn how to do it better.

  We went into the guild to take our shares from the mission a quarter before the explicit time at noon. I prefer to be early rather than be late.

  The mood in the guild hall was always depressing when Jeffrey was in. Even she had less activity than usual. Today, her clothing was more revealing than the previous times we saw her. It was within the reasonable – shorter skirt and shorter sleeves. She even had another hairstyle. She looked decent with the ponytail, but her loose hair made her look more playful and better overall.

  If I hadn’t known she was the other agent from our organisation, I’d have said she was one of the prettiest flowers out there – hardworking, great looks and doing her best to smile.

  I had no idea how much of the character she played was the real her. He and she occasionally spoke. When they interacted, Lily always praised his bravery – one wrong move from him and it might be his end.

  When he came, I greeted him and Jeffrey decided to start. Not many from the survivors were happy with what we had gotten, but there was little they could do. Although unexpected, I was able to get information on where he was staying, so I’d call it a win.

  To be honest, the reward for the mission came from our pockets, so the less we were paid, the better. We spent most of the funds we were given, but it was worth it.

  This was the reason why my teammates and I were mostly calm during that time, whereas the others, including him, weren’t as content. He went somewhere, while we took our share and left.

  We weren’t hungry then and decided to continue with the chores. Two hours later, when we were peckish, we went for a meal at the guild.

  The food was below average, but it was cheap and if there was anything we needed to know, she would write it down on the back of our bill.

  When we entered, the hall was quieter than usual. We sat down at a table where the five of us could fit. Something felt different from normal. I looked around and realised that the lady at the reception was different from the one we were used to.

  The waitress came, but her mood was dark. Neither of us dared to make a sound. All of us, excluding Lily and Roosevelt, knew she would wipe the floor with us if she desired.

  “What happened?” I mustered the courage to ask.

  “Amy’s son… Pardon, you don’t know who Amy is. The receptionist’s son was at the base where you had your mission. He died. The one you used to fill your numbers returned her son’s military dog tag and will. She was heartbroken. She cried nonstop for a while and was given a 10-day leave to mourn her loss. The one you see now is my colleague. She took my night shifts. Now, she works at the desk and I also work during the night.”

  No one from us could say anything. It was tragic. I vividly remember the letter. I didn’t know it was her son.

  “I’d usually write it down, but I don’t feel like it.”

  She went closer to my ear and whispered.

  “Locksley has something to discuss with you. Meet at the same place and time as the last one.”

  She distanced herself, gave us a faint, forced smile, but the sadness beneath was detectable and she asked us in a way, as if she were a different person.

  “Are you ready to order?”

  We gave our orders.

  She amazed me from the first day we met.

  The person behind the reception is younger, wears similar clothes to the previous receptionist and her copper hair is made into one long ponytail. Her slender figure and above-average body curves would have made her a prime target for flits if she weren’t as sullen.

  While we were staying in this settlement, it was not rare for a man or two to come and flirt with Lily and me when we sat alone in the guild hall. They often had the faint smell of alcohol. I had no desire to know them, much less Lily, so we rejected them. When they insisted, Lily beat them up outside.

  Same day at night, we had to meet the stronghold commander privately and I was too busy during the day. Let’s leave meeting him for tomorrow…

  We entered the guild and she escorted us to a room in the backrooms. It was us, my teammates and I, and him. The two masked men were nowhere to be seen.

  Unlike most places in the guild, a gas lamp was used to light the room. It wasn’t night, but soon it would be.

  Some of us had complaints to discuss with him. We weren’t the ones who demanded the meeting, but if he had important information to give, he would cut the chatter and get to the point.

  She left us and after we made sure no one was outside, the talk began.

  “Why the hell did you split us apart? What if our leader lost her life? She’s the only one authorised to know the exact whereabouts of our destinations!” Leo said with anger.

  “It was all calculated. There was no way to know where the “person” you were looking for was. I even think it was luck that they were in one piece even if zombified. It took less time to find the “thing” you were looking for compared to if they were dismembered, didn’t it?” was the nonchalant reply.

  That way of saying was… interesting on its own. After giving it some thought, I’d have to agree. It did take us less time to find than expected… But the way he said it…

  Most of us didn’t take it well. He didn’t know the one we were looking for was part of the people we came with and Roosevelt’s now deceased master.

