I don't know how my life reached this point. The debt to Torin was at 20 coins, and Melina's song about "the market strippers" was now a hit in the streets of Vaelor. Worse still, my head was a mess. Elara, Vespera, and even Liriel had moments that made me wonder if I was crazy for feeling something for them. A glance from Elara, a teasing smile from Vespera, a hint of jealousy from Liriel—it all turned into chaos before I could make sense of it. I wanted to pay off the debt, clear our reputation, and maybe have a normal moment with someone. But with this group, normalcy was a distant dream.
At the guild, the quest board was my only hope. I found one that seemed simple: "Hunt wolves in Eldrin Forest. Reward: 50 silver coins." Wolves shouldn't be too hard, and the money could reduce the debt. Dragging Liriel from the inn was a nightmare. "Hunt wolves? That's peasant work, not for a goddess!" she complained, clutching her wine glass. Elara promised to use basic spells. "No fainting, I swear," she said, not convincing me. Vespera, bow in hand, grinned. "Wolves are thrilling. I want to feel the adrenaline!" I tried to be firm: "No over-the-top magic, no stray arrows, no succubus charm. Just hunt the wolves." They nodded, but I knew it was an empty promise.
Eldrin Forest was dense, with tall trees and a mossy smell. On the trail, we met Sylva, an elven hunter with sharp eyes and a bow better than Vespera's. She already knew our reputation, thanks to Melina's song. "The market strippers, huh? Hope you don't try to strip the wolves," she said with a sarcastic smile. My face burned. Sylva was hunting in the area and decided to join us but warned, "The wolves are clever, and the forest has natural traps. Don't mess this up." She also mentioned seeing strange tracks, possibly linked to the amulet Rylan gave us. "Something to do with the Demon King's general, maybe?" she said before focusing on the wolves. I tried to ignore it and focus on the mission, but I noticed Elara walking closer to me, Vespera throwing me glances, and Liriel posing dramatically. It was like they were competing for my attention, and I wasn't sure if that was flattering or terrifying.
In the forest, the wolves appeared quickly—large, with glowing eyes and bared fangs. Elara tried a wind spell to push them back. "Just a little gust!" she said. The wind blew, but her mana ran out, and she fell, tripping over a root. "Sorry, Takumi!" she groaned, grabbing my leg to stand. Her touch made me blush, but a wolf growled, and I pulled her back. Vespera, laughing, used her succubus charm. "Come here, little wolves!" Half the pack ran to her, but her arrows flew wide, hitting a tree that fell, blocking our path. "Yes, challenge me!" she shouted, as if she loved the danger. I tried to hit a wolf with my borrowed sword but slipped in the mud.
"Liriel, help!" I yelled. She raised her glass. "Divine purification magic!" A light flashed, but instead of repelling the wolves, it turned the mud into sticky goo that trapped us all. A wolf nearly bit me. Sylva, with a precise shot, killed the wolf but looked at us with disdain. "You're a walking disaster."
As night fell, we had to camp. We set up a fire, and the mood got… weird. Elara, sitting close, offered to share some bread. "You're kind of brave, you know?" she said shyly, blushing and looking away. My heart raced, but a branch fell from the fire, burning my boot. Vespera, laughing, sat on my other side. "I like you all flustered like this," she said in a tone that made me swallow hard. Before I could respond, she "accidentally" bumped into me, and we fell into Liriel's sticky goo still covering the ground. Liriel, seeing this, huffed. "Mortals and their stupid crushes!" But when she tried to help me up, she got stuck to me, her face turning red. "It's not what it looks like!" she shouted. Sylva, across the fire, laughed. "This is going straight to Vaelor's taverns."
The worst came when Liriel's lingering magic made our clothes stick and turn semi-transparent—again. I ran behind a tree while Elara hid, Vespera laughed, and Liriel cursed her own magic. Sylva, killing another wolf that got too close, said, "You're worse than a curse." The Vaelor crowd wasn't there, but I knew Sylva would spread the story.
The next day, we killed some wolves and returned to the guild with enough pelts for 40 coins. After deducting forest damages, the debt to Torin dropped to 10 coins. At the inn, I sat, exhausted, while Elara and Vespera argued over who "protected" the group more. "My magic pushed a wolf back!" Elara said. "And my arrows scared them!" Vespera retorted. Liriel, sipping wine, rolled her eyes. "You're both useless. I did everything."
While they bickered, I noticed the market amulet glowing in my bag. When I showed it to Liriel, she shrugged. "Maybe it's tied to the Demon King's general. But that's mortal business." Sylva, passing by the inn, overheard and said the forest tracks seemed linked to something bigger. "Careful, strippers," she said, leaving with a smirk. I stared at the amulet, confused. Those moments with Elara, Vespera, and Liriel stirred something in me, but they always ended in disaster. And now this amulet and the Demon King's general? My life was getting more complicated, and all I wanted was a day without being called a pervert.