[Daily Quest Available: "Another Day, Another Good Deed"]
[Help at least three people today with genuine kindness.]
[Reward: 20 Virtue Points]
[Current Streak: 3 days]
[Streak Bonus: +5 points per day]
I woke to the now-familiar golden text and the equally familiar desire to strangle whoever had programmed this System. The "genuine kindness" requirement was particularly galling—apparently, strategic altruism didn't count for full points anymore.
The System was learning. Adapting to my methods.
Irritating.
The orphanage was different this morning. Word had spread about yesterday's success, and the atmosphere had shifted from resigned misery to something almost resembling hope. Children whispered as I passed, pointing, some even smiling.
I hated being the center of attention. Three centuries of ruling from the shadows, manipulating from behind the scenes, and now I was apparently the orphanage's newest celebrity.
"Kai!" A small voice caught my attention. A boy I didn't recognize—maybe eight years old, with a gap-toothed smile and dirt on his face. "Is it true? You got Marcus a job?"
"Marcus got himself a job," I corrected automatically. "I just opened the door."
"Could you... could you help me too?" The hope in his eyes was painful to witness. "I'm real good at running. I could deliver messages, or—"
[Optional Quest Detected: "The Growing Legend"]
[More orphans seek your assistance. Choose how to respond.]
[Warning: You cannot help everyone. Manage expectations carefully.]
Before I could answer, three more children appeared, all talking at once.
"—my sister needs work—"
"—I can clean really good—"
"—know someone who—"
"Enough!" The word came out harsher than intended. The children flinched.
I took a breath, forcing this body to relax. "I can't make promises I can't keep. What happened yesterday was... complicated. Luck and timing as much as anything else." The lie about luck stung, but it was necessary. "If I hear about opportunities, I'll pass them along. That's all I can offer."
Disappointment rippled through the small crowd, but they nodded and dispersed. All except the gap-toothed boy, who stayed behind.
"I'm Danny," he said quietly. "And I know you're being modest. Everyone says you're really smart. That you can talk to anyone." He shuffled his feet. "My sister Emma, she's fifteen. She's been trying to find work for months, but nobody wants to hire orphan girls. They think we'll steal, or we're too weak, or..." He trailed off.
My Detect Intentions skill picked up his emotions—desperation, fear, and buried beneath it, love for his sister.
"Where is she now?" I asked, against my better judgment.
"Sick. She hasn't eaten in two days. Gave me her portions." His voice cracked. "She's getting worse."
[Emergency Quest Available: "The Sick Sister"]
[A child is in medical crisis. Respond appropriately.]
[Reward: 40 Virtue Points]
[Failure Penalty: Death of NPC, severe karma penalty]
Death. The System was threatening an actual death if I ignored this.
"Show me," I said.
Danny's "room" was barely a closet—a space under the orphanage stairs where two thin blankets served as bedding. His sister Emma lay there, shivering despite the morning warmth. Her skin had an unhealthy pallor, and my Detect Intentions skill didn't even need to activate to know she was seriously ill.
"How long has she been like this?" I asked, kneeling beside her.
"Three days? Maybe four?" Danny's voice was small. "I tried to get Matron Griselda to call a healer, but she said we can't afford it for every sick orphan."
Cold, practical logic. Healers were expensive, orphans were disposable. I'd used similar calculations when managing resources during campaigns.
It had made sense then.
"Danny, get me clean water and any food you can find. Now."
While he ran off, I examined Emma more carefully. Fever, dehydration, possible infection. Nothing my old demonic constitution couldn't have shrugged off in minutes, but devastating to a malnourished human.
"You're... Kai?" Emma's eyes flickered open, unfocused. "Danny talks about you. Says you're going to save everyone."
"Your brother has an overactive imagination." I helped her sit up slightly. "When did you last drink water?"
"Yesterday? Maybe?" She coughed, the sound rattling in her chest. "Don't waste resources on me. I'm not worth—"
"That's not your decision to make. You're fifteen. You have decades ahead of you if you don't do something stupid like starve yourself."
