A brief silence fell upon the room, allowing the sight of the smug expression on the merchant's face to linger. 

“...W-why?” 

Aya's weak, terrified voice softly inquired as she gazed at the intimidating forms, who showed no sympathy whatsoever. 

The fat merchant, upon seeing the terrified look on the girl’s face, couldn't help but smirk.

“Because you are valuable to me.”

Aya’s terrified eyes continued to look at the merchant, who was slowly walking towards her.

“If you want to be mad at someone for your misfortune, then you should blame your father.” The fat merchant continued smirking. “It was thanks to him that I was able to catch you.”

“M-my father? What are you talking about? My father would never do this to me!” Aya worriedly protested, “Besides, I promised to bring you the money tomorrow! So why? Why are you doing this to me?”

“Hahahahaha! You’re still hung up on that?” The fat merchant laughed, his spit flying out of his mouth. 

“.......”

“Did you really think that I was keen on playing around and waiting for some small gold coins you were going to give me? I never cared about your petty money in the first place. The only thing that I wanted from you was your body!”

Aya’s eyes froze in terror. Her legs were beginning to tremble at the thought of becoming a slave. A tool that had no will of its own and no longer had any freedom that she desired.

She knew how the slaves in this world were treated. This is why she was terrified to even imagine what would happen to her while she was a slave.

Aya was chained up in the corner of the room, making the fat merchant comfortably walk close to her without any hesitation. He approached her and stopped when he noticed that the girl's hair was gradually turning white around the top. 

“Hm….. Is something wrong with her hair?” 

The fat merchant questioned the employee who had kidnapped Aya. A well-experienced adventurer, if anyone else, would be the right person to know if something seemed strange.

The adventurer with the visible scar on his eye and around his arms understood what the merchant was asking. That's why, without making an effort to move from where he stood, he let out a small sigh.

“I don't sense any curses on her, so you don't have to worry about that.” 

“Then how do you explain this demonic sign? There is no way for a normal young human girl to suddenly have demonic characteristics without any reason!” The fat merchant rebuked him for the brief appraisal he gave the girl.

“She was gathering herbs the whole day, so maybe it was some sort of side effect from a random plant she accidentally touched…?” The warrior with scars sternly speculated.

“I can't sell her like this!” The merchant complained, “Do you know any medicine that will fix this? This could even spread to my other merchandise! Do you have the slightest idea how much the quality of my products would decrease just because they have demon traits?!”

The guy with scars on his body thought for a bit as he looked down. 

“Not that I know of… Actually, this is the first time I’ve heard of such a thing.” 

The fat merchant clicked his tongue at the unsatisfying answer he got. If anything, he was very cautious, which is why he took his time to get Aya into his hands.

The merchant rubbed his own chin as he was about to speak once again. 

“Some nobles pay very well for girls like her. But if they notice the color of her hair, she is definitely not going to cost that much.”

“If anything, won't she cost even more if she is mistaken for a demon? Some nobles have weird fetishes, so I wouldn't be surprised if they wanted to play around with a weak young demon girl. She might sell even higher because of her hair.”

The fat merchant frowned for a bit before nodding in agreement at what the warrior with scars on his body was trying to say.

Aya, on the other hand, who was still chained up in the corner of the room, remained with bated breath and widened eyes while listening to what was going to happen to her. She worked so hard until this point, only to get sold to another noble who wouldn't hold back on either torturing her or using her body however she wanted. 

Her mind was slowly becoming emptier as all of the events that had happened to her until now were going back and forth.

However, one thing that she still wasn't sure of was what happened….

“....what happened to my parents…?” Aya softly asked with a pleading voice and barely any emotion on her face.

If the merchant never planned on never taking her seriously, then that obviously means that her parents…. were no longer with the other slaves….

“If you're getting sold, then I might as well grant your last wish.” The fat merchant softly smirked.

Aya’s brows rose as she was waiting for a proper answer from that merchant. 

She had courage! Her will was stronger, and she was sure that whatever the merchant was going to say….  She was going to do anything to rescue her parents from whoever had bought them.

