I washed my purple robe at the baron’s house. As I waited for it to dry the baron pulled me aside. “I see you’ve had contact with the demihuman republic.”

“I’ve met the demihumans that I freed from the orc, but I haven't met anyone in government or anything.”

He raises his eyebrows at me. “Then how did you get the Arrow of Love?”

“Some nunce attacked me so I beat him up and stole it.”

“Pfft.” the baron almost breaks out laughing.

“You roughed up their Chosen and took his sacred weapon? The ace in the hole of the airdwellers was taken out by you?”

I nod. He laughs again and pats me on the back. “Good job. If you’re ever looking to sell it I would be very interested in adding it to my collection.”

I shake my head. I need to be in control of this artifact. It’s something that can control minds. Until I can find a way to destroy it there will always be mind magic in this world. After my experience with the Dick and Suprem it has become clear to me that mind magic is my first enemy. The more ominous message in his words was that this wasn’t the only sacred artifact. That even the baron was in possession of at least one.

“Well friend, to avoid superstition it’s best that you hide it while at the university.” He hands me a backpack. It’s fancy, but rugged. I wrap the Arrow of Lust in a towel and stuff it into the backpack.

“It was hard to set up a meeting with some of the university heads. They are after all the smartest people in the city.”

I nod and thank him. Handing over a pouch of gold coins. He opens it and smiles. “Are you sure you’re a monster?”

“Bribes are a monstrous part of every culture.”

Abigale leads me to the front of the class. I have to squeeze in between desks and keep my wings tucked tightly into my side just to get to the front of the class. This is some weird show and tell project. She takes the podium and I stand to her side. “For my project I brought in previously undiscovered species of monster.” I open my wings and flex my arms. Showing off for her class. She’s such a sweet and obsessive teen that I want her to succeed. “And what species is it?” The professor twiddles his long grey mustache as he looks me over. “I’m a dragonborn.” I tell him.

“I see, but we can’t trust the words of a monster, we are scientists after all.” He pulls out a blue crystal and gets up from his seat. Walking towards me I begin to fear. Is this a slave branding crystal?

“What is that?”

He stops. “It’s an inspection crystal.” Now I’m scared for a different reason. “It can see titles right?”

He nods. I try to not have the rest of the class hear me, but it’s rather hard in such a cramped room. “Hey there’s one tittle that I don’t wan’t read to a group of strangers. You’ll know it when you see it.”

He smiles at me. “Monsters don’t get to give consent.” He then jabs me with the blue orb. By the time I can react he has already stepped away and taken the blue orb back to his desk.

“Amazing, an actual dragonborn. Evolved from a kobold, very rare. Looking at it from a biological perspective you have actually de-evolved back into being half human. New to me, but not new to this world.” Abigale looks sad that I wasn’t some crazy new race, but she did get an A+ on the project. “Exceptional work, unusual methods.” She’s probably the first student to bring in a monster they befriended instead of a monster that they enslaved.

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“Dragonborn.” He calls me.

“It’s Anon.” A subtle way of telling him to use my name that he completely ignores.

“Do you know why you do not have a class tree?”

“I’m not a demi-human.”

“Thank you.” He says, but I feel like I’m not getting the whole story of his intentions. He seems pleased though. “Neither the less you have acquired more skill than most humans. Probably due to having the Quick Learner title.”

A student raises his hand. “What skills does he have?” Kid that is vital information that could be directly used to hurt safety.

The professor sighs. “English[Common](Majoy), Draconic (Medium), Gold in league, Trap Detection (Medium), Night Vision(Medium), Bite (Minor), Poison Immunity (minior), Crafting(Minor), Digging(Medium), Healing magic(Minor),Aquamancer(Minor),Pryomancer(Minor), Marksmanship(Medium), Earth bender(Minor), Airmancer(minor), Elemental Master(Minor), Mind magic resistance(Medium)” He prattels them off incredibly fast.

“What is English?”

The professor’s eyebrow hitches. He is beginning to show visible annoyance. “Probably the kobold name for common.”

The kid puts his hand up again, waving his hand around vigorously.

“What was the title he didn’t want you to read out?” The professor looks at me. There is a mischievous smiles in his eye. “You better not.” I do not need the whole world knowing that I’m a Chosen. I can’t fight the whole world yet! That one piece of information could ruin me.

“Pyromaniac. I wouldn’t hold it against him though. Many a fledgling fire mage has burnt down a house or two. It’s a power that takes a few mistakes to learn how uncontrolable it is.” The professor smiles at me and I breathe a sigh of relief.

“Pappy! Look!” Abigale holds her score sheet upto to her grandpa.

“Hoho, that’s very good. With grades like that you’ll be a professor in no time.” He picks up his granddaughter for a warm hug. After receiving the score on her final Abigale had rushed home to tell her family the good news. He sat her back on the ground as the voice came into his head. It was the voice of the king. “Investigate the dragonborn. We need a reason to attack him.” The baron’s eyes went wide.

“Pappy are you okay?” His face betrayed his shock at the sudden message.

“I’m fine honey. Something came up.” He leaves the room and retreats to his own room. Casting the message spell he frantically asks the king what this was about.

“I’m trying to save you. Just do it.” Was the only response he got. The baron gulped this was a bad turn of events.

“Who can cast slave magic?”

“Priestesses.” the professor then pauses and adds in “Though, rarely a dark magician can cast them. We don’t use them though. They are evil.”

“So your whole economy is chained to the church. You’re a country whose whole economy is chained to another country?” I ask in shock.

The wise wizards around the table look at me oddly. “Never thought of it that way.”

“I’m not saying you have to let slavery go for moral reasons. The monsters that can speak can be paid into compliance just like a peasant. You just have to do the math. If they require 1 gold a year to live then pay them 1 gold and ten silvers then tax them ten silvers a year.”

“What if they revolt?”

“Do your peasants revolt?”

“Rarely.”

“Then the slaves won’t revolt either. You don’t need to completely control the minds of another living creature. How would you like it if someone cast a slave spell on you.”

“The church is forbidden from casting those spells on humans.”

“That’s a rule they placed on themselves, right?” I chuckle at their foolishness.

The wizard nods.

“What happens when they declare you an enemy of the church and rescind that rule? You would be held down by your own slaves while the church casts it on you. It makes sense from a defense perspective that if you had free monsters who supported you earnestly because you where a fair boss that they would protect you.”

“But monsters are lesser than humans.”

“Are they?”

“Of course!” The wizard stood up, beating a fist on the table. The other wizards silently agreed with him.

“Fine, think that way. You are free to do so.” With that I stood up. I knew it wouldn’t be easy to persuade them. They are generations deep in that line of thinking. I can only hope that some of my words sink in.