Looking there, I saw a pretty white-feathered parrot.

The parrot was pecking at the window with its beak as if asking for it to be opened.

I walked to the window and opened it.

The parrot flew in with a flutter and landed on my arm. On one of its legs was a small pouch and a note.

“Is this for me?”

I untied the pouch and note from the parrot’s leg.

The note read:

“Honey, it’s me, Honey ^^ Hello ^^

I’m sending what I promised you. This should be enough ^^ Yay!”

“The way of writing letters is quite old-fashioned.”

It’s not just once or twice, why is the letter like this?

I felt like I should ask the Guildmaster why he writes letters this way next time I meet him.

Anyway. If it’s what he promised to give me, could it be the advance payment?

I opened the small pouch as well.

“Gasp!”

Inside was a large purple gem that resembled the purple sphere Benjamin used to create.

It was probably a purple diamond. Its market value was enormous. Enough to fully repay the money Yerena’s parents had received from the center.

I kissed the gem that had been delivered just in time.

“I can see resignation in sight.”

An indescribable, immense feeling of happiness washed over me.

―Kyukyu! Kyuku!

‘Resignation! Resignation!’

Bless seemed happy too.

***

The current time was 5 o’clock.

Center Director Duncan’s quitting time was 6 o’clock.

With about an hour left until he left, it seemed fine to go see Duncan right away.

I left the room in my tattered state from the battle.

I wanted to resign as soon as possible.

I’ll escape from the tiresome gossip surrounding me and those unpredictable knights.

As I walked out of the room and went a little further.

I saw a red-haired woman walking from the opposite end of the corridor.

The woman was glaring at me with eyes like axes.

As soon as our eyes met, my head started to ache.

It was because she was Rosie, Benjamin’s fervent follower.

Moreover, today Rosie was accompanied by knights.

“Don’t even think about running away!”

Rosie shouted, seemingly noticing my attempt to step back.

‘She must have heard about my kiss with Benjamin and come looking for me. I’m doomed.’

Cold sweat began to form on my forehead.

“I heard you kissed Benjamin?”

It was as I expected.

“Um… Miss Rosie, don’t you think there might be some misunderstanding?”

“What misunderstanding?”

“That the kiss with him might have been an accident……”

Rosie, who had stopped right in front of me, looked down at me menacingly.

“How did you seduce him?”

“I didn’t seduce him.”

“How did you lure Benjamin, who never accepts guiding, tell me!”

As Rosie pushed my shoulder hard, I helplessly fell to the floor.

My bottom hurts so much.

“Ha……”

Normally, I would have let it slide.

I would have apologized politely or just stayed silent and listened to Rosie.

But I was a person scheduled to resign. In other words, I had nothing to lose.

For the first time, I raised my voice at Rosie.

“How would I know Benjamin’s feelings? I was forcibly kissed too, you know? It wasn’t because I wanted it!”

“…Wh-what? You, you, are you talking back to me?”

Rosie seemed unable to believe that I had lashed out.

“Yes! I’m upset too! And I can shout too! Did you think I was an idiot who just listened to your harsh words?”

Even a worm will turn if trodden on!

“You…!”

“And instead of coming to vent your anger on me, go directly to Benjamin and complain. It’s because you act so lowly that Benjamin doesn’t meet with you!”

It was an extremely correct statement. But it might be unpleasant for Rosie to hear.

As expected, her already stern face began to harden.

Rosie clenched her fists so tightly that blood couldn’t flow.

“Yerena. You’ve just made a mistake.”

The problem was that once my mouth started, I couldn’t control it.

“What mistake? Did I say anything wrong? And is it such a big crime for a guide to guide! I’m kissing for a salary too, you know!”

Rosie’s face turned red and blue. It felt like trouble was about to break out.

I got up awkwardly from where I was sitting, preparing to run away.

“Benjamin will be in the center today, so go talk to him directly.”

“……”

“Well, I’m busy, so I’ll be going now.”

Despite feeling relieved, I felt my life was in danger. I turned around like that.

As soon as I turned my back to Rosie, I heard her sharp cry.

“Catch that woman!”

Before I could run away, the quick knights approached and firmly grabbed both my arms.

I struggled to break free from them, but it was absolutely impossible to overcome the strength of adult men.

“L-let go! What are you doing?”

“You need to face the consequences of your bad words.”

“I’ll report this to Duncan! That you’re trying to kidnap a center employee!”

I’m still a center employee since I haven’t resigned yet.

“Then you’ll face some strange disciplinary action too!”

Rosie scoffed at my threat.

“Go ahead. I can’t see anything else right now.”

Just as an employee about to resign doesn’t care about anything, it seems a love-crazed, unrequited love addict doesn’t either.

I started being dragged by the knights.

The devilish Rosie used only corridors where people rarely pass to drag me outside the center.

She even gagged me.

I was already exhausted from returning from the battlefield where four dragon clan members appeared, so there was no way I could handle the large-bodied knights.

Of course, we occasionally encountered people from the center.

But they all ignored me. They seemed to think that if they helped me, Rosie’s anger would be directed at them too.

So I had no choice but to be dragged somewhere as Rosie wished. Damn it.

The place we finally arrived at was the edge of a cliff behind the center.

I swallowed hard and peeked down the cliff.

The bottom was dizzyingly far.

If I fell from here, it seemed like they wouldn’t even be able to collect my bones.

It looked like I wouldn’t die from a spider monster, but from breaking every bone in my body.

I spoke to Rosie, who was standing facing me.

“Su-surely you’re not thinking of throwing me off here, are you?”

Rosie shrugged with her arms crossed.

“Why not? We’ve arrived at the perfect place for punishment.”

“Are you going to kill me?”

“Why? You think I can’t do it?”

“……”

Rosie uncrossed her arms and roughly grabbed my chin.

In her red eyes, a heat of unknown origin was flickering.

It seemed like it wouldn’t extinguish unless she committed some act.

“If you fall and die here, I’ll disguise it as suicide.”

“……”

“You were hated by the center people, had no friends, and owed money to the center, so no one will doubt your suicide.”

“The, the knights of the Allen Order will suspect my death.”

Honestly, I didn’t think they would uncover the truth about my death, but it was a lie to persuade Rosie.

“Will they really? Do those knights care about you that much?”

“Of course. Don’t you see that Benjamin kissed me?”

I remembered the kiss I shared with Benjamin in broad daylight.

His scent was unbelievably good for someone who had just killed monsters, his soft lips, his trembling hand on my cheek.

If Benjamin had feelings for me as Rosie misunderstood…

If that were true, I hoped he would come to save me.

Of course, I knew it was better not to expect it.

The chances of Benjamin coming to save me were about the same as the sun rising in the west.

“You’ve said the wrong thing again.”

“……”

“If you wanted to persuade and coax me, you shouldn’t have mentioned Benjamin here.”

Rosie roughly threw away the chin she was holding. The tip of my chin stung quite a bit.

“You’ll have to die in an accident.”

A sinister smile formed on her lips.