“So... Is now a good time to say Mary finally agreed to go on a date with me?”

  Having been jogging by his side, Ena misses a step; Only to gre at him immediately as she recovers and catches up. “Sin!”

  “What? I waited until we were outside so she could scream at me without making a scene...”

  “That’s not the point! I can’t believe the reason you took so long was actually because you were flirting with Mary again!”

  “Well, there was also a line I had to get through...”

  “Worst. Boyfriend. Ever!”

  “Forget it, Ena; When it comes to women, he’ll never change,” Eleanor, who is running slightly ahead of them as usual, says, “You’re wasting your breath.”

  “But...! C’mon, you can’t just let him do whatever he wants, El! It isn’t a fair deal for you!”

  “For the record, she is not,” Sincir says.

  “He gave me veto powers,” Eleanor adds.

  “Oh... He did?”

  “Why are you so surprised? Eleanor knew who I was when she decided to jump me, and she knew I already had a girlfriend... But whatever you may think about me, I’m not trying to make her miserable.”

  Ena clenches her jaw. “What about Esme?”

  Sincir blinks. “What? What about her?”

  “Does she also have veto powers?”

  Guessing where this is going, Sincir grimaces. “No, she does not.”

  “Why?”

  He sighs. “Ena...”

  “Tell me!”

  “Because she hasn’t asked for them. Happy?”

  “I’m telling her.”

  “Fuck, whose team are you on, anyway?!”

  “I’m on whatever team protects women from you! I’m telling her!”

  Sincir curses. He wasn’t pnning on having a single girlfriend, but now, not only did he manege to end up with two of them, but they can decide who he does or doesn’t sleep with?

  Where in the fuck did it all go wrong, anyway?

  “What about Mary?! Did she know you are sleeping with a dozen women at once when she agreed to go out with you?!”

  “I don’t know! I’ll probably mention it during our date, but until then, it is none of her business! What, should I go around with the number of women I’m currently seeing with written on my forehead?!”

  “...Not a bad idea, actually,” Eleanor murmurs.

  Ena nods. “I agree... We should make him do it.”

  Sincir groans. “Ena, I don’t care what you talk about with Esme, but if you fuck up my thing with Mary on purpose, I’m making Hanna my bitch, and I’ll fuck her in our living room until I grow tired of it, and then I’ll break her cold little heart into a million pieces... Maybe then she’ll finally learn her lesson!”

  Ena misses another step. “You’re such a fucking asshole!” she screams from behind him.

  “It speaks volumes that you know she’d accept in a heartbeat! Why don’t you try throwing a couple of stones that snake’s direction, every now and then, huh?! I like girls! I don’t wanna hurt them! I’m not forcing any of them to do anything!”

  “Would it kill you to choose one or two, instead of ogling every girl you come across?!”

  “In fact, it would! I’d die of boredom!”

  “What is wrong with you?!”

  “I was born a demon!”

  “You were born a human, this time around!”

  “My Soul is still as dark as a starless night, thank you very much!”

  “Idiot, that’s not a good thing!”

  “Some people like bck!”

  “You’re just afraid of commitment! Pussy! Coward!”

  “Says the girl who has never committed herself to a single retionship in her whole life! How many of the boys you liked did you confess to, huh?! What’s stopping you from building your own harem, Ena?!”

  “Creator, you’re such a fucking asshole!”

  “You’ve already said that!”

  Once Eleanor suddenly stops, Sincir nearly bumps against her back, which in turn makes so Ena nearly bumps against his.

  “What...?” Sincir asks breathlessly, “Another stupid fence...?”

  Smiling, Eleanor points toward a group of houses down the small road they’ve been running through. “This should be it,” she says.

  “Great; I’m in the mood for sughtering something, right about now... What are you smiling for?”

  Eleanor shrugs. “Nothing. Let’s go.”

  “Piece of shit pyboy,” Ena whispers as she walks by him.

  “Virgin,” Sincir whispers back.

  Eleanor shakes her head. “I can’t believe you had me as the one who might lose focus.”

  As they begin to walk toward the small group of houses, following after Ena, Sincir sighs. “She is being a brat again and you know it.”

  “You don’t have to lower yourself to her level... Why do you feel so defensive about being called a pyboy, anyway?”

  Because it is true, to some extent, and that bothers him.

  Sincir shrugs. “Coming from anybody else, I probably wouldn’t care.”

