Kalistra approached us. She bent down and offered her paw to Hleara.

The draco accepted the cat girl's help and returned to her feet. Hleara looked at Kalistra squarely in the eyes. "Were you the one who ended Hleandro's life?" she asked.

The students suddenly became silent. They were tense and began to put their hands on their swords. If a battle erupted between the two, the students were Honorbound to draw their blades and defend their Headmaster.

Kalistra raised her paw. "Yes," she confirmed in a calm tone of voice. She did not want to start fighting with the draco. Not after using the precious Elixir of Health to heal the woman. She dropped her paw.

The students took note of the Headmaster's signal and withdrew their hands from their swords.

Hleara nodded in acceptance. "I hold you blameless for this act. My father was more cruel, evil and malicious than other dragons. He captured my mother, Paigada Vitusen, who was a holy warrior and in a party sent by the Church to defeat him. They failed but he took a liking to her and made her his concubine. When I was born, he killed her out of spite. When I learned the truth of my mother's death from his own lips, I vowed to kill him with my own hands. My father laughed. I challenged him many times, both in dragon form and in human form. Unfortunately, I was never strong enough to defeat him. Thank you for ending his reign of terror." She took a step back and bowed deeply from the waist.

"You're welcome," Kalistra said nonchalantly and her whiskers twitched. The two shook hands.

I was alarmed by what Hleara just said--she could take the form of a dragon? I was very relieved that the draco was not hostile because I did not relish the notion of fighting two red dragons in one day. My supply of mana potions had run out and I was not strong enough as a fighter to fight a dragon alongside Kalistra and Van.

We heard the squeal of the heavy iron door open at the gate and then the sound of heavy footsteps. We turned our heads toward the front entrance. There were many Watchmen, accompanied by the town residents who were holding torches, pitchforks, hammers, sticks, and other makeshift weapons. Their clothes and their bodies were blackened by soot and smoke from fighting the fires burning all around the town.

When I saw the angry looks on their faces, I became very alarmed by what will happen next.

Leading the mob was Captain Maisen. The warrior looked around. She was the only person in the party strong enough to open the door. The captain took note of the various undead remains on the ground. She noticed the crater next to the indoor pond and quickly jogged over to investigate. Maisen was flabbergasted when she saw the pulverized remains of the elder lich. "You guys fought a lich?" she asked incredulously.

"No, she did." I pointed at Hleara. She had played a critical role in fighting with the elder lich named Taen the Cultist. This allowed us to focus on the undead horde invading the dojo and prevent them from stealing Hleandro's remains.

The commoners finally noticed the draco. Seeing her red dragon scales, and they reacted badly. "MONSTER!" Some of them began to charge at her!

Kalistra stepped in front of Hleara and held out her arms, preventing the mob from reaching the draco.

Knowing that the cat girl was an incredible swordswoman, they kept their distance from Kalistra. However, they started glaring at her and muttering words like "traitor" and "monster lover."

Kalistra became angry at them and her tail whiplashed back and forth. "No! This person fought the elder lich by herself and won. She helped to protect Tregome and we should all properly thank her as our savior," the cat girl proclaimed.

The town residents were displeased by Kalistra's words. "Are you blind? She's dragonkin!" someone said. "She'll bring more dragons to our town and destroy us all!"

Captain Maisen raised her hands. "Whoa! Calm down!"

"No! We won't calm down! An evil dragon attacked our town and destroyed our homes. An undead horde arose and walked on our streets. And now, we find the headmaster of the dojo consorting with an evil dragonkin?" the peasant with a pitchfork argued. "Captain, do your job and put down this evil creature!" he demanded.

Hleara stood by silently. She refused to defend herself. Instead, she waited to see what Kalistra and Maisen will do in response to the commoner's demand.

Captain Maisen turned toward me and Van. "Please show the people your truth stone, Brother Mulligan," she requested. When I pulled out the holy relic from under my tunic, the captain said, "This man is a town judge of Tregome. He is a high-ranking member of the Church. The warrior in white armor standing next to him is a holy paladin. Now, please tell us if this draco is an evil threat to our fair town?"

I glowered at her cowardly tactic. "People of Tregome, please hear my words! As a holder of this truth stone, I cannot lie! And I tell you this: this draco, Hleara, saved us from the evil lich. And she is not evil."

Van spoke up next. "As a paladin, I have the ability to detect evil. And my calling is to fight evil and defend the people. I, too, confirm that this person is not evil."

Finally, Kalistra raised her voice. "I also vouch for Hleara. She has helped the dojo by defeating the evil lich, and we are Honorbound to protect her."

