“Rust,” Leila felt her lips twitching into a frown as her finger ran over the pipe. Her body turned, facing the worker. “The last thing I need is for any of these pipes to burst and boil some kids. Replace all of them.”

“Yes, lady…” The man hesitated, quickly correcting himself under the gaze of her eyes, “I mean, sir.”

He probably thinks that I am a weirdo. Leila grinned to herself, feeling a sense of someone pulling her ear. Ouch. Ivar!

Be silent. You volunteered yourself. Ivar has commanded her, leading her body out of the basement.

Her body moved on its own, following her father’s will. The feeling was eerie, creepy even, but this time she has actually felt different. Before, he would crush her own will and turn her into an unwilling automaton who would follow every command from the blue wyrm. Now it looked more like she was a helpless passenger while Ivar was in the driver’s seat, as they have been busy examining the orphanage.

After he got his discharge and his wounds healed, Ivar moved to Belaz and said he was going to open one or two schools there. This made Leila freak out and almost beg Aranea for a leave. Leaving the old demon anywhere near children seemed like a recipe for catastrophe. Her leave approved, the half-wyrm darted toward Belaz at maximum speed.

She was greeted with the extensive rebuilding efforts, the reclaimers were pouring everything they could into the captured cities, creating new lushness and glory for the civilians. The scars of the war will not fade for a few generations at the very least, but the goal now is to worry about the living and mourn the dead.

The hospital that was so brutally attacked by the numbers was reopened, new medical personnel arrived. The water processing facility was fixed, and the zoo was given a new look, making it safer and more accessible for the general population. Even some wolfkins had arrived with their cubs to admire the animals and asking the guides why exactly they couldn’t wrestle with gators.

The city was rarely sleeping now, day and night the construction was underway. The ruined apartments were being restored to house people who had to live in the barracks. Leila spied Andrea and Kayleen, who were working and cursing at the construction site, exchanging jokes with the locals, and enduring the curses of others. Andrea left her service in Annie’s pack, joining a temporary committee in Belaz. She and her family now worked on bridging the gaps between the people and their new overlords. In Leila’s view, Andrea had all the chances of becoming the first officially elected Belaz mayor.

Martyshkina opened her own small bar in the city. She put Janine’s axe on the wall behind the bar and was happy to spend the rest of her life as a civilian, serving food and drinks to truckers and caravanners bringing goods. Velka recently went to see Martyshkina and challenged the former warlord to a fight. The fight ended with the wolf hag being smashed into the concrete in front of the bar, and both women had to explain what happened to the police. Right now, the former warlord left for the tribe for a few days after a delegation of shamans came by, asking Martyshkina to officially be present at Olesya’s speech to the pack and to transfer her rank to Olesya.

The city has changed in the six months since the war’s end. Goods from the Core Lands, from Iterna, and even from the Oathtakers are now filling the stores. With the return of safety, prices have gone down, and new jobs have become available in abundance. Under the Dynast’s orders, the widows and orphans were provided for by the state.

And this is where Ivar slithered his body in, jumping in on every government and charity program he could to open his orphanage. Even before arriving at the orphanage, Leila had spotted several stores owned directly by Ivar’s main company, or one of his many subsidiary companies. After leaving the army, her father turned his attention to enterprises, and Leila wasn’t sure if she should feel a sense of relief or be horrified at this prospect.

Scorpio and Ivar owned the small construction companies that were in rich demand in the Wastes. Of course, both wyrms also involved themselves with food, medicine, and anything that could make a token. But their service in the army forced some of their attention away, not allowing them to fully concentrate on commerce.

And now Ivar was unleashed. She half expected him to crush any and all locals under his feet, but for now, the blue wyrm slowly expanded his impressive net of companies without ruining any lives. Rather than devouring, he merged, providing profit to both sides. His workers were no longer worked until the ground they break, the blue wyrm integrated Scorpio’s ideas of providing safety nets in exchange for loyalty and slashed working hours without cutting pay. Leila even started to believe that maybe he truly wanted to change for the better…

You could have paid with your tokens. Leila grumbled angrily, seeing iternian brands. Her hands were busy checking the contents of numerous crates, counting packages filled with baby food. Asshole. Still only looking for profits.

“All fine. Move to the storage.” Leila, my companies were created with the intention of making tokens for myself and shareholders. If they start bringing in negative balance, I will shut them down, leaving people on the street. If such a fate happens and I would’ve funded this place with the tokens, which I am earning from them, then this place would’ve suffered. Money must bring money, even during a charity. Speaking of which, how are you doing?

My pay is well enough for my needs. She thought back, looking at the amount of food going into the underground storage. Money breeds money indeed! The orphanage and the school were constructed by Murzaliev Industrials, all paid for by either charity or the state! Ivar, did you really need to buy this many? There are only sixteen kids coming here, and out of them, there are only two infants!

