At first, Hans made a near comical grimace of anger mixed with dissappointment, but within seconds, it softened into her usual face.

A sigh escaped her rosy lips as she turned to Milla with relief painting her every feature.

”See? He wouldnt.”

”...”

Milla didnt answer. No, she couldnt answer. Her lips were pressed against eachother so tightly they had become a line.

Her eyes turned to me, and then back to Hans. She didnt seam relieved in the least, no matter how soft and how relieving the words Hans spoke were.

As Milla was unable to answer, Hans simply continued.

”No matter how i beg him to, he wouldnt even kill you, would he? And considering how he killed that beast, it wouldnt have been hard to do so. Nither would it have been hard to hide your corpse.”

”...I...”

Milla couldnt see it, but under the counter, Hans’ hands were shaking furiousy.

Hans waited patiently for Milla to continue speaking, despite how nervous she must have been.

Just as Hans’ smile was about to falter, Milla took a deep breath. And another. And another.

Soon, she seemed far calmer.

”I... I understand, but... I-, I still cant help but fear it. I can see its humility, and i can see its concious, but... Im still unsure of its malevolence. However... I wont tell the guards, alright? I wont. I know who you are, and i know what you can do, so, please.”

”...Of course. I didnt wish you any harm at any moment.I simply wished to confirm Bob’s race.”

”Bob... Right, his name...”

”Its funny, isnt it? To think the creature i thought to be a cold, heartless killer would have a name...”

”It is...”

Both girls smiled faintly at eachother.

”...Right, i need to ask you something.”

”What is it?”

”Any and everybody knows the story of the White Disaster, so... do you know any way to hide him?”

”I dont think you need to hide him. the Children of Venus are very similar to common lilies, and on that note, this one is unlike the one in the legend, by way of its pink dots.”

”Then how did you recognize it as a child of venus?”

”The white stem. Its the only flower to have a white stem, if you dont count those which bloom in dungeons and caves. And on that note, as long as you pretend it is, in fact, a cave-flower, i doubt anyone but an expert, such as my mother, would question it.”

”I see... No need for re-colouring, then?”

”Dont think so. Was there anything else you needed?”

”No, dont think so. Perheaps your continued assistance?”

”Haha, coming right up.”

And like that, we left the shop in a rather good mood. Hans sighed deeply the second we stepped out of the shop.

”Didnt think wed survive that...”

I nodded approvingly.

”...You wouldnt bring ruin to the city, would you?...”

I shrugged vigerously.

”...Right...”

Hey! I wouldnt!

”Anyways... To the Guild!”

To the what?

Hans walked with confident steps, despite how nervous and, frankly, paniced she was just a minute ago.

The road we followed seemed to be the main one, on account of all the buzzing about, and once we reached the place where people seemed to buzz about the most, Hans stopped. We were standing in the middle of a town-square. Everywhere around us were stalls, and in the stalls, all sorts of things were being sold. Sticks, fruits, strange other-wordly ”fruits”, meat in all colours of the rainbow, cloth as well as clothes, what i presumed to be candy by how a small child gobbled it up with the happiest face it could muster, strange things made of glass such as sculptures, figurenes and vases, small living things whch seemed to be made of uncookes clay... all sorts of things.

My non-existant breath was taken.

M-, Magic...

Things flew and floated without strings, huts were made of cloth without sticks to be hung on, wares moved when they werent supposed to, things which should only have one colour had many.

I knew this world was strange, but this? This is was whole other matter.

Me and Hans were not looking at the same thing. Indeed, whilst i was oogling at the stalls and hungering after things i had never seen before, Hans was staring at a building with what i could only interpret as nostalgia shimmering playfully in her eyes.

In fact, she seemed very sentimental when looking at that shabby building made of tree. Its entrance was a western saloon like contraption, and above the door hung a sign which i failed to read. I understood it as being the same kind of letters i was used to, but the language was quite different.

”Utrotnings Unionen”...

What did it mean?

I dunno.

Hans had called it a guild.

Was it?

She said she was here to become a ”Jäger”, what was that?

And why didnt it say ”Jäger” anywhere on the sign?

”I know, i know. It may say ”The Union of Exterminers”, but... I just call it the guild. Easier that way.”

...Did she hear me?

- Impossible. -

= Nah, that cant be. =

My thoughts exactly.

Then what did she mean by Jäger?

”Joining the Guild makes you an ”Exterminator”, but i think Jäger sounds way cooler. In general, Tyskland is cool, right? Everything about it, from their language to the way they protected us during the War of Crosses. So cool. No wonder we trade so much with ’em.”

...

Did...

Did she just?

- It would seem that way. She’s quite the chatterbox. -

Yeah, she is...

”Ah! But standing out here will do us no good! Lets go inside!”

R-, right...

And so, she strode ahead, with large, happy steps, into the Guild.