The new day dawned, casting its warm light through the window where a pale man and a raven peacefully slept. Aron awoke, feeling refreshed after a good night's sleep. Breathing in the fresh air and basking in the sunlight, he rose from the floor and began stretching his muscles.

You might be wondering why he was sleeping on the floor. Well, despite trying everything, Aron couldn't find a comfortable position on the bed. He had attempted to sleep on his back, face, left and right sides, and even raised his legs against the wall, but to no avail.

Eventually, his instinct led him to the floor, where he found solace against the bed, with his left leg under the right one and his right arm resting on his knee. Within minutes, he had fallen asleep.

As he recalled the previous night, Aron couldn't help but think, 'Looks like dragons don't sleep on beds.'

Leaving Raum to continue his slumber, Aron left the room and made his way to the bathroom on the same floor. After freshening up, he descended to the main floor.

"Good morning, young man," a woman behind the counter greeted him. In her mid-thirties, with long brown hair and blue eyes, Aron guessed from her outfit that she worked here.

He glanced around and saw that the inn was mostly empty, with fewer than five customers present.

"I don't see Amy. Is this her day off?" he inquired.

The woman chuckled lightly. "You must have made quite an impression to be able to address her by name." She smiled at Aron before answering, "No, Amy only works in the evenings."

Aron raised an eyebrow. "Really? A good impression? I don't think so."

"No, trust me, young man. I know her very well. Anyway," she turned to the kitchen, "breakfast... breakfast, here you go, enjoy!"

Placing two cups on the counter—a large cup of milk and a small cup with a dark substance—and a slice of pie, the woman continued with her tasks in the kitchen. Aron drank the milk and savored the pie, then turned his attention to the mysterious dark substance.

"Aaahh, ma'am, may I ask what this dark substance is?" Aron called out to her.

The woman responded from the kitchen, busily preparing breakfast for others. "Drop the 'ma'am' and call me Helga. I am the owner of this inn. And... what kind of substance are you talking about?"

Aron pointed his finger at the small cup. Helga opened her eyes in shock. She started shifting her eyes between Aron and the cup in rapid succession.

"Whaaaat!" she shouted. "Don't you know what this is?"?"

"No."

"Impossible!" Then, with a flair for the dramatic, she raised her arms in the air and declared, "This is famous and gloriously loved by all hardworking men and women... coffee!"

Helga couldn't contain her astonishment. "How can you not know coffee? Have you been living under a rock?"

Amused by her reaction, Aron flashed a smile. He glanced at the cup, lifted it, and drank the coffee in one go. "Not bad. The taste is good. I can see why people like it."

"Noooo!!!" Helga reacted dramatically, holding her head with both hands. "You're supposed to drink it slowly, not all at once. How could you be so heartless? Y-You evil man... From now on, you're an enemy of coffee. Don't expect me to serve you coffee ever again!" She gazed at Aron with hatred, like he was her eternal enemy or something.

"Pfft... HAHAHA~!" Aron burst into laughter, gently slapping the wooden counter. "Sorry, that won't happen again," he said, struggling to contain his amusement. "Pfft... Enemy of... Coffee... HAHAHA~" but he couldn't.

"STOP! laughing you evil, heartless man."

Aron paid no mind to the furious woman as he held a cup of milk and another slice of pie, making his way back to his room. As he entered, a shadowy figure flew toward him and slammed into his chest.

"Don't disappear like that ever again, okay?" Raum said, clearly worried about Aron's sudden disappearance.

Aron chuckled and replied, "Hey! I brought you breakfast." He placed the milk and the slice of pie on the desk next to the bed. Raum nodded and began to eat.

'Hmm? This raven can eat anything, apparently,' Aron observed as he watched Raum devour his meal. He turned around and began equipping his armor and weapons.

Fifteen minutes later, Aron was fully geared up and ready to hunt. Raum finished his breakfast and asked, "What's our plan for the day?"

"First, we head to the guild and see if we can get some information about monsters to hunt," Aron answered casually while adjusting the two black weapons on his back.

