Two days of travel and we were finally back in the city of Damask. Currently the time was around evening, probably a few hours around dinner time. 

Although the rookies would spend their last night in Damask at their inn, our first destination was the Labor Bureau. I didn’t know if Minerva had some sort of graduation ceremony prepared, but I certainly didn’t have one planned.

“So how are we explaining this again?” Zeph asked as we neared the Bureau.

“Just like we had gone over before,” I replied. “First we wave and tell them how happy we are to see them. Then we ask if they know what happened, explaining to them if they don’t know. Lastly, I’ll use you to shield me from Minerva’s hug.”

“We did not agree on the last part,” Zeph complained. 

“I never said I needed you to agree,” I answered. “And it’s not like I can really take a hug in the state that I’m in.”

“Fine,” Zeph sighed. 

Our plan turned out to be quite unnecessary. When we entered the Bureau, things were proceeding like they normally were. Clerks were working with clients and organizing documents. More importantly, neither Sekh or Minerva were nowhere in sight. Although this was normal, I had expected that the two of them would be staying on the first floor due to the current circumstances. 

“So much for our preparations,” Zeph remarked. “So what do we do now?”

“We go upstairs then,” I said with a shrug. 

Our entire group ascended the stairs together. However, the rookies parted ways with us on the second floor. From there, Zeph and I went to the fourth floor where Minerva normally worked when she wasn’t inspecting her employees. 

Upon reaching the fourth floor, we made our way to Minerva’s office. There, we saw Minerva absentmindedly sifting through a number of papers. 

“Hi, we’re back,” I announced as if nothing happened. 

Perhaps she was quite absorbed into her work, because Minerva had jolted backwards in surprise when she heard my voice. 

“Welcome back,” Minerva said warmly after she had regained her composure. “I’m glad that you two are more or less fine.

“I’m glad we are,” I said with an easy smile. “I’ve been wanting to ask you but do you have a graduation ceremony planned for the rookies?”

“Something like that,” she replied. “The plan was to take them out to a restaurant once training finished. And because we haven’t had dinner yet, tonight should be a good time.”

“That sounds like a good plan,” I commented. “If you don’t mind, we’re going to see Sekh now.”

A concerned look appeared on Minerva’s face. “Yeah, you should definitely do that. And I mean both of you. Don't worry, I’ll take care of the rookies downstairs while you’re busy. When you’re done with Sekh, the three of you should get ready to go out.”

“Thanks,” I replied. 

“The rookies are on the second floor right now,” Zeph added before we left. 

Due to the way Minerva reacted, we and Zeph got quite worried about our companion upstairs. Was she angry? Did she bawl her eyes out? Or was it something else?

Nervously, the two of us went up to the fifth floor and straight for the room that Sekh and I share. Possibly because she heard the sound of our footsteps, the door burst open, revealing a disheveled looking leopard girl. 

Although Sekh was never the most tidy person, her current appearance was a step or two down from usual. The hair on the top of her headd was messy, the fur on her tail was sticking up in all directions, and she wasn’t even wearing her shirt correctly. 

“I missed you,” I said while walking over to rub her head. 

As I began to fix her hair, I could hear sniffling noises coming from Sekh. Looking down, I noticed that her eyes had begun watering up. To make matters worse, Zeph just stood quietly and quite uselessly behind me. 

Eventually the dam burst and Sekh almost slammed her face into my chest. And although she began to cry into my shirt, she was considerate enough to avoid touching my broken left arm. I don’t know how long it was, but Sekh just continued to sob into my chest for a while, Zeph and I not really knowing what to do.

“Um, sorry about that,” Sekh finally said when she removed herself from me. “I guess I didn’t realize how much I was holding in since I heard the news.”

“It’s ok, we’re back now,” I assured her with a gentle smile. “Everything is going to be fine.”

“I don’t know whether you broke your promise or kept it,” Sekh remarked while brushing away leftover tears. 

“Let’s just say I kept it,” I replied.

“And Zeph, I’m glad that you’re doing better than this idiot,” Sekh said while turning to the white haired archer behind me.

Instead of responding immediately, Zeph began to stare at the ground and mumble a bit before mustering up her courage to speak. “Sekh, don’t blame him. It’s all my fault. I was the one who rushed in without thinking.”

Silently, Sekh separated herself from me and walked over to Zeph to caress the other girl. “It’s fine, I don’t blame you. Even though you were definitely reckless I’m glad you acted to save those people. If you had just stood there and watched, I would be much more angry.”

