Opening the large bronze door and stepping foot into the lobby of the "Riposo Inn and Tavern" with a stuffed leather satchel strapped across his armored chest, Ren was greeted with the heavy aroma of lemon juice mixed in with vinegar— neither did much to mask the lingering stench of alcohol.

Luckily for the eleven year-old's sanity, the tavern that was directly to the left of the rustic-decorated lobby had already had its "last call" for the evening; meaning that instead of drunken sailors and adventurers there to cause a ruckus, there resided only the establishment's midnight cleaning crew.

With his head still reeling from how chaotic his last two hours had been, Ren took a moment to compose himself with an elongated sigh escaping past his parted lips— his tired eyes staring up at fair skinned receptionist, who had her green eyes focused primarily on the opened pages of her novel.

Believing that she hadn't noticed his presence, Ren began dragging his fatigued feet behind him as he made his way closer to the large check-in counter. "Ah, I see you're reading the "Akatosh" series," Ren remarked in a lowered-pitch voice, while nodding his head at the orange cover of the hardback book the ginger receptionist was holding. "I see you've gotten to the third book as well."

"Aye, I have; Ruby Lovecrox is a bloody genius, isn't she?" The woman asked rhetorically, with a flat, yet still enthusiastic voice. "Didn't think adventurers had much time for reading, honestly," the woman mused, as she placed a bookmark between her opened pages before shutting the book close and setting it off to the side.

"I try to find time for it— though, I've had my hands full lately, so… "Selinas" and I are going to have to wait until we can pick up from where we last left off," Ren mused with a slightly playful tone in his voice, doing his best to keep things light between him and the receptionist.

Tightening her lips together, the ginger woman became visibly uncomfortable as she nodded awkwardly back at the armored boy. "Eeyup; I'd say so too," she said agreeingly, before turning around to open up the iron lockbox that was stored beneath the counter. "It's none of my business, but… I do hope everything will go as well as possible for you and those girls."

Smiling behind the tinted veil of his armored face-shield, Ren reached over the counter to take the iron key to his room from the empathetic woman. "Yeah… Me too," he said quietly, and told her, "Enjoy the book," before making his way past her, over to the enclosed staircase that was just around the corner of the check-in counter.

Holding onto the iron key in his hand, Ren had the lights of the flickering candles mounted along the dark Victorian-style wallpaper to help guide his path up the flight of steps— squeezing past the few other travelers booked into the inn that were heading downstairs for their own reasons.

Exiting the staircase upon reaching the seventh floor, Ren entered through the wooden door that led him into a long corridor with rooms parallel to one another. Treading over the red carpeted floors with wooden paneled walls on each side of him, Ren read each iron-cast number that was nailed into the door of each room, and stopped only when he reached the one that read "720" on it.

Unlocking the door and stepping onto the wooden floorboards of his room's kitchenette floor, Ren closed the door behind and deadlocked it. "I'm back," Ren announced in a quiet, and uneasy voice, while feeling a heaviness in the air as he opened up the flap of his leather satchel— taking the three mason jars full of piping-hot spaghetti and meatballs out from his bag, and placing them on the small wooden counter beside the front door.

Opening the drawer underneath the counter, Ren took out three forks before placing them on top of each lid. "They only had turkey meatballs— hope that isn't an issue, Amerika," Ren said loud enough for his voice to be carried through the kitchenette, and into the large bedroom that was on the opposite side of the front entrance.

Not getting a response at first, Ren took the time he had to unseal his helmet using the ivory knob built into the left side of his headwear— releasing hissing cold-air into the room, before comfortably pulling it off of his head.

"… It's fine," Ren finally heard the somber voice of the goblin girl call back to him.

Setting his helmet down next to where Amerika had set her own goggles and bandages down in the corner of the kitchen counter, Ren began loosening the straps of his leather cuirass as he made his way over to the wooden ice-box that was tucked away in the corner opposite of where he had set his helmet down.

"Glad to hear it… And how is she, by the way?" Ren asked with a hint of anxiety in his voice, while opening the door to the ice-box— cold air blowing against his exposed face, as he took out the glass pitcher of chilled water.

Pouring himself a glass of water using one of the cups from the cupboard above the counter next to him, Ren heard Amerika sigh before responding to him with, "She'll be alright; the ointment already cleared away the bruises she had."

