Early the next morning, Kabellin woke up and opened her window, looking out at the flower-filled courtyard.
She suddenly noticed that the sky today was exceptionally clear. Kabellin concentrated her magic into her eyes, and upon closer inspection, she realized that the protective barrier over the Green Family residence had been lifted.
When they first entered the manor, she had noticed this layer of protection. It was not only meant to prevent outsiders from entering, but also to prevent them from leaving the estate without permission.
‘It’s gone now. Are we allowed to leave?’
‘No, it’s more likely that the Witch has already achieved her goal, and there’s no longer any need to keep us confined.’
Kabellin was not naive enough to think that they had suddenly gained Ailaira’s trust. It was more likely that they had simply lost their utility.
Kabellin stroked her forearm, which still bore faint purple bruises—evidence of the experiment Ailaira had performed on her the previous night.
It had indeed been just as the Witch described: a simple experimental analysis.
Kabellin had watched the entire process, witnessing the Witch use an instrument she had never seen before to separate the coagulated blood into distinct layers.
She then added a blue reagent, seemingly waiting for some kind of reaction.
Even Kabellin, who considered herself quite scholarly, could not understand Ailaira’s operations. She could only burn everything she saw and heard into her memory, planning to report it to the Queen and the Royal Princess once she returned.
As for worrying that Ailaira might use the blood for a curse, that was utter nonsense. Anyone sent as an envoy to the outside world received a blessing from their leader.
A blessing from a powerhouse who had stepped onto the path of the ninth rank was enough to resist any curse cast through a blood medium. These days, if a leader had not reached the ninth rank, their people would have been wiped out in the Species War long ago.
Furthermore, now that a mutually beneficial commercial partnership had been established, Kabellin believed Ailaira would not do anything as foolish as cutting off her own source of wealth.
Thus, she was willing to make a small sacrifice to cooperate with the Witch’s research interests.
If she guessed correctly, the Witch would likely propose allowing them to tour the city during the upcoming meeting.
Just as Kabellin expected, George brought news from Ailaira during breakfast.
“My lady says that she appreciates the cooperation of our friends from the Non-Human Races. After preliminary testing, it has been confirmed that none of you carry any pathogens that would be contagious to humanity. Therefore, you are free to observe the city as you please and enjoy the local customs.”
“Of course, to express our apologies for the confinement, all of your expenses will be covered by the Green Family. We hope you all have a wonderful time.”
“My lady is currently at a critical stage in her experiment, so she cannot meet with you personally. Please forgive her.”
George bowed and left after finishing his announcement. The members of the visiting delegation seated at the table let out a collective sigh of relief.
Although the treatment over the past two days had been good and they had all gained something, the discomfort of being watched at all times was difficult to endure. Now they could finally relax. Even without being told, they intended to follow the basic laws of the Human Kingdom.
The Fishfolk members had already decided to head to the river near the city to experience the water quality of the Kingdom.
The Mountain Dwarves headed straight for the largest taverns in the city, vowing to drink all of humanity’s fine ale. Kabellin, meanwhile, stood at the entrance of the manor. She turned back to look at George, who was wearing a polite smile, and spoke with some hesitation.
“What about Kuchierkan? Is she not going out?”
“As for her, she couldn’t wait any longer and left quite a while ago.”
Kabellin left with a hint of curiosity. She simply felt that given Kuchierkan’s personality, she wouldn’t be so quiet and low-key. Yet, she hadn’t seen the Dragon Princess cause any trouble over the past few days. How exactly did that Witch suppress Kuchierkan’s temper?
The answer was actually quite simple: the Witch used her most capable assistant, Andrea—the best actor among Dragonkind—to lead Kuchierkan around in circles.
Andrea clutched the map George had drawn for her. It bypassed almost all crowded areas, specifically picking deserted alleys and corners to take Kuchierkan sightseeing. According to Ailaira’s plan, this was “fishing.”