“Th-thank you,” Zeph said while shaking. “You’re the best friend I could have.”

What I think Zeph didn’t realize was that Sekh said she would be more angry, clearly implying that she was actually angry right now. But I don’t want to bring that up, since my strategy is to ignore it and hope that she forgets. 

“Hey Sekh, we’re going to have dinner with the rookies today,” I told the cat girl as she was embracing Zeph. “Minerva said she’s going to take us all out to a restaurant, so you should get ready soon.”

“Ah, good point,” Sekh said while separating herself from Zeph. “Can you help me fix myself up?”

“I was going to do that regardless,” I said as I entered our room.

Unlike what I had expected, Sekh was quite docile. I had initially thought that she would begin ranting about how much I made her worried when we were behind closed doors, but she seemed content with caressing me, perhaps to reaffirm my physical existence.

“So how much did you hear about the battle?” I asked her while cleaning out her tail.

“I think I got a good version from the mounted mercenary that was part of the messenger group,” Sekh answered. “There were bandits disguised as wolves, your group pushed them out of a village, Zeph went to save a family, and you had to save her and that family.”

“That’s pretty much it,” I replied. 

“Well I also heard that a certain somebody fought like a lion,” Sekh said warmly. 

“I might have been a little too aggressive there,” I admitted. “I guess it was all the blood rushing to my head.”

“Yeah, you do seem really reckless sometimes,” Sekh commented. “Is there a reason for that?” 

“Actually there is,” I said to her surprise. “Apparently, my body functions a bit different from normal humans. You notice how I’m not unusually strong when I hug you?”

“Oh yeah,” Sekh realized. 

“Anyways, a hero’s strength is normally inhibited,” I told her. “However, our bodies are much more easily excited, even being able to enter an adrenaline filled state by will. More importantly, our strength increases to the proper levels when excited.”

“That’s…really useful,” Sekh commented. “It actually makes a lot of sense when you think about it.”

“I think the gods might have had a few trial and error stages though,” I informed. “Though I’m sure everyone is glad that heroes don’t crush children when they hug them.”

After a while, Sekh and I got fully prepared and dressed for dinner. When we went downstairs, we also realized we were the last to finish. Even the rookies who had been staying at their inn were ready before us. However, everyone seemed to cut us slack, probably due to my broken arm.

The restaurant that Minerva brought us to was a fairly middle end establishment. Nothing special, but considering how she offered to pay for everyone’s meal, it was quite a treat. Though Minerva was quite specific that she would not pay for alcohol above a certain price and amount. 

“Minerva, do you think this is a good use of the budget?” I asked her as we entered the restaurant. 

“I had a lot of excess money that I saved from other projects,” Minerva told me. “Besides, we need to set a precedent for future training. If I’m too tight with money now, I’m not sure how receptive future workers will be.”

“That’s fair,” I conceded. “Though the group I led got to loot a bunch of bandits, so I think they should be satisfied.”

“Yeah, but my group didn’t get much,” Sekh pointed out. 

“Oh I forgot to ask about your situation,” I remarked. “So how did things go?”

Sekh scratched her cheek as she began to consider my question. “Mostly fine. We mostly wiped out ratmen tribes. Though I don’t know how thorough we were. Apart from that, I found out how hard it is to hunt wolves when you’re leading idiots.”

“Anyone die or get hurt?” I asked. 

“I said things were fine,” Sekh told me with raised eyebrows. “Well two people got bit. That’s why there are two people wearing heavy bandages. No infections, but one of them has to wear a splint for a fractured bone.”

“So I have a comrade in arms,” I laughed. 

Neither Sekh or Minerva seemed particularly amused by my joke and began to give me funny looks. Awkwardly, the three of us, as well as Zeph, sat down at the end of a large table in the restaurant. Our entire group shared a number of booths throughout the restaurant, though Minerva selected the large table in the middle to monitor the rookies. Apart from our regular four, Justin, Irene, and a few other rookies sat down along with us. 

Since I only had one functioning arm, I decided to avoid dishes that would require me to use two utensils at once. This turned out to be quite unnecessary when I received my platter of sausages and rice.

“Say ahhh,” Sekh said as she lifted a spoon of rice and sausage towards my mouth. 

“Sekh, I can eat by myself,” I asserted while dodging her spoon.

Instead of using a brute force approach, Sekh looked up at me with kitty eyes. “Dear, you need to rest. So just let me take care of you tonight.”

