“Who is that?”

“Do you see that beautiful dark-skinned lady in priestly vestments?”

“Is some foreign princess visiting our king?”

“She’s a Dark Elf! There’s no way they are here without everyone knowing!”

“Look at her neck! That’s Utopia’s collar! She must be one of the girls working there!”

“Are you an idiot? They don’t walk around with a dozen fully armed escorts rivalling the royal guard! Even their gear fully matches!”

“She must be the owner’s wife! Is she being detained by some new unit answering right to the King?”

“They all bear Utopia’s crests on their uniforms. The colours fit too. I’ve never seen them there, though. What’s happening?”

It looks like people still underestimate the hearing capabilities of Dark Elves. But, that’s good for us. It looks like we have achieved the intended effect. Everyone is turning around to take a second glance at our small procession. The rumours are going to spread like wildfire. Perfect.

~Walk with your chins up, girls. This is your big debut.~ I send a telepathic message to the twelve women walking with me as our minds are linked with a magical ability one of our High Elves possesses.

~Yes, Madam,~ they respond in unison and stand a bit straighter. ~We won’t let you down.~

I try not to smile at their eager replies. Too many people are looking. I have to keep a dignified face too. Many think that a beautiful body and impressive clothing are the keys to looking important, yet without an aura of confidence and superiority, they are nothing but wasted jewels on the neck of a street monkey.

Thankfully, the attire Shino designed for me and created alongside Mari couldn’t be any better. She captured my descriptions of the old garments I had worn during my service back as the Princess with utmost perfection. Not to mention the incredible alterations those two then introduced. These clothes don’t evoke especially fond memories, but after what they did, I kind of enjoy this now. I’m glad that I’ll get many more opportunities to use these.

As for what exactly I am wearing that’s capturing so much attention, well, there isn’t that much, actually. Dark purple shoes on small but thick heels weren’t my favourite, but with Mari’s effort to make them extremely comfortable, I can’t say anything about them anymore. The four vertical cuts, two per side, in my long dress of the same colour running down to the very ground from my waist display my legs in the most perfectly enchanting manner as the material sways alluringly with each step. The thin, smooth panties flash mischievously with a bolder step, just as intended.

The Princess’ sacred vestments usually uncover a great deal of the wearer’s stomach and back, and so do my current garments. Two crossing bands of soft material wrap themselves around my breasts, upheld by a thin strip running around my neck from the front, leaving a great deal of cleavage, of course.

Naturally, that’s not all. A glossy, dark purple serpent of cloth coils around my arms and passes behind my back, draping itself low enough to reach my hips. The loose ends hang down from around my elbows, dragging slightly over the stone road. On top of it rests a see-through veil of barely noticeable violet shade, running around my neck, to the front, and then towards the back under my armpits.

Besides the polished, black tiara decorating my forehead, I don’t wear that much jewellery, just enough to look the part. The upper edges of my long ears are covered with thin, ornamental stripes of blacksilver, big enough just to hide the earlobe. A few tiny amethysts are embedded in their surface. To match them, I picked up a few dark signets and rings with gems of various purplish shades. 

All of this is barely enough to represent the greatness of a person that is Alastair but I shouldn’t get too ahead of myself. He definitely wouldn’t like it. Shino always reminds us that he loves respectful modesty. She knows him the best. It would have been extremely hard to design the outfits and gear for the mercenary force without her. Sirgia and Mari would most likely have ended up creating something too fancy while trying to match what knights and nobles in our world usually wear.

Now, with Shino’s influence, I can tell just how much more noticeable all the girls coming with me are. Their outfits go great with their armour and gear instead of obstructing one another. What’s best, each of them wears fully customised and personalised attire fitting their Classes and style of fighting. Not a single one of them looks identical, even amongst melee warriors. Save for the fact that they all display our official colours.

It’s been about half an hour since we left the mansion. It doesn’t take that long to reach the Mercenary Guild but a short detour to show ourselves a bit more shouldn’t hurt. I can tell that the girls are nervous under those professional and confident masks. It’s their big day. A brief trek amongst a wondering and amazed crowd will do great to boost their spirits before the admission test.