Putting the glass pitcher of water back into the ice-box, Ren closed the small wooden door shut before beginning to pull his hands out of his black, sweaty gloves. "I… I see," Ren replied with a growing sense of dread in his stomach, and paused with his eyebrows furrowed as he placed his dirty gloves beside the basin of water that was built into the middle of the counter table. "W… W-Was she-"

"-No— she wasn't," Amerika answered him before he could finish asking the question he had been fearing to ask. "As jaded as it sounds, the only infliction done upon her was of physical abuse— at least as far as I was able to tell."

"Thank God…" Ren muttered under his breath, and breathed a sigh of relief before raising the brim of his cup between his lips.

Feeling the cool water sloshing around in his dried mouth, Ren continued to greedily down the rest of his water— even as he heard Amerika spitefully retort in a flat voice, "God's the last person I want to be heard being thanked."

Immediately wincing and nearly choking on his water the moment he realized how insensitive he sounded, Ren felt his chest ache as he set the empty cup down near the basin— guilt washing over him, and causing him to freeze as he felt his stomach churning.

"I… I'm sorry, Amerika; I didn't mean anything-"

"-Yew're alright, mate; I should be the one apologizing, not yew," Amerika interrupted from the next room over.

Sitting at the study table, with her chair positioned to be facing toward the queen-sized bed where the blond girl was resting soundly on, Amerika was hunched over with her bare feet dangling down near the rug beneath her— her exhausted eyes fixated on the ivory-skinned child's face, while her left ear twitched as she heard Ren using the kitchenette basin to wash his hands. "There's… There's actually quite a lot I've got to apologize to yew for."

"No you don't," Ren replied assuringly from the kitchenette; his hand splashing gently underneath the surface of the soapy water he had poured into the white-ceramic basin— vigorously scrubbing his fingers and knuckles together.

Lowering her gaze from the peaceful looking girl, Amerika felt her chest tighten as she closed her heavy eyelids softly— lowering her head solemnly, before insisting to the boy, "Like Hell I don't; wot yew saw today was a bloody disgrace— I shouldn't have fockin' lost my shite like that…"

Hearing the water within the basin draining, Amerika kept her eyes closed while listening to Ren's footsteps as he finally joined them in the dimly lit bedroom. "… You're still processing everything that's happened to you, Amerika," Ren said in an understanding voice, as he made his way over to the hunched over goblin girl. "I'm not at liberty to tell you how to live your life, but… Maybe when this is all over, we can get you the help you recover."

Letting out a humorlessly chortle, the goblin girl shook her head at Ren while softly fluttering her eyelids open halfway. "Yeah, I sort of fockin' doubt that," Amerika replied cynically, before slowly letting out a heavy sigh as she stared back up at bed across the room from them. "But anyway… That'll all have to wait anyway; we've got more pressing matters to deal with."

Turning his dusty-rose colored eyes over to the blond girl laying naked beneath the covers of the bed, Ren had a contemplative expression on his pale-skinned face, as he began to strip each piece of reinforced leather from his body. "… I know," the boy muttered with an exasperated tone.

Catching a whiff of Ren's sweaty body that was emitting through the fabric of his black long-sleeve shirt, Amerika turned her head slightly toward him; her yellow eyes staring at his slender body, as he continued to toss each of his discarded armor onto the floor. "Might sound hypocritical of me, but… Yew know we can't bring her with us for the journey, right? She'll only make things more difficult than they already are."

"I know," Ren repeated himself with an understanding tone in his calm voice; keeping his black trousers and top on, as he pulled his socks off before tossing them onto the pile he'd created near the study desk. "Even so, I… I don't feel comfortable leaving her at the mercy of the King's men; not after the anecdotals I've heard of how they are with younger girls."

Twitching upon realizing the negative implications of what he had just said, Amerika felt her blood pressure beginning to rise as her mind immediately began experiencing flashes of her assault. "R… R-Right," the goblin girl said in a low voice, while beginning to worry about having another panic attack.

Taking in deep, slow, and controlled breaths to calm herself, it wasn't until she noticed Ren offering his hand to her did she feel the tightness that had been growing in her small chest disappearing— her inner demons vanishing, as she looked up past his extended arm to see his comforting red eye staring back down at her.