For now. Came a calm response. Ivar washed Leila’s hands and started checking the rest of the crates. Books, educational materials, medicine—nothing escaped his careful look. What will we do when someone leaves a kid at our doors? And we both know that it’s only a matter of time before it happens.

You don’t know that for sure. Leila tried to argue.

It always happens with orphanages, Leila. Right now, countless detention centers and holding facilities are overflowing with children. Some lost their parents in the war. Some were thrown away. Others had their parents go mad as a result of the war. One would think that this would be the end of it, yes? But I have done some research, Leila. Every year, countless kids are brought to orphanages in secret. A failed marriage. A shameful secret. Numerous reasons. Her body stopped, and Ivar turned her toward the mirror on a wall. Her father clicked his mental tongue, seeing the way she was dressed. A purple skort, a bodyglove of the same color, and a green jacket with slices to let her wings out. Are you sure you don’t need monetary help? You look like a camp whore.

Takes one to know one, you judgmental prick. Leila admired herself, feeling glad that the fabric of her bodyglove endured her scales. I am awesome, and I know it.

I am glad that you are self-aware of your flaws. Ivar smugly told her, letting Leila twitch a corner of her mouth in an annoyance. You have no style, no sense of fashion, Leila. For your sake, let me help you. We can hire a proper stylist who’ll ensure that your outfits are both pleasantly looking and modest…

“Ivar!” A shrieking voice shouted, forcing both father and daughter to turn around.

Ashbringer, dressed in ragged jeans and a small jacket, ran to them across the recently washed wooden floors. At roughly six months old, the cub could already freely move around, no longer needing to stand up on all fours. But not perfectly. The woman in a cub’s body slipped, her nose was saved only by Leila’s quick lunge. Ivar relinquished control over her body for a moment, taking it back just to nestle the stubborn cub in Leila’s hands, patting Ashbringer’s forehead like a worried parent.

The former warlord had trouble adjusting to her new body. Her mind was that of a grown woman, but the body that belonged to her was that of a cub. And all the cubs her age were brimming with energy, with a desire to feed, play, and explore the world. These instincts were really messing up her mind. Ashbringer has decided to go with Ivar and be raised alongside normies this time, occasionally calling her former pack and her surprised children, apologizing for her absence.

“Stop it!” Leila smiled in her own mind at this desperate resistance of the small body in her hands, ignoring the tiny claws that left slashes on her jacket.

I’ll compensate you later. Ivar grabbed Ashbringer by the paw, preparing to spank her.

Temper, Ivar! Remember what Florine said! No physical or mental violence! Leila wrestled the control of her body back. Well, wrestled was a big word for what she’d done. Ivar simply let her. Leila laughed as she took the cub under the armpits. And I kind of like these slashes on my jacket.

“Ashbringer, I know that your temper is playing games with your head. It’s scary and unusual. Your body is not moving the way you used to, you feel lost and cornered here,” The half-wyrm cooed, trying to replicate Florine’s calm voice, “But dear, we’ll have other kids here. We can’t have you hurting them. And you are not alone. We are here to help you.”

“Hi, Leila,” The cub’s face turned red beneath her fur, “Fair point… Shit! I totally forgot! I came running because the cubs have arrived early! They are at the main gate!”

Leila felt a mixture of emotions, but only worry was hers. Pure, unadulterated rage, followed by annoyance, followed by forced calmness. The old demon was weird that way. It almost seemed like he could switch his emotions at will, like a normal person would use a remote to turn off the lights, Ivar left her body in an instant, returning to his own body. Leila quickly gave an encouraging pat to the cub, causing another squeak of indignation, and charged out of the main doors into the open.

For the time being, the orphanage only had two floors under construction. It was a sturdy-looking stone building, and if not for the wide windows, it would look more like a small fortress than a place to house children. The windows were made with a mix of a special alloy, they allowed sunlight to come through, but prevented any chance of getting a sunburn.

The first floor of the orphanage had two medical cabinets, one for girls and one for boys, an operating theater, a dressing room, a kitchen, a large hall meant for sports games and recreation, and a recreation room filled with recent game consoles and terminals.

The basement contained an underground garage, a repair room, and a room that contained the air-conditioning system. Most of the staff’s living rooms were also built on this level.

The second floor had a currently empty therapy room, living rooms, and the principal’s office, although there was no way for Ivar’s real body to fit into this space. Ivar planned to add four more floors to this orphanage, eventually being able to house around six hundred children.

A steel dome has been busy being constructed next to the orphanage. This was to be Ivar’s private study, a claustrophobic-looking half-sphere where the blue wyrm would spend most of his time, governing the orphanage via one of the people willing to lend him his or her body. Next to this dome, the school was under construction. Ivar spent a lot of money building this place, and upon completion, the school will even have two separate swimming pools in the basement. One for Ivar and a smaller one for kids.

