“You’re done?” I wondered.

“Pretty much,” the Katepan explained. “Luckily there was only one cult in the town. We’re just awaiting the decision of the Doux now. You’ll get paid by him later.”

“Sounds good,” I replied. “We’ll be leaving then.”

When I left the office, I noticed that Sekh was more excited than usual.

“Do you hate the idea of having to work that much?” I teased her.

“Sort of,” Sekh said with a smile. “But more importantly, we have free time now. And there is no way that you can argue for more work.” 

“You're making it sound like I'm a workaholic,” I complained. "I just work hard to fuel my lifestyle."

“That’s not better,” Sekh replied with disapproval.

Our destination after visiting the Katepan’s office was the Labor Bureau office. When we entered the building with the pelts of five direwolves, the lady at the counter looked at us with shock. 

“How?” she said in amazement. “It’s only been two days and there are only two of you.” 

A smug, I told you so, smile grew on my face. “See, there was no need to worry. We absolutely had it under control.”

“I’m sorry for doubting you,” the clerk replied. “I’ll absolutely give you a good evaluation.”

“Thank you very much,” Sekh began. “But please don’t feed my partner’s ego. I already had to save him once and I don’t want to do it again.”

The clerk gave us a curious look, evidently wary of getting involved in what looked like a lover’s quarrel.

“So do you have the payment?” I asked.

“Oh, of course,” the clerk replied as she pulled out a pouch of coins. “But can you please let me check those pelts for proof?”

I put the five large pelts upon the counter. After some inspection, the clerk ascertained that these were fresh kills and qualified for a bounty. She returned the pelts along with a bag of 20 denarii. 

“How about you take 10 silvers this time,” I suggested to Sekh. “The four to one split doesn’t seem fair since you did save me out there.”

“No need,” Sekh replied as she took only 5 of the coins. “I still want to pay you back for my horse. Besides, you’re paying for nearly all my expenses.”

“Wait,” I thought aloud. “You’re pretty much treating your pay as allowance money.”

“I guess,” Sekh shrugged off. “You’re better at managing money than I am, so why would I do something when there’s an easier and better option?”

Speaking of managing money, my budget is now 8 solidi, 135 denarii, and 43 nummi. Apart from the 14 nummi spent on food, I had spent another 3 nummi so Sekh and I could take baths and get our laundry done. 

After receiving our payment at the Labor Bureau, I immediately went to a tanner that the clerk recommended. The tannery was located in the outskirts of the town and the horrid smell of tanning chemicals and animal remains permeated the air around it.

“I’m going back to the medicine shop,” Sekh declared, evidently put off by the smell. 

When I entered the main store building, I was greeted by a young boy around the age of 10.

“Dad, we have a customer!” the boy shouted. 

A middle aged man with rough brown hair appeared from the back of the building, a noxious smell radiating off of him.

“Excuse me, but do you have any of that orcish extract?” I asked the man.

“I do, why do you ask?” the man replied, evidently excited.

“I was wondering if you could tan these pelts for me with it,” I answered, while showing him the five direwolf pelts.

The man carefully examined my items before speaking. “If you want those five pelts tanned with ironwood extract, it’s going to cost you 15 nummi per pelt.”

“Is that just the cost of the extract or is labor included?” I questioned.

“Everything,” the man grunted.

“We’ve got a deal,” I said with a smile. “It should take about three days to tan the skins right?”

“Two days,” the man corrected.

Compared to waiting around eight or so weeks, this is easily worth the extra cost. Though I’m surprised that this tanner actually has ironwood extract in stock. Despite being by far the best tanning agent, ironwood extract is almost solely produced in the north. Which means that orcs hold a near monopoly on the supply of the stuff. 

“Here have this,” I told the man as I handed him another 10 nummi. 

“I’m glad to see that someone understands our work,” the man replied happily.

At another town, I’m pretty sure it would be 1 denarii per pelt if ironwood extract was used. Though it seems a bit strange, since I don’t remember Amorium being known as part of the fur trade. Or perhaps this man has recently had his business bloom due to the increase in monsters and wild animals. 

Currently, my plan is to later sell the tanned pelts at a commercial town. Even if I keep one of the pelts, I should be able to make a hefty profit. 

When I was far enough from the tannery, I quickly began to sniff myself. Just like I expected, I need a bath. Once I approached the medicine store, I saw Sekh come out of the building.

“Don’t step inside,” she warned me. “We’re going to the baths now.” 

I feel like she’s being too extreme. Besides, I’m fairly certain the smell of medicine would overpower whatever I smell like.

