Mage And Wolf
Chapter 57

Chapter 57: Chapter 57

"Ladies and Gentlemen, if I might have a moment of your time to ask a few questions about your stay in our city?" Yeah, I’m in my robes, let’s go for formal and hope it helps get answers.

"Greetings Your Highness, these most humble followers are glorified to be in your presence." Nevermind, my status alone is overkill. But on the bright side, they’re definitely not looking like they’d lie to me if they had ulterior motives.

"First, let me welcome you to Arcana. The church has noticed how many demi humans are flocking to our new city, and thought it might be wise to hear more of your stories." They’re still face down on the ground, 6 Bunnies, all mottled blacks and browns in their fur and hair, and 2 young girls that look like squirrels, with big bushy tails.

I look over at Lala, obviously I’ve scared them too much to answer.

"If you could tell the High Priestess where you come from and what you did for work, plus why you left it would be a great help to the city administration and the Church" she says softly and they relax a little.

The first to raise his head to speak is one of the older Bunnies. His face heavily wrinkled and he’s covered in scars that I’d expect from a lifelong fighter not one of the peaceful Bunny Kin.

"Greetings, I am Nicholas, formerly of the Atamos Kingdom. A doorman at the prestigious Atamos Hotel in the capital."

Atamos, wasn’t that where Lala’s people were evacuated to?

"Ask the gentleman how he came to have left Atamos" I say softly to Lala, letting her speak on my behalf as not to scare the people any more than necessary.

"Please tell the High Priestess how you came to leave Atamos, and for what purpose?" Lala repeats my instructions. She’s now in her Servant’s robe I notice, switching into her formal role now that we’re asking questions on behalf of the church.

"I left through the portal in the capital. It formed right outside the Palace gates, but it only stayed open a few hours before collapsing. Atamos has fallen to the Pink Orcs. In fact, the entire planet was collapsing when I left. The other continents were already below the sea, and almost all mana had disappeared. The archmage Zolbert brought most of the Palace inhabitants out through a portal before the siege, but I’m uncertain what planet it led to."

Lala looks like her world has crumbled. Scratch that, Lala’s entire birth world Did crumble. I know she was a slave, and didn’t really have friends, but that’s a lot to take in.

"You all left together?" I ask and he nods in confirmation.

"What did you all do in your home world?"

"As I mentioned I was a doorman. The other 5 Bunnies were all slaves to one of the building residents. He was a man of means and left with the first evacuation led by the archmage. The 2 children we grabbed on our way to the portal. They were wearing the livery of the castle, so I suspect their parents were servants."

I smile down at the 2 fluffy tailed children and lift their heads to look at me. "Hello, might I ask your names?"

"I’m Ellie and this is Allie, your Highness" one of the girls speaks with confidence and I notice they’re nearly identical except for a small A shaped scar on Allie’s cheek.

"We were servants to the royal family, the 12th generation of our family to bear that honor. When the family left, low ranking servants were discarded without orders, so we just waited until someone told us what to do."

"That someone being Nicholas telling you to follow him through the portal?" They both nod in unision.

"And what led you to the city?"

"It smells like the Dragon Gods. The sense of divine energy floats on the wind and we picked it up about 3 days walk out. So we followed it here, hoping to either find work or a kind master to buy us before we starved. The local farms already have lots of helpers, and they don’t really need a couple kids."

"When did your group arrive?" Lala asks, finally getting her wits back about her.

"Just this morning" Nicholas answers "The adults found work right away with the construction crews, but they said labor laws won’t let them hire the children?" He speaks it as a question.

"Yes, local laws say you can’t work until you’re finished your mandatory schooling" Lala confirms for him.

"But we do have a High Priestess of the Red here, perhaps we could find a spot to open an orphanage?" Everyone, Lala included looks hopeful at this suggestion.

"Let me take these young charges off your hands. I’ll see that they’re fed and clothed with somewhere to sleep until we can make permanent arrangements for them."

"As you wish High Priestess."

"Do you all have somewhere to stay tonight?" Lala asks.

"They’re housing refugees on the floors in the walls until there’s housing finished" Nicholas confirms. Well, that’s not perfect, but at least it’s indoors. "There’s an evening soup kitchen set up in the underground storage, so we’ll not starve either."

Good, the mages have the situation in hand. As much as they can in a city that’s half built and already flooding with refugees anyhow.

"Thank you for your assistance. Come with us young ladies, and we’ll get you settled."

I lead our merry little band off to go find Lelou, she’ll know what to do with orphans. After all, it’s her specialty. But in the meantime, I’m hoping to keep them on my floor. We’ve got enough misfits, a couple more fluffy tails can’t go wrong. Plus, they’re supposedly trained servants, as much as young children can be I suppose and we’re desperately short on assistants right now.

"Have you two ever had dealings with the church?"

"We brought messages from their acolytes to the nobility a couple times." Ellie begins

"And we carried their shoulder bags that time" Allie adds.

Better than nothing. It should be enough to keep them out of trouble anyhow.

Finding Lelou is easy. As soon as she sees tiny bodies and fluffy tails she practically flies over to us. I knew this woman was a kindred spirit to me.

"And where might you have found these two darlings? They look like the Crown Princess’s chamber maid, are they perhaps servants that fled Atamos?"

"You’re exactly right Your Highness Red. She was our mother, but was unfortunately killed when knocked down the stairs during the evacuation of the nobles." That’s terrible.

"So you’re orphaned now and my Dear Friends of the Black have come to ask if The Red will be establishing an orphanage?"

"That was my first thought. I know how you love taking care of children. But as these two are already trained a little by the Royal staff of their home world, perhaps they could help us out as assistants?"

"I don’t see any reason they can’t do both. We’ve designed an orphanage into the Temple, not a large one, but the base staff wants most orphaned refugees to be housed with adult refugees in a fostering system."

"These were with a group of Bunny kin adults, before I claimed them. I could return them if it’s an issue with the base, but I don’t think they’ll cause much fuss."

"The vampire is still trying to get on your good side for a share of the Death energy, I don’t think she’d deny you much" Lelou laughs.

"Well that’s solved. You two will share the spare Acolyte’s quarters in my suite. Thank you for the renovation Lelou, it’s amazing."

Ellie and Allie look even more shocked than Hui’Jin did at the idea of living in my suite. But I’m not giving them up that easily.