In lieu of a gripping pressure taking a hold of her heart, Amerika felt a blooming sensation of warmth and excitement growing inside of her, which only amplified as she felt a spark between them, the moment she grabbed a hold of his hand— interlocking her fingers between his, and offering him a weary smile of gratitude, as she continued to stare deeply into his comforting eyes.

"Tomorrow is another day; we can figure it all out then," Ren said optimistically in a calming voice, and gave the seemingly enamored goblin girl's hand a gentle squeeze. "For now though, let's focus on having a meal together before bed," Ren said with a lighthearted smile growing across his pale lips, as he relaxed his grip before gently pulling his hand away from Amerika's.

Immediately missing the way she felt having his hand in hers, Amerika couldn't help but stiffen a quiet grown as she slowly retracted her hand back to her lap. "Aye, that we should— especially considering we bloody paid for those damn noodles," the goblin girl said with a gruff voice, while trying to play off her disappointment, as she finally forced herself to hop off of the chair she had been sitting on.

"Say… There's still some soapy water in the bathtub; if yew don't mind takin' a dip in some "goblin water", then wot I can do for yew is reheat it with me multi-tool!" Amerika half-jokingly said, while being genuine about heating up her used bath water for him. "I'll get it nice and warm for yew, while yew go ask Goldilocks over there if she's in the mood for some "porridge"."

Though visibly appreciative of the offer, Ren still felt reluctant as his food-driven mind thought back to the mason jars of sealed spaghetti he had waiting for them in the kitchenette. "It won't take too long, will it? Regardless if she's ready for dinner, I'd still like it if you and I could at least eat together."

As ridiculous as the logical side of her thought it was, Amerika couldn't help but to feel a small burst of joy inside of her upon hearing that. "Heh~! I didn't know we were havin' ourselves a date tonight, mate~! I would have worn me best pajamas, if only I bloody knew~!" The blushing goblin jokingly flirted, and saw Ren's expression change from being sincere, to being genuinely amused by her.

"Guess that's another reason to not thank God, huh?" Ren mused sarcastically in his usual flat voice— earning himself a laugh from Amerika that was hardy enough to stir the blond child awake in bed.

Hearing the springs of the mattress squeaking underneath the low groans of exhausted confusion coming from the groggy girl's throat, Amerika took one look at the blankets shifting before turning to look at Ren. "Aw shite— my bad, mate," Amerika quickly apologized, before awkwardly pointing a thumb back towards the direction of their room's private chamber room. "I'mmmmm gonnaaaa… Geeeet that water warmed up for yew; holla at me if yew need anythin'!"

Finding her playful demeanor helpful, Ren smiled back at her as he replied back with, "Sounds good," before giving her an endearing wink. Upon seeing his lively gesture, Amerika winked back at him before finally leaving the bedroom to make her way into the chamber room— not needing a candle in the pitch-dark room, as she searched through her already opened duffle bag that she'd left in the corner.

Now alone with a naked six year-old who he undoubtedly knew suffered abuse before he and Amerika had accidentally stumbled upon her, Ren channeled his lighthearted interaction with the goblin girl to greet the anxious looking girl with a reassign smile of his own.

"It's alright— you're safe here," Ren said reassuringly to the wide-eyed blond girl, who was staring back at his dusty rose-colored eyes with a sense of uncertainty and confusion in her own pitiful stare.

"Where…? Where am I…? Where did you take me…?" The blond girl asked in a raspy, meek voice— wincing as she reached up with one hand to nurse her sore throat.

Softly furrowing his eyebrows, Ren reached up to grab a hold of his chin. "We're…. We're in "Ripos"- no, wait— that's not it," Ren muttered to himself. "Wait, I remember now," he announced softly, and lowered his hand down before revealing to her, "We're in the "Riposo Inn and Tavern"; my companion and I rented a room, before-"

'-Shit, wait; she took her mask off! I can't risk freaking her out in the state that she's in,' Ren immediately recalled the moment he caught himself referring to Amerika as simply his "companion". Not wanting to balloon that issue into something more than it had to be, Ren immediately recovered from his sudden pause by clearing his throat.

"Ahem…! My apologies— I'm a bit parched, is all," Ren somewhat lied about, before turning it around by asking the cautious little girl, "What about you? Care for a cup of cold water?"

