Close your eyes, and make a wish.

A wish? I... I dont know what to want. What should I want?

How do I... how do I know what is my wish?

That is a complicated question, Erin...

For some, their deepest desire is given to them by the experiences, while for others that desire is born of a great ambition.

And what is your wish?

My wish will never be fulfilled, or rather, I will not see it fulfilled...

My wish, the deepest secret of my heart, will be my legacy to you, Erin.

Then there is only one thing I can wish for!

I want to become the person I must be to carry all the dreams and desires of my family and my kingdom!

I want to be able to confront him, and show him that he is wrong, trusting more in a rule from an eternity before me!

I want ... to be who I really am, who my heart tells me that I should be

I'm glad to see that I was not wrong with you, Erin... I'm glad your heart is so strong.

You will need a strong heart to resist the weight of my sins

Trust me your wish, Erin,

because I will give you everything I was so that it becomes the force of who you want to be

"My wish..." With her voice broken and exhausted, Erin opened her eyes, too tired to understand what was happening. The crackle of the fire was the only sound in the room, while soft white light came through the curtains.

If this was heaven, Erin was disappointed... But evidently it wasnt.

"What a strange dream." Rubbing her eyes, Erin slowly felt the pain in her bones. Leaning on one elbow, Erin rolled onto the bed where it rested, turning toward the window.

Removing the curtain, a snowy landscape received her, one that did nothing but remind her of the time when she first arrived at Hyalgan.

Little by little, lucidity returned to her.

"If I'm lying in a bed my size... this must be the adventurer's guild... how did I get here?" A big question that nobody was going to answer if it was formulated in an empty room. Turning slowly on her other side, Erin saw the fireplace lit with several Branese cores, heating the room even too much; her underwear, shirt and pants hanging on the chairs against the wall, impeccable and without any trace of damage.

"They have taken the trouble to... clean my clothes. I must thank them- Wait a moment..." Erin slowly lifting the blanket, looking at her birthday dress in all its glory. "They have stripped me and left me... They have seen me naked..." Erin's cheeks lit up as intense as the fire, completely covering the blanket. With all the strength her body was able to generate, Erin stifled a cry of sheer shame.

Sitting up, Erin covered herself with the blanket. Looking towards her clothes, Erin quickly noticed that something was very wrong "Where... where is... my trenchcoat!?"

Slowly, Erin got up from the bed, walking noiselessly to the door. Slowly, the giantess opened it, bending down and starting to crawl down the hallway on the top floor. When approaching the stairs, the giantess began to listen to a conversation... which forced her to keep as quiet as possible.

"Na na na! double stitch, double stitch!" Gus's voice was the first the giantess heard, screaming nervously.

"Come on Gus! Relax! "A second male voice answered, one that Erin could not recognize. "I have sewn garments enough to distinguish when I must secure a closure!"

"This trenchcoat is th' ainlie claes a've ever seen Erin wear, na maiter cauld or het! secure th' damn seam!" Erin's blood froze completely.

"My ... my ..." The giantess murmured before the wick caught itself inside her. Crawling at full speed back into the room, Erin tore the sheet off the bed, wrapping her dress and going back to the stairs

"DONT TOUCH MY TRENCHCOAT!"Like a frantic beast, Erin rushed down the stairs with such speed that the giantess herself couldnt place her hands well.

PUM! PUM! PUM!

The last blow to the ground was terrible, the giantess had landed with her face as cushioning. Gus and the adventurer looked at each other, confused as to what to do... although the confusion only lasted 4 seconds. "Hands off my trenchcoat!" Erin said, opening her eyes suddenly, getting up quickly and crawling to the adventurer, recovering her prized garment.

"Seams... patches of the same color... the zippers are in place... not a single thread..."

The adventurer turned to the dwarf, smiling at him with half a mouth. "See? I told you, I'm a very good seamstress!"

Frowning, the dwarf jumped off his stool, walking towards Erin. "Big lassie, r03;r03;how urr ye? yer body aches?" Completely ignoring him, Erin continued to check her trenchcoat.

""I would have killed someone if some of you had damaged my trenchcoat, you know?" The giantess growled while getting up and putting on her trenchcoat. (With the blanket still below)

"Is this how an apprentice should talk to her master" The adventurer said between laughs, keeping the needles and thread in a small bag no bigger than the palm of his hand.