However—

"Your parents were purchased by a group of adventurers. You can already guess what happened to them.”

—what came out of the merchant’s mouth next left Aya with bated breath and wide open eyes. Her eyes were trembling in shock at the worst scenario that she thought could’ve happened.

She refused to believe that this had happened. However, the fact that she had been working this hard just to find out her parents were dead…. Was something that left her stunned.

“Ah, you broke her…” The adventurer with scars reacted in a fake surprised tone.

“They always react like that. But not that it matters as long as they sell at a great price. Besides, she was the one who wanted to know. I simply granted that last wish of hers.” The merchant casually responded.

“That's awful.” The adventurer with scars on his face smiled as he heard the merchant’s confession. 

He was only working as a mercenary who ran different errands. So for as long as he was getting paid, he didn't really care about others, no matter how awful they actually were.

Aya, on the other hand, began muttering to herself as she was looking at the floor, almost motionless from the sudden truth that had just been shoved at her. 

“...mom….. Dad…are…...?” 

While tears could be seen in her eyes some moments ago, right now, Aya’s eyes were losing their light as the white part of her hair was beginning to spread out to the rest of the brown parts.

The merchant and the adventurer beside him also noticed this weird behavior, which is why they didn’t say anything. 

They knew that something must’ve been wrong, and it was going to be a matter of time before her hair would turn completely white. And in order to forget this small detail about her, the merchant thought of using her as a rare product.

After Aya’s hair had become almost completely white, the darkness around her was starting to spread, and her eyes were getting more tired.

“Well, this is how this world works. Sorry, little girl, but you're just going to accept your fate and pray that your new master won't kill you.” 

The warrior said to the pitiful-looking girl, who no longer raised her head. Even though he was the one who kidnapped her, he somehow felt that what he was doing was wrong.

In his eyes, however, this was just another casual job for which he was well compensated by this slave trader. The fact that this girl was experiencing all of this terrible stuff right now was only because of her weakness. If she wasn’t so weak, then none of this would’ve happened.

“You may leave, Ramon.” 

The merchant gave a sigh before letting the warrior with a scar on his eye and nose leave the room. 

“I will give your payment as usu….” 

*thump thump* *thump thump* *thump thump*

However, both the merchant and the warrior next to him suddenly froze up as they felt a sudden cold feeling on their backs. Their hearts were beating much faster, as if a sense within them was giving them the instinct to run away. 

“....???!?”

“W-what i-is… t-this?!”

Both the merchant and the adventurer were on their guard as they were scanning the whole room for any potential assassins. They knew that whoever that assassin was, it was an incredibly experienced one.

While the merchant was trying to understand this sense of danger, the adventurer kept his guard up as he understood what this sense of danger was…

A killing intent!

‘But from where!?’ The adventurer questioned himself while trying to figure out where this killing intent came from.

“.......”

He looked all around the spots in the room until his eyes finally met the chained girl whose hair was turning completely white. Her head was completely hung low, so they all assumed that she simply passed out from shock.

But that was the real situation in this room. Because that killing intent was definitely coming from the chained girl.

As the adventurer was carefully looking at the girl, he saw in a split second as she broke from the chains, allowing her to get up. Her head was slightly hung forward, making it hard for the kidnappers to see what sort of expression she was making.

“....H-how did you break free from your chains?!” 

The fat merchant tried inquiring with a stern, trembling voice as he tried suppressing his shaking hands from that killing intent. 

“........” Aya did not give any replies. 

She stood still for a few moments as the two men watched her with caution, not wanting to do anything reckless right away. Her menacing display didn't last long before she jumped from where she was and dashed over to the fat merchant in an instant.

“W-whAgh!?” 

The fat merchant was taken aback for a moment as his eyes couldn't grasp how fast she closed her distance with him. But before he could get a grasp of what just happened, the fat merchant found himself tripping on the floor while the white-haired girl was on top of him.

“Ghk?! AGH!” 