"Why go back to the guild? Why not just head to the forest directly?"

"Yes, that was my initial plan. However, I have some questions, and something came to mind last night. I hope it works... Come!"

Aron beckoned to Raum, who hopped on his shoulder and started poking his cheek. "Tell me... Tell me if it's something interesting. You must tell me."

Aron displayed a wicked smile and gently poked Raum on the head. "All in good time."

Shortly after, Aron left the Drunken Chef Inn and headed straight to the mercenary guild. It was still early in the morning, and most of the townsfolk were still sleeping in their beds. Only merchants, shop owners, and the town guards were awake at this hour. However, upon entering the mercenary guild, Aron found it packed with mercenaries. He smiled when he saw their numbers.

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'It seems they have the same mentality as me... The earlier the hunt, the better.'

Out of nowhere and almost instantly, the noise in the guild hall died when the mercenaries saw a tall pale man with two great weapons on his back and a raven on his shoulder.

"Shiiiit! He's here," someone whispered in a low voice, causing others to speak quietly among themselves.

"Watch your legs, people!" another one shouted, but in a low, almost unheard voice.

"I hope he won't release that heavy pressure again."

"Yeah! I don't want to wash my pants again," another man muttered, earning shocked looks from his friends.

"What?" he asked. The people around him just shook their heads, but deep down, some of them agreed with him because they too wet their pants that day.

Aron made his way to the long wooden counter where he had met Cila the previous day, but she wasn't there. Instead, a woman with long green hair, yellow eyes, and long pointy ears sat in her place.

'An... Elf! Interesting.' Aron instantly recognized her race despite not having any memories, and this is the first time he sees an Elf.

"Hello, sir. Can I help you with something?" The elf woman spoke gently and respectfully.

"I'm looking for Cila. Is she here?" Aron asked.

***

A few minutes before Aron entered the guild.

Cila was busy in another part of the mercenary guild, where the guild stable and the warehouse were located. She was verifying documents for a certain group and giving them approval to rent guild wagons and assign escorts for their merchandise transfer. On her way back, Cila sighed and clenched her fist around the pen, breaking it in half. She started to get a little angry... Correction: She was furious.

One man in the group, a rich merchant from a nearby kingdom, was mesmerized by her beauty. He offered her everything she desired if she agreed to surrender herself to him. Technically, he was treating her like merchandise or something he could buy with money and status.

Cila resisted the urge to poke his eyes with the pen, remaining professional to the last second. Such situations happened all too often to her, given her incredible attractiveness.

'...B-but... that bastard... he treated me like... like something he can buy.'

A few seconds passed, and she managed to control her anger. She sighed heavily.

"Nothing new, Cila. It's always been like this," she sighed again. "That's why I hate this type of men, especially those who are wealthy and have status."

She looked up at the sky, her eyes filled with sadness. She knew what kind of life those rich and powerful people were living, and that kind of life wasn't for her.

"A bird in a cage," she opened her eyes. Determination and courage on her face. "But... I can't accept that. I must do everything to remain free, if not for me, then for my family."

As she made her way back to the guild hall, she froze momentarily upon hearing a particular voice.

"I'm looking for Cila; is she here?"

Recognizing the voice, a smile unconsciously spread across Cila's lips. How could she not smile? The owner of that voice had left a striking impression on her.

"She's in the back dealing with some merchants. She'll be back shortly."

"Oh! I guess I'll wait for her."

"Is it something personal? I can go and~" The elf receptionist was about to stand from her chair, but Aron interrupted her.

"No, nothing personal. I just want to ask her for information. She seems knowledgeable."

"In that case, you can ask me~"

"I'll take it from here." Suddenly, the elf heard a voice behind her, and a hand was placed 'gently' on her shoulder.

"Cila?... But I still have work~"

"Thank you," Cila interpreted with a cold smile on her face as she squeezed 'gently' on the elf's shoulder.

'Wawawaw! Scary Cila is here' The elf's face instantly darkened upon seeing that smile. She nodded and quickly left the scene.

Cila approached Aron with a gentle smile and greeted him.

"Morning, Aron. How are you? Did you find your way yesterday? You didn't cause more trouble, did you?"

'... Damnit, what am I saying? Am I his mother now?... Focus, Cila, focus,' she scolded herself internally.

"Hey! Hey! Since when did I cause trouble? Look at me. Is this the face of someone who causes trouble?" Aron pointed at his face playfully.

"..."

'You broke a man's legs and almost killed him. HOW! The hell is this not trouble?' The mercenaries nearby wanted to scream at him, but they held their tongues.

"Make sense," Cila surprisingly agreed with Aron.

"!!!" The mercenaries, along with some of the guild's female employees, were shocked by her words. This new side of Cila shocked them.

"Oh! And thank you, by the way. The food in that inn is really good."

Cila widened her eyes and said, "See? I told you the food is great. Anything else? The service? The room? The owner is a friend of mine." Before she realized it, Cila was engrossed in a conversation with Aron, completely forgetting about her work and the people around her.

"You mean Helga?" Aron asked. He slammed his fist on his chest and spoke with amusement, "According to her, I'm now an enemy of coffee."

"Pfft... HAHAHA," Cila couldn't help but laugh. Her cold and professional facade is finally breaking. "She really likes coffee that much."

From the corner of her eye, Cila noticed her elf colleague looking at her with shocked eyes. Cila quickly composed herself and assumed her professional demeanor again.

"Cough... Anyway, how can I help you?" She decided to change the subject, but to her surprise, Aron kept looking at her with a smile on his face. Seconds passed, and Aron didn't respond, which confused the red-haired beauty.

"Hmm?... I knew it! You look more beautiful and lively when you act your true self."

"W-What!... Y-You~" Cila's professional mask almost broke again. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, and before she responded or did anything, Aron quickly interrupted her.

"Anyway, I came to ask if you have any tasks for me and also ask for all the information about creatures and monsters: their species, location, behaviors, that sort of thing."

"I see…" Cila pondered for a moment before responding, Aron's previous compliment still playing in her mind.

"For information, you can find some on the second floor. We have a small library there. But I advise you to visit the town's library as well. They have a variety of books and scrolls. However, be cautious and don't rely too heavily on them, as monsters evolve and sometimes change completely."

Aron nodded, agreeing with Cila's advice. "And for the tasks, we have plenty. What type are you interested in?"

"The killing kind," Aron answered instantly, sending a chill up Cila's spine. She maintained her composure and decided to do something. She gave Aron a specific task.

"This task falls under your 'killing kind.' It's simple: track down a group of trolls that have come down from the mountains and eliminate them all. This task is one rank above you. Can you handle it?"

Cila decided to test Aron, knowing that most newcomers couldn't deal with trolls, and veterans didn't bother with this task due to the modest reward. Moreover, Cila specifically cared about this task for personal reasons, and she hoped that Aron would accept it.

"Great, I'll take it," Aron accepted without hesitation. He didn't have to think about it. As long as it satisfied his urge to hunt, he would accept any quest.

Cila couldn't contain her happiness and let a kind and sweet smile slip onto her lips. She handed Aron all the information about the quest, and unintentionally, some words from her heart slipped past her lips.

"Please, be careful."

Aron flashed a gentle smile and waved as he left the guild. Cila kept her eyes on him until he disappeared. Her elf colleague sneaked up to her.

"Hmm?... A good-looking man with a kind personality, and he seems strong," the elf said, giving Cila a thumbs-up. "Well done, Cila. Your eyes caught something great. I'm so proud of you."

Slap!.

"Ouch!?... Why did you do that?... Easy, woman. I'm not going to steal him from you."

Slap!.

"Stop talking nonsense and get back to work," Cila scolded, maintaining her cold and professional facade. Unbeknownst to her, her cheeks were slightly flushed.

…

In the dark corner of the guild hall, two men stood watching everything that had transpired. One whispered to his partner, "You go and inform the boss. I'll follow him."

His partner nodded, and he quickly left the guild. Shortly after, the other man followed suit.