Since Sillirora had already escaped, she could use Mimicry to disappear like a drop of water in the ocean; it was impossible to distinguish her identity.
The Church seemed unwilling to provide help, so they could only use this clumsy method in hopes that the Dragon Princess would actually make contact with Sillirora.
However, Andrea watched Kuchierkan, who was currently in a heated physical brawl with some thugs who had tried to mug them, and her lip twitched. ‘Counting on her… I’d have better luck finding the person myself with one look.’
“What are you two doing here?”
The sudden voice behind Andrea startled her. She turned her head and found that the newcomer was the City Lord they had met once before. The City Lord waved and walked over to Andrea, maintaining a polite social distance. He looked over at Kuchierkan, who was sitting on top of a thug and frantically slapping him, and he looked a bit bewildered.
“What is… what is she doing?”
Andrea rolled her eyes and said speechlessly, “Those guys thought we were two defenseless girls and followed us out to rob us. As a result, Kuchierkan grabbed them by the hair and started a brawl. She didn’t use any magic or physical enhancement. According to her, she’s doing this to hone her hand-to-hand combat skills against humans.”
“I originally rushed over because I heard news that the Dragon Princess was fighting someone, but this result… I really didn’t expect this…”
The City Lord’s eyelid twitched. He really couldn’t understand the way these Non-Human Races thought.
However, he was still grateful that this brave woman hadn’t punched the men into a bloody mist. Seeing that Kuchierkan was finally bored of this kindergartner-level fighting and had knocked the thug unconscious with a single punch, the City Lord hurriedly bid Andrea farewell.
“If there’s nothing else, I’ll be going. Please give my regards to Miss Green.”
Andrea waved her hand, and the City Lord slipped away before Kuchierkan could shift her attention to him. He was truly afraid of being caught and challenged to a duel.
The City Lord disappeared into the alley at the corner, but a moment later, he dashed back, leaned toward Andrea, and said entreatingly, “There is one thing I need you to convey to Miss Ailaira. We also want to fulfill our duties as hosts by holding a banquet for the visiting delegation.”
“We especially invite Miss Ailaira Green to attend. The location will be the City Hall, and the time is tonight.”
Andrea’s mind was currently filled with thoughts of Sillirora and the Gods, so she simply waved her hand perfunctorily to indicate she understood. Just as the City Lord left, Kuchierkan walked back, wiping the bloodstains from her knuckles with her clothes. She said dismissively, “There’s no weight to their punches at all. I thought I saw that City Lord just now. It’s a pity I haven’t fought him yet.”
“Forget it, he was scared away by you long ago. Can you please focus on the mission? Why exactly did Dragon Valley send you here?”
Kuchierkan scratched her face awkwardly, her tone becoming less confident. “Well, we haven’t found the person yet. Besides, it wasn’t exactly that the Elders insisted I come. I volunteered.”
“I beat up everyone in the Valley who was eligible to travel until there were no dragons left to use. Only then did the Elders send me out.”
Andrea was completely speechless. So that was how their status in this visiting delegation came about! The Elders were truly daring to let her out like this.
It was the same old thought: ‘Good thing I left early. Dragon Valley is doomed sooner or later.’
The two of them wandered outside for the entire day and gained nothing, returning to the manor before dark. Andrea declined Kuchierkan’s invitation to spar and headed straight for the laboratory to find Ailaira.
Just as she was about to push the door open, her dragon instincts warned her that something was wrong. Recalling the last time she was dragged into the room by those wicked tentacles, Andrea was smarter this time; she knocked first.
But when the door opened, what awaited Andrea was not Ailaira, but silver, thread-like tentacles swaying like a net. Andrea’s face stiffened, and she took two steps back.
“Hello, goodbye!”
But before Andrea had a chance to escape, the tentacles had already coiled around her waist and limbs, forcibly dragging her into the dark, windowless laboratory.
“Why?! I knocked!”