She laughed weakly. "You sound like you're a hundred years old."
"Sometimes I feel like it." Truer than she knew.
Danny returned with a chipped cup of water and half a stale roll. I made Emma drink slowly—too fast and she'd vomit it back up—and watched her nibble the bread.
But it wasn't enough. She needed proper medical care, medicine, and weeks of good nutrition. None of which I could provide with my current resources.
[Analysis: Subject requires professional healing. Current funds: insufficient.]
[Suggestion: Leverage existing connections.]
The System was right, which I hated to admit. I had one connection worth using—the Ashworth Company. But I'd already asked for seven jobs. Going back for more favors this quickly would make me look entitled, greedy, or incompetent.
Unless I framed it correctly.
"Danny, stay with your sister. Keep her drinking water. I'll be back."
"Where are you going?"
"To negotiate."
The Ashworth Company warehouse was already bustling when I arrived. My new coworkers—still strange to think of them that way—were scattered throughout, beginning their shifts. Thomas waved from the inventory room. Elara was already chattering with the packaging staff.
I needed to find Clara or her father, but preferably Clara. She'd proven more sympathetic to emotional appeals.
"Kai?" Mavis appeared from the office, carrying a stack of ledgers. "You're early. Your shift doesn't start for another two hours."
"I need to speak with Lady Clara. Is she available?"
Mavis's eyebrow rose. "More requests? You collected seven jobs three days ago. What more could you possibly want?"
"Medical assistance for a dying orphan," I said flatly.
Her expression shifted. "That's... direct."
"I don't have time for subtle." Which was a lie—I excelled at subtle—but urgency served my purpose better. "A fifteen-year-old girl is severely ill. She needs a healer. The orphanage won't pay for one. I'm asking the Ashworth Company to cover the cost."
"And why would we do that?"
"Because Clara saved her life three days ago, and I traded seven future employees for payment I could have taken in silver." I met her eyes. "Because this is an investment in goodwill that costs maybe five gold but generates loyalty worth far more. Because—"
"Because you're manipulative enough to frame charity as business strategy?" A new voice interrupted.
Clara emerged from the warehouse depths, work clothes dusty, a knowing smile on her face. "I was listening from the inventory room. You make a compelling argument, though I notice you didn't lead with 'because it's the right thing to do.'"
[Warning: Your true nature is showing. -5 Virtue Points for calculating manipulation.]
"The right thing to do doesn't pay healer's bills," I said, then paused. "But yes. It is also the right thing to do."
[Partial recovery: +2 Virtue Points for honesty.]
Clara studied me for a long moment. "This girl—what's her name?"
"Emma. Her brother is Danny. Eight years old. She's been starving herself to feed him."
Something shifted in Clara's expression. Personal connection, perhaps. Maybe she had siblings.
"Show me," she said.
Clara's reaction to seeing Emma confirmed my suspicion about siblings. Her emotions—shock, horror, immediate determination—read clearly through my skill. Within minutes, she'd sent a runner for the company's contracted healer and was personally feeding Emma water and broth from the warehouse kitchen.
"This is unconscionable," Clara muttered. "The orphanage let her deteriorate this badly?"
"Orphanages have limited resources," I said, though the excuse tasted like ash. "Difficult choices get made."
"This isn't a difficult choice. This is a child dying." Clara's anger was righteous, burning bright. "Father needs to know about this."
"Wait—" I started, but she was already standing.
"Danny, stay with your sister. Kai, come with me."
What followed was a whirlwind I hadn't anticipated. Clara didn't just report the situation to her father—she dragged him to see it personally. Lord Ashworth's reaction was immediate and decisive.
Within an hour, Emma was in a proper bed in the warehouse's small infirmary. The healer—a grumpy old woman with divine magic that smelled like sunlight—was working on her. Danny sat beside his sister, holding her hand, tears streaming down his face.
