Melissa stared at her gauntleted hands, hardly able to believe that she was looking at her own body. Her ears rung faintly and she could hear the thump of the blood coursing through her head.

A small part of her wondered if she’d somehow fallen into a coma from the first Falling Blade assassins’ poison and just hadn’t ever come out of it. She was no stranger to wealth. Her father had been a rich man and she’d seen more than her fair share of magical equipment.

She’d even had a few pieces of it. The armor Ifrit had made her in just a single week was just an inch away from impossible. It was one of the strongest pieces she’d ever seen. Sure, Melissa had come across stronger or more dangerous traits, but having this many in a single set of armor, not to mention in the time it had taken Arwin to make it, was ridiculous.

It almost made her wonder if he’d had the armor sitting around before she arrived. In fact, that was the only solution that Melissa’s mind could accept. He’d already had the majority of a set completed and had just taken advantage of the opportunity to modify it for her purposes.

The only thing that held the set back was its time limit of a month. But, if anything, that only relieved Melissa. If Ifrit had truly been able to make something this strong and it hadn’t come with a drawback, it would have been among the top ten or twenty magical items she’d ever seen.

I can’t believe a smith in a backwater town like Milten is capable of doing this, much less more. Did the gods guide me to him? Or was it something more sinister?

That thought only chilled Melissa’s spine for about a second before she realized she didn’t give a rat’s ass who had brought her to Ifrit. If the smith gave her a chance to avenge her father and take control of her family back, she’d make a deal with anyone and anything willing to offer it.

“Well?” Ifrit asked, crossing his arms in front of his chest. They stood inside the smithy, with Reya, Olive, and Anna watching them from the far side of the store.

“What do you think? Good enough? Need any modifications?”

“I… don’t think I’ve ever worn a better piece of equipment,” Melissa said, shoving her disbelief to the side so she could properly answer the question. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to afford this anytime soon.”

“That’s why it’s called an investment,” Ifrit said with a chuckle. “Just make absolutely sure people know who you got it from. You’re a walking advertisement for me. And do make sure you don’t get yourself killed, okay? My armor isn’t going to look too impressive if you die and I don’t have any enchantments on it to revive you.”

Melissa didn’t laugh. She wouldn’t have been entirely surprised if the smith somehow had managed to break the laws of the world and built in some form of automatic healing that made her functionally unkillable.

“I’ll do everything in my power to avoid bringing your gift shame,” Melissa promised, pressing a hand to her chest. “I swear it on the Montibeau family name.”

“You don’t have to go that far,” Ifrit said with a heavy sigh. “I was joking about the dying bit, you know. Just try to survive and make sure to move quickly. Once you deal with the next group of assassins, if the people working against you have the capital to hire a third group, the armor won’t be nearly as effective. Surprise is your strongest asset.”

“I understand,” Melissa said with a firm nod. Ifrit seemed to know more about combat strategies than she would have expected a smith to know. To be fair, it was a fairly logical conclusion to come to — and Ifrit was far from just a random smith. He’d probably traveled a fair bit of the world to get this good at crafting magical items. “I will not fail.”

I don’t have a choice. I have to succeed. Not just for myself or for my father, but for my family. This is the only chance I’m going to get, and Ifrit is right about surprise being my strongest tool. I have to take power back by storm, then establish control over Montibeau’s core operations to keep our flow of money running.

Once I’ve handled that and can hire more warriors and increase our defenses, I can work on taking out all the bastards that murdered my father.

“You’re still feeling alright?” Anna asked, walking up alongside Reya and Olive. “There aren’t any residual effects from the poison, right? Some of them can linger in your system for a long time if I missed even a droplet of it.”

“None that I’ve felt,” Melissa said. “I feel physically stronger than I have in a long time. I’ve got all of you to thank for that.”

“Reya and I didn’t do anything. It was all Lillia and Anna,” Olive said with a shake of her head.

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“Hey! I was emotional support,” Reya protested.

“Which is another word for saying you just sat there and looked cute while Lillia and Anna did the hard work.”

“You think I look cute?”

Olive coughed into her fist. “I think you may have missed the point of that line.”

These are people that effortlessly slaughtered an entire group of professional assassins. Reya and Olive don’t even look that much older than me, but they’re acting as if this is just another day. What kind of guild is Menagerie?

“Is there anything else I need to know about this armor?” Melissa asked, if only to keep herself grounded. The last thing she wanted to do was start speculating any more. Ifrit and his guild had helped her out.

There was definitely a reason they were concealing themselves in a place like this. Melissa didn’t care what it was. She wouldn’t repay their kindness by trying to root out their past.

