novelraw Chapter 19: Continuation of the Journey
Chapter 19: Continuation of the Journey
“Sorry, sorry...”
The afternoon research had to be cut short. Mill’s wild imagination often made Fischer wonder if she was a total airhead. Even after he explained things to her, her face stayed flushed bright red, and she couldn’t even meet his eyes—like she was afraid his gaze would burn her.
That night, Fischer delivered dinner to the Dragonkin in the carriage. Mill, who’d been blushing for what felt like hours, finally opened her mouth to say that simple apology. Before this, her brain had basically crashed—she looked even more out of it than Raphaëlle, who was in the middle of her Coming of Age ceremony.
“It’s fine.”
Skipping over her embarrassment, Fischer placed a roasted chicken into her hands.
She had originally said she’d share food with Raphaëlle, but seeing as Mill wasn’t in a good state, Fischer just ordered an extra meal instead. That was another unexpected expense, but thankfully his wallet still had plenty of money—not enough to go broke over just yet.
At night, Raphaëlle stayed upstairs in a hotel room, while Fischer stayed in the carriage with the young Dragonkin, recording the day’s research into the Demi-Human Girl Completion Handbook.
As line after line of golden text etched itself onto the pages, the biological and social research on Dragonkin had reached roughly 20% progress. If things kept up, he’d hit the 25% mark needed to claim his reward in just a few days.
Later into the night, Fischer sat in the research room with a small knife and various magical materials, ready to finally engrave the fire-starting magic tool he’d been meaning to make. The spell wasn’t difficult—probably just a Tier 1 spell.
Magic was measured in “rings.” The number of rings indicated how many layers the Magic Circuit had. The higher the number, the more intense the spell’s Resonance. Magic Circuits, regardless of size, could activate magic. In theory, even a one-millimeter circuit could unleash the spell’s full power—though that required serious skill from the engraver. Fischer liked delicate, meticulous engraving. That was something he picked up from the Undying Witch, who preferred this style herself. After learning magic from her, he couldn’t help but inherit a few of her quirks. Another reason was that Fischer didn’t have a lot of items to engrave on, so he often stacked many circuits onto a single object.
But for a simple campfire, there was no need to be that precise.
He took out the iron brazier whose old Magic Circuit had worn off. As he recalled the symbol for Rootless Flame, he used the knife to draft the base of the new Magic Circuit. When he began carving with the knife coated in magical material, a faint white glow lit up on his hand—that was his Magic Circuit activating.
The glow of a Magic Circuit matched the magician’s internal circuit color. Fischer’s was a pale white, like most humans. Some rare humans and demi-humans had unique circuit colors—Raphaëlle’s, for instance, was red.
Ancient, illusory letters were carved one by one into the iron base. Fischer let out a breath and blew away the carving debris, revealing a ring of glowing symbols. The ancient script shimmered with an eerie light, as though it had formed some inexplicable bond with the world.
With that, it was done—a Tier 1 spell engraved in about ten minutes.
Lower-tier spells took little time and consumed minimal magic. High-tier ones, though, required more time and would completely drain your energy. They usually needed to be engraved in stages to avoid accidents.
In Saint Nary, the police frequently found non-professional magicians who tried engraving spells beyond their capacity, only to turn themselves into dried corpses. Engraving magic always carried risk—especially higher-tier ones. One wrong move could lead to far worse than failure.
After safely storing the newly completed magical tool and doing a final check of his supplies, Fischer was done for the night. Under the moonlit sky, even mischievous kids like Larr were sound asleep, not to mention the rest of the Dragonkin. After skimming a few more pages of research, Fischer also turned in.
...
...
The next morning was Fischer’s planned departure from Keken City. Raphaëlle looked much better compared to the day before. Though she was still sluggish—her tail wouldn’t even twitch—and her whole body felt numb.
Mill said it was normal. Her limbs’ scales and body were still growing, so bed rest was the best remedy.
