“Ah, this is the real taste,” Philip said, grimacing as he tried to hide his pain.

Sel clicked her tongue as she watched Philip’s pained expression. Eager to be “grown-up,” Philip had downed a drink made from pine needles in one go, claiming he wanted to try an adult taste.

Sel watched him, unimpressed. If that’s all it took to become an adult, then she must be like a 500-year-old gingko tree, considering how much bitterness she had swallowed in her life.

“Why is the Deputy Commander getting mad at me for that? It’s only natural to be curious at my age—I’m a growing boy!” Philip argued.

“At fifteen, you’re still a kid.”

“What? You’re not that different, Sel.”

“I’m twenty.”

“Wait, what?”

Still in disbelief, Philip gawked at Sel, who was busy scribbling on the paper in front of her. She was seated at a small table outside a general store, jotting down her thoughts on the iced tea Karin had brought over.

“Sel, so you’re my senior? You’re five years older…?”

Philip hadn’t been able to catch Sel’s age during her introduction to the mercenary group because he had missed Lavi’s explanations that day. Now that he finally realized her age, he was taken aback.

“Seniority in the mercenary group is based on when we joined, so just treat me as you have been.”

Sel gave a faint, somewhat embarrassed smile without looking up from her paper. Philip might be young, but he was a good companion and fun to be around. She didn’t want things to be awkward between them.

“That explains why you’re so tough. I’ve been envious.”

Philip mumbled, staring at Sel’s lower half with admiration.

Sel’s pen slipped, making a squiggly line on the paper.

“Hey! What are you even talking about in such a respectable place?”

Karin, her face as red as a cherry tomato, stormed over to their table, clearly flustered. She kept glancing nervously between Sel’s face and her lower half.

Seeing Karin’s blush made Sel chuckle. Philip held out the completed review to her.

“All done. Thanks for the tea again, Karin.”

“W-who said I brought it just to please you? It’s for my market research!”

Karin, still red-faced, couldn’t stop herself from sneaking glances at Sel’s lower half. Sel tilted her head in confusion, while Philip laughed, taunting Karin.

“Stop staring already! You’re going to wear him out.”

“What are you saying? I wasn’t staring!”

“It’s fine. Our Sel here is as sturdy as they come.”

Philip gave Sel an exaggerated thumbs-up. Karin’s eyes grew wide in disbelief.

“… Really?”

“Oh, come on! Just what are you imagining? Ow! Why’d you hit me?”

Karin smacked Philip over the head.

“You can’t hit me! You don’t even know me that well.”

“You’re the one who said you were losing it. So I just fixed it for you. You ugly brute.”

“You think I’m ugly? You need your eyes checked!”

While Karin and Philip bickered, an elderly man wrapped in an old blanket staggered toward them from afar.

“Not again. What’s with all the crazies around here lately?” Karin muttered irritably as she noticed him.

“A crazy person?” Philip asked, looking at the man.

“He used to be a healer,” Karin replied, backing away slightly. “Apparently, he got in trouble for messing with young men and minors. Someone beat him up pretty badly, and now he’s almost a corpse. They kicked him out of town, but rumors say he’s possessed. People tried to stop him, but it’s hopeless. It’s best to avoid him.”

At the mention of possession, Philip shuddered and muttered that dealing with spirits was a nightmare.

“If it’s a real spirit, we’re in trouble. We should report it to the commander. Sel, let’s—”

Sel?

Philip turned and saw Sel sitting frozen, staring at the old healer with a trembling jaw.

Waving his hand in front of her face, Philip managed to break Sel’s focus.

Sel finally looked at him, her face pale with fear.

“Sel, are you okay? Let’s go back to the mercenary base.”

“… Yes. Right. We should go.”

Thanks for the tea, Karin.

Despite her shaking legs, Sel managed a brief goodbye to Karin and began walking back to the base with Philip.

But she couldn’t shake the sight of the old healer’s face from her mind, and she hugged herself as she walked.

She’d barely taken twenty steps when a scream echoed from behind them.

“Ahhh!”

Sel and Philip whipped around.

“That guy really is insane!” Philip said, looking furious as he rolled up his sleeves, ready to charge forward.

The possessed old man had grabbed Karin by the hair. Though people around were trying to stop him, his strength was terrifying, and he was easily throwing the younger men aside.

Brandishing a scalpel, the man threatened Karin and everyone nearby.

He held the scalpel to Karin’s neck, grinning wickedly. It was aimed at a spot that, if cut even slightly deeper, could sever her artery.

“You think I’m a joke? Filthy brats!”

His voice was a chilling, phlegm-filled rasp as he continued to press the blade against her throat, his wrinkled hand threatening to slice her.

Karin screamed, crying, but her movements only made the blade cut deeper into her neck. Blood began to trickle down her throat.

“Philip,” Sel said, her voice trembling. “You’re faster than I am. Go get the others.”

“Sel, you…!”

“What’s the big deal? I’ve even taken down a Sword Master before.”

Sel winked and tapped the pistol at her hip.

