"No need to thank me."
Fisher nodded calmly, a hint of amusement in his eyes as he looked at Valentina, wrapped up in a ball of clothing on the wheelchair. It was clear that she hadn’t trusted his specialized research on demi-humans; that was why she had deliberately arranged for Miss Parfait, strong and tall, to be his subject of study.
Now, not helping her untie the tightly bound cloth in her hair was his little punishment for her lack of trust in him.
Understanding Fisher’s intention, Valentina tried to glare at him from under the fabric, but accidentally pulled her own hair. Pain crinkled her delicate features, and her hands, ensconced in the cloth, touched her head but couldn’t stretch fingers out to unbind the tight clothing.
Valentina fumed, touching her head but not daring to move an inch for fear of pulling her hair again. She could only keep her head tilted as she "fiercely" watched Fisher, her look devoid of any real threat, which reminded Fisher of a little girl in the orphanage about to cry because of his bullying.
Back then, taking advantage of his age, he had stolen a girl’s malt candy, causing her a crying fit, and as a result, he was not only beaten by Sister Theresa but also had to copy the Creation Scripture as punishment.
However, unlike Fisher back in his childhood, who had been stubborn even while being punished, the current Fisher stopped teasing his boss and instead approached her. He slowly untied the cloth from her head, freeing her from its constraint.
The moment the cloth was untied, her long, white hair bloomed like white carnations, but before her hair had fully fallen, Fisher had gently let go. Valentina, holding her white ring, dared not move an inch, yet she caught a glimpse of Fisher’s slender finger avoiding her falling tresses from the corner of her eye.
She pondered for a moment until Fisher looked back at her to speak, interrupting her thoughts.
"...Yes, you can continue your research now."
Valentina gently released the white ring in her hand and leaned back in her seat, speaking as such.
Fisher nodded, ready to return to his study of Parfait, but when he turned his head, he only saw Parfait sitting silently on a box behind him, having watched the entire brief incident. Only when Fisher turned back to her did she cough and re-extend the right hand he had been examining.
In fact, progress with the sheep-man race from the Northern Realm was fast, similar to when he studied Renie. Apart from the Witch’s unique traits, as long as Fisher recognized that her differences from other humans weren’t significant, he could make biological research progress.
It was interesting; sheep-men from the South Continent looked soft and harmless like sheep, while those from the Northern Realm were strong and tall, more akin to goats or gazelles. Yet, the Demi-human Girls Completion Manual classified them all together, indicating they had almost identical racial traits...
So, did this mean that the towering two-meter sheep-man before him and the sheep-men liked by nobles with a penchant for men in Schwali were very similar creatures?
Suddenly, Fisher realized this fact and thought back to what he had read in the Soul Completion Manual.
Previously, the Western Continent had been connected to the South Continent, and it was the epic war involving the Mythical Species that divided them. So, could it be that the sheep-men from the South Continent were a branch that had moved from the Northern Realm?
For a while, as Fisher meticulously examined Parfait’s body, he mulled over this question, when Valentina, who had been waiting behind him, saw no sign of Heidlin returning and spoke up,
"Have you finished already? I see you’re pondering something."
"Yes, most of the records are done; I just have a few questions about the sheep-man settlement next."
Valentina tilted her head as she watched Fisher scribbling in a book and suddenly asked,
"I’m curious, what exactly is your purpose in studying these demi-humans? I’ve heard that the Western Continent isn’t exactly friendly towards demi-humans, and this attitude persists in academic circles... unlike Balzac, who wants to discover the Frost Snow Phoenix Tree to bring glory to his family. Why are you studying them?"
"...Of course, it’s out of interest."
Fisher lied with a straight face, causing Valentina to roll her eyes behind him,
"Lies... or, at least, not the entire truth. While you’re friendly towards demi-humans, your research is clearly utilitarian. It’s either for their bodies or for... achoo!"
Valentina, in mid-sentence, sneezed uncontrollably. She paused for a second; her face, already reddened from the cold, deepened in color. Then she lowered her head slightly, her voice softer,
"Or, for some other purpose... that I don’t know."
Upon hearing that Fisher’s research might be for "bodies," the huge sheep-man Parfait instinctively backed up, but somehow, the man before her always gave her a sense of kinship, making her reluctant to doubt his intentions. She was about to rebut Valentina until she remembered that Valentina was her boss, which made her wisely close her mouth and stay silent.