“I’ll take her place!” Candice yelled, gathering everyone’s attention. She stuttered at first. “I-I’m a fierce, capable fighter, and I discovered where they were hiding. It’s my responsibility now!”

“Child,” Stein looked at her, condescendingly, “the Council appreciates what you’ve done, but don’t compare yourself with Maya. She’s the best huntress in the whole kingdom and an excellent marksman. She’s who we need for this situation.”

“Can we rely on you?” Maya asked her, frowning. Candice nodded silently. “Are you okay with that, Charmer?”

Spencer shrugged. “Sure, I've seen what she’s capable of, and Rhino’s men could fill the marksman role. To be honest, I think that they’re a better match for this job.”

“It’s decided then,” Maya smiled warmly at Candice, ignoring Stein’s glare. “Come to the castle’s barracks later. I’ll help you get your equipment. You’ll need to be prepared if you want to take on this in my place.”

“Okay,” Candice replied, biting her tongue.

“It’s settled, then,” King Johann rose, hitting the table with his palm. “Listen everyone. You’ll meet at Spencer’s workshop one hour before dawn. Once you teleport away from here, you’ll use daylight to advance as quickly as possible, the territory might be compromised. Avoid the Smiley Road like it was made of hell’s fire.” He pointed to the main road connecting both realms, Valcreim’s and UFA’s base. “If you don’t meet any distractions, you’ll be arriving at the Swamp of Sorrows by dusk. Is that correct, Archmage?”

“That’s the idea.”

“Then this meeting is finally over,” Sebastian spoke, glancing blankly at everyone. “Rest, and be prepared. The kingdom of Valcreim and our god Artheos will be in your debt.” After speaking those words, he vanished, leaving behind a scent of wildflowers.

“I would rather have some kind of handsome compensation,” Spencer said, leading the way outside. “Could we work that out, my lord?”

“Oh, Charmer, you and your mouth. And here I was thinking of buying you a drink,” Johann said on his way out with Stein following closely.

“What are you talking about, my lord? Such compensation will suffice for now.”

“Great idea,” Maya beamed up, almost salivating. “Everyone, to the Golden Moose! C’mon Candice!”

“Shall we, Miss Candice?” Colonel Rhino made way for her, but she waited for Joseph, who was speaking quietly with Thomas.

“Sorry for not discussing it with you before,” Joseph whispered to him, repented.

“What’s done is done, brother," the tall dark-skinned man said with a concerned expression. "We will fiercely defend the fortress while you’re absent.” Before continuing, he caught Candice’s gaze. He got closer and whispered to Joseph’s ear. It didn’t matter, Candice could hear them. “Don’t let the Charmer do something stupid.”

“You seem even more reckless than those your age,” Rhino spoke at Candice, making her jump. “You do seem quite young, how old are you?”

“Young,” she replied bluntly. I think.

Rhino stared at her for a moment. “My men will take care of all of you, you have my word. I wish you the best of luck.”

“Thanks.”

Rhino made a short salute and parted his way. Candice looked back again, Paladin Thomas was glaring at her. He rushed to the exit, with Joseph following him closely, smiling.

“Good job, Candice.” He put his hand on her shoulder and whispered to her. “Meet me at the Golden Moose later. I’ll treat you with anything you want.”

“Sure,” she whispered shyly, watching him disappear between the crowded UFA barracks. Feeling a sudden burst of joy, she walked to the nearest alley wagging her tail. It didn’t last long, she gasped, full of anxiety, then started shouting to herself. “This is bad! This is terrible!”

She rushed back to Rolo’s workshop, knocking on his door with both fists. She could hear the sound of familiar footsteps approaching the entrance.

“Candice, you’re safe!” Rita opened the door. “Would you like to come in? If you’re here looking for your blades…”

“Actually,” Candice cut her short, looking away. “I wanted to ask you for a favor.”

Half an hour later, Candice was pouring hot water on her head, applying a whole bottle of shampoo on her body. It smelled fruity. Too fruity. My nose is killing me. This is worse than the Tide.

“Have you met Paladin Thomas?” Rita asked from outside the shower, looking at the ceiling, a dreamily look in her eyes. “Is he as charming as he looks?”

“I don’t wanna disappoint you,” Candice replied, “but he’s an arrogant prick. This isn’t the first time I’ve seen him and he hasn't changed one bit.” She kept furiously scrubbing her fur, desperate to finish. “I thought demons didn’t find humans attractive, especially ones working for the church.”

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“I'm only half-demon!” Rita replied. “And I’m a fan of everything beautiful in this world. Handsome soldiers fit in that category. And that’s rich coming from you, you wouldn't be doing this if you didn’t fancy that other paladin.”

“Let’s move on!” Candice yelled while scrubbing her arms.

“Are you gonna be okay?” Rita asked, looking through the slightly opened door, staring at her. Candice’s wet fur made her look extremely feeble. “You don’t even know where you’re going, and there’s no guarantee that the necromancer won’t see you coming.”

“If I have to, I’ll move quieter than a shadow,” Candice answered back, turning off the shower. “And I won’t be alone. There are volunteers for each role, and I’ll fulfill mine.”

