A Benevolent Evil Dragon

The morning comes pleasantly for once. While I came here to make sure Edith is not in danger, I did not think about the fact that I am basically unable to do anything but read in here during the day. I can't even test out my magic, unless I spend my mental bandwidth keeping up both the shadow blob and a silence spell that encompasses my entire body and some. At least I have one thing going for me, namely I have Edith, who can act as my hands and feet out in town. Of course, I don't want to take away all her free time either, but we need to balance out work and recovery while we still can. I don't know how long it will take for people to come looking for us, and I'd rather not find out.

Now, for more fun stuff, Edith is awake and currently coming my way. While my magic eye can't see all the way into the building, I can see up to its entrance and Edith has a unique appearance even when I can't see the colors of mana. I have yet to see someone have more mana in their arm than in their chest, after all.

"Good morning, Heart. You… are here, yes?" She speaks before she even reaches me, sounding strangely unsure.

"Where would I be if not here?" I drop my invisibility just as she peeks her head into the wagon.

"Ah, well I saw that… damnit you really were by the balcony…" She looks my way and frowns as she is met by the smuggest mug I can conjure.

"Oh~ Did I leave a mark by mistake? Sorry I was just so busy seeing how happy you were~!" I'm laying it on thick and she knows, but her frustrated appearance makes it all the better.

"You are worse than my mom… Wait, why are you even like that!? Don't tell me you figured out… Ugh, please let's talk about something else, I don't want to talk about my first partner with you of all people…" Her voice cracks a bit as she shows me a rare embarrassed expression.

"Isn't teasing people about things like this the peak of friendship?" She gives me a death glare and I nod, laughing a bit to calm the waters. "Yes, yes, I get it. I'm not going to talk about that beautiful lady. Let's instead talk about what we're doing today, because we have a few things on our list and one thing I need you to know." I turn more serious, which does put an end to the mood.

"Alright. I'm guessing we're going to at least make a show of selling some of these furs? All while looking around for some shops that might be useful." I nod, glad that she got the idea quickly.

"We do still need a proper dictionary for Kamish and maps of the other areas as well as information about mana dense spots. I want to grow a bit before leaving the kingdom altogether and the best way to do that is finding some powerful source of mana, or at least a lot of small ones." I cough a bit and shake my body, already starting to feel a bit trapped in the wagon, but I continue despite my apprehensions. "Also, I will need you to check on some kids."

She looks at me blankly for a moment, then sighs. "I see you didn't just check on me. Alright, what happened?" At least she doesn't sound judgemental.

"Took a walk and a flight, enjoyed the night life, drank some of that pisswater people around here call alcohol, then I may have stumbled across some orphans being held at knifepoint by some gang members. Two were wounded and the others didn't look healthy either. It's a drop in the bucket if we drop them some twenty, thirty, fifty silvers and I would rather know they have a chance. Ah, I'll need you to pretend a masked man told you to give them this money, they'll understand better."

"You… Wait, you managed to help them and talk to them without them being… you know…?" I at least have the decency to look a bit ashamed.

"I think they bought that I was some noble satisfying my whims. Certainly a more believable explanation for a shadow blob of murder that talks than a dragon. I do hope they didn't talk about me… They went to a church to get help with some coppers they got from the attackers, but I doubt they'll be allowed to stay around for longer and be treated properly with just that little." Even in a world of literal gods and reality bending magic, money ultimately paid.

Finally, she nodded and went to get the horses.

Witchbeast claws and bones for the garrison chief, quality furs for the local shops, even a few of the books I read to death found their place in the shop of a count's daughter if the whispers were to be believed. Apparently despite some clear implications that women in leadership positions aren't a thing unless it's in a mercenary group, noble ladies can have small businesses and the like that they manage in the name of their families or to satisfy their whims.

That's some renaissance thing, but the kingdom seems a lot more primitive than that technologically… How strange. Well, it's not like this world is one to one with mine, even if some things seem very similar.

Luckily, I found what I wanted most, a list of known places of power, spots where mana is thick enough for witchbeasts to be the norm and for mundane people to struggle, which means just about how much we had in the nest when I was still a hatchling. And while I sit here, reading through the entries and trying to translate them using the Kamish textbook we also bought, I find myself feeling very nostalgic. Here I sit, mostly bored, waiting for hours on end because I made the mistake of suggesting Edith get herself some pretty clothes. What I forgot was that people in this time don't just buy clothes, they need them to be made by hand, tailored for every person…

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Ah, there she is, looking as tired and bored as myself. "I'm not doing this again.." she whispers pitifully, but all it does is give me a bit of life.

"Why, don't you want to feel like a princess? Having tailors fret over your body, whispering about your scars.." she does not seem amused at my jokes, which makes me shut up.