Hesitant to respond to his offer— though her dried lips begged her otherwise— the blond girl stared cautiously at Ren— searching for any signs of a possible ulterior motive behind his eyes.

"If… If you wouldn't mind, then… Y-Yes, please— I'd very much appreciate it if you could," the blond girl finally responded— her shoulders relaxing ever so slightly, as she sat up more comfortably with the thick comforter of the bed still covering her bare chest.

Feeling relieved with her willingness to give him a chance, Ren gave her a reassuring nod as he told her, "Perfect— I'll be right back then," before slipping out of the bedroom to return to the next room over.

Popping open the wooden door of the ice-box, Ren got another glass cup from the cupboard and filled it up generously before placing the pitcher back onto its chilled shelf. Not knowing how else to conceal it, Ren did what he had to do and stuffed Amerika's bandages and goggles down his pants, before returning to the bedroom to hand the girl the glass of water.

"Here, try not to drink this too fast," Ren cautioned, and held onto the glass until the blond girl had both her small hands around it.

"Bless you," she croaked out in a raspy voice, before bringing the cup up to her lips to take a slow drink from it— the cold water immediately soothing her sore throat, as she let out an elongated breath out through her small nostrils.

With his genitals accidentally rubbing against Amerika's bandages, Ren did his best to hide his embarrassment as he inconspicuously told the distracted young girl, "Excuse me, I'm going to go check on my friend— she's warming up a bath for me."

Still collecting her thoughts, and feeling groggy on top of being physically fatigued, the blond girl brought the cup down from her lips and swallowed the mouthful of water she had in her cheeks, before kindly replying to him, "Please do; I don't want to burden you, sir."

'Sir? I'm a "Sir" now?' Ren thought jokingly to himself, and smiled back at her softly before telling her, "You can call me "Goblin Slayer" if you'd like; I'm an adventurer, you see."

Upon hearing him mentioning his false occupation, the dots began to seemingly connect in the six year-old's mind as her crystal-blue eyes lit up with awe. "Oh, I see now…! That makes sense why you rescued me: someone must have hired you to save me from "Heaven's Daybreak"…!"

Although it was apparent that the submissive child before him hadn't been treated well— despite how kind she was revealing herself to be— Ren found himself asking her, ""Heaven's Daybreak"? Are those… Are those the people who hurt you?"

Pausing and suddenly growing uncomfortable underneath Ren's angered stare, the blond girl winced as she shrunk into herself while bringing her knees slowly up to her chest. "I don't wish harm upon them, but… Yes— I'm sad to say that most of them had a hand in hurting me," the child admitted, and felt herself becoming jaded as she concluded, "But if you didn't already know that, then… T-Then no one sent you."

Standing by her, Ren felt his heart aching as he heard her trembling breaths escalating into quiet sobbing— the thought of her life being so meaningless that she was only rescued by happenstance felt like a dagger twisting in her shattered heart. "I-I'm sorry, I'm sorry…! I-I know I should be grateful— and I really am…!" the blond girl choked out— her tear-ridden eyes gazing up at Ren's empathetic eyes, as she did her best to smile at him before her trembling lips fell into despair.

"I-I just thought m-maybe… M-Maybe she was right… M-Maybe I r-really am unlovable… Maybe it would have been b-better if…" She trailed with devastation in her voice, before clutching the comforter close to her knees as she began fanning her flustered cheeks with her hand. "S-Sorry, sorry— I-I didn't mean to hold y-you up, Goblin Slayer…"

Shocked at what he had just witnessed, Ren wanted to ask the pitiful child, 'What sort of terrible things were done to you, to make you think so little of yourself? What was said to you,' but knew better than to ask questions as heavy as the ones that were on his mind. Instead, Ren let out a solemn breath, before quietly telling her, "I… I can't undo whatever was done to you; believe me, I wish I could."

Offering him a weak smile once more, the blond girl rubbed her runny nose and eyes against the back of her raised hand. "T-That's very kind of you to say," she said softly, and turned her body toward the small bedside table to set her glass down— which Ren did for her, as he gently took the cup from her hands before setting it down. "T-Thank you…"

"You're welcome, and…" Ren replied, before trailing off into a momentary pause to collect his thoughts. "While I appreciate you saying that… The truth is that you deserve more than comforting sentiments; words or gestures alone won't be enough to help you— so I'll help you by saving you," Ren spoke with resolve in his composed voice, catching the six year-old girl off guard as she let out a quiet gasp while her watery eyes grew wide.

