Since the snake pit was located at the furthest section of the field away from the orphanage, it took over an hour, in my weakened state, to leave and return to the orphanage. I admit that Bila and Dovarata were practically dragging me through the final quarter of the way back.

I didn't need to check my in-game messages, which I had been ignoring since I joined the hunt, to know that I had over-used my Spirit Sense. And then casting a dozen Iceballs in rapid succession was the proverbial straw which broke the camel's back.

Nonetheless, I wasn't too concerned with my mental well-being. After all, a good night's rest will cure my condition. I was very tempted to simply borrow (okay, commandeer) a bed at the orphanage and spend the night there. Right now, it was late afternoon and dusk will soon arrive.

Lord Weston Paget took one good look at me and understood what had happened to me. He knew I was using some weird, mental skill to find the wolves and the snake pit. He also heard all those Iceballs slamming into the ground. The nobleman had worked with mages often enough to know that I was mentally spent. Therefore, he insisted that I sit in his carriage with his nephew while the nobleman talked to the Headmistress and confirmed that we had cleared the field of dangerous wolves and snakes.

Kuerten, acting out of character, did not say a word to me. Instead, he was content to watch over me until his uncle returned to the carriage.

I admit that I had no idea how I managed to return to my room at The Big Oak Tree. I remembered falling asleep in the carriage with its surprisingly soft seating. When I awoke, I discovered that I was back in my guest room.

How could I tell? I smelled it. Since the inn was run by elves, they used scented soap to scrub the floors. For example, the scent in the lobby smelled of cherry. The hallway smelled of citrus. And my guest room? Butterscotch. I guessed these scents were supposed to remind the elven workers of nature and allowed them to stay, long-term, in an unnatural human city.

I had no idea what time it was. But from the loud snoring and the darkness in my room, I assumed that it was at least past curfew. I closed my eyes and tried to return to sleep but I couldn't. Van's snoring was too noisy! Ugh! Exasperated, I decided it would be best to leave the room for a little respite from the noise.

I reached into my pocket to check for my room key. I didn't want to accidentally lock myself out of my room and then humiliate myself by spending the night in the hallway locked out of my room. I was shocked and chagrined to discover that my key was missing.

I cast Dark Vision and the darkness immediately receded from the room. Looking around, I was relieved to find the missing key on the nightstand. Apparently, Van had searched my pocket to find the key and then left it on the table after he opened the door.

I quietly stepped out of bed and took the key. I crept slowly along the wooden floor and reached the door without making a loud sound. I unlocked the door and then stepped out. Closing the door softly behind me, I locked the door. *Click*

I winced as the sound reverberated in the hallway. Soon, a door opened to my right and a head stuck out into the hallway. It belonged to Dovarata.

She stared at me with her red eyes and then she grinned. Closing the door softly behind her, the dracon stepped into the hallway. "Had a good rest, milord?" she grinned.

I immediately lifted a finger to my lips to silence her.

She nodded.

I walked down the steps and she followed me. When I reached the front lobby, I saw no one behind the reception desk. However, there were glowstones placed strategically around the room, providing adequate illumination.

Dovarata saw my head turn toward the reception desk and she giggled. "Milord, even the elves must take their rest."

I scowled at her and then walked across the lobby to sit on a sofa.

My nighttime companion sat next to me.

"Aren't you tired?" I asked. I made an effort to avoid staring at her body; Dovarata was wearing a see-through teddy with no underwear beneath the garment.

"No," she grinned mischievously and squeezed her arms dangerously.

I tilted my chin and stared at the ceiling for a few moments. I was desperate to think of anything to pull my thoughts off her choice of evening wear. My mind returned to the night we had stayed at Hleandros' Lair. Dovarata did not seem to sleep back then. Instead, she was meditating. Abruptly, the image of the skeletons in the field crossed my mind. My body involuntarily shuddered.

"What's wrong?" Dovarata asked suddenly. She knew it wasn't in reaction to her flirting.

I stared into her eyes. "You can tell?"

She nodded.

I took a deep breath. "When I saw those skulls in the field belonging to the children, I was upset," I admitted. "I remembered them just now."

"Is that why you so were determined to hunt down all the dangerous animals in the field?" she asked. "To keep the kids safe?"

I nodded. "Children should be able to grow in a safe and nurturing environment. They shouldn't be placed in an orphanage located in the slums. They shouldn't be afraid to leave the building and risk being dragged off and eaten by wolves. They shouldn't be afraid of being kidnapped by slave traders. This is wrong," I complained. "I want to create a world where all children are loved and protected."

Dovarata returned my stare. "Milord, the weak gives way to the strong. It has always been this way amongst the dragonkin. This is the natural order of life. Morality and divinity have no place in this natural order," she stated.

I shook my head. "I can't accept that. The strong should protect the weak. I want to be strong. I want to become king. I want to protect the people of Merlin. Especially the children living in the slums."