“No. I’ve shown you everything it can do,” Ifrit said. “Just remember it draws on your own energy for the majority of its abilities. If you let a fight go on for too long, you’ll get yourself killed. Don’t play around with your enemies or get cocky. Do anything you need to in order to survive. The only winner of a fight is the one left standing at the end.”

Melissa nodded her understanding. Before she could say anything else, the door swung open. She glanced over her shoulder as an old woman stepped inside. A tall man in a suit stood behind her, a mildly irate expression on his sharp features.

The tall guy is Madiv. I remember him. The old lady is… Esmerelda, I think? She hasn’t been around that often. Is she also a part of their guild?

Esmerelda’s eyes landed on Melissa and brightened instantly as a grin spread across her face, revealing a mouth full of slightly crooked teeth.

“Well, take a look at you,” Esmerelda said as she hobbled over to Melissa. “It’s great to see you on your feet again, lass. I’ve been quite busy these last few days. I’m sorry I haven’t gotten a chance to get to know you more properly. Are you feeling well?”

“Oh, it’s fine,” Melissa said. “Anna took good care of me, and I wouldn’t expect anyone to drop all their responsibilities just because of my presence.”

“Would somebody invite me in?” Madiv asked.

“It’s just hospitality, dear,” Esmerelda said with a comforting pat on Melissa’s armored shoulder. “I know you’ve got a tough path ahead of you. Perhaps you could use some aid.”

“Oh, Ifrit has given me everything I think I could possibly need,” Melissa said, the back of her neck reddening in shame. It was pathetic that she needed to rely so heavily on someone else’s power, but it was a shame she would bear if it let her survive. “I couldn’t bring myself to accept a single other handout.”

“A handout?” Esmerelda clicked her tongue and shook her head. “Perish the thought. A gift, perhaps. One that comes at a small cost. Nothing too great. And in return, a powerful weapon to aid you on your journey. I have just what you need in my shop.”

“You’re too kind,” Melissa said, wishing she could sink into the floor. The old woman felt so bad for her that she was offering discounts on her items. The Heir of the Montibeau family, reduced to begging for charity. Her cheeks flushed a bright red and she pulled her helmet over her head to hide her face. “I am honored by your kindness, but I would sooner lose a limb than I would prey on your thoughtfulness any longer.”

Esmerelda’s mouth worked as she tried to find words.

Oh, no. She’s trying to think of a way she can help me even more without making me feel bad. I won’t let that happen. I have my pride as a noble. If I accept a single extra thing from the Menagerie, I don’t think father will be able to look me in the eye when I meet him in the next life.

“Can someone please invite me in?” Madiv asked again.

Melissa took the momentary distraction to hurriedly switch the topic.

“I’ll never be able to thank all of you for what you’ve done for me, but I should leave. Rodrick said the Falling Blades might strike again as soon as a week after the last group. I don’t want to bring any more danger to any of you.”

“I — wait. You can’t go yet!” Esmerelda protested.

Melissa shook her head firmly. “I must. This is my weight to bear, but you all have already given me so much to aid me. It will be enough. I will succeed.”

“You will,” Ifrit agreed. He gave her an encouraging smile and a sharp nod. “I recognize that determination in your eyes. It isn’t our place to keep you from it. Be careful but do what must be done. I look forward to hearing of the Montibeau family’s rise.”

“You will,” Melissa swore. She pressed a hand to her chest and bowed to Ifrit. “And, when you do, I will repay my debts. I swear it.”

She had nothing but the armor on her back and the sword of one of the assassins that the Menagerie had gifted to her. It would be enough.

Melissa strode out of the smithy. First, she would retake the Montibeau’s hold in Milten. She would kill the assassins that came for her — and then the Kererus Coalition would pay for what they had done.

***

“I hope she succeeds,” Arwin said. “She’s got a strong mind. It would be useful to have an ally like that in power.”

“Why doesn’t anyone want to buy my items?” Esmerelda muttered, staring at the palms of her hands with a distraught expression.

“Would someone please invite me in?” Madiv asked from the doorway.

“It’s fine, Esmerelda. Don’t beat yourself up about it. You just need the right customer. It’s better to sell one thing to the right person than ten things to the wrong ones,” Anna said, putting a hand on the older woman’s shoulders and giving her a comforting smile.

“Did you want to buy something?” Esmerelda asked, a flicker of hope igniting in her eyes.

“Oh, no. I’m good.”

Esmerelda sighed.

Reya glanced at Olive and cleared her throat, searching for words but failing to find them.

“How about we all go get some lunch?” Arwin suggested. “I think Lillia’s been working at it in the kitchen, and I’m starving.”

Everyone immediately dropped their conversations to look over at him, then all nodded as one. Arwin smiled.

All is as it should be.