* I'm sorry to interrupt you, ladies. But Count Krej is here.

Eliza froze at that news her shadow reported. Nohana narrowed her eyes in disgust while Jane looked at the two women with confusion and suspicion in her eyes. She asked, a hint of anger and disdain in her voice, while sitting straight in her bed.

* Who is that 'Count Krej'?

* It's me, peasant. Watch your tone when you say my name.

The one that answered was a fat man. He was dressed in a tight noble's outfit. So tight you could almost see him shining with the amount of oil he was letting out. A bulky man was following him; he had a full plate of armor on and a huge sword on his back. Jane immediately judged him useless. No real warrior would wear that kind of armor to wield that type of sword.

The fat man, Count Krej apparently, swept his gaze on the room, his eyes lighting up when he looked at Jane and his smile almost going around his head when he finally stopped on Eliza. His voice was filled with greed and lust, devouring Eliza's body with his stare.

* My dear princess. Why are you avoiding meeting me?

The moment Jane saw and felt that gaze, her hand had already grasped a dagger under her covers. Her eyes flashed red for a second, and she felt her arm freeze. Anna's voice echoed in her mind at that moment.

{ - No, Jane, look, I know that big guy isn't a threat. But I'm not sure it's a good idea to kill that count or whatever he is. I think it would put Eliza in a bad spot. }

Jane regained her spirit after that warning. She nodded imperceptibly and stored the dagger in her dimension once more. She focused her attention on Eliza and saw her trembling a little. She didn't know if it was from rage or disgust, but the redhead reached out and took her friend's hand in hers. The white-haired woman got startled at that movement and turned her head toward Jane for a few seconds. The redhead smiled at her friend. Count Krej was watching that exchange, and his smile thickened a bit.

Eliza took a deep breath and turned her gaze to the fat man. Her answer was dripping with disgust and hate.

* I'm not avoiding you, Count Krej. I'm sorry if it looked like that, but I had other pressing matters to attend to. Now, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?

* Well, it's to discuss our marriage, of course!

The room's temperature suddenly dropped a few degrees at that announcement. Nohana looked at Eliza with wonder in her eyes, a smile on her lips as she looked at Jane too. The redhead lifted an eyebrow, murder clearly written in her eyes.

{ - Okay, now you can—well, not with a dagger. Just use your fist; it'll be enough. Nobody should try to steal Eliza from us! }

Jane didn't even answer her friend but simply vanished from her spot. The next moment, the fat man was on the ground, Jane stepping on his stomach. The face of the man was already starting to swell from the little punch Jane gave him. Blinking in shock, the guard tried to take his sword from his scabbard, but Jane already had the tip of her white katana in front of his neck. He stopped, sweating in fear.

* So. 'Count Krej,' right? I think there's something you missed here. I'm pretty sure Eliza isn't interested in some sort of fat pig. The signs were pretty clear, no? And still, you invite yourself into her mansion and barge into a room without even having the decency of knocking on the door? Wow, I'm impressed. Did your parents teach you anything before they died of embarrassment looking at you? Or are they still alive but hiding because they can't stand you? Now here's what will happen: you will get the fuck out of this house, and engrave in your little pig brain: Eliza is mi—I mean, she is in my party and won't be available for a while. Got it?

The whole room was silent. Nobody expected that turn of events at all. Eliza was staring at them in shock, and Nohana had a smirk on her face. She didn't miss what Jane almost said. And she was finding the redhead more and more interesting. The Count was starting to tremble with fear and tried to scramble to get up on his feet when Jane freed him from her boots. He took a couple of steps back and lifted a finger, pointing at Jane while still trembling.

* You… You… You will regret this! Brak! Kill that peasant right now!

The big guy opened his eyes wide and looked at the redhead. She seemed frail compared to him. But for some reason, he felt she was way bigger than him. Almost like she towered over him. And there was a hint of insanity in the depth of her eyes; if a fight really broke out, he was sure to be dead in a fraction of a second.

* I'm sorry, my lord. But it's impossible for me to do that. I would die instantly.

* What! You have to obey my orders!

The guard sighed and bowed to the three ladies before escorting the raging noble out with some gentle pushes.

Once both of them were gone, Jane took a seat on the bed, stroking her belly with her hand. When she lifted her shirt to look at the bandages, she noticed a red spot that was slowly extending. Nohana sighed and approached the redhead.

* I told you your wound isn't totally closed. You need to be careful. No fights for at least three days. Then it'll be closed and won't reopen again. You won't even have a mark once more.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

You could feel a bit of jealousy in that last sentence, making Jane laugh a bit. She shook her head with a smile.

* No need to get rid of the scar. I… I actually want to keep it. It will be a reminder of… how arrogance can kill you.