  “You know she is like this because she wants you all for herself, right? And I don’t mean as a boyfriend, necessarily.”

  Sincir blinks. “Yeah... I can see it. Even back at the orphanage, she was pissed I invited you to come with us...”

  “Did you ever wonder what it’d have been like, if it were just the two of you?”

  Sincir throws Eleanor a sidelong gnce. However, she is staring at Ena, now a couple of meters ahead of them, and doesn’t meet his gaze.

  “I suppose it’d have been fun... Chances are, I’d have started something with her long ago. I don’t think I’d have been to hold back, if it was just the two of us... She might’ve even been able to convince me into a monogamous retionship.”

  Eleanor raises an eyebrow. “Then I guess the women of Itera have me to bme for their incubus problems.”

  “They have you to thank... But, well, it wouldn’t have sted, regardless. I’d have entertained her for a couple of years, then eventually I wouldn’t be able to suppress my own nature anymore.”

  “She’d kill you.”

  Sincir smiles. “Yeah. It’d have been something to write about, but I bet she’d have forgiving me eventually... I wouldn’t be surprise if we ended up exactly like this, in the end.”

  “Bickering like an old couple?”

  “Yep.”

  “You are made for each other...”

  “I don’t know if I’d go that far...”

  Now that they’re closer from the houses, Sincir realizes they’re very simir to most of what he has seen so far in Elderspire’s countryside, if in a worse, more run down state. Other than that, this particur farm seems rather focused on its orchard, which extends beyond the small group of houses for as far as he can see.

  “Do you think they’d let us grab some, if we asked nicely?”

  “If you had read the contracts, you’d know the reason we were called is because their fruits are being stolen...”

  “Look, I see someone by their well; Let’s go ask about the situation.”

  Eleanor sighs.

  Since Ena is still slightly ahead of them, she reaches the young boy drawing water before they do...

  “Hey, boy. Green things. We kill. Where?”

  Eleanor hits the back of her head, hard.

  “I’m sorry about her,” she then says as she smiles and turns toward the now wide-eyed boy, “We’re adventurers. Do you happen to know about a goblin sying request posted by your parents or neighbors?”

  “It was a joke...” Ena murmurs under her breath, “You didn’t have to hit me that hard...”

  “Damn bastards been stealing from us for weeks,” the boy says after a nod of understanding toward Eleanor’s words, “Killed our guard dogs, broke through our fence... You’ll find their trail in the forest, beyond the orchard.”

  Eleanor nods. “We’ll be going at once, then. Warn some of the grown-ups we’re here after you’re done with the water, all right?”

  As they head into the orchard, Sincir throws Eleanor a look.

  “What?” she asks.

  “So, you can do it if you try...”

  Eleanor grimaces. “Of course I’m capable of gentleness; It just so happens the both of you seldom deserve any.”

  “I can see why you’d say that about Ena-”

  “Shove it, Sin.”

  Nonchantly grabbing a hanging tangerine once he walks by it, Sincir casually begins to peel it as he continues, “Point in case. Anyway, I can think of at least a couple of situations where-”

  “There were no such situations!” Eleanor cuts in, “And what did I tell you about the fruits?!”

  “C’mon, I’m sure they won’t mind it if their saviors eat one or two... Here, I’ll give you some.”

  “That’s not the point! It’s unprofessional to-”

  Briefly activating a speed buff, Sincir quickly pces one of the fruit’s segments in between Eleanor’s lips, who freezes mid-sentence.

  “...I can’t believe you used magic for that,” Ena says, after closing her hanging jaw, “If she jumps on your throat, I’m not helping.”

  Visibly fuming, Eleanor stares at him for a full five seconds, before spitting the fruit at his feet.

  “Hey, don’t waste food! Here, Ena, have one.”

  Ena rolls her eyes, but she does grab the piece he throws in her direction.

  “Sweet? Or sour?”

  As she chews, Ena makes a face. “...Ew. Definitely sour,” she murmurs after swallowing.

  Sincir grimaces. “Fuck. Eleanor-”

  “Beg on your knees, and I’ll eat it.”

  “Ena-”

  “Sorry, but no sorry. You’ve brought it on yourself, Sin.”

  Damn it.

  “...Anyway, I’ve been thinking about this for a while now, but you’re awfully serious about being a proper adventurer, Eleanor. I’m pretty sure most of our fellow guild mates don’t take it as seriously as you do.”

