Chapter 39: Saintess Choir
Early the next morning, at the breakfast table of the Feilon family, Fisher elegantly speared a piece of fried egg, glancing over at the absent-minded Raphael beside him.
God knows when this guy fell asleep last night; he might not have slept at all. Anyway, when Fisher got up, Raphael was already staring blankly at the ceiling.
“Good morning, everyone. Is the breakfast satisfactory?”
Nana’s gentle voice came through as she spoke in the Dragon language to the several Dragon girls who were eating, unintentionally startling Raphael beside her.
Nana changed into a light yellow dress, her fair skin hinting at a healthy pink glow, shiny and captivating, causing Raphael to appraise her for quite a while before awkwardly shifting his gaze away, which made Nana look at the peculiar Raphael with a hint of confusion.
“Delicious! Ral really likes this fried egg and milk!”
“That’s great. The City Lord is having breakfast with the children in another room and will come over soon. Please wait a moment, Mr. Fisher.”
Fisher nodded, and then Nana swayed her skirt and left the dining room where they were eating. Once she stepped out, Fisher wiped his mouth and asked Raphael,
“Have you come up with a strategy for our duel tonight?”
“Strategy? Ah? Right, strategy.” Raphael’s face flushed, and her tail perked up slightly behind her. After several seconds, it seemed she finally grasped what Fisher was asking, “Of course, I have! You’ll find out tonight!”
Fisher raised an eyebrow just as he caught sight of Feilon entering through the door, holding a staff, his suit now replaced with a lighter and more travel-appropriate light brown clothing.
“Good morning, Mr. Fisher.”
He also nodded to the Dragon people but didn’t say anything due to the language barrier.
“Good morning. Do you have plans for today?”
“Ah, speaking of that… I was just about to invite Mr. Fisher to take a stroll around the city today. I had previously invited the Saintess Choir from Saint Nali to come perform, and they agreed to perform but only for one day. I was considering which day would be the best; now that you’re here, let’s schedule it for today.”
“Oh? Is it the Saintess Choir from the Saint Song Opera House?”
Fisher seemed a bit surprised because the Saint Song Opera House is the most prestigious opera house in Saint Nali, where the guests are often royalty and high-ranking officials, and among the performance troupes, the Saintess Choir is known for being the youngest and most beautiful.
Tickets for performances at the Saint Song Opera House are hard to come by, let alone inviting the Saintess Choir to the Southern Continent.
“Exactly.”
Feilon appeared to want to blink, but his mask didn’t allow for such an expression, so he could only smile and skip over it.
“I’m really curious how you managed that.”
“It wasn’t too difficult. The church behind the Saint Song Opera House wishes to collaborate with Cardu to build a church in the Southern Continent, but as you know, the economic conditions of each city only allow the church to build within the city without funding. So the church could only raise funds in the Western Continent, with the prize being a special performance by the Saintess Choir.”
“Mr. Feilon’s economic situation always amazes me.”
From the previous military deployments and the condition of city construction to the fundraising he inadvertently revealed, Fisher was very curious about where Feilon’s wealth came from.
“This is something a believer of the Mother should do; it’s not too much to reward them with the choir’s songs. So, how about joining me to watch?”
Fisher smiled,
“Then thank you for allowing me to witness the grace of the Saintess Choir. As for Raphael and the others, they don’t understand the Nali language, so let them rest here.”
“Ha-ha, alright, I’ll go arrange the carriage. Fia…” Feilon called a maid over, “Take good care of these Dragon girls; if you don’t understand their words, feel free to consult Nana.”
“Understood.”
Feilon went out to arrange the carriage while Fisher walked over to Raphael, gently grabbing her hand.
“What are you doing?”
She glanced at Fisher, her gaze a little evasive, her tail laying beside her leg as if trying to emulate Nana, maintaining the same angle as her skirt, except that the scales hidden beneath her clothing began to visibly spill out.
Fisher silently activated a sensing magic circle in her hand, connecting it with his staff.
“If anything happens, just break this magic with your horn or light up your magical circuit, and I will rush back immediately, understood?”
Fisher’s gaze lingered on her, but she quickly pulled her hand away as if afraid to be burned by his touch, then she responded,
“I understand. I will look after Ral and the others. Remember our duel tonight; I’ll give it my all this time, so you better be careful.”
Fisher nodded, then patted Ral while walking out, saying,
“I face your battles with all my heart every time, don’t worry.”
Raphael bit her lip, feeling the coolness of the magic circle etched by Fisher’s hand. The pale magic ring slowly lost its brilliance but still retained warmth.
The theater was outside the Lord’s Mansion, and from the exterior, it didn’t look too luxurious, with many traditional Saint Nali drama promotional posters hanging up, many of which were love stories, and there was even “A Prince’s Revenge,” a story-heavy production. Fisher noticed the ticket prices, which were, of course, far cheaper than those in Saint Nali.
All citizens could purchase tickets, and the latest comedy lineup stated, “Saintess Choir tickets available, 300 euros each, please bring identification to purchase.”
Fisher glanced at the citizens lining up to enter, jokingly saying to Feilon,
“Exclusive performance by the Saintess Choir, and someone would actually want to share this opportunity with others?”
Although the performance by the Saintess Choir didn’t state that it couldn’t be shared with the public, generally, the nobility or monarchs preferred to enjoy performances alone, considering the rarity of such opportunities. To Fisher, the 300-euro ticket price seemed like giving it away to the citizens.
“Ha-ha, the performances are for people to watch; them watching together won’t hinder our view, since it doesn’t affect us, why not let them enjoy it too?”
Beside him, Feilon’s mask concealed his expression, but his kind and magnetic voice transmitted through the venting steam.
“Indeed. Is Miss Nana not coming?”
“Ah, her…” Feilon tapped his mask, appearing somewhat troubled, “It seems Mr. Fisher knows about my relationship with her.”
Fisher didn’t mention how loud they were last night, making it feel like he was right there; he only nodded in acknowledgment.
“When I met Nana, her horn had been cut off and she lay in the wilderness like a dead person. The horns of the Dragon Race are very important; I believe Mr. Fisher understands this?”
“Mm.”
“But I saw the desire for life in her eyes; she showed me the vitality of life, which deeply moved me. In later days, although she helped me a lot and I am grateful to her, she is seen by most humans as an unworthy subhuman, and she knows this too, which is why she hasn’t stepped out of my inner mansion for a long time.”
“By the way, I almost forgot to ask you, Mr. Fisher, what is the significance of taking these Dragon Race girls? If I’m not mistaken, that red Dragon girl’s slave mark has already been removed, right?”
In front of Feilon, Fisher couldn’t use the excuse of research anymore. Raphael didn’t understand much about the slave mark, so she believed Fisher when he said he bought her for research. The real purpose was known only to Fisher himself.
“Although she is quite troublesome, it cannot be denied that from a human aesthetic perspective, Raphael is indeed a beautiful girl.”
Fisher glanced out the window, telling a lie while wrapping up the assassination agreement with Raphael to present it to Feilon. From Feilon’s perspective, Fisher was a Nali gentleman enamored with this wild Dragon girl but was troubled by her unruly nature, hoping to quiet her down with this method.
“I see… So tonight, she will have her third duel with you? Interesting, interesting. I have a practice ground in the inner city for testing steam engines that can be lent to you tonight. But I must remind Mr. Fisher, Dragon people are natural warriors; don’t lose your life over such matters.”
“Thank you for your concern; I will be careful.”
Fisher smiled, thanking Feilon for his reminder.
By this time, most of the citizens who bought tickets for the Saintess Choir performance had entered, and Feilon and Fisher were awaiting the arrