Rules; constructs made by us, human beings, to create and maintain order in a society. Or at least, that's how my mother depicted them. She taught me how rules wanted me to act, and she made sure I understood the consequences of breaking them.

She was not a strict mother; I was pretty much free to do whatever I wanted. So, instead, I set rules for myself. The first one being not to disappoint her, so that she could always look at me with a smile.

I loved her smile; it brought me peace in this ugly world ruled by humans and their never-ending rules.

But my mother did not only teach me the rules and the consequences of breaking them. She taught me how to deal with them, and how to avoid them.

Humans are philistines. They do not like rules, and will do their best to break them; some may even say that rules are meant to be broken. The more a rule restricts our freedom, the more we find clever ways to work around it to the best of our abilities. Well, even beyond... It is our nature, after all.

Killing is, of course, against the rules.

Did I care?

No. And even less when a demon demanded me to.

But just because I didn't care, it didn't mean I could just do whatever I wanted. Breaking a rule would mean bad consequences, and I did not want that either, so... I had to find a way to get away with it.

But killing someone, or better, feeding someone... to a demon, surely is not something that would go unnoticed. And how would I even do that in the first place? Do I cast the spell and just let the demon do its job? Am I even sure the demon would just do it? What if I summon it and it just stays in place? That person would have to die anyway at that point, and that would mean I'd have to improvise. A favorable situation would need to present itself...

Ah, too much confusion... Let's keep it easy, for now...

...

"Argenta, are you sure you want to do this?" my mother once asked me, both her tone and eyes serious.

"Yes, mom. Is that wrong?" I tilted my head, sat over the kitchen table, holding a knife in my hands as I swung my legs.

She stared at me for a bit before answering. "Remember when some weeks ago you accidentally dropped that glass of milk?" she questioned me. "You watched it spread all over the whole kitchen floor. It was a real mess, don't you think?"

"I'm... I'm sorry I didn't clean it up right away," I pouted, averting my gaze. She was clearly trying to make me feel bad for it.

"I would say there are at least... fifteen glasses of blood inside a human body. It would be extremely more messy than just some spilled milk, don't you think?" she said to me.

My enthusiasm rapidly went down, just like my gaze as I questioned my abilities. "Am I still not ready?" I murmured.

My mother came closer, wrapping me in a hug as she pressed me against her warm and comforting chest, tenderly caressing my head. "Sweetie, I know you want to teach a lesson to those bullies who made mischief with your friend. Joey, you said?"

"Hmm-hm."

"But you can't do this. It's too risky. One day, you shall, if that's what you truly want... It's your life, and I'll support you in any decision. But for now, trust me. Alright?" she soothingly whispered to me, bringing a smile back to my face.

"Alright... I love you, mom. You're the best," I chirped, hugging her.

She happily giggled as her cheeks colored with a soft shade of red. "Since when did you become such a flattering lady?" she teased, before launching a surprise attack of tickles on my sides, making me writhe and laugh uncontrollably.

...

That's right. That's another problem... Things won't just end after I sacrifice a human to my demon; blood will still be shed, and it won't just go magically away. A person's life doesn't simply end by killing them; people will remember that person, and they ask questions when someone goes missing, and will look for them. And, supposedly, it's not even just a human, but six...

I sighed while lying on my bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, when my stomach suddenly grumbled.

"Oh... I'm hungry..."

Of course, I didn't sleep. How could I even sleep after such a discovery? And how many hours have even passed? Judging by the demon still in the room, less than twelve hours, presumably. I don't even know if I can trust my own theories anymore...

I let out another sigh, this time even more dramatic, longer and louder than before. I slowly sat up. I felt sleepy, my eyes slowly shifting to the demon, watching me from the corner.

"Is it just my impression or I feel abnormally tired when you're around...?" I lowly murmured, more to myself than to the demon itself. "Ah, yes. Talking to a demon... I really am going crazy, aren't I?"

But you know what? I didn't even care anymore... I just felt like sleeping...

... Ah, I did fall asleep in the end. When I woke up, the demon was gone and, somehow, I felt refreshed. Sleep really is amazing, now I also felt better about my whole situation, though still hungry and thirsty.

It looked like morning, the light filtered through the windows of the whole headquarters, casting a soft glow in its rooms. Definitely, the demon drained me of my energy far more quickly than it usually does. I think I've heard about this? The priest of my hometown said something about it; when staring at the supernatural, the mental sanity is quickly drained. So it is true... I think.

But then again, have I ever been mentally sane?