No matter what, they keep their positions so well all the time that I don’t think we would find the slightest deviation from the assumed formation even if we used a measuring tape. They are split into threes and surround me as a square, with two groups at the front and two at the back. It’s no surprise that people constantly assume they are royal guards or noble escorts. Their training certainly paid off.

But, we can’t just walk around forever. Our goal has been achieved so it’s time to head to our true destination. I let the girls know and they immediately start leading me to the Mercenary Guild. In just about five minutes, we stop in front of the tall and wide building at the edge of the Commercial District. Plenty of rough-looking men and women loiter around. Though, they all step aside at the sight of our small unit.

That’s good. As much as we need recognition amongst the masses, it’s the other mercenaries and adventurers that are the most important resource for rumours.

~Let’s make sure we leave a good impression on our upcoming colleagues, girls,~ I speak to the ladies. ~Don’t cause trouble, but as our beloved master would say, don’t take shit from anyone. If someone tries to mess with us, destroy them.~

~With pleasure, Madam,~ the captains of each of the four trios reply with a hint of glee and excitement in their voices.

And with that, the front squads march forward towards the double-winged metal gate. They open the doors inwards while the rear squads walk inside to check the perimeter. Ignoring the curious and confused looks of everyone else, I walk between them and head inside.

As I arrive in the middle of the reception hall, which clearly serves also as a recreational area with plenty of tables and benches, complete silence falls onto the spacious chamber. I’m fairly sure it’s not just thanks to me but all of us. A dozen fully equipped and armoured members of various humanoid races wearing matching outfits don’t appear at their doorstep too often.

Making use of the brief lack of shouting and lively discussion, I look around. The building is kept in a quite dark aesthetic. Deep grey stone blocks and bricks make up the entire interior. The furniture is mostly made of dark iron or similar metal. The same thing can be said about the chandeliers and sconces adorning the walls. 

Contrary to the Adventurer’s Guild, there is no long counter manned by a row of adorable Human girls. That’s because the Mercenary Guild isn’t exactly the place to submit and take requests. That usually happens in the headquarters of the mercenary organisations. This is the place to register their activity.

Though, the guild does rent out vacant offices on its premises so a thin stream of people constantly moves into the hallway leading to such chambers. But, that won’t be necessary for us. We can use our mansion for that. At least until we set up a different place. We did think about just keeping the headquarters at our main residence, but in the end, it would disrupt the rest days of our girls. The reception has to be open at least for most hours of the day.

Since it doesn’t look like the silence is going to clear itself anytime soon, I nod at the girls around me. “Take a rest at a free table while I take care of our admission.”

“Yes, Madam,” they answer in unison.

As they walk away together, people glance between them and me. I hold the gaze of some random, haggard Human male for a few long seconds before he takes it away. As expected, the girls took a table as close to the reception as possible. Good. They stay on guard even while dismissed.

The spell finally breaks as my shoes start hitting the stone floor. It’s obvious that our unexpected arrival is the main topic of everyone’s conversation. Unfortunately, I have no time to listen to their words. The star of the show usually appears late, but we aren’t yet well-known enough to be one. Not meeting the basic courtesy of showing up on time will put a smear on Alastair’s name and we definitely do not want that.

No one blocks my path to the mature Human man behind the reception. Though, I think he can already be considered old amongst his kin. His lush grey hair and neatly trimmed beard certainly indicate so. It’s a shade rarely naturally possessed by Humans, unless it comes with their age. I can’t imagine my hair losing its colour and vibrance. It would have been a complete heartbreaker to turn so bland in my final years.

“What can I do for you, Madam…” he begins with a raised brow.

“Elea Siv’ieanr. Madam is just the way my subordinates address me,” I explain with a respectful nod.

He nods back. “Understood, Miss Siv’ieanr. If you are here to submit a request, all mercenary headquarters are located in the hallway to your left.”

“I’m not here to submit a request. We are scheduled for an admission test at four,” I reply.

My answer causes his brow to rise again, a little bit higher this time, but he looks down at something behind the counter. 

“I see. May I ask for some more details? Is the reservation put under the same name?” the man asks.

“Reservation is under our leader, Alastair Carter. I’m the second-in-command and was authorised to oversee the evaluation of Utopia’s Second Regiment, Eden Beta during the admission test of Utopia Mercenary Corps. Twelve entrants, four in the evening, complete set of necessary trials,” I oblige.