His breathing was getting harder as a heavy pressure could be felt on his neck. But as soon as his eyes and mind knew what was happening, the fat merchant understood that he was being strangled by two powerful hands that wouldn't let him go. 

The long, slender girl, who seemed weak and fragile on the outside, had become two powerful claws that were about to break the neck of the fat merchant.

“Y-yyou….ghk!..... S-stupid…. agh!.... Brat!.......” 

The fat merchant glared at the girl in hatred and frustration. The fact that a mere piece of merchandise was strangling him to death, was something that he had never expected or experienced before.

“... I w-will…..” 

He continued to curse with all of his might, only releasing small sounds. But what the fat merchant soon realized was that he was running out of air. His voice was getting weaker, and his eyes were beginning to let out tears due to the pressure on his neck.

As the claw-like hands were choking him, he got a grasp of the girl's cold eyes through her hair, which were devoid of emotion.

The fat merchant was always treated as a privileged person, which is why he never used to feel this weak. And right now, a feeling of fear was implanted in the merchant's eyes the moment he understood that, right now, he wasn't invisible anymore…. 

As the fat merchant was trying to stop the death claw like the hands of the little girl, who wasn’t budging from her position, his eyes rolled up in order to seek help from his employee. 

“...cougH!!!..... H-hel.....” 

However, the adventurer with the scars that he had employed was nowhere to be found. 

“.....Ghk!!....”

The merchant’s eyes widened in fear and sorrow when the guardian he had hired to kidnap not only Aya but many other products as well wasn't there. 

And right now, when he needed him the most, he was gone from the room.

‘That, bastard!!!!!!!!’ The fat merchant cursed, as he was unable to breathe anymore. 

The claw-like hands that were choking him were beginning to get tighter and tighter until, in the next moment….. a snapping sound was heard.

*Crack*

“Agk……”

The cracking sound of his neck was followed by a gasp of shock as his eyes rolled all the way back while his mouth remained open.

“........” 

And Aya, whose eyes remained dead on the inside, continued looking at the unmoving merchant for a moment before letting go of his neck. 

Aya’s hands slightly trembled for a moment before she got up and took all of her equipment, which was on the main desk that the merchant used. Her eyes remained hidden behind her hair and her lips had relaxed into a thin horizontal line.

Once she checked everything that she had, she headed out of the room until she came to a stop in the hallway of this mansion. Her eyes remained the same as she looked at the darker part of the place where the sunlight couldn't reach.

“That was quite the strength you showed.” 

Through the shadows of the hallways, a figure walked forward, revealing itself in front of Aya. That person was the same adventurer who had many scars throughout his body.

“.....you are also evil.” 

Aya spoke with a stern tone in her voice as her eyes narrowed at the warrior in front of her. 

“....because of evil people like you, many of us have to suffer.”

“Hahahaha. Evil people like me, you say?” The adventurer with scars laughed at the nickname that was given to him. 

“....”

“If I'm considered part of those evil people you claim, then I'm afraid to tell you that this world is much worse than it seems to be.”

Aya gripped her dagger at the words that the warrior who kidnapped her said. She didn't want to say anything back to his statement, not because she was afraid, but because she knew that what he was saying had some sort of truth to it.

In this world, no matter how kind you are to one person, they shouldn't expect the same treatment to be given back to them. 

And this was something that Aya had experienced herself when working with other adventurers who only used her as bait to tire off many monsters.

Until that point, she only used her skills for others without thinking about herself at all. But right now, she had finally given away all of the hope and kindness that she had shown to others.

“But I understand your situation very well, to the point where I can say that I was once in your position in the past.”

“.....” Aya only glared at the statement that this person just made.

“That's why I will offer you this. I can introduce you to a secret group of people that can help you grow stronger. They aren't ordinary people, which makes this offer almost irresistible, not because they will back you up but because their only goal is to bring down evil from this world.” The warrior stated with a stern look on his face. 

