It wasn’t a great feeling.

Having a home but being unable to return to it.
Since being transported here, Iria had never left the alleys, so she had nowhere else to go.

‘Maybe I shouldn’t have eaten that knight.’

Had targeting a knight last night caused this?
She hadn’t expected them to react so aggressively.

Iria walked, lost in thought.

‘…No.’

She had no choice back then.

She was barely sane, and she knew from experience what happened when she lost control in this body.

When Iria lost her reason, it was a disaster.

Hadn’t that happened a year ago?

She was a monster who couldn’t maintain sanity without eating humans.

If she hadn’t eaten that knight, she might have caused an even greater catastrophe.

And it wasn’t the first time the knight order had gotten involved.

As the saying goes, a long tail gets stepped on.
For the past year, Iria had been steadily pursued by them.

It was bound to happen eventually.
The knight she ate yesterday just sped things up.

She’d grown fond of the alley, but being away for a few days wasn’t a big deal.

It’d be inconvenient, sure, but she had money today.
The knight’s wallet from last night was thicker than expected.

Late in the evening, wandering near the alleys, Iria entered a lit tavern.

She didn’t know her way around outside the alleys.
Pretending to order a drink, she planned to ask about an inn to stay at for a few days.

“Give me your best drink.”

She sat and ordered something random.

The waiter handed her a menu, but she still wasn’t fluent in this world’s writing.

Despite studying for a year, she couldn’t read most of it.

But the waiter didn’t serve her right away.

Did they think she had no money?
Iria shook her thick wallet, but nothing changed.

A young female waiter with a kind face gave a wry smile.

“Um, miss? Could you show me your ID?”

“Oh.”

Iria nodded, reaching into her pocket.

Not for the knight’s stolen wallet, but her own.

She rummaged.

“Hm…”

Where did she put it?

“Just a moment.”

It couldn’t be gone.
Denying reality, she checked both pockets.

But you can’t grasp what doesn’t exist.

It wasn’t there.
Nowhere.

She searched her small pockets, but nothing changed.

“…”

A brief silence.
Then.

“I’m an adult. Look at my Academy uniform.”

Iria pointed to the white uniform she wore.

Academy students were typically adults, so the uniform often served as proof of age.

But there were exceptions.
The waiter looked troubled.

“I’m really sorry, but we’ve had reports of underage students sneaking in.
Selling alcohol to an Academy student is a bit difficult.”

Iria wanted to drown the sorrow of losing her home in drink.

The lingering chill of early spring made the night cold.
She’d hoped to spend a freezing night drunk if she had to sleep outside.

A shame, but it couldn’t be helped.
Iria frowned slightly and ordered something else.

“Then… a lemonade.”

The drink arrived quickly.

A wooden cup filled with yellow, non-alcoholic liquid sat before her.

Sipping lemonade in a tavern full of drunks didn’t feel great.

The stares around her stung a little.
Not enough to bother her much, though.

Iria took a sip, then looked at the waiter.
She wanted to get to the point.

“Is there an inn nearby where I can stay for a few days? I have money.”

“Go east from here, and you’ll find an inn called the Red Moon.
I’m not sure if they have vacancies, though.”

“Is it that crowded?”

“Well… a mercenary group from the next town is staying there.
I can’t guarantee there’ll be a room.”

Nothing was going her way today.

Kicked out of her home, lost her wallet, and now the inn might be full.

Feeling lost, Iria sipped her lemonade.
Instead of bitter alcohol, the tangy lemon flavor filled her mouth.

Was she doomed to sleep on the streets?

Iria emptied her cup and sighed, the lemon’s scent lingering.
In a place with bad crime, she was already worried about where to stay.

“Need a place to sleep?”

Iria turned toward the voice.
It was a man who’d been eyeing her subtly, with a sticky gaze.

A rough face, muscular build, and bald head.
Easy to remember.

He sat next to her, grabbing her shoulder with a scarred hand.

“Pretty thing like you… Running away from home?
Want me to give you a place to stay?”

She heard his lackeys snickering.
Were these the mercenaries the waiter mentioned?

Iria read the man’s memories through his gaze, gathering information.

The man beside her was a third-rank mercenary.
The two behind him were fourth-rank.

Mercenaries looked rough, but they weren’t always bad.

Unlike criminals driven by malice, they were hired for money.

But that didn’t make them good.
Working for money meant they’d do anything for the right price.

They’d probably kill for a bonus.

Some mercenaries were even ex-knights, kicked out for causing trouble.

What did they want with her?
Genuinely curious, Iria asked,

“What do you want with me?”

They offered a place to stay, but she knew nothing came free.
They must want something from her.

To find out, she tried to read more of his memories, but he wouldn’t meet her eyes.

His gaze lingered on her thighs and chest, not her face.

The bald man fondled her shoulder sleazily, as if practiced.

“Well, you know. No need to spell it out.
Spend a nice night in our room. You get a place to sleep, we have fun.
Win-win, right?”

His lackeys snickered again.
Iria paused to think.

It didn’t take long.

“…”

So that’s it.

They wanted her body.
Men were such pitiful creatures.

Before arriving in this world, Iria had been a man, so she understood.

But this time, they picked the wrong target.

She looked human, but Iria wasn’t.
The foolish mercenary didn’t know he was approaching a beast.

Iria nodded.

“Fine.”

She wouldn’t lose anything either way.

*

She followed them since they offered a place to stay, but a big problem arose.

“What are you staring at? Wanna die?!”

The inn she followed the bald man to was rented out entirely by his mercenary group.

“Hey, Edwin, you f*cking brought another woman?
Think about the rest of us!”

“So what? Looks like I’m not the only one.
Check this out—an A-grade girl.”

The atmosphere inside was hostile.

Several fierce gazes turned her way.
Not scary, but no one looked weak.

Her plan was to eat the bald man and his lackeys, but she realized she might make an entire group her enemy.

‘If I kill them, I’ll get caught.’

Killing wasn’t as easy as it seemed.

She’d need to erase traces and tamper with memories.

And that wasn’t all.
Hiding bodies and escaping unnoticed by so many people was tough.
It wasn’t just about killing a few men.

So she decided not to eat the bald man.

She wasn’t that hungry anyway.
A warm bed with a roof was enough.

“Here, come this way.”

The bald man and his lackeys led her to an empty room.

It was cleaner and larger than expected.
Better than her usual place.

She lay on the bed, and it already felt amazing.

Sleeping here would be so comfortable.

As she made herself at home, the bald man seemed taken aback.

“Hey, aren’t you getting too comfortable?”

“This is my room now. Get out.”

“What the… ugh!”

Iria grabbed his collar and met his eyes.

In the tavern, too many eyes forced her to hold back, but in a secluded room, things were different.

As a mercenary, his mental defenses were slightly higher.
She raised the level of her illusion.

His fierce eyes began to glaze over.
Soon, his body would relax, drained of strength.

“Hey! What did you do?!”

“Quiet. You’ll be heard outside.”

After subduing the bald man, she turned to his lackeys.

It didn’t matter if they were heard.
Outside, rowdy mercenaries were drinking, drowning out most noises.

So dealing with the other two was easy.
She met their eyes one by one, bringing them under her control.

They’d have a deep sleep tonight, trapped in unbreakable illusions.

Pointing at the door, she commanded,

“If you’re lonely, go bond with your comrades in the next room.”

Just not in front of me.