"I will be taking my leave now. Thank you for taking care of me last night."
"Travel safely. We will await your return," the Laur couple said as they watched Dayesh walk away.
Once he was far enough, Dayesh summoned the owl from his item box. Moments later, he shifted into his wolf form.
They followed the long stretch of road, likely the same path taken by the bandits who had raided the Laur mansion. As they moved, their conversation drifted toward the shadow.
"She keeps asking me to give her a physical body. I don't even know if that's possible."
"She asked me the same thing," the owl replied.
"She must be growing tired of her current form. Perhaps… we can try once we find what we were tasked to retrieve."
Two hours passed as they continued their journey when a faint sound reached their ears.
Tick… tick… tick…
"Do you hear that?"
"Yes."
"That must be what the couple is looking for. Let's find where it's coming from."
At first, it sounded close, but no matter how they searched, they couldn't pinpoint its exact location. The forest seemed to distort the sound, making it echo from all directions.
They had already gone far from where they started.
"Dayesh, that must be it. I see something lying on the ground ahead."
Without hesitation, Dayesh ran toward it. The object came into clearer view.
"Well, that was easier than expected," he muttered.
He returned to his human form and picked up the metronome. The moment his fingers touched it, the world around him shifted.
"Throw that thing away. The sound is unbearable."
A stranger's voice echoed.
The metronome fell from a standing position as if tossed aside.
"What was that?" Dayesh murmured, startled by the brief vision that flashed before his eyes. It was gone in an instant, like a fragment of memory that didn't belong to him.
"This is no ordinary object… there's something strange about it," he whispered. "Let's head back to the mansion."
Six hours after finding the item…
"Is this what you were looking for?"
The Laur couple's faces lit up the moment they saw the metronome in Dayesh's hand.
"That's it!"
"That was incredibly fast. It didn't even take a full day," Mr. Laur said, clearly impressed.
"I simply found it in the forest," Dayesh replied.
"They must have thrown it away because of the sound. Thank you for returning it to us."
"I find it curious," Dayesh added, "if this could be found so easily, why go through the guild to post a request instead of asking your own people?"
"Since you've asked… this metronome cannot be handled by just anyone."
"Ah…" Dayesh nodded in understanding.
"This object can recognize beings with ill intent. It will not stop ticking as long as it senses such presence. Perhaps they couldn't silence it, which is why they chose to discard it."
"But if you assigned this to someone without malicious intent, wouldn't that solve the problem?"
"That is a longer explanation, my boy."
Dayesh chose not to press further.
Soon, their discussion shifted to the reward.
"I would like to choose the reward that allows me to make a request. But before that, I need to consult something."
"What is it, Dayesh? Go ahead."
"There is a being I know… currently existing as a shadow. She wishes to have a physical body. Would it be possible for you to grant such a request?"
The couple exchanged glances before the man answered.
"It is possible. As long as it does not fall under the forbidden requests mentioned by Jarls."
A quiet sense of relief filled Dayesh. This was exactly what the shadow had been waiting for.
"I will return in two days."
"Thank you once again, sir. We will await your return."
"Lzith, your father is here!"
Lzith immediately sprang from her bed and ran out of his room.
"Papa!"
"Give me a moment, I need to bathe first," Dayesh said, gently patting the child's head before heading off.
Meanwhile, Sapphire prepared food at the table.
"Master, please eat."
"Thank you. I'm starving."
As he sat down, Dayesh found himself thinking how fortunate he was to have someone who could cook. Then, unexpectedly, Jauna crossed his mind. She used to prepare meals and bathwater for him whenever he came home.
He shook his head, brushing the thought away.
After eating, he checked on Lzith, then called for the shadow. It appeared before him, and they moved to an empty room along with the owl.
"We're going to attempt something. There's no guarantee this will work, so don't place all your hopes on it. What form do you want? A child? A young woman? A man? It's better you decide now."
"I want… is it possible to become a man?"
Dayesh and the owl exchanged glances.
"Why?"
"A male body is physically stronger than a female one."
Dayesh looked at her directly.
"Let me ask you something. Are you interested in my child?"
"No!" she immediately denied. "I only want to protect her. You gave me a new life when I was alone in the forest."
"Good. I just wanted that to be clear."
"Didn't I already tell you? I am a woman."
Dayesh let out a soft laugh, realizing he had briefly forgotten.
"In two days, we will go somewhere."
Excitement flickered within the shadow.
That night, sleep refused to come to Dayesh. He went to the kitchen and poured himself a drink.
At the same time, Sapphire entered to get water. They both froze in surprise. It was well past midnight.
"I'm just getting water, Master."
"Call me by my name."
"Sorry, Master. That's a pass. You pay me. We're not equals," she replied, inwardly thinking he might already be drunk.
Dayesh slowly stepped closer and looked into her eyes. There was no malice in his gaze, only a quiet loneliness that lingered beneath the surface.
Sapphire broke eye contact, quickly grabbing water before retreating.
"I really should start bringing water to my room," she muttered to herself. "Yeah, he's handsome… dangerously so. But he has a child… and a wife. Wait… a wife? Where is she? I should ask when I get the chance."
Left alone, Dayesh continued drinking. Heat crept through his body. He removed his upper garment and lay down on a long, soft couch, eventually surrendering to sleep.
The next morning, he woke up covered with a blanket. The scent of food lingered in the air.
He got up, dressed, and headed to the dining table. Lzith was already eating, with Sapphire feeding her.
"Master, you're awake. Sit down, I'll prepare your food."
"Thank you."
Sapphire briefly left Lzith to serve him.
Moments later, there was a knock on the door.
"I'll get it," Sapphire said, about to stand, but Dayesh stopped her instead to go.
"Who is it?" he called out.
"Sir Dayesh. Is he here?" a voice answered.
"What is your name?"
"Khafa."
"Ghoth."
Dayesh immediately opened the door. Two men stood before him, former colleagues.
"Sir Dayesh, we've been looking everywhere for you! We were worried!" Khafa exclaimed.
Ghoth remained silent, observing.
"Come in. I was just about to eat. Join me."
They stepped inside, taking a seat while scanning the house.
"Saph, do we have more food? I have unexpected guests."
Sapphire glanced at the two men, who had their backs turned.
"There's still enough, Master. They'll just have to wait about half an hour."
"I'll let them know. Sorry for the sudden notice."
"It's fine, Master."
"I'll check on Lzith. You start cooking."