novelraw Chapter 15: So-Called Transaction
Chapter 15: So-Called Transaction
“Ahhhh!”
Raphaëlle, wreathed in scalding steam, charged at Fischer, her crimson tail slicing through the air like lightning. The ferocity of the Dragonkin was fully unleashed at this moment.
Just like she’d said before—Dragonkin were born warriors. That was no lie.
But the gentleman at the end of her charge didn’t panic in the slightest. Instead, he gave a quick glance at the surrounding civilians, ensuring they’d cleared a safe distance. Only then did his body sink low as he raised the cane in his left hand, aligning it perfectly with her razor-sharp claws.
Rip!
Sparks exploded from the cane. Just as her claws were about to slice through him, Fischer slammed a fist into Raphaëlle’s abdomen, abruptly halting her terrifying strike. Her body, knocked off balance, was sent flying backward.
Before she could soar away, Fischer caught her arm and yanked her back. With a fluid motion, he threw her down onto the ground.
“Cough, cough...”
Raphaëlle clutched her mouth and coughed several times. Fischer hadn’t held back—her stomach was in knots. The searing pain from her torn, unhealed wounds mixed with her humiliation and rage, causing her scales to rise involuntarily.
Fischer gave her a side glance, then waved the curious onlookers further back. After all, the little dragon in front of him still wasn’t calmed down. Once the crowd had backed off a few more steps, Fischer lowered his gaze to meet Raphaëlle’s furious emerald eyes. His own gaze was unreadable—or perhaps she was just in no state to see through it.
The next second, her tail twitched and her mouth parted as she took in a deep breath. As her chest rose and fell, a faint glow lit up her crimson scales, drawing Fischer’s attention.
Bang!!
As the glow intensified, Raphaëlle leapt up and drove a punch straight at Fischer’s face—but unsurprisingly, he blocked it with his cane again.
Unlike before, the force behind this blow was terrifying. Even the cane began to glow with magical runes—runes Fischer had etched onto it for reinforcement against far more dangerous threats. He hadn’t expected Raphaëlle’s punch to trigger them.
Feeling the immense power reverberate through the cane, Fischer took a step back, then angled the cane slightly to redirect the force.
It seemed Dragonkin had ways to temporarily boost their physical strength—just like what Raphaëlle was doing now. Her scales shimmered visibly, though perhaps due to her youth, the glow was faint, like sunlight glinting off her body.
If Fischer hadn’t felt the power himself, he might not have noticed the difference.
Even while fending off Raphaëlle’s attacks, Fischer was deepening his understanding of Dragonkin. Maybe after this assassination attempt, he could unlock more entries about them in the Demi-Human Girl Completion Handbook.
His mind raced, but his body never missed a beat.
After sidestepping another blow, Fischer lifted his cane and struck at Raphaëlle. Her punch had been too forceful—when the momentum was redirected, she stumbled forward.
She looked back in time to see Fischer’s swing, but just as she prepared to counterattack, pain shot through her arm—the same one he’d bandaged for her earlier.
The wound... did it tear open?
Before she could finish the thought, Fischer’s cane came crashing down on her back.
Whack! Whack! Whack!
“Ugh...”
He wasn’t using deadly force—more like a stern schoolteacher punishing a student. The three strikes landed squarely on her back, her butt, and her tail, forcing her to collapse onto the muddy ground.
“Cough, cough, cough...”
The punch to her stomach reignited her pain. Her legs and left hand ached even more, and her whole body felt sore and unresponsive. Still, she tried to get up.
Then Fischer’s indifferent voice came from beside her.
“Think carefully. Was this assassination a success or a failure?”
“Hahaha, nice hit! Stupid Dragonkin slave like her deserves—”
The slave-trading hunter nearby, finally steadying himself after the chaos, burst out laughing at Raphaëlle’s misery, as if he’d been the one to hit her.
But then he caught sight of Fischer’s icy stare—like a frozen abyss—and went silent.
Bzzz!
Gritting her teeth, Raphaëlle tried to rise again, only to see Fischer’s cane suddenly glow a deep white. Layers of magical runes began activating, but before they fully ignited, Fischer flicked his wrist, unleashing a blinding arc of light faster than sound.
It zipped past the hunter’s face with a buzzing like a swarm of bees, slicing his rifle and luggage cleanly in two.
The hunter froze. His right cheek went numb, like a million needles of anesthesia. Trembling, he touched his face and found only warm, crimson blood.
