After a tense moment where everyone slowly relaxed their weapons, something unexpected happened.

  Lydia and Rhys cautiously approached Nox. My massive wolf tilted his head curiously as they drew closer.

  "Oh my god, he's so cute," Lydia said, her voice completely different from the serious mage who'd almost blasted me earlier. "Look at those eyes."

  "Can I...?" Rhys asked, extending her hand slowly toward Nox.

  I nodded, and my wolf sniffed her fingers before allowing her to scratch behind his ears. His tail started wagging, and I heard both women make soft cooing sounds.

  "He's so well-behaved," Rhys marveled. "Most wild wolves would never let strangers this close."

  My attention drifted to the massive corpse lying behind them. The monster was even more impressive up close, easily twenty feet from nose to tail, with scales that shimmered like dark emeralds even in death.

  "That's an A-rank monster, isn't it?" I asked, gesturing toward the fallen creature.

  Marcus nodded grimly. "B-rank at minimum, pushing A-rank territory.”

  “What is it?” I asked.

  “It’s a wyvern. Though they're not supposed to be this far south, but we've been tracking reports of one attacking trade caravans."

  "And you guys just... took it down like it was nothing," I said, unable to hide my amazement.

  Flint snorted. "Nothing? That beast nearly took Marcus’s head off with its tail swipe."

  "Nearly being the key word," Marcus said with a slight grin.

  I stared at the dead wyvern, then back at the group who'd killed it so easily.

  These people were way out of my league.

  Well, for now.

  While Lydia and Rhys continued fussing over Nox, Fei decided he wanted some attention too. The massive eagle spread his wings and let out a soft cry, which immediately drew both women over to him.

  Meanwhile, Leon, Flint, and Marcus had gotten to work on the dead wyvern.

  Watching them was like observing master craftsmen at their trade. Leon worked with surgical precision, his knife finding the exact spots to extract the creature's claws without damaging them. Each talon was easily the size of a dagger, curved and razor-sharp.

  "These'll fetch a good price," Leon said, carefully wrapping each claw in soft leather. "Wyvern talons are perfect for armor-piercing arrows."

  Flint was working on the fangs, using what looked like a specialized tool to remove them from the creature's massive jaw. "Aye, and these beauties will make fine dagger blades. Wyvern bone holds an edge better than most steel."

  Marcus had moved to the creature's hide, methodically skinning sections that looked particularly valuable. "The hide's in good condition too. No major tears from our weapons."

  I watched in fascination as they systematically dismantled the creature, every piece carefully sorted and preserved. Scales went into one pile, organs into specially prepared containers, even the creature's blood was being collected in glass vials.

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  Watching them carve up the wyvern should have been gross as hell—and it was, at first. The wet sounds of the knife cutting through flesh, the smell of blood and entrails, the casual way they handled organs that were still warm.

  But I was starting to get desensitized to it. I mean, I'd already experienced so many things here that would have horrified my old self. Killing monsters, skinning rabbits, watching people die. My perspective had shifted whether I liked it or not.

  "Nothing goes to waste," Leon explained, noticing my stare. "A single A-rank monster can fund a party for months if you know what you're doing."

  By the time they finished, the wyvern had been reduced to neatly organized piles of materials, each portion wrapped and labeled with professional efficiency.

  "And that," Flint said, wiping his hands clean, "is how you properly harvest an A-rank beast."

  "How much is all that worth?" I asked, genuinely curious.

  Marcus looked up from securing the hide. "The materials alone? Probably around fifty gold pieces, maybe more if we find the right buyers."

  Fifty gold. My eyes widened. That was enough to live comfortably for months. And they'd earned it in a single afternoon.

  No wonder people become adventurers, I thought. The money's insane if you can handle the risks.

  "So," Leon said as they finished packing everything away, "do you have any other plans for today?"

  I shook my head. "Just heading back to turn in my herb collection."

  "Mind if we travel back together?" Marcus asked. "Our mission's done too, and it's always safer in groups."

  "Sure," I said, though I couldn't help but think they were the ones making me safer, not the other way around.

  The journey back to Oakenford was uneventful. I rode Nox while the Silver Wings party walked alongside us, chatting about their next potential jobs. Fei circled overhead, and I noticed Lydia kept looking up at him with obvious appreciation.

  When we reached the guild, both groups headed straight for the reception desk. Garrick looked up from his paperwork and did a double-take when he saw me walking in with Silver Wings.

  "Well, well," he said, his scarred face showing surprise. "Didn't expect to see you keeping such... distinguished company, missy."

  "Just ran into each other out in the field," I said casually, pulling out my pouch of moonbell flowers. "Same old herb gathering for me."

  Garrick's eyebrows rose as he saw the size of my collection. "How many did you manage to find?"

  "About two dozen," I said, trying not to sound too proud of myself.

  "Two dozen?" Garrick's voice pitched higher. "In one day?"

  I nodded slowly, suddenly feeling uncertain. "Is... is something wrong?"

  Garrick muttered under his breath, "Something wrong my ass. You really are a good one, ain't you, missy."

  “Huh?” Did I overdo it too much?

  “Nevermind.” He shook his head as he started counting out the flowers.

  After going through the necessary procedures, examining each flower for quality, Garrick announced the final tally. "Twenty-six moonbell flowers total. Most are prime quality, few slightly damaged but still good." He started stacking coins on his desk. "That comes to... one gold and four silver."

  My eyes went wide. One gold. It was the first time I'd ever earned a gold coin.

  Even the Silver Wings party, who'd been chatting quietly nearby, looked impressed.

  "Most herb gatherers are lucky to find a quarter of that in a full day." Rhys said, her elvish ears perking up with interest.

  "Though I suppose with your wolf's tracking abilities, it makes sense," Leon added thoughtfully.

  Garrick slid the coins across to me with something that might have been pride in his expression. "Keep this up, missy, and you'll be moving up the ranks faster than most."

  After a while, I exchanged a few more pleasantries with Silver Wings before heading out. I was about to slip away when Marcus called after me, reminding me about the dinner tonight.

  The way he said it, like it was no big deal, didn’t fool anyone. His teammates immediately latched onto it, smirks spreading across their faces like wildfire.

  “Ohhh, dinner?” Rhys drawled, eyebrows wiggling. “Sounds like a date.”

  Marcus nearly choked on his own tongue. “No, no, it’s not like that!” His face went red, and he waved his hands so frantically you’d think he was shooing away a flock of birds. “My childhood friend Jorik’s coming too. I just… I just want to thank them. For my grandfather.”

  The mood shifted in an instant. Jokes died mid-breath. Teasing smiles melted into silence.

  And me? I just stood there.

  I swallowed hard, forcing myself to meet his eyes. He looked so earnest, so grateful, like he just wanted to honor his grandfather’s memory in some small way. It made the lie of my silence burn even hotter.

  Still, I nodded, keeping my voice steady. “I’ll be there,” I said.

  And maybe I smiled too, just enough to make it look easy. But inside? Inside I was drowning in the weight of what I couldn’t say.