novelraw Chapter 33: Fieron City
Chapter 33: Fieron City
The journey from Lord Keken’s city to Fieron City took a little over ten days. After setting off across the wilderness alongside Fieron’s soldiers, there were no more unexpected mishaps—under the cover of such a well-equipped force.
The trip went smoothly, and during occasional rest stops, they even struck up conversations.
At first, Fischer suspected these soldiers had taken the goblin children for some ulterior motive. But along the way, they actually tried to comfort them—as if they were human children.
If they truly had another purpose, wouldn’t it be enough just to keep them alive until they got to Fieron City?
There was no need to go out of their way like this.
After ten days of travel, Captain Harry reunited with other returning units in the wilderness outside Fieron. Unlike their group, which only had a few children, the others had surviving adult demi-humans as well.
All kinds of races—Werekin, Goblins, even Insectkin that barely resembled humans.
Judging from their clothes and numbers, they were the last remnants of various tribes. For a while now, entire tribes had been slaughtered by humans, and Fischer had assumed any survivors had already been captured and enslaved. He hadn’t expected Fieron City to have preserved so many.
So then—what exactly was Fieron’s goal?
“Mr. Fischer, look—we’ve arrived.” Fischer peered out from beneath the brim of his hat and saw, in the distant wilds, an enormous city wall. It dwarfed every other Southern Continent city by far. Towering airships drifted among the clouds above, and even from here, the sounds of a lively city and steam whistles could be heard in the air.
There were no factory chimneys in sight. The outer walls were spotless white, and guards patrolled the ramparts with rifles in hand.
Fischer’s mouth hung open slightly. If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, he never would’ve believed that a city of this scale could exist on the Southern Continent.
Several units of soldiers in matching blue uniforms regrouped at the gates and then entered one by one. The giant gate rose, pulled upward by a steam-powered mechanism. The grinding of gears and metal was loud and clear.
The massive gate wasn’t usually opened—only for major movements. There was a smaller arched passage next to it for regular traffic, similar to other cities.
“Captain Harry, and this gentleman is...?”
“Ah, this is a companion we met during the mission. You go ahead and report. We’ll be taking the demi-humans to the City Lord's manor, and we’ll inform the Lord then.”
“Be sure to come back and clear the entry log.”
“Of course.”
The entry officer gave a quick glance at Fischer’s carriage, nestled between soldiers, then marked a few strokes on his clipboard. Putting it down, he glanced toward the group of demi-humans entering alongside the soldiers and muttered,
“The City Lord’s rescued this many again, huh... That must’ve cost a fortune.”
“Well, they’re all housed in the City Lord’s estate. Doesn’t bother the common folk. If the Lord’s got a kind heart, no need to worry about his wallet.”
“True enough... Go on in.”
Once Harry finished the check-in, he remounted and gestured for the others to proceed.
Inside the city, only a few officers and their soldiers accompanied the demi-humans. The rest of the troops headed toward the barracks near the walls for rest.
“Mr. Fischer, the City Lord’s estate is just ahead. If Fieron is your final destination, we can part ways here. But if you intend to head further north, I’d advise meeting the City Lord first.”
“Oh? Why’s that?”
“Apparently a huge gold mine was discovered up north. The Lords of Schwalli sent troops to blast the mountains and mine it, and now they’re at war with the goblins and other demi-human tribes living there. Our Lord signed a non-aggression treaty with Schwalli’s lords, and currently, the city is under lockdown. If you want to leave, only the City Lord can approve it.”
“I see. Then I’ll trouble you to take me to meet him.”
Port Crete was still some ways north, and Fieron was a critical resupply point. It wouldn’t be practical to skip it.
Besides, Fischer was curious about the City Lord of Fieron—this man called Fieron.
“No trouble at all. I’ll report your aid to the demi-humans truthfully. The City Lord appreciates kind-hearted people—he won’t give you a hard time.”
The officer led Fischer’s carriage deeper into the city, and Fischer finally took in the surroundings for the first time.
