I woke up - and even though my mind was well-rested, my body felt somewhat exhausted. It was already evening and I was lying in bed as Giselle was changing her armor to more casual clothes.

“Oh, your nap is finally over?” she smiled at me “… that was quick, I will give you that.”

Something is off…

~Amm… Big brother.

What is it, Kim?

~ After our training with old man… I wanted to help you rest, so I went down to look for some food…

That’s great and very thoughtful of you! ~ I said though deep inside I didn’t like the idea of someone just hijacking my body to grab a snack.

~ T-the thing is, that it wasn’t that simple. Lot’s of this happened.

… Quick report, soldier.

~ Yes… So, at first I took that cake, but the head chef in the kitchen didn’t like it and started chasing me with a knife, then sister Lanele said you were supposed to learn Elvish together today, so I took your place and learned as much as possible, but then sister Blanka took a quest to find some thief and asked you for help to sniff some specific smell so I enchanted our smell… the thing is that the thief was working close to the fish market..

I flinched just on mere thought of it, yet didn’t stop his monologue

~… and late afternoon Giselle took quest as well – in the city sewers a monster made a liar, he wasn’t really aggressive, but was fiercely defending his territory… We had to eliminate it as it was still young… We have just returned … a few minutes ago to be precise.

Apparently, you did quite well on your own, but next time… you should just let me rest. We didn’t need that cake this much, did we?

~ B-b-but sister Lust and Gluttony said that…

~ SHHHH!!!

… So it was all your doing…

~ H-hey! Don’t be like that! Our intentions were pure! We had nothing ill in mind!

So you didn’t want to just entertain yourself abusing Kim’s naivety?

~ T-that’s…

My-my, look at my belly? Didn’t I put on some weight?

~ Zariel, you literally can’t put on weight, tanks to di…

… I think some diet would be nice…

~ NOOO! Only not a diet! You can say diet without DIE! That’s what will happen to me if you would refuse to take sugar!

Raw carrot and boiled broccoli for a week…

~ NAAAA! Please! I will be a good sin! I won’t do that again! I will write a thousand times so please, don’t take sweets and meat away from meeee!

~ Sucks to be you, Glutty!

I should also join a monastery and make a vow of purity…

~ We both know you would neve...

I gave her kind of look

~ So you are saying, that you would last without touching Giselle? Your love? Her tender, soft skin? That you could last without the sensation of your fingers digging in her skin? Of her sweet breath tickling your neck when you embrace each other? You may want to punish me, but you will never do that to Gis! MWA-HA-HA!

“Zaaa-riii?” I heard dragoness’s playful voice “… would you mind today… you know?”

~ Ho-Ho-Ho! Here we start

“Gis, love, can we postpone it a little?...”

~ W-wait, what are you doing?

“Something happened, love?” “Actually, yes – the potion that you made both of us drink a few days ago, remember? I am not sure if it doesn’t have any side effects or isn’t addictive. For example now – usually I am the one starting it, am I not?” “You might be right…” she said after a moment “… thought I think I feel fine… even more than fine, it’s not that I NEED to do that, I just… want… WAIT! WHAT ARE YOU FORCING ME TO SAY!?”

She threw a pillow in my direction hitting me perfectly in the face.

“Something I wish to hear for the rest of my life, love.” I said once I took the pillow off my face. “… Idiot.” Her tail twitched

~ Now now now! Let’s not be hasty in decision-making!

I guess what kind of excuse I should find tomorrow… and the day after tomorrow…

~ You can’t be fucking serious!

Oh, but I am!

~ You can’t do that!

But I just did?

~ Woman approaches you, literally offers you her body, and you are just postponing it?! What are you? A shounen ecchi harem story protagonist?! GROWN A PAIR!

Each and every time I am amazed by the fact that you are supposed to be reflections of myself…

~ You are just a masochist, that’s it!... COME OOOON! Zaaari! Don’t be like that! A real gentleman never allows a lady to wait! Zaaari! Don’t be like that! Hey! Zari.. Oi! Zaaari! Oi!

I ceased the connection with the sins.

Kim, I don’t mind you chatting with them, but next time, if they tell you to do something, and my life is not in absolute danger, then don’t.

~ F-fine.

By the way, what kind of monster was in the sewers?

