Late at night, the Red Moon Inn was alive with a mercenary group’s revelry.

Their business in the Central City had gone better than expected, raking in a fortune.

They were set to leave for the next town soon, so this was a last hurrah before the grueling journey.

No one knew when the next chance to unwind would come.
A good rest boosted morale.

Beorn, the mercenary leader, grinned and asked the rookie beside him,

“Not bad. What’s this drink?”

“Oh, that’s beer.”

“You idiot! That’s not what I meant!”

“Ugh!”

The rookie, still green, lacked tact.
The man next to him smacked his head.

Beorn’s expression didn’t change.
With a relaxed smile, as if it was no big deal, he glanced at his men.

“Ha, my fault for not training the rookie right!
Give me a chance to answer instead!”

“Fine. Go ahead.”

“This is the drink of victory, earned through our hard work in the Central City!”

“Hoh. A drink of victory, eh?”

Beorn swirled the golden liquid in his wooden mug.

The veteran’s answer was different.
Satisfied, he raised his mug high.

A signal for a toast.

“You’re not wrong. This is to celebrate our success in the Central City, right?”

“Exactly!”

As he lifted his mug, others followed suit.

With a dull clink, their wooden mugs collided.
Beorn gave a short toast and downed the full mug in one go.

A bold drinking style befitting a mercenary leader.

“Khah!”

He set the mug down, wiping his mouth.
His slightly tipsy eyes scanned the group.

They seemed half-glazed but still sharp.
Was something bothering him?
He was smiling, but he looked displeased.

“Come to think of it, some seats are empty. What’s going on?”

“Edwin and a few others took some women to their rooms.”

“Women?”

Beorn’s expression shifted briefly.
He seemed to calculate something in his head.

Then.

“Should we call them for a lecture?”

“Nah, forget it.”

Finished calculating, Beorn waved his hand with a sly grin.

“Talis, we’re leaving the Central City tomorrow morning, right?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Round up all the women they brought to the rooms. Sell them to the slave traders.”

*

I had a dream.

Or maybe it was reality.

That day, I killed and ate an innocent person.
Why? No reason. I was just hungry.

Just as they didn’t want to die, I wanted to live.
Truth be told, I didn’t want to kill either.
A secret I could never share.

In the dream, I walked through a bloodstained alley.
The blood came from those I’d killed, their screams echoing.

A puddle of blood reflected my faint image.

A white monster, lips stained with blood.

Who’s voice did I mimic yesterday to lure a human?

Exhausted by hunger, I preyed on someone’s weakness again.

That voice would be impossible to ignore.
That appearance, irresistible.

I always showed people near the alleys their most painful memories.
My reflection in the dream was no different.

The white monster lured humans from the depths of the alleys, and those entranced stepped deeper into the darkness.

I grabbed someone walking into the depths.

If you go that way, you’ll die.
The person up ahead isn’t who you think.

But he shook off my hand and kept walking.
Deep down, he must know.
He just didn’t want to admit it.

Maybe he wanted to see that person from his memories one last time, even if it meant death.

And what happened next was as expected.

The white monster brutally killed the man who approached.

That’s where the dream’s memory ended.

*

I woke to the cold touch of the floor.

Wait, cold floor?

“…”

An unfamiliar ceiling.

I hadn’t woken in a warm room with a ceiling or soft blankets.

It was a much darker, damper place.

The cold stone floor stung my bare skin.
No sounds from outside—maybe a basement?
I looked around.

“Hey… Boss, are we really okay doing this?
What if the knight order comes after us?”

“It’s fine, you idiot. If you don’t get caught, it’s legal.
Even if we do, what’s the big deal? We’re leaving the Central City before dawn.”

“Got it.”

“Besides, the knights are too busy with the alley disappearances.
Perfect timing to pull this off.”

A damp, slightly unpleasant prison.
Mossy stone walls and iron bars stood out.

There wasn’t much I could do, so I listened to the voices outside.

“So, what did you give that woman to knock her out so well?
The one with the white hair.”

“Huh? Nothing. She was just sleeping. On the bed.”

“Sleeping on the bed? Ha! What a crazy b*tch.”

Hm.

They’re not talking about me, are they?

Anyway, I got the gist of the situation.
I must’ve been kidnapped while sleeping in the room I took last night.

