Chapter 10: Kekken
Fisher lit a cigarette at the door, his well-fitted black suit paired with his young and handsome appearance drew the attention of the surrounding coachmen. They couldn’t help but wonder what kind of prestigious noble would willingly come to be a coachman.
At that moment, various speculations arose in their minds, but Fisher was oblivious to them.
Before he had finished smoking, the carriage door slowly opened, revealing a simple skirt. Although the color was plain, the style was decent, and it could be considered lady’s clothing, if one could overlook the dragon tail that fell beneath the skirt and her bold standing posture.
“Very beautiful, it seems my design skills are still on point.”
Fisher appraised Raphael, who was also looking at herself, and made this assessment.
But obviously, the brain of a dragon person couldn’t comprehend human preferences for such clothing; she only felt that this outfit was even more complicated than armor, the fabric covering so much that her tail couldn’t extend properly.
“The tail still doesn’t feel quite right.”
Indeed, human tastes were the worst.
Seeing her lift her tail again, awkwardly propping up the skirt behind her, Fisher pointed at her back with a dark expression.
“Don’t move your tail, let it hang down. This outfit is already the most suitable for you, and it won’t affect your combat ability. By the time your injury heals, you should be able to run at full speed, probably by the day after tomorrow. But if you can’t hold back today and want to fight, I could also accept underwear, have you changed?”
Fisher’s gaze fell on her tail hanging between the skirt; for some reason, Raphael always seemed to detect a lot of expectation in his tone, which made her suspicious that he had some trap waiting for her.
“Underwear… what is that?”
Raphael shot Fisher a glance and then asked with some confusion.
“.”
Fisher didn’t say anything, just extended his index fingers to draw a triangle in the air before him, then looked at her seriously. Raphael opened her mouth, seemingly not reacting at first, but then her tail suddenly shot up again as she exclaimed loudly,
“I have put it on! I have put it on! Isn’t it mentioned in your explanation!”
She was somewhat enraged, and steam seeped from her entire outfit, startling the coachmen napping in the stable as they poked their heads up.
“That’s good, follow me.”
Fisher’s lips slightly curved up, he tipped his hat onto his head, picked up his staff, and walked outside.
This human.
Raphael gritted her teeth, feeling a mix of helpless anger towards the teasing Fisher. It was only now that she realized the demonic soul hidden beneath that serious facade, which she found extremely annoying.
Before she could move, the man in front snapped his fingers, and the carriage behind lit up with a purple glow, isolating the entire carriage inside, seemingly just to urge her to hurry up and move, which startled Raphael.
Once my injury heals, I must kill him!
Raphael silently solidified her determination to eliminate the annoying human in front of her, but she still flicked her tail and kept pace with the man’s steps.
Leaving the stable, Fisher’s pace was quick, brushing past countless hurried travelers. There were newsboys, soldiers, and of course, the little servants she had seen on the carriage before. The surroundings were still under construction, with muddy roads, the occasional sound of carriages rattling, and the chatter of people around.
Despite it being noon, a few ladies in pajamas lazily stood on a second-floor balcony beside the road, their pure white skirts barely covering their chests, generously revealing their collarbones and delicate shoulders. One lady holding a pipe spotted the hurried Fisher, her eyes lighting up like a hawk spotting its prey, as elegantly dressed, handsome gentlemen were always their favorite.
Evenings filled with romance and pleasure never lacked generous returns.
So, she gently plucked a rose from a nearby balcony plant and threw it down as Fisher passed by.
Fisher, sensing something, reached out and caught the falling rose, slightly lifting the brim of his hat just in time to see a blonde lady on the second floor winking at him.
Fisher lightly kissed the rose and performed a gentlemanly gesture, causing the lady on the balcony to blush slightly, nearly dropping her pipe from the second floor.
“What a gentle gentleman, it’s such a pity.”
Watching Fisher, who held the rose and walked farther away, she thought to herself.
Meanwhile, farther away, Raphael, who had reached the door of a shop, looked at Fisher, who was contemplating the goods, and asked in disbelief,
“So, is this how you humans court?”