~ Hm? Some big reptile. They called him an iron-jawed giant crocodile… I took a few bites when no one was watching

Good job! Really good job Kim! These bastards are rare! Normally, I would have to go to the south, past the desert, to the jungle region of…

~ There is one more thing. THAT woman enjoyed the hunt, so she registered the whole party for another quest. You are marching out the day after tomorrow.

By THAT woman her was referring to Giselle

Great, what are we hunting? ~ In the meantime I took the glass of water and started slowly drinking it.

~ Some other reptile… Name started with D…? Or maybe C?

Knowing Giselle she wanted to hunt a beast on at least basilisk’s level…

~ Oh! That’s the name!!!

I choked.

“ARE YOU INSANE WOMAN!?” I yelled “Zari?! W-what happened! You are scaring me!” “Basilisk!? Were your brain between your ears when you were taking this quest!?” “Buuut… you had nothing against it when I was registering us?" "I just realized you signed Lanele and Blanka as well!” “So what? They are strong!” “Basilisk’s venom is the most powerful neurotoxin in the world. There. Literally. Is. Nothing. Stronger. No antidote! It kills within SECONDS! It bites – you die! Some older specimen can even breathe it out! It’s not a hydra! Back then I could just feed all of you some other poison and once bitten then venoms would neutralize one another! It will kill you as well! Possibly me too! Even your dragon blood won’t work out! “According to the information, he is about ten meters long, so he’s barely a hatchling so he won’t breathe the poison out - don’t you worry! As for the other thing… just don’t let him bite you?” “Why is everything so easy for you?!” “ And why is everything so hard for you!? When it would grow up, he would start killing! Now is the only chance to deal with it!”

Because I hate fate I can’t control! – The risk I can’t countermeasure! I don’t mind fighting with enemies nearly impossible to kill, because I always have something in my sleeve! Potions, poisons, magic, summoned devils, WHATEVER!... but just some bad luck, just unlucky scratch, a flip of the coin or roll of the dice is everything it takes to die…

“I don’t give a damn about others, all I care about is your safety!” “Zariel…” she used my full name “… I chose to be an adventurer. Risking my life to help others is a path I choose. I know what you mean, but…” she hesitated for a moment or two, and then, for the first time ever, she took what I was saying into consideration and asked: “… do you want me to give up on this quest? We will pay a fee, but that’s not a big deal.”

Giselle never-ever even took giving up on quest into consideration before. Especially not when it was hard, challenging one that she could use to boost her position among other adventurers… and not when human’s life was in danger.

And for the first time in my life I knew, that if I would tell her to give up on, she would listen. I felt a pressure on my chest as if my heart was being dragged down. What she wanted to do was a thing that DEFINED her nature. I wanted her safe by any means necessary, but I knew how much it would hurt her if I would make her withdraw.

“I will be the one making preparation, this time, we are going in with the plan, AFTER scouting the area. We do it all my way. You listen to every command I give you. If I say attack from rear, you attack from rear, if I say run, you run, even dropping your equipment on the way if needed. Is that clear?” “F’course it is!” she laughed “Giselle. I asked if that’s clear?”

She stopped smiling and with a serious stare she replied

“It is, mr. tactician.”

I dropped back on the bed exhaling air loudly.

Basilisks. King of serpents. Mythical creature, rank above legendary hydra, rank below me - the celestial. One that could be considered a deity or calamity. Long time ago, there used to be a village that made this creature it’s guardian god. For centuries, it was safe, for the creature was defending them from attackers. For a price, of course. Not only it was being fed on daily basis (quite a lot), but every first daughter of the village chief was being sacrificed to it as a plaything, either way, the woman would die shortly after entertaining the creature. Painfully.

One of the late village chiefs decided to fool it thought – he adopted a young girl before his first child was born and this way he tried to save his actual daughter - by presenting adopted girl that he indeed raised as a sacrifice.

The beast tasted the difference in blood and didn’t like the idea of being cheated.

The sacrifice was made at midnight - before the dawn came, the village no longer existed.

The snake which is able to rival with dragons. Its fangs, scales, venoms and literally every other body part could earn you a small fortune on the black market.

… that’s pretty much everything I know about it right now. Not enough. Tomorrow, I will have to visit the city’s library and dig up some facts.

The time… to little. Not enough for all preparations. But it will have to do… Will have to