“Are you hearing yourself?” Rita snickered. “You’ve never believed in comradery, you’ve always called it bullshit. You’re doing this because of him, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, you might be right,” Candice said. She approached a small red button on the wall and pushed it. Small vents opened up, letting in hot air until her fur was dry and fluffy. “So what? I can’t trust those clowns to protect him. It must be me. I’m the only one who can.”

* * *

Atop the wall’s ruins, illuminated by the moonlight, an absent Candice gazed at the stone golems carrying enormous black boulders towards the wall’s breach. On the battlefield ahead, Eagles equipped with flamethrowers and Valcreim’s pyromancers burned every corpse they could find. Flaustos, Spencer’s revived pet, patrolled the field, burning everything on its path.

She lowered her head, pulling down Rita’s lent cloak to avoid the full moon. She had a date and there was no room for accidents. Let’s go.

“Aren’t they magnificent?” She heard the proud voice of a mage standing beside her. He was wearing an oval mask that fully hid his face. After Candice grunted at him, he cleared his throat and continued. “My golems. Would you like to know how they work??”

“Fuck off,” she said, jumping down the wall.

Candice walked through the main street, guided by the festive noise of the Golden Moose, where soldiers were drunkenly singing outside the entrance. Some of them unsubtly tried to see under Candice’s cloak once she passed them by. Every spot inside the establishment was perfectly lit thanks to UFA’s technology.

Most tables were already occupied by people eating and drinking to their heart's content, being served by tall, slim women with pointy ears. Elves. You just know they feel superior even if they’re serving others. They believe to be the prettiest females in this whole mess of a world. I loathe them.

While searching for the paladin, a beast-man stared at her. He checked her out and started nodding in approval, which sent chills to her spine. Great.

“Candice, sweetheart, there you are!” Maya hugged her from behind. Her mouth reeked of alcohol.

If she’s goddamn drunk, how did she manage to sneak on me?!

“Hey,” Candice replied, trying to endure being touched. “Have you seen—”

“Don’t just stand there!” Maya giggled, pulling her arm. “Come and meet my friends!”

“I—Ah—”

Maya took her to one of the tables, despite Candice's struggle, who continued looking for Joseph from her seat. Please save me from this woman!

While Maya nonchalantly tried to introduce several hunters to her, Candice could not botter enough to listen to their tales, until she recognized a female rogue armed with twin blades among them. After accepting a piece of bread with butter and cheese and a bowl of tomato soup, Candice approached the woman, “Hey, Lora, right? I’ve always wanted to know something, how do you manage to balance your lack of mana in battle?”

“That’s easy,” the woman said before drinking from an oversized mug. “You have noticed that some soldiers use mana on every swing of their blade, it helps them finish a fight in one or two blows. But we, who are blessed by the wind, need to be more efficient.” She paused to look at Candice’s attentive eyes. “So, instead of thinking about crushing the enemy, we ask ourselves, how can I cut its joints or weak points quickly? I may teach you some wind techniques. What’s your Vitality and Spirit rank?”

“I… I can’t recall when the last time I measured myself was,” Candice said apologetically.

“It’s okay, we have people for that.” She put down her now-empty mug. “Marlon! Your services are needed here!”

Before Candice could object, a smiley, robe-bearing young man approached, carrying a large beer. The druid sat beside the frowning wolf-girl, asking for her hand. She glared at him in defiance. “Come on, I won’t bite,” he giggled. She stubbornly accepted, looking straight at his brown eyes. “A piece of paper, please,” Marlon asked, and Lora handed him a tab’s receipt. The druid held Candice’s hand with his left hand while writing with his right hand. “Here you go,” he smiled again, winking.

Candice reached for the piece of paper, but Lora snatched it before she could. “Let’s see, you’re a Fire Whirl warrior, very good, perfect for a Rogue… Your Vitality rank is Silver D+, good… Your Spirit rank is Bronze B... Good enough. And lastly, your Potential is…” Lora’s eyes widened. “Gold C?! Wow, Wolf-Girl, that’s amazing! That’s the same rank as Maya’s.”

“Just call me Candice.” She pretended to be annoyed, but she felt it refreshing to get a new nickname for a change. She took the paper and studied it closely. She already knew about her mana reserves standing in a pitiful Bronze. I can barely perform fire and wind boosts, and only a couple of times a day at best. But she was impressed by the Silver rating on her physical skills.

I shouldn’t be surprised, I don’t need a grade to tell me that I can crush skulls easily.

Lastly, she stared at the supposedly Gold C on her Potential. I hope this isn’t a fluke. She glared at Marlon, who was waving goodbye to Lora. Because I’ll need it for this mission.

Candice did not notice Maya had left until the moment she returned. “Hey, Candice, look what I got for you!” Maya said, handing her a big mug. “The bartender told me this beer is specially brewed for beast-men, so give it a big gulp!”

“Beast—?!” Candice shut her mouth. She would not get on anyone’s side by getting angry at her. She glanced at Lora and the rest of Maya’s companions, who cheerfully raised her mug to toast with her. Fine. Candice smelled it first, detecting the slight scent of honey syrup barely hiding the alcohol's odor. She drank, shocked by the sweetish taste. Minutes later, she was asking for another one.