And I stood in Lord Ashworth's office, trying to understand what had just happened.
"The orphanage's funding comes partially from merchant guild donations," Lord Ashworth was saying, pacing behind his desk. "Donations I contribute to. If they're letting children starve while sitting on those funds, there will be consequences."
"Father's on three guild boards," Clara explained to me. "He can make things very uncomfortable for your Matron Griselda."
"I don't want to cause problems for the orphanage," I said carefully. "The other children still need—"
"You're not causing problems. You're revealing them." Lord Ashworth fixed me with a sharp look. "You have a disturbing habit of uncovering systemic issues wherever you go. The frayed rope, now this. Are you cursed, or just unusually observant?"
"Observant, I suppose." I chose my words carefully. "When you've lived with scarcity, you notice inefficiencies."
"Hmm." He studied me like I was a particularly interesting ledger entry. "My daughter believes you're something special. A natural leader, she says. Wise beyond your years. I'm beginning to agree."
[Reputation gain: +25 with Lord Ashworth]
[Reputation gain: +30 with Clara Ashworth]
[New Title Acquired: "The Lord's Interest"]
[Effect: Nobility and merchants take you more seriously]
"I just asked for help," I said, uncomfortable with the praise.
"You identified a problem, assessed available resources, and executed a solution within an hour of discovering the crisis." Lord Ashworth smiled slightly. "That's not 'just asking for help.' That's strategic thinking."
Clara cleared her throat. "Father, about Emma and Danny..."
"They'll recover here. Once Emma's healthy, we'll find positions for both of them. Consider it part of our expanded orphan employment program." He turned back to me. "Which you're now unofficially managing, apparently."
"I'm what?"
"You found me seven good workers. Now you're bringing me more. If you're going to keep doing this, I'd rather it be official." He pulled out a contract from his desk. "Junior recruiting assistant. Part-time. Two silver per week, plus commission on successful placements. Interested?"
I stared at the contract, my mind racing. This was... unexpected. Strategic opportunity, certainly. But also a trap—more responsibility meant less freedom to pursue my own goals.
Except what were my own goals anymore? Accumulate virtue points. Help people. Both of which this position would facilitate.
[Optional Quest: "The Recruiter's Path"]
[Accept Lord Ashworth's offer.]
[Reward: 50 Virtue Points, permanent income source, increased influence]
[Warning: Accepting will bind you to ongoing obligations]
"What exactly would I be recruiting for?" I asked.
"Whatever positions need filling. We're expanding operations. Always need reliable workers." He leaned back in his chair. "I see potential in you, Kai. Raw talent that could be shaped into something remarkable. This is an investment in your future as much as mine."
Three hundred and twenty-seven virtue points. And a growing, uncomfortable realization that I was starting to care about the outcomes beyond the numbers.
"I'll need time to balance this with my other work," I said.
"Naturally. This doesn't replace your current position, just supplements it." He pushed the contract forward. "What do you say?"
I picked up the pen, dipped it in ink, and signed.
[Quest Complete: "The Recruiter's Path"]
[+50 Virtue Points earned!]
[Quest Complete: "The Sick Sister"]
[Emma will make a full recovery! +40 Virtue Points earned!]
[Daily Quest Complete: "Another Day, Another Good Deed"]
[Helped: Danny, Emma, Clara, Lord Ashworth (indirectly), and yourself]
[+25 Virtue Points earned! (Including streak bonus)]
[Current Virtue Points: 442]
[Achievement Unlocked: "The Fixer"]
[Effect: Problems seek you out. You're becoming known as someone who Gets Things Done.]
[New Skill Acquired: Recruitment (Lv. 1)]
[New Skill Acquired: Negotiation (Lv. 2)]
By evening, the warehouse was buzzing with news. The healer declared Emma would recover fully with a week of rest and proper nutrition. Danny had attached himself to me like a grateful barnacle. And somehow, word had spread through the orphan network that I was now officially finding people jobs.
