With an expression devoid of emotion, Sel descended to the fourth floor and walked toward her room.

She planned to treat her wounds with the bandages and ointment Edel had brought.

Sel’s room was further inside than Eric’s.

As she walked slowly toward her room, Eric’s door opened.

“Rookie.”

Eric, draped in a silk robe, called out to her.

Sel, holding her cheek, simply looked straight ahead and replied calmly.

“My apologies, Eric. Let’s talk in a bit.”

Just as Sel started walking again, Eric’s voice stopped her in her tracks.

“The gunshot.”

Eric’s words held her still.

Sel continued looking forward, standing in place.

“Who do you think we can thank for no one coming up here despite such a loud sound, Rookie?”

“…Thank you, deputy commander.”

“It’s only at times like this that you call me deputy commander, isn’t it?”

Eric, leaning against the doorway, chuckled.

Sel remained expressionless.

“Come in for a moment, Rookie. We need to do some first aid, and you don’t have any medicine or bandages, right?”

“I’m fine.”

“Philip, who was worried about you because of the gunshot, is waiting in your room. Are you planning to show yourself like this?”

Sel stopped mid-step.

She didn’t want Philip to see her like this. Or anyone else, for that matter.

Sel bit her lower lip hard. She straightened her posture and took a steady breath.

Then, she carefully turned around and walked into Eric’s room.

Head held high, exuding as much dignity as possible. She would not appear weak.

Sel sat on the blue sofa in the middle of Eric’s room.

Eric approached her with something in his hand.

“First, put this on.”

Sel looked at the silk robe he offered.

It was one of the short robes Eric often wore.

“…I’m fine.”

She refused, as changing here wasn’t an option, nor did she want to wear it.

Eric’s eyes moved to her side.

“I knew you were full of secrets, Sel, but I didn’t know you even had a tattoo. But did you know?”

“That tattoo is especially provocative.”

Eric whispered the last words softly. Sel’s shoulder trembled slightly.

Eric took a gauze soaked in alcohol from the shelf and pressed it to Sel’s cheek.

A sharp sting from the exposed skin made her grit her teeth, her face twisting in pain.

“I’ve placed the gauze, so the bleeding should stop. The wound is deeper than I thought, so it might need herbs instead of ointment.”

Eric put the gauze on her cheek and got up.

He stopped as he was about to leave the room.

Turning back, he raised a finger and emphasized again.

“Change your clothes. If that tattoo shows through the torn clothes… even a man would be tempted.”

With a strange look, Eric closed the door with a bang and left.

Sel stared at the robe Eric had given her.

Clenching it tightly in her hand, she moved behind the bed.

Quickly, Sel removed her top and put on the robe.

Though her pants had blood on them as well, she didn’t remove them.

As she took a few steps, Flora’s words from earlier echoed in her ears.

“What? Was it your mother who inked that tattoo on you? Disgusting trades do get passed down, don’t they?”

“Damn it. Damn it!”

Sel clenched her fist tightly and cursed under her breath.

Throwing a punch into the air, Sel removed her pants and threw them toward the door.

She didn’t want to carry the remnants of that incident on her body.

While she was calming her anger, Eric entered.

He glanced dispassionately at the pants tossed near the door and, with a slight smirk, nudged them aside with his toe.

“Pretty tough, aren’t you, Rookie?”

Eric brought herbs for wound healing and a bandage for stopping the bleeding.

With his usual meticulousness, Eric treated Sel’s wound and applied the bandage to her face, then clapped his hands.

“All done, Rookie.”

“…Thank you, deputy commander.”

Sel stood and bowed in thanks.

“On such a dreary day, it’s good to have a drink.”

Eric offered her a drink, but Sel shook her head silently, a bitter expression on her face.

“Oh. Didn’t expect a refusal, Rookie.”

“Drinking on a day like this… I’m not sure I could stay sober.”

“You’re rational even in moments like this, Rookie. But when it came to signing that contract, you didn’t hesitate to jump in.”