However, the townspeople were not mollified. In their eyes, they saw something closer, physically, to a dragon than a human. The leader of the mob responded. "Honorbound, you say? It's more like you're trying to protect your own kind! You are not a human and it is natural for you to defend another demi-human. We have tolerated you cat people in Tregome only because your students protect our town. If you cannot do so now, then you are no longer welcome in our town. Please leave."

Kalistra's eyes glowed. "My ancestor, Kallimon, was a founder of Tregome more than 250 years ago. He founded this dojo and its students have proudly served to protect Tregome ever since. The human residents have appreciated our services and respected us as equals. Our race did not matter to the good common folk of Tregome for many generations. Not once has anyone asked the cat people to leave until now. If you cannot appreciate everything that we, the cat people, have done for you, then you are a Dishonorable people. You are no longer worthy of our protection and our respect. Henceforth, we agree that the dojo should leave Tregome altogether." The Headmaster turned toward her students. "Please take the valuables from our dojo. We are leaving Tregome. We will establish our own village," she announced.

When I recovered from my initial shock at this ugly turn of events, I saw that I was not the only one who felt that way. However, there were plenty of smiles on the faces of the mob. My blood started boiling because I suspected that these folks had wanted to banish the cat people from Tregome and exploited today's events to achieve their goal. I looked at the leader's caption and read his name as "Danten." I activated my Spirit Sense; my reading of his aura confirmed that the man was evil. I ignored the pop-up and glowered at him.

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"I'm sorry that you are banished for defending me," Hleara said quietly.

Kalistra turned to face the draco. "You have nothing to apologize for. These humans cannot see the truth beyond our races as demi-humans. I have tolerated their prejudices and their otherism for far too long. In truth, the dojo should have left Tregome a long time ago. It was only our duty to fight Hleandros which chained us to this town. Now that the red dragon has been defeated, our duty to Tregome is completed and we are free to leave," she explained.

Kalistra turned and faced me. "My Liege, I seek permission to leave your bodyguard detail in order to oversee my dojo's transition to a different place." She bent a knee before me and lowered her head.

"Kalistra, you have been a faithful and loyal companion. You have performed your duties as my bodyguard and saved my life more times than I could count. I wish you the best in your new endeavor to establish a village of your own. I will need to leave this town soon and resume my quest. This is where we part. I look forward to visiting your village," I said and offered my hand.

The cat girl accepted and rose to her hind paws. She turned toward Bila. "Please take care of Lord Mulligan. I'm counting on you."

The tall cat girl nodded.

"Don't forget about me," Van said cheerfully. "We reached an agreement for me to replace you as his bodyguard," he added.

Kalistra's whiskers twitched. "I leave him in your care." She was extremely relieved to hear this news because the paladin was diligent and reliable. He will execute his bodyguard responsibilities faithfully.

"Headmaster, where do you plan to establish your new village?" I asked quietly.

The cat girl pondered the question for a moment. Her whiskers and ears twitched. "I would like to relocate near Tregome still. Many students, like Gendun, have family ties to this town. If I relocate very far away, then they may eventually withdraw from the dojo. Besides, I would like to be able to visit The Noble Lady regularly for a meal," her eyes glowed in amusement.

I was very happy to hear her thoughts on this matter. I, too, was concerned about Gendun and what he would do if Kalistra relocates the dojo far away from Tregome. It would break Amelica's heart at not being able to see her son often. My mind started brainstorming possible locations for the new village and I came up with an idea. "Say, what do you think of placing the village on the other side of the bridge near the bathhouse?" I asked.

A river separated Tregome from the other side and the two lands were connected via a bridge. A road led from the bridge to the rest of the Kingdom of Merlin. When I left Tregome for the first time, we followed the road to travel to Bristol to participate in the annual Melee Tournament. Along the way, we encountered bandits. If I could convince Kalistra to found her village near the bridge, then this would be quite beneficial for residents on both sides of the bridge. Tregome will still receive protection from the dojo while the students could maintain their ties to the town residents.

Kalistra's eyes glowed as she considered my suggestion. "That will work," she admitted grudgingly. Frankly, she did not relish the idea of dragging all her students plus the valuables from the dojo and relocate toward the middle part of the kingdom, as she had considered doing originally. There were too many dangers along the way from beasts and bandits alike.

I smiled at her remark. I turned toward Captain Maisen. "Is it possible for some Watchmen to remain here as peacekeepers? I'm concerned that some town residents remain hostile to the dojo and its members."