The warrior didn't hold any weapon in his hands, not because he was confident he could take the girl head-on, but because he knew that Aya was going to join this group no matter what. She was like him, after all.

Aya, on the other hand, simply showed her clenched teeth in anger before charging towards the warrior who had offered this kind of chance. 

She wasn't like him! She wasn't going to follow that kind of path, no matter what! She is the one who decides what happens next! 

That's why, without hesitation, she threw one of her daggers at his face.

The warrior, who was taken aback for a moment, immediately pulled out his long knife and blocked the girl's dagger, which was some centimeters away from his face. 

“I’ll take that as a no, then?”

After her first attack was blocked, Aya quickly took a few steps back and used her ‘Muscle Boost’ skill to enhance her speed and get behind her target. That way, she was able to quickly position herself in a blind spot so the warrior wouldn't be able to dodge.

However, the moment she tried stabbing his kidney, the warrior with scars disappeared from his position, leaving behind an afterimage, which Aya thought was him.

“...I'm sorry, but you're too slow to get to my blind spot that easily.” The warrior said as he reappeared right behind Aya.

“?!..” 

Aya quickly turned around with a discombobulated look on her face at the speed that this warrior just showed. But before she could even get a glance at her target, she was met with the warrior's knee right on her stomach. Then, before she could fall to the ground in pain, the warrior managed to instantly knock Aya out with a hand chop on her neck.

“So young, yet so much hatred within her. She could be a great resource in the group.” 

The warrior with scars on his face concluded as he saw the unconscious girl on the ground.

“...hm?”

But just as he was about to make a decision in his mind, he noticed the girl, whom he had knocked out, get up once again.

“You’re still conscious even after that?!” 

The warrior inquired with a surprised look on his face. He was sure that the girl was knocked out for good, so how come she was still able to get up?

He remained on guard for a moment while looking at the girl in front of him. He was quite confident in his skills, which was why he was unsure what was going on.

Does this girl have more potential than he thought she had? Was what he thought at that moment.

The adventurer looked at the girl in front of him as she was slapping the dirt off her shirt before giving a tired sigh.

“....seems like the experiment is over.” 

But what made the warrior even more confused was the fact that she no longer held any sort of hatred or killing intent within her. Even her voice sounded much different than before.

“What are you…talking about….” The warrior tried questioning the confusing words that the girl just said. 

Did she finally lose it, or did he hit her way too hard to the point where she couldn't think straight?

“And to think that you tried to persuade her to join a dubious pyramid scheme.” The white-haired girl fixed the fronts of her hair, fully revealing how her eyes had changed from their natural color to the color red. 

If someone saw her, they would clearly tell that she was way too similar to a demon.

“....Wha….?!” 

The warrior responded with narrowed eyes while looking suspiciously at the girl, whose way of talking had just changed. 

“I already told you about the existence of this group. Allowing you to freely leave is not an option anymore.” 

The white-haired girl let out a sigh before looking back at the warrior with scars on his body.

“I guess I can say—” 

And as she was talking to the warrior in front of her, the white-haired girl raised her hand and created an airblade that immediately cut off the head of the warrior. There was barely any sound, and the speed of the airblade was so fast that even the warrior did not react in time.

“—the same to you.”

The warrior, who was left confused about the weird behavior of the potential girl he was going to invite to this group, could only see with widened eyes as he saw his world turning upside down.

‘....why is my body over there?’ 

The warrior questioned the way his vision rotated until he was able to see his headless body, which fell motionless on the floor. 

For the next ten seconds, his consciousness remained intact as he watched a being with glowing red eyes staring at his separated head while his eyes were only partially open.

The white-haired girl who mercilessly killed the warrior with a swing of her hand turned towards the window as she saw that many people were rushing towards the mansion to see what was happening. 

Despite the fact that she managed to kill two people in this mansion, Hiroki, who was now in control of the body, made another decision.

“If they decided to kidnap Aya, I'm sure that they hid this from the public eye. Getting away without being seen from here is the safest option for both me and Aya.” 

Hiroki concluded, as he was about to leave this place using Aya’s body.