"No, I'd rather not. It was fun for all of one day. Now it's just stressful." I reach over and pat her head, which surprises her, but she stays still.

"Alright. Just the kids and I'll be out of your hair. You're young, you're in a big city, you need to relax a bit before we have to go on the road again" She nods, getting back up in front. She's a pro at handing the horses by now, which makes things easier since I can't exactly reach out anymore.

It takes us about half an hour to go from where we were to where the church was, but it's worth it. I see the kids minus the one most hurt sitting behind the building, in a small flower garden together with an old woman. The nun they were talking about, probably. They seemed happy, for once, but even from here I can see the worry behind the nun's eyes. She cares for the children but knows she can't care for them. The church itself looks pretty rundown compared to the others, either because of the god worshipped here or because this one is simply too old and small. Either way, I decide to be generous and put fifty silvers into a pouch, then I push it over to Edith. She is surprised at the weight, but doesn't say anything.

She put on the dark boarskin cloak I made for her and went over. Her appearance was shady enough to put the sister on edge, but thankfully Edith is still catnip for older women, so quickly she smooths things over.

"I apologize for startling you, but a certain benefactor wanted me to give you this. He was worried for the children here and hoped this would pay for them to stay here a while longer. He apologizes for the small donation, but still hopes it will help keeping them fed."

The woman seems to think a bit, then opens the pouch, seeming shocked. "Ah, this is too much, my lady… To think someone would not only save the children from those ruffians, but also this…."

"Do not think too much on it, sister. He merely wanted to apologize for showing the kids things they shouldn't at such a young age and hoped they could stay here at least until they are healthy again." I will never get tired of seeing how good Edith is at changing her mood and demeanor on a dime.

"Yes, this will be enough to keep them safe and healthy for a year or two. I will make sure they are happy for as long as possible and the priest is kind enough to welcome orphans so long as they don't stir up trouble. They're in good hands, I just hope that the ones that attacked them won't try to come after them again…"

The conversation that followed melted a bit in the background because I realized someone was sneaking up around the wagon. I waited for them to slip in, but once they did, the leader of the children popped his head in.

"S-sir? Is that you?" He seemed unsure but also resolute. How strange.

"Smart boy. Is there something you wanted from me?" I stay still as best as I can, hoping he won't get close. I don't want to startle him but if he touches any bit of me, it would be problematic.

"I wanted to thank you again… You saved us and even came and gave the sister lots of coins to keep us safe…" His face sours and I realize quickly what happened. "I don't want to seem ungrateful… but I hoped…"

"It's fine. Give it to me straight, kiddo. What do you need?" Wisdom would say to be more guarded with promises and other such things, but on the other hand I always had a soft spot for kids.

"There were more of us before… The ones from before just wanted money from us, but before them, we barely escaped a big group of bad men. The guards call em smugglers! They took some of us… even my big sis… I'm scared for her, mister…. I'm scared for everyone…." The kid tears up and I can only grimace. Well, at least I won't be bored anymore.

"Go back to the nun for now. I will look into it. I…" While I did like kids, I was also very conscious that I sucked at actually dealing with them. "I don't know if I will find her. They might have smuggled her out and sold her already. They might still have her. They might have killed her… I will do what I can to find her and everyone that got kidnapped, but try to keep your expectations small, yes?"

The boy nodded while wiping his tears, still looking very apprehensive about one thing or another, but glad to have some hope. "Thank you, mister! Ah, if there's any thing we can do…"

"I will think about it. For now be good and make sure to not cause problems for the sister, be it you or someone else. Also, try to see if you can learn a trade from someone. You need to stand on your own feet eventually, even if life gave you some bad cards. As will the other kids, of course."

The boy nods again, a bit happier, then gets up as I notice Edith coming back. "Ah, thank you for everything, mister! I hope I see you again!" And with that, he ran away, just as Edith sat down.

"That was… tiring… Life here is not as glamorous as I thought… If even a church struggles…." I move over and nudge her from behind with my snout, making her startle and start up the carriage.

"Everywhere is the same. The grass is not greener on the other side. Ah, but this place does have more opportunity than some backwater town, especially for you. I will take a nap for now. Enjoy your day. Ah, but don't overdo it. Sorry for coming between you and your lady friend but I'll need you tonight~ I promise to give you some tips though, as thanks for helping me out."

Edith's ears turn red as she hisses a sound of annoyance, but she does seem to smile with the corner of her mouth. "Tips from the smartest dragon around… Sure, sounds fair~"

I let her relax, focusing on piling up mana for the night. When the sun finally went down, I spread my wings and got a good stretch. After all, it seems I have some people to hopefully rescue, or if not, some other people to turn into bloody paste.