“Our commander, Lavi.”

Eric squinted his eyes, then slowly bowed his head.

Now that the secret was out, he tried to whisper rumors about their head in Sel’s ear. But a strong, unpleasant stench from Sel hit his nose hard.

“Ugh, damn it,” Eric cursed, recoiling.

Sel looked at him in disbelief.

Apparently, Eric, who had been trying to make an impression, had forgotten his own smell.

For someone who seemed meticulous, he had more holes than expected.

“Ugh, what’s that smell? Our head got possessed by a spirit, you know. Wow, it really stinks. Try washing up sometimes, rookie.”

A huge piece of information was wedged clumsily between those odd exclamations.

Sel cocked her head, scratching her ear as if she’d heard wrong.

“Wait… what did you just say?”

“I said it reeks. Please wash up, rookie.”

Eric, omitting the important part, repeated in an annoyed voice.

Of course, what mattered to Eric was that part.

“No, not that part.”

“Oh, you mean our head being possessed?”

“Possessed… by a spirit?”

Not rain, snow, or hail—what’s supposed to possess someone? Beneath her goblin mask, Sel wore a bewildered expression.

“Not just any spirit, but a revered one, so they call it possession. It’s on a different level than a wandering spirit.”

Eric kindly added an explanation, even throwing in the positive word “revered” to avoid scaring the rookie. That was his version of being considerate.

A spirit. Sel muttered the word over and over.

She knew the phrase “possessed by a spirit” well. Villagers had used it to describe her before.

Even in discarded, old storybooks, tales about spirits or spirits weren’t uncommon.

“Sometimes he dashes around the building at night or performs sword dances. On days when he goes to the dark forest, he comes back drenched in blood. It’s fascinating to observe.”

Eric’s voice lowered as he explained with an amused look.

Meanwhile, Sel’s eyes reflected pure bewilderment.

So… that ferret-like head is actually insane? A lunatic in front of her, a madman as his head… weren’t the other mercenaries in danger?

Should she break the contract? Sel blinked rapidly, overwhelmed.

It must have been too much conversation after so long. Her brain felt overloaded.

“Oh, by the way, I forgot to explain one thing.”

Eric, watching Sel, raised a finger with wide eyes.

His stiff lips curled into a fake smile.

“Modifying the contract is fine, but breaking it means a penalty of 1,000 rubles.”

“!”

“You read the contract, right?”

‘What, should I have read it to you?’ His tone carried a hint of regret, as faint as a breadcrumb.

Watching Eric, who seemed like a classic scammer, Sel stammered in response.

Unfazed, Eric resumed walking to guide Sel through the building.

‘Mother.’ Today, that name felt especially dear. Sel stood there like a stump of a felled tree.

She simply stared at Eric’s retreating back as she muttered to himself.

‘A whole 1,000 rubles. Well, what’s a spirit compared to that? People who rob you blind are scarier than spirits. Six months, just survive six months, and the next 25 years will be peaceful.’

Sel rubbed her oddly stinging eyes and swallowed hard.

A bitter, dry taste traveled down her throat.

With just a contract, Eric had already stolen her soul. Far away, Eric muttered to himself.

Sel quickly followed him.

***

The next day, the sun rose once more, whether she slept or not.

Sel, sitting on the bed, clutched her head.

Her dark circles sank down to her cheekbones, barely distinguishable from the grime.

Her had pondered all night, but no answers came. Or rather, there was nothing to ponder.

The decision had already been made. Only resolve was needed.

“Think rationally. What matters to me is money. No need to hesitate. I’ve always lived like this.”

Money was her lifeline.

She couldn’t farm on barren land, nor could she hunt alone in the dangerous black forest.

Sel had to sell her skills, earn money, and buy meals.

Barely managing one meal a day, she pushed through each grueling day.

Grinding her teeth, Sel stood in front of the fireplace and stripped off her ragged clothes.

A yellowed, corset-like piece of armor tightly hugged her torso.

This armor, crafted from repeatedly treated cowhide with sewn-on straps, was Sel’s own creation.

After removing even her undergarments, she stood bare.

Her skin, pale to the point of spiritly white, flickered orange in the firelight.

Her rounded chest and slim waist revealed her gender without filter.

Along her side, an unfamiliar inscription was tattooed.

Running from her hip to just below her chest, the tattoo looked like black ink splattered across white snow.

The stark contrast in tone evoked a peculiar sense of guilty pleasure in any observer.

She dipped a cloth in cold water from a bucket and began wiping herself down.

It was, after all, her first day on the job, so she intended to be minimally presentable.

As she carefully scrubbed down to her fingers and toes, Sel’s hand abruptly halted.

Her face drained of color.

“Just live filthy. Don’t stand out. You have to hide.”

The familiar tinnitus echoed in her ear. She whipped her head around instinctively, but as usual, nothing was there.

“Stop it! I’m leaving this place. No more… I can’t wait any longer, Mother.”

She shook her head vigorously, mumbling in a low voice, as if responding to the ringing.

She thought about Lavi, supposedly possessed.

She felt foolish for her shock at hearing about it yesterday. Maybe she was the one possessed by a spirit. Maybe she was the one going mad.