* * *

Everything around was grayish, as if everything that could be seen was a fabricated world. 

While the surroundings were slightly blurry, as if this were being seen by a distant memory of a person, a certain girl could be seen walking towards the house of a village.

“Mom, Dad!” 

The girl called out to her parents, who were just back from working in their fields.

“Aya, what is it? I'm just about to make dinner, so you’re going to have to wait a little bit.” 

The mother responded with tired-looking eyes to the excited girl, who seemed eager to speak to her parents.

“I found someone who can finally help with our debt! We don't have to worry about our situation anymore!!” The excited girl exclaimed at the confused-looking parents.

Both the mother and father looked at one another in confusion before looking at what their daughter was talking about.

“Aya… what do you…..”

The father attempted to question what his daughter was talking about, but before he could even finish his sentence, a weird man walked in front of the entrance of the house, surprising both parents.

“Good evening, sir, and ma'am.” 

A certain fat man wearing classic and fancy clothes introduced himself with a friendly smile on his face. 

“I’ve been informed by this kind girl about your situation. And I won't lie — I was touched by your situation. That's why, if you are interested, I may perhaps give you some help.”

The father, who was also the head of the family, put his wife and daughter behind him while looking confusedly at this man. 

“W-what sort of help might you be suggesting? Me and my family don't have anything worth selling. So I'm not sure what you’re talking about.”

“I'm a man of my words, mister. Moreover, the work I do is a promising enterprise. I'm willing to give you a loan of three hundred coins if you are interested.” The fat merchant explained.

The little girl who had brought this man home also listened in excitement at the luck that she had brought home. If this man truly helps her parents, then all of their struggles with their financial situation will be solved.

Or at least that's what she thought after the father agreed to take a loan from this certain man.

The merchant gave a brief explanation to the father about how this loan was going to work. 

And in the end, making the father sign the papers with his own blood. 

But what the mother was afraid of was that there was definitely something weird written on the paper. She wanted to mention that to her husband, but at that point, it was already too late.

Life in this family was getting much healthier, and the little girl was happy to see that there was enough food on the table for each member of the family.

But as time went by, both the father and the mother became anxious and troubled. Aya couldn't understand why. But soon, the same fat merchant she had brought to the family had returned. 

“Aya, stay hidden! And do not come out no matter what!!!” 

Inside a covert cabin, where this small house stored all food during the winter, the father instructed Aya as he spoke to her.

Aya was confused at that time, but once the fat merchant had entered the house, she noticed that he wasn't alone. Two other scary-looking men were on each of his sides.

“It's already been more than three months, and I still haven't received my payment back. I know I told you I'm a man of my word, but getting lied to like this is something that I do not appreciate.” The fat merchant looked to his side with a fake forlorn expression on his face as he said.

“N-no, we were going to pay you! But all of the vegetables we were going to sell were destroyed by wild animals! P-please you have to give us more time!!” The father begged.

“I'm not someone who is patient, so how do you think this will get solved?”

The moment the fat merchant inquired, with a smirk on his face, the father's face widened in shock, while the mother could only show signs of crying. Both of them knew very well what was going to happen next.

The fat merchant had not brought two of those mercenaries to his side for no reason. Struggling was futile…

“I understand…. We will comply... Just don't hurt my wife.”

And just like that, Aya saw through the gaps of the hidden place as both her mother and father were chained up like slaves and taken away. Her eyes widened in shock and fear at what was happening. And all because she brought that man to this house…

She knew that the house was no longer a place where she could stay, which is why she made the decision to get stronger and earn money as a way of taking her parents back.

She already knows a few moves and knife movements thanks to her father's teaching, and writing and reading thanks to her mother. If she used what she knew, she was sure that everything was going to be fine….

Or at least that's what she thought at that moment as her whole world started to collapse as if everything that she had experienced until this point was nothing else but a fabricated world that she was replaying in her mind the whole time.

With tired-looking eyes, Aya slowly opened her eyes and quickly realized that what she just experienced was nothing more than a dream.

