Our combined party broke camp about an hour after the break of dawn. Enough time to have a quick breakfast with plenty of time left in the day for travel. And since we were traveling on the great highways of the old Arkadian empire, we were making considerable progress towards Megara, only a day or two of travel left in our journey. 

“Hey Az, I think you should stay with us while you’re in the capital,” Aethel suggested while riding along the road.

The rest of our companions were also accompanying us at that time. Mikhail and Florence both looked as though this was a pre-planned proposition while my companions looked on with a mixture of curiosity and excitement. Shiren… well she just gave me a shrug and went back to looking at the horizon. 

“I take it that you have approval from the emperor?” I checked with Aethel, her nodding head in response. “Does you think that things will really be that bad?”

Aethel snorted as the other heroes gave me knowing looks.

“Well you see Az, you’re in a bit of a complicated situation to say the least. Most people haven’t forgotten about the incident at Beroea, but now they have to contend with how you single handedly prevented another divine disaster. Oh and quite a few people suspect that you’ll be appointed as the next Doux of Damask.”

I couldn’t help but laugh a bit when confronted with this situation.

“I see now. I’ve brilliantly managed to become the most feared and respected person at court.”

“No, that would be the emperor,” Florence corrected with a sly smile.

“I think you might have peaked at second place for a bit, but there are a few old foxes that have taken back their positions.”

Mikhail heaved a sigh from the side, concern lining his face.

“Regardless, you’re going to be pestered beyond belief if you stay in the palace. The easiest way to limit the power struggle that’s going to form around you is to have you be near us. And we think it might be better that you stay with us instead of the viper’s den.”

“But that would mean that you’ll have to deal with plenty of visitors,” Minerva brought up. “Surely that would be quite the inconvenience for you.”

Aethel gave Minerva a toothy assuring smile. “That’s not a big deal. We’re veritable veterans in that type of matter and we’d like for you all to have as comfortable a stay in Megara as possible.”

“Aeth, we all know that you want to antagonize some poor nobles,” Florence chimed in. 

“So what if that’s the case?” Aethel retorted. 

Florence sighed in response, frowning ever so slightly.

“This is the reason you don’t have that many friends, you know?”

“But the friends I do have are the best in this whole world,” Aethel declared proudly, looking as though she wanted to pull us all by our necks into a big group hug. 

Well regardless of court politics, I was sure that most of them wanted me to stay over purely due to reasons of friendship. The current environment was little more than an excuse for them to do so. 

“What about the other people accompanying me?” I checked with Aethel. “I assume that my retinue will be housed by the court while my close companions might stay with me at your estate?”

Aethel nodded her head while smirking ever so slightly. “Pretty much. And don’t worry, we have quite a lot of spare rooms. Walls are thick too.”

I stared at Aethel with a flat face for nearly half a minute until the both of us erupted into a short burst of laughter, doubling over while still atop our horses. The rest of our companions stared us down with a mix of confusion and amusement, bringing back memories of a not so distant past.

“Alright I’ll stay at your estate,” I conceded. “But please tell me if anything comes up, I’d rather not be a bother for you all.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Mikhail brushed off. “You’re free to stay as long as you’d like.”

He’s talking as though he’s not expecting me to ask for a year-long extension to my stay. Granted, I’d probably be one of the people most negatively affected by such a decision. 

Around noon of that day, we took a short break by a waystation on the road. It was a rather impressive structure for a waystation. A large two story building of stone and wood, complete with a kitchen, small baths, and other hospitalities favored by wealthy travelers. I paid part of the share as the leader of my entourage, three denarii from my pockets. 

Within a fairly short period of time, I found myself in a private bath facing Sekh, my hands lovingly scrubbing her ears while her hands were sliding over the front of my body. 

“Hey Sekh, can you scrub a bit harder,” I suggested before shifting my hands down to clean her torso. 

“Sure, but let me enjoy myself a bit,” she smiled mischievously. “With you all naked in front of me, my hands can’t help but wander a bit.”