The hall quietens a little bit at my declaration while the receptionist shuffles with some documents. After a moment, he grunts to himself and the shuffling noise ceases.

“Ah, yes, that checks out. You are just in time.” The man glances up to meet my gaze. “The first trial is the written one. The next one starts at quarter past four. Are your subordinates ready, Miss Siv’ieanr?”

“Naturally.”

“Perfect. Give me just a moment and I will lead you to the testing hall.” He stands up, makes a small bow, and walks out through the curtain behind his back.

Since he is going to lead us, I start moving towards the girls. I catch the sight of another person replacing the clerk right away as I step to the side. I approach the table with the girls silently sitting together. It’s wide enough to fit six people per side. Even though they thankfully don’t swivel their heads like tourists or newbies, they do keep roaming their fierce gazes around, emanating an aura of confidence. It’s important not to look like easy prey.

Noticing me, they all glance in my direction and start standing up. I gesture at them to stay seated.

“Our guide will be here in a moment,” I explain.

Two of them stand up nevertheless, making a comfortable spot for me to sit down while we wait. I take it and they position themselves behind my back like two bodyguards, turned towards the gathering of people, hands on their sheathed weapons.

No more than three minutes later, one of them calls to me, “Madam?”

I turn around and find the grey-haired receptionist in front of the guards, unsure what he should do. Getting up, I gesture at the others to follow and walk past the duo to meet the man.

“Is your group perhaps ex-military, Miss Siv’ieanr?” he asks with a curious, somewhat wary gaze.

“None of our members served before receiving proper training in our facilities. Is that a problem?” I try to read his expression as much as possible.

“No, of course not. I’m just surprised to see your group’s demeanour, Miss Siv’ieanr. Such a level of cohesion and unity is quite characteristic for big martial forces. Rarely someone not being a soldier, knight, or guard in the past shows so much coordination. Mercenaries do tend to be a bit more organised than adventurers, but they still get to be somewhat relaxed when compared to an actual army or garrison,” he explains.

Afterwards, the man gestures at us to follow him and we do precisely that. He leads us into a wide corridor going deeper into the establishment. Not many people walk around the hallways we make our way through. It seems to be an employee-only zone. Soon, we stop in front of a metal door like many others we have passed and the clerk turns around.

“This is your personal waiting room. There’s another door on the other side of the chamber which leads to the testing hall. One of the examiners will fetch your group before the written test starts. I have to ask you, Miss Siv’ieanr, to remain in the waiting room while your subordinates undertake the trial. To prevent any forms of illicit support from the sidelines, only they are allowed to be present in the testing hall during the exam,” the man says and opens the door.

We all walk inside a small lounge with a few sofas and plush chairs. A long table fills the middle of the room, enough to fit about twenty people. Our guide remains at the door and makes a polite bow.

“I’ll return to you after the trial’s results are known and we will proceed from that point. Don’t worry, it will take at best ten minutes.” He shows a kind smile. “Now, I’ll leave you alone to make good use of the few remaining minutes and relax a little. Or make final revisions.”

He closes the door and audibly walks away. I nod at the girls and they relax a bit just as the man suggested. They sigh softly and break their stone-still faces, shooting each other small smiles.

“I must say, acting cool is cool but also very tiring,” the half-blood vulpine Beastkin breaks the silence first.

A few of the girls giggle at her comment. 

“I never thought all those badass beauties I saw on the streets of my hometown had it so hard,” another person, a High Elf, comments.

“Still, it’s so fun actually being them, even if we are acting,” a yellow-skinned Tiefling adds.

“You are all the most badass beauties under Master’s care,” I join in with a warm smile and most of them turn to me. “Everyone acts during their whole life. If you are able to behave a certain way, that means it’s part of who you are. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be able to imitate being trained professionals for so long.”

They all answer with smiles of their own and exchange glances. Well, almost all of them. A pure-blood Leopardkin stands slightly away from everyone else with a somewhat troubled expression. She’s quite short and her white fur makes her stick out from the rest. 

As the others start chatting amongst themselves, I approach the girl. “Are you feeling unwell, Yuru?”

