Nobody expects anything from goblins. Gigi's lived with that her whole life. She dreams of becoming a champion fighter, but instead lives a life of tedium and repression at her family's bakery. When her father died, so did the last person who believed in her... that is, until she meets Drake. Drake's a human. A warlock. He's a man marked by death. Every spell he casts costs him a piece of his life, and he's spent most of that life in service to his kingdom, sending thousands of men to their deaths. This is the fate of a Sword of Paxia. At least, until he does something he was never supposed to. Yearning for freedom and a family, he fakes his death. Or, well, he tries. By the time Gigi finds him, he's on the verge of actually drowning, and she's a little too inebriated to figure out what to do with him.

So she brings him home.

It turns out to be the best decision she's made in her life. Drake teaches her that she really might have what it takes—that she really could become the champion she dreams of being. Gigi teaches him, in turn, how to live a life that isn't just being a soldier; how to actually use this freedom he's longed for.

Their new life is not without its challenges, of course. Challenges like teaching orphans how to gamble, babysitting lamias, discovering an underground fight club for mythical monsters, and so much more. But even as the two of them learn to finally live, Drake's former masters seek to claw him back. Now the bond they're forging must become the shield that helps them keep the life they've found.