Sel scrubbed her body harder.

The ringing in her ears grew more intense, but she gritted her teeth and endured it.

She was tired of enduring the wretched noise alone.

Yes, it was time to leave this place. Only then would she be able to survive. She wasn’t going to sit idly in this cabin, waiting for someone.

Sel washed her hair and dried her body with the large cloth she had been using as a blanket.

Although the grime hadn’t come off completely, she no longer smelled as terrible as before.

The armor flattened her chest and made her slender waist look blocky.

Sel draped herself in rags over her armor and put on a goblin mask. Her still-damp hair clung to her head, but she had no time to dry it. She placed the necklace Lavi had given her around her neck and paused, gripping the door handle.

Creak—

She let out a tense breath and opened the door.

Bright sunlight stabbed her eyes.

As a habit, Sel squared her shoulders, which instinctively tensed, and pressed her heels firmly into the ground.

A deep inhale and exhale created a glittering mist that dispersed into the sky.

‘Let’s go.’

Speaking to herself, Sel took her first steps. It had been a long time since she walked upright under the sun.

***

Upon arriving at the Cavalry Mercenary Guild’s headquarters, Sel knocked on the large iron gate.

Bang, bang, bang.

Even though she had arrived exactly at 9 a.m., there was no response from inside.

She clenched her fist again and knocked harder on the gate.

Her hand ached from striking the iron door, but she kept knocking as hard as she could.

“Ugh, who is it, so early in the morning! Just come in already!”

A voice came from the other side of the gate.

Sel gripped the long iron bar attached to the gate with both hands and pulled with all her strength.

But the gate didn’t budge.

Maybe it opens by pushing. She rolled her shoulders in preparation and pressed her whole body weight into the door.

She strained so hard that a grunt slipped out, but still, the gate didn’t move.

Sel kept pushing and pulling until she was pressed up against the door.

With a heavy metallic sound, the gate suddenly swung outward.

Thanks to this, Sel ended up hitting her forehead against the door and saw stars before her eyes.

The one who opened the door was a dark-skinned boy.

With silver hair and black eyes, he looked like one of the foreigners from the southwest.

Around fifteen years old, he easily pushed the gate with one hand while brushing his teeth with the other.

“What the—who are you?!”

The boy spat out his toothpaste, startled, and stepped back.

Seeing her goblin mask, the boy, initially scared, looked Sel up and down before approaching her again.

“Who are you! Why are you scaring people so early in the morning?”

Although Sel wasn’t thrilled with the brat’s casual language, she guessed the reason and didn’t react much.

After all, the boy was about her height.

“…I’m Sel, starting work here today.”

“Oh! The new recruit coming today! I didn’t realize it was you. But what’s with that weird mask? Take it off right now.”

“I have my reasons and can’t take it off.”

Upon hearing this, the boy’s face fell, looking sad.

Who knew what he was imagining, but he seemed like an overly sensitive kid.

“Okay. A man’s scars… I won’t ask.”

“Uh, thanks.”

“My name’s Philip. I was the youngest here, but now you’ve taken that spot. I’ll handle your training!”

“You… as my senior?”

“In a place like this, rank is by arrival order, kid. You look about the same as me anyway.”

“…Right.”

“But your hair color is really unique. Blond, right? You don’t see that around here.”

Philip reached out toward Sel’s hair, and she flinched.

It was a reflexive response she couldn’t control.

“Did someone beat you? Why are you so jumpy? I was just curious, so I wanted to touch it.”

“I don’t like people touching me.”

“Jeez, so sensitive.”

Philip slapped her on the back, saying, “Let’s go!”

Sel rubbed her sore back and followed the boy into the building.

Though she had visited yesterday, the interior was incredibly neat.

The walls were lined with red marble panels, and there were luxurious wood furnishings and high-quality sofas scattered about.

Just looking at the lobby, one could hardly tell if this was a mercenary guild or a fancy shop.

“Pretty neat, huh? The red marble on the walls? Those stones were imported from another country. Our guild Commander’s taste is top-notch! Aren’t you curious why?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah.”

Sel wasn’t actually interested, but she gave the answer he seemed to expect.

As if he had been waiting for this, Philip’s eyes sparkled mischievously, and he spoke in a low voice, “To hide the stains… of blood.”

“It’s so blood splatters won’t be noticeable. This lobby can become a battleground, anytime.”

“I see.”

“…Is that all you’ve got to say?”

Well, what else was she supposed to say? She kept her mouth shut.

As Sel blinked and watched him in silence, Philip clutched his chest and scolded her.

“You, don’t you feel any thrill about this? Can’t you just imagine the power of a mercenary guild, conquering enemies and splattering blood?! The wealth to install such expensive marble! The lore of a guild that calls for blood!”

“…I’ll try to be curious, just for you.”

“You’ve got a long way to go before you’re a real man.”

“Yeah, it seems like I’ll have to learn from you.”

Although it was half a jab, Philip’s grin stretched wide, clearly pleased.

“Leave it to me, rookie.”

Philip jabbed her in the side with his elbow.

Sel dodged slightly, but Philip’s elbow bumped against the armor beneath her clothes.

His expression stiffened as he stared at her side.