“Yes, indeed.”

At that, Sel finally relaxed her tense expression.

Recalling the moment she’d signed her name, blinded by the shine of gold coins, a sigh-like chuckle escaped her lips.

Watching her with satisfaction, Eric pulled out a strawberry candy from his pocket and tossed it to her.

Then he waved, telling her to rest in the room.

Today, his usually dry brown eyes shone with an unusual gentleness.

***

Sel didn’t return to her room.

She intended to go to the first-floor liquor counter and grab a bottle of vodka.

That is, if there wasn’t anyone there.

Lavi, covered in blood, had just entered through the front door.

A blood-stained knife was in his hand.

Sel, stepping into the first-floor lobby, turned back around.

At that moment, Lavi called out to her in a low voice.

“What happened to your face?”

At the same time, a sharp gaze landed on her cheek. Sel replied as calmly as possible.

“I fell.”

“What, did you roll around in the dirt? Both sides are swollen.”

“Yes. Rolled right down.”

Right, she’d been through hell and back.

“…I see. First aid seems well done. But the clothes…”

“………..”

“Why… are you wearing Eric’s clothes?”

There was a sound of teeth grinding from Lavi’s rigid jaw.

With a fierce motion, Lavi sheathed the knife at his waist.

“I asked the deputy commander to lend it since he likes it so much. Thought it looked nice.”

“………..”

“Then, I’ll be off. Rest well, Commander.”

“Stop right there.”

As Sel was about to head upstairs after giving a polite nod, Lavi held her back.

Sel clenched her jaw. Right now, just as with Flora, she didn’t want to see this man either.

She thought this man was the real cause of what happened with Flora.

It felt like he was the reason she’d had to endure those harsh words.

She resented him. She was angry. She felt hurt.

Of course, she knew in her head that it wasn’t his fault but Flora’s.

But right now, she just wanted to blame him without reservation.

With him, she felt he would accept her resentment with dignity. She knew he wouldn’t easily crumble under her anger. Sel clenched her fists tightly.

“You.”

Lavi was just as angry.

His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed.

“Go upstairs immediately and change out of those clothes.”

Sel frowned at the abrupt command and gave him a cold stare.

“…That’s something I’ll handle myself, Commander.”

Without offering any other response to Lavi’s demand, Sel gave a formal nod and disappeared upstairs.

Lavi kept his gaze fixed in her direction until she was out of sight on the staircase.

***

Since that incident, Sel and Lavi hadn’t spoken to each other.

Even when they checked the accounting records, there was only a cold silence between them.

It was Flora who had tormented Sel, but she still didn’t feel like speaking to Lavi either.

Since joining this mercenary group, Sel had found happiness, which had made her softer than she once was.

Now, her resilience was such that she got deeply wounded by sharp words, and she was afraid of getting hurt again.

“Sel, here’s the income report for the latest assignment. Please recalculate it.”

“Lavi, we need to redo the budget proposal for this deployment. Cedric and Jude are out.”

“Understood.”

“And, Sel, this report you gave me should actually go to Lavi.”

“…I wanted confirmation from you, Vice Commander.”

“Lavi. This is a report that should go directly to Sel.”

“You can review it and hand it over.”

Anyone observing their strained relationship would’ve tried to reconcile them.

But Eric wasn’t just anyone.

He wasn’t the least bit bothered by the awkward tension between them and went about his work diligently.

But by now, this tension had started to affect Eric.

Thanks to both of them working through him to avoid direct interaction, Eric found himself doing the work of three people.

With gritted teeth, Eric gave Lavi and Sel a wide-eyed glare, silently vowing to overturn things if they didn’t reconcile by tomorrow.

It was Sel who first broke the silence between them.

“I would like to participate in the upcoming deployment.”

The Cavalry Mercenary Guild went on a deployment to the monster-infested Black Forest every quarter.

In truth, this so-called deployment was really a monster hunt.