Beyond the bars, I saw others tied up, some with slave tattoos.

‘Slave traders?’

A reasonable guess.
If they kidnapped me for profit, that’s the only place that made sense.

Feeling the restraints on my hands and feet, I sat up.

Others in the cell were tied up and unconscious.
I was the only one awake—probably drugged.

Turning my head, I locked eyes with a man.
Not the bald one. Just some stranger.

“What, you’re awake? Would’ve been better if you stayed out.”

“…”

“You’ve been kidnapped. Get it?”

I nodded.

Waking up in a strange place, hands and feet bound—who wouldn’t get it?

“Man, kidnapped and still so calm?”

“…”

“What, ignoring me?”

I had no idea what reaction he wanted.
Was I supposed to act scared?
I wasn’t good at acting, so I didn’t bother.

I looked up at his face, his expression twisted with irritation.

“You still don’t get it, huh?
You’re about to be sold at a slave auction. Understand?”

He drew a dagger from his waist and held it to my face.
He probably wouldn’t stab—damaging the merchandise lowers its value.

So it didn’t feel threatening.
I wouldn’t die from a stab anyway.

But if I didn’t react, his pride might take a hit, so I decided to humor him.

“I’m scared.”

I heard humans get scared when a knife’s held to their face.
He probably expected that reaction.

For authenticity, I swayed my body slightly.
I’d heard terrified humans tremble.

Sway, sway.

Was I overdoing it and raising suspicion?
I swayed harder.

But was this wrong?
His face turned bright red.

“You little b*tch! You think this is a game—”

“Enough.”

The man, about to swing the knife, was stopped by someone.

His superior, it seemed.

“You know how much a woman in her early twenties is worth?
What if the boss finds out?”

“Tch. F*cking b*tch.”

The scrawny man sheathed his knife, spitting curses.

So he wasn’t going to stab me.
If he had, I’d planned to take it and kill him.
Killing everyone here and escaping wasn’t hard—just a hassle to clean up.

It was good he didn’t.
Bloodstains don’t come out of a white uniform easily.

That’s why I didn’t feel like killing.

“You f*cking b*tch. We’ll meet again.”

“…”

The scrawny man threatened me as he left.

I swayed again to show I was scared.

Not that he was actually scary, but his reactions were amusing.

Such small movements got such big responses—I couldn’t stop.

“That f*cking b*tch… Ugh, forget it.”

He turned back with his knife but gave up.
He didn’t want a pointless fight.

After the scrawny man left, only his superior remained.

His sharp gaze just watched me, saying nothing. Boring.

The heavy silence made me want to get out.

‘A little force should break these.’

I looked at the restraints on my hands and feet.
I needed to think about how to escape.

I put a bit of strength into my bound hands.

*Clang!*

The restraints snapped.

Easier than I thought.

With the loud sound of breaking chains, the man’s expression changed.

“What the—what are you?!”

He’d been boringly serious, but his shocked face was worth seeing.

I broke the restraints on my feet and stood.

He was staring into my eyes.

“Adrian.”

I called his name.

I had no intention of explaining.
He wouldn’t remember this anyway.

“Poor thing. Your lover died two years ago.
You’re still not over it.”

“How—how do you know that…?”

I bent the iron bars of the cell and slipped out.
Adrian, terrified, backed away.

I approached him with business to settle, but he kept retreating.

“What’s this? I can’t move!”

So I had to restrain him.

I was going to make it quick, but he ran, so it’s his fault.

I walked toward the bound Adrian, step by step.
His face grew more terrified with each one.

This might be more fun than I thought.

“Don’t come closer!!”

Adrian, overwhelmed with fear, trembled violently.

Far more natural than my swaying.
So that’s how a seasoned pro does it.

Reaching him, I caressed his cheek, holding his face to meet my eyes.

“You’re lucky. I’m not hungry today.”

His body went limp as our eyes locked.

I’d shown him an illusion.
He’d soon forget everything about me.

I gently closed his eyes with my hand.
He was probably having a happy dream.

Meeting his lost lover, maybe having a conversation.

I was a bit curious, but I had no interest in prying into his life.

I turned away without hesitation, and Adrian collapsed limply.

“Have a good dream.”

Who knows when he’ll wake up.

*

[Received fan art.
Thank you.]