  Ena chuckles. “She was the same when we were barmaids. She made no secret about hating the job, but she’d still do it properly, no matter what... I bet she is the type who would work properly even if her job was to clean the sewers.”

  “You know, instead of making fun of her, maybe you should take from her example a little, Ena...”

  Ena throws him a dirty look. “You’re the st person I want to hear that from.”

  Sincir shrugs. “Killing and sex are my areas of expertise. I’d be gd to show you what I can do, but I’m afraid you might never recover from the experience.”

  “Hirious,” Ena retorts drily, “If you ever do kill me, make sure to do it fast, so I don’t have to hear your voice while it-”

  “Fuck! Why is this so damn sour!?”

  “Divine punishment,” both Eleanor and Ena say at once.

  Sincir rolls his eyes.

  Thankfully, by this point they’re able to see the orchard’s fence, an opportunity which he uses to swiftly rid himself of the remaining accursed fruit, while pointing ahead. “Okay, let’s focus... No more idle talk from now on.”

  The girls throw him dirty looks, but Eleanor raises a hand before Ena can retort. “He is right. They might hear us coming if we continue making so much noise... Let’s keep our voice down.”

  Ena sighs, but she does nod. “That fence doesn’t look like it was done with goblins in mind... It’s probably supposed to keep animals away. Do you think we could find those holes if we look for them?”

  “Worth a try, I suppose. Let’s run.”

  Once they start running alongside it, it doesn’t take long for Sincir and the girls to spot a couple of hastily patched spots on the wooden fence separating the orchard from the forest.

  “They must be a new group, if they’re being this careless,” Eleanor murmurs under her breath, “I doubt it’ll be hard to find them... Let’s go.”

  Sincir does have some experience with tracking, but most of it doesn’t rete to a forest ndscape, and so he allows Eleanor to take the lead of their small group, who in turn, takes the time to point Ena toward the tracks she finds throughout the forest every couple of minutes.

  Sincir can see she put a lot of effort into developing her tracking skills during this past year... He wonders if she had someone teach her, at some point.

  “We’re drawing close to their camp... See? This is still wet,” Eleanor murmurs under her breath an hour or so after they’ve started tracking the goblins.

  “Ew... How do you even know that’s goblin poop?”

  “It looks close to a human’s, doesn’t it? You’ll be able to identify it with practice.”

  “I’m not sure I want to...”

  “Stop being a crybaby!” Eleanor hisses, “Do you think I enjoy this?!”

  Ena cringes. “Sorry, El... I’ll take it seriously, promise. Still, they could at least bury their mess... Don’t most animals do at least that much?”

  Eleanor sighs. “If they did, we wouldn’t be able to find them as easily. The older a tribe, the more cunning and dangerous they become... Let’s go, they must be close,” she finishes while rising and throwing away the stick she used to point out the goblins’ waste.

  “Should I try to find them again?” Sincir offers.

  “No, not this time... There’s no need. You two climb one of the trees and stay quiet. I’ll attract them.”

  Sincir rises an eyebrow, but doesn’t question her methods... Once he and Ena have climbed as instructed, Eleanor walks back in the direction of the orchard for a bit, hiding herself behind a tree.

  A moment ter, Sincir hears the loud cries of a wounded animal... Or at least, something very resembling of it. The cries don’t st for very long, only ten seconds of so, after which the surrounding grove grows deadly quiet.

  Sincir has to admit he is impressed... He wonders if the goblins will bite. Meeting Ena’s gaze across the branches in between them, he signals for her to stay readied.

  They don’t have to wait for long before the first green creature shows up, slowly encroaching closer as it smells the air and growls softly.

  Although the goblin is soon almost beneath them, Sincir signals for Ena to wait... And sure enough, more of them begin to appear before long, red eyes gleaming greedily in the dim shadows of the grove below.

  Sincir counts thirteen of them...

  He can see Ena is tense, her hand clenching harder around the pommel of her sword the closer the goblins draw from their position; Still, he signals for her to wait...

  When the st of the goblins has walked by them, Sincir finally gives the signal for the attack.

  No more than a second ter, Ena’s figure is mid-air, sword unsheathed as she strikes down at the nearest goblin, cleanly cutting it from left shoulder to right side.

  Sincir has time to spot her heading for the next goblin before he makes his own attack, severing the spine of his target with his dagger.

  The creatures scream, but their reaction is far too deyed to matter, and another two of their brethren have become corpses before the first of them attempts to run away.

  Too little, too te...