Reducing the monster population ensured the safety of nearby villages, and they could also obtain materials for magical weapons, like leather or bones.

And if they happened to find a mana stone cave, they could make an enormous additional profit.

Sel’s name was not on the list for this deployment.

There was a chance she might meet an untimely death if she went in with her still-developing skills.

But Sel wanted to go on this deployment. She wanted to prove herself as a mercenary. Since she’d signed a contract to stay here, she wanted to contribute fully.

She wanted people to remember her presence, even if only for a little longer, when she was gone.

“It’s too dangerous.”

Lavi shook his head and rejected her outright. But Sel didn’t give up.

“I’ve been acknowledged for my marksmanship by Choro. As long as I don’t separate from the group, I’m confident.”

Since making up her mind, she had been consistently training her body and honing her skills.

“The Black Forest is a place where every possible danger exists. Only those who can survive should go.”

“I grew up right next to the Black Forest.”

“………”

“I really want to go.”

At the determination in her voice, Lavi sighed.

He looked up from his paperwork and gazed at her.

His eyes held a deep unease, his gaze unsteady.

“…Alright. I’ll grant your request.”

“Thank you.”

“But on three conditions.”

Lavi held up three fingers. Gone was the faint, artificial smile he used to show her. His expression was serious.

“First, no matter what happens, do not leave the group. Even for personal reasons, move only in pairs. Second, follow all of my orders in the Black Forest without exception. Third, after this deployment, you’ll accompany me on a brief visit to the royal capital.”

“…I’m not sure what you mean by the last condition.”

Sel frowned, tilting her head in confusion.

At the same time, Lavi’s impassive gaze lingered on the scar on Sel’s cheek.

The small, remaining scar would likely heal if she received divine treatment at the temple in the capital.

“…You’ll understand when you go. If you don’t want to accept the condition, then don’t.”

Lavi’s gaze shifted back to his documents, his hand busily moving his pen across the page.

“I’ll do it.”

“Good. Get Choro’s help to prepare your pack.”

Lavi’s eyes and hands were occupied, moving quickly as he reviewed the papers.

Sel gave a polite bow and stepped outside.

After confirming she had left, Lavi grabbed his head with both hands and tugged.

“What a fool I am.”

Idiot. Utter fool.

Lavi repeated the words, thumping his forehead against the desk.

***

A white-haired elderly woman was pacing in Eric’s office when he walked in.

“Oh, Deputy Commander! You’ve come.”

“What is it, Old Maggie?”

Maggie was the old lady who handled the mercenary company’s cleaning once a week.

She held up a pair of uniform trousers toward Eric.

“While I was cleaning… these came up. They’re your trousers, right? Though they’re a bit short, so I thought maybe this old woman had made a mistake.”

Eric immediately recognized the trousers Maggie held out. They were the ones Sel had left behind last time. He remembered suddenly how he’d kicked them into a corner.

“And, uh, I went and washed these with the rest…”

Maggie pulled a leaf from her apron.

“I was about to throw it out, thinking it was just a leaf. But you like collecting all sorts of things, so…”

Eric placed the “leaf” in his palm and examined it closely.

It was a rare herb he’d seen before during brief studies in herbology.

Eric’s face, which had gone blank for a moment, quickly recovered as he gave Maggie a warm smile.

“Thank you, Maggie. I’d been looking for that, actually.”

“Glad I could be of help! And don’t overwork yourself. Men who get all scrawny—no good, y’know.”

Maggie chuckled as she left the room, and as soon as the door closed, Eric’s smile disappeared instantly.

He quickly went down to the library to search the herbal compendium.

His busy fingers flipped through the pages until they stopped abruptly.

His shoulders slumped in disbelief.

“So it was Clotherus… Clotherus. Ha. Ha-ha.”

Clotherus was an herb that damaged the vocal cords.

It was a well-known herb often used by women to disguise their voices when cross-dressing.

Clotherus. Eric repeated the herb’s name, laughing incredulously.