Starting with the goblin extermination

Snowflakes are falling.

Elsa returned to the pristine white sanctuary. The braziers in the courtroom burned on either side, illuminating the judges in their white robes.

She knelt before the idol, a scorching hot iron pressed against her back.

Accompanied by the hissing sound of flesh being burned, the power known as "protection" is awakened in the pain.

But the expected white light did not appear.

A goddess draped in black robes appeared before Elsa, the black veil on her face fluttering gently as if it were alive.

She looked down at Elsa's broken soul, her voice cold and brooking no argument:

"I have heard your longing. Go forth, seek out the one worthy of your shadow."

Immediately afterwards, the memory returned, and the seal in the brain was torn apart.

She was met with extremely disappointed expressions from the judges.

"waste."

Then came a jumble of fragmented memories.

The stench inside the slave wagons, the frantic escape through mud and torrential rain.

Behind her were the howling of hunting dogs and the pursuit of thugs. Her lungs felt like they had been ruptured; with every breath, blood seeped out.

Run! Don't stop... Lily is still waiting for me...

Her vision blurred, and just as she was about to fall, the thick fog in front of her was torn apart by a pair of large hands.

A tall figure blocked her path, his long golden hair particularly striking in the gloom. Beside him, Lily peeked out timidly, smiling sweetly at her.

With a bang, the dream shattered.

Elsa suddenly opened her eyes, gasping for breath, her clothes soaked with cold sweat.

There were no judges, no hounds, and no thugs.

Warm sunlight streamed through the window.

The familiar musty smell and faint herbal scent wafted into her nostrils. She found herself lying on her wooden plank bed at home.

My body aches terribly, especially my abdomen and left shoulder, which are wrapped in thick bandages. I feel a tingling sensation deep in my wounds as the medication takes effect.

My legs feel heavy.

Elsa struggled to lift her head, and a fluffy little head was nestled on her lap. Even in her sleep, Lily's brows were furrowed, tears still glistening in the corners of her eyes, and her little hands were tightly gripping the corner of the blanket.

Elsa struggled to her feet and touched Lily's hair.

Soft, with a realistic feel.

This is not a dream.

"woke up?"

The sound came from not far away.

Elsa turned her head. Logan was sitting in a chair beside the dilapidated wooden table. Scattered on the table were a longbow, a wooden pendant, and a few gold coins, which he was idly playing with.

Seeing that Elsa was awake, Logan quietly walked over.

The two looked at each other through the sunlight, and a brief silence fell over the room.

Logan was also wrapped in bandages. His steel ring armor had several tears and was carelessly tossed in a corner. He had large bruises on his face and a freshly scabbed bloodstain on his chin, making him look like a drowned rat, utterly disheveled.

Elsa looked into his eyes, and the image of him standing in front of her flashed through her mind. An uncontrollable blush rose on her originally pale cheeks.

She instinctively looked away, her throat so dry she couldn't make a sound.

Logan broke the silence first.

Would you like some water?

Elsa nodded obediently, like a child who had done something wrong.

Logan handed him the water bag.

Elsa swallowed slowly, her gaze lingering on Logan's arm.

The forearm was wrapped in a blood-soaked bandage, and there was a large gash in the web between the thumb and forefinger.

It must hurt a lot.

Elsa's fingers gently touched the edge of the bandage.

"Thank you..." Her voice was barely audible, and even trembled slightly.

I owe him another life.

The usually aloof wanderer's eyes were now red like a rabbit's, and tears were welling up in them uncontrollably.

Logan paused for a moment, looking at the crying half-elf in front of him, and suddenly felt a bit of a problem.

He's good at killing, slaying monsters, and calculating money, but he has no experience dealing with a woman's tears, whether in his past life or now.

Damn it! What should I do right now?

He could only reach out and clumsily wipe away the tears from Elsa's eyes.

"Why are you crying? Have you forgotten what I said before?"

Logan looked him in the eyes, his tone gentle, but what he said made even himself feel embarrassed:

"You're my brother. In North Nordland, taking a couple of cuts and shedding a little blood for a brother is nothing."

He paused, his tone becoming slightly more serious: "So, if anything happens again in the future, absolutely do not hide it from me and go to your death alone, okay?"

Elsa's heart, which had been pounding with emotion, seemed to stop for a moment when she heard the word "brother".

She stared blankly at Logan's serious face.

A mix of shyness, helplessness, and an indescribable anger welled up inside me.

Who wants to be your brother!

Elsa's cheeks instantly turned as red as ripe tomatoes, and the emotions that had been suppressed for years by the Inquisition erupted like a volcano.

It's him!

She suddenly looked up and, in the instant Logan was caught off guard, grabbed his collar and pulled him down.

Hot lips collided with Logan's.

Ok? !

Logan's mind went blank.

The instant their lips touched, the goddess's whisper pierced through the endless void, echoing deep within Elsa's consciousness, cold and resolute:

"The contract is sealed. From this day forward, you will be his shadow..."

An invisible link instantly bound their souls together.

A few seconds later.

Elsa released her grip as if electrocuted, grabbed the blanket and wrapped herself and her head tightly, leaving only her pink, swollen ears trembling violently outside.

"..."

Logan sat motionless on the edge of the bed.

After a while, he raised his hand in a daze and circled his burning cheek.

No.

Are all girls in this world this bold?

But it felt pretty good.

He looked at the wad of blankets.

Let's both calm down.

"Um, well, I'm a little sore too. I'm going to lie down in the next room for a bit. Just call me if you need anything."

Logan coughed lightly and made up an excuse to leave the room.

The wooden door was gently closed.

The room returned to silence.

Elsa remained huddled in bed, her cheeks burning as if she had a high fever.

Just as she was in a state of utter confusion, the little head lying on her lap suddenly let out an uncontrollable chuckle.

Elsa suddenly stood up and met those cunning blue eyes.

Lily wasn't sleeping at all; that little girl had clearly been awake for a long time and had been lying there pretending to be asleep while eavesdropping!

"Lily!" Elsa was both embarrassed and angry.

"You're my brother—" Lily mumbled, mimicking Logan's tone, pouting and grinning at Elsa, "Sister, do you like that 'brother'?"

"ah?!"

Elsa's face, which had just cooled down slightly, turned red again.

"You little brat, haven't you suffered enough yet? How dare you tease your older sister!"

Elsa, embarrassed and angry, gently pinched Lily's ticklish spot.

"Ouch, ouch, sister, have mercy! Lily was wrong!" Lily begged for mercy with a giggle, and hugged Elsa tightly.

The two played around on the bed. As they laughed, Lily buried her face in Elsa's neck, her small body trembling slightly.

Feeling the tears on her neck, Elsa's smile slowly faded. She hugged her only remaining family member tightly, resting her chin gently on her sister's head.

"Lily."

"Um?"

Welcome home.

In the cramped room, the two sisters clung to each other tightly, sobbing uncontrollably. All the despair and fear that had been building up in their hearts were completely washed away by their tears.

Just a door away.

Logan leaned against the wooden door, listening to the suppressed sobs and laughter inside.

He looked down at his fists, which had smashed someone's head just hours before, and an uncontrollable smile crept onto his face.

The result was pretty good.