"It hurts! It hurts so much! Please, help me!" I sat on the ground, clutching my blood-stained ankle as I groaned and hissed in pain.

"What happened?! Are you okay?!" a passerby, noticing me in need of help, rushed over, his expression full of concern.

I was in tears. The man leaned in, his worry growing as he saw the agony on my face, desperately trying to figure out how to help. He knelt down right before me, his hands hovering as he panicked in search of a way to assist me.

"Bianca," as I murmured my spell, the demon manifested, and got its meal. The man did help me in the end, by feeding my demon.

Hm, yes. I did indeed consider myself quite the good actress; an apple doesn't fall far from the tree, after all. The blood on my ankle wasn't mine; it came from the previous victims I had killed earlier that same night. Although, now the sun was beginning to rise.

The demon raised its claws: four of them.

Well... now I had to wait another six hours before I could cast the spell again.

I ended up staying awake all night, but I didn't feel tired, nor did I feel like sleeping, I was too excited and curious.

"Although, since I have to kill anyway... I could ask Leonard if he has some jobs for me..."

Yes, brilliant idea! Since I had to feed my demon humans anyway, why not do it in a way that works in favor of both me and my guild?

"Hmm... soon the city's plaza will be filled with vendors and peddlers. Might as well go there and buy a dagger since I'm at it."

Wow, this morning I really felt productive! But before heading out for some shopping, I needed to get some coins and clean myself up. So, I returned to the guild to get some cash and freshen up before finally heading out to find a new dagger.

Grabbing some crumby morning snacks along the way from a street vendor, I ventured deep into the plaza. But as I passed through, I noticed that all the daggers on display, when compared to my mother's, were, without exception, all rubbish... None could be saved; they were all: ugly, tasteless, unworthy, forgettable, replaceable, trash. Every single one of them.

I sighed in desperation, but I still had to choose one, I was forced to... So, I ultimately stopped at a stall with a considerable variety of pocket weapons; these were at least worthy of some sort of regard; passable, let's say... And, despite me considering them just a temporary measure, I still had to choose carefully, since I had no idea for how long this 'temporary' would've gone on...

The vendor behind the stall watched as I thoughtfully examined the weapons.

"Need any help, girlie?" he asked me, noticing my hesitation.

"Hmm... actually, yes. Are all the daggers I'm seeing the only ones you have?"

"Well, no. I don't display them all, but these give a general idea. Are you looking for a particular kind of dagger?"

"Do you have any made of Glass' Sky?"

At my question, the vendor gave me a skeptical look, furrowing his brow. "Girl, you would have trouble finding that material even in the capital," he replied with a wry smile.

My eyes widened. "Hm, really? Is it that rare?"

"Not only rare, but also incredibly hard and delicate to collect," he said, rubbing his head before crossing his arms. "Lately... the King is heavily collecting Glass' Sky to equip His Royal Guards. Ever since Silveandria fell, things have gotten rough. People are uneasy... Putting aside Triple-S dungeons, that material can only be found in very specific hazardous locations. The adventurers who have that material are now making a fortune by going to the capital just to sell it, so it's becoming incredibly scarce elsewhere. Either way, you wouldn't find it here."

"I thought Zafferbridge was quite renowned, though. There really isn't anything around here?" I asked.

"Nobody here would use such expensive materials when most folks are libromancers. I see you have a book; why are you searching for a dagger made of that? You have your divine weapon at your disposal. If you need a secondary, I can show you many other options, and far more affordable."

"To evade unforeseen circumstance..." I murmured, coming up with an excuse. "Last time, I almost died using a spare dagger because it broke. I'd like something that won't break as easily. And Glass' Sky is the most durable material I know."

"You're not wrong on that, but If you'd like my advice... better give up. Whatever little is found is snapped up by the King, or used to craft swords for rich adventurers and nobles. Moreover, I recently heard that even alchemists are trying to get their hands on it. Seriously, it's just not worth it," he shook his head.