She jumps a little at my question and looks up with an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry. I’m just nervous, that’s all. I really appreciate how much effort Miss Elea and everyone put into our lessons. I’m not the smartest Beastkin. I’m worried I will disappoint you, Master, and everyone.”

“Now, that’s not true! Stop being silly!” An Orc shows up next to her and throws her arm over Yuru’s shoulders.

I notice that the other girls stopped talking and gathered around us.

“Bahra is right, Yuru. You passed Mistress Elea’s tests just like all of us. There isn’t a single thing about all the rules and regulations that you don’t know,” the half-blood Wolfkin says.

They all start doing their best to cheer up their friend, which brings a warm smile to my lips. These girls certainly grew close during their training. They aren’t just a unit but a small family. Master will be overjoyed to see this.

“Alright, everyone.” I clap my hands a few times to silence them. “Looks like we need some motivation to push away this doubtful mood.”

They all turn to me with curious expressions. I summon a slip of paper from my spatial storage and their eyes lock on it.

“Do you know how blank cheques work?” I raise a brow and most of them nod. “The person with the highest score will receive one of these, on which you can inscribe a single favour from Master.”

“What kind of favour?” a Wood Elf asks as they all show traces of confusion.

I grin at them without saying anything. The leopard girl catches up first and her silver eyes widen, glimmering with understanding. If not for all the fur covering her adorable cheeks, I bet we would be able to clearly see the huge blush spreading over her face.

It doesn’t take long for the others to figure it out too and they quickly start chatting with even more energy. I chuckle to myself. The Leopardkin doesn’t look like she changed too much, but the fierce determination in her much more focused gaze is impossible to miss. She might be even more excited than everyone else.

Surely, Master won’t mind. He loves the shy, silent types.

A moment later, someone knocks on the other door and the girls instantly fall silent. Their professional, confident aura returns with even more power. The examiner shudders as a dozen pairs of intense, determined eyes drill into him the moment the man steps in. Everyone follows him out and I drop into a sofa to wait. I have no doubt that they are going to ace the written exam. Well, I better get to thinking about what to do when they all score full marks.

Less than twenty minutes later, the leopard girl comes back and I glance at her. “Already done?”

Her cute muzzle curls up with a bashful smile as she looks aside. Her dotted tail keeps swishing behind her back. Talk about a lack of self-confidence. I’m not sure who convinced her that she is the complete opposite of a clever little lady but I hope they are long dead. Otherwise, they better pray we never find them. I’ll need to whisper a word to Alastair about this.

After her, the others start joining us one by one as minutes pass. The last person arrives after about an hour. That’s half of the allotted time. Now we will have to wait for another hour as the other entrants finish their papers. But, it doesn’t look like the girls will be bored. The exchange of favour ideas grows quite animated.

Just as the receptionist said, he returns to us about ten minutes after the exam ends. He also seems to pause for a second as the girls pin him down with expectant gazes right at the doorstep. 

The man glances at me and I allow myself a soft smile. “They are very excited about their results.”

He clears his throat and smiles back. “Everyone passed. You may continue to the next stage right away.”

Everyone shares a firm nod, doing a great job of keeping their joy in check.

“Would it be a problem to ask for personal scores? Just of my subordinates. I would like to compile a small ranking so that we can dispense some proper rewards at home,” I ask.

“Not in the slightest, Miss Siv’ieanr. I’ll have the list delivered to you before you leave the guild.” The man nods with a clearly amused grin.

Perfect. It will keep everyone motivated for the practical trial. Since no one will be sure about their score, they will fight just as hard for one more chance to snatch another cheque.

We follow our guide through more corridors and exit the building through a different entrance. It turns out to be in the back, leading into what looks like a sizable, rectangular arena with lots of space in the middle and cascading benches all around. There are plenty of booths for special observers, most likely examiners. Two groups are currently fighting each other in the spacious pit. The audience is about one-tenth full, which makes maybe about twenty people.

The clerk brings us to a wide niche in the inner side of the arena where many other examinees are gathered. Some stand in groups, some wander the waiting area alone. As expected, pretty much everyone is a Human. I didn’t ask the girls about it, but I don’t think it was any different during the theoretical exam. At least they don’t seem to fail other races just for existing or else we certainly wouldn’t have made it to the next round.