  Roosevelt was the one to accept his wording the worst. He kept his mouth shut the entire time, but his face could tell all the rage he was withholding within.

  Roosevelt. I know he was as capable as my Lily, if not better. He was more than a third of the other team’s combat power, according to the late Alason.

  During the mission, he should be cooperative and a valuable ally.

  “The way you said it… Sir Locksley…”

  Rich tried to give him a hint while giving Roosevelt a look filled with concern. Rich was also worried about how Roosevelt would receive it.

  “Don’t use that name! I’m known here as Jeffrey. Capitan Primero Jeffrey. You better address me as such. If not, problems for all of us could arise!” he said with haste, trying to keep his true identity hidden.

  Our organisation was notorious for its spy activities, which were not well received by others when they discovered them.

  It wasn’t rare for an agent whose identity was found out to be in danger from the party he was put in to spy on.

  From all on my side, Lily and I were the calmest ones. She disliked Alason, who was a candidate for my marriage partner. Although I wasn't sure if he was the one, his support would have been of great help to my goals.

  I was genuinely unhappy that he died. I was ready to accept his next proposal after all this was over.

  Ugh… he had to die when I was ready to accept him.

  I made a gesture with my arm for them to stop bickering.

  “Captain Jeffrey, I hope you didn’t invite us here just to make us angry at you.”

  “Yes, you are right. The initial reason was to give you back the 500 dollars from the leftover funds for the mission, as you needed them more than me.”

  Each team was given 3,000 dollars for The Lost Continent for their needs the day before our departure.

  We were even given equipment that shouldn’t make us stand out from other Mercenaries and were allowed to make small adjustments to some of the equipment. After consulting, we all decided to get a grip holder on our heavier firearms.

  The operation we were taking part in was such that, excluding the highest of the higher-ups, hardly anyone knew the details about it. Even we, the ones executing it, didn’t know all there was to know.

  With the fall of team Alpha, we had a total of around 6,000 dollars to use.

  I didn’t know whether it was due to luck or the absence of it that Roosevelt was given the role of keeping all their savings.

  He, as the lone survivor from the first team, told us what had happened. We were all shocked when we saw him coming all battered up and what he told us didn’t make things better. He was shaking with anger, his rage visible to the naked eye, but the sadness was detectable in his tone. He deeply regretted surviving in place of his master.

  As for the making of the sudden mission to find the “object” that was in Alason, we had to use 5,000 dollars as Jeffrey couldn’t afford to risk embezzling funds nor did he have enough “pocket money”. We were more than grateful he agreed to post the mission, even as we had to omit most details.

  The reason why the pay had to be this high was because the horde might leave soon and with it doing so, finding the “object” would become nearly impossible.

  Hunting a horde would take more time and funds than the mission would. Heck, we were as good as failed if the horde left.

  After I did some math from our initial 6,000 dollars, we were left with around 3,500 after getting back some funds. With the additional 500, we’d have around 4,000 until the end of our mission, but why did he use the word “initially”?

  “So, if it was about the 500 dollars, just give them and we’ll be on our way. If anyone sees us, we’d all be in trouble,” Lily said with a cold tone.

  “I’d like to, but… Do you remember the killer of the two you reported? The one you reported? When was it… Three days ago? After the payment, he managed to find out that I tampered with the contract. After talking back and forth, I had to pay him 1000 instead of 500 dollars.”

  “Then why did you even call us?” I asked, puzzled.

  “To tell you to be wary of him,” he replied.

  “Also… Never mind, forget it.”

  He was about to continue saying something, but stopped. He had a serious expression.

  I didn’t know what happened to make him like that.

  “Continue,” Lily said, her tone still cold.

  After some deliberation, he spoke.

  “… He had a red rank with him. It had its chain broken and dried blood on it. According to the identity he was using, he was Raven. A Mercenary from the Far East. Further away than The Old Continent, a place I’ve only heard stories about. I have no idea how he managed to copy their information to this extent. It wasn’t easy to dig this much, but this was all I could get, no matter how much I looked for. As for his real identity, I couldn’t find anything.”

  “Can we be sure that it’s not his own rank? And he might know the person and decided to use their name or alias to hide his real identity,” Roosevelt spoke for the first time.

  He regained most of his composure and calmed down.

