Demi-human Girls Completion Manual-Chapter 4 - . Three Rules

"Creak,"

With the door opening, the staircase leading to the underground space became visible. This space was much larger than it appeared from the outside because Fisher had inscribed an Extension Technique on the entrance. This was a kind of magic that was expensive and time-consuming, and the cost to extend four rooms was probably much higher than buying a house on the mainstream streets of Saint Nali.

However, the benefits were also obvious. Now, Fisher could carry a small house with his carriage, so he didn't have to spend his journey across the South Continent exposed to the elements with the five Dragon People.

He took his Handcane and walked into the space below, and he almost laughed when he saw the five Dragon People crouched in the corner of the living room like chicks. But the smile faded when he saw Rafael's emerald green eyes.

If it was true, if the girl before him was really the Red Dragon Queen foretold to destroy the human world, how would he stop her?

For instance, killing her now might work. But Fisher wasn't sure whether this young Dragon-woman named Rafael was truly the one from the prophecy. Should he exterminate all the Red Dragon People?

He suddenly thought of those interesting comedies in the Saint Nali Theatre. For example, the King's advisor predicted that a blond man would kill the King and seize the throne, so the King had all the blond men in the country killed. Who knew that because of this, the Queen hid her blond child to save him from the King's wrath, but ultimately this led to the King being killed by his own son, fulfilling the prophecy.

This was the existence of fate; no matter what choice one felt, everything seemed wrong. Fisher couldn't possibly kill all the Red Dragon People, even if this particular color was rare among them.

What if the "Red Dragon Queen" mentioned in the prophecy was just a Blue Dragon-woman who liked to wear red clothes?

While these distracting thoughts passed through his mind, Fisher's expression remained unchanged. He gently tapped the wall of the small living room with his Handcane, and the wooden wall sprang open, revealing the bedding inside. Then, speaking in Dragon Court Language, he instructed,

"Take out the bedding and move it to the room with the opened door. You all will be staying there for the time being."

Yet as soon as he spoke up, all the Dragon People's gaze toward him changed. Since they had been captured by humans, they had been sold throughout the South Continent but had never encountered any Human who could speak Dragon Court Language.

Besides the fact that humans had not been exploring the South Continent for long, there was also human arrogance.

How could they who treated demi-humans like beasts learn their language?

Fisher's gaze swept over them, several Dragon-girls shifted their eyes away somewhat fearfully, but Rafael just watched him quietly. In her heart, the shock was no less than that of the other Dragon People, in fact, it was even more intense.

The previous slave traders, no matter how they whipped or tortured her, could not make her feel subjugated or scared; those people were just flaunting the power granted by the slave seals they bore. But in this Human who spoke Dragon Language, she felt a trace of fear and wariness for the first time.

If it was such a Human, could she still lead them to escape?

She couldn't help touching the slightly glowing slave seal on her chest, feeling an icy coldness as if countless blocks of ice had been poured into her heart.

"...Just wait a minute, you four go tidy up...you, come with me."

He pointed specifically to Rafael, then, carrying his Handcane, he opened the first door on the left.

Rafael glanced at Lar beside her and felt the worried gaze from her companions. She shook her head and followed Fisher into the separate room.

The space inside turned out to be quite spacious, comparable to the size of the outside living room plus their rest room. It contained not only a wardrobe but also a whole wall of books, all of which were in the Human script that Rafael could not understand.

Besides that, there was also a clean and tidy bed, clothes rack, and a large desk.

It appeared to be where this Human male lived.

"Bang!"

Fisher hooked his Handcane, and the door behind Rafael suddenly closed. Her body didn't move, with only her tail slightly raised, indicating her vigilance.

"Names, and the names of those others."

The tall Fisher stood his Handcane by the desk, hung his hat and coat on the nearby rack. Underneath his coat, he wore a luxurious yet subdued dark grey vest. Rafael had seen the fat Human wearing this kind of clothing in the circus, but because of that person's appearance, it lowered her overall impression of such garments, until now when she understood how these clothes were supposed to look when properly worn.

"Rafael...Lar, Fasher, Kexier, and Mier..."

Fisher poured himself a cup of cold coffee, then took out the leather scrolls Colin had handed him earlier, inscribed with the magic seal. He closely examined the Dragon-blood pact on each, and then he took out the one with the freshest, warmest blood. As he moved that scroll, points of light from the slave seal on Rafael's chest began to glow.

