...
Six months later.
Northland.
Sword Winter City.
Half-Ear Inn.
Alicia pushed open the door, marked with sword scars and rivets, and quickly stepped into the tavern on the underground level.
A cacophony of noises and a foul smell hit her face.
She sniffed.
The scene she had once loathed had not only become familiar, but it also gave her a sense of security that arose spontaneously.
"I'm really beyond saving..."
The woman in her early twenties scratched her chestnut long hair in dismay.
Facing the bartender who came over to offer his eager services,
she waved her hand impatiently and walked straight to her own booth.
She removed her left boot and vigorously shook out the foreign entities inside—
Several coarse pebbles fell out.
These were the culprits that had caused blisters on her foot today while she was on a private job.