  “Whether it was his, stolen after he killed the previous owner or if he just found it, I cannot be certain. Using the identity of another Mercenary is risky. Even more so if they have a colour. This was the reason why when we were alone with my two guards and discussing the payment, I gave in to his threats. There are just too many unknowns about him, both then and even now. I have a headache just with him alone.”

  “Can you describe how he was then – when you met?” Roosevelt continued asking further.

  “He was… He was confident he could take us on. That was how he was back then, his bloodlust present. If I were in your place, I would try to stay away from him. If we are done, you should go. It’s getting late.”

  The sun was almost gone and the ginger sunset hue was losing its colour.

  We had to meet at such an hour to keep our acquaintance hidden.

  “Thank you for the information. We will take note of your warning. This is all for now. If you have nothing else to add, we’ll be leaving. Goodnight.”

  I finished talking and got up to leave.

  “There is a chance that he might be assassinated,” he added when I got up and was ready to leave.

  If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  “By whom?” I inquired, without expecting a reply and sat again.

  We didn’t know the identities of most of our agents and most agents also didn’t know the identities of other agents from our organisation. What if any of us were captured and tortured? How long would we be able to keep our mouths shut?

  “Higher-ups.”

  “How do you think it would end?” Lily asked.

  “If he is just all talk, he’d be dead soon enough.”

  “And if not?”

  “Hell would be let loose. You don’t have to worry about that. He will be monitored for a while and if he is determined to be a threat, he will be dealt with. You probably won’t be staying long enough to see it, however. We can't do things rashly.”

  “I see,” I replied.

  There was more to this, but the less we knew, the better.

  I was about to get up and leave, but an unexpected voice froze me in place.

  “I thought of killing him this afternoon, but he made me rethink it.”

  We all turned to the calm voice. It was her! She was leisurely sitting on top of the furniture near the wall, her legs crossed, still in her work uniform, the edge of the two holsters on her thighs barely visible, but she was slightly dishevelled. Her shirt’s top two buttons were unbuttoned, her skirt was raised slightly and her clothes were wrinkled. She had a serene expression and her eyes had a sharp look.

  I got the chills…

  Roosevelt, by reflex, took his combat position and was on guard, whereas the others were surprised, only Lily speaking with a surprise in her voice.

  “Since when were you here?”

  She stretched her arms upwards, silently moaning, her joints slightly crackling and put her arms behind her head.

  “Almost from the start. I sneaked through the silent door. Didn’t even creak. There is no need to be on guard, li’l doggy. If I wanted you dead, you would have already been sliced,” she said the last part to Roosevelt.

  Lily froze in place, unmoving, her only proof of life her breathing and blinking. I’ve never seen her like this. This person… just how strong was she to scare Lily to this extent?

  “Your kind always amazes me,” Jeffrey exclaimed with excitement and fear in his tone.

  “Relax, I ordered,” she looked at Roosevelt, her bloodlust filling the air.

  It was suffocating.

  Roosevelt had no other option but to comply. He had cold sweat on his forehead.

  “Good boy,” she stopped pressuring us, her lips forming a smile, but continued treating him as a dog.

  No one dared to speak. Her sole presence intimidated us to the ground.

  “I won’t judge how you decide to fulfil the orders from above. You only need to be successful. Whether you spent a month or a decade, it’s none of my concerns. I was ordered to give you a hand while you were around me, but nothing more.”

  “Are you the one to determine if he is a threat?” I found the courage to ask.

  “You may say so.”

  “What made you rethink?”

  “Hmmm… It was when he and Jeffrey went to discuss. I followed them and eavesdropped. He surprised me with his sudden change of personality.”

  Like you were one to talk.

  “I thought he had a thing or two for me and decided to use it and go on a date with him. My goal was to check him, maybe get him drunk, maybe kill him if he went overboard.”

  She touched the cloth on her back and smiled slightly menacingly. I always wondered what she kept in there.

  “But he rejected my offer! How heartbreaking! Here I was, a pure maiden, asking for a man’s attention and he rejected me! Only for that he deserved death!”

  “I’m pretty sure that many men are ready to give you attention. The pile of corpses I had to secretly dispose of proved my point.”

  “I disregarded the first two attempts when the customers tried to feel my body, if they were drunk, until the third attempt. But when those fuckers didn’t know when to stop, I secretly snuck them inside one of the rooms and killed them. I did it fast and clean, with one strike. I rarely got any of their blood on me.”