"Let me introduce myself. I am Fisher Benavides, a scholar who studies demi-human. You may call me Fisher, or address me as teacher or professor..."

As he spoke, he suddenly reached out and tore the leather scroll in her hand into two pieces. Even Rafael failed to react in time, but as the magic seal that bound her soul shattered on her chest, she quickly realized what had happened.

In the next split of a second, the girl's pupils abruptly narrowed into thin slits, and with a light flick of her tail accompanied by a burst of wind, she launched herself at the man before her.

As long as she killed him, the slave seal would disappear. Rafael didn't understand the composition of the slave seal, but he recognized the operations of magic and thus knew how to break it.

Her claws spread like five sharp knives, aiming straight for the man's heart; in the next second, she would tear open the hateful human before her, consuming him for satisfaction.

All the past torment and pain, the desire to take her companions home...

But in the next second, the man slightly side-stepped and, with a grip strong as a vice, clamped tightly onto Rafael's neck. With her entire body spinning half a circle in mid-air, he slammed her hard into the ground.

"Bang!"

The wooden floor slightly cracked, with sparkles of magic light leaking through the wood shavings. Rafael's body felt like it had fallen apart, transmitting intense pain. She wanted to resist, her claws intended to slice through the man's flesh, but the tightening strength of his fingers slowly kept her from even taking in oxygen.

Was this human...

A monster?

Why was his strength so great?

Her green eyes fixated on the human who clutched her neck, seeing what seemed like a demon dwelling under that expressionless human face. The ringing in her ears from lack of oxygen grew louder, and her tail couldn't stop trembling.

The sounds of bedclothes being moved outside suddenly stopped, but the door did not open; Fisher had not locked the door.

"I hate it when people interrupt me when I'm speaking, so I had to adopt this measure. I hope it makes a deeper impression," Fisher said, still gripping her neck but easing the pressure to allow some oxygen to flow.

"I bought you for... research."

Fisher paused then continued, "The research can't have interference from magic elements, so I removed your slave emblem... Of course, I don't mind playing an interesting game along the long journey, such as you, the subject, attempting to kill me to gain freedom. But the premise of playing the game is, you must comply with the content of my research. If you run away or resist, I will kill your companions."

"Cough...cough cough..."

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Rafael's saliva uncontrollably ran down along her cheeks, dropping onto the tips of Fisher's fingers. The deafening ringing in her ears indicated oxygen deprivation, yet she stared violently at the human man's face. Her suppressed ferocity and hatred, freed by the removal of the slave seal, could not yet be fully reined in.

She had to kill this human before her; even if it led to her death and being devoured, it didn't matter!

"And the rules of the game are quite simple."

"First, you cannot attempt to assassinate me inside the carriage. Outside, no matter the method—ambush, poison, duel—as long as you kill me, you'll gain your freedom and can take your companions with you... after all, things here are quite expensive," Fisher noted as he glanced at the cracked magical floor beneath her, his eyelids twitching imperceptibly.

"Second, you have four assassination attempts, which correspond to the number of your companions. So, plan your moves carefully. Each assassination failure would lead to punishment. My research is generally normal, but some parts may not be presentable. Failures will require your cooperation to complete these parts of the research."

"Third, you must keep the game's content a secret from your companions. If the secret is revealed, the game ends immediately."

The man's voice, mingled with the ringing in her ears, ingrained into Rafael's mind like a demon's whispered curse. She glared at him with bitter resentment; had glares could kill, Fisher would have died countless times over.

"If you agree, the game starts now."

Her red tail swayed faintly, and after pondering for a couple of seconds, her hatred-filled eyes subtly moved, indicating acceptance.

She had to accept; the slave seals of her companions were still in his hands. It was her fault they had been caught; she had to bring them back.

"Heh..." A faint smile finally appeared on Fisher's stern face as he gently released Rafael's neck, then returned to his desk to enjoy the iced coffee he had poured earlier. "We have a journey of about thirty days ahead of us. During this period, the game will continue..."

Rafael, shaking, stood up. Her green eyes blazed with fire, but she just rubbed her reddened neck, her expression gradually calming.

Outside, the young horse gave a soft snort, the stars in the sky flickered, and the winds of the South Continent began anew, as if heralding the start of some game's trumpet call.