When the carriage door opened, the space inside wasn’t as cramped as it looked from the outside. What appeared before the dragonkin girl Raphaëlle was a long stairway descending like that of a basement. Looking back, she saw the threshold connecting the door to the staircase was inscribed with layers of glowing magic runes, rotating as if they were alive.
“Lady Raphaëlle…”
The blue-scaled dragonkin behind her spoke timidly in an obscure, ancient tongue. The dragonkin didn’t lack their own language—for example, most used Fermabah Draconian, a language said to date back to the mythical Divine Court of dragonkin legend. However, no surviving artifacts had ever proven that such ancient glory had truly existed.
The existing dragonkin settlements were small and primitive. Raphaëlle, with her red scales, was the daughter of the chieftain from one such tribe in the Southern Continent, and the dragonkin girls beside her were all from the same clan.
“Don’t speak, Larr. That human is still outside.”
“...”
Larr, the smallest and most childlike of the five dragonkin, flinched at her companion’s warning and immediately cast a nervous glance behind her.
Outside the carriage came the sound of hooves whipping through the air, and the entire interior trembled slightly with the motion. Aside from being larger than a normal carriage, the interior didn’t differ much.
Fortunately, the human hadn’t appeared. That tall human was even scarier than the fat one from the circus. Larr always feared he’d use that black rod in his hand to strike her—it had to be some kind of terrible torture tool.
They hesitated, touching nothing and opening no doors. After a while, they simply squatted against the wall in silence.
Larr lowered her eyes slightly, listening to the hoofbeats outside, and murmured to her companions with a hint of sorrow:
“Where are we going this time...? Are they going to eat us...? Will we ever go home again…”
The atmosphere among the dragonkin grew deathly quiet. None of them answered. Even they didn’t know what fate awaited them. The rumbling hooves couldn’t disperse the heavy gloom. Since being taken from their homeland, they had suffered inhuman abuse, their hope slowly eroded by endless pain until only numbness remained.
Only Raphaëlle’s lowered emerald eyes flickered slightly. Though she stared blankly at the ground, her claw quietly reached out and held Larr’s small one.
“I’ll take you all home…”
Back to their dragon roost, where they had once roamed freely. Back to their families. And she would make those cursed humans pay.
But words were just air. Within seconds, her vow dissolved like foam, vanishing into the suffocating silence inside the carriage.
Outside the door, the man in the black hat—Fischer—gazed over the vast wilderness. He reached into his coat and pulled out a small booklet.
Its colorful, printed cover made it look like a child’s fairy tale book sold on street corners in Saint Nary. Gilded script on the front read:
“Demi-Human Girl Completion Handbook”
Fischer had stumbled upon this little book five years ago.
At the time, he had taken an interest in researching demi-humans. He bought the book from a shady dealer, assuming it documented characteristics of different species—something worth treasuring, especially since there were so few studies on the subject. But when he got home and opened it, aside from the preface, every other page was blank.
He assumed it was just a bootleg copy and didn’t think much of it—until a year ago, when he had his first close encounter with a demi-human.
That’s when he realized how terrifying this seemingly empty book truly was.
He opened the cover. On the first page, the preface was written in epic language:
“The Crimson Dragon Queen shall rise first, reducing all of humanity to ashes with her flames of fury.”
“The mysterious Child of the Sea shall summon massive waves and wash away the sins of mankind.”
“The Sky God shall leave the remnants nowhere to hide and no refuge to seek.”
“The Undying Witch shall write their epitaph in magic.”
Fischer lowered his eyes. Even now, he couldn’t forget the vivid visions that flooded his mind the first time he read those lines. Scenes of hell, no less.
After extensive study, he concluded: this book recorded the identities of four demi-humans destined to destroy human civilization.
But why was Fischer so sure these were real prophecies, not just the twisted joke of some eccentric gentleman?
He flipped to the next page. Skipping the now-lit Witch section, he found the previously blank second page suddenly glowing. Golden letters flickered as if awakened by magic, slowly forming a new section:
[Dragonkin]
Then a surge of energy brightened the page, and a line of ethereal text appeared—visible only to Fischer:
[Select research subject – Available slots: 0/2]
[Raphaëlle, Red Dragonkin]
[Larr, Blue Dragonkin]
[Fassil, White Dragonkin]
[Cachil, White Dragonkin]
[Mir, Yellow Dragonkin]
This time, he couldn’t afford another mistake. He had searched far and wide for this.
The Crimson Dragon Queen.
Fischer cracked the reins, urging the horses to speed up as he selected Raphaëlle as his research subject. He left one slot open—just in case.
The Handbook flashed golden again. Beneath the [Dragonkin] section, a strange new script appeared—like claw marks or carvings—twisting like a black hole and pulling at reality.
At the same time, Fischer’s muscles, hidden beneath his Saint Nary suit, suddenly clenched tight. His face turned pale.
He gritted his teeth, gripping the reins until sweat beaded on his forehead. Only when the strange symbols fully engraved themselves did the searing pain finally subside. But his pale face remained.
Every time he bound a new demi-human for research, it felt like enduring the most brutal torture on earth. Even with experience, the pain was almost unbearable.
After a long pause, Fischer took a deep breath, relaxing the muscles that had gone stiff as iron.
The glowing letters returned.
[Research Subject Successfully Bound]
[Physique +7, Reproductive Potential +4, Fermabah Draconian +3]
[Research more demi-humans to unlock further bonuses]
Fischer frowned and chose to ignore the weird “reproductive” boost. In the next moment, he felt his body toughen, like he could punch a bull to death.
Clearly, the physique bonus was far stronger than what he’d received from the [Witch].
Blinking, Fischer suddenly looked up. In the distance, the skies of the Southern Continent glowed red as dusk settled in. Faint stars twinkled like seashells on a receding tide.
Night was approaching. The horses’ breathing grew heavy.
“Hsshh!”
“Clip-clop...”
Fischer gently tugged the reins and brought the carriage to a halt beside a quiet stream. The surrounding area was silent—unnervingly so.
They’d rest here tonight.
He closed the handbook and slipped it into the inner pocket of his coat. Turning his head, he glanced back at the tightly shut carriage door.
Inside, five dragonkin girls were waiting for him.