Leila found her father standing before the bus at the main gates, covering several terrified-looking children with his metal wing. All the kids were dressed in the same cheap grey anti-heat suits that left their faces open thanks to a transparent opening in the ring's shape.

Ivar changed, both mentally and physically. He was rich enough to buy a full restoration procedure, and if not, the state would have eagerly paid for his recovery. The blue wyrm refused all offers to regain his flesh, replacing the lost limbs with black steel and replacing the lost organs with cybernetics.

Even now, none could say that her father was anything short of terrifying and majestic. His long metal tail ended with an energy claw, currently turned off. The claws on his metal limbs were now retracting, allowing his fingers far greater mobility than even before. There were no scars or damaged scales on his body, his flesh seemed to have woven itself into the metal parts. The damaged scales artistically flowed into the steel ones, never once ruining the pattern across his body. After losing tons upon tons of living flesh, Ivar hired several health specialists who developed a special diet for the wyrm, ensuring that he wouldn’t go fat and that his blue scales would be just as bright as ever before.

“The party has arrived two weeks earlier than agreed,” Ivar lowered his head, pinning a man in charge of the children to the ground with his gaze. There wasn’t a hint of strain in his voice, Ivar was handling the loss of the major parts of his body far better than most. “This alone warrants an accusation of incompetence and makes me look bad. Do you hear the key word in my complaint?”

“I…” The man tried to say something.

“What’s more, you made my wards stay in the open during this hellish heat!” Ivar’s tail moved, almost swapping the welcoming sight from the gates. “You dare to endanger my pupils!?”

One kid coughed, and Ivar stopped looming at the terrified man, who immediately retreated to the bus and started driving away. Ivar’s long and lean head moved, carrying the enormous head closer to the children. They huddled around one tall girl, who desperately tried to put them all behind herself to try and shield everyone from the approaching hill of flesh.

When Leila landed next to the kids, putting one hand on the girl’s shoulder, it only seemed to scare her even more.

“You are sick,” Ivar sniffed the kid, a pale-looking girl, “Judging by your breathing, it’s pneumonia.”

“Leave Deti alone!” The larger girl tried to stand up before Ivar, earning herself a lazy look from the wyrm. “She is getting better! If you have problems with us…”

“Pale…” Ivar rumbled, turning his head from side to side. “Most of you are pale-skinned. And here we have someone with pneumonia. Curious… I specifically asked for kids from the soultakers’ lands.”

“We are from there!” The girl shouted at him, biting her lower lip in desperation.

“It’s ok, honey, it doesn’t matter where you came from,” Leila put her hands on her shoulder, whispering to her warmly. Even she could tell that the girl was lying. She saw the girl’s name written on a tag on her chest. “You are home, and that’s what’s important, Lyudka.”

“Liar,” Ivar forgot about the sick girl, towering over Lyudka, his eyes shining brightly but not a lick of mental power coming from him, “Think of the consequences of your actions. All around you are kids, whose lives will be endangered if you bring us trouble. Look at them, some of them have already suffered…”

“Don’t call Lyudka a liar,” A green-eyed girl stepped forward, clenching her fists. “Take your words back.”

“Norve, it’s ok!” The girl shouted, pushing the other girl behind herself. Blinking away tears, she looked into Ivar’s eyes. “If… if I tell the truth, can you punish only me? Can you keep the others safe?”

“I promise.” Ivar said, lifting a claw to move Leila away from the girl.

“We…” The girl looked at the ground. “We came from Pearl. The Cartel is after us. I lied because… Dammit, I dunno, to keep everyone safe! If it means I’m bad, feel free to…”

“Ah. The pest. Pete!” Ivar raised his voice, and a scrawny boy darted from the orphanages’ doors, hastily putting on the cowl of his suit. “What about the breakfast?”

“Sir, the pies and apple juice are ready, sir! Ma is currently heating the meat, sir!” The boy saluted the blue wyrm.

“Good job, Pete. Show the kids their rooms, get Deti to a medic, and lead the rest to the kitchen, please.”

“You… you are not going to kick me out?” Lyudka asked carefully.

“Am I to be afraid of pests?” Ivar raised a brow. “This is Ivar and Leila’s House of Education. We take in useless trash like you, reforge it, and release happy elites into the world. None will harm any of you while you are in my care.”

“Elites?” Deti coughed, looking around. “But… I can’t even read. I can’t become an elite, sir… dragon… dragon sir!”