“Please, wait here for your turn. Is there a preferred arrangement your subordinates would like to fight in? Teams? Solo?” the old man asks.

“Anything is fine. Are they going to battle the other applicants?” I turn to him.

“We usually set everyone up against our examiners, picked from already registered, willing mercenaries. Unless there aren’t enough of them on-site, they are going to be the ones testing your subordinates. Facing other examinees while just being watched isn’t out of option, though,” he answers. “I suggest two teams of six, then. It’s one of the most common setups. Unless you feel confident in your strength as a full group of twelve.”

“As I said, proceed as you wish.” I wave at him nonchalantly. “Actually, assign us the highest possible difficulty. We would like to rank as high as possible. It was C-rank during the examination, right?”

“Correct. I will do just that, then.” He bows and quickly scurries away.

I turn around to face the ladies. “Alright, girls. If you get split into teams or go solo, things are obvious. The best get a cheque. If you end up fighting all together… Well, just make sure your performance is worthy of a C-rank and you will get one each. Simple?”

“Yes, Madam!” they shout back at me with plenty of vigour.

We proceed to observe the bouts while waiting. The other people aren’t exactly that interested in the fights, more focused on interacting with each other as they await their turn. Our girls? They scan the pit like a band of hawks. I have no doubt that they are picking apart every single examiner they can recognize to come up with appropriate strategies and counters.

“Nice dresses. Are you girls dropping by after a fancy costume ball?” A voice reaches us from the side.

A group of ten approaches us. The girls shift into positions but I stealthily signal them to stay down. As the leader approaches me, I take a quick glance at his band of mercenaries. Quite a few of the men look clearly unhappy about our presence here. Surprisingly, there are even some who seem to have ideas about my girls. Not so kind ones, of course. It’s a rare sight amongst Humans but I guess Alastair’s efforts to rehabilitate his kin are slowly paying off.

Well, it would be if not for the fact that his teachings landed on a band of thugs.

“Is there anything I can help you with?” I ask the leader while retaining a neutral expression.

“Oh, there’s plenty.” He snickers, evidently leering at my body. “But, the best would be for all of you to piss off. This is no place for monsters.”

He spits to the side and a bunch of his cronies mirror the action.

“With all due respect, the guild saw no qualms with the diverse cast of races that make up our organisation. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have been allowed to partake even in the written exam,” I reply coldly. “Therefore, I have to politely ask you to stop trying to cause trouble and bothering my subordinates before their debut.”

“Listen here, you bitch.” The leader steps closer and puts himself right in my face.

He might have looked a little bit intimidating if perhaps he wasn’t half a head shorter than me. I’m forced to look down at him. And on him too. I keep my hands locked behind my back to hold the girls in check. We can technically communicate in our minds but they are ready to tackle situations with such perks being unavailable.

“I’m giving you a chance to back off before things turn ugly. In case you haven’t noticed, your little group of dressed-up freaks is gathering quite the attention, and it’s not the one you might want,” he continues angrily, his eyes briefly dropping to my collar. “I have no idea what twisted ideas your idiotic owner has for making you play mercenaries while he watches somewhere from above, slave girl, but you better scurry off to that dickless bastard of a master—guh!”

With a punch straight to the guts, he is suddenly launched backwards into his men. The force of the blow makes his body knock off five people and carries him further away. He hits the ground and keeps bouncing and rolling for a few more seconds as other participants jump away to avoid a similar fate to the man’s companions.

Ah. Looks like I should have held back just a tiny bit more. Oh well.

The girls jump to my sides and rest their hands on their weapons while the Humans openly bring theirs out. I level each of them with a glare, stopping at their writhing leader. The waiting niche turned silent, allowing my next words to reach him without an issue.

“You may run your dirty tongue at any of us as much as you want, but do not think you can come unscathed from insulting our glorious leader,” I state in a controlled yet powerful tone. “Be thankful that we are on the Mercenary Guild’s grounds or else I would have taken your head instead of a few ribs.”

“Fucking bitch!” The leader groans in pain as one of his underlings helps him up. “I’m going to kill you!”

