"Good morning, Francisca!"

"AAAH!! What’s so good about it?! It’s 4 in the morning!"

Jolted awake by my boss, I scrambled out of bed with a slight headache.

"Clients won’t wait, Francisca," she said, tossing my uniform at me and pointing at the silver watch on her wrist. "Get dressed; we leave in 10 minutes."

"What?! And when am I supposed to have breakfast? I won’t even have time to shower!"

"That’s your call. You have 9 minutes left," she replied with a smile before leaving my room. "See you downstairs with the others."

"Ugh, damn it!"

Dashing at full speed, I headed for the bathroom.

*It’s always the same with her. How hard is it to wake me up a bit earlier?!*

When I got there, I noticed the bathtub was already filled with hot water.

"Ha," I yawned. "The only good thing about this job is the luxuries, hehe~ every day I get closer to experiencing the afterlife."

Stripping down and relaxing my muscles, I squinted at my surroundings. The porcelain bathtub was surrounded by soaps and shampoos I hadn’t seen before—brand new.

Lovely.

With marble walls, a slate floor, and a massive mirror, the bathroom was the epitome of elegance, allowing me to see myself while I bathed.

"Hu-huu~! I wish I could stay here forever—"

Suddenly, loud knocking interrupted my bliss.

"Francisca! Four minutes left."

"What?! I just got in! What kind of twisted timekeeping is this, Sofia?!"

"Three minutes."

"Aaaaah!!"

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

The downside of this job? The pressure. Pressure from none other than our dear team leader, Sofia—a tall, 24-year-old brunette with golden eyes and the gear of a true elemental sorceress.

'I hate her!'

Rushing out of the tub, I grabbed a towel and darted back to my room.

"W-Whoa…" My eyes widened in surprise.

Everything was perfectly in place: from my bed and stuffed animals to the clothes I’d left scattered on the floor. Sadly, the order vanished as soon as I tossed my towel on the floor, dove onto my bed, and started pulling on the uniform she’d left for me.

"Let’s go."

Sofia appeared out of nowhere, standing at my door.

"Could you stop teleporting?! I know you’re a great mage, but there’s no need to show off!"

My boss seemed even more invasive than usual; I needed to set boundaries.

"They’ve gotten bigger."

"What?"

"Nothing," she said, cracking her neck and yawning. "This mission is dangerous."

"That’s what you always say!"

"Yes, but this time, we could actually die."

Finishing up and donning my signature red Valkyrie armor, I mimicked Sofia’s serious posture.

"I see… Then why don’t we just stay in bed?"

"I already took the money."

"How about giving it back?"

"Where do you think those new bathroom products came from?"

"We could say they’re defective. We might even make a profit!"

Chuckling briefly at my suggestion, Sofia grabbed my hand, and we teleported downstairs, where the rest of our team was waiting.

"Here."

Diana approached and handed me a sandwich.

"Thanks," I said, taking a small bite. I noticed Lia fidgeting.

"She didn’t sleep last night," Diana whispered.

"Why?" I asked, covering my mouth as I chewed.

"Ever since she gave Sofia the mission details, she’s been like this."

With dark circles under her eyes, Lia approached Sofia. Her steps were wobbly, and her hands trembled, though her petite stature made her look rather endearing.

"Boss, I don’t… I don’t think we should take this mission."

"Why not?"

"I had a dream. The forest exploded… and a demon walked out unscathed! Not even the trees were left—nothing! I think I should tell my brother. Yes! I’ll tell him!"

Sofia grabbed Lia’s hand as she tried to head upstairs and looked at her.

"Calm down. We’ll discuss it with everyone."

"It’s dangerous!"

"And since when has a mission not been?"

Lia fell silent and reluctantly obeyed our intrusive boss. She knew Sofia was right; things had never been easy for us. Though Lia’s connections got us good missions, we’d also faced some rough experiences.

'Is she exaggerating, or was this one of those famous healer premonitions?'

We all sat around the table for our meeting, and Sofia stood in front of the board.

"We’re heading to the Azir Desert."

She briefly locked eyes with Lia.

"We’re not going to the forest."

Then, with a smile, she pulled a paper from her pocket.

"The client’s name is Alexia. We’re to protect her and find a boy named Isuke, who’s been missing for two days."

"Wait. Is she coming with us?" Diana raised her hand.

Sofia nodded.

"She’s a mage and apparently a catfolk. She claims she can handle herself, but we still need to keep an eye on her. Any questions?"

Seeing everyone stay quiet, I raised my hand.

"Can I have another sandwich?"

"No."