Trapped in Another World With No Magic-Chapter 154: Peaceful Exchange

Heralesse studies the soil of one of the fields where knee-high plants are growing, displaying a great deal of health. She can’t overlook the fact that the golems allow tending to fields day and night for the Fievegal, but the basics seem to be perfectly within the realm of her kingdom’s technology. Rikuto implemented a four-field rotation system and fertilizer made from decaying material from forest floors, which has started showing results, while specialized water production devices from the Stalvaltan Grand Duchy helped the kingdom recover from the effects of drought.

Here, Daniel is making use of the humongous beasts at his disposal; creatures called gulpoxen, drakes, and huge centrifugal pumps that move water in huge quantities, making it rain on the fields once a day when it hasn’t rained naturally. He also makes use of the fish farms he has running, which likewise provide food for the people, and the waste water is highly fertile for use in the fields. The Citadel’s massive size makes it physically larger than the entire capital of Mornistae, standing like a mountain on its own, looming over a massive lake with sprawling fields around it. There aren’t many ore resources near the Citadel, but the agriculture potential is undeniable, and the technology and methods Daniel has implemented have accelerated the demon-kin to overtake the eastern kingdoms. Even now, the weapons of the guard watching over her and the vehicle he brought her and a maid to the field with are beyond her understanding, even when she has been able to look at them every day. The vehicle is faster than an unladen buckrokh, and the weapons can eliminate seemingly anything at ranges greater than some of the strongest mages can manage.

What she’s looking at now is the rich, dark, almost black color to the soil that is growing the healthiest crops the young Queen has ever seen. Even letting fields rest for a year wasn’t as effective at restoring the soil as Daniel’s intentional enrichment.

And, it makes her a little envious when she watches goblins, dattakoriens, imps, and ogres tending to the fields that look so healthy and well-cared for. Demon-kin are supposed to be masters of magic, which is why they’ve proven to be such a threat, while human-kin have made as many technological advancements as possible to overtake them.

Daniel is disrupting that fragile balance that narrowly keeps the demons at bay.

And, the guard standing watch over her is a female demon-kin from a tribe called the Chi’rinnis. She’s polite, but they’re a warrior people, so she has very little respect for Heralesse beyond those of her professional duties, so she is often curt with the young teen.

Regardless, she allows Heralesse her freedom, as promised, so long as Heralesse doesn’t try to attack anyone, disrespect anyone, or try to escape.

“Excuse me, Atak’byr. Would it be alright if we head over there, next?”

Atak’byr nods, and she returns to the driver seat of the vehicle, while Heralesse joins her in the passenger seat. It’s a little disappointing that Daniel and his people see Heralesse as so little of a threat that they don’t even ask why she wanted to head towards the head of the lake where a large river flows in.

As they make their way along the dirt roads, Heralesse points out her specific destination; “I’d like to visit the water wheels again.”

“Alright,” replies her stoic guard.

The guard drives the vehicle at a modest speed, and they are able to cross several miles in a matter of minutes; a trip that would take a minimum of an hour on a buckrokh-drawn carriage. While they’re using it just to travel, larger versions of the vehicle carry tons and tons of crops to processing areas.

At the water mill, there are a row of giant wheels with horizontal blades that are pushed by the water.

“Oh! Hurry! Hurry! Please!” calls out Heralesse.

“There’s still time,” replies the unemotional Atak’byr.

“Ah, but they’re hoisting it now! Please?”

The Chi’rinnis woman sighs, and she keeps pace, driving off-road to approach the construction crew directly, coming to a stop, rather than parking in the cleared area like she would normally. Heralesse excitedly jumps out, jogging over to the construction crew. “Please excuse me!” calls out the teen. She approaches a dattakorien man wearing a white-painted metal hat. “Do you mind if I observe?”

“Not at all, my Lady. I’d only ask you to retrieve a hard-hat if you plan to be here the whole time.”

