novelraw Chapter 110: Demon-kin
Chapter 110: Demon-kin
Serpent's Head Street was as filthy and chaotic as ever. Fortunately, Fischer had come during the daytime on each of his visits. Had he come at night, the place would have shown its true "liveliness."
After dark, the grimy streets would be lined with addicts strung out on one substance or another, smugglers hawking all manner of "rare goods," and women peddling their evenings.
Public infrastructure was virtually nonexistent. Every variety of vice took root here. Even the police chief would have his pockets picked clean if he set foot on these streets — which was precisely why Old Jack was so desperate to move away. This was no place to raise three sweet little granddaughters.
When Fischer pushed open the tavern door, Old Jack's scar-covered face was staring vacantly at the entrance. The moment the Nari gentleman appeared, cane in hand, Jack released a breath of relief, looking as though a great weight had been lifted.
"Thank goodness I've got you for a friend. Otherwise, I really would have thrown her out. But she's still a woman. If she'd spent a night lying in Serpent's Head, there wouldn't even be bones left."
Old Jack spat the words like an oath, but his underlying kindness toward the stranger was impossible to hide. After all, he had three demi-human granddaughters of his own. He'd started out carrying plenty of prejudice against demi-humans, but after enough time together, the prejudice survived only on his tongue — the occasional bluster that invariably crumbled before his girls' requests for treats.
Fischer smiled and removed his hat.
"Where is this demi-human?"
"Over here. Follow me."
This time Jack did not lead him toward the basement. He had placed the stranger in a utility room behind the tavern — no way was he letting an unknown woman anywhere near the three squirrel girls.The door swung open to reveal a cramped space almost entirely occupied by a wheat-skinned female demi-human. She had long, vivid red hair and lay with her eyes closed, breathing in a deep, steady rhythm — clearly sound asleep.
A strong reek of alcohol and something like sulfur pervaded the room. Whether the sulfur came from the demi-human herself was unclear.
On closer inspection, her complexion was healthy, her features bold and striking. A cloak draped her frame, but it had fallen open in sleep, exposing a minimal chest-binding top and long trousers beneath. Her midriff was bare, revealing muscle definition that spoke of long, rigorous training — she looked stronger than many men.
Upon careful examination, Fischer noticed two curved blades tucked behind the cloak in wooden sheaths. The blades had a peculiar arc unlike any cold weapon he had ever seen. One was long, one short; the shorter one was engraved with extraordinarily intricate black patterns, clearly of much higher quality than its longer companion.
But what truly riveted Fischer was the woman's unique physical characteristics. From within her red hair, four twisted horns grew at irregular angles — dark as obsidian and laced with pulsing, lava-like luminous patterns. From beneath her cloak extended a long, slender tail, its tip terminating in an arrowhead shape.
Her demi-human traits were unmistakable. Yet even Fischer had never encountered this type before — and he had read every known human text on demi-human classification.
In other words, no existing book identified what species this creature was?
"She arrived the day before yesterday, and she's been asleep since she got drunk that night?"
"That's right." The reminder reignited Jack's irritation. He glowered at the demi-human snoring on the floor, mouth agape. If she weren't still breathing, he'd have assumed she'd drunk herself to death in his establishment. "She put away three big mugs of rum and two bottles of distilled spirits, then slumped face-down on the table and didn't move — and she hasn't paid!"
"Has she woken up even once?"
"Who knows? I've got things to do — I can't babysit her around the clock. But she basically hasn't moved since she fell asleep, so I'd say no." Just as Jack was about to continue, a knock sounded at the basement door. He paused and glanced toward it. "Oh, that's Karma and the girls calling for me. You stay here and see if you can wake her up — or if you're interested, take her with you. I know you love studying these demi-humans."
Fischer didn't reply. He knelt beside the sleeping demi-human and touched her exposed midriff with his fingertips. The muscle was astonishingly hard — like tempered iron beaten under a smith's hammer. Nestled within that powerful abdomen, her small navel rose and fell gently with each breath.
According to Jack, he'd practically slapped her and she still hadn't budged. Sleeping this deeply was truly in a league of its own.
Fischer had absolutely no record of a demi-human species with these features. Seeing that she still showed no sign of stirring, he drew the Demi-Human Completion Handbook from inside his coat, intending to use the book's power to identify her species.