  Compared to their first hunt, a measly thirteen goblins are barely enough for a warm up; By the time Eleanor joins the fight, almost casually twisting the neck of a fleeing goblin with a kick (the poor creature never saw her coming), only a single green creature remains, its back pressed against a tree as it stares at the three of them with bulged eyes.

  The creature hyperventites, clearly in desperate search of a way to escape its eminent death...

  “I’ll do it,” Ena says, before either Sincir or Eleanor have a chance to stop her.

  Her face is sickly pale and spshed with a couple droplets of blood, by it showcases her determination as she steps toward the st remaining goblin...

  The creature lunges at her, swinging its cw, and Ena steps back, rotates her body, then swings her sword, cleanly beheading it.

  In the following silence, her heavy breathing fills their surroundings. Gncing toward the small body at her feet, Ena swallows. “Should we... look for their camp now?”

  “There is no need,” Eleanor says, “This was a small, newly created tribe... If there are more of them, they’ll struggle to survive on their own, and they’ll leave this area. Our job here is done.”

  Ena nods... Then she swallows again. Her face isn’t growing any less pale.

  Sincir sighs. “Me and Eleanor will cut off the ears. Rest for a bit... But don’t go too far, okay?”

  Ena nods... Once Eleanor extends one of their canteens in her direction, she blinks, murmuring a thanks.

  “Don’t use all of the water, and remember to clean your sword before sheathing it.”

  As Sincir watches Ena walking away from the bloodied mess they’ve created, he shakes his head.

  “She is far too nice for her own good... She didn’t need to force herself to kill the st one.”

  Eleanor, being already on her knees to extract the first ear, shakes her head. “A cornered opponent is trice as dangerous... You are the one who taught us that, Sincir. We didn’t come here to fight goblins... We came here to kill them. She knows that, and she is trying to come to terms with it in her own way.”

  Sincir sighs. “Well, I don’t have to like seeing her in that state, do I?”

  “Stop winning and come help me.”

  Once they’ve removed the goblins’ ears, Sincir whistles for Ena to come back, and their trio starts a silent jog back toward the orchard.

  Although the mood is heavy, it isn’t exactly uncomfortable, and so he doesn’t say anything... He is sure Ena has a lot to think about.

  Once they return, having crossed through the orchard again, a man middle-aged man is waiting near its edge, perking up as he spots them.

  “I’ll go report about the job,” Eleanor says, to which Sincir nods.

  “We’ll wait by the trail.”

  Ena is still silent as they walk through the small group of houses toward the trail they used to get here, her gaze distant and her expression thoughtful.

  “How are you doing?” Sincir asks, attracting her attention.

  “...I’m fine. Not exactly happy... But I’ll survive.”

  “You can talk to me, if you think it’ll make you feel any better... I know a thing or to about these things.”

  As they stop to wait for Eleanor, Ena throws him a look.

  “Right, you probably do. Say, Sin... Do you think they have Souls?”

  “Goblins...?” Sincir considers it for a moment, then shrugs. “I’m not sure. If they are anything like humans, then there is a good chance they’re bound to whatever God or Goddess created them... My guess is that they’ll reincarnate somewhere as new goblins, but who knows? At the very least, they can’t contract with demons, or pact with angels, which means they aren’t going to Heaven or Hell when they die.”

  Ena sighs. “I hope there’s somewhere nice for them out there.”

  Well, considering goblins’ nature, a nice pce for them would probably be a terrible pce for everybody else... But then again, as a former demon, maybe he shouldn’t be so hasty to judge. Perhaps a goblin version of Varzath the Demon Lord is out there, struggling against his own nature, and that of his people, to create a world freed from cruelty...

  ...Ugh. If so, Sincir hopes they never meet. Varzath wasn’t all that nice, after all.

  “You have a funny look on your face, Sin.”

  “...No, I don’t. Anyway, I’m sure they have a kingdom or two somewhere... You don’t need to worry so much. It is unfortunate they have no pce here, and that it is our job to make sure they understand that, but don’t let it get to you, okay? Somebody else would’ve gotten rid of them, sooner or ter.”

  “...Sounds like an excuse.”

  Sincir sighs. “It doesn’t sound like it; It is one... One to make sure you’re able to sleep at night.”

  Ena rolls her eyes. “Does it work for you?”

  He chuckles. “Naw... For me, fucking until I passed out used to do the trick.”

  Ena groans, then facepalms. “Should have guessed as much... What is taking El so long, anyway?”

