51: 47.Philone 51: 47.Philone Fisher watched Philone leave the room for a long while before suddenly tugging at Rafael by his side.
Rafael, thinking Fisher was reaching for a handshake, extended his hand subconsciously only to be coldly rejected.
Annoyed, Rafael turned his head, but found Fisher looking at him with a serious expression,
“Listen, Rafael, we are leaving here tonight.
Keep an eye on Lar and the others while I go upstairs to pack.”
Rafael blinked slightly, not quite understanding why Fisher was in such a hurry to leave but since he had spoken, there must be a reason, so he agreed.
Fisher had already noticed that many parts of Philone City were amiss, and he had some guesses about Philone’s actions, especially certain that the latter had set his sights on the dragon-people with him.
The reason for staying so far had been because the journey ahead required some supplies, and since he had purchased these today, he was ready to leave at any moment.
To not depart would be to place himself and the dragon-people in danger.
That would be incredibly foolish.
So it was best to make a decisive move; Fisher decided they would leave the city tonight with Rafael and the others.
Ideally, Philone would only find out about their departure when they were breaching the gate, by which time it would be too late for Philone to catch up.
Earlier that day, while in the outer city, Fisher had also memorized the routes within the city.
Once they left, they would head directly for the north gate, even if it meant causing some collateral damage in the process of leaving.
Fisher nodded his head, gripped his handcane, and left the room.
The entire Philone’s Mansion was frightfully quiet, with bright lights in the rooms but no signs of life.
Fisher’s steps did not falter as he headed straight for the second floor.
The entire dining hall fell silent, Mier, Kexier and Fasher, having been informed of the gravity of the situation by Fisher, stayed cautiously by Rafael’s side, even confiscating the toys in the playful Lar’s hands to prevent her from running around.
Chastened under the stern gaze of Rafael, Lar sulked and sat quietly in her seat, staring wistfully at the moonlight outside the window.
The moonlight was hazy, with clouds like scales partially obscuring the bright moon, casting an unclear shadow upon the land.
Lar, daydreaming, stared at that distant moon in the sky, imagining it transform into a giant thin pancake, then doused in the dragon-people’s favorite flame fruit juice, and finally devoured by her.
Surely, that must be the most delicious food!
Lar swallowed a mouthful of saliva and looked out at the moon again, but noticed that the moon seemed to be covered by a shadow.
When Lar focused on the window, she saw a tall figure with cow horns and an expressionless face—a Bull-man—and she was startled for a moment before she cried out in panic to Rafael next to her,
“Lord Rafael, there is…uh!
A huge arm smashed through the glass window, and along with the sound of shattering glass, gripped Lar tightly by the throat.
Why hadn’t she sensed the presence of a living creature?
Rafael’s eyes narrowed into slits as he looked at the tall figure outside the window.
It was an adult male Cowman, solidly built and about one point nine meters tall, half-naked, with a sickly grey pallor to his skin.
The horns on his head were gone, leaving only smooth saw marks, as he stared blankly at the Lar in his grasp.
Rafael’s scales stood on end, and in the instant his body emitted steam, all the surrounding windows shattered, with one expressionless Bull-man after another bursting in from outside.
“Don’t move, Rafael.”
The next second Rafael tried to move, a gentle voice sounded from behind him, and Rafael incredulously turned back only to find his partners subdued by the imposing Bull-men.
Outside the window, in the courtyard, stood rows of tall figures, each with broken horns and expressionless faces, lined up looking into the dining room.
Next to those Cowmen stood the dress-clad Bull-woman, Nana.
After stopping Rafael’s resistance, she remained silent to Rafael’s questioning, as she needed to seize the moment.
Nana, sitting on the shoulder of a sturdy Cowman, snapped her fingers lightly, and the Cowmen holding Mier and the others swiftly ran off toward the courtyard, seemingly reluctant to engage Rafael in battle.
The thick crowd of Cowmen also emotionlessly blocked Rafael’s sight as they sprinted towards a certain direction in the courtyard.
Rafael, who had excellent night vision, saw in the darkness that a gate leading underground had opened, its destination unknown.
Were they tempting her to follow?
Rafael stayed in her place for a moment, glanced upstairs once more, and then, after a second’s hesitation, dashed towards the open passage.
Upstairs, having finished packing, Fisher had heard the glass breaking.
He paused for a moment, then sighed.