She had failed…..

And as she was regaining her clear vision from her tired and sleepy eyes, she realized that she had woken up right back at the house where she would usually sleep. 

“Are you feeling okay? You can sleep longer if you’re still tired.” A familiar voice inquired on her side.

Aya immediately knew who that voice belonged to, that's why she didn't bother turning on her side to see him.

“....it wasn't a dream….” tiredly said the white-haired girl as she put her arm over her eyes.

“I'm sorry that I wasn't able to help you with your situation.” 

Hiroki apologized as he was looking at the rather defeated girl on the bed. Right now he was standing right near the window, being cautious of any suspicious individuals who might pass by near the abandoned house.

He didn't want to cause any more stress to this girl, which is why he kept a certain distance without causing her too much stress.

“...If we had met much sooner. None of this would’ve happened.” Hiroki tried to be reassuring.

“....no…. it was all because of my incompetence…. I was fooled not once but twice by that man.” Aya winced as she clenched one of her fists in frustration. 

“......” Hiroki remained silent while trying to listen to her story.

“I was the one who sold my parents to that slave merchant... Only because I wanted to feel like a normal family... Because I was selfish...”

Aya kept her face hidden, not because she didn't want Hiroki to see the state she was in but because she was scared to know how he was going to respond to the sinful and selfish way she had acted.

She sold and killed her parents. She was guilty! It was all her fault that all of this happened!

“What's wrong with being selfish? There is no reason to feel guilty or ashamed about wanting something that is challenging to obtain.”

However, what Hiroki said next made Aya flinch for a moment. 

She wanted to be called guilty, which is why she didn't expect the response that Hiroki just gave her. 

It shook her to the core, to the point where she would cry again. But she forced herself to stay calm... Crying right now wouldn't bring her parents back.

"Many humans are driven by a greed that grows stronger the more they earn power and money. They work, eat, sleep, think, and seek every second of their lives. And what's funny is that none of them realize that.” 

Hiroki looked out of the window as he continued speaking to Aya. 

“If you think that what you did was shameful, then I'm afraid to tell you that other people in this world are much worse. You might as well call them demons from the number of sins they have committed.”

As she was listening to what Hiroki was saying, Aya let out a snort while trying to prevent herself from laughing.

“...Calling everyone a demon is something unheard of.”

“I don't know how demons act, but everyone in this world might be in an even worse state than them.” Hiroki slightly smiled while looking down on the girl lying on the bed.

Aya, who had been hiding her tired face behind her arm the entire time, slowly moved her arm, revealing her tired face and looking at Hiroki on her side. 

While she still had light injuries and visible scars from the chains she just ripped off, she still kept her calm composure.

“....thank you for remaining by my side…” Aya gave a pained, yet thankful, smile as she was looking at Hiroki.

She knew the importance her relationship with Hiroki held, which is why she was very thankful for him being with her this whole time.

“Don't need to thank me. You’re the one who's helping me after all.” 

Hiroki responded while keeping his nonphysical hands wrapped around one another. 

“But forget about that. I really insist that you take a rest right now. Your body is still recovering from breaking your limits today.”

Aya, who then slowly laid her body on the side facing the window, looked at Hiroki with raised and lonely brows.

“Then, do you mind if you sleep with me?” 

Hiroki's eyes widened briefly before slowly closing and floating over the bed as if sleeping on it.

“If that's what will make you sleep, then I'm okay with it.”

Hiroki wanted to keep her body in top shape, which is why he tried to make Aya have enough rest from overworking her body. 

He can't sleep in the first place, which is why he had to pretend to be sleeping by lying on the bed.

Aya, who was still lying on her side, buried half of her slightly flushed face while looking at Hiroki, who was only a few centimeters away. Even though she couldn't touch him, it almost felt like he was sleeping with her.

Then after some brief moments, she closed her eyes…

* * *

In the following days, Aya acted mostly as Hiroki had instructed her to. 