"He's right," a random and stocky, bearded man with a gruff voice joined the conversation after hearing us speak. "If you want to get some, better go to the capital. And better do it fast. The reason alchemists are interested in it is because they recently found out it's naturally rich in mana, but most folks don't know that yet. A skilled artisan could make incredibly lethal weapons with it, and magical items too. As soon as the word of this discovery spreads, the price will triple. No, quadruple! I am giving you my word of alchemist," he added, giving a thumbs-up.

"Why are you telling me this if you're an alchemist?" I asked him, tilting my head. "Wouldn't you want to get that material yourself?"

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"I gave up..." he replied, his voice dropping as he lowered his head. "That material is just too rare and dangerous to acquire; I nearly lost my life going after it. I'm not desperate enough to risk leaving my wife and kids without a father. I'll consider myself content watching what others will create with it."

My mother had lots of jewels made of that, though...

"You heard him, girlie," the vendor remarked.

I sighed. "Fine... Give me this, then," I said, pointing at the dagger that seemed the most acceptable.

The dagger was almost identical to the one Joey gave me, but pink. This one wasn't made of sapphire, but surely of sea amethyst.

As usual, I have to thank my mother for my knowledge about it. Sea amethyst pulse with a gentle light, so they are relatively easy to find. The blade of the dagger had a glossy, rosy hue, with varying degrees of translucency depending on the light. When properly crafted, sea amethyst could be just as deadly as it was beautiful.

"Good choice," said the vendor, offering a wink as he handed me the dagger.

With my new weapon in hand, I began walking back to the guild, slowly... taking my sweet time to calmly enjoy the fresh morning air, breathing in and out. The plaza was waking up, more vendors setting up their stalls, and people going about their business.

As I approached the guild, I noticed Selena and Jerald standing outside, holding a gift box adorned with a colorful ribbon.

"Good morning," I greeted; they warmly greeted me back. "What are you two doing?" I then asked.

Selena happily giggled, tapping her heels on the ground. Her eyes sparkled so much gold that my new dagger could practically reflect it. "This is Elizabeth's gift! The one we all made together!"

At that point, Joey stepped outside as well.

"Joey! Is Elizabeth awake?" Selena impatiently asked him.

"I haven't seen her yet, so I assume she still is," he replied before noticing me. "Oh, good morning, Argenta. That new dagger suits you well!" he said with a warm smile.

"Thanks."

"We can give her the gift later," Jerald said to Selena.

"No, no. I want to see her expression now! Go wake her up, guys," she said.

"Um... wouldn't it be better if you did it?" Jerald suggested.

"No, I'm going to be the one who gives her the present! Come on, go sweetheart, go!"

Reluctantly, Jerald moved. "Joey, accompany me on this," he said, patting Joey's shoulder.

"Me? Ah... okay," he was too much of a wimp to refuse, and so the two set off.

I turned toward Selena; she was looking at the gift box, slightly lifting the lid and fiddling with her finger inside.

"Wouldn't it be better to just go to her room and give it to her all together instead of waiting out here?" I asked, tilting my head.

"No, no! Elizabeth loves to sleep! I don't want to be yelled at before giving her a gift! So, I'll just wait here and give it to her as soon as she wakes up. This way, she's just gonna be happy to see me!" she said with a beaming smile.

"So you just sent two men to die..."

"Yeah!"

"I see."

"Besides," she said, her voice now sounding serious. "We're alone now. Let's spill some tea while they're waking her up. I have the perfect topic!"

"Um, sure. What about?"

"How is it going between you and Crimson?"

I could see her curious, sparkling eyes, and that subtle smile. This girl was all about gossip...

"There's nothing between me and Crimson," I replied.

"Really?" she exclaimed. "Then who gave you that thing on your lip?"

So it was noticeable, after all...

Alas, I couldn't think fast enough of an answer. So, instead, I just stood silent.

"Aha! So I was right!" she giggled.

"There's nothing between us," I insisted.