“Can you bring me a set of clothes?” I asked Sekh. “I’m getting our traveling clothes washed so bring yours too.”

The trip to baths and laundry cost a total of 3 nummi. 1 nummus per person and another nummus for our light load of laundry. 

“You really do like taking baths,” Sekh remarked when we left.

“I like smelling good,” I said with a shrug. “Plus I end up smelling like blood at least once a week.” 

“Good point,” Sekh replied. “So what are our plans for tonight?”

“That's up to you,"  I replied. "Do you want to eat dinner at Sophie’s or do you want to go to a restaurant?”

Sekh went deep into her thoughts for a while. “Let’s go out. I know a good place. But let’s help Sophie and Marcus with dinner.”

“You mean I help and you watch,” I teased.

“Exactly,” Sekh said with a laugh.

We arrived back at the medicine shop a couple hours before evening. In fact, we walked in on Sophie explaining to a customer why his bruised knee did not require painkillers. 

“I’ll let you know when I’m done,” I informed Sekh before getting to work.

The dish that I will not be eating tonight is smoked venison stew. The stew followed standard procedure: cooking onions and garlic in butter before adding beef broth and root vegetables. I spent around an hour slowly developing the flavor by adding dried herbs and dashes of spice as well as some of the venison that I had brought back from the direwolf hunt. While I was cooking the stew, I also prepared salad with vinegar dressing as well as rosemary bread. I left the salad unmixed and the bread untoasted, so Sophie could prepare it fresh when it was time for her family to eat dinner. 

After I finished cooking, I found Sekh on the second floor. While I was preparing dinner, Sekh had been taking care of the children. In addition, it seemed that Sekh had been using children's books to learn the Aeolian alphabet. 

“Let’s get changed then leave,” Sekh announced when she saw me outside the door. 

“Have fun big sis,” the two kids declared as Sekh got up. 

It seems that the children don’t want to talk to me. According to Sekh, they thought I was scary. I honestly don’t understand kids, some are stupidly brave while some are ridiculously shy. I happened to be part of the former as a child. 

“So do we change at the same time?” I asked when we went inside our shared room.

“Sure,” Sekh answered. “Just face the other way.”

I shrugged my shoulders and complied. To be fair, I haven’t seen her fully naked before. However, I have seen her breasts a few times when we washed off during travel.

Instead of trying to sneak a peek at Sekh, I was busy trying to find where I put my old court clothes. Although I normally wear my grey leather trousers, I decided to put on a pair of black cotton trousers. In addition, I found my white silk undershirt and purple silk jacket after some digging. I remember that these two particular items were given to me as a gift so I could present myself to the emperors. The head priest of Sol said something along the lines of ‘you must look like a hero, not a poor person.’ 

“Took a while,” Sekh remarked after I had finished changing.

Sekh had already changed into a champagne colored one piece dress. The elegant dress served to accentuate her lean features quite well and her tan leather sandals added to the simplistic appeal of the outfit. 

“That dress looks great on you, where'd you get it?" I inquired. 

“Sophie gave it to me,” Sekh explained. “She bought it while we were out hunting, then forced the gift on me.”

“Seems about right,” I sighed. “Don’t worry, we’ll get her gifts right before we leave. There’s absolutely no chance they can one up us in that case. Anyways, were you looking at my ass while I was changing?”

“Yeah,” Sekh replied nonchalantly with a thumb raised. “Very firm looking. Your back and shoulders look great too.”

“Glad you like it,” I answered. “Now lead the way.” 

The two of us left the shop and began to walk to the western section of the town. The shops in this area all looked well maintained and frequently visited. 

“We’re close,” Sekh informed me. “The merchant I worked for before the whole Zetis incident would sometimes dine his important clients here.”

“So you ever eat here?” I asked.

“Nope,” Sekh told me. “But all the guards I knew would sing praises about it. So I wanted to try it out.”

True enough, the restaurant we entered looked to be a high end establishment. The seats had cushions, the walls were decorated with decent art pieces, and the patrons were well dressed. More importantly, the food smelled good and I could see an impressive amount of alcohol.

“Table for two,” I told the waiter at the front desk when we entered.

The two of us were seated in the center of the left side of the restaurant. Our stall had a large window beside it, though the main source of light was now the chandeliers that dotted the ceiling. 

“Would you like anything to drink?” the waiter asked when he seated us.

“I’ll have some sweet wine,” Sekh answered.

“Do you have orcish schnapps?” I followed up.

