novelraw Book 2: Chapter 27: Bad Man
Book 2: Chapter 27: Bad Man
Fischer jumped down from the pipe, seemingly deep in thought. The regenerative speed of that woman earlier had far exceeded his expectations. Based on her limb-regeneration ability that resembled time reversal after dismemberment, Fischer felt it closely matched the prophecy of the [Undying Witch].
It seems I'll need to find her to learn more... The Pink Pavilion then.
Now that he'd discovered the hiding place of the Undying Witch, this witch Bart had outlived his usefulness. He appeared to be a witch manually created by the Research Society, though Fischer still didn't understand how they'd accomplished it. Could they already possess advanced soul-manipulation technology?
It seems I'll need to find time later to read the [Soul Completion Manual] and gain more knowledge about souls.
As Fischer was pondering this, the pirates ahead suddenly screamed in alarm.
"He's alive! Wait, no he's not! What the hell is happening?"
"Hmm?"
Puzzled, Fischer approached to see the headless witch Bart collapsed on the ground. The bloody stump of his neck was extending visible flesh tendrils, similar to the Undying Witch he'd witnessed earlier, though both the speed and degree of regeneration fell far short of the original.
Within seconds, the flesh tendrils weakly grew forward before losing vitality completely and collapsing. Then his grotesquely obese body suddenly emitted a foul stench. Fischer frowned and abruptly shouted at the nearby pirates:
"Get back now!""Boom!"
The pirates hastily retreated. Once they'd put sufficient distance between themselves and the corpse, the immensely obese witch's body began convulsing violently, inflating like a balloon. When his belly reached maximum expansion, it exploded outward with a tremendous bang.
Even from their distant position, the overwhelming stench reached Fischer's nose. Through the dense blood mist, he faintly glimpsed a small flesh fragment still waving its tendrils. But like his unrecovered head, after struggling briefly, the tendrils dissolved into a pool of blood.
Thus, the Witch Research Society's witch Bart had completely transformed into an unrecognizable mass. Fischer had originally considered bringing him back to the Nary police, though he doubted they'd identify this amorphous substance as Bart from the Witch Research Society.
Fischer had no interest in police matters. He pulled a cigarette from his pocket, lit it to disperse the foul odor, then turned to Arajina and her crew behind him.
"You still haven't left Saint Nary? If you linger any longer, I can't guarantee what Nary will do to you once the Schwalli diplomatic delegation arrives."
When Arajina first saw Fischer approaching, she'd thought he was seeking her out—perhaps to ask whether she'd considered his proposition regarding activities below deck...
Now it appeared he'd merely been pursuing that witch and happened to encounter her here.
Arajina felt somewhat disappointed, though her tone remained even.
"My crew was procuring final supplies for the ship. We stayed longer due to the intelligence broker's murder, but matters are settled now. We depart tomorrow..."
Arajina glanced back at her crew only to find them standing far away, whistling innocently while pointing at the dark pipes overhead. An observer might mistake them for Nary engineering officials planning future drainage layouts.
Arajina opened her mouth slightly, embarrassed by their transparent behavior. Seeing Fischer simply enjoying his cigarette without giving them odd looks, she relaxed.
"The ports should already be closed to you. How will you transport those supplies?"
Arajina looked toward the turbulent underground river in the distance.
"Saint Nary has specialists providing such services deep along the underground river. This information came from our previous mission employer."
Employer... meaning whoever sent them on that Southern Continent mission?
Fischer didn't press for details. As his cigarette burned down, he extinguished it and waved farewell to Arajina.
"I have other matters to attend to. Take care, and thank you for your assistance earlier. If you ever need help with anything within my capabilities, feel free to seek me out."
Watching Fischer turn to leave, Arajina hesitated briefly before suddenly calling out:
"...I actually have a request now."
"Oh? What is it?"
Fischer turned back curiously to see the captain's expression remaining calm, though her azure eyes shone with unusual intensity. Her gloved hand reached into her coat, withdrawing that blue crystal-embedded necklace.
"I want to make a promise with you—to give me a chance to pursue you." Arajina extended the necklace toward Fischer with utmost seriousness. "Once I'm settled and free from danger, I'll return to fulfill my promise to you. Wherever you are, I'll go there without fail..."
"I'll leave this necklace as proof... but this isn't coercion. If you wait too long or wish to refuse at any point, consider my pursuit failed. You may discard the necklace then. If rejected, my father won't be angry—at least I took the initiative sincerely. And..."
Here, her typically ice-pale complexion faintly bloomed with cherry blossoms, her voice softening to nearly inaudible levels as she whispered:
"I... can also... be the one below..."
Fischer stood stunned for a full second, momentarily at a loss for words. The longer his silence stretched, the more nervous and embarrassed Arajina became. Her pink-tinged face lowered slightly, fearing Fischer might utter some cold, terrifying rejection.
As the atmosphere threatened to solidify into awkwardness, the gentleman sighed and reached out to accept the necklace, carefully tucking the token into his coat.
"...Understood. I'll keep this necklace safe for you then. Until our promise is fulfilled, it will remain secure with me."
Watching Fischer tenderly store the necklace, Arajina's face instantly brightened. For the first time ever, the corners of her lips curled into a smile—like snow melting under dawn's first light, breathtakingly beautiful.
Fischer smiled slightly, bid Arajina farewell, then grasped his cane and walked toward sunlit Saint Nary beyond the tunnel, leaving Arajina watching the gentleman's retreating figure.
Standing there, her heart pounded violently—a sensation she hadn't experienced in many years.
Yet... she didn't dislike it. Rather, it brought joy.
Clutching her chest with slightly pursed lips, she didn't follow the gentleman's steps, her exact expression obscured.
Far behind them, several pirates squatting on the ground while chewing peanuts and squinting at this picturesque parting scene remained silent, as if watching Saint Nary's most captivating theater performance—desperate to see the next act.
Alas, the handsome gentleman had already departed.
"Oh, he is quite handsome... Don't look at me like that, I'm not a homewrecker. Just saying, appearance-wise, he's not my type."
"The captain's so inexperienced, acting all shy. You'd never guess it from how she fights."
"If it were me, I'd just kidnap that gentleman onto the ship. He'd have to comply eventually. Once there's a child, the captain could have her way."
"Ugh! You ruffian, what would you know? The pursuit may be difficult, but the result is life's sweetest reward."
The crewmate who called the captain inexperienced frowned at her snacking companions and the obese first mate, hesitantly speculating:
"The captain seems too green around that man. She's only 24—what if she meets someone older... I mean, meets a bad man? How could our captain's limited romantic experience compete?"
Seeing her stunned companions, she hastily waved her hands in clarification:
"I'm just worried for the captain! Getting scammed would hurt worse than losing treasure!"
"Don't jinx the captain!"
"Exactly!"
The chastised crewmate pursed her lips as Arajina turned to approach, keeping her "unrealistic" suspicions about Fischer to herself.
With so many bad men out there, surely the captain hadn't met one!
Or so she told herself.