She offered a faint smile. "I didn't think you are such an idealist. You are a very amusing man, Lawrence Eugene Mulligan. I look forward to seeing you put your idealism into action and become the next king." She tilted her head at the notion and thought that it was beyond my reach. But she did not express her doubt. Out of her respect and courtesy to me.

Seeing that Dovarata had said all she intended to, I decided to spend time on doing something more productive--such as clearing out my huge backlog of pop-up messages. The last time I checked my messages was after I placed Yanbrie, Kuerten's girlfriend, under the care of Amelica at The Noble Lady back in Tregome.

After that, I had five interviews with staffers at the orphanage. Curiously, I received zero experience for administering the truth oath to these interviewees. Nor did I receive any experience for conducting these interviews.

The hunt for the wolves and snakes, on the other hand, generated plenty of notifications. The first report arrived when a guard found a bunch of skeletal remains of the missing children and yelled out. I activated my Spirit Sense in order to find this man specifically and received 25 XP for successfully doing so. Then I combined Navigation Sense with Spirit Sense to create a map with the location of the wolves at the very center. I received 200 XP for my creative use of my abilities and, more importantly, increased my Navigation Sense to Level 7. The ensuing battle with the wolves generated a net gain of 500 Reputation and 1,400 XP.

I had to admit that I was surprised to receive reputation points for putting down the wolves. But it made sense when I considered the fact that I had personally taken command of the hunt from Lord Weston Paget, an issue that was fraught with danger if the nobleman allowed his pride to stand in my way. After all, Weston had the highest social status among those gathered for this hunt. However, he cared more about the results than "optics" and was gracious enough to permit me to take the lead. The fact that I was able to accomplish the mission successfully reflected proper decision making on his part. And I was certain that Weston will spin the matter in this way to his brother, the Regent.

The eradication of the snake pit was another interesting event. I received 600 XP for killing the snakes. In addition, I received another 600 XP for spamming Iceballs. No wonder I had increased my Water skill, too; it was now at Level 4.

The final message was a 25 XP gain for casting Dark Vision. This occurred when I awoke in my room and cast the spell in order to locate my missing room key. By the time I dismissed this last notification, I was tired again.

"You should go back to bed, milord," Dovarata said suddenly.

"Yes, you're right," I replied.

"I'm always right!" The arrogant dracon puffed up her chest.

I was too tired to argue and instead, I rose from the sofa and started climbing the stairs.

Dovarata quickly followed me.

When I took out my key to unlock the door to my room, she was STILL standing behind me.

"Aren't you going to invite me to your room?" Her red eyes glowed menacingly in the dark.

"No," I grunted harshly to hide my embarrassment. "Good night," I breathed. Ignoring my pounding heart, I entered my room and just managed to avoid slamming the door behind me. I was totally played by her.

There was a chuckle on the other side of the door. "Sweet dreams, milord."

I cast Dark Vision again to navigate my body in the darkness. Thankfully, Van was no longer snoring. I quietly climbed into bed and soon fell asleep.

* * *

When morning light arrived, I was already awake. The mischievous teasing from that dracon had made it difficult for me to sleep. But not because I was seriously considering her offer to be together but rather because it reminded me of Saint John the Kind's surprising offer to broker a political marriage on my behalf.

On an intellectual level, I fully understood where the old cleric was coming from. I was becoming very famous in the Kingdom of Merlin. After I gained the title of 'Dragonslayer,' the commoners and nobility alike could not deny my due as a serious contender for the crown. Of course, the nobles had their own opinions on my candidacy. Some, like the Regent, was against it for whatever reason.

The saint privately expressed his support for my candidacy. But his support wasn't enough to overcome the resistance from the Regent. Something else was needed to push me over the bump in the road, so to speak.

Thus, Saint John meant well when he broached the topic of marriage. But given my sensibilities as a modern man from my own version of Earth, a political marriage was a foreign concept. People married for love, happiness, and even (financial) security. But marrying for the well-being of a nation was a bit far out for my consideration.

More worrisome was my response. To my everlasting shame, I used Amelica as my shield. Furthermore, I didn't even discuss this matter with her privately since she was now dragged into my political affairs. And deep down, I wasn't sure that the former widow would ever consider remarrying. Least of all, to me.

Thus, I laid on my bed, with my eyes open, as my mind was plagued with thoughts of Amelica and marriage.

Eventually, my roommate, Van, awoke.

The two of us exchanged polite greetings, dressed quickly, and stepped out of our room. To our delight, we were the first ones to step into the hallway.

Shortly thereafter, Rijana and her elven companions joined us.

We waited politely until the 8th bell tolled.

Losing his patience, Van approached the door to the room occupied by Bila and Dovarata.

Suddenly, the door opened and the dracon came out. She was holding the still sleeping cat girl by the back of her neck.

Shaking my head, I approached Bila and started playing with her cat ears. They were SO fluffy and adorable! And I was NOT going to pass up on this opportunity to touch them! Muahahaha!

