Chapter 149: 85. Innocence
“Jasmine, are you hurt?”
“I can’t believe something like this happened today. What were the New Party people thinking? They promised my brother that everything would be fine. He must be very disappointed this time.”
Isabel, Milica, and Jasmine discussed what had just happened while returning to their dormitory. Jasmine looked a bit fatigued, clearly having gone through a significant ordeal.
Both Milica and Isabel were understanding girls who didn’t pry into what had happened inside but instead expressed concern about whether she was injured.
“I’m… I’m not hurt, really. It’s just…”
Jasmine glanced at the two of them and for some reason suddenly remembered that her roommate Milica liked Teacher Fisher, and that Isabel’s sister, whom she seemed to have met before, also shared a complicated relationship with Teacher Fisher. However, she didn’t have a strong impression at the time because she was busy eating strawberry cake.
In any case, they all had a good relationship with Teacher Fisher.
Yet, she had such an unexpected encounter with Teacher Fisher that, though he might not have thought of it that way, she was so startled that she almost transformed back to her original form when they touched in the cupboard; her heart was racing too fast at that moment.
Jasmine suddenly recalled the feeling when Teacher Fisher held her hand before. He had guided her from upstairs to meet with others, and she felt an immense sense of safety, to the point where she instinctively reached out to him when leaving the magic.
This was truly shameless.
Jasmine looked at her two concerned roommates and suddenly felt a sense of guilt, as if she had secretly done something wrong behind their backs.
Isabel and Milica sensed Jasmine’s apologetic gaze and exchanged confused glances, feeling something was off.
But after all, their roommate had just come out of such a dangerous situation, so she must have been scared, right?
“I… I want to take a bath.”
Jasmine said softly to her roommates, wanting to escape their gaze.
“Okay, go ahead.”
Jasmine took some change of clothes and filled the bathtub with warm water. Then, she slowly removed the clothes clinging to her and sank into the water. The soft water felt as comforting as a blanket, making her close her eyes and let the water flow massage her body.
“Lord Ramastia…”
As she squinted her eyes, she said this, and in front of her, a vortex made of flowing water appeared in the bathtub, quietly watching her and bubbling slightly, clearly responding to her. Then, the water snake formed from the flow reared itself, raising its head to look at her.
Jasmine extended her hand from the water and gently touched her lips, but just that light contact made her feel the sensitivity of her lips, and she immediately pulled her hand back. This reminded her of the moment when she was just inches away from Teacher Fisher in that cupboard; now that she touched, the memories flooded back.
Thus, a faint pink began to spread over her skin.
“Lord Ramastia, humans are such a peculiar race. I really like the buildings they construct and the food they make. Ever since coming ashore, I also especially enjoy the sunshine. Although I don’t understand humans very well, this time has truly left a deep impression on me.”
“They like to talk, enjoy staying together, love sharing food with their companions, and have their own steadfast beliefs, willing to act and strive for those beliefs without regret.”
She recalled Teacher Fisher’s encouraging words from before, remembered his focused expression when seeking the truth, thought of his calm demeanor when refuting other scholars, and remembered the overwhelming sense of safety when he stood in front of her…
Teacher Fisher truly was a very kind and excellent human being, even she, a whale folk, felt this way.
The water snake grew two small hands, grasped its tiny waist, and tilted its head, looking toward Jasmine with an expression that seemed to not know what to say.
“Well, I know, I know. In your eyes, all lives are the same, each different yet sharing the same origin. Do you think Teacher Fisher would reveal that I am a subhuman?”
The water snake nodded and patted its chest with a very determined look.
“But I don’t think he would. Teacher Fisher should keep his promises.”
Hearing Jasmine’s naive words, the water snake fell silent for a second, and suddenly, a stream of water shot out from its head, splashing her face, making Jasmine cover her face with her hands to block the attack.
“Hey, don’t splash me…”
Ramastia didn’t continue splashing her but held its waist, lowering its head seemingly muttering to itself. The bubbles in the water continued to rise like boiling water, causing Jasmine to pout.
“I haven’t forgotten my mission! I’ve already delivered the letter to the humans, and now I just need to find Aunt Muxi. Mr. Ling Jiu brought the things Aunt Muxi sent back from the ocean; I will go look for her.”
Jasmine smiled and suddenly recalled how Teacher Fisher had roughly grabbed Lord Ramastia in his palm before, so that’s why it dislikes Teacher Fisher, right?
She patted the little snake’s head, only to have it swat her hand away, then it squealed a bit before transforming back into a puddle of lifeless water, merging into the bathtub, disappearing from sight.
Before being grabbed by Fisher, Jasmine had no idea Lord Ramastia had such an adorable side. So it turned out that Teacher Fisher’s Fluid Sword was given to him by Lord Ramastia, and yet he treated it that way, which made it so furious.
But it didn’t say why it wanted to give that sword to Teacher Fisher; there must have been some deeper reason.
The mist in the bathroom slowly rose, and Jasmine gently rested her face on her knees, her beautiful profile gazing at the side wall of the bathroom, lost in thought.
She reached out gently, dipped her fingers in the water from the bathtub, and used the transparent water as ink to write a line of human Nali language characters on the wall, which read:
“Fisher”
After all, Jasmine was just a young whale folk; she didn’t know what love was. She only felt her heart racing sometimes, and just thinking of the extremely close distance to Teacher Fisher made her blush with shame.
That was the inexperienced and innocent feeling of a girl, fragile and confused like the sharp tip of a budding lotus. Perhaps even Ramastia wouldn’t understand why she invested such innocent feelings in that human.