She nods, “Gladly.” She jogs to the workbench where he gestures, and she requests one of the hardhats. The oni logistics personnel with crates of tools and supplies on the back of a big flat-bed iron carriage glances at the foreman, who gives a thumbs up. The oni smiles and nods, handing over a yellow-painted hardhat. She has been told the colors of the protective headwear is code for whose role each person has, and yellow must mean bystander. Just as the foreman called her ‘my Lady’, most of the citizens of the Fievegal treat her like a noble, but because she’s a prisoner, most of them don’t treat her like a queen.

Given her age and naivete, it’s not completely unreasonable. Thankfully, they have allowed her to learn a great deal of things that she hopes to emulate if she is ever allowed to return home.

And, on the back of another truck near the river’s edge, she watches as the foreman gives instructions to an ogre inside a giant wheel with a bridge-like tower rising above the river. Ropes are tied to the wheel, passing through the tower, and tied to one of the parts of the waterwheel lying on the bank near the river. More ropes are tied and being held by workers on a barge that’s anchored in the middle of the river.

As the ogre begins walking on the inside of the big treadwheel, Heralesse asks the foreman, “Excuse me, Foreman; why aren’t you using the same kind of power as the carriages to lift the wheel?”

The foreman keeps his eyes on the work, but he replies, “His Grace is magnanimous with his technology, but he also knows there are few of us that would be able to make use of them if something happens, so he tries to make sure we have means of performing work that we can replicate in further away villages without direct support of the Fievegal, or, should the worst happen and his Grace is no longer capable of providing instruction.”

Heralesse nods, appreciating the sincere answer. “I see, thank you.” As she watches the massive metal wheel slowly tipping upwards, she asks, “Would such a machine work for humans?”

The foreman chuckles. “There’s no reason it can’t work with goblins, my Lady. The advantage to putting the biggest man possible is their strength directly affects the weight that can be lifted. Fortunately, we’re making use of a lightweight metal that’s not very good for swords or armor, but just fine for water-wheels. From what I hear, it is the same metal used for airships in the other world.”

“I see…” replies the young queen, making a note of that interesting fact.

The foreman smirks, and he adds, “Be careful of using that fact at face value, my Lady. My understanding is that it’s a special alloy, which even his Grace was unsure of.”

“We called it aircraft aluminum,” replies a male voice approaching from behind them, and Heralesse jumps, as if the voice is some kind of sign of danger. She whirls to find Daniel, flanked by four adult women, three of whom are the Dragon Empresses, and a fourth who has similar horns and a tail, but gold in color. There is also a small, brightly colored pixie-like being sitting on Daniel’s shoulder, and Erimaya walks directly ahead of of the human emperor.

Heralesse huffs and crosses her arms. “Daniel…”

She does it to try to get a rise out of everyone, but no one makes any objections, and the only reaction she gets is an awkward glance from the foreman.

Everyone in Daniel’s party are wearing red hard hats, which give them away as the Fievegal’s ruling body, even though Erimaya and the golden-haired woman aren’t a part of his harem, so far as Heralesse knows.

And she’ll die before Erimaya is allowed to be.

“Sister, you came to see the construction as well?” Erimaya’s expression is knowing, but innocent. Heralesse can’t help but adore and be proud of her cute little sister.

She smiles, replying specifically to the young blonde princess, “I did. Assuming I am ever allowed to go home, I would like to learn as much as I can while I’m afforded the opportunity.”

“You’re welcome,” replies Ryuogriar smugly, the eldest and highest ranking of the four dragon women present.

The young queen tries to resist, but she can feel her lip twitch briefly in irritation. True, it’s a luxury that a captive is allowed to wander around so freely, with only a single guard keeping watch over her, but the platinum-blonde didn’t have to rub it in.

Daniel, seeming to ignore the cold war going on between the women, continues explaining, “I don’t know the various alloys or their ratios, but I know aluminum was the chief component because it’s a light and fairly strong metal on its own. So, if you want to make fuel-efficient and sturdy aircraft, you’ll want to have your smiths begin experimenting with alloys.”