During the Southern Continent expedition, Fischer had discovered many unnamed demi-human species. Even when he didn't recognize them, opening the Handbook would identify the species name automatically — provided the specimen was female.
The instant the Handbook opened, line after line of phantasmal text materialized before Fischer's eyes. Many pages after the entry for "Dragonewt," a new section appeared from thin air. Golden letters inscribed themselves onto the page — words Fischer could read:
【Demon-kin】
Fischer's gaze sharpened. He read on.
【Please select a research subject. Available subjects: 0/1】
'Hm?'
'Why did Dragonewt and Witch both allow two subjects, while other species only permit one? Could it be tied to the World-Ending Prophecy? If a species is mentioned in the prophecy, does it unlock an additional slot?'
Sensing a pattern, Fischer read the next line of spectral text.
【Eliog — Duke Demon】
【Contributor's Note: Researching higher-rank demi-humans carries commensurately higher risks and rewards. The owner is advised to choose at their discretion.】
'Higher rank?'
This was the first time the Handbook had ever issued such a special warning. The term "Demon-kin" itself was entirely new to Fischer. Until now, his concept of demons had come exclusively from the ancient mythological texts preserved by the Church — the traditional image of ugly, soul-corrupting monsters.
And the creature before him…
Fischer looked up to examine the demon's appearance more closely — only to find her eyes already open, staring at him from where he crouched.
Her eyes were nothing like a human's. They were entirely a vivid, glowing scarlet, like naturally luminescent stones, with concentric, fire-serpent-like patterns coiling within the pupils.
She studied Fischer in silence. Though the temperature in the room was far higher than outside, under that gaze Fischer felt a sudden spike of cold.
But the next second, the piercing chill vanished. The demon twitched her nose and spoke, still lying flat.
"Ugh, you've got an annoying smell on you. Two of them, actually."
She spoke Nari, but her delivery was entirely unlike a native speaker's — the syllables rumbled and blurred, as though chewed by rolling magma.
Fischer still held the open Demi-Human Completion Handbook, but she seemed not to notice it. Instead, she was scrutinizing his face with lazy interest.
"An annoying smell?"
Eliog didn't sit up. After several seconds of appraisal, she yawned, then nodded.
"Yeah, kind of like a charred volcano-grub with no dipping sauce. Just... really unpleasant."
As she finished, she yawned again, bleary-eyed and clearly unsatisfied with her sleep. Then she raised a finger and began poking it at Fischer in an aimless, wagging motion.
"But the smell on you isn't the same as the person I'm hunting, so I'll live with it... Anyway, where am I right now? My memory's kind of hazy. Hmm, what did I come here to do? Drink? Or sleep?"
She labored to engage her brain, then seemed to give up entirely. She flopped back against the pile of junk behind her, found a comfortable position, and prepared to close her eyes again.
"Never mind, can't be bothered to think. I'll just sleep a bit more. After all, sleeping really is the best. Goodnight, human. Don't let the door hit you."
There was no way Fischer was letting this one go back to sleep. He quickly tucked the Handbook back inside his coat and spoke up.
"You came here to drink the day before yesterday. You've been asleep for nearly two days. If you don't get up, the owner is going to throw you out."
At that, the demon lay motionless — but behind her, the tail suddenly perked up. Only now did Fischer notice that the arrowhead tip at its end had begun flickering with a small ball of flame, glowing on and off.
'Hm, does the tail-tip ignite when a demon-kin is conscious?'
"Oh, right..." She stared at the utility-room ceiling with a mixture of lethargy and irritation, thinking for a long while. Then she sat up, rubbing her head, and exclaimed. "Ah, I remember now. I came here to hunt a sinner. But hunting sinners is such a pain, so I figured I'd have a drink first. After drinking, I felt really tired, so I decided to rest a bit, and I fell asleep right here in the tavern. Thanks for the reminder — now I have to go back to work. Let me pay you..."
Despite the words, she had zero drive. She seemed to hold absolutely no interest in this so-called "work." But at least she finally appeared to be emerging from the fog of sleep. She reached instinctively into a pocket inside her chest-binding, rummaged for a moment — and came up empty. Her expression stiffened.
She furtively glanced at Fischer. Meeting his fixed gaze, she looked around the sealed room. Her expression grew stiffer still.
Fischer seemed to have caught on. Noting her evasive eyes, he ventured a guess.
"Don't tell me you can't afford to pay for the drinks."