“I don’t mind a bit of wandering, but there are other people that want to use the bath too,” I reminded her with a semi-stern look.  

Sekh immediately quickened her pace and increased the intensity of her scrubbing, though keeping it at a suitable level. 

Once we finished, the two of us exited the room together, Sekh lightly clinging to my arm. She even flicked a teasing smile at Minerva, probably suggesting that the elf should up her own antics during the trip. 

I chided Sekh with a light tug on the ear while giving Minerva a soft smile. Minerva beamed back happily as Sekh couldn’t help but pout. 

All the while there was an even more ridiculous display of intimacy so much so that my little affair was paid no heed. At least Zeph had the decency to spare us a knowing glance before turning her attention to the spectacle that was Shiren asserting her dominance over two people with smaller chests. 

“Az, is this normal?” Sekh tugged at my arm while staring at the irregular behavior in front of us. 

I couldn’t help but let slip a light laugh.

“More or less. Are you planning to take inspiration from them?”

Sekh snorted, her tail sliding against my calves. “No need. I think that I’m already doing well with my own strategies. You agree?”

“What do you think?” I asked, a teasing smile dancing on my face. 

Sekh smiled for a bit before motioning for me to lean down for a kiss. Just a momentary touching of lips, but delightful nonetheless. 

To pass the time as the rest of our company bathed and cleaned, Sekh and I occupied ourselves at the small restaurant within the waystation. Since we already had lunch prior, a light snack of toasted bread with olive oil and cured meats along with sweet wine sufficed. Minerva soon joined us, her bathing efficiency far outstripping anyone else currently using the facilities.

Instead of just sliding a platter of food to Minerva, I lifted an untouched piece from my plate and pushed it towards her lips. 

“You just love teasing me don’t you,” she pouted before politely biting down on the food held in front of her. 

I grinned ever so slightly before tapping her on the nose.

“Can’t help it, you’re too cute.” 

Sekh bobbed her head in agreement, clearly having recognized Minerva’s underappreciated adorable aspects. 

“Should be just another day until we get to Megara,” I remarked as we drained the rest of the wine. 

“Are you excited?” Minerva asked, her eyes lighting up ever so slightly. 

I jostled my cup about a little, watching the meager remnants of the sweet wine swirl about in the vessel.

“Not particularly. Have you been to Megara before, Minerva?”

She shook her head, her silver hair moving in a gentle cascade as she did. 

“Well it’s a nice city in general,” I continued. “But there might be an issue.”

Both Sekh and Minerva gave me curious looks. Though a flash of realization dawned in Sekh’s eyes, a frown following soon after. 

“It can be that bad right?” Sekh laughed.

“Shouldn’t be,” I answered, rubbing her head to soothe her. “But it might be a bit worse than the nobles in Fars.”

Sekh gave an optimistic grin in response. 

“If it’s only that much then I’ll be fine. You were honestly scaring me for a bit Az. Thought I might actually have to fight for my life.”

“Even if that was the case, I’d be by your side,” I pointed out. 

“I am as well,” Minerva added, looking serious as always. 

Cheerfully, the leopard girl went over to our side and tried to loop her arms around our necks for a big hug. Though it was certainly inconvenienced by how much taller than her the both of us were. 

Right around that time, Zeph came out of the baths, her hair wet and her face mildly curious. 

“I miss something?”

“You normally do,” Sekh quipped, smiling teasingly as she spoke. 

“A bit uncalled for,” Zeph complained. 

Considering that we actually discussed something of importance, I decided to brush Zeph up on the matter of our discussion. 

Throughout my short talk, Zeph threw out a variety of frowns, winces, and huffs. Not that I’m unused to seeing such things, though she's been directing at me far less than when we first met. 

“I’ll stay with her when you’re not around then,” Zeph declared to me after I finished speaking. 

“You already do that,” I pointed out. “But regardless, I’d greatly appreciate that. Of course it’s extremely unlikely that things will result in a physical confrontation. The issue is that there might be a confrontation of sorts.”