"Oh, alright. Let's not talk about that," she said, almost seeming sincere, for a moment. "But I really think you two would be a great couple!" she literally burst out afterward, startling me... "Oh, it's the perfect kind of trope in most romances and really popular right now! The seemingly docile and shy girl with the bad bitch! I secretly have so many books about that! Oh, but they're mostly about boys; they're really great! I think Mika and Louise would be a great couple too, but they're probably not into that. My sweetheart may also have that side to him, but I can't allow that, of course; he's mine. But I can totally imagine him with..."

I didn't ask about any of that! Yet this girl couldn't literally contain herself! She was swinging left and right with her body while she kept spouting nonstop and at breakneck speed to me about stuff I didn't even ask for, nor did I care! Looking into the air, pensive, while she contemplated about couples and the kinds of books she 'secretly' had and had been reading.

And 'docile and shy'? Is that really the vibe I gave off? What...

Not that I could really afford to dwell on it in that moment; she spoke so fast even my trained mind couldn't handle the whirlwind of words that were flooding my ears!

After a while, thankfully, Joey and Jerald finally came to my rescue, but Elizabeth didn't want to step outside the guild since she wasn't dressed properly, so Selena and I had to go inside.

As soon as we did, Selena let out a gasp of astonishment. "A sleepy Elizabeth in nightgown! Kyaa!" she said as she hopped around, letting whatever was inside the box hop along with her.

Elizabeth refused to get dressed but still wore the big hat... Priorities.

"Now I am awake," she grumbled as she flinched from Selena's scream, rubbing her eyes.

"My love! This is the gift for you! All the guild contributed to it! Except for Crimson!" Selena said, extending the box to her.

Elizabeth noticed a little noise coming from the box. "W-why is it moving?!" she asked, her eyes wide with fear as she stepped back.

"Don't worry, you're gonna love it!" Selena said, stepping closer to push the box toward her.

Elizabeth looked at her with hesitation, but Selena's smile made her reconsider. And so, taking the courage, with trembling fingers, Elizabeth slowly lifted the lid.

Elizabeth gasped. "It's...!"

"It's a felicat!"

"A felicat?" I tilted my head, approaching to see what the others were looking at.

Inside the box was a small, adorable, fluffy, and rounded gray creature standing on its four tiny paws. Its whiskers twitched as it looked around with big, shiny, ball-shaped brown eyes.

"A-are you sure?! Won't Leonard get mad if we keep it inside the guild?" Elizabeth asked, her voice doubtful, yet her eyes were filled with delight as she looked at Selena.

Selena proudly shook her head. "No, no! Leonard approved! And your mom and dad's opinion outranks his, anyway!"

"Really?! Are you sure I can really have it? It's a felicat. It must've been so expensive..."

"Yes, we're all sure. Come on, why don't you take her out? Look, she's staring at you! She loves you already! She's practically begging to be held!"

Elizabeth blushed and reached into the box, carefully picking up the little creature. "Oh... she's so warm and fluffy!" she exclaimed as she held it up, gazing into her eyes.

Selena stared at Elizabeth. "So, do you like your gift?"

Elizabeth brought the cat, or felicat, I really couldn't see the difference, to her cheek. The warmth and softness of its fur seemed to have melted her heart, bringing a heartfelt, radiant smile to her face.

"Yes," she giggled as little tears, probably from happiness, sparkled in her eyes. "I love it! Thank you, everyone, really!"

I closed my eyes, not because her smile was too bright, but because my brain caught up with the realization that Selena would've soon released one of her high-pitched squeals.

However, such noise did not arrive.

I slowly opened my eyes, directing them at her. Selena just looked lost in bliss, her hands clasped over her heart, standing perfectly still with a smile on her lips.

"Selena?" Jerald called her name, but she didn't react.

Joey waved his hand in front of her face, but once again, she remained motionless.

"Elizabeth's smile was so bright she got petrified!" Jerald exclaimed, his hands on his head.

Selena ascended to Heaven!