I returned to the orphanage to find a line of children waiting outside my door.
"Oh no," I muttered.
"Kai!" A girl of maybe thirteen pushed to the front. "Is it true? You can get us work?"
"I... have a recruitment position, yes, but—"
"I can sew!"
"I'm good with animals!"
"I can carry heavy things!"
The voices overlapped, desperate and hopeful, and my Detect Intentions skill was drowning in a sea of emotions—hope, fear, desperation, and underneath it all, the soul-crushing awareness that most of these children had no real marketable skills.
[Warning: Expectations exceeding capacity]
[Manage this carefully or face reputation damage]
"Everyone, quiet!" I raised my voice, channeling decades of commanding armies. Silence fell. "I will evaluate each of you individually. But understand this—I cannot guarantee positions. I can only guarantee I will try. If you're not selected, it's not personal. It's practical. Clear?"
Reluctant nods.
"Good. Form an orderly line. I'll speak with each of you for five minutes. Be honest about your skills. Don't exaggerate—I'll find out, and it will hurt your chances."
What followed was three hours of the most exhausting social interaction I'd experienced in either life. Each child had a story—a sick sibling, an abusive situation, dreams of escaping the orphanage. And each story pulled at something in this cursed body's chest that I couldn't fully suppress.
I took notes. Assessed skills. Made careful promises about following up. And with each interaction, felt more of my old self slipping away, replaced by someone who actually cared about placement rates and success stories.
By the time the last child left, I was emotionally exhausted.
"You're good at this," Lifan said from the doorway. I hadn't noticed her arrive. "Talking to people. Making them feel heard."
"It's just strategy," I said, but the words lacked conviction.
"Is it?" She sat on my bed uninvited, looking at my pages of notes. "You spent three hours listening to orphans talk about their problems. That's not strategy. That's kindness."
[Character Development Detected!]
[Your resistance to genuine empathy is decreasing!]
[The System celebrates your growth! ♡]
"I'm accumulating data for recruitment purposes," I insisted.
"Sure you are." Lifan smiled in that knowing way that suggested she saw right through me. "Just like you 'strategically' saved Lifan. And 'practically' negotiated jobs for seven of us. And 'logically' spent your evening giving hope to thirty desperate children."
She stood, heading for the door. "It's okay to admit you care, you know. It doesn't make you weak."
She left before I could formulate a response.
I stared at my notes—thirty children, each with dreams and fears and potential. In my old life, I would have seen them as resources to be deployed or discarded based on utility.
Now I saw them as... people.
"This is a problem," I said to the empty room.
[This is growth! ♡]
"This is a distraction from accumulating points."
[Current point total: 442. You've earned more in five days than most reformed villains earn in a month! ♡]
"Because I'm strategically manipulating situations for optimal—"
[Because you're helping people and starting to enjoy it! ♡]
I couldn't argue with that.
I looked at the clay hero on my windowsill, now joined by a folded note from Danny that said "Thank you for saving my sister" in childish scrawl.
"I'm losing," I whispered to the darkness.
[No, Host. You're winning. Just not the game you thought you were playing. ♡]
End of Chapter 5
[Current Stats:]
[Virtue Points: 442/100,000,000]
[Days as Reformed Villain: 4]
[Orphans Helped: 9 (employed) + 30 (evaluating) + countless others (indirectly)]
[Titles: Former Demon King, Novice Do-Gooder, The Unexpected Leader, Orphanage Hero, The Lord's Interest, The Fixer]
[Reputation: Rising Star (Thornhaven), Valued Asset (Ashworth Company)]
[Jobs: Accounts Assistant, Junior Recruiting Assistant]
[Weekly Income: 3 silver + commission]
[System's Satisfaction Level: Thrilled Beyond Measure]
[Malachar's Existential Crisis Level: CRITICAL]
[New Problem: 30+ orphans expecting miracles]
Next chapter: "The Weight of Expectations"