"Well would you look at that." Panda commented jokingly as he watched the commotion beneath them.

Currently Richard and Panda were watching a group of bandits pursuing a small merchant wagon as they fled, with a small group of adventurers seemingly doing their best to drive the bandits back.

They were further up the mountain, since the road was in between two steeps. Was this meant to be an ambush position for times of war? Perhaps when he took the form of a man he could investigate this.

The bandits were rather large in number, around 30 if Richard had to take a quick estimate.

There were 5 adventurers in contrast, with one seemingly being a priest of an unknown order, two archers and a vanguard of a spear user and a shield user. Interesting.

"And to think I was confident enough to claim none would come by; why I'll be a possum's uncle!"

"Do you know what a possum is?" Richard asked curiously. Pandamonium clearly had access to a certain amount of knowledge originating from his bloodline unlike Richard. Of course, this meant that half the time he wasn't sure what the squirrel did and did not know.

Panda shrugged. "Not really. Only that my dad used that in place of calling himself a monkey's uncle. Not sure how accurate that even is."

Richard, wondering why such a thing even made it into the bloodline knowledge merely shook his head a little before turning his attention back to the bandits, who had managed to catch up with and even began to surround them.

It was likely the situation would soon unfurl in a rather negative way.

Should he help...

Panda watched his expression, before asking.

"You want to help right?" he asked.

Richard nodded. "I do..." he said hesitantly.

"But..."

"... It doesn't make practical sense." Panda finished and Richard did not nod so hesitantly this time, with Panda whole heartedly agreeing.

It didn't make sense.

It wasn't that Richard had lost his morality. He always believed in right or wrong, and especially idolized great hero's, the legends he had read of in the books that resided in the temple of Isis.

But many years had taught him practicality.

When he was young, he had tried to be a morally upright person. With his fragile body, all he earned himself was multiple breakages to his body and a rest in the infirmary for a whole year afterwards.

And it was because of the curse he was forced to observe the world from a distance, to recognize the importance of practicality over morality.

He may have a new strong body, but this body carried its own set of problems.

Richard, was a dragon now, a young one no less.

And dragons... were calamities to be hunted on sight.

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

True, he could intervene and help, but at the cost of exposing himself.

Was it worth helping these people, when they were just as likely to go back and bring hunters coming for dragon skin in turn?

He didn't even feel anything either.

No connection to these people, his heart wasn't bleeding for them.

It was just more sensible to ignore them.

There was just no reason to help them.

And yet...

He couldn't help but think of his sister, who was a dragonnewt.

Who stuck by him for all those years.

Despite the hardships she underwent as a monster living in an empire dominated by humans, a father who had long moved on, leaving her naught but grudges of her father's enemies, who had too much to deal with as is.

And that hadn't stopped her from helping some random cursed child, from supporting him.

Hadn't he told her of all the things he'd do if he had a strong body?

But here he was, doing nothing but watching, because it wasn't beneficial to him to help.

How could he face her acting like this.

As he criticized his own thinking, Panda sighed, rolled his eyes and thwacked Richard over the head.

"Hey blockhead!" he snapped. "Stop overthinking it! Why did you think you got yourself a sugah mommy eh? It's so you could stumble knowing you'd be picked up yah big goof!"

"She's not a sugar mommy!" Richard protested quickly. "She's our guardian!"

"And a guardian's job is to support from behind! And your flying squid has a giant crab god by its side so double backing!"

"That's a good point." Richard said, as he thought about it.

Sister Alexandria was an infamous wyrm from legends written in the books at the church, so why should he hesitate to help? The only thing that was stopping him was his rationality, which now dictated there was no reason to not help. He could always just migrate again.

Alright, his second life, his second chance to try this "morality."

----------------------------------------

"Let's talk this out." said Helga as she faced the bandits, nervously from the top of her horse.

The bandit at the head of the group snorted as he got off his horse and the rest of the bandits followed suit. Helga could only get down as well, followed by her fellow adventurers as the tension rose. "Now you want to talk?" he taunted. "Well I've already talked to someone else, and unfortunately they want that merchant dead. You're just an unfortunate obstacle. Boys!" He indicated to attack.

With that command, everyone tenses up, as the adventurers ready their weapons, and the bandits eagerly charge forward, brandishing their miscellaneous weapons.

BZZZT!

Until one of the bandits dies on the spot, killed by an overhead strike of lightning. Red lightning crashed down upon the man, and he had nary a moment to scream. His body has become blackened, his body burnt to the point of being unrecognizable by friend or foe.

The opposing sides stop, and quiet down, as they stared at the corpse on the floor, as tension rose, but for a very different reason.

A monster. A monster is here.

A monster from the ymir range is here, and has set their eyes upon them.

"He died faster than I thought."

A calm voice echoed from above.

It was a pleasant voice to listen to, soft and it sparked joy in those who listened to it.

Of course, now it could only inspire fear in them all.

A speaking monster.

The worst kind.

It only got worse as the monster swooped from the sky landing in front of them as its very appearance caused the ground to shake.

A dragon.

A dragon, easily towering over everyone around it, stood before them.

It's white scales glinted as they shone with the sun's light touch, and as the dragon walked amongst them and the clouds followed, huddled around the monster like devotees eagerly following their master.

Its wings contained lightning, pulsing and raging within the dragons wings, and it appeared fleetingly throughout the monster's body, free and unrestrained.

It walked with such elegance, a refined sense, that Helga couldn't help but be awed.

But there was also... fear.

Because this elegance, this calm and casual manner, was that of someone, something, with the ability, the right to be so calm and unperturbed.

It had the aura of a predator.

And they were the prey.

"Bandits."

A simple statement yet one that snatched their attention. Everyone held their breaths.

"What?" said the bandit, as he suddenly felt like death itself was beside him, the drops of sweat ran down his back.

"Bandits dare to hunt on my land? The rats dare to scramble on my land and touch what is not theirs? Why, if I leave them be, who knows how bold they'll get!" He said as he eyed the bandits with disgust and disregard.

"Wait, great drago-"

"-Silence!" Richard snapped. "I will not tolerate infestations when they appear, lest more show themselves. So today..."

ZzzzaaaappPP!

A wave of lightning spread forward, causing the bandits and adventurers alike to fall to their knees.

"..I CLEAN HOUSE!"