  “Yes, they were sliced in half or beheaded with your sword on your back. But that does not mean you have to kill five people in one day.”

  “It was my first day, okay? In my place of activity, the people rarely looked me in the eyes for more than five seconds, let alone dare to touch me. Heck, I was served, not the one serving!”

  “Really? You seem pretty good at it.”

  “What can I say? I’m quite agile. Whatever I decide to do, I’ll do it well.”

  “Your bloodlust might get us in trouble. I’m ready to die for the organisation, but your savage acts might get even you in danger.”

  “I know that. This is why I have yet to kill anyone for the past three days.”

  “You came no more than 10 days ago! And you had two more on your to kill list!”

  “It wasn’t my fault they didn’t take no for an answer! You should be glad I held back!”

  “Yes, I’m happy I was there. I saw you unwrapping your weapon. I needed a sacrificial pawn for yesterday’s mission and since you were about to end them...”

  “That was why I agreed to let you have them, but if they came alive, I’d have killed them.”

  “You didn’t need to worry about that. They died the next day by the one whose fate is in your hands.”

  “Was he the one? They really have a knack for people…”

  “Yes, because of his action that day, I almost died.”

  “What are you lamenting about? I borrowed my men to you. Unless a Prince or a Princess came, they would have survived.”

  “Yes, but I’m not even half as good as them!”

  “The large thing on your back was a sword?” I asked.

  “You can call it a “sword”, yes. I think I went off point. The reason why I didn’t kill him when he rejected me, and broke my fragile heart, was because of the news he had to relay. I know you might be thinking it was a simple reason, but my momentary judgment decided that I needed to know more about him before killing him. You said he had a stolen red rank, yes? That alone makes him someone you should not anger. I’m a red rank. I’m confident in fighting him, especially now when he’s this wounded, but I’m trying to reduce my killings. I’m unsure whether to kill him or not.”

  “Does that mean you won’t kill him?” I asked.

  “I’m contemplating it. I know where he’s staying and have someone watch him from a safe distance. If he were to tick me off or I decide he’s a threat to your mission, I’ll kill him.”

  “I see.”

  “Got more questions? I’m in a good mood. I might answer you.”

  “Who are you?”

  “Pff…” she giggled slightly.

  “Here, I’m known as Sophia. But at home… Let’s say I’m a big deal.”

  Big deal? Was she a high-ranking aristocrat? Maybe even a duchess?

  “Combat…” Lily whispered.

  “Shh, little one,” she closed the distance between Lily and her in seconds, putting her index finger on her mouth.

  No one was able to react. She then leisurely retreated, her back towards us, and sat on the place she was sitting a while ago. She was confident we couldn’t harm her.

  She was confident we couldn’t harm her.

  “Get strong and join me. I’m currently on a “vacation” and looking for someone useful. When you grow up, do ask about the “waitress Sophia”. Will keep you in mind. Oh, also one more thing. What really happened at that base?”

  Combat? No way…

  “We were attacked. Had to retreat, but a cave had been found a day ago underground. During the attack, we were also attacked from the cave. Half the forces fought to plug the hole, finally succeeding, but too much ground was lost. I barely escaped after the fast thing sliced the others with me…”

  “I see. Stalkers. Can you describe that “thing” more?”

  “I cannot. It hid in the shadows after its attacks.”

  “I see. You do your own thing. I won’t intervene. Oh, look at the time! My break had long since ended.”

  She got on her legs and started to tidy herself.

  “I wish I had used this skirt sooner. The last skirt restricted my movements so much! He was right that a shorter one was better. I feel a bit freer now and the breeze is also pleasant,” she lamented as she got up and looked at herself in the small mirror on the furniture she had sat on until a while ago.

  “Who’s he?”

  “He calls himself… Let’s keep it a secret. We had a small chat the other day. He’s the reason for my change in clothes. You also know who he is.”

  “Someone you like?” Jeffrey asked.

  “Hmmmmm. No, not really. He was just different from most men. Instead of directly trying to feel me, he asked. It was surprising. He was at the same time bold and wary. Though, for some reason I’m unable to describe, I feel a very tiny bit of attraction.”

  “It won’t be bad to use him to release all your bottled-up energy. It might make you calmer and the customers would have a lower chance of dying.”

  “No, such “interactions” get in the way of my mission.”

  “We’ll be off,” I said and got up to leave again before she described her entire sex life.