Fischer helped her into the carriage. After stopping by the Lord’s Mansion to say farewell to Keken, he set off toward the outskirts of the city.
According to Keken’s intel, Port Carl wasn’t accessible for now. Fischer wasn’t about to wander around Schwalli for two weeks just to get checked over by every department before getting back to Nary—his wallet wouldn’t survive that kind of detour.
So he changed plans and aimed for Fieron City to the northwest.
“Which way is your home?”
“Over... that way...”
He had promised Raphaëlle to return the little Dragonkin to his home. As soon as they left the city, Fischer called the child out to ask.
The boy hesitated a long time before finally pointing in a direction.
“Be careful on your way back. Don’t get caught again.”
“....”
They traveled in that direction for a while before a dense forest came into view. The little Dragonkin nodded at Fischer, jumped down from the carriage at the edge of the woods, and bolted into the forest. He kept glancing back at the departing carriage before vanishing deeper into the trees.
“Thank you...”
The door behind Fischer creaked open slightly. A pair of emerald-green eyes peeked through, watching him hold the reins. Raphaëlle had come to check personally, clearly uneasy. Only after seeing the child safely released did she breathe a sigh of relief.
“No need. Fair trade—we both got what we needed.”
“...”
Fischer didn’t look back. His gaze stayed fixed on the open wilderness ahead.
The sky was gloomy today, thick clouds pressing heavily above, and a gray mist blurred the far horizon.
Only the sound of hooves kept him company. After a while, Fischer glanced behind him. The door was still ajar—Raphaëlle was leaning against the step, eyes closed, resting, her tail curled around herself.
“If you're not feeling well, go lie down and rest.”
“...It’s stuffy in there. Plus, Larr is super noisy. It’s actually nicer out here.”
Fischer didn’t reply, just focused on the road. What he didn’t notice was that when he looked forward again, Raphaëlle quietly turned her gaze toward him.
The rhythmic beat of hooves continued. After watching him for a long while, she finally closed her eyes, looking a little tired. Her tail flicked slightly, as if lost in thought.
...
...
In the cloudy, mist-shrouded plains, two shadows quietly watched the speeding carriage.
“Did you get a good look, Famasie?”
A cold, feminine voice cut through the mist. A vague silhouette of a curvy woman emerged from the fog. Next to her, a much smaller figure held her hands up like binoculars, focusing on the distant carriage.
“Mm... yeah, I see it. Two black horses, gold-trimmed frame, one coachman—a human male... Looks like a private human carriage, not part of a merchant convoy or transport group...”
“Heh, you don’t get it. That’s exactly the kind that brings the biggest haul. Low risk, and we might hit a jackpot... What’s the coachman wearing?”
“Black... What was that outfit called again?”
“Can’t remember either... Is it dirty?”
“Nope.”
“Perfect! Go call Korriri over, and fast. Tell her we’ve got a job tonight. Even the coachman’s dressed nicely, so whoever’s inside might be filthy rich. This could be a big one... They’re heading northwest. I’ll tail them for now—once you’ve got the team, send the signal.”
“Hey! Sia, wait!”
The woman rose mid-sentence. Her upper body’s graceful figure suddenly elevated, revealing a grotesquely massive spider body underneath. Her bladed legs skittered rapidly across the plains, eight crimson eyes glowing menacingly.
Before her companion could finish the sentence, the spider-woman’s figure had already disappeared into the distance.
Famasie reached out instinctively to stop her, but the fog was too thick. That towering silhouette was gone in moments, and she could only sigh.
“Ugh, she always dumps the grunt work on me. Sia, you jerk...”
Grumbling, she slipped on a cracked pair of goggles, bent down, and started digging. Her motions looked slow, but the dirt piled up fast. Soon, a secret tunnel opened in front of her.
She dove in headfirst and disappeared underground, leaving only the drifting fog hovering over the plains.