“Why are you telling me this?” asks Heralesse dubiously.

“I was hoping the fact that you’ve been treated so well here would speak for itself. I never wanted to be enemies with anyone. You’ve seen the crater, right? I wasn’t just making the weapon to threaten other countries.”

“Mukori speaks the truth,” replies Reignleif, speaking up a little out of character for the normally quiet blue dragon woman. “He opposed even telling us what he was intending to do, but asked us for advice for fear that they would cause too much conflict by simply existing.”

“All of it is my fault!” protests Erimaya softly. “If… If I had kept it a secret, Rikuto wouldn’t have been so afraid…”

“It’s not your fault, Eri!” exclaims Heralesse protectively, but Daniel adds gently, “She’s right. It’s not your fault, Eri. I should have been more careful about instructing everyone not to talk about it. Rikuto’s response was more intense than I expected, but I could have also reached out. I ignored the problem too long in hopes that it would go away, and I was wrong.”

“If we were to keep pointing fingers, there would always be another guilty party,” states Gold bluntly. “Daniel’s parents are at fault for ever giving birth to him. The gods are at fault for making the materials he needed to make it. The red coward is to blame because he caused the Devourer to come into existence. That’s why it’s easier to forget about all of that and conquer stuff.”

Heralesse scowls at the rough-edged dragon-woman, but she is completely unperturbed, and in fact, quite smug with her point being made.

Daniel sighs. “Either way, I’ve officially relayed a message to Rikuto, and we’ll be trying to have a peaceful negotiation with him. I’d like you to be there with us, Heralesse. You’re a hostage, but I want him to see that you’re in good health.”

She looks to the side, retorting bluntly, “I won’t help you betray my country.”

“The country that betrayed and banished him?” asks Geirahoel mercilessly, causing the teenage queen to grimace in disgust. That, she can’t deny.

“Now, now, dear Sister,” starts Ryuogriar with a devilish grin. “If they hadn’t foolishly banished Mukori, we would have never met. As Gold said, we can thank Heralesse and her people for the new rise of the dragons.” She smiles directly at the young queen, showing off her egg proudly. She also has a growing belly as well, as does Geirahoel, whose two eggs are nearby, escorted by the strange cultists that worship dragons. Even the gold dragon is carrying an egg, and she smiles at Heralesse as well.

The taunt from Ryuogriar is like a kick in the gut while Heralesse is down. She didn’t like or dislike Daniel, though she’s undeniably grateful that he saved Erimaya that day. She did believe it was ill-advised to banish Daniel, but Rikuto and many of the upper-ranking nobles stood fast on the motion.

Now, Daniel has an unstoppable army and seemingly unlimited resources to produce futuristic technology from his world.

Daniel gestures towards the water wheel, reminding everyone why they’re present. “They’re about to set the axle. You might want to watch, your Majesty.”

Heralesse flinches, and she whirls, watching as the crane is slowly lowered while the rigging crews on both the barge and on the river bank use ropes to align the giant wheel’s axle posts with notches in the legs that are standing in the water. The crane operator in the wheel slowly walks backwards, keeping his grip firm so that he eases the wheel down with his strength in an easy and smooth motion while another pair of operators hold levers to keep the ratchets free, which they’ll release to stop the wheel if something goes wrong.

Daniel grumbles as Heralesse watches in wonder, “I can’t believe I’m allowing this… OSHA would hang me by my Achilles tendons for this…”

“Who is this Osha?” asks Geirahoel immediately with suspicion.

He laughs, and the young queen listens to his answer when he explains, “They were a safety organization that would audit companies to make sure work was being done safely.”

“What’s wrong with the crane?” asks Reignleif. “Wasn’t the point so that it could be built by people of this world without the Citadel?”

“That is true, but seeing it in action…” Daniel winces as he watches the ogre inside the treadwheel strain a bit to keep his balance and control of the wheel. “Remind me to go over motor theory with Ahok and Wenlianna again.”

