novelraw Chapter 35: The Broken Horn of the Mighty
Chapter 35: The Broken Horn of the Mighty
The “Ohn” Nana spoke of was the same person mentioned before at the Koxenin Circus—the original buyer of the Dragonkin girls. Fischer had thought he was just a wealthy local back in Fieron City, but it turned out, unfortunately, that he was someone dispatched by the lord’s manor.
Fischer paused for a second or two before turning to Nana and saying,“He came after me when I was in Port Brian, so I left him in a field not far from the city. If you go now, you might still dig up his bones.”“You—!”Nana frowned and was just about to speak when Fieron raised his hand to stop her.
Fischer wasn’t trying to be provocative—he was simply stating the truth. If Ohn hadn’t tried to take his carriage by force back in the city, he wouldn’t have killed him. Since he hadn’t done anything wrong, he felt no guilt about it, not even here in Ohn’s territory.
“Because it was so far away, Nana had no choice but to entrust the mission to mercenaries outside Fieron City. It’s not unusual for their quality to be unreliable,” Fieron said, his tone much gentler than Nana’s. “Besides, since Mr. Fischer already helped us achieve our goal by rescuing those Dragonkin children, there’s no point in fussing over it.”
“Our goal?”
So Fieron’s purpose in buying the Dragonkin was to rescue them? But Fischer had been searching for the red Dragonkin girls because of the world-ending prophecy—that’s how he found Raphaëlle and the others. Would Fieron really go halfway across the continent just to rescue a group of captured Dragonkin? Where had he even gotten that information?
“There was a kid with me once, named Nary. He was probably captured along with the kids by your side. He told me his companions were still in the hands of slave traders, so I arranged to have them brought back. Unfortunately, the mercenaries I sent never came back, so I had to send Nary back to his tribe first.”
“...Lord Fieron, you’re really generous.”
Spending thousands of Nary gold coins just to fulfill a demi-human kid’s wish—to bring back some Dragonkin he had never met. If the Nary government had half this spirit and kindness, maybe they wouldn’t be so reviled all the time—assuming they even had the financial strength Fieron clearly did.
Which raised the question—where did this Southern Continent lord get all that money? “Haha, let’s set aside all that for now. Tonight, I’ll have Nana arrange your rooms,” Fieron said with a smile. “But after dinner, Mr. Fischer, would you be interested in visiting my lab?”
“Oh?” Fischer perked up. “What’s your current area of research, Lord Fieron?”
“There are three main fields—steam engine dynamics, ethics, and pathology. Lately, I’ve been focusing on the third one... Are you familiar with a rare disease from the Southern Continent?”
As Fieron spoke mysteriously, Fischer suddenly recalled what Keken had mentioned before—Azure Frenzy.
“You mean... Azure Frenzy?”
Fieron paused for a moment, then chuckled.“Azure Frenzy, huh? Good name... The name may be different, but I think we’re studying the same disease. Anyway, I’ll have Nana show you to your rooms first. I should tidy up the lab a bit—I’m not in the habit of keeping it clean, and it’s probably a mess right now.”
He glanced at Nana, who immediately stood and bade Fischer and the others farewell, likely heading off to prepare the accommodations.
Fieron left shortly after, and the dining room was temporarily left with just Fischer’s group and a few maids.
When Fischer told the Dragonkin girls about the conversation and plan, Larr was still eyeing the cool-looking mechanical gadgets outside with clear envy—it was obvious what she was thinking.
“Everyone, this way please.”
Before long, Nana appeared at the dining room entrance, and this time she spoke in Dragon Court language.
“You... you can speak Dragon Court language?”Raphaëlle looked at the Minotaur girl in surprise. Nana smiled and explained,“Not just Dragon Court language—I also speak Nary, Minotaur, Werekin, and Southern Tribal dialects... There are only two spare rooms left. Mr. Fischer, how would you like to arrange them? If necessary, this young lady might have to share with you...”
She looked at Raphaëlle with a gentle smile, which made Raphaëlle flustered.“No way I’m sharing a room with him, I...”“I’ll stay with Fischer!” Larr cut in. “Mir, you and I can go to the other room. Let Lady Raphaëlle bunk with Fassil and the others.”
“Huh?”Mir’s face flushed too. She gave Larr a glare, clearly annoyed at her bold claim.
Nana apologized with a bit of embarrassment,“Sorry, there are many demi-human kids in the manor, so Lord Fieron hired a lot of maids. The rooms are a bit tight.”
“It’s fine. We can just stay in the carriage,” Fischer said.
“The carriage?”
Living in a carriage did sound odd, but with not enough rooms...
Fischer didn’t really want to explain the whole thing about space magic and whatnot. Before he could say anything, Raphaëlle spoke up first,“Wait—I'll share with Fischer.”
Fischer glanced at her profile. Since she didn’t mind, there was no point in being difficult. He nodded in agreement.
And just like that, the room assignments were settled: Fischer and Raphaëlle in one room, Mir and the others in another.
Nana gracefully led Raphaëlle upstairs. Following her, Raphaëlle kept stealing glances at her light-footed steps and at the broken horn atop her head, now covered with a golden accessory.
“What is it?” Fischer asked.
Raphaëlle looked at Nana ahead of them and whispered,“I heard Minotaurs value their horns a lot. Breaking even one makes it hard for them to move, and they fall into deep depression. If both are broken...”
Fischer’s gaze followed hers to the broken horn. He had seen captured Minotaurs in the slave markets—some had their beautiful horns sawed off and turned into crafts by humans. Those slaves, just as Raphaëlle described, looked no different from the dead—no will to live.
Fischer suspected there might be a neurological link between their horns and their brains. Maybe damaging them caused extreme despair and depression. Or perhaps it was cultural—Minotaurs raised with the belief that horns were vital might see their loss as equivalent to death.
But Nana showed no signs of such symptoms. She seemed completely normal, which made Fischer doubt his first theory.
“This is your room. Mine is next to Lord Fieron’s. If you need anything, just knock on my door.”
There weren’t many rooms on the second floor. The largest room at the back was Fieron’s, with Nana’s next to it. Then came Fischer’s room, and farther out were the others’.
It didn’t seem like these were meant as guest rooms—they were probably old storage rooms converted into bedrooms due to space constraints. The proper guest rooms downstairs had all been assigned to the maids.
“Thanks.”
Nana gave Fischer a brief look, then quietly left. Her golden-furred Minotaur tail swayed slightly beneath her skirt, brushing against her fair calves—its color matched her hair.
After helping Larr and the others settle in, Fischer returned to his own room. Inside, the crimson Dragonkin girl was already sitting on the only bed, her tail coiled around a pillow.
“Go get some bedding. You’re sleeping on the floor.”“....”
Raphaëlle opened her mouth, glanced at Fischer, then ran to the cabinet Nana had pointed out. She grabbed a blanket and spread it on the floor. After wiping her face, she sat down and looked up at him.
“Tonight, I’m challenging you to a duel. I figured out how to beat you!”
Fischer leaned on his cane, looking at her.“Thought of it during dinner?”“Yeah... and also before we entered the city.”
Knock knock...
A knock on the door interrupted their conversation. A maid’s voice followed,“Mr. Fischer, the Lord has asked me to escort you to his lab...”
Fischer glanced at Raphaëlle, then took off his suit jacket and hung it on the rack.“Think it through again. Don’t forget what I told you—your duel is tomorrow night. You still owe me a punishment... I’m stepping out. Watch over Larr and the others.”
“...Got it,” Raphaëlle muttered, pouting.