After leaving the guild hall, Miri and Anne went to a nearby tavern to get some food, hoping to at least quell the frustration both of them were feeling. For the first couple of minutes of their meal, they ate in relative silence, though Miri seemed to be the only one doing the actual eating as Anne seemed to be lacking appetite.

  “Come on, Anne. Eat up. You need to restore your energy,” Miri urged, feeling a tender concern towards the blonde cleric.

  “I’m not feeling hungry right now,” Anne replied with a timid whisper, clutching her hands and twiddling her thumbs as a display of her inner unease. “After what just happened, I’m pretty sure I’m going to be kicked out of the guild. Oh, not that I’m blaming you, of course. I would never! I appreciate that you stood up for me, but…it’s just that…well…now that I’m guild-less, it’s going to be more difficult to get well-paying jobs from now on.”

  Miri saw how worried Anne was and let out a sigh. “Honestly, I don’t get how you could stand working with those guys. They’re nothing but a bunch of assholes, with a capital ‘A’. How did you even get yourself recruited by those jerks anyway?”

  “Well, it’s not as uncommon as you may think, actually,” Anne explained. “Private guilds often get higher paying jobs than public guilds due to having access to wealthier clients. While private guilds typically hire people of a higher social class, they would occasionally hire someone of a lower social class—usually due to being shorthanded and needing someone to fill the ranks. It’s usually incredibly difficult for a person of a lower social class like me to even get recruited by a private guild in the first place. So when I was approached by the members of Golden Lion to join their guild, I practically jumped at the chance. At first, I was making good money. But then, as time went on…I started noticing the way they treated me…”

  Anne’s hands started shaking as they clenched into fists, her eyes started becoming watery. Miri saw how distraught the timid cleric had become and couldn’t help but sympathize with her situation, extending a hand to hold hers as a way to comfort her.

  “Oh, Anne…” Miri murmured with tender concern.

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  “It’s not like I didn’t notice what they were trying to do…I’m not ignorant of it…” Anne continued with trembling lips, tears started streaming down her cheeks. “...it’s just that the money was too good…and I need to provide for my family back home…so I tried to ignore them…thought that they might eventually stop doing what they’re doing…but…but…after hearing what they just said…hearing what they actually think of me…”

  Anne began breaking down into tears, sobbing and sniffling as her eyes reddened. Feeling instinctively protective of her, Miri stepped forward and wrapped her arms around her—pulling her into a warm, comforting hug.

  “Anne…” Miri murmured, gently brushing and patting the sobbing cleric on the back as a way to soother her crying.

  “Growing up, I was always a frail child…” Anne continued as she sobbed, planting her face against the mage’s chest. “...my family was very poor…despite that, my parents put a lot of effort into taking care of me…spending a great deal of money just to buy medicine to keep me alive…because of that, I always felt like a burden to them. That’s why when I grew up, I practiced healing magic, hoping to keep myself healthy rather than relying on everyone else. Also, I want to give back to my family in return for the kindness they gave me. That’s why I worked so hard to earn money, so I can send it back to them. Generally, being a cleric for an adventurer’s guild is very high-paying, even more so than working as a cleric for a healing temple. That’s why…that’s why I chose to stay for so long. I just don’t want to be a burden to anyone.”

  Miri felt her heart crumble as she listened to Anne’s story. Breaking away from the hug, the mage gazed straight into the cleric’s eyes, her hands cupping her tear-stained cheeks.

  “Hey, Anne. Listen to me…” Miri said, her words pure with sincerity. “You are not a burden to anyone. In fact, you are the best cleric I know. If anything, it’s those douchebag knights who are a burden. They don’t know how to appreciate you. So what if you get kicked out of their fancy, pathetic excuse of a guild? It’s their loss, not yours. Do not think for a second that you are a burden to anyone. Because you’re not. At least, not to me.”

  Hearing those words of reassurance warmed Anne’s heart, causing her crying to subside. “Thank you, Miri. I think I feel a bit better now.”

  “Good,” Miri replied with a warm smile. “Now hurry up and eat the food before it gets cold.”