I roll my eyes. “Are you sure you want to do this? Here? Right now?”

He notices literally everyone looking our way to see what the sudden commotion is about and the clerk who has been guiding us hastily jogging back here. Using however much of his brain he has left in that empty head of his, the man comes to a decision that it’s not worth it and clicks his tongue. His group starts moving away just as the receptionist shows up.

I assure him that there is no need to intervene and apologise for stepping out of the line. Thankfully, he doesn’t blame us and neither seems to change his approach from the previous, polite and professional treatment. He remains by our side until someone waves at him.

“It’s your group’s turn now, Miss Siv’ieanr,” the clerk says. “We picked a VIP escort for your people. Everyone can join. Your task will be to protect the VIP until time runs out. Additional points will be added for the distance you cover between Point A and Point B. But, your main focus is the VIP’s safety. In this exam, you may lead your subordinates if you wish to.”

“They can handle it on their own. I won’t always be around to babysit their missions. And neither will be the leader,” I respond and share a glance with all the girls to confirm that they are ready.

“Perfect. Please, follow me, ladies. The twelve examiners are already gathered—”

“Wait. Let us join,” the rude Human suddenly shows up again with his clique behind him.

He doesn’t look hurt anymore. They must have a healer amongst them.

The receptionist makes a respectful bow. “I apologise, but you need to submit a request for joint operation before—”

“No, not like that. On the examiners’ side. You rarely get to fight off an ambush with an equal number of assailants, no? And surely, with how decked these guys are, it will be of no difference to them, right?” He shows a cocky smirk. “What do you say, slave? Are your whores capable of anything else than dressing up for that complete deviant of a fucker?”

I have to say, it’s kind of amusing how he starts acting all smug the moment he learns that I’m not going to participate.

Anyway, our guide looks frantically between the two of us so I grace him with a delicate smile. “Is that allowed?”

“Uh, it certainly isn’t forbidden…”

“Then let’s proceed.” I nod at him.

The other guy snorts and starts heading into the arena with his men. The clerk looks at me with a hint of hesitation in his silver eyes.

“Are you sure about this?”

“Absolutely.” I place a hand on his shoulder. “Just one, small question.”

“Yes?”

“What are the regulations on accidental deaths during the examination?”

“Uhhhhh…” He stares at me blankly for a second. “Accidents are part of the occupation?”

“Splendid.” I smile at him and tap his shoulder a few times. “Girls, you know what to do.”

“Yes, Madam!” they roar in unison, very fired up.

As we both watch them join the examiners and the additional group of entrants from the niche, our guide clearly starts getting second thoughts. I let out a chuckle and focus on enjoying the show.

Our girls take an additional woman into their ranks and both groups listen to the explanation of the main examiners. After everything is explained, they move to opposite ends of the arena. As they walk to their starting positions, I notice that almost half of the audience is filled. It looks like word spreads fast around the guild. Someone must have shared the girls’ results with the main lobby, for sure. Our little procession certainly helped too.

At the sound of a whistle, the test begins.

The girls form a defensive formation around the VIP. They split into pairs and four teams of two stay around the woman, while two duos wander a little bit further to the front and back. With almost twice as many adversaries as their numbers, they have to play it both smart and aggressive. Delegating a small part of the group as attackers is a great decision. They also seem to have divided so that most ranged Classes remain next to the VIP. Not all of them, of course.

As expected, the ambushers rush them straight away, hoping to crush their opponents with sheer numbers. And, since we will fail if the VIP is wounded, assumed dead, they begin with a volley of ranged projectiles and spells.

We have three girls with shields, two of them wielding expanding tower variants. The defensive duo steps in front of the VIP and joins their shields, which roll out in a blink, growing twice in size, and creating an impenetrable wall. The support mage enchants their surface and everything bounces off without an issue.

The girls keep moving ahead even under the constant barrage. The melee fighters reach their position and our quartet of aggressive defenders answers with their own charge. A few men falter at the sight of a massive greataxe in the hands of one of the girls while another whips out a mighty greatsword. To their surprise, it’s the smallest member of our team, the leopard girl. The blade is clearly bigger than she is.

Hopefully, at least a few people will learn not to underestimate Beastkin. Size isn’t everything.

