A good sleep was all Jane needed. Even if she slept only three hours, she still felt great, ready to take on the day properly. She got up, stretching as high as she could before bouncing a little on her feet to get her blood flowing.

A little groan echoed in her head; the sudden movement wasn't to everyone's liking, and sounding groggy, Anna voiced her complaints.

{- Ugh. Do you need to bounce around first thing after a nap? And who can sleep only three hours and have that much energy?! Let me sleep five more minutes, please...}

A snicker appeared on Jane's lips as she shook her head in slight disappointment. She had a hunch Anna was a bit lazy. It made sense, actually, since she'd spent so long trapped in a necklace without moving at all.

The young redhead looked at her dirty body for a few seconds before changing the plans she had made before going to sleep. She needed to clean herself, and fast. She could just run out of the village to get to a river she had crossed while traveling to this place, but that would just burn all the food she had eaten earlier, and it wasn't her intention to use all her money on food.

- Okay, Anna. Next time, I'll let you sleep a bit more. Let's find a bath first. I didn't see any in that inn, and I really need one right now. Sadly, running still makes me sweat way too much.

A vague grunt was all she got in response, so she just shrugged her shoulders before donning her robe again and pulling the hood over her head while making her way toward the bar.

Once she stepped foot into the dining room, all sounds stopped for a second. Most of the patrons were the same as a few hours back, and they all remembered the aura Jane had given off at that time.

The redhead frowned slightly before offering a smile to the other customers. She made a small curtsy before speaking in a clear voice.

-I'm sorry for earlier. Please don't be afraid of me. I'm just a simple girl and only want some peace, that's all.

After saying her piece, she made her way to the bar, where the same middle-aged man from before was standing. Once in front of him, she immediately took out a silver coin and placed it on the bar with a sweet smile.

- Could you tell me where I can take a bath? Privately would be best, of course.

The man eyed the coin, dragged it across the bar, and put it underneath. He glanced at the patrons behind the young woman to ensure no one was eavesdropping before leaning over the bar a bit.

- You can use the bath in the back. It's usually for my daughter, but I'll make sure no one bothers you at all. If you can... restrain your aura, please. Business is already bad these days.

That confession surprised Jane, and she raised an eyebrow at his words.

- What do you mean? I'm not from here, and I'm not up to date on the latest news. Could you tell me a bit more, please?

The middle-aged man seemed uncomfortable for a second but eventually sighed and continued.

- Well, it's not like it's a secret. There are some rumors about a beast that's terrorizing the area. I don't know much beyond that since I've never seen the beast myself. But anyway, it's making business slow. Not many people come to Vanel now, except maybe the mercenaries. Be careful around them.

Jane nodded her head in appreciation at these informations. Then she turned around to follow the little girl that came out from behind a door next to the bar. That little girl was Belle, the barkeep's daughter.

Belle looked at the redhead, and a huge smile appeared on her little face before she led her to the back of the bar, her feet skipping with glee. A chuckle escaped Jane's lips while she followed her. A little while later, she found herself in a clean room with a bathtub made of iron. There was a fireplace running with a big bucket of water on top of it. She turned to Belle with a smile before speaking.

-Thank you, cutie. Don't worry, you can go now. I'll do the rest myself! I hope you hid that coin really well?

The little girl nodded with enthusiasm, her smile never leaving her face.

- Yes, Ma'am! It's in—

- Ah ha ha! No, don't tell me! It's a secret, remember? Now go back to your father and tell him I'll be okay in here!

Once again, Belle nodded and scurried out of the room, leaving Jane alone.

The young woman started to set up the bathtub, filling it with hot water. She stood next to it, and her clothes started to disappear one by one until she stood naked. Her body was slim and fit. She had curves in all the right places. Nothing was exaggerated.

A little whistle echoed in her mind.

{ - That's a nice trick! I guess you used that strange other dimension, right? I wish I had that back in the day. All these clothes I could have stolen! }

Jane rolled her eyes at that comment. Based on the short time she knew Anna, it was pretty obvious what she meant by that, and she had no energy to deal with it. But her imagination wasn't having it, and her cheeks started to burn pretty quickly. With a shake of her head, she lowered herself into the hot water.

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A few minutes later, Jane was out of the bathroom and out on the streets, her hood once again on her head. Before heading out, she asked the barkeep for directions to the Mercenary Guild. While strolling through the street, she took in the sights once again. This time, there were more people out. But not that many, actually... Maybe the story about that beast wasn't that exaggerated.

[{ - Anna, what does the Guild do, really? Do you remember how it works? }]

{ - Well, yes, I remember. But it's been so long, I'm really not sure if anything's changed or not. So it's better if we ask about it this time. Better if the receptionist is sexy—}

[{ - Anna. }]

Jane's voice came out as a growl that made her friend stop in her tracks, laughing a little. With one last eye roll, Jane finally arrived before a big building three stories high. On top of the doors was a sign saying "Mercenary." The whole building smelled a bit like bloodthirst and tension. She felt like something might attack her out of nowhere.

After lingering for a few seconds in front of it, she entered the building. The first thing that hit her was the smell—sweat and iron. Then it was the noise: the place was packed with people of all kinds of appearance.