"What are you talking about?... I... I know you?" Erin said confused, looking up and finally looking at the third person in the room.

Tall, with dark complexion and physical aspect more typical of the demonic race, although he didnt have the typical features of a demon. His eyes were amber, sharp and slightly slanted; his hair combed back with care. An air of aristocracy surrounded him, Erin couldnt discern if it was because of his elegant posture or his constant aspect of superiority.

"True! I've only known you unconscious! Excuse my manners" The guy got up from his chair, offering his hand.

"My name is... call me Grimm, everyone knows me by my last name. I am the man who has bought your contract"

Erin blinked a few seconds. "My contract? My contract as a guardian? No, no no! There must be an error, my contract is with Takun to work as-"

"That villa no longer exists, remember?" Erin froze at Grimm's words, blurry images of the fateful night flooding her mind. "What do you remember of thah night, Erin?"

With a nod, Erin asked Gus for a seat. The dwarf, swift for his size, pushed aside the stools, letting Erin sit on the floor with her lower back against the bar. "I remember... flames, and that monster..." Grimm sighed quietly, winking subtly at Gus.

"Remember how the beast descends on the village and you fight with it, protecting the barn?"

Ducking her head, Erin remembered how the beast rose over her in the middle of the village, grabbing her and throwing her against the trees. "Yes... I think so... although more than a fight I would call it a beating, I dont remember having even managed to get it out of it grab"

"You shouldnt suffer for it" Grimm sat back down, with both arms crossed forward on the table. "I must admit that even a legendary adventurer like me had problems dealing with that bat"

"All this has nothing to do with my contract! How have you done with my contract? Takun would not sell me!" Erin said suddenly, glaring at Grimm. "I'm not a slave! My contract is direct and formally registered in the town hall of GreenGate!"

With a smile, Grimm snapped his fingers, making a paper appear that Erin recognized instantly. "Buying your contract is... certainly a linguistic error on my part. Rather, what I have done has been to buy the rest of the time for which Takun had you hired, specifically and if my sight doesnt fail me, your services as a guardian for the next year and two months, up to a maximum of two years after which this contract should be reevaluated by both parties.

Of course, I dont need a guardian, so instead you'll become my apprentice" Erin swallowed deeply, looking for a legal breach. "You're a very smart girl, so I see the contract you wrote yourself... including this clause that a new interested party can-"

"That clause was so that if Takun stopped being mayor the next one could hire-" Erin tried to defend herself, only for Grimm to speak again.

"Dont worry, Takun, his wife and the other couple have been resting at the Green Door Inn. Do you want us to rescind this new contract? I had agreed with him that if you didnt agree we could reverse the purchase "

"Seriously?" Erin asked extremely confused.

"Of course! Do you think that the legendary Grimm would use a legal loophole to get what he wants? I prefer to play cleanly whenever possible!" Grimm laughed out loud, turning around and snapping his fingers. With a flash of dark light like the night, Erin's outer clothes appeared on her knees

"For now, go get dressed. I dont want my apprentice to get sick by going out with a blanket like a dress"

Lifting her clothes, Erin smelled her looking for any kind of trap... instead, a soft smell of roses enveloped her. "Why"

"Those clothes, they arent easy to find, right?" Grimm asked, stopping at the door of the inn. "It has the same interior fabric, and its seams and scuffs are similar to your trenchcoat, so I assume it was with the beginning of your trip. One of the first lessons that I am going to teach you is how to correctly treat your clothes, making weekly maintenance and ensuring the long term of the same"

Closing the door behind him, Erin stared at the clothes, not knowing what to say... she really knew what to say."Who the hell is that guy, Gus?"

"He says his name is grimm, 'n' efter investigating a bawherr his name appears in ferr a few records o' unknown territories 'n' in mony high-level commissions... It's as pure tough as it appears, muckle lassie. He murdurred they- sorry, th' infected bat while protecting ye 'n' takun 'n' th' ithers... "

"What does he want from me? I have no idea who he is, I have never seen him!"

"I cannae hulp ye wi' that, muckle lassie... Ah kin ainlie say that he haes bin taking care o' ye a' this week-"

"YOU JUST SAY A WEEK? A WHOLE WEEK?" Erin spun around, hitting the bar with both hands.