Apart from Sekh, the three of us were vigorously nodding our heads, now continuing to consider other possible issues. 

It was after a minute or so of silence that Sekh interrupted, grinning somewhat awkwardly as she did. 

“I didn’t expect you all to worry so much. But I’ll be fine, I promise. I have some experience with stuff like this.”

“Sekh, it’s not quite so simple,” Minerva explained. “The issue now is that Azel is a prime candidate for marriage. You and I happen to be obstacles for the interested parties. And while I at least have the requirements to fend them off, I’m not so sure about you.”

“I disagree,” Sekh smirked. “You just take the spot of first wife while I can be whatever other position they think.”

The table went quiet again for almost a minute, Sekh, Minerva, and I having a sort of love triangle staredown. 

“You’re actually ok with this?” I asked after no one said anything. 

“Well why does it matter?” Sekh asked back. “Some stupid title isn’t going to make you love me any less right? Besides, I don’t think I’m the one who should be entrusted with running the household.”

“Is this a plan to dump more work on Minerva?” I joked, prompting an innocent smile from Sekh. 

“That’s not the best way to present my plan,” Sekh corrected. “It’s not like I’m going to contribute nothing. It’s just that it makes more sense to have people approach her for household matters than me. I have experience as a maid, not as a master.”

“How about a compromise?” Minerva suggested. “I take care of the ceremonial first wife duties. But we can be equal in private.”

“Yeah that sounds good,” both Sekh and I agreed, Zeph just watching while eating a piece of bread with meat and olive oil. 

“This worked out a bit too easy,” I remarked. “Last time I witnessed something like this, it took about 3 days of intense debate.”

“Az, we don’t have the time nor energy,” Sekh moaned. “Besides, I don’t think that Minerva will steal you away from me. Don’t even think it’s possible.”

“What do you mean by that?” Minerva asked with eyebrows raised. 

“You’ll find out,” Sekh grinned ominously. 

“Just remembered another issue,” I said before getting out of my seat, partly to change the topic of the discussion. “Those four are taking way too long in the bath.”

With that, I walked towards the room where the baths were housed. Taking from my prior experience I decided to not open the door and actually knock. 

“Guys, are you by chance fucking?” I asked, half joking half serious. 

“Az, we're a bit busy right now!” Aethel’s voice rang out from the bath.

“Oh, so you are fucking,” I complained. “Fine, hurry it up if you can.”

When I got back to the table, everyone was looking at the slightly annoyed look on my face. 

“What’s the matter?” Sekh asked, ears and tails perked up.

“I should have done stuff with you in the bath,” I groaned. “Well, no point crying over spilled milk. You all want some more wine? We might be here for a little while.”

After ordering some more food and drinks, I informed the other waiting members of our retinue of the matter. While my group seemed quite surprised, Mikhail’s following just nodded as if it was a normal day. And based on my prior experience, it really was. 

It took a while before the four other heroes emerged from the bath, looking quite clean at least. Florence and Mikhail came over to me with apologetic smiles as the other two went to alert their retinue. 

“Sorry about that,” Mikhail told me. “Uh… we got carried away after-”

“Yeah, I know,” I sighed. “Can you please be more considerate though? I know that most people don’t say anything to you, but it’s not because they don’t have a problem with it. It’s just that there aren’t many people that will speak up to you.”

“I’ll try to rein in the others better,” Florence apologized.

“I think someone else has that job,” I pointed out. 

Mikhail pulled me aside, placed both hands on my shoulder and sighed. “Az, it’s harder than you can imagine. Do you know what it’s like dealing with all of them?”

“That’s your fault dumbass,” I shot back. “You put yourself in that position. Not them, not me, you did.”

“Yeah, I know,” he moaned. “Can we get a drink together in Megara?”

“Sure,” I agreed. “You can vent if you really want, but don’t expect me to not call you a moron.”

“That’s more than enough,” he answered. 

Without much further delay, we finally continued our journey to Megara. With the capital so near, road traffic was visibly denser with not only peasants but also merchant caravans and armed patrols. 

