novelraw Chapter 114: A Shadow
Chapter 114: A Shadow
Against the night wind, Fischer walked toward the grove where he'd arranged to meet Karo. There was still time before the rendezvous, so Fischer drew the Demi-Human Completion Handbook from inside his coat, wanting to confirm that his earlier research had been recorded in full.
Golden script flowed in elegant flourishes across the page, faithfully transcribing everything from his lab report. Fischer's gaze lingered on the luminous words "Demon-kin" for a moment before drifting to the phantom text hovering before him.
【Demon-kin — Biological Research Progress: 22%】
【Demon-kin — Social Research Progress: 1%】
'Twenty-two percent from a single session?'
Fischer was genuinely surprised by the speed. But he owed it to Eliog's staggering laziness — she hadn't resisted the examination at all, letting him do whatever he pleased. Raphaela's stubbornly uncooperative temperament had required far longer to reach the same milestone.
Thinking of the red dragon-girl watching him with her tail raised, Fischer couldn't help but smile.
His eyes moved to the next line of golden text.
【Rewards Unlocked: Constitution +3, Charisma +2, Depravity Resistance】
【Depravity Resistance: "Conquer those wretched demon-girls with an iron will and an iron body!"】'Why was the Handbook always so wildly enthusiastic about these descriptions — practically cheering him on from the sidelines, urging him to make his move on demon-girls?'
'And where exactly does the charisma bonus manifest?'
Fischer had felt his body grow somewhat stronger, but his face hadn't changed at all, nor had any other physical attribute he could detect.
Charisma was such a vague concept. Different people — different species — had different standards of beauty and desire. Was this charisma boost universal?
Unable to arrive at an answer, Fischer tucked the Handbook back inside his coat.
He hadn't asked Eliog about her "dynasty" on purpose — to lower her guard, so that at least the physical examination could progress. She had, after all, explicitly told him not to inquire about it.
But Fischer wasn't in a hurry. He was now genuinely interested in the physical training she'd mentioned. From today's observation, the demon clearly possessed deep expertise in body optimization. There was much to gain from her.
Lost in thought, Fischer soon arrived at the appointed grove.
By now, the sun had set completely, and a bright moon was rising from the opposite horizon.
The outskirts of Saint-Nazareth were deserted — especially in the direction of Gothrin I's mausoleum. Fischer leaned against a tree and listened to the quiet rustle of the night wind.
It wasn't long before footsteps approached from the distance. Fischer didn't reveal himself first. He waited until the figure drew close. It stopped, surveyed the surroundings, and then a soft, trembling female voice spoke.
"F-Fischer?"
Karo's body trembled. Despite having a male mind, he was clutching himself — unmistakably afraid — in a manner that didn't suit his original identity at all.
Strange, really. Before becoming an artificial Witch, he'd been fearless. But the feminization was worsening. Even the figures in his nighttime fantasies had begun to shift toward men...
He gritted his teeth, suppressing the irrational fear of darkness welling up from within. The next moment, from the shadow-drenched grove, a tall gentleman emerged slowly — nearly scaring Karo off his feet.
The man held a walking stick. His expression was cold and austere, like the moon overhead.
"I'm here."
"...I thought you'd stood me up."
Karo pouted, though his body was honest, drifting closer to Fischer — as if proximity alone could banish some of the fear.
Only when Karo was near did Fischer notice a faint green shimmer around him — a one-ring insect-repellent spell, commonly used in field excursions.
"You're late."
"Hey, look at where you picked for a meeting! Dragging someone out in the middle of the night... all the way to the suburbs of Saint-Nazareth. I still have to figure out how to get back."
Karo glared at Fischer, then seemed to recall something.
"Oh, I forgot to mention last time: there's something strange about you. It feels kind of like what the Witch Research Society calls the 'Mother Goddess's blessing.' If they ever got their hands on you, they'd go absolutely mad trying to capture you. You should be careful."
Fischer recalled how the Witch Bart had charged at him in a frenzy — babbling about the "Mother Goddess's blessing." There were several unusual things about his person. The first candidates were the two Completion Handbooks. The other possibility was... Renee.
He considered the second explanation more likely. The fanatics of the Witch Research Society believed Witches were the surest path to the Mother Goddess. Fischer had spent a long time with Renee. She might well have left some trace on him.
But for that trace to be mistaken for the Mother Goddess's blessing could only mean Renee was truly exceptional...
Either those maniacs judged the presence of the blessing by the sheer volume of a Witch's mana, or Renee was the most singular Witch of all — for instance,
The Undying Witch.
"Noted. I'll be careful." Fischer pulled a cigarette from inside his coat and lit it. "I've obtained intelligence about the Schwari delegation's visit. It's coming within the next few weeks. Officially, it's an academic exchange. They'll hold a scholarly conference at Saint-Nazareth University just behind me."
At Fischer's news, Karo's expression turned eager. His gaze drifted to the distant, lamp-lit buildings of the university.
"So have you figured out how to help me escape?"
Fischer glanced at Karo and asked.
"I need more details about your arrangement with the Pink Pavilion. Tell me everything — from your escape to your arrival in Naris. I need to understand the Pink Pavilion's true objective before I can help you."
Karo opened his mouth. He seemed to be debating whether to trust the man before him. After a long hesitation, he spoke.
"After I escaped the Witch Research Society, I took a ship to Saint-Nazareth. Their agents were right on my tail. I killed quite a few, but I was alone and exhausted from fending off wave after wave of pursuers. That's when the Pink Pavilion's people found me. They took me to their leader — an old man named Blake."
"Blake?" Fischer's eyes widened slightly. "Blake Vassili?"
Karo looked at him, puzzled.