  “Bye-bye!” she replied as she was done tidying up herself.

  She was the first to leave.

  After exiting the room and she was nowhere to be seen, I barely stood on my legs. Now I knew who she was better.

  We parted with Jeffrey and soon it was time to call it a day. It was late at night.

  We didn’t stay too long to chat with Jeffrey, maybe half an hour, but after getting dinner and I contemplated our situation, it was already late at night by then. I decided we should take a few days off. Time for the bed, but not before I took a bath, of course.

  I should get used to being dirty, but why not be clean while I still can?

  The worries I had even made me forget how tasteless the food was.

  He might be disposed of. Still, it won’t hurt to meet with him.

  The following morning, I was looking for a lovely dress, but I realised and remembered we had none.

  I was used to wearing dresses and skirts at home, so I thought I had taken one by instinct.

  Still, I decided to ask Lily if she had happened to take one herself.

  “Do we have any dresses?”

  “Dress? Mary, did you forget that our homeland was one of the few places where girls could wear them the most? There, as the undead were mostly dealt with, the stability was high, allowing us, the women, to wear them freely, be it at home, work or on the street. However, only those of higher status, the aristocrats, and the wealthy could usually be seen with the good ones due to their high price. The commoner ones were ragged, lacked any colour or design.”

  She also didn’t have one. Well, even if she had taken one for herself, the bosom area would have been tight.

  Outside of our isolated island, most places used trousers or sports trousers for the lower half of the body as they didn’t restrict the movement like some dresses, nor could they be as easily damaged. It was also cheaper. Only the richer ones had the means to wear something stylish and comfortable.

  Some places where women in dresses or skirts could be seen were in some cities with their own high society and always in the … red light districts.

  I especially liked to wear ones that accentuate my chest and my curves overall, but aren’t considered lewd. Not only by men, but I could also see Lily giving me sneak peeks at my bosom when I was wearing them back home.

  As long as she enjoyed it, I didn’t mind. She can be such a naughty girl at times!

  I also wanted to be in such a dress when meeting him. I feared he would be angry...

  A man couldn’t be angry at a beautiful woman with decent breasts for long! Great looks and body save from a lot of troubles! It also comes with its downsides, but the pros outweigh the cons.

  After all, those who proposed marriage to me always looked at my chest and body rather than who I was inside when we met for the first time.

  Lily noticed that they often stared at my womanly charm and gave them death glares unconsciously.

  An important note we were given from HQ was about the ranks.

  Lily and I had close to no actual experience in the field of Mercenaries. We weren’t even registered until a few weeks ago.

  Mercenaries can be divided into three types according to their rank.

  The first category included people who tried to survive day for day, up to people with ambitions to become great. Their words (along with their records in databases) serve as proof of their status as Mercenaries. They are often described as “low-ranked”, “unranked” and in various other ways.

  There are jokes about this rank having a “see-through tag” as an indicator.

  The second category consists of those who possess ambition, skills and the merits necessary to attain a rank. They are given a special red metal military tag necklace as proof of their standing as a force in their own right. They are called “red ranks”, “red ones” and in various other ways.

  The third category is considered a myth; one might not meet such a person in an entire lifetime. They are given a special black metal in the shape of a military tag necklace as proof that they are someone one should not wish to make an enemy of. They are known as “black ranks” or “dark ranks”.

  All ranked Mercenaries could either wear the dog tag on their neck or hide it.

  Most missions in the guilds don’t require a specific rank and participants are rarely forced to show theirs.

  I thought that this was too little. One either held a rank and was a big deal or was considered insignificant. There should be more tiers in that ranking. I was perplexed as to why it was this way.

  I was against forging fake ranks for us, as the worth of a forged rank was close to nothing.

  The real deal is made out of special metals with an unknown technology to most at present.

  Thus, we were with the lowest rank or unranked.

  High rank meant one had better skills and had done deeds, but they rarely had names on their tag, as carving into the said metals is hard and expensive.

  Nowadays, it is hard, to say at least, to have long-distance communication for no good reason.

  I even wondered how Jeffrey was able to find so much of his information so fast.

  Was it from our organisation’s intel division? Was it from the organisation he spied on?

  Communication between guild branches wasn’t always possible.

  This could lead to the theft of high-ranked tags and it’s hard and rare to prove whether it was one's own or not within a reasonable time.

