Chapter 18: Adult Conversations
When Fisher returned to the carriage to find Mill, Ral was chatting incessantly with the new little dragon, Chuer.
“Can the kids from the North Branch Tribe eat honey at night? Like, more than a finger’s worth of honey. My mother doesn’t let me eat honey at night; she says my teeth will rot, but how can dragon teeth rot?”
“….”
The little dragon was a bit scared and wasn’t used to Ral’s lively demeanor, so it huddled silently in the corner of the room, ignoring the annoying dragonfolk companion.
“Does Lord Fisher have something to say?”
Mill was kneeling on the ground, laying sheets for the new little dragon, when she turned around and saw Fisher opening the door, so she stood up and asked.
Aside from Ral, she should be the dragonfolk with the best perception of Fisher. Fashir and Keshil, like Raphael, were somewhat wary of Fisher, remaining silent whenever he appeared, as if they were two extremes compared to Ral.
“Raphael’s body has shown some conditions that I don’t quite understand; you should come with me to take a look.”
“I want to go too! Raphael must want to see me because I will make her feel better!”
Ral raised her blue claw, excited to go with Fisher.
But halfway there, she was hugged by Keshil.
“Don’t go causing trouble, Ral. You should stay here and keep asking about honey.”
“But he’s not talking! It’s so boring!”
Seeing the commotion in the carriage, Mill smiled helplessly and followed Fisher out. Once outside, she hesitated and spoke,
“I’m sorry, Lord Fisher, Ral has just been in her cage for too long. If you don’t like it, I’ll make her quiet.”
After all, Mill was the oldest among the dragons, more mature than the other naive dragonfolk, and she considered things more comprehensively.
“It’s fine; she hasn’t done anything wrong.”
Fisher continued walking without pausing. He genuinely didn’t mind Ral, the noisy little dragon. He had encountered kids ten times naughtier while tutoring during college, and that time had honed his patience.
That was a good quality.
Mill followed behind, looking at Fisher’s back. Just as she thought, this human was different.
She quietly smiled and followed Fisher into the hotel room upstairs. As soon as she entered, she was nearly blinded by the steam filling the room. Once she adjusted, she finally saw Raphael lying weakly on the bed.
“Lady Raphael!”
Mill hurried over and reached out to touch her skin. Upon feeling the heated scales on her arm, she abruptly pulled back her hand.
“Mill.”
Raphael’s voice was weak, making Fisher question if she was ill. He remembered that Raphael had previously stated, “Dragonfolk don’t get sick like humans do,” and now it seemed to be karma.
“Is she sick? She hasn’t been in good condition for a while.”
But Mill sighed and replied to Fisher,
“No, Lady Raphael is turning into adulthood. This is a sign that she is about to fully mature. I experienced the same thing; it’s not a serious problem, and it will likely be completed in about ten days. After she matures, Lady Raphael’s strength will become even greater. It’s just a pity that we can’t hold the suitable tail ceremony in the tribe.”
“The suitable tail ceremony?”
“Ah, because the chances of finding a partner right after maturing are the highest, the tribe holds an exchange banquet for the mature members to help them find suitable partners.”
As she spoke, Mill lifted her bangs, and on her forehead, Fisher caught sight of a small, protruding horn.
“This is the symbol of adulthood for dragonfolk and the source of our power. The larger the horn, the more powerful it becomes. It’s just a pity that I’m pretty timid, so my horn is small.”
Fisher looked at her small dragon horn, something he had never seen before, which piqued his interest. His expression became particularly serious as he suddenly asked Mill,
“Can I touch your horn?”
“Uh, what?!!”
For some reason, Mill’s face turned slightly red.
Because among dragonfolk, usually only close friends and partners could touch each other’s horns, but it seemed that Lord Fisher was completely unaware of such customs.
Moreover, he shouldn’t even be thinking that way.
Mill’s yellow dragon tail wagged as she looked at Fisher’s serious expression. After hesitating for a moment, she quietly nodded,
“I can, but if it’s not with a horn, it won’t be able to touch.”
“Mm?”
Fisher reached out, his finger approaching the softly glowing horn. Upon touching it, he found that it felt as if he was passing through air, which was a miraculous scene that immediately intrigued him.
“Wait.” Suddenly, he thought of something and picked up the staff next to him. After it glimmered faintly, he extended the staff, which, this time, actually touched the seemingly illusory horn. Mill’s face immediately turned crimson, and she stepped back awkwardly, sitting on the ground.
“Why… can it touch?”
Could it be that the staff was made from the horns of dragonfolk?
“Indeed, the horns of dragonfolk are actually manifestations of magical circuits. Once dragonfolk mature, the magical circuits grow again, but since there’s no more room within the body to extend, they manifest externally as dragon horns.”
Fisher seemed to have discovered something significant. He retracted the staff, and the compendium in his chest felt slightly warm, reminding him about the progress of his research on dragonfolk.
Seeing the serious look on Fisher’s face, Mill’s blush gradually faded.
As expected, Lord Fisher wasn’t that kind of person, and how could a human be interested in dragonfolk in that way?
Although Fisher did seem quite nice, she already had a suitable tail partner. Still, even by dragonfolk standards, Lord Fisher was quite remarkable.
And Lord Fisher wouldn’t have any interest in dragonfolk.
Mill had just relieved herself of worry without interrupting Fisher’s train of thought, and she turned to observe Raphael’s condition again. She extended her hand to gently pull back a corner of the blanket, only to see Raphael’s unclothed body underneath.
“Ah…”
Her mind briefly froze, and then her face turned completely red as she hurriedly dropped the blanket.
Oh no, why…
What did Lord Fisher and Lady Raphael do in the room before??
Wait, wait, wait…
Could it be that Lord Fisher has an interest in dragonfolk?
Mill turned to look at Fisher beside her, and a vague guess formed in her mind.
No wonder he bought us… It’s the first time I’ve heard of a human with such a preference, but Ral and Fashir are still so young, and I…
She bit her lip, her body slowly beginning to emit steam like Raphael’s, though the amount and temperature were far inferior to Raphael’s.
“What should I do? Should I tell Lord Fisher that dragonfolk cannot do that kind of thing before they mature?”
“But if that’s the case, once I mature, wouldn’t Lord Fisher have only me to worry about?”
“But I already have a suitable tail partner!”
“But if it’s for Ral and the others…”
Fisher nodded. Since he confirmed that Raphael was not ill, he felt relieved. Given Raphael’s physical condition, no more research could be done on her, so he might as well examine Mill, the only mature one, about her horn.
He instinctively spoke to Mill,
“Mill, can you… um?”
Seeing the yellow dragonfolk turn to look at him, her whole body was now emitting steam just like Raphael’s. Her face was unnaturally flushed, and her eyes trembled as if they were about to burst into tears.
“N-no, that kind of thing is not allowed, Lord Fisher… I… I already…”
Looking at Fisher’s outstretched palm, Mill dazedly sat down and leaned back, speaking refusals while appearing powerless to resist. Just as she said, she was the timid one among all her sisters, but even so, she couldn’t help but say to Fisher,
“I’m sorry; they haven’t reached adulthood yet, so we can’t do that kind of thing. But… but I already have a suitable tail partner, so… I’m sorry, Lord Fisher.”
“….”
Fisher’s expressionless face stiffened for a moment, and the room was once again filled with silence and the fragrant steam of the dragonfolk.
At the doorway, two maids covered their mouths and walked past, whispering,
“Did you hear? That gentleman brought two ladies into the room and hasn’t come out yet. The room is even steaming.”
“Wow, young gentlemen are indeed like this.”
“Hahahaha.”
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(End of Chapter)