“Mm-hmm…” growls the eldest Dragon with irritation in her voice.

“Daniel, if you really want to extend a hand of peace, explain to me these ‘ratchets’,” states Heralesse.

“Sister!” complains Erimaya as she tugs on the elder sister’s sleeve. “Be nicer, please!”

“Eri, if you ever think I’m going to allow you to stay here as one of… them, you are out of your mind.”

Erimaya’s jaw drops in betrayal, while Daniel rolls his eyes. “You’re having a useless conversation. Eri is far too young.”

“Daniel! You promised me!”

“Heralesse, I’ll gladly explain how it works. Once they’re done with the crane, we’ll ask them to operate it while I explain the parts.”

The young queen’s expression brightens, but she crosses her arms and looks away when she realizes it. “Hmph! Thank you. I suppose I can speak positively of my time here in exchange.”

“How magnanimous,” jokes Daniel as he laughs lightly. Erimaya storms over to confront him, but he deflects her impotent fuming politely.

Fine, Daniel. Maybe you’re not a terrible person. But, just you wait. I won’t let you steamroll over the Kingdom of Mornistae without resistance. I can already see how I’ll use this…

“Ah, you must be thinking of improving catapults, your Majesty.”

This time, Heralesse is shocked into gaping like a fish.

Daniel laughs, and the dragons all stare at him in surprise. Geirahoel immediately pushes in front of him, gripping his shoulders. “Mukori!? The-The-...! Your magic…!?”

“No, I’m sorry, I’m not a mind reader. The basic ratchet design evolved in large part due to warfare on Earth as well, and there are fewer things with greater cost-to-effectiveness ratio than launching huge boulders at your enemies. Cannons and guns evolved from that concept.”

“Ahem!” chirps Heralesse as she clears her throat. “If you must know, warfare is not the only thing on my mind, Daniel. Though, if you wish to impress me, I would be ever-so-grateful to be granted the opportunity to study these cannons you speak of.”

The dragons and her own sister glare at her, and Daniel laughs. “I’ll make you a deal, Heralesse. If the negotiations go well and we can talk Rikuto down, I’ll sell you cannon technology-...” The teenage queen immediately inhales as her face lights up, and he quickly adds, “Under magic contract that they never be used against the Fievegal.” She halts her inflating giddiness, pondering the offer.

Unimpressed, Gold asks coldly, “You honestly think the eastern kingdoms will care if one little waif dies for the advantage of having cannons, Harbinger?”

Daniel smirks at Heralesse before looks at the golden dragon. “Not for one second. But, that becomes her problem, now, doesn’t it?”

This amuses the rough-edged woman, and she and Geirahoel snicker.

“B-But, what good will it do then?” asks Erimaya. “I… You… Please don’t kill my sister.”

Heralesse runs through her thoughts quickly, torn between the obvious danger she’ll be in if she defies the magic contract, but unable to accept not receiving a boost when one is offered, even if the devil’s hand is the one offering it.

However, Daniel adds gently, “I’ll offer you a hint for free, your Majesty.” He winks at Erimaya, saying sincerely, “If the Fievegal becomes indispensable to Mornistae, then having cannons won’t really save them if we collapse the economy, right?”

“You could also carefully control the alloy that is used as a national secret,” offers Reignleif. “The design will leak quickly, but alloys are extremely important. Also, the forging process will make a big difference.”

Heralesse nods in agreement.

“Either way, you have time to think about it,” replies Daniel gently. “Particularly because I’ll have to think of an appropriate consequence if you were to break the contract. I honestly suspect you would sacrifice yourself for Mornistae if it was death.”

“I know, Mukori; how about the contract makes her return and marry you?”

The four dragons all snicker, especially when Heralesse goes pale. Daniel smirks and rolls his eyes, licking his teeth with a sarcastic expression.

Erimaya is the one to point it out, though. “Wait, wouldn’t that imply that marrying Daniel is a punishment?”