Philip hesitated for a moment but then nodded, sprinting toward the mercenary building. Meanwhile, Sel swiftly drew her pistol and aimed directly at the old man’s forehead without a hint of hesitation.

The old man, who had been grinning disgustingly as he pawed at the woman’s body, suddenly opened his eyes wide, his gaze zeroing in on Sel.

“…You… filthy beggar… how dare you turn me into this?”

“Disobedient, just like your mother.”

The old man shouted, mentioning Sel’s mother as black smoke seeped from his mouth with every word, spreading ominously. Sel couldn’t make sense of what he was saying, but she couldn’t stand hearing him mention her mother.

Her hand holding the pistol trembled, causing a slight shift in her aim. Taking a deep breath, Sel steadied herself. This was not the moment to lose focus.

“You want to save this girl, Sel? She feels just as I remember. Heh, heh.”

Maybe he regretted not finishing something earlier; the old man taunted her with vulgar words, trying to provoke her.

Crying, Karin begged for her life.

Sel was skilled at fixing and firing her pistol. But she had never taken a life. Her finger on the trigger quivered, but she took a deep breath and held it.

Bang!

With a loud crack, her old pistol fired, the bullet lodging precisely in the old man’s thigh.

But despite his staggering from the impact, the man didn’t even let out a scream of pain. Instead, he tilted his head back, letting out a creepy laugh. With each laugh, dark smoke flowed from his mouth, spreading like a toxic cloud.

Whatever power he had, it was clear that her old pistol alone wouldn’t bring him down. Sel quickly assessed the situation. She had to save Karin.

Making up her mind, Sel lowered the gun and approached the old man slowly. He instinctively stepped back, trying to keep his distance. Only when she lowered her gun to the ground did he finally allow her to come closer.

Standing directly in front of the man, Sel watched Karin’s terrified face closely. Her blue eyes flashed with fury toward the man.

“Let her go. I’ll come with you instead. Sounds like what you really want is me.”

“Let her go? Where does this brat get off telling me what to do?”

The old man swung his scalpel toward Sel’s face, but it only grazed her mask, leaving her unharmed.

Keeping her eyes fixed on Karin, Sel spoke gently.

“Karin.”

“Ugh… Please…save me…”

“Karin, look at me.”

Trembling and tear-stained, Karin looked at Sel. Of all the onlookers, only Sel had stepped up to help her. She tried to focus on Sel’s face, but her vision blurred from the overwhelming terror.

Sel offered Karin a calm, reassuring smile. At that moment, it was the best way to ease Karin’s fears.

“It’ll be alright soon. Just breathe.”

“Sniff… Please.”

“When you get home, run a warm bath, wash up, and change into something comfortable.”

“I… I can’t…”

“It’s simple, and you’re smart enough to do it.”

“Sniff… Ugh…”

“You invited me over last time, saying you bought a record player. Play your favorite songs on it, snuggle up under a cozy blanket, and lie down. When you fall asleep, tomorrow will come—a warm, ordinary tomorrow.”

Sel’s words were filled with such certainty that Karin couldn’t help but cry, crumpling her face.

“Sniff… Sel! No, don’t… Sel…”

“I’ll come by to see that record player sometime.”

“It’ll all be okay.”

Sel spoke reassuringly to Karin before turning slowly to face the old man. The light in her blue eyes was sharper and fiercer than the man’s crazed look.

“How dare you…!”

The old man took another swing at Sel with his scalpel, his possessed movements precise.

Sel barely dodged the blade, waiting for the right moment.

“That mask has always bothered me. I should have been the only one who knew your secret. You should die, you filthy thing!”

“Die!”

The old man drove his scalpel toward Sel’s mask. Sel twisted her body, avoiding the strike by a hair’s breadth, but intentionally moved closer, aiming to pry Karin free from his hold.

Sel pulled out her dagger and stabbed the old man’s forearm. He might not feel pain, but severing the muscle could help free Karin.

As expected, Karin slipped out of his grip. When Karin looked back, Sel shouted for her to leave before intercepting another scalpel strike with her arm.

“Ugh…!”

The old man twisted the scalpel embedded in Sel’s forearm, forcing her to her knees with a pained scream.

“Yes. Suffer like that. Beneath me!”

He tore Sel’s mask off, tossing it to the ground and stomping on it. The sound of torn goblin leather echoed as her mask lay crushed.

Golden locks spilled over her brows, revealing Sel’s bare face. The onlookers gasped in astonishment.

The old man’s gaze widened, and he, too, gasped in a twisted, unsettling laugh.

“Just as I thought. You look just like your mother…”

Huh.

He paused, his eyes widening in sudden shock.

A thin line of blue light appeared across the old man’s neck. Following the glowing line, his head separated cleanly from his body.

Thud.

As his severed head hit the ground, black smoke billowed from the wound.

The townspeople screamed at the shocking sight, though a few still glanced at Sel’s exposed face.

Still on her knees, Sel stared blankly ahead.

Behind the fallen body, she saw a familiar figure—a shirtless Lavi, standing with a rigid expression.