  Turning toward Eleanor, Sincir realizes she is locked in some sort of argument with the man from earlier... She does not seem happy.

  “Sin... What about half-bloods?”

  Sincir blinks. Looking at Ena, who is still staring at Eleanor, he frowns. “Is that what you were thinking about?”

  Ena smiles self-deprecatingly. “I’m a piece of shit, aren’t I? We killed those goblins, and it was so easy... I can’t stop thinking...”

  She swallows.

  “Listen, you’re not a piece of shit. Realizing one’s own mortality is common when faced with death, even if they were the ones doing the killing. Thinking about it is natural... But if you’re afraid you’re just going to disappear when you die because you’re not pure enough for either side, then I wouldn’t worry about it.”

  Ena looks at him, eyes filled by unfallen tears, as she shakes her head. “How can you be so sure? I can tell even you doesn’t know everything about Souls...”

  “I know a nephilim’s Soul is bound to Heaven, and a half-demon’s Soul is bound to Hell... I won’t pretend to know where elves end up, but I’m almost certain you’re going there. If not, then you’ll reincarnate as a human... But none of this matters, because you’re not dying. Not now, or ever.”

  Ena snorts, shaking her head again as she wipes her cheeks and smiles. “I can’t tell if you’re fucking with me or not...”

  “I’m not.”

  Once she meets his gaze, probably realizing he is serious, Ena bites her lip.

  “...How can you know that?”

  “Because I’ll make it happen.”

  “That’s... Not very fair for the goblins, is it?”

  Sincir snorts. “No, it’s not. But I can’t protect the whole universe, so I’ll pick my fights.”

  Ena lowers her gaze. She sniffs, and then finally smiles. “...Thank you, Sin.”

  “You’re welcomed.”

  Raising her gaze once more to meet his, Ena steps forward and wraps her arms around him, shocking Sincir, though he does return her hug after a moment, tapping her back lightly.

  “Not just for this,” she murmurs, “I don’t know where I’d have been today, if I had never met you... And I know I can act like a brat sometimes, but that doesn’t mean I’m not grateful... P-please don’t hate me, okay...?”

  Sincir sighs. “Idiot, as if I could ever hate you... There’s no need for something like this. C’mon, Eleanor is coming back.”

  Ena finally pulls away, having to wipe her face again as she does so.

  As she approaches the two of them, Eleanor raises an eyebrow. “What happened?” she asks.

  “Nothing... Ena was feeling down because of the goblins.”

  Seeing Ena is still trying to recompose herself, Eleanor throws the other girl a look of undisguised disdain. “Are you sure you don’t want to go back to being a barmaid?”

  Ena flips her the finger. “Shut up, El... Not everybody is born a heartless bastard like you.”

  Eleanor rolls her eyes. “Whatever you say...”

  “What was going on back there?” Sincir asks, looking to change the subject before it can devolve into a real fight.

  Eleanor grimaces. “The clueless piece of shit wanted us to go back and check on their camp... Called us zy. You don’t see me trying to tell these bumpkins how to pnt trees, and yet at every opportunity they have...!”

  Sincir presses his lips together in order to contain his ughter. “Sorry... I can deal with them from now on, if you want me to?”

  “It’s fine. Seeing the look in their faces when I tell them to shove their compints is about the most fun part of these jobs, anyway... Are you going back now?”

  Sincir nods. “I’ll have to. Collin’s associate is supposed to pick me up at some point in the afternoon... I can’t risk not being there when they show up.”

  Ena throws Eleanor a look. “Does that mean we’re on our own for the next contract?”

  “Eleanor, come here for a bit,” Sincir calls.

  She shrugs, and together, they walk for a bit, moving away from Ena, who rolls her eyes as she watches them go.

  “...What?” Eleanor asks once they’ve moved far away enough not be heard, blue eyes gleaming with annoyance as she stops and meets his gaze. “If you’re going to tell me I should be nicer to her-”

  Sincir kisses her.

  “...Be nicer to her,” he murmurs against her lips once they’ve both grown out of breath, “You’re older, and so you’re in charge while I’m gone... Take care of her, okay?”

  Being still slightly out of breath, Eleanor stares into his eyes for a moment, then nods.

  Sincir sighs. “If you see an arrow flying in her direction... Push her aside, don’t jump in front of it. Understood?”

  She smiles. “Yeah... Don’t worry, I won’t die so easily, and I won’t allow her to, either.”