"What happend to your hands?", was Mamoru's first comment as he stopped in surprise - in the middle of the street - holding several purple flower seedlings in his hands.

  Like Cale, Mamoru was out and about in the eastern part of the city in the late afternoon, which is why their paths eventually crossed by chance. It wasn't that Cale had deliberately sought out this encounter - but neither had he tried to avoid it. He had actually only wanted to run a few errands.

  So it happened that Cale stopped in front of a small music store whose shop window was decorated with elaborately crafted wooden wind instruments. Cale's gaze inevitably lingered on the price tags, and he couldn't help but be surprised at how expensive these instruments were. While he wondered how much he would have to sacrifice for a violin, his guardian stepped up behind him.

  "I cut myself", Cale replied dryly, raising his left hand in the air. He had wrapped it in white bandages so that no one could see that his skin had mostly healed underneath. His plan was to wear them for a few days before switching to gloves, which was one of the reasons he was traveling in the eastern part of the city.

  "Cut yourself? With a kitchen knife?"

  "I'm not that clumsy. At least not with a knife", Cale replied dryly.

  He clutched his bag tighter, moved away from the store, and approached his supervisor. Mamoru attracted some questioning glances from passersby, as the burn on his head was hard to miss. If Cale hadn't known better, he might have thought Mamoru's skin was starting to melt.

  "It happened during training", Cale added calmly. "Nothing serious."

  "Must have been a rough day for you guys."

  "Not different from any other day."

  "Well, if you say so. Won't that hinder you?"

  "This little cut? Not at all. I don't even feel it anymore", Cale replied, swinging his bag a little to show that his hands were fine. "Are you shopping too?"

  "I am, yes. I had a few errands to run", Mamoru replied, lifting the small basket full of plants into the air.

  Cale turned to the side and motioned for his supervisor to follow him. Together they walked along the wide street, where dozens of people were walking or riding in carriages. The commercial district was much busier than the residential area in the northwest of the city.

  "I didn't know you were such a plant person."

  "It's my girlfriend's fault, she loves lavender", Mamoru replied calmly, looking down at the flowers in his hand before a smile appeared on his face. He didn't seem to mind having to walk through the whole city with a few dozen seedlings while getting strange looks. Instead, he seemed to completely ignore the people around him and pay attention only to the flowers.

  "Sounds familiar. Ahri also takes care of our little garden every day, and sometimes neighbors even come by to see how it's doing."

  "Seems like you've settled in well."

  "Definitely faster than I expected. The people on my street are all very friendly and helpful."

  "I'm glad to hear that. In the small settlement where I live, people tend to avoid us."

  "Why that?", Cale replied in surprise, stopping in front of a grocery store for a moment, staring at the fresh vegetables and deciding to shop there.

  "Good question, to which I myself... don't really have an answer. They're not rude or disrespectful, just a little... distant. As if they were afraid of us."

  "On the bright side, you always have your peace and quiet, don't you?"

  "That's true", Mamoru confirmed, standing behind Cale, who exchanged a few words with the saleswoman and quickly finished his shopping.

  "Do you know Lamina Naria?"

  "The musician?"

  "Exactly", Cale replied with a nod. "What do you think of her?"

  "You're asking me things. I only know her name and that she's quite talented, but that's about it."

  "So you've never been to one of her concerts?"

  "Not yet. That seems almost impossible. And I have to admit that I'm not particularly interested."

  "I see."

  "Why do you ask?"

  "She offered to teach Ahri how to play the violin", Cale reported, sensing at the same moment that the dragon was rapidly approaching his location.

  Cale's gaze shifted from the many people in front of him and found itself on the street, where several carriages were traveling. In the distance, he recognized a noble carriage bearing the heraldic animal of the Freigoud ducal family, a stag. He had traveled to Oriann in such a carriage back then, which had attracted a lot of attention.

  Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

  "Oh? She did? Well, congratulations."

  "Thank you", Cale quickly ended the conversation, as he felt Mamoru was the wrong person to talk to.

  Cale had asked various people throughout the day for their opinions on the matter, and except for Cedrik, they all thought it was an incredible opportunity that he shouldn't miss. Only Jarle of Mornet was somewhat skeptical about the offer and said that Cale should be careful about whom he entrusted his daughter to. In the end, Cale had already come to terms with the idea that he would comply with the dragon's request.

  "Let's see how this turns out", Cale muttered quietly.

  "Are you worried about Ahri?"

  "Ahri? No", Cale replied.

  He wasn't worried about Fengari, but rather about the task he had to complete in Sylve. His salary was already low, so he really had to be careful not to go broke.

  With his arms crossed in front of his chest, he followed the flow of people until he noticed the blonde-haired girl sticking her head out of the open window of the carriage. As soon as she spotted Cale, he raised his hand in a brief greeting.

  The soldiers accompanying the two students did not notice Cale's presence until a few moments later. Fengari seemed to whisper something hastily to one of the escorts, and, to Cale's surprise, the carriage slowed down - a circumstance that did not escape the attention of the surrounding passersby. Finally, the carriage came to a halt barely a meter in front of him.

