Demi-human Girls Completion Manual Chapter 5 - 5 Be kind to people

5: Be kind to people 5: Be kind to people The door swung open, and Rafael touched her slightly flushed neck. The lingering warmth of that human, along with his words, still seemed to surround her ears. White bedding had been fully arranged in the room by Lar and the others. At the entrance, Lar peered out with her clear, moist eyes, cautiously observing Rafael as she exited Fisher’s room. "Lord Raphael… did he… did he hit you?" After entering the room where the bedding was laid out on the floor, her own set near the door, Lar sat on the bedding adjacent to hers, gazing at Rafael’s reddened neck with a hint of anxiety. As the youngest among them, the sight alone caused Lar’s eyes to soften, appearing on the verge of tears. Rafael paused for a moment, still contemplating the game terms she had agreed to with Fisher, and was momentarily at a loss for words. The slave emblem on her chest remained, though it was now merely an inert symbol, devoid of the controlling sensation it once possessed. "..." She opened her mouth but ultimately revealed nothing, instead gently embracing the petite Lar before her. "No… no need to worry, I will take you all home." "Lord Raphael..." Behind her stood Kexier and Fasher, a pair of rare white-scaled twin sisters of the Blue Dragon People. They were originally assigned to escort and protect Rafael but had all been captured by humans due to Rafael's lapse in judgment. Mier, the eldest, was the only adult Dragon-woman. She had already undergone a marriage ceremony within her tribe, chosen a partner to match tails with, and now, after being captured, had been separated from her kin for a considerable time. If not for her own error, they would never have been forced to leave their homeland. "Knock, knock..." Just as Rafael was holding Lar, a soft knock echoed from the door frame behind her. Fisher appeared in the doorway. Everyone except Rafael and the Lar in her arms instinctively drew back. "Come out to eat." After uttering these simple words, he vanished from the doorway. The Dragon-people inside the room exchanged glances, and only Lar's stomach rumbled in response. "Lord Raphael, I'm so hungry..." Lar's plaintive voice came from within Rafael’s embrace. Looking around, Rafael saw her companions also looking towards her. "Let's go." Exiting the room, Fisher was no longer in the carriage. Looking up the stairs, the door stood open to the nearly darkened night sky. Rafael took the lead outside, the cool night air brushing against her scales. As she stepped out of the carriage, the game rules she had established with that human resurfaced in her mind—it was now permissible to assassinate him outside the carriage. To win the game and secure her freedom, the only task left was to kill him. Her green eyes gleamed slightly as she instinctively sought the man's figure. However, she found him standing by the river, holding a peculiar long stick, gazing out at the wilderness beyond the riverbank. In the distant wilderness, now swallowed by darkness, a few faint, glowing eyes watched from the opposite side. Fisher raised the "long stick" he held, aiming towards the distance, and Rafael suddenly understood. Her tail lifted slightly, and in the very next moment, his stick let out a loud crack. "Bang!" "Roar!!" Fisher watched as an unfortunate wild wolf stumbled to the ground in the distance, its companions scattering in panic. So, that rather unsettling roar had not originated from them. He lowered his firearm and turned to face the red Dragon-woman whose pupils had narrowed to sharp lines. Her scales were slightly raised, emitting a considerable amount of steam. She lay on the ground, warily observing the man with the gun, appearing fearful he might shoot her. The other Dragon-people were all concealed behind the carriage, only their frightened eyes visible. So that was the reason. Fisher glanced at Rafael and calmly put away the firearm. "Can you start a fire?" "...Roar." Rafael's claws trembled slightly, and a low growl still emanated from her throat, akin to a frightened beast. "If not, go retrieve that wolf. If you wish to avoid hunger tonight, do it quickly." Shouldering his gun, he placed the formidable weapon behind his back. He walked past Rafael, who remained on the ground in a defensive posture, and proceeded directly to the side of the carriage, moving aside the Dragon-people hiding there. "Excuse me." In this dark enclosure, a portable fireplace was present, capable of being ignited by magic. Although, no one knew how many more uses it had; the magic array had already significantly faded during its last activation.

Magic always demanded lengthy preparations to construct arrays, proving notoriously unreliable and costly.

It’s understandable why individuals at Saint Nali dedicated themselves to inventing steam engines.

“What… What is that peculiar object? The one making that noise… That…”

Fisher, occupied with setting up the fireplace, suddenly detected a soft, sticky sound.

Initially mistaking it for the calls of earth spirits resonating from below, his surprise grew when he turned to find the youngest Blue Dragon person addressing him.

Her designation was… Lar, correct?

Presenting a pale visage, she cast her gaze toward the firearm secured to his back.

Her heart hammered as she fixated on the weapon’s still-smoking barrel, as if the bullet that struck the wolf had inflicted wounds upon her as well, prompting her to tentatively touch her own scales, ensuring no crimson fluid seeped forth.

“This?”

“…Yes.”

“It’s a firearm.”

Fisher responded, his focus unwavering on activating the magic array that was on the verge of dissipation, without sparing her a backward glance.

“Was it crafted using magic?”

“No, it was forged by humans.”

“Is it… intended for use against us?”

Uncertain whether her query pertained to demi-humans generally or the Dragon-man Species specifically, this line of reasoning seemed flawed.

Beneath the resplendent glow of human advancement, shadows invariably lurked; he thus offered a negative shake of his head.

“No, its purpose is for combat against fellow humans.”

Lar’s jaw slackened, her mind a whirlwind, still echoing with the recent dialogue.

“Lar!”

Mier, whose attention had wavered for mere moments, noticed Lar engaging with the perilous human.

Just as the man rose, firearm in hand, she hastened towards Lar, intending to position herself as a protective barrier.

However, she witnessed the man discharge his weapon towards the opposite riverbank.

“Bang!”

The distant earth erupted from the impact, followed by panicked shouts:

“Damn it, Rania’s been struck!”

“Disperse! That scoundrel spells trouble!”

“Apply pressure to his chest; he’s bleeding!”

Within the encroaching darkness, a disturbance arose on the far side, marked by indistinct quarrels and a few rash shots fired, seemingly to cover their tactical withdrawal.

Lar and Mier, who had hurried forward, stared in stunned silence at the phantoms vanishing into the gloom across the water.

They gaped, filled with disbelief, and then turned their gaze toward the male human, who had impassively returned to tending the fire on the ground.

The South Continent, a land of abundant riches, beckoned countless adventurers from the Western Continent to unearth its valuable resources.

Among them, naturally, were individuals of the most desperate sort.

Fisher had been informed prior to his arrival that the Council contemplated deporting these disreputable criminals to an island adjacent to the South Continent, thereby significantly reducing the expenses associated with constructing and maintaining penal facilities.

In essence, the South Continent hosted a variegated populace, leading to many individuals never seeing their return to the Western Continent.

These brigands were likely lured by the sounds of gunfire and galloping steeds; Fisher, whose physical capabilities had been augmented through past demi-human research, distinctly perceived their faint exchanges.

The outcomes of the preceding demi-human investigations had bestowed substantial advantages upon him, including remarkable physical prowess, acute observational faculties, and the capacity for wielding magic.

“Lar!”

Lord Raphael also returned, bearing a wild wolf, and only after confirming Lar’s safety did he exhale in relief.

Fisher’s gaze, devoid of emotion, shifted to her as he gestured towards the now-ignited fireplace.

“We have research to conduct this evening; let us dine first.”

The others failed to grasp Fisher’s pronouncement, but Raphael’s lips tightened, her intense stare fixed upon the man’s silhouette.