"You've bin oot cauld fur a week in kip, muckle lassie. Th' wounds that th' bat made ye... Wur muckle mair serious than th' doctor initially believed-" Erin looked at her arms and legs, looking for any sign of those wounds. Gus sighed to himself, regaining the attention of the giantess.

"the doctor said ye wid be oot cauld fur a lang time... 'n' grimm said he wid tak' care o' ye... 'n'.. 'ere yer! ilka day at eight o'clock th' morns mornin', at twa o'clock in th' efternoon 'n' at eight o'clock at nicht grimm cam tae yer room, healing ye wi' some kind o' spell in a streenge leid fur an hour" Erin's look of confusion doesnt stop increase.

"In addition, Grimm haes nae left th' guild in a' this time, his langest absences wur tae visit Takun 'n' tae hulp wi' th' collection o' th' remains o' th' attack" 

"Why... why?! I repeat, I have no idea who he is!! "Erin said scared, feeling too much in debt to someone she knew from 5 minutes ago, literally.

"it's aff tae titch ye tae fin' oot fur yourself" Gus said as Erin lowered her head, climbing the stairs again crawling.  Climbing onto the bar, Gus slammed his fist against his chest, giving her his biggest smile. "i cover yer back, sae proceed wi'oot fear!"

Feeling joy for the first time since she had woken up, Erin smiled broadly, reaching the second floor and closing her door behind her.

A few seconds later, Gus entered the guild's hold, leaning against the door and rifling through his pocket for a small, light brown crystal. With two whistles, the crystal began to glow, giving Gus the signal.

"mr. Gaspar, certain matters hae occurred beyond oor control. Ah will keep erin under surveillance... Bit a'm feart ah will need a freish cover"

""What's with that accent so ... dwarf?

"sorry, gaffer. Custom, ye ken"

"It doesnt matter, it hits you a lot. Also, we will give you what you need I will send the disruptor with money to cover your needs and so you can flee the city without problems. When you have enough data, reopen communication"

"That's what I'll do, sir. Agent Tsun closes the transmission" The glass stopped shining, and with another sigh that was even longer, Gus walked through the cellar, opening the door to the preserves room.

"You're going to be lucky, Gus, you can get your life back" The dwarf said to himself as he looked at the body suspended in stasis.

The temperature was as cold as it seemed from inside the guild, the streets full of workers coming and going. (Erin assumed that her destination was the villa)

Getting up quickly to avoid touch the snow beyond what was necessary, Erin stretched herself comfortable, letting the cold air rock her while her limbs returned to normal. As a giantess, Erin knew perfectly well that she had to learn to live with most buildings built for humans... And that was why the giantess enjoyed being under the open sky so much, without walls surrounding her. A feeling of freedom simply delicious.

The inn wasnt too far from the guild, only two streets away. Combining the closeness with the height of Erin, the result is that the giantess saw from far away Grimm and Takun leaning against the fence that surrounded the garden of the inn, sharing a hot drink that the giantess assumed as coffee.

"Takun!" Erin shouted when she was close enough so that the couple didnt have to move from their position. "You're good? Does something hurt you?"

With a sad smile, Takun denied while still stirring his coffee. "That is what I should ask you, dont you think?"

Dropping to her knees beside them, Erin denied smiling. "I'm in top form, you shouldnt underestimate the energy of a giantess!"

Takun could not blink, looking confused at Grimm. Two nodding and a wink after the adventurer later, Takun looked back at the giantess. "And your head? Do you remember that night?"

"Only... partially..." Erin closed her eyes, feeling her mood crumble. "I remember that I met the bat in the village, and that you, your wife and the Mes fled to the barn..."

Takun waited a moment, sighing with relief. "Erin, you saved us. If you... had not been with the bat, Grimm would never have arrived on time"

"Really?" Looking up, Erin grinned at a meal of guilt. "I'm glad you're safe... But I still failed the rest of the town... if only I had woken up earlier..."

"No one would have woken up in time, the bat did not make a sound before setting it on fire" Drinking all the coffee that was left in one gulp, Takun wiped his nose with the sleeve of his jacket. "We couldnt have survived that bat without luck on our part! Now it only remains to give thanks to Amun and pray for those who didnt survive that night, for their souls to reach Hona!

We have had to live in a dark age, but that only means that we must look to the future and living for those who could not... this is what our generation has been through!"