  The soldiers immediately took up their positions as the door opened and Fengari literally jumped out. Ben, on the other hand, remained standing in the doorway and watched as the girl pushed past a few people to finally fall into Cale's arms with a joyful leap.

  "Did you do something wrong, or why are you in such a hurry?", Cale asked amusedly as he held Fengari in his arms and looked toward the carriage. He nodded politely to Ben as a sign that they didn't have to wait for the girl.

  "Not me, but I spoke to Duchess Freigoud today."

  "Gloria of Freigoud?"

  "Yes, we talked about class advancement", Fengari replied cheerfully, as if she had long forgotten this morning's conversation.

  Mamoru stepped next to Cale and greeted Fengari as well, while the carriage was already starting to move again. Cale waved silently after her and watched her disappear into the crowd on the street. He would have liked to take the opportunity to exchange a few words with Ben, but deliberately creating the situation did not seem like a good idea to him.

  "What were you talking about?"

  "Ah, about what to expect in the higher class. She even gave me some books today that the second-year students use", Fengari explained, unzipping her bag and reaching for the book she had just mentioned, before the whole bag slipped out of her hand. Cale skillfully grabbed the bag and swung it over his shoulder before turning to Fengari.

  "You can show me later, don't let the books get dirty here in the middle of the street."

  "Understood", replied Fengari, smiling contentedly, then turning to Mamoru. "Lavender?"

  "For my girlfriend."

  "I also got some lavender seeds from our neighbor."

  "Really?", Mamoru replied amused.

  "Yes, it was nice of her. I just need a few small flower pots."

  "Shall we go get some right away?", Cale interjected.

  "Gladly", Fengari replied enthusiastically, grinning from ear to ear, which also elicited a smile from Cale. He was always fascinated by how much the dragon was interested in even the smallest things humans did - especially those that were denied to her in her true form.

  "Well then... Mamoru, we're going in a different direction", Cale explained, nodding briefly in the direction they had come from. He had recently seen a shop there that he now wanted to visit.

  "All right. See you tonight."

  "See you later", Cale replied, bowing slightly to his guardian as he said goodbye.

  Fengari also said goodbye to him and clung to Cale's neck as he set off again. He carried the little girl with his left hand, in which he also held all his purchases, while he held her school bag over his right shoulder. This left only his right arm free to act in case of an emergency.

  "Do you think we should tackle the topic with the class at the end of the week?"

  "You mean the exam?"

  "Exactly."

  "That would be fine with me, the sooner, the better. I don't want to miss any schoolwork", Fengari replied calmly, letting her gaze wander through the crowds.

  "Then I'll pick you up from school tomorrow after work and talk to Gloria. You're welcome to warn her in advance."

  "I will!", Fengari announced happily.

  "And you can write a letter to Lamina Naria tonight. Tell her we're accepting the offer and ask if she can give us some recommendations for violins."

  "REALLY?", the dragon shouted loudly, causing people to turn around and look at them. Cale hissed softly, telling them to be quiet, but Fengari bounced up and down with joy. "I can? I really can?"

  "Yes, you can."

  "That's wonderful! What a great day!"

  Cale laughed awkwardly at the statement and watched the child bounce up and down in his arms. She seemed to have expected Cale to refuse the offer, but seeing her like this was reason enough to grant her request. It seemed almost ridiculous to him that he had thought about it for so long, but even if he did find himself in financial straits, he would get a second job under a different name. There were just two things he mustn't forget in all of this.

  The Thormods and the fact that he had to sneak into Sylve's heart.

  The last few months had passed in an almost unexpectedly positive light. He had successfully built up a good relationship with Loys of Freigoud and Julius Venlan, was clearly the best among the new soldiers in both written and practical skills, had been given a good little group to work with, and on top of that, he had already established contact with the king. His status within the palace was not bad, and his name was also mentioned in a positive context among other noble houses.

  The only thing he had not yet succeeded in doing was to see William and Philippa again. He did not want to push his luck unnecessarily, and had therefore refrained from seeking contact so far. At this point, however, they should be safe. As soon as a suitable opportunity arose, he would take the plunge and reestablish contact with his old friends—even if he didn't yet know exactly how he would go about it.

  <"That reminds me, Fengari... you need to do me a favor.">

  <"Anything!">, the girl replied with a broad grin on her face.

  <"Could you ask your siblings, whom you trust, to take care of two tasks for me?">

  <"What kind of tasks?">

  <"I want someone to keep an eye on what's going on in the creature plains without attracting too much attention.">

  Fengari seemed to think for a moment, but nodded a few moments later.

  <"I can try, yes. What would the second task be?">

  <"I would like someone to locate a girl in Winstest and keep an eye on her for me. If anything happens, I want to be informed as soon as possible.">

  <"Which girl?">

  <"Her name is Philippa from the tribe of the passing sun, Kratuga. She should be about your age now, and in a few years she will try to escape her tribe. I want to know when that time comes so I can help her. To be precise, I want to bring her and her sister to Sylve.">

  <"Why don't you help her right away?">

  <"Because I can hardly take in two more children, especially without a logical reason. I have to think about where to put them before I act.">

  <"I understand. I'll talk to my siblings and see what I can do.">

  <"Thank you very much. That would be a great help.">