In one corner of the room was a bar with tables where rough-looking men and women were seated.

The young redhead could have stood like a tree in the middle of a snowfield if there weren't so many people already.

Spotting the reception counter in the far back, she made her way to it. She had to use her elbow to make way, but finally, after a bit of struggle, she found herself in front of a beautiful woman who seemed around twenty years old. She had long, flowing white hair, a fine face, pale skin that didn't get much sunlight but wasn't pure white either, and beautiful blue eyes that reflected the calm she exuded.

The woman spotted the robed Jane and offered a sweet smile, addressing her with a clear voice.

- Hello! I'm Eliza, and I'll be here for you today. How may I help you? Do you need to put up a bounty?

Jane was struck speechless. She had never seen a woman so beautiful—not that she used to look at them before. But right now, she couldn't help but admire the view. Even Anna was silent this time. Jane noticed that what she was feeling came mostly from her companion. But strangely, it felt right, like they weren't Anna's emotions, but her own.

After a few seconds without answering, she finally snapped out of her reverie.

- Hello! No, I'm not here to put up a bounty, but to learn more about the guild and maybe join you guys!

Eliza nodded her head without breaking her smile while her eyes scanned the young woman before her for a few seconds.

- Of course! We are a small branch of the whole Mercenary Guild. Here, we take bounties and missions commissioned by whoever wants to, as long as they have enough money to offer as a reward and pay us. We take on any kind of mission: from helping townspeople to gathering herbs in the forest or slaying dangerous monsters. We have other types of missions, of course. Joining us isn't really difficult. All you have to do is take a little test to prove you can at least defend yourself! Then, you'll be given the Novice rank.

- Novice rank?

- Yes! There are six ranks in total! From the lowest to the highest: Novice, Apprentice, Member, Experienced, Veteran, and Master! Of course, you'll start with the lowest, but it's pretty simple to climb up the ranks. You have to complete missions that will count toward the next rank. We'll keep track of them, and then you'll have to pass another test, usually involving a higher-ranked mission, before you rank up!

Jane nodded slightly, soaking up all this information. It was actually pretty simple. The only thing that bothered her a bit was that she couldn't rank up quickly. But it wasn't that big of a deal, really—she had no real interest in that for now. She still had one question, though.

- I just want to know, is there any real benefit in joining the Guild?

- Actually, there is. Even if you ignore the fact that you can't take on any missions without joining, so you can't get the rewards, we provide you with a card that shows your status. It can be used to pay less when entering a town that has a toll. If you rank high enough, you can even be exempted. There's one last benefit: you don't have to worry about traveling to another country, even with the war going on.

The young woman tilted her head for a second at the word "war." She had no knowledge of any war happening at the moment. It was pretty obvious, since she had lived in seclusion. But each month, some men and women from her village went out to buy supplies they couldn't produce themselves. She should have heard about a conflict by now.

But since she didn't want to sound too ignorant, she decided to let it go.

- Okay, thank you for the information! I'd like to join. When can I take the test?

- If it's fine with you, we can do it now. What do you use? Are you a mage? I don't see any weapon.

Jane almost facepalmed. She had forgotten to take a weapon out of her dimension. She hadn't expected any kind of test at all. It was her mistake, but she didn't let it show. She just shrugged a bit.

- No, I'm a swordswoman, I just didn't bring my sword with me. Do you have one I could borrow?

Eliza appeared a bit surprised. Her blue eyes showed more interest than before. Almost anyone living around here—well, anywhere, actually—should know about the Guild's test. But the woman in front of her didn't. It sparked some curiosity in the receptionist's mind. She still maintained her smile while nodding.

- Of course, we can lend you one! REGG, COME HERE! THERE'S SOMEONE WHO WANTS TO TAKE THE TEST!

That last part was shouted at someone seated in the bar area. Just after her words resounded in the Guild, a man who looked like he had participated in too many battles got up. He was huge, almost two meters tall. After a few seconds, he finally stood before the two women. His whole aura made it feel like they were two ants looking at a predator. He opened his mouth, and a deep voice came out.

- Eliza, no need to shout. So, who's this? A rookie? Bah, I could break her with a single arm, you know? Don't tell me she wants to take the test?

- Yes, she wants to. Why? Scared? You think she'll beat you to death?

Jane turned her head to Eliza when she heard the receptionist's calm but taunting voice. She still kept her calm aura, but her words were the opposite of calm. The man, Regg it seemed, wasn't fazed by it and just laughed out loud.

- Okay then, let's go. But what will she use? Magic? Nah, you wouldn't have called me.

- I'll bring her to the armory to take a sword.

- Why you? I can do it, and you can't leave your post.

- I'll explain it to the guildmaster.

Regg shrugged his shoulders and turned around. Not once during the whole interaction did he look at Jane. It was obvious how much he disdained her, and she could feel anger rising. Strangely, she felt even angrier than she should have. The reason for that revealed itself pretty quickly.

{ - Damn, I want to kill that rude bastard! Let me do it, Jane! }

Without her knowledge, Jane's blue eyes took on a red glimmer for an instant before receding as she answered her friend in her mind.

[{ - No. Don't worry, I'll do it myself. }]