I could feel my heart beating rapidly and a slight heat on my face. Fuck it. I fought off about a dozen men. I’m sure my reputation can take a few hits for now. Plus she called me dear.

“Alright dear, but just tonight,” I conceded.

Sekh giggled happily when I agreed and began to eagerly feed me with her spoon. And although I tried to feed her, Sekh seemed quite dead set on having me sit still. Though she also ate using the same spoon she used to feed me. As far as I know, she doesn’t have that sort of fetish. At least not yet.

Meanwhile, the other people on the table, as well as some of the other restaurant occupants were looking at Sekh and I in wonder. Although a lot of strangers were snickering, the rookies that had accompanied me to fight the bandits had looks of utter shock. 

“Are you enjoying yourself, instructor?” Irene asked me mockingly while Sekh’s spoon was in my mouth. 

“Definitely,” I said after swallowing the food in my mouth. “You should try it with Justin.”

Like I expected, Irene swiftly turned away in defeat. As Justin tried to console her, the rest of the table began to laugh as politely as possible, which isn’t very polite in actuality. 

Despite the merrymaking nature of the event, the rookies mostly kept themselves in check. Well, the presence of Minerva and I probably contributed a significant amount of unseen pressure. 

Once we were finished with dinner, about two hours after, everyone went back home to either the Bureau or the inn they were staying at.

As for the four of us at the Bureau, we all just went to sleep. No cards, no night time snacks, just sleep. And just as I had expected, Sekh was adamant about using me as a hug pillow for the night. Well she was very delicate with me, considering my injury, so I was happy to let her snuggle against my body for the night. 

The next morning, I woke up and realized a serious issue. Because my left arm was fractured, I had no way of sparring in the morning. But I didn’t want to just laze around. So when I went to the citadel in the early morning, I asked the stationed soldiers about the possible exercises that I could do. In the end, I settled on further developing my lower body and core muscles as well as performing some upper body stretches. 

Once I got back to the Bureau, my first order of business was to wash off the sweat before I sent off the rookies. Naturally, this proved to be a little more difficult than usual, for obvious reasons. 

Because the training program had ended yesterday, it was no longer necessary for the rookies to stay in Damask. Although they were more than welcome to stay in the city, most seemed quite intent on returning to the more distant countryside to conduct their business. This wasn’t too much of a problem, since Damask has three small towns under its jurisdiction, each serving as a sort of secondary administrative center for its area. 

So for a while, I and my two assistant instructors gave the standard farewells to the numerous students who I barely remember. Most of them decided to head back to their typical base of operations, though a few decided to stay behind to work in Damask.

“Instructor, is it alright if we could work with you?” Justin asked.

I paused for a moment to consider the possibility. Of all the rookies that I had taught, the most notable were Justin, Irene, as well as Darius and Haron, the two mounted fellows. Given enough experience, I’m certain that they could become quite competent. More importantly, I would be in need of manpower if Gallus and I were to proceed with our plan of securing Damask’s territory. 

“Then you should start by dropping the ‘instructor,’” I replied. “If you need a place to stay, there are still rooms available at the Bureau. Though you won’t receive a salary and you’ll have to pay for food.”

“That’s good already,” both of them said simultaneously. “Thank you so much.”

“You sure Minerva is going to be ok with this?” Zeph added.

“Yeah,” I answered. “You’ve seen how bad things are in the region. We’re going to need more manpower than just the three of us.”

And thus it was agreed that our group of four would become six. Well it was like this for an hour or so, but Justin and Irene immediately went out of Damask to hunt beasts for funds. 

When I told Minerva about my plans to clean out the countryside of Damask, I was met with more than a warm reception.

“That’s a great idea,” Minerva said after hearing my proposition. “Since you’re the one that came up with it, how do you think we should conduct it?”

“Well the first order of business is to request permission from the Doux here,” I began. “If he gives us a lot of control, then things will be easier. If not, then we’ll have to work more slowly. Ideally I would be able to take command of some of the soldiers here. In this city, there are fifty garrisoned men. Thirty five regular soldiers and fifteen veterans. Apart from that, much of the city is manned by the local militia and the towns in the vicinity have a few small detachments of border guards. Hopefully I can at least take command of the garrisoned soldiers in this city.”

“You think the Doux will just give you command?” Minerva asked.

“Probably,” I answered. “Not full command, but at least partial. It’s unlikely he’ll outright refuse, though I’m very unsure about how much will be put under my control.”