Though, she might be compensating for something, fufufu~

Our vanguard manages to stop ten people in their tracks as the noise of metal clashing against metal echoes throughout the arena. The enemy’s ranged attackers stop their pointless assault and start relocating. The other opponents sneak by our quartet and head for the VIP. Six people make it past the first line of defence.

They get a little bit too happy about it and assume that the weakest of us have been chosen to stay with the VIP. Judging by the girls who have been left behind, they are in for a rude awakening.

The bandits form a circle around them and lunge forward all at the same time. But, the girls have been waiting exactly for that moment. One of the Tieflings reveals herself as a Spellsword and stabs her weapon into the sandy dirt. A layer of ice immediately spreads around our group.

Everyone else either trips or pauses to catch their balance. That gives the girls enough time to pick each of them off one by one like sitting ducks. Well-aimed spells and arrows eliminate all six attackers in a flash. A hammer-wielding Dark Elf smashes the ice in front of the group with a single skill so that they can continue moving. The shielders retract their shields and keep close to the VIP just in case.

With the enemy numbers brought down to sixteen, two more from our group join the offensive team, dividing the entire squad into half now. Six versus ten is not even the slightest problem for our girls and they start overwhelming the bandits as the escorts reach the half-point. All attempts to make use of any advanced tactics by the enemy are prevented by the ferocious rain of attacks from the determined girls.

All opponents bundle up to block our path, clearly intent on at least slowing down our progress, but it doesn’t help them much. Realising that no one is now aiming for the VIP, the girls switch their approach in an instant. Only the two tower shield users and a single scythe wielder stay behind while nine others move out to obliterate the enemy.

There is one thing the opponent lacks that makes a key difference in this fight. Telepathic communication. The girls’ coordination is spotless. The melee fighters duck and weave to avoid friendly spells and projectiles without a single glance back, using their own bodies to block the enemy’s vision until it’s way too late to react. Everyone works together like a well-oiled machine to wreck chaos in the bandits’ ranks.

I try to find the rude guy from earlier amongst the remaining men, and obviously, locate him at the very back, shouting orders to his underlings. He doesn’t even look like a ranged Class. The girls will need to get crafty to accidentally remove him from the equation for good.

But, they don’t disappoint.

The hammer-wielder uses a wide-area skill that causes a small earthquake, throwing everyone off-balance. The greatsword and greataxe users are caught mid-swing and their attacks swerve towards each other’s necks. I can hear a few people around me gasp at the prospect of the two taking themselves out with their massive weapons.

Of course, that doesn’t happen, and their weapons somehow clash with each other. The leopard girl’s grip loosens from the impact of the big axe and is sent hurtling into the crowd of attackers with a mighty clang. Thankfully, it avoids hitting anyone. Until the very end, at least.

Miraculously passing past a bunch of people, it lodges itself right in the rude guy’s skull with a vertical swing, going about halfway through. I try my best not to chuckle as complete silence falls onto the arena. The fight stops, unfortunately just moments before the three escorts can sneak the VIP to Point B. It was close. No one even paid any attention to them near the end.

Healers rush in to take care of the wounded on both sides while a group of people moves to take care of the dead man. Our girls regroup and let their own healers do their job much quicker since they mostly have a bunch of scratches to deal with.

I turn to our guide, doing my best to appear apologetic. “I’m terribly sorry for the completely unexpected death, even if it was an accident completely out of control on the girls’ part. I promise to admonish the one that caused the tremor to pay more attention to her teammates in the future.”

The man swallows hard and nods stiffly. After the girls join us, he leads our group back into the guild. We are left waiting for the final results in another resting chamber. Less than five minutes later, he comes back and announces that everyone passed and they have been granted C-ranks. At the same time, our organisation becomes officially registered as it fulfils all the requirements on day one.

Not wanting to impose on the guild’s hospitality, we leave right away. They have a lot on their hands anyway. And the girls looked like they barely could hold back from jumping in joy, basically vibrating from excitement. They still manage to parade confidently through the city with their heads held high, perhaps even higher than before. We reach the mansion before we even realise it, not bothering with any detours this time.

Everyone is eager to celebrate. And we have so much to prepare for Alastair’s return.

Everything is ready.