Fisher picked up a fruit sold by the shopkeeper, sniffed its scent gently, and then replied,
“Court?”
The disdainful expression on Raphael’s face piqued his interest. He handed the fruit to the shopkeeper, casually pointed to a few others, and said, “This isn’t courting, it’s just her way of attracting customers. I’m a bit special to her because of my appearance and attire. She thinks she can gain returns this way; she might do this to a dozen men every day, occasionally one or two are lured upstairs to spend the night, and she makes a tidy sum.”
Raphael opened her mouth and then said in shock,
“Wait, you mean… she would do that kind of thing? And with a lot… of people?”
“If the kind of thing you’re referring to doesn’t mean something else, then the answer is probably like that.”
Fisher paid the shopkeeper, placing all the fruit and flowers in Raphael’s hands, treating her as a storage rack; however, she was still immersed in the previous topic and hadn’t realized it yet.
Raphael shuddered, feeling uncomfortable as if she had goosebumps, and even resisted holding the flower in her hand as if that rose had been contaminated by something invisible.
Fisher ignored her and continued walking ahead with his staff; besides fruit, he wanted to buy a fire-starting magical tool, just like the one on his carriage. But this side of the Southern Continent seemed to lack such things, the only magic shop in the city only sold a few disposable magical items and magical materials.
It seemed he would have to make one himself.
Creating a magical tool was extremely difficult and time-consuming, and Fisher didn’t want to do it unless necessary. But who told him to drive that guy away? If he had known, he would have had her make more things for him, just to repay what he had spent on her.
Fisher and Raphael, who was carrying magical materials, left the shop, and he shifted the topic to discuss her companions.
Aside from his genuine interest in those dragon people, the most important thing was to keep Raphael talking so she wouldn’t realize she was constantly carrying things.
It was simply a win-win approach.
Although Raphael was initially reluctant to speak more, given her strong wariness towards Fisher, once he shared some things about the human world, she began to repay him by bringing up trivial matters related to their tribe, especially regarding Ral.
“Ral is the youngest child in their family and the most mischievous among the eleven siblings.”
“Eleven?”
“Yes, their family has the fewest children in our tribe. Without Ral, her mother would be very sad.”
“The fewest?”
Even Fisher, who had studied subhumans for years, blinked in surprise at this bizarre information, seemingly particularly astonished.
“Mr. Fisher! Mr. Fisher! Please wait a moment!”
Just as Fisher and Raphael stepped into the bustling street, as their conversation shifted from the mischievous Ral to the issue of fertility, a loud voice in Nali language rang out from behind.
Fisher turned to look back, only to see a luxurious, understated carriage stopped beside them. The curtains of the carriage opened to reveal a young man dressed in Saint Nali attire, sporting a light stubble and a face full of excitement.
“You are?”
“Indeed, it’s you! I am Kekken, a student from the Royal Academy of Saint Nali, two years your junior!”
Seeing Fisher, the man in the suit became even more enthusiastic, hurriedly crossing in front of the coachman and jumping down from the carriage.
So he was a student from the Royal Academy of Saint Nali where Fisher had completed his university studies and earned his degree. It was quite normal for someone from there to recognize him, given that he was somewhat of a well-known figure.
“Ah, I see. Nice to meet you. Is there something you need from me?”
“May I have the honor of inviting you to lunch?”
Fisher shook his hand, but the next moment, the man grasped Fisher’s hand tightly and shook it as he pleaded with Fisher.
His overwhelming enthusiasm made it hard for Fisher to cope, even causing his expression to falter. Just as he was about to step back, he was pulled forward by the man’s grip, drawing him closer.
Wait a minute.
Kekken?
This city is called Kekken City, right?
Is this guy the city lord here?
Seeing the enthusiastic and flushed Kekken, Fisher wondered what came to mind. Subsequently, he gently pulled down Kekken’s hand that clutched his and nodded in agreement, glancing at Raphael, who looked bewildered, before giving a slight nod.
“Then I’ll trouble you, as I also have some questions to ask you.”
Please follow and vote; thank you, everyone.
(*`*)
(End of Chapter)