"W-What do you mean? Y-You've already saved my life though— what more can you do to "save" me?" The blond girl argued as politely as she could, while still voicing her disbelief.

Reflecting back to the novel the receptionist had her nose buried in, to what Amerika's trauma had done to her— in spite of her having gotten her revenge— Ren furrowed his eyebrows, as any lingering traces of his smile faded into a methodical expression.

"I've read so many tales of renowned adventurers who've rescued women and children alike from their imprisonment— slaying their captors, and the ones who hurt them… But I'm beginning to realize that isn't enough sometimes."

Seemingly understanding the sort of stories that Ren was referring to, the blond girl's expression of shock softened, as her already fragile defenses lowered in her broken heart. "It… I-It isn't?" She asked somberly, and thought back to all the fantasies she had of being rescued by a knight in shining armor, before breaking her silence to ask Ren, "W-Why is that?"

"Because it doesn't matter if you're physically away from what brought you so much torment; the scars they've imprinted on you will remain with you, wherever you go," Ren replied with a hint of melancholy in his voice— blurry flashes of his own trauma popping up in his head, before fading away, as the new horrific experiences his developing mind had been accumulating since finding Amerika slumped over near the creek took their place.

Sensing the discomfort Ren was silently feeling, the blond girl lowered her solemn gaze toward the blanket covering her scrawny legs. "C-Can I ever really be saved then?"

"… Without a doubt, you can; the sands of time will smooth away your pain, and the love you'll be given will make whatever's left of that pain into a distant memory," Ren said with a cathartic smile beginning to grow across his pale lips, as all the horrifying thoughts in his mind began to fade away, as the cherished memories he'd made drowned them out in their radiate light.

Moving into Maggiore Village, and being introduced to Bethany on the first day he and Vivine were introduced in the village hall.

Growing a garden with his older sister, and the pride he felt when he got to show his best friend the fruits of their labors.

All the stories he read that shaped his sense of justice— all of which were introduced to him by not only his sister, but by his loving parents who did everything they could to give them the happiness and opportunity they deserved.

Discovering his love for history, and of what the world had to offer him— along with beginning to uncover the tip of the iceberg, of what the Old World used to truly be.

Saving Amerika, and breaking out of his shell to begin his new chapter of life: one where he fought the forces of evil, and experienced divine oddities that still left him baffled.

And of course, having his first kiss with the girl he'd fallen in love with as his best friend.

For every death— for every tragedy he had experienced and seen unfold before him— the fire within Ren's heart refused to stop, and it was only then in the face of despair was he finally realizing that.

And he wanted to share that not only with the abused child before him, but with the girl in the other room who he knew needed saving as well.

"… There's this place, not very far from here called "Maggiore Village"," Ren said to the blond girl, as he let out a soft, recomposing sigh. "I'm going to have you safely travel there with either myself, with a party of reputable adventurers… There's a family who lives near the village, on a farm that's owned by the kindest people I've ever met…"

"… They'll bring you in, and take you in as of their own. They'll give you the love you deserve, and show you why your life is worth living— even if that's hard for you to believe right now," Ren declared confidently in a warm, comforting voice that was still somewhat monotonous— but yet, the six year-old sitting on top of the bed before him could hear every ounce of sincerity within every word he spoke.

Crying more so than she had been earlier, but now with a trembling smile across her lips that expressed the last bit of hope she had left inside of her, the blond child quaked emotionally underneath her covers.

Unable to vocalize her feelings through articulated words, the hopeful girl sprung out from the covers to wrap her arms tightly around the gray-haired boy— burying her face into his collar, before beginning to wail into his shirt, as she held him tightly like he was the answer to her countless prayers.

Standing by the cracked open door— concealed in the shadows of the chamber room— Amerika remained silent as she watched the scene unfold before her. Without uttering a word, she silently wept with a hopeful expression of anguish across her own tear-stricken face.

"J… J-Juliet… M-My name's Juliet," the blond girl whispered in a raspy voice, as she still cling on desperately to Ren.