Three of the four dragons -the Empresses- all halt their giggling, while Gold bursts into boisterous laughter, now directed at them.

Daniel says with a straight expression, “I see how it is.”

“M-Mukori-...!” whine the three empresses as he turns and walks away, and Gold sinks to the ground as she continues to guffaw, using one hand to cradle her egg as the other one strikes the ground in her amusement.

Ryuogriar, Geirahoel, and Reignleif follow him and cling to him to try to apologize, and when he looks back at Heralesse and Erimaya, he smirks and rolls his eyes.

Heralesse feels relieved. Whatever the case is, it’s a good deal for Mornistae for her to make the exchange.

The only missing piece will be negotiating peace with Rikuto.

***

Daniel studies the eggs that the three Empresses have all laid already. It’s been a few months since the first three were each laid, and since they’ve been kept close to each other like a clutch, it’s highly probable that they’ll hatch on the same day.

“Mukoris?”

“Yes Daniel?” “I’m not your Mukori, Harbinger.” Three voices answer in the former, while one answers in the latter, causing the first three to scowl at the mischievous dragon hanging around them more than necessary.

“Why are you even here still?” asks Geirahoel bluntly. “Go pick fights with monsters or something.” She gives a brushing wave of her hand to shoo Gold away.

“Hmmm? Afraid I’ll steal him away?” teases Gold playfully.

“You should accept him as a lover,” replies Reignleif as if it were the most matter-of-fact thing in the world.

“If you must know, our dear Emperor Harbinger promised to face off against me in a sparring match, and if I win, he’ll be mine.”

The empresses gasp and look at Daniel, who asks, “May I ask my question now?”

“Is that true!?” asks Geirahoel.

“You don’t think I can win?” asks Daniel pitifully. Given the end of the conversation with Heralesse, all three of them back off immediately with nervous expressions as Gold snickers.

Daniel then asks his question before more shenanigans begin. “Do we have an estimated date that the eggs will begin hatching?”

The dragons all relax, and Ryuogriar looks at the others briefly. Hers was the first egg laid, since she was the first dragon offered the contract after Daniel defeated the dragons.

“I… had an egg hatch once,” starts Gold quietly.

Daniel replies gently, “I’m sorry for making you remember something painful.”

She shakes her head. “No, it’s alright. It was centuries ago.” She cups her chin as she thinks, looking up. “If I remember right, it was just shy of a year, I think.”

“I had heard it can happen at eight months,” replies Daniel.

Ryuogriar shrinks a little, adding softly, “I wasn’t sure… Sorry, Mukori.”

He smiles. “I just want to know when we need to be glued by their sides for the day.”

“We’ve all been incubating them continuously,” starts Reignleif. “The babies will have their own instincts for when it’s time to hatch once they’re far enough along, so maybe we should start being attentive at eight months. N-Not that we aren’t monitoring them already.” She cuddles her eggs affectionately, and Gold nods in agreement. “There were periods of time that I wasn’t able to tend to my egg closely.”

“Is there a risk of neglecting them?” asks Daniel. To him, the answer is obvious, since any living creature on Earth that lays eggs, with exception of some fish, insects, and other invertebrates, require some level of continuous care or incubation in order to hatch.

However, as far as he knows, it could be like a fantasy fiction, where the eggs can literally turn to stone from being ancient and still hatch hundreds of years later. Or, they could have a specific condition to hatch, such as absorbing magic or coming into contact with a random middle schooler…

Yeah, there’s no way that’s a thing, thinks Daniel to himself, feeling foolish with some of the mangas and stories he read in his life on Earth.

“They certainly can’t be ignored completely,” replies Ryuogriar. “Even if they manage to hatch, they would be feral like the Feral… Sorry, Lugrae, or even be similar to Yaulwembor.”

“Speaking of,” starts Gold. “When do I get to meet your newest wife?”