It was just a harmless god who liked to sleep at the bottom of the sea, of course, it wouldn’t comprehend the complex and contradictory psychology of a girl. It only thought Jasminewasn’t very bright, so it splashed her with water.
Fisher was unaware that a young girl was about to step into her naive and inexperienced romance. He returned to his room feeling quite tired, likely knowing that the New Party members would come to question him about what had happened in the magic. Before that, he had to sort out the matters involving Prince Losang and Carolina.
When he returned to his room, Carolina was already leaning by the windowsill, playing with a cat. She was still wearing Prince Losang’s clothes, her expression calm as she stroked the cat’s chin, showing no difference from an ordinary lady at all.
It could be that the magic witch research society had implanted a strong influence through that black hair, or perhaps this woman was like this even before her implantation.
When Fisher returned, the Nali police outside were entering Saint Nali University, and for the moment, the conference building where they had been was completely sealed off. Carolina was quite worried about whether she could escape safely. As soon as she saw Fisher coming back, she immediately asked,
“I’ve already helped you protect those scholars from Shivali, and… that prince. How should I leave? Once I’m safe, I’ll tell you where that relic is.”
She seemed particularly nervous, probably afraid Fisher would cut ties with her and just used the relic of the Undying Sorceress as a threat.
Although Fisher initially suspected the Undying Sorceress was indeed Renee, knowing more about the relic wouldn’t hurt, and it might even provide some information from before the Middle Ages, like the Universal Warning Tablet that Eil had mentioned to him before.
Fisher took off his coat and hung it on the hanger, then sat down on a chair in the room.
“Speaking of this, even though no one has died, technically you can leave now. But you’ve noticed; the Pink Pavilion is framing your Sorceress Research Society for the attacks, and they will trace everything related to the Sorceress Research Society, and you just happen to be their artificial sorceress.”
“What do you mean, ‘their artificial sorceress’? I have nothing to do with them; they’re just a bunch of scum.”
“Don’t be anxious. The current situation is that if you want to go out, you must ensure that everyone present does not speak of your absence. Otherwise, the Nali authorities will be suspicious of you, the suddenly appearing attendant. I don’t have the ability to silence them all, but there is one person who can.”
Carolina opened her mouth slightly and then looked down at the clothes draped on her, clearly guessing who Fisher was referring to.
“You mean that prince?”
“Yes, I’ve arranged for him to meet you again. How you do it, what you do, and whether you can escape all depend on you. I can only do this much for you; I can’t help with anything else.”
Carolina gritted her teeth but didn’t express her discontent. She already had some understanding of this scummy man’s nature.
Instead, she seemed a bit embarrassed under Fisher’s gaze. After hesitating for a long time, she finally turned her head slightly and spoke quietly,
“Then arrange for me to meet him. But just to be clear, I only want to get out of this mess quickly, I don’t like men… or anything.”
“Uh-huh.”
Fisher vaguely replied, disregarding her tough words, and touched the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans in his arms, which was what he truly cared about.
Once this matter is over, Jasmine’s identity would be nearly exposed. Then he could bind Jasmine to research whale folk; he was also curious about the ecology of the underwater world and her purpose for coming ashore. However, because of the recent events between him and Jasmine, Fisher had to postpone the date of his research; it was better to let the awkwardness between them cool down a bit first.
After all, he was doing research; if he scared her and caused resistance, it would be challenging to get anything from her. Fisher felt that these occurrences were his fault.
However, he always felt that Carolina was just stubborn; he unilaterally believed Carolina would not be a match for Losang and would likely end up merely talking tough in a few days.
But that wasn’t something Fisher should worry about now. Once she told him the location of the sorceress relic, they would both be fine; after that, they might even exchange some gifts once they had children.
By the way, speaking of this, Fisher recalled what Prince Losang had asked him before, filled with curiosity and a sense of responsibility towards Prince Losang, thus he also looked at Carolina and asked,
“I have a question. You’re an artificial sorceress, but you weren’t a woman before; what’s the difference now between you and real women? Or are you just wrapped in a female shell?”
“Huh? Not at all, I’m no different from other women.”
For some reason, upon hearing Fisher’s question, she covered her body somewhat fearfully, her face flushed as she stepped back a bit, warily looking at Fisher, asking,
“What are you trying to do?”
“Nothing, just a bit curious.”
Fisher took out a stack of tickets from the drawer, casually pulling out two and handing them to Carolina, saying,
“Here, this is a universal theater ticket issued by the school. You can use this to watch a play at the Saint Nali Opera House for free at any time. I’ll inform Prince Losang to come there and meet you tomorrow night. The rest is up to you to arrange.”
“Huh? Why meet at the theater?”
Fisher didn’t respond to her because he vaguely heard footsteps at the door. He raised a finger in a “shh” gesture to signal her to hide. Carolina, angrily clutching the tickets, hurriedly made her way into the bathroom, and then Fisher went to open the door.
Standing at the door was a smiling maid; she was the managing maid assigned to the faculty dormitory. She smiled faintly, bowed her head, and said to Fisher,
“Mr. Fisher, the Nali police downstairs asked you to come down; it seems they need to take a case record or something.”
“I see, understood. I’ll change my clothes and come down.”
“Okay.”
Taking this opportunity, Fisher returned to his room, took another coat from the wardrobe, and when he looked toward the bathroom door, the window was open, but he could no longer see the figure of the artificial sorceress Carolina.
(End of this chapter)