I stretched, it felt good. Then I got up, directing myself to the guild's kitchen to get something sweet to eat; I wanted sugar. I really wanted to feel it hit my brain, giving me the energy I needed to properly wake up. Perhaps... a warm tea, too. I'd never been a fan of tea, but for some reason, I felt like my body was craving it.

In the kitchen, Joey and Elizabeth; they were already awake. They greeted me, and I returned the gesture. Joey had already made some tea, while Elizabeth was seated at the table. I asked Joey if he could give me a cup, and he provided.

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"Did you rest well?" Joey asked me, handing me the cup.

"Hmm, somewhat..." I replied, grabbing the cup, my voice still sounding sleepy.

The cup of tea felt boiling hot between my hands, perhaps even too much considering the weather, but I didn't mind. I slowly brought the cup up to my lips with the intent of sipping it, but I had to stop; some strands of my hair nearly dipped into it.

"Your hair is really getting long, Argenta," he noticed it too.

"Yes... I should probably get it cut."

"You don't like it long?"

"I do; my mom had long hair. But... I don't think I'm worthy of having it like she did. I'm not my mother..." I said, adjusting my hair with one hand, finally sipping some tea. It had a somewhat sweet taste. Just what I needed. I savored it slowly, enjoying everything of it.

"That's... a bit harsh on yourself. I'm sure your mother would've been really happy to see you with long hair, just like her. And I think you'd look great that way," he confessed with a smile.

"You think so?"

"Absolutely."

"Then... I'll consider the idea."

All in all, this day had gotten off to a good start. And so did the following, ignoring my problems and acting as if they never existed in the first place. And so it went on for some more. Until, finally, the day came...

... It was really a morning like any other; Joey and Elizabeth were in the kitchen, and I joined them. When, suddenly, Elizabeth got up, with the intention of going to her room to retrieve her staff. But as soon as she stepped out of the kitchen...

"Happy birthday!"

"Kyaa! Happy birthday, Elizabeth!"

Both Jerald and Selena shouted happy birthday, appearing and shooting confetti in front of her. I observed the scene as I comfortably sipped my warm tea with Joey by my side; I couldn't see her face from behind, but Elizabeth remained stoic. She did not make a single move or give any hint of a reaction as the confetti rained down on her ridiculously big hat, while some others scattered around her.

"... Thanks," she said with her usual monotone voice, as if she were utterly disinterested.

"You're with the adults now, how do you feel?" Selena chirped enthusiastically; she literally couldn't stop herself from moving her body, bouncing on her heels as her arms twitched. She clearly wanted to hug Elizabeth, trying her best to hold back for some reason.

"Yay," Elizabeth replied, unenthusiastically, with the same tone as before, still standing stoic.

"Yesterday we went to the Feasty Slime to book a table for today since it's your birthday, but unfortunately it was full for today, so instead I reserved a spot for tomorrow, although I still have to confirm the right number of people. I'll have to visit them later to sort that out. Are you okay with this? Please say yes!" Selena pleaded, clasping her hands together.

"Huh... yes."

"Selena had a fight with the owner trying to book a table for today, but there really wasn't any space. I'm actually surprised they even let us reserve for tomorrow after the scene we caused with everyone watching. If we'd gone back today to cancel the booking, they wouldn't have let us in there anymore," shield boy said with a laugh.

"Shush, shush, shush sweetheart! Those people just cannot understand my love for Elizabeth! It's her birthday, everyone should live just to celebrate this day! Kyaa!" Selena kept swinging around, holding her face in her hands as she blushed.

I felt like my ears were slowly giving up on me with each of Selena's squeals. Shield boy must've been deaf by now.

"You can hug me if you really can't restrain yourself," Elizabeth told her, sounding more resigned than excited.

Selena didn't need a second invitation. She let out another of her high-pitched squeals as she captured Elizabeth in a tight embrace, now smothering between Selena's breasts. I bid farewell to my ears.

While Selena showered Elizabeth with affection, Jerald approached me and Joey, still sipping some warm tea.

"You two are coming to Elizabeth's birthday dinner, right?" he asked.

"Of course, I'd be happy to," Joey replied. I nodded along in agreement.

Jerald then returned to Selena and Elizabeth.

"Surely Leonard will come. Do you want to invite someone else outside of the guild, Elizabeth?"

They discussed the event, after which, Jerald and Selena went outside. Joey approached Elizabeth with a smile shortly after.