  And even if it was stolen, what about it?

  To steal one, a person would have to kill the owner and if they did, it meant they were stronger than the owner, so they might as well deserve it.

  Some exceptions existed. Like a group hunting down one with a rank, but that was another problem. More often than not, it ended in failure.

  After all, there were no rules outside settlements and with how often martial law was enacted, the “rules” could be easily bent.

  That was why he could kill those two and no one cared. Even Jeffrey didn’t care that much about those grunts. Even she killed on her whim.

  In short, a rank was more often than not a statement of skills, but could also be a decoration, unless it was the dark one – they were the real powerhouses.

  We were also given a warning.

  Some other organisations saw how well our country was doing and clashes between us could occur when both sides met.

  I had no idea why humans would do so in such desperate times.

  I’d rather both sides cooperate for the greater good rather than harm each other. But that wasn’t something I had a say in.

  The biggest problem was the so-called black-ranked Mercenaries.

  They were low in number. In my entire country, we had one.

  We had to be wary of someone from the black ranks. One of them had a red spider lily on the back side of his tag and was a male. This was all we knew. We were told that engaging with him would mean our mission failed and our imminent death.

  That “spider lily” bastard… I will never forget the “spider lily”… Not as long as I live… What he did… I WILL NEVER FORGET… AND NEVER FORGIVE…

  It was the only thing he left after escaping… A keyholder with a “spider lily” trinket… Hence, why he is referred to as such.

  But not before…

  “Mary?”

  Lily saw me making a grimace. I had to put on a smile.

  “Huh? What is it?”

  “Are you okay?”

  “Yes. Why asking?”

  She went silent for a moment.

  “Just my imagination. Forgive me.”

  “No problem!”

  Good. I managed to fool her. I rarely ever make such mistakes.

  Mercenaries were permitted, for a considerable fee, to modify their tags, such as creating a figurine, so that they could be distinguished from the crowd.

  And so, I was forced to wear the only random daily clothes I had – my navy silk trousers and light blue silk shirt. They are from my hometown and are better than most clothes in the shops in this settlement. The locals called this place Hogar.

  Lily wore a grey hoodie and grey sports trousers. She hated wearing clothes that interfered with her movement. Her nemesis was every tight dress and skirt.

  Leo had royal blue trousers and a dark orange t-shirt. The muscles on his arms were visible.

  Rich had black trousers and a white shirt.

  On the other hand, Roosevelt always wore the Mercenary uniform.

  The Mercenary uniform is identical to the military uniforms, but with a few differences.

  The ones we wore were light green, we had a few waist pouches, holsters, backpacks and gloves. I preferred the fingerless gloves. The sense of touch is important for me.

  I also combed my hair while the room’s mirror was before me and used a little perfume with the fragrance of lilies, despite the slight scent of apple on my skin from the soap I used – the usual procedures for a woman.

  A woman’s beauty was a weapon on its own!

  I considered using additional makeup, like lipstick, spiral, maybe some cream blush, but I thought it was overboard and I lacked most of it. My beauty was already among the highest of the high. I looked great with or without the additional cosmetics anyway.

  I finally found time to meet with him. It was a day later than I initially wanted to, but it wasn’t too late.

  Unless her moody self decided to kill him out of the blue. I wouldn’t be surprised. I also wouldn’t be surprised if I saw her in his bed.

  Although he was hiding his rank, he couldn’t have been with the black rank. He was no match for her. Even Lily and Roosevelt knew they couldn’t oppose her.

  He, at best, had the skills to be or kill a red rank or I at least thought so.

  From what I knew, black ranks were almost as rare as Kings.

  Meeting and killing one was close to impossible, but there was always a small chance.

  The weather was lovely, with the warm sunlight caressing my skin. A gentle breeze caused my neatly combed hair to sway slightly and a few clouds dotted the sky.

  Lily was walking next to me, constantly monitoring for anything troublesome. With her by my side, I had nothing to worry about.

  A horny drunkard? She’d castrate him! A hungry undead? She’d kill it!

  We first went to the guild for a quick breakfast and continued with what I had planned for the morning. Lily didn’t know what I wanted to do exactly. Nonetheless, she would follow me even if I were to go to hell.

  Overall, it was a nice spring day. I’d love to have a morning walk on such a day.

  I wish my country had days such as this often.