"How would I know his full name? He's just some rich old bastard."
Blake Vassili — the legendary captain. After discovering the uncharted continent and ocean on the Crown's orders, his fame skyrocketed. He'd amassed a vast fortune, married, and continued sailing on expeditions — only returning to Saint-Nazareth to retire in his twilight years.
If the "First Pioneer" was the patron behind the Pink Pavilion, Fischer was not particularly surprised.
The man was fabulously wealthy, politically astute, and — Fischer had once heard — a gentleman of great charm and passion. Who would have guessed that in his old age he'd open the finest brothel in Saint-Nazareth?
"He ordered you to assassinate a member of the Schwari delegation?"
"Mm, but he didn't force me. He said that once Schwari and Naris restore full relations, many of their products will lose their monopoly. To make sure only they can sell those medicines and whatnot, he wanted me to kill a member of the delegation — preferably someone unimportant, because they want a cold war, not a real one."
Fischer listened in silence, sinking into deep thought.
So the Pink Pavilion was orchestrating the assassination merely to maintain its pharmaceutical monopoly in Saint-Nazareth?
Once Karo accepted the job, he had to carry it out. Otherwise, the months of shelter the Pink Pavilion had given him would count for nothing — and they would never let it go quietly. That explained why he had sought a deal with Fischer.
Karo watched Fischer think and, sensing the man's skepticism about the Pavilion's ulterior motives, ventured an explanation.
"Honestly, they didn't seem that urgent about it. Maybe they're just testing the waters — seeing if they can keep the drug monopoly going, nothing more. That's actually why I volunteered for the mission in the first place..."
Fischer looked at him the way one might look at a farm pig.
"What if they're only pretending not to be urgent — so you'll walk right into the trap?"
The question left Karo speechless. He turned his gaze away, unwilling to lose any more face.
Based on Karo's intelligence, the Pink Pavilion might genuinely be acting just to preserve its pharmaceutical dominance in Naris. Or there might be deeper, more far-reaching objectives at play. Until certainty was possible, it was safer to assume the worst.
With his plan forming, Fischer addressed Karo.
"First, when the academic conference takes place, you will infiltrate Saint-Nazareth University as planned. Make it look to the Pink Pavilion as though you're going through with the assassination..."
"And then I actually run for it, while you take care of the Pavilion's tail — right?"
Fischer continued in a flat tone, still treating Karo like a farm pig.
"Then you will protect every single member of the delegation. No one dies."
"What?! I have to protect them now? What if nobody dies and the Pink Pavilion comes after me, and then you just wash your hands of the whole thing? Don't forget — I have a lead on the Undying Witch!"
Fischer bestowed upon Karo a pitying look and stubbed out his cigarette.
"The entire delegation surviving is the only way you survive. The moment you accepted this mission from the Pink Pavilion, your next move was already checkmate."
Fischer's gaze turned cold.
"Scenario one: you fail the assassination. Whether you escape or not, the authorities, the Pink Pavilion, and the Witch Research Society will all come for you. Scenario two: you succeed. Naris and Schwari will both hunt you to the ends of the earth. Which do you find more terrifying — the Research Society and the Pavilion, or two sovereign nations?"
As Karo listened, the reality of his predicament finally began to register in his sluggish brain. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead.
Only now did he grasp how suffocating it was to lack strategic intelligence. From the moment he had fled into the Pink Pavilion's protection, every choice had been wrong — and wrong choices could only lead to wrong outcomes.
"Only if you stand on my side and help protect the delegation will I be able to use the authority of both nations to shield you from the two factions. It's the only plan I can come up with. Don't look at me — I'm not the Mother Goddess. I can't save you single-handedly."
"I-I understand. I'll do whatever you say. So when the time comes, I just have to get into Saint-Nazareth University and make sure every member of the delegation stays alive, and then I can escape — right?"
At that moment, Fischer thought that if he himself were a person of ill intent, this fool would have walked into yet another trap.
If Fischer simply abandoned him afterward and walked away, Karo would be dead — and Fischer would have accomplished every objective without the messy complication of arranging the man's escape. Wouldn't that be easier?
Fortunately, Fischer still had something of a conscience.
He nodded in assent and turned to gaze at the school in the night wind.
And then he saw it — a shadow racing along the outside of the university fence, closing in on the campus with startling agility. The figure was roughly human-sized but moved with inhuman speed, scaling the tall perimeter wall in three swift motions.
After clearing the wall, Fischer caught a dim glimpse of something broad trailing behind the figure — a wide, indistinct tail, its shape unclear in the darkness.
'What was that?'
'A demi-human?'
'Or some other kind of creature?'
Fischer's brow furrowed. After a single second's hesitation, he snatched up his walking stick and hat and sprinted toward the school — determined to catch whoever had just slipped inside.
Behind him, Karo was about to speak when Fischer was already running. Bewildered, Karo called out "Hey!" — but Fischer paid him no mind.
Without looking back, Fischer shouted as he ran.
"You can head back! Remember what I said! If there's news, use the messenger!"
"Huh?"
Karo assumed they'd been spotted. He scrambled behind a tree in a panic, eyes darting in every direction — but after a long, frantic search, he saw nothing. Only the buzz of mosquitoes and the soft caress of the night wind.
And in that moment, the artificial Witch — dragged out to the suburbs in the dead of night, barely allowed a word before being ruthlessly abandoned on the spot — felt a surge of indignation toward the retreating figure of Fischer, even from the perspective of a normal man. That gentleman's personality was truly, thoroughly rotten!
Cursing him silently, Karo realized, with characteristic delay, that he was once again alone.
And so, hugging himself and trembling, he began inching carefully toward Saint-Nazareth — and was slowly swallowed by the dark.