**MC's POV:**

"What did I get myself into?" I mutter while resting on a bed. "At least the bed is nice." After my talk with the guild manager and his insane offer—or rather order—we talked a bit more. And by 'we,' I mean me and the lady that was with us. The guild manager just kept daydreaming about murder or whatever. "At least they were nice enough to give me this room for a while."

I look out the window to my left and see that the entire town is asleep. "I should sleep too..." but I couldn't. I kept thinking about what I had done that day.

"God! I can still see his eyes every time I close mine!" Those lifeless brown eyes just keep staring at me.

"Why? Why!? Why did I do it? Why didn't I just run back to the guild? I could have gotten there in time, and it was unlikely for the women who were captured to be killed! So then, why did I put myself in that situation?!"

"I put myself in danger and the women and children too!" I keep thinking about what I could have done differently, but most importantly, I was thinking about why I did what I did.

"It... wasn't normal. No matter how I think about it, I wasn't in the right state of mind to think of something else when I was there. But... that's not like me at all!" I think back to the moment that I decided to rush inside the dilapidated house to look for clues. "Why did I risk my life just to get evidence when I could have just gone to the guild to get help?"

I think back to the moment I heard the sound of someone crying. "Why did I go in?! Why did I pick up a hatchet and chop that man's head off..."

The more I thought about it, the less it made sense. Everything about that situation was abnormal, from my actions to my reactions.

"It's like... I was being controlled or compelled to do that!" When that thought crossed my mind, a sudden feeling of dread made itself known.

"Could that have been it?! Was I being controlled somehow?" Or was I just making excuses to justify my actions? I finish the sentence in my mind.

I shift uneasily on the bed, trying to make sense of the swirling thoughts. The guild manager's maniacal grin and the raven-haired lady's cold eyes kept flashing in my mind. There was something off about this whole situation, something I couldn't quite grasp yet.

"Maybe... I should leave. Disappear from this town and start anew somewhere else," I think. But deep down, I know running away isn't the answer. The guild manager's threat still rings in my ears. "If you don't, then I'll just have to kill you to make up for my disappointment."

I sigh, feeling trapped and confused. "What am I supposed to do now?" The silence of the night offers no answers, only the echo of my own turbulent thoughts.

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The next night...

(What did I get myself into?) I think to myself, shuffling closer to the shadows and holding my pitchfork tighter.

I get ready once I hear the sound of someone running in my direction. (Fuck! FUCK, IT'S NOW OR NEVER!!!) The moment I hear the footsteps get closer, I start running out of the alleyway, holding my pitchfork and pointing the sharpened ends towards the open street I was facing.

Just as I was about to make it out into the street, I see a blur move in front of me and get impaled on the pitchfork. Seconds later, I hear screams of pain.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

(That's the target! Shit, he is still alive!) I'm not sure what to do, so I push the pitchfork deeper into his flesh and hope he dies soon.

I stay in that position for a while until I hear a second, much faster set of footsteps. (It's over!) I look to the side and see Mr. Dyrk running as fast as a horse. Just as he is about to get closer, he stops midway and jumps high into the air. The strength of his jump leaves little cracks in the road, and the height of his jump feels supernatural.

As I was looking over, I feel the man I was holding in place start to move and try to get away. But before he could, the guild master landed on his head, completely crushing it and making bits of brain matter and bone fly everywhere, some landing on me.

(It's done... that's the third one this evening.) Strangely, I feel nothing. Not joy or shock or anything besides the adrenaline coursing through my body. I feel pretty calm.

As I'm lost in thought, Mr. Dyrk pats me on the shoulder and says something with a satisfied smile on his face, like today was the best day of his entire life...

The rest of the night feels like a blur, mostly just getting rid of the bits of brain and bone off the road and then delivering the corpses we had collected today. We head back to the guild, and on the way, Dyrk hands me a bag filled with silver, copper, and even some gold coins. (And yet I still feel empty. Not as in depressed, just neutral.)

We finally make it back to the guild. Varin isn't there since she only works during the day, so Ms. Eldez is there instead.

She looks at us and says something to Mr. Dyrk. They talk for a moment before Mr. Dyrk picks me up and takes me to the basement to wash off all the blood and gore that was on my body.

Mr. Dyrk finishes first and goes out, likely finished for today and heading home. I take a moment and stay in the wooden tub thing they have down here, continuing to rinse off the blood and gore even though there isn't any left.

After 15 minutes, I make my way out of the basement wearing some new clothes that Ms. Eldez brought me. I look at her and nod my head as a thank you.

"Goodnight," I hear her say before I slowly make my way over to the room they gave me, which is really an extra storage room but with a window. I stop dead in my tracks and look at Ms. Eldez.

She looks back at me and says, "What's wrong, dear? Do you need something?"

(English... she just spoke in English!) I open my mouth to speak, but all that comes out are sounds.

She laughs and says, "What's wrong? Goblin got your tongue?" Again in English. I point at her as my voice slowly rises. "You can SPEAK ENGLISH!!"

She looks at me confused and says, "I don't know?" while still speaking in English. "You just did... how?" She looks at me and starts thinking, then she says, "I'm not sure. I think it was yesterday."

"Yesterday?" I ask, bewildered.

"Yes," she replies. "After we did that little spell with the hair. I think it gave me some kind of... understanding. I didn't think much of it until now.

"And you decided to keep this to yourself?" I say to her, bewildered.

She seems to think for a moment, then says, "I guess I did. Must have forgotten to tell you."

I look at her for a few seconds before a thought crosses my mind. "Wait, if you can understand me, then why couldn't Dyrk or Varin?"

She looks at me for a second and then replies, "Oh, that's right! I read your mind," she says like it's the most normal thing there is to say.

I look at her like she's an alien and say, "What? What!? What do you mean?!"

She seems a bit surprised by my outburst and says, "Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot to tell you. Don't worry though, I only looked at the memories of you learning it in school."

I look at her, and she looks at me, and I look at her.

"So can others understand me, or?" I ask with a hint of hope in my tone, which gets immediately shattered by what she says. "No. Only me."

"Can't you use magic like you did before, maybe to teach me how to speak the language here?" I ask again.

"Oh, that's a good idea..." she proclaims.

"And?" I say, urging her to go on.

"And sadly, I don't remember how to do the spell," she goes on.

"What?" I look at her and pretend that I misheard.

"I'm sorry, dear. My memory is not quite..." Ms. Eldez seems to just stop in the middle of her speaking and zones out.

"Quite what?" My question makes her come back to reality, and she continues, "Quite what it used to be. I often forget things."

I let out a sigh, feeling a mix of frustration and pity. "So, there's no way to teach me the language here quickly?"

"I'm afraid not," she replies, her tone sincere. "But we can try to find other ways to help you learn. It will just take some time."

I nod, feeling a bit defeated but also grateful for her honesty. "Alright, I'll try my best."

She smiles warmly at me. "That's the spirit. Now get some rest, dear. Tomorrow is a new day, and we will figure this out together."

I head back to my makeshift room, the weight of the day still heavy on my shoulders. As I lie down, I can't help but wonder how I'll navigate this world with so many obstacles in my path. But at least now, I have an ally who understands me, even if just a little. And maybe, just maybe, we can find a way to make this work.