Unlike other cities on the Southern Continent, which had only a few stores and vital facilities, this one had paved brick streets, parks, and green spaces. Fischer even saw a shop selling musical instruments, and a corner café where maids in black and white uniforms served customers.
The residential areas were orderly. Fischer spotted school-aged kids in matching uniforms with backpacks walking the streets. An adult, smiling and holding a piece of bread, listened as one of them complained about something at school.
Most residents spoke Nary, but he also noticed churches from Cardo.
The living conditions here were far beyond anything Fischer had imagined. It was the outlier among Southern Continent cities—and could even rival some cities on the Western Continent. No wonder Lord Keken compared it to Saint Nary.
Though there was still a gap, Saint Nary was Nary’s crown jewel—a city of deep history and national pride. The fact that anyone would even make such a comparison already said everything.
Fischer turned his eyes to the road ahead.
At the center of the city stood another wall, separating the inner sector.
“Mr. Fischer, that’s the City Lord’s estate up ahead.”
“Quite the mansion Lord Fieron has.”
But to Fischer, it looked more like an “inner city” than a residence—its grounds covered nearly a sixth of the entire city, with four separate gates.
“It’s not that the City Lord is indulgent—it’s because he’s housed many displaced demi-humans here. You know how humans tend to see demi-humans. So he set aside this entire area just for them.”
“I see.”
“I hear the facilities inside are almost the same as outside. You’ll see for yourself.”
Fischer nodded and entered the estate along with the soldiers.
He didn’t feel anything particularly different upon entry—this part of the city was just as lively. The only real change was that demi-humans made up the majority of the population here.
Several school-aged demi-humans from different races dashed past in uniform. Human workers in overalls were showing new arrivals how to access clean water. There were still plenty of humans around, but demi-humans were clearly the main residents. Some were working; others were selling goods.
The door behind Fischer opened, and Raphaëlle’s green eyes peered out. She stared in disbelief at the peaceful coexistence she was witnessing inside the estate.
Even Fischer, no matter how suspicious he was, kept searching for signs of coercion or captivity—anything that hinted the demi-humans were being forced. But when he looked at the expressions on their faces, he gave up.
To fake those expressions, you’d need some massive spell to control everyone’s minds simultaneously. But no such magic existed.
Which meant these demi-humans truly lived here of their own free will—free of threats or sorrow.
“Miss Nana, the demi-humans the Lord requested have all been brought in.”
“Ah, have them wait here. Mr. Fieron will be along shortly.”
The soldiers stopped. A clear, confident female voice drew Fischer’s attention. At the end of the road, in front of a tall building, stood a girl in a Nary-style dress. She smiled as she spoke to the soldiers.
Her features were gentle. If not for the small horn on her head, she could’ve passed for a human. One of her horns, on the right, was broken—cut off by someone. In its place was a golden prosthetic horn made with human craftsmanship.
She was a young Bovinekin girl.
“Huh? Who’s that gentleman over there?”
She’d spotted Fischer in the carriage and asked Captain Harry.
“Ah, that’s Mr. Fischer and his dragonkin companion. We ran into them during the goblin rescue—”
“Dragonkin?”
Under her curious gaze, Fischer stepped out, cane and hat in hand, and walked forward.
“Hello, I’m Fischer Benavides—”
Before he could finish, a deep and magnetic male voice came from the building.
“Nana, have the demi-humans been brought in?”
Fischer looked ahead and saw a group emerging from the tall house. The speaker was a towering man in a suit at the front.
He was tall, but his face was completely covered by something like a gas mask. Only one exposed, eyelid-less eye was visible through a mirrored lens. The inside of the mask seemed filled with some kind of liquid, making it look fully sealed.
Not just his face—his right arm had been completely replaced with some kind of steam-powered machinery. Steam hissed periodically from vents near his neck.
Several young demi-human children followed him—of various races, many sucking their thumbs as they curiously stared at the soldiers.
“My, my... and who might this gentleman from Nary be?”
The tall man adjusted his single lens to look at Fischer, then spoke with a magnetic voice.