“We do,” the waiter informed me. “I’ll bring your drinks shortly.”

After the waiter left, Sekh and I began to make smalltalk. 

“It really feels good to let loose,” I said with a smile.

“You’re the one that keeps getting us to do work,” Sekh pointed out.

“It’s all part of my plan,” I replied with a sly look. “We make money so we can use it all during times like this. The rest of the money will go into our savings.”

When the waiter came back with our drinks, I immediately took a big swig from the glass and began refilling it with the bottle provided. The waiter looked at me with apprehension, most likely believing that I was some rich brat that didn’t understand where to stop. Too bad I can just ignore him. 

“Would you like to order food?” the waiter asked us.

“You go first Azel,” Sekh requested. “I want to think a little more.”

“Sure,” I answered. “I’ll have two roasted lamb legs, a large arugula salad with sharp cheese and dried tomatoes, and garlic rosemary bread.”

In order to buy Sekh time, I purposely slowed my speech. It seems that my efforts paid off since Sekh answered almost immediately after I was done.

“I’m ready now,” Sekh spoke up. “I’ll take a whole grilled pike, Farsi styled flatbread, and a chickpea salad.”

“I’m curious but are there any human foods that you can’t eat?” I asked Sekh when the waiter had left. “I used to do logistics for the allied forces and the beast-folk units would sometimes have specialized rations.”

“Not anything that I can think of,” Sekh replied. “But I guess that leopard-kin eat more meat and less vegetables than humans.” 

“Interesting. I heard that cow folk eat a lot of legumes and lentils. There’s even stories about nagas eating rats.” 

“I haven’t met that many other beast people. The only groups that I’m familiar with are sauruses and gnolls. Though I’m not sure if gnolls really count.

“They’re technically beast people,” I snorted in derision. “There's plenty of proof if you look at the aftermath of gnoll raid. As long as something can create offspring with humans, it’s considered part of the mortal races.”

As we were talking, our food began to arrive. The salad and bread came together, while the meat would arrive later.

“Do you hate gnolls that much?” Sekh inquired. “Even if they have a bad reputation in Fars, I’ve met some good gnoll traders.”

“Of course,” I replied. “The Farsi emperors always push hostile gnoll tribes towards the Marches to mitigate the damage to themselves. There are even small enclaves of gnolls in the southern parts of the Marches.”

“But you have some friendly beast people in the Marches right,” Sekh asked in an attempt to brighten the mood.

“I guess you could say that. The wolf-kin and cougar-kin are allied, though their position is obviously inferior to humans. The goat-kin and sheep-kin on the other hand are pretty much serfs at this point. But I’ve been gloomy enough, let’s talk about something else.”

“You think there are beast people who share traits from monsters instead of animals?” Sekh asked as she picked away at her fish.

“I don’t think so,” I answered. “All the books I’ve read about the different races never mentioned something like that. But it is strange that the majority of beast people have few animalistic features while groups like sauruses, nagas, and gnolls are much more animalistic.”

“I wonder what Oreas was thinking when he made us?” Sekh said as she began to ponder her existence.

“He probably wasn’t thinking,” I told her after I finished chewing a piece of lamb. “But that doesn’t make beast people any lesser than the other races. Pretty sure Tiam didn't plan out humans very well either.”

“Thanks Azel,” Sekh replied as her tail stuck up happily. 

 Around forty five minutes later, we had finished eating our main dishes. Sekh ordered a few pieces of sweetcakes while I was eating a few apricots. 

“Sekh can you keep company so I can drink some more?” I asked her as we were finishing up dessert.

“How are you not drunk yet?” Sekh wondered as she looked at the bottle of whiskey I had emptied after the schnapps. “You’ve gone to the bathroom twice, but you’re not drunk yet. This just isn’t normal.”

“Absolutely,” I agreed. “I was already good at holding my liquor before I became a hero. Being a hero makes it even worse. But I should be able to get drunk with another bottle or so.”

The waiter was equally dumbfounded when he came to our table, since all the liquor I drank was pretty much the strongest stock they had. 

“Can I get a bottle of the strongest rum you have?” I requested. “Oh and some date wine for my partner.”

Sekh looked at me curiously. “Date wine? I’ve never had that.”

“It’s great,” I informed her. “During the war, I met a Farsi noble who let me have some from his stash. Though I’m a bit surprised you’ve never tried it, shouldn’t dates be grown near your home.”

“Yeah, but date wine is expensive,” Sekh explained. “I really like dried dates though.”

Despite staying quite long, it seems that the restaurant staff has no intention of kicking us out. Probably because they were making a lot of money from my drinking. 