The traffic continued to thicken until we finally came into sight of the great city. Even from kilometers away, the three walls of the city were visible. The curtain wall that covered most of the city stood at a height of 12 meters with a thickness of about 5 meters and lined with defensive towers. The second wall was just a bit taller and thicker, though it covered the borders of the old city before Megara had expanded as much. Finally the third wall protected an inner palace of the emperor. Although not as defensive as the citadel of Damask, the palace of Megara was more of a display of grandeur than a stoic last line of defense. 

When I took a glance at Sekh, the leopard girl’s eyes were practically glowing. Frankly, it was impressive that she could restrain herself and not actually start jumping in the carriage. The rest of our group was visibly more contained, though they were clearly struck by the impressive sight. 

We arrived at one of the city’s eastern gatehouses, this one being a section reserved for the movement of troops and important individuals. This sort of segregation is quite useful since the staff manning specific gates can specialize in working with their traffic such as being more familiar with tariffs for merchants or having greater knowledge in regards to the varying noble families that may visit Megara. 

The individuals guarding the gatehouse were armed similarly to the soldiers in Damask. Lamellar cuirasses over padded armor with a helmet, bows, spears, and shields at their side. Even the militia in the city were little different from their frontier counterparts in terms of equipment. However, the frontier troops clearly had more experience than their heartland counterparts, something even visible in their slightest expressions. Of course, the real force of Megara was housed within the inner city and by the palace. 

Passing through the gate was beyond simple. The guards saw Mikhail’s group, asked them about their day, then opened the gate. A few of the troops waved at me, some with pleasant expressions, but most were more of a “watch out, that person is close to our boss” type of look. Not that it was untrue in the slightest. 

Beyond the gate were a number of barracks, armories, and other military buildings. Nothing particularly large or impressive, just simple structures that served to house the various patrols that manned the walls. 

We continued down the stone paved streets of Megara, arriving out of the military district and into an area filled to the brim with houses. Apartment buildings made of wood and brick dotted the area, along with small shops, occasional baths, and even public domes for baking bread. Not much different from the streets of Damask and Tyros, but Megara just had more and the buildings were often a bit bigger. 

The streets stretched for a considerable distance, allowing us some time to sightsee before arriving at the inner wall. 

Past the inner wall was the old city, now a section reserved almost solely for the wealthy. Although quite small in comparison to the outer city, this section of Megara was far more grand in comparison. Large marble fountains accompanied by various statues from different eras, great baths filled with servants, and emporiums selling all sorts of rare luxuries. 

“Az, can we go exploring later?” Sekh chimed in with audible excitement. 

“I’d love to,” I grinned at her. 

It wasn’t long before we arrived at Mikhail’s mansion. Although quite small compared to a countryside mansion, the gated red and white stone structure still stood at an impressive three stories with a lush courtyard and even a fountain in the front. And compared to the last time I saw it, the place does look a bit better maintained. 

But what really caught my eye were two women that stood at the gate. One was a tall girl with long curly black hair and sky blue eyes while the other was an auburn haired elf with doe brown eyes. Both were young women, their eyes shining with anticipation.

And that was the problem. Neither the princess or general’s daughter in sight, those two most likely organizing the household for our arrival. So Aethel’s little warning turned out to be true. Not so much a problem for me, but possibly an issue for my friends. 

“Mikhail, you’re looking a bit nervous over there,” I remarked while shooting him a mild stare. 

The skin around his blue eyes crinkled as he offered an awkward smile.

“Well a few things happened, so here we are. We’re still not sure about the ceremonies but I’ll let you know when we finalize things.”

“Two. Not one. Two.” I mouthed while raising two fingers for visual reference. “How do you even get into this shit? Actually, I don’t think I should be going so hard on you. There’s at least three people that already do.”

“Thanks for understanding,” he sighed, Aethel looking at the situation with amusement. “Don’t worry, this won’t impact your stay at all.”

At this point I can’t even feel jealousy towards this man. He’s dug his own grave somehow and I think that I might have to help drag him out.