The captain was uneasy with my request. "I was planning to stay here personally with some of my men," she admitted quietly. From the glares of the mob, it was clear that their hostile feelings toward Kalistra and the cat people had not abated. And the presence of the Watch was the only reason they remained silent and peaceful. "Can I trouble you to make a report to the bishop? He would want to know what transpired here," she requested.

I nodded. "Yes, I will speak to him." I pointed at the dragon's remains and looked at Kalistra. "What do you plan to do with it?" I asked.

The cat girl turned toward Hleara. "As Hleandros' next-of-kin, you are the rightful owner of his remains. Both the Magic Guild and the Church have expressed interest in them. Please decide before we leave."

Captain Maisen spoke to express her sympathy. "I'm sorry that we are putting you in this situation, Hleara. But the fact of the matter is that these remains are a magnet for trouble that Tregome does not need. The sooner they are removed, the better off it will be for everyone in town."

"Speaking of remains, when are we holding the funeral for the late Headmaster?" I asked. While I had some errands to run, I wanted to clear my schedule and ensure that I will be able to attend his funeral.

Kalistra's eyes glowed and she shook her head. "I do not wish to hold his funeral in Tregome anymore. By asking the dojo to leave, I feel that the town residents have Dishonored his sacrifice. I intend to take my father's remains with us when we leave Tregome. I wish to bury his body in the new village, which will be named in his Honor," she declared.

I exhaled a deep breath. While I was disappointed that I will miss Kalistro's funeral, I understood the reason why Kalistra refused to hold the funeral here in Tregome. To be honest, I was also unhappy with the conspirators who had taken advantage of fearmongering and racial prejudices to expel the dojo.

Suddenly, Roen and his wife, Valatea, entered the dojo. The couple was approached by Rijana, Bjoukia, and Bjoukin and the five began to whisper amongst themselves. Seeing their furtive glances at Hleandro's remains, it was apparent what they were discussing.

Finally, the group separated and Valatea approached Hleara to introduce herself. "My name is Valatea and I am a representative of The Elven Nation. We express our condolences for your loss." The elf priestess turned toward Kalistra. "And yours as well." She bowed deeply to both women and they bowed in turn.

"I would like to express The Elven Nation's interest in the remains of Hleandros. Our intention is to transfer possession of his remains, intact, to Gaea. The body will be taken off this land and Gaea will seal the body in her domain for all eternity," Valatea promised.

Hleara smiled at the elf's words and made her decision. "I think I will allow Gaea to take my father's body. I don't want his body to be cut up and used as materials by mortals."

The priestess bowed deeply. "Thank you." She pulled out a white flower and placed it on Hleandros' head. Then she took a vial from her pocket and poured the liquid over the flower.

The flower began to multiply and spread across the dragon's massive body. In a few short minutes, the entire body was covered with flowers. The flowers started glowing and emitting a neon green light. The light flashed and blinded all observers. When the light disappeared, the dragon's body was gone.

Valatea took off a silver bracelet from her left wrist and handed it to Hleara. "This bracelet is called 'Gaea's Blessing.' It increases your health and mana regeneration. It can completely heal you once per day. It also shifts your personal alignment a notch toward Lawful Good. My Goddess would like you to wear it."

The draco hesitated for a moment and decided to accept the bracelet. Her dual-heritage as a half-human-half-dragon often resulting in warring instincts between embracing good and evil. By accepting and using this relic, Hleara was committing herself to the forces of Law and Order. Finally.

Valatea smiled. She wasn't sure Hleara would accept the magic item--and the responsibility attached to it. She was glad that the forces of Law and Order had acquired another powerful servant.

Staring at the space where the dragon's remains used to be, I grabbed Master Gurgne's sleeve to draw his attention. "Did we forget to reclaim the late headmaster's magic sword from the dragon's body?" I asked him quietly.

The dog man chuckled. "You have an excellent memory, young pup! Indeed, Kalistro's sword has not been reclaimed."

"Why not?" I asked.

"The blade was made from the fragment of Hleandros' horn that chipped off during his battle with Kallimon. King Merlin used the material to enchant the blade to cut through Hleandros' dragon scale. The sword was literally created to kill Hleandros. Once the dragon is dead, the magic in the blade has faded and the sword was rendered useless. Thus, there's no point in reclaiming the sword," Gurgne explained patiently.

Captain Maisen pulled on my sleeve. "It's getting late. You need to report to the bishop," she prodded me.

Kalistra started petting my head. "I'll see you again someday in my new village of Kalistro just across the bridge."

I bowed deeply to her and walked out of the dojo.