“It is good,” Sekh told me happily as she sipped on the date wine. “But I don’t think I can finish it. I don’t want to get drunk.”

“How come?” I asked her. “The more the merrier.”

“I have to look after your drunk ass,” Sekh pointed out. “Can’t do that if I’m also drunk.”

“It’ll be fine,” I said while waving her off.

After I finished the bottle of rum, I began to savor the date wine that I had ordered. It seems that the restaurant provided a whole bottle because of my appetite. 

As I enjoyed the wine, I began to move my limbs around lightly.

“Looks like I’m drunk,” I informed Sekh calmly.

“You’re lying,” Sekh replied.

“I’m not,” I said while flashing an easy grin. “I was feeling tipsy before, and now my limbs are slower than usual.”

“Sure...” Sekh responded as she rolled her eyes. 

“How are you holding up?” I inquired.

“Feeling a little tipsy,” Sekh answered. “But I held off enough that I should be fine.”

I waved the waiter over for yet another order. “I’ll get some black tea and the bill.”

“You want to do anything after we finish?” I asked Sekh when the waiter went off.

“Let’s walk around the town for a bit,” Sekh told me. 

“Sounds good,” I replied. 

Our bill totaled 10 nummi, the majority being alcohol. I did pay for Sekh’s portion, but considering how I’m getting a larger part of the pay, I might be making more money in the long run. 

The two of us left the restaurant and walked towards the center of town, our destination being the public fountain. 

“You’re definitely not drunk,” Sekh asserted as we walked together. “I’ve never seen a drunk walk without difficulty.”

“That just means you haven’t seen that many drunks,” I told her. “Not everyone starts falling over after a drink. Now do you have a wish? Just toss a coin into the fountain.”

“You’re not also tossing a coin?” Sekh asked after she made her wish. 

“Hasn’t ever worked in my life,” I informed her. 

"So why did you recommend it for me?” Sekh inquired with raised eyebrows.

“You’re not me,” I joked. “Besides, wishes depend heavily on believing and working towards them. If you’re already a nonbeliever, there’s no point. But if you can believe, then it could work. So are you going to tell me your wish?”

“Nope,” Sekh replied. “It’s a secret.”

Around that time, we were approached by a small group of young women. Their clumsy movements and the smell of wine were clear indicators of their drunkenness. 

“*Hic* hi there *hic* handsome,” one of them slurred as she looked in my direction. I swear, I feel like these things only happen whenever I get into a relationship. Not to mention that her attempt to pick me up was just poorly executed.

Sekh stood by my side, her eyes narrowed and her tail thrashing about.

“C'mon *hic* come with us,” the girl continued. “Why would you want to be with some flat-chested girl?”

It almost sounds like she’s trying to sell my liver. Besides, Sekh isn’t even flat-chested. I think she’s around a B-cup, but let’s not mention that. 

“No thanks,” I replied with a grin. “I'm more of thigh guy and more importantly, Sekh is my precious person.”

To my surprise, the posse of girls just started laughing and began walking away. I wish them the best of luck in avoiding their parent's wrath.

“How come you didn’t say anything?” I asked Sekh when the girls left.

“I thought calling her a pig faced whore would be a bit much,” Sekh told me. “Now let’s go home. I want to sleep.”

“Yeah me too,” I remarked.

The two of us made our way back to the medicine shop and immediately went to our rooms. When the two of us hopped onto the mattress, I noticed that Sekh had begun encroaching on my territory more than usual. 

“Sekh it’s gonna get hot if we’re too close,” I complained. “I want to sleep, you know?”

Sekh completely ignored my complaints and plopped her head onto my chest.

“Neither of us are gonna be able to sleep,” I moaned. 

“Don’t worry about that,” Sekh replied as she wrapped an arm around my waist. 

“What do you mean 'don't worry?'” I protested. “Sleep is important, especially for digesting all the food and drinks that’s inside of me right now.”

Unfortunately Sekh had managed to pass out on my chest before I could fully voice my dissatisfaction. 

“Good grief,” I sighed. “I think it’s only going to get worse from here on out.”

As I stroked her head in an attempt to fall asleep, I heard Sekh mumbling in her sleep.“Nyaah...my wish...really did... come true.”

Ah, her wish must have been something concerning her relationship with me. Whatever it is, I hope it stays true. Actually, I shouldn’t be hoping in all honesty. Pretty sure the status of her wish rests heavily on my decisions. Or maybe I’m hoping I don’t do something wrong.