For a moment, Minerva considered what I had said before a look of excitement popped up on her face. “That’s right. Since I'm in charge of the Bureau, I can assist you by hiring sellswords and laborers for projects. I’ll just have to make sure nothing exceeds the budget.”

“Thank you,” I said with a smile. “But don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Plus I’d hate for the clerks here to suffer if there’s an issue with the budget.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got it under control,” Minerva assured me. “Oh, and I’m planning to go back home during the spring. Since things have more or less stabilized here, I’ll be able to take my promotion exam back home.”

“Promotion exam?” I asked curiously.

“Well it’s not really a promotion,” Minerva elaborated. “It’s better to say that I’m going to take an exam to get my certificate so I can qualify for a higher level bureaucratic position. I already studied the material, but it’s normal to get working experience before taking the exam.”

Right, it’s something of an elven tradition for youths to take exams to receive government placements. Even though this is fairly common in the Iasor and Zayid empires, higher positions such as that of a Doux or Katepan don’t actually require such a certificate. Rather, such certificates are for the people working under them, since they are delegated to deal with numbers and paperwork. As such, these exams focus heavily on administration and mathematics rather than the broader array of skills needed from a governor, which involve dispensing justice and leading troops.

As a result of my ambitions to improve the general situation in Damask, both Zeph and Minerva seemed to be happier than usual. Most likely they were feeling excited about the possibilities in the future. But the peace would soon be disrupted. 

“Azel, I think now’s a good time to talk about your identity,” Sekh told me while we were cleaning up after dinner.

Hearing her say my actual name, I couldn’t help but flinch. The only other time that I would ever hear her call me this was in the bedroom and that was only in the form of a whisper. 

“What makes you think that?” I asked, trying to present a facade of calm while my heart began to race.

“Well they’re all happy and excited now,” Sekh explained. “So that should mostly lessen the blow. Plus you made a good name for yourself fighting off the bandits to save a family. I’m sure that it’ll help convince them that you aren’t a bad person.”

“Are you sure that it’s going to work?” I continued.

Sekh turned and looked me in the eye with a serious expression. “Honestly, no. But it’s the best chance that we’ve got. More importantly, if your plan to borrow power from the Doux to revitalize Damask is likely to bring some issues into question. So it would be better to do things now, since it’s relatively safe.”

Time seemed to slow down as Sekh and I stared at each other, neither of us wavering in our expression. 

“Fine,” I conceded. “I trust you on this one. Plus this issue has been nagging me in the back of my mind for a while."

To my surprise, Sekh clasped my free hand with both of hers. “Don’t worry, I’ll support you all the way. No matter what happens, I’ll be here for you.”

“Thanks, I love you,” I replied before kissing her forehead. 

And that was how I ended up calling Zeph and Minerva to the third floor for a meeting. Both of them sat across the table from Sekh and I, their faces showing signs of confusion.

“Everyone, I want to apologize to you for deceiving you,” I began. Well I had rehearsed my little speech beforehand, so I’m fairly confident in myself. “My real name is not Iblis, but Azel. If that sounds familiar to you, I was and still technically am the hero of the spear. Please understand that I had no ill intent when I was hiding my identity. It’s just that I tarnished my reputation severely, so it’s almost impossible to approach people under my real name.”

Initially I had planned to act more melancholic, but I didn’t want to put on such a facade. Instead, I decided to be as honest as I could with my friends and hope for the best.

For a while, the two of them just silently contemplated the situation. Finally the silence was broken by Zeph.

“Fuck you,” Zeph said out of nowhere. 

“Sorry I-,” I started before getting cut off.

“Do you know how worried I was about you when you got injured?” Zeph continued while furrowing her brows. “If you had told me that you were a legendary warrior, then do you know how much heartache you would have saved me?”

“Huh?” I cried out in surprise. “Is that what you’re angry about?”

“Yes!” Zeph declared. “I only recently came here to this land so I don’t even know that much about what happened during the war. Actually what did you do? I heard a lot about the hero of the spear being the worst, but I don’t remember why.”

“I’m...responsible for the massacre at Beroea,” I admitted painfully. There wasn’t any acting in this, just my true feelings of sorrow and regret. “The short explanation is that my emotions had a malignant reaction with a cursed artifact.”

“Oh, the black armor,” Minerva commented on the side, her voice rather calm. “I’m sorry if this is a sensitive topic, but may I ask what that black armor was?”

