The Castellan’s proposal had left Xander thoughtful as he grabbed the reigns of his horse from a stableboy. There was no procession of soldiers on horseback to lead him back to the inn as opposed to their respectful invitation. But there was no need for such.


    Xander had refused the Castellan’s hospitality and remained steadfast in his plans to rest at the inn.


    “Easy, girl,” he patted his horse’s mane, calming the steed before climbing on top. “Hup,” he spoke before lightly yanking the reigns to bring the horse into a trot. He passed by multiple stationed guards as he approached the drawbridge. Each of them, without exception, straightened up the moment they noticed him approaching, not a hint of slouch in their postures.


    Wordlessly, Xander crossed the drawbridge and made his way back to the village. The conversation with the castellan had taken long enough that the sun had already set, Io was already at the full moon, and Leda was a faint waning crescent at the end of its cycle.


    “A quarter lunar cycle has already passed since that storm,” Xander mumbled to himself.


    A rough breath escaped him as he lightly kicked the side of his mare, speeding her up into a canter — the fastest viable speed when riding within the town.


    Within minutes, Xander and his mare stopped in front of The Old Coneal Tavern. Suddenly, the door to the tavern opened with a bang, startling his mare. It whinnied sharply, rearing up and pawing the air with its front legs.


    Xander growled, tightening his legs around the midsection of the mare as he held its saddle with one hand and placed his other on its head. A faint gold glow was visible from between his fingers as he spoke calmly, “Easy there … easy girl. Just a door.”


    Immediately, Xander’s steed calmed down, standing upright once again, and snorted, shaking its head.


    Xander dismounted, patting its mane as he spoke. “We’ll work on your attitude in time. Right as I figure out a name for you …”


    Once sure that the horse was calm, he turned his attention to the terrified townsman. In response to the horse’s agitation, the man had fallen on his ass, terrified — not of the horse, but of the horse’s owner. He was terrified of the consequences of inciting any semblance of displeasure in the Hallowed.


    Xander shook his head. “Get going. You’ve soiled yourself. Best find some clean linen.”


    The man quickly got to his feet and scampered away. The expression of solace on his face showed just how grateful he was.


    Xander’s mare snorted before he could sigh for the umpteenth time for the day.


    “To be disdained by a horse.” He shook his head, patting the horse’s head and leading her to the stables and stationing her in a stall that had just been scrubbed clean. As he was pulling down her saddle, someone’s footsteps distracted him. Turning around, he noticed the tavern’s owner walking in.


    “Is the stall to your satisfaction, Ser?” The owner asked.


    “You did good. What’s your name?”


    “Vizor,” he responded. “Please, allow me to take care of your mare’s needs. A hot bath is already prepared upstairs in our best room. My daughter will lead you in.”


    A lull permeated the stables as Xander silently looked at Vizor for a solid minute, making the man squirm uncomfortably. “Whatever you need from me. Talk to me in the morning. I wish to relax for the night.”


    Stolen story; please report.


    “T-thank you, thank you, Ser Hallowed … I understand.” The man’s attempts at currying favor seemed successful.


    Xander left his horse in the hands of the tavern’s owner as he entered the building. Unlike his previous arrival, the conversations were much more hushed and suppressed, as if his mere presence in town had made the people more cautious of their actions.


    As he observed the common area, a young woman, barely even twenty and modestly dressed in a full gown that barely showed off her collarbones, approached him.


    “Ser Hallowed,” she spoke with a soft voice, “please follow me to your room. I have your bath prepared.”


    As he nodded, the woman started walking, with Xander following her. His gaze inadvertently descended to her swaying derriere.


    “He already said that he has a request for me. The least I can do is to enjoy the hospitality.”


    …


    “You didn’t tell me you were a virgin …” Xander was leaning against the headboard of the bed as the innkeeper’s daughter snuggled up against him, only their lower bodies covered by a thin quilt.


    “To have the opportunity of giving my first time to someone of Ser’s stature is my honor~” The woman cooed out gently, her entire body covered in sweat as she took audible breaths. She traced her finger over a scar on the side of his arm and frowned thoughtfully. “I thought that Ser would have more scars. It seems that you are truly a noble personage, even among your peers.”


    “Hardly.” Xander chuckled at the woman’s attempt at pillow talk. “I have Vesta’s Hearth to thank for that.”


    “Is that a place? I’ve never heard of it.” She asked, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. “I’ve never even left Lausanne.”


    “Not far …” He mumbled as his hand moved, cupping some soft flesh.


    The girl leaning against him squirmed and asked. “Tis’ only the second moon of this year, and winter already seems close.”


    “Not until Lysithea, at least,” Xander responded. “The harvest of Thebe will not be harmed.”


    “Lysithea? Thebe?” The girl asked cluelessly.


    “The moons. Thebe is the fifth moon, and Lysithea is the seventh,” Xander said. “The previous moon was Io, and the current one is Leda.”


    “The moons have names?” The girl asked curiously.


    “Would you like to know?” Xander’s eyes opened as he looked into the girl’s glistening brown eyes.


    “I would,” she whispered as her hand trailed along the Hallowed’s chest, her fingers lingering on his sculpted abdomen before lowering even further. “Would Ser Hallowed like for me to continue my services?”


    Xander’s hand rose up to the girl’s face, gently cupping her chin as he traced his thumb along her pink lips. He didn’t speak a word and kept looking at her. After a few seconds, she seemed to understand something, and her eyes widened in surprise and slight apprehension.


    “I-I’m not sure if I’ll be good …” she muttered.


    “Try,” Xander said. “I’ll tell you about the moons. If your performance pleases me, I will consider your father’s request in the morning.”


    The girl couldn’t quite recognize the glint in the eyes of the Hallowed, but his words were enough for her to find courage as she shifted her body and leaned down.


    “The common people simply refer to the moons by numbers like the first moon, seventh moon, and so on. But in scholarly circles, each moon has an assigned name.” Xander leaned back against the headboard and closed his eyes, calmly enjoying the girl’s service.


    “The first is Io, the start of the year. Then we have Leda and Callisto — the second and third moons. Adrastea and Thebe, the fourth and fifth, are the harvest moons. Here in the Northern Frontier, harvesting is done in Thebe, while in the south, namely Seraphem, Solomon, Pendragon, and Phonecia, Adrastea, the fourth, is the harvest moon.”


    “Elara, Lysithea, Mimas, and Tethys — six, seven, eight, and nine — they are the moons of travel. That should be this tavern’s busiest time of the year. Though with winter’s advent, that’s going to take a blow. Dione and Iapetus — ten and eleven — are again harvest months. Dione for the South and Iapetus for the North. Lastly, we have Pandora, twelve.”


    He rested his hand on the girl’s back, tracing his palm along her spine before resting his hand on her head. She groaned in response.


    “Of course … This lunar system is only valid for this hemisphere of Alfian and only includes Antonine, Perusia, Avalon, and Germania. Places beyond the Endless Sea and the Desert follow a different system because they don’t see the same moons as us.”


    Xander was sure that the girl barely understood half of what he told her. But that was fine. Considering the pleasured grunt that he responded with, he was pleased by her services.


    “Thank you for indulging my curiosity, Ser Halllowed~” She spoke as she rose up, her face bearing no traces of her actions just moments ago.


    “What a freak …” Xander smiled. “It seems you’ve had practice … Though the night is just beginning. I don’t plan to leave you so early.”


    With his words, he grabbed the girl’s arms and turned her around, prompting a surprised yelp from her lips, which was immediately followed by a loud squeal as he took action.