The blade of light had left a cut across his face—he truly thought he’d been killed.
“Don’t...” The slave trader collapsed backward, landing on his broken rifle. Before he could even feel the pain, he shrieked, “Don’t kill me! Please don’t kill me! I’m begging you...”
Fischer lowered his cane without even glancing at the man, his voice as cold as steel.
“Think carefully. Was this assassination a success or a failure?”
He was talking to Raphaëlle again, repeating his earlier question.
Raphaëlle stared blankly at the bisected wall, the shredded gun, and the split luggage. Even the stone bricks along the street had been sliced cleanly, yet there were no marks left behind. That was the power of his magic.
Her lips parted, but then she lowered her head, biting her teeth hard, refusing to speak.
Her body ached, but the blow to her pride hurt even more.
“I... I lost...”
Her voice trembled with tears, faint like a whisper on the wind—but Fischer heard it.
She didn’t know what kind of face that human wore, but in her heart, only pain and sorrow brewed. The helplessness of seeing her kin captured, the fury burning inside with no release—it felt like it would melt her from the inside out.
The strength of this human made her doubt herself. She couldn’t save her captured Dragonkin kin, and maybe... not even Larr and the others.
“Can you still walk?”
“...”
She gave no answer, her head hanging low. Even her tail lay limp in the mud, unmoving—completely defeated.
“Seriously...”
With a simple sigh, a pair of strong hands suddenly gripped her waist, lifting her whole dragon body into the air. Mud dripped from her clothes onto the clean black suit of the human man, leaving long trails.
Fischer looked down at her tear-streaked, steaming emerald eyes.
So even Dragonkin could cry.
That thought crossed his mind.
As Raphaëlle was consumed by shame, Fischer reached up and dropped his hat over her face, shielding her from view.
Her vision went dark, but Fischer’s voice rang clear.
“Stupid... attacking me before you even healed, wasting both my bandaging and your assassination chance. If all Dragonkin warriors act like moody little dragons, no wonder you got caught...”
Stupid human...
Stupid human...
Raphaëlle weakly gripped the front of his suit. She wanted to claw at his chest—but even that was a pipe dream.
Because under his clothes, hot blood trickled through his bandages. His wound had split wide open—possibly worsened by their fight.
So, for now, she couldn’t kill this human while in his arms.
“You want to save that Dragonkin, but you’ve got no way to do it. I’m your only chance. And still, you won’t speak to me... heh.”
“Why would you help me save him?”
Raphaëlle finally managed to snap back, her voice still tinged with sobs.
“Fair point. I’m no charity. But you overlooked something—you still have a bargaining chip. Like, say, your chance to assassinate me. If you trade one of those, maybe I’ll agree.”
“...”
In his arms, Raphaëlle could feel Fischer heading toward the carriage. She bit her lip, visibly struggling. Talking to this human seemed more painful than anything.
He didn’t stop walking. Each step felt like a blow to her chest. Then, she suddenly clutched his suit, causing him to pause.
Though his hat still covered her face, she turned toward his chest, too embarrassed to look at him.
“I’ll... trade... help me save that child...”
“One assassination attempt?”
“Mhm...”
“If you accept punishment, you’ll get two rounds, and only have two tries left. You sure about this?”
The man spoke like the devil himself, and Raphaëlle pressed her face further into his chest. She couldn’t even look at him.
“Mhm...”
She nodded.
“Deal.”
In the next instant, the hat was removed. Light returned to her eyes. They were standing in front of the cage holding the Demi-human.
So he didn’t go back...
Raphaëlle realized.
Fischer looked at the stunned slave trader sitting on the ground and asked,
“I want to buy that Dragonkin. How much?”
“Ah—ah! That one? Free! Take him! He’s all yours!”
Seeing that death god of a man approach, the slave trader nearly passed out from fear. He dared not haggle and was desperate to please.
Fischer nodded slightly. The sound of a carriage came from behind. City soldiers, responding to a report, arrived and surrounded the area with guns raised.
“Sir, please stay where you are. This is the Keken City Security Team. You’re suspected of disturbing the peace. According to Nary law and Keken City regulations—”
Voices rose in a clamor behind them. Raphaëlle’s body and mind finally caught up. She stared in a daze at the young Dragonkin locked in the cage.
She hadn’t expected... that they’d actually saved the child already.
Her body ached so badly that her thoughts slowed. Naturally, she didn’t notice her tail wrapping sneakily around Fischer’s waist again, swaying a few times in comfort before going still.