Bila's ears twitched and belatedly, she opened her eyes and stared into mine. It took a long moment for her brain to revive. "Oh!"

Dovarata released her hand but, rather than dropping to the ground, Bila landed on her hind paws with no trouble.

To her credit, the cat girl managed to look ashamed. "I'm sorry for oversleeping, milord." Bila scratched the back of her head with embarrassment.

"Thank your roommate for taking you out of the room," I replied.

She suddenly folded her arms across her chest. "No, I won't thank that dracon for dragging me out like that. Only my momma has my permission." Bila turned her head away and hissed.

Now exasperated by her antics, I took matters into my own hands. I grabbed her paw and pulled her with me as I descended the stairs. I continued to drag her along through the lobby and into the dining room. I quickly surveyed the room, found an open table and claimed it. I finally released my hand when I sat in my chair.

Bila took her place to my immediate right. Her whiskers twitched at the way she had been dragged to the dining room but she kept silent.

Dovarata sat to my left and continued to watch the two of us closely. A sly grin was on her face.

When the elven waitress arrived to take our order, I asked for breakfast specials for the table plus honey tea. The special turned out to be very bland tasting oatmeal, which I forced myself to eat and finish. I took a big gulp of my hot tea to wash the taste of cardboard from my mouth.

When the people at the table finished their meals, their eyes turned toward me. I finished my tea and put down my cup. "I need to report back to the saint with Van," I announced. "You're free for the rest of the day. We're still awaiting word from Mordekai regarding a guide to bring us to the Ph'laen Ruins outside London. I'll give him another day or two and then we'll head out on our own."

My companions nodded and together we vacated our table for the next patrons to claim it.

I immediately left The Big Oak Tree with Van. It was already a half hour past 8 in the morning. I wanted to arrive at the Church by 9 if possible. As I followed the paladin, I remembered to remain alert for pickpockets. Again, there were several attempts but I managed to fend them off easily with my superior Dexterity. In total, I received 125 XP for my successful Dexterity checks.

We arrived at the Church some 20 minutes later and presented ourselves to Gael, who was standing near the front door on the lookout for us.

The young assistant to the Church leader approached us and he bowed deeply. "Thank you for returning this morning. The saint is awaiting your report," he said. The boy turned around, entered the church building, and led us straight to Saint John's study on the second floor.

Gael knocked on the door.

"Come in."

The assistant opened the door for us to enter.

The two of us rushed to the saint's chair, knelt down, and kissed his ring. Then we took our seats across his desk.

Saint John the Kind looked at me for a moment. "I heard that you were exhausted yesterday. What happened?" he asked.

"Let's just say that I over-used my special abilities," I answered.

The cleric did not press me for more details. He simply accepted what I could tell him. "Thank the Gods that you have recovered," he said.

"Thank the Gods," Van and I repeated in unison.

"Lord Weston Paget had visited me last night and discussed the result of your investigation into the disappearances of the orphans. However, I would like you to deliver your report now to ensure that nothing significant was accidentally left out by him," the saint requested.

I obeyed and delivered my report: "I encountered Lord Weston Paget and his nephew at the orphanage yesterday early afternoon. I interviewed Headmistress Solina and five of her workers. The sixth worker, Josiah, was fired when he admitted to knowing about the presence of wolves in the field in front of the orphanage and kept this information to himself. During the interviews, Van cast Detect Evil and this helped confirm that the workers had nothing to do with the disappearances."

"Afterward, Lord Paget sent his guards into the field to hunt down the wolves. But the wolves proved elusive and kept circling around the guards and evaded the men. I took over the hunt and used my innate ability to locate them. I then directed the people under my command to circle and trap the wolves. When the trap was sprung by the wolves, we put them down."

"During my search, I discovered a snake pit in another section of the field. With help from my companions, I eradicated the snakes. Now, the remaining animals in the field are no threat to the orphans."

Saint John held up his hand. "Then your investigation is complete?" he asked.

"Almost," I answered. "We still need to bury the skeletal remains of the five kids who fell victim to the wolves."

The cleric nodded and sighed. "It is regrettable what happened to them. I will send some clergymen to the site and give them a proper burial. There is no need for you to return to the field," he said.

Saint John opened his drawer and pulled out a small satchel. He placed it on the table and the sack landed with a thud. "I prepared a small reward for your subjugation of the wolves and the snake pit. You went above and beyond what I expected for your assignment, Brother Mulligan. Please accept the 200 gold coins inside and split this bounty among your party members."

"Thank you, Holy One," I bowed deeply.

"I release you from further service to the Church for the rest of this week. Please take this opportunity to explore our beautiful city of London, train, or engage in other endeavors. But please see me before you leave London to visit another part of the kingdom," he requested.

"Yes, Holy One."

"You may leave." Saint John waved his hand to dismiss us.

The two of us stood up and bowed deeply to him. We quickly left the study.