Daniel scoffs. “We’re not prepared to contain Yaulwembor yet. We need to be able to rapidly disable her magic or kill her if we can’t keep her under control.”

Gold pouts, obviously looking for a fight, even though she has no idea how quickly it would get out of hand. The faormyr they captured is as dangerous as a rather old dragon or feldrok, and she’ll have no restraint about destroying everything around her, which limits the Fievegal members comparatively, even if they could go toe to toe with her.

“Well, when you are ready to wake her up, let me know. I’ll protect you,” replies the female muscle-head confidently.

“Will do. I’ll be counting on you at that time.”

The golden-haired dragon grins cheekily, and Daniel returns his attention to the empresses. “If there are signs that the children are getting close to hatching, let me know. Also, it’s a bad omen to settle on names too early, but I hope you’ll be thinking about some names for us to pick from.”

This causes his companions to beam brightly. Just as the three empresses crowd him, he loudly says, “The only name off the table is ‘Daniel’. I’m putting my foot down on that one.”

All three of them frown, and he scowls at them lightly. The empresses look at each other, and Ryuogriar grumbles, “I suppose we should have expected Hekate would be the only one allowed to…”

The human mechanic licks his teeth, and she smirks smugly without looking directly at him.

“I suppose that makes sense,” mumbles Geirahoel. “He does spoil her the most…”

“Okay!” retorts Daniel. “As if any of you don’t run me over when you want something.”

They all blush and avert their gazes as Gold snickers, teasing Daniel, “You only have yourself to blame, Harbinger.”

Daniel takes a breath and sighs. “Yeah, but what am I supposed to do? I can’t say no to my family's happiness.”

“Mukori, it would make me really happy to…”

“No.” Daniel swiftly shoots down Ryuogriar’s scheme, and she groans dramatically as everyone laughs warmly.

It was a nice break, but Daniel hasn't forgotten the many problems still facing him. He needs Wenlianna to help research the armor idea he has only suspicions for now, and between Hekate's ominous message and Aramellianna's attacker being at large, something bigger is at play.

There's also the matter of the curse afflicting him. So far as he can tell, dragon milk is no longer slowly building mana for him, and the others will stop at nothing to dispel his curse once they realize it.

It's also probable that they'll imprison him in the Citadel to protect him.

Before that day comes, he needs to make it so he can stand toe to toe to their enemies, rather than relying on ambush, surprise, and luck.

***

“You want to take this thing down?” asks the young Polish woman who has been transported to Earth. She’s looking at some kind of moose-like creature that has a build approaching that of an elephant. It’s currently using its massive antlers to rake through the branches of a fruit-bearing tree, knocking piles of branches down as the repetitive thuds of the mango-looking fruits hit the ground. It grunts calmly as it lowers its massive head to begin licking up the fruits with a long tongue, munching on the small branches as well without a care in the world.

Wulfsten replies affirmatively, “That’s right. Even if we can only take the antlers, it’s a valuable haul.”

“The antlers?” asks the blonde dubiously. She’s not keen on poaching an animal just for its antlers.

“Yes. They’re extremely hard and light compared to most metals, so it’s common to see them made into armor and the pike of polearm weapons. Plus, when it's ground down into a fine powder, alchemists can make the antler core into a rather uncommon potion that grants the user uncanny defense.”

“I’m skeptical,” retorts Zuzia.

“I’m serious. I’ve seen it in action. It can make you invincible for several minutes. I hear the Stalvaltan Guards actually have a stockpile of it in preparation for going to war with the dragons.” He then gets a somewhat dumb look on his face. He adds to his previous thought, “Then again… now they’re all part of the Fievegal, so… I suppose that’s a moot point.”

Ugh… I have so much to figure out about this world… thinks Zuzia to herself.

“What happens to the rest of the… animal when we have the antlers?”

Wulfsten grins. “Normally, we’d have to leave what we can’t carry, and it’d obviously take most of a mercenary company to carry a worthwhile amount. Not to mention the likelihood of rot.”