“Most likely a trap laid by Ahriman,” I explained while staring at the table sadly. “Relics of such degree are pretty much nonexistent on the mortal plane, so I’m pretty sure Ahriman had to create it while he was here. The most likely reason it was placed in Beroea was in hopes of a dissatisfied general being warped by the armor and defecting.”

“That makes a lot of sense,” Minerva remarked, almost as though she was relieved. 

“You don’t seem very upset Minerva,” I commented in surprise.

“Do you want me to be?” she quipped back.

“No, not at all,” I said while waving both my hands rapidly in front of my face. 

“Weren’t you always worried about him though?” Zeph questioned, still somewhat angry.

This conversation took a very unexpected turn for me. Although I had expected some resentment, I didn’t expect her to be angry because I made her worried. It’s like Zeph felt as though her emotions were wasted on me somehow. 

“Well I was,” Minerva said while looking away awkwardly. “But the thing is, I already investigated both Iblis’, I mean Azel’s backgrounds. And I don’t just mean the regular process for applicants. I did extra research after I hired him.”

“You did?” Sekh asked in surprise. 

“Ok, you need to hear me out first,” Minerva said nervously. “The reason I did so was because of Ib- Azel’s background as a military officer. Normally someone that distinguished would have greater ambitions. So naturally I got suspicious that I might be getting investigated. Maybe someone was jealous of my position and filed a false report to Megara.”

“That was unexpected,” I remarked. “Well you completely kept us in the dark on that one.”

“Yeah sorry about that,” Minerva replied. “However, I’m glad that my suspicions were wrong.”

“I’m glad too,” I remarked. “I didn’t really expect you two to react like this. I honestly thought you would be more afraid or something like that.”

“But you’ve clearly proven that you’re not a bad person,” Zeph said. “If Minerva doesn’t believe you, I can vouch for your person.”

“No, I believe Azel,” Minerva added. “Especially after Zeph told me about what transpired in the village.”

“Yeah, he’s not so bad,” Sekh added warmly. 

“Thanks everyone,” I said while awkwardly rubbing my head. “It means a lot to me.”

“That reminds me,” Zeph sighed. “I should probably tell you all about my situation before anything bad happens.”

“You have a secret too?” Sekh asked, shock emanating from her voice.

“Looks like I’m not so special,” I snorted. 

“Well I’m not going to bother you all with the specifics,” Zeph said. “The important thing to know is that I’m a noble running from my home in the city of Kandar.”

“Well shit,” Minerva and I said simultaneously. 

“May I ask the reason?” Sekh asked cautiously. 

“My family wanted me to be a housewife,” Zeph complained. “Even though I told them I wanted to be a knight, they absolutely won’t allow it.”

“Then how come you ended up here?” Sekh continued. 

“Is it because Stygia is the only place where women can be knighted?” I asked. “I’m pretty sure the western nations are still against knighting females, unless things are different now. As for Stygia, knights are almost all male, but there are exceptions.”

“That’s correct,” Zeph complimented me. “I’m surprised you know so much.”

“I am too,” I added. “More importantly, you left home to escape from being a housewife. Don’t tell me that there’s an arranged marriage waiting for you at home.”

“Oh don't worry, there isn’t,” Zeph replied. “At least not to my knowledge.”

“Well is that all the secrets then?” Sekh asked almost comically. 

The other three of us began to look at each other, waiting for someone to come out with even more news. 

“Seems like there isn’t,” I remarked after a long silence. 

“Let’s recap then,” Sekh joked. “We have a former hero, someone who thought they might be getting investigated for corruption, and a spoiled brat running away from home.”

“That’s not true,” Zeph said in outrage. 

“Sekh, too much favoritism,” I chided as I smiled and rubbed her head. 

“So… Azel,” Minerva spoke up. “Would you like us to refer to you by Iblis while we’re around other people?”

“Yeah, that’s really thoughtful of you,” I replied. 

“Around Justin and Irene as well?” Zeph wondered.

“Let’s play it safe for a while,” I answered. 

“Oh and are you genuine about wanting to change Damask for the better?” Minerva asked me.

“I am,” I informed her. “It isn’t something to ease my guilt. Since that bandit raid, I realized that more people need to step in. Otherwise things won’t change.”

“Then we’ll support you the whole way,” Minerva said with a bright smile.

In response, Sekh bounced on her chair happily while Zeph looked slightly upset. 

“Just don’t make me so worried again, ok?” Zeph said while pouting. 

“I won’t,” I replied. “But you have to promise us the same.”

“I-I will,” Zeph said, a soft smile forming on her face.