Nohana frowned a bit but still nodded her head. She approached her hand and put it on the bandage; a light shone from her hand, and Jane could feel her wound closing again.

* Thanks again.

* Eh, it's my job after all… You know, your question about whether to join you two? I guess it's not a bad idea. I think it will even be fun.

* Oh? Then I'm glad to hear that. Welcome aboard, Nohana.

This decided, the trio got out of the house and made their way to the Guild. Once inside, they registered Nohana with their party. Jane had another question before going back home.

* I'd like to know, does anyone have any information on Ouroboros?

* I'm sorry, Miss Denki. But that information is classified and can only be accessed by a Veteran Mercenary.

The receptionist could only apologize for that. The redhead just addressed a smile and shrugged a bit.

* It's okay, I know you didn't make the rules at all. I'll ask again when I've ranked up. Oh, by the way, I don't know if the Guild knew, but there was a facility of that group in the city.

The receptionist's eyes opened wide, and he panicked a bit at that piece of information. They didn't know Ouroboros was that close to them. He took a few pieces of paper and started to write.

* May I know where, please? And how did you discover that place?

* Erhm. Well, it's pretty useless to know. The whole facility is burned to ashes.

With the sound of a pencil dropping, the receptionist opened his mouth like a fish out of water. Behind Jane, her two companions chuckled to themselves. They knew why that information got that kind of reaction; first of all, Ouroboros was slippery, and almost nobody could really find them, at least not in that kingdom; second, even if someone could, they wouldn't be able to destroy a facility just like that. Even more so, alone.

* I… What rank did you say you were, Miss?...

* Hm? I'm an Apprentice for now. Why?

* Well, I think you did well enough to rank up already. I'll have to ask my superior about that…

Without really waiting for any answer, he dashed from behind the counter, leaving Jane stunned. She turned around and saw the other two laughing.

* What did I do?

* Well, maybe you just destroyed a hideout that nobody found in the capital? And alone at that, almost unscathed too.

It was Nohana that answered while shrugging. She approached Jane and locked their arms together with a sultry smile.

* Maybe it's not that bad of an idea, that party. You got to protect me well, right? Reaaal closely too.

Jane lifted an eyebrow at that display. The green-eyed woman wasn't hiding her intention or teasing. But the redhead was still a bit cautious. That kind of attitude was hiding something else, and she was curious to find out.

{ - Yeah, you're right, Jane. I like how she is, but we should still be careful. Well, I'd still— }

[{ - I said it last time, don't finish that thought, Anna. I get what you mean, and this time I can't say I'm not interested. }]

{ - Oh? Eh, didn't expect to hear you say that, I admit. }

Anna chuckled in her head while Jane just shrugged a bit. After a little wait, the receptionist came back, panting like he had just run ten kilometers.

* Sorry to keep you waiting. I asked my superiors, and they said we could let you rank up to Experienced. You did something great for us. Ouroboros is a thorn in everyone's side even though not many people know them. Now that it's dealt with, do you want to look at missions?

* No, I have to rest for now. I'll come back in two days to look at some. Thank you, and goodbye.

Having done what they had to do today, the three girls left the Guild. Nohana excused herself, yawning, but still warned Jane of the risk of her wounds re-opening if she tried to fight or move too fast. The redhead just smiled, shrugging, and they separated. It was already quite late in the evening, and Jane's stomach grumbled a bit. She took out a cookie from her dimension and munched on it while walking toward Eliza's mansion with her.

* We should really rest now, Jane. These last three days were… too tiring.

* Yeah. I'm sorry again, Eliza; it won't happen again.

Eliza just nodded and gripped the sleeve of Jane's shirt, like she wanted to make sure her friend wouldn't disappear again.

{ - Eh, she's just too cute. C'mon, Jane! }

The redhead rolled her eyes while smiling. Yes, she did find Eliza cute, but it didn't mean she saw her like how Anna would like.

{ - Yet! }

[{ - C'mon, Anna, stop it! }]

{ - Hehehe, you will see how right I am one day. }

Jane shook her head but didn't comment. The duo finally got to Eliza's mansion and got to bed immediately. Jane fell asleep the moment her head touched the pillow. She was way too tired.

Later in the night, Jane was stirring restlessly. She sat up straight suddenly, panting and sweating. A nightmare. Her eyes were crying, and she got up. She vaguely heard Anna ask something but ignored that. She found a way to the rooftop and took out something from her dimension.

It was a violin; it looked like it was made of glass. She sat down and started to play a slow but sweet tune, trying to drown the feelings that the nightmare brought up.

Sadly, her playing got interrupted by the loud sound of a distant bell. Then Eliza's head appeared outside of the window just below Jane.

* Jane! Shadow just informed me that a large army is coming from everywhere!

{ - Is that guy just the bearer of bad news every time? }