“Mm-hmm…”

“I’m getting to it, my Lady.” He withdraws a pouch from his belt, showing it off. He glances around, confirming himself and the two other mercenaries accompanying them on the journey are the only ones nearby. He opens it and shows the young woman the contents.

Or rather, the operation.

He makes some hand gestures on a large glass-like crystal on the front, and it lights up, even indicating different items as he scrolls through. He then withdraws a sword from deep inside the pouch, and Zuzia recognizes it with ease.

“A magic bag!?” She squeaks, covering her mouth as she looks at the beast still casually eating its meal. It does look up and towards them, but it keeps chewing, unthreatened by their presence so far.

“Oh? You know of it?” asks the mercenary.

She nervously averts her gaze. She hasn’t been broadcasting that she comes from another world if she can help it. Her clothes stand out, but she hasn’t interacted with many people yet for them to really question it. That said, it seems like magic bags aren’t common in this world.

“I… uh… It’s obviously magic and a bag…” replies the flustered blonde, feeling profoundly dumb after she says it.

Wulfsten simply laughs quietly. The beast hasn’t stirred too much, but if they startle it or upset it, it could attack them.

“That it is, my Lady. But, they’re pretty rare. I’d be more surprised if you were familiar with them. I snagged this one in Mattarglos.”

“Why aren’t they more commonplace?”

He grins, leaning close to whisper, “They come from the west. The Fievegal has been putting a few into circulation.”

“R-Really? I keep hearing about the Fievegal a lot.”

“They’re a rising power that consists of demon-kin and is now inviting human-kin territories into their prosperity. They make novel items and share the bounties of their wisdom.”

Yeah, yeah. The isekai harem-lord is such a magnanimous soul with his slave harem and all. Yawn.

“Listen, Wulfsten… I get that it’s valuable and all, but I don’t like the idea of killing an animal when it’s just minding its own business.”

This shocks all three of the mercenaries who were expecting a quick payday.

However, elephants were hunted to endangered status merely for the ivory of their massive tusks, wasting a great deal of the animal’s body by slaying them and leaving them where they fell. In excess of five tons of beautiful creature left to rot for a couple hundred pounds of ivory.

This animal is rather ‘handsome’ as animals go, with a strong figure, regal face, and stunning antlers. Its eyes also possess a great deal of cleverness, if not a gentle intelligence.

Zuzia adds softly, “I’m sorry. I appreciate you guys travelling with me, but… We don’t need it for food, and it’s not hurting anything, is it?”

The three wince and glance at each other uneasily.

Wulfsten sighs. “No, rakehorns aren’t particularly harmful. But…”

He looks at Zuzia, who is wearing an uneasy and somewhat pathetic expression.

The lead mercenary sighs.

Yes! Give in to my feminine wiles, Wulfsten.

“Can we break the antlers off, at least?” asks Halkadon, the shenwulf mercenary Zuzia spoke with briefly after arriving in town with the merchant caravan. He came with Wulfsten and the gatonine known as Verbert to escort Zuzia. They rode with a different merchant carriage headed towards the border with Mattarglos, and in the early morning, Halkadon tracked down the rakehorn.

“Let me ask you this first;” starts Zuzia in reply. “Do rakehorns shed their antlers naturally each year?” She asks, because deer regularly shed their antlers on Earth, regrowing them each year, with exceptions of certain species and at certain ages for others.

“They do when they’re young,” replies Wulfsten. “This one probably has a few more years before it stops shedding them.”

Zuzia stares at the elephant-sized moose-like creature. She doesn’t really want to harass it unnecessarily, but she also wants to do a favor for the gentlemen kind enough to guide and escort her to another country.

After thinking for a moment, she looks at the rakehorn one last time. “Fine, but we do it my way, and no complaints. I won’t forgive anyone who breaks my trust.”

The three mercenaries nod, inspired by her willingness to compromise.

Her plan is tricky, but should leave everyone satisfied without destroying an innocent life.

***