Starting with how their money was managed and how she grew stronger as she took on more quests. Aya’s injuries, while mostly light ones, were quick to heal because of the potions that she bought thanks to the saved up money they now had.

But right now, they still had one problem that needed to be solved. And that was the condition of this house. Even if it could be a good hideout for criminals, it would still stand out if the neighbors noticed how a girl was regularly coming in and out of that abandoned place.

One particular day, after both Aya and Hiroki were done with their quests for the day, they headed back to the guild to get their rewards.

“Here you go, Aya. A whole amount of 3 gold coins for all the rare herbs and 10 more gold coins for the mythical bones you brought. Thank you for your hard work.” The same receptionist who helped Aya said this as she gave her a bag of coins inside it.

Aya, with a slight and confident smile on her face, took the bag of money and placed it in her personal pouch.

“I'm only doing my job. You don't need to thank me.” Aya responded.

Since there weren't many other adventurers at this time, the receptionist leaned on her desk while looking at the young girl in front of her.

“You’ve changed… Aya.” The receptionist said so with puffy cheeks that were lying on the hard desk.

“...Really?” Aya asked with a rather surprised look on her face.

“Yes. How do I say this…. You seem more... mature?” 

The receptionist tried guessing in a rather questing way while trying to judge the difference that Aya had compared to her past self.

“Even your hair has changed.” The receptionist told the white-haired girl, “You did say it was because of a weird curse that a plant released, but that kind of answer won't reassure many other people. That's why I'm a bit worried about you. Many young girls like you would be very nervous or scared about their hair…”

Aya slightly smiled at the worried look on the receptionist's face. 

“I'm not scared because I have you. Even if other people look at me weirdly, I'm fine with it for as long as I can manage on my own. I guess that this might’ve been the price I paid just so I could become stronger.”

The receptionist's eyes widened in surprise before she looked at the way the once introverted girl had turned out. 

She understood that Aya had gone through a lot, which is why she only smiled in response to the friendship that Aya confirmed with her. She also knew that Aya’s parents were taken as slaves. However, she also wanted the girl to smile, which is why she didn't want to bother her with questions that might take away that smile.

“...Oh, right.” 

The receptionist suddenly stood straight before pulling up a quest that was lying on her desk. 

”The guild finally got the quest that you requested a few days ago.”

Aya took the quest and looked at all the information that was written on it.

“This is a recent dungeon that was discovered near Frol town. While it still hasn't posed any danger to the town, there have been a few reports of powerful monsters lurking around.” The receptionist carefully explained. 

“...Nn.”

“Are you still sure you want to go there?”

Aya smiled while looking at the information on the paper before looking back again at the receptionist.

“Yes.” And with a confident look, she gave her final answer.

“Haa…. Alright, then once you return, our guild would be glad to buy all of the materials for you at a reasonable price.” The receptionist calmly said.

After greeting the receptionist, Aya took the paper containing the dungeon's location and looked at it as if reading it aloud.

“Do you think this will work out for us?” She questioned.

~If it's a real dungeon, then yes, it will help us considerably. ~ 

Hiroki, who had been possessing Aya the whole time, telepathically responded to her.

“I understand. Then when are we departing?” She continued walking in one direction, trying her best to hide the fact that she was talking to herself.

~Tomorrow, early in the morning, would be our best option. If possible, we should look for a traveling merchant and offer protection in exchange for allowing you to travel to Frol town.~ Hiroki suggested.

“Umu, I understand.” Aya nodded in agreement.

‘I’ve killed many monsters and even humans to this point; that's why I've finally come to the conclusion that the only way for me to gain new skills is through completing dungeons.’ 

Hiroki concluded in his mind. 

‘On the other hand, Aya seemed to be able to gain many points from killing different monsters during our quests. And thanks to that, I was also able to gain a partial view of her points. If I manage to get more pawns linked to me like her, then it wouldn’t take long before my status points would go to sixtuple digits.’

Unaware of the plan the ghost inside her was preparing, she confidently headed back to the house to regroup and gather her belongings.