"Well said! Apodemus expects us to sink in our misery, we never have to give him that pleasure!" Grimm said drinking himself the rest of the cup. (Only in his case Grimm snapped his fingers, making a handkerchief appear and carefully wiping himself with it)

"Live for them and carry the future by flag, that's our duty!" Erin shouted joining the circle of smiles.

Circle that did not last long. "I had never named the teachings of Amun before... do you think he would bother to use them without first praying to him? The last thing I need now is for a God to make my life impossible" Takun said quietly, looking at the sky discreetly.

"Come on man! Amun is the patron of hope and smiles! There is no god more kind and more permissive than him!" Grimm quickly calmed Takun's heart, returning the smile.

The three shared a moment of silence, until Erin was forced to interrupt again. "Takun... is it true that you want to sell my contract?"

The mayor was silent, looking at the empty cup while searching for the right words. Two lies were already on Takun's shoulders, both to avoid as much damage to the giantess as possible... This time, Erin deserved the whole truth, without sweetening it to keep her on his side.

"Erin, Grimm has offered us fifty thousand Blue Orbs to me and fifty thousand for the Mes... in exchange for the rest of your contract" Erin said nothing, her face remaining as white as snow. Takun swallowed hard, ready to go on.

"Now we have no money or house for you... and after talking very carefully, the four of us have decided that we want to go as far away from Hyalgan as possible... and with one hundred thousand Orbs-"

"I DONT KNOW YOU!" Erin yelled suddenly, turning to Grimm. Hitting the ground with both hands, the giantess bent down until she was face to face. "I DONT KNOW WHO YOU ARE! Why... why are you doing this?! Paying a hundred thousand blue orbs for the remains of my contract? My file as a mercenary is not worth a quarter of that amount!"

Grimm opened his mouth to answer, although Erin didnt plan on letting him talk yet. "Is it for my family?! You're dead if you intend to ask for some kind of rescue! Do you intend to sell me as a slave?! Who in their right mind would pay a hundred thousand Orbs for me?!" The giantess was hyperventilating, to the point of beginning to sweat.

"We dont know each other, you say?" Grimm laughed to himself, covering his mouth to not bother the giantess even more. "In that you are wrong, dear apprentice"

"Eh?"

"I do know you... pretty well, too." With another snap of his fingers, Grimm made an old notebook appear. "I was investigating about you after seeing you participate a year ago in the challenge of the god Iher, in the Caves of Gratas"

Erin's eyes snapped open, her brain remembering the aforementioned day. "I was very surprised to see that there was an unknown rookie among the winning team... and although I couldnt find out much more than what you wrote on Iher's file... let's say that I wished I had been faster and had met you before you left the party!"

"It is true that I participate in Iher games to have enough money to afford the trip... but I didnt do so much for the team... and also the teams were random! It's not that-" Erin said softly.

"I know exactly what you did for the team, Erin." Moving rapidly through the pages of his notebook, Grimm soon stopped at one. "I gathered statements from all your partners, and they all agreed that you were a pleasant surprise for the team, both for the physical section being much stronger than you seemed as for the magic section, being the one with more variety of spells!"

Takun looked at the notebook, reading the statements over and over again. "You made a good impression on them, Erin... they're all compliments!"

The cheeks of the giantess began to warm up and to become colored red. As Grimm had registered, there were many who spent all the celebrations praising her, even being one of them Iher himself. So many compliments were the main reason for her sudden departure, because what Erin was most interested in a year ago was keeping a low profile.

"On the other side of Paradise I met you, Erin." Grimm smiled, disappearing the notebook. "At that moment, I decided that I wanted to have an apprentice to whom to transmit all my knowledge... and had to be you"

Clearing his throat, Grimm stepped forward, planting the giantess face to face. "They know me as Grimm, the black shadow of Paradise. Nice to meet you, Erin" Grimm raised his hand, offering himself to the giantess.

Erin remained silent for long sixty seconds, until the moment she found her mind clear. "Takun, how much do you want to get away from these woods?" Takun nodded with a slight touch of guilt, that being the answer she needed. Her last act as guardian of the village was decided.

"They know me as Erin, a pleasure to meet you... Master Grimm"

With a handshake under a snowy mantle and a clear sky, the story of Grimm's apprentice began.