"Happy birthday, Elizabeth. I didn't know it was today. But... you don't seem really happy about it. Do you dislike your birthday?"

"It's not that I dislike my birthday, it's just that Selena likes it too much," she explained as she dusted off the confetti off her hat. "Besides, we just had a feast the other day, we don't need another. I'm still... concerned with other matters..."

"You're still worried about what happened in the dungeon?" Joey asked her.

"Yes... I talked to Jean's family, the guy who died. But... nothing really happened. I won't face any punishment, since these things happen in dungeons. But, well... I'm still... sad about it. It was my fault..." Elizabeth admitted as she looked down. "Anyway... I'll go get my staff, see you later," she then said before going away.

Elizabeth was apparently seeking redemption. A well-known concept to people who feel guilty and want to redeem themselves, just to feel good about themselves again. The priest in my hometown talked frequently about this; performing good deeds to atone for the bad ones. It always sounded strange to me, too easy to be true.

As Elizabeth went upstairs, Joey redirected his attention to me, when both our heads turned as Selena's voice echoed from outside the guild's entrance.

"Ah, wait Crimson!" Selena shouted running after Crimson, who just stepped inside. "Are you coming to Elizabeth's birthday tomorrow evening? I know it's today but we could only book the place for tomorrow. It's at the Feasty Slime. Are you coming?"

Crimson stopped, staring at her with a blank expression, as if she couldn't believe she seriously asked something like that; she didn't even blink, she just stared neutrally. Crimson then turned to me. "Snowflake, let's go," she told me, before heading outside.

I understood Crimson was not talking about the birthday party, but apparently, the same couldn't be said for Selena.

"Oh, so you're coming?" she asked with a smile, seeking confirmation.

Selena followed Crimson out the door, and I did the same.

"Ourobocervas."

"Oh, and about the gift! We're thinking about doing something together!" Selena talked with sparkling eyes as Crimson climbed onto her summon's back. "I know something that will make Elizabeth smile! I'm sure of it! We still don't know how many are contributing in total but I'm sure it's going to be just some gold coins each! So can I count you in for the gift, too?"

Selena kept bouncing her knees up and down, shaking her arms even after she stopped talking, surely imagining Elizabeth's reaction to whatever gift she had in mind. Crimson sat on her summon, silently staring down at Selena without saying a single word. Slowly, Selena's enthusiasm faded away, replaced by perplexity as the silence dragged on.

"Are you done?" Crimson asked her with a flat voice.

"Huh? You still haven't answered my question," Selena replied.

"Right... you need me to spell it out. I must have forgotten there's only air in that head of yours. No, Selena, I won't come to Elizabeth's birthday party, nor I will give you anything for her birthday present, because I'd rather getting crushed alive by an avalanche than waste my time on that pathetic excuse for a mage that is Elizabeth. Does this answer satisfy you?" Crimson sarcastically and mockingly made clear.

Selena's expression turned sour and resentful. "Yeah, okay. You can go fuck yourself, Crimson," she snapped; now her enthusiasm was nowhere to be found. She then turned towards me with a smile, though forced. "What about you, Argenta? Do you want to help with the present?"

"Sure!" I instantly replied, not making myself an enemy. "You can ask Joey for the money, I'll pay him back, eventually."

Selena's smile slightly lightened up. "Great! See you at the party, then!" she said, before finally walking off.

"Is it your life goal to make everyone in the guild hate you?" I asked Crimson out of curiosity.

"Let them talk. Gossip and drama gives them something to feel good about, especially Selena," she disinterestedly replied.

"How noble of you..."

"Come on, hop on."

I climbed up behind her, feeling once again the heat radiate from the creature's body. It seemed warmer than the first time.

"Wrap your arms tightly around me. We're going fast," she advised.

"Isn't it just an excuse to get me to touch you?" I asked as I followed the suggestion.

"I don't need such a lame excuse to make you do that," she replied, a clear hint of amusement in her voice.

The beast dashed forward, galloping toward the unknown. It was fast, indeed. I held on tight, feeling the force of the wind messing up my hair as it rushed past while we sped across the ground. My butt kept bumping against the summon's back with each stride.

"So, where are you taking me anyway?" I asked her at some point.

"You'll see. I'm not ruining the surprise. But we should get there by evening," she replied.

I wanted to punch her... "Maybe you should've mentioned that earlier. I guess we'll sleep wherever you're taking me? I didn't bring anything with me..."

"Don't worry, Snowflake, I got you covered."

"I'm going to regret this, aren't I?"