“You may call me principal or sir. And I don’t remember leaving you with a choice,” The tip of Ivar’s tail touched the girl’s back, prompting her toward the orphanage, “By the end, you’ll get into UNU, or my name isn’t Ivar Murzaliev. Focus on your recovery and try to have fun today, everyone. Pete and Ashbringer will show you around, is that right, kids?”

“Sir, yes, sir!” The boy saluted.

“Leave it to us.” Ashbringer yawned, gesturing to the scared Lyudka with a claw. She stopped and quickly retracted the claw. “You!” The wolfkin addressed Norve. “You are in charge of this pack, yes? Fill me in with their needs after the feasting.”

“Pack? You mean group? I am not,” The green-eyed girl pointed at Lyudka. “Lyudka is our boss.”

“Really? But you are the strongest among them!”

“I… I am?” The girl blinked in surprise.

“Norve can’t remember anything about her earlier life or parents.” Lyudka quickly put a hand on the taller girl’s shoulder. “Some travelers just brought her into the distribution center one morning, she was found among the ruins. The person who looked after us told us she might suffer from memory loss.”

“We’ll figure something out about it,” Ivar’s tail prompted the kids to head on toward the orphanage. “The school may not be completed yet, but starting tomorrow, your education will begin, nonetheless. For all of you, Ashbringer included.”

“Lame.” The wolfkin put both paws behind her head, leading the kids inside. “The pecking order goes as such. Ivar, me, Leila, Pete, cause his parents are making tasty pies…”

Ivar and Leila’s Home of Education, huh? Leila sent a mental message to Ivar.

It might be hard for me to enter the main facilities in person. Ivar glanced at Leila. The people whom I hired to serve as my bodies will arrive next week. I thought you might be up to the challenge since your leave will last two more weeks.

You bet I am, Ivar! Leila laughed, slapping her sides. Someone needs to keep you in check. And we really need to work on our motto. Trash sounds rude.

But accurate, for that is all they are right now. Thank you… Leila. Ivar smiled back to her.

You noticed? About Lyudka’s words? I believe that the Cartel is after them, but…

But someone else had helped them get into the state’s program. Ivar finished for her, sending her a feeling of pride. My, you actually do grow, Leila. Yes, it is self-evident that the girl is covering for someone. She is a poor liar.

We need to report this, Ivar.

I don’t think we do, Leila. His head lowered to the ground, allowing Ivar to look at his daughter with one eye. Consider the following. We report it, the kids are taken away. You know how the relationships between us and Pearl are right now. While back in the distribution facility, the Cartel hires someone, and they get a sharp blade to the side.

Ivar, I know it! But we can’t just leave the fact that part of the state’s system in the Ravaged Lands is compromised! And what if the Cartel hires some goons to raid this place? Leila looked at how the doors closed behind the children, promising herself that she’d come with them to keep them safe if needed. Aranea will understand. Spirits, Aranea might actually send some of the pack with her.

They can’t keep this a secret. If someone can sneak the kids onto the program, this means the opposite is also possible. The thought of many war orphans, or simply unlucky kids with no parents to look after them, ending up in the Cartel’s hands… Leila remembered well enough from the news just what these bastards were doing with people in the Arena.

You leave it to me, Leila. Ivar sent her a wave of calm assurance. There are ways to alert our state without revealing everything. This flaw will be corrected. As for the Cartel, I refuse to be intimidated. First, the Cartel is nothing more than an overly glorified criminal gang, the state should have no trouble dealing with them. Second, any cartel scum that appears here will serve as my snack. But just to be safe, a mercenary crew is about to be released from their service in a penal unit. No doubt they’ll look for work.

A mercenary unit? Leila pressed a claw to her lips, hastily remembering all who were about to be released after the war. Wait, you mean those bustards who worked for Alsyn? Ivar, they are the former terrorists!

And I often employed terror tactics in my schemes too, Leila, don’t make that much of a fuss over nothing.

Ivar rolled his eye the moment Leila kicked him in the chin. She could have tried to kick a mountain with the same success. Actually, on second thought, it would be less painful. Leila’s feet bounced off the hardened scales, leaving not even a scratch behind. The half-wyrm cursed, grabbing her poor leg and jumping in place from pain.

Temper, temper, Leila. Ivar mockingly spoke in her mind. Don’t forget Florine’s lessons.

Ivar, you can’t trust the terrorists or mercenaries! Either will sell you to the highest bidder! Leila threw her hands up in despair.

I actually think I can, Leila. See, they just got free and will look for work to restore their reputation, a chance that I will provide for them. I am not Scorpio, my dear, I do not make mistakes in judgment when it comes to people. The blue wyrm turned his massive head to meet her gaze fully, the steel wings folding behind his back. I can sense your worry, Leila. This time, we’ll try to do it the doctor’s way. Come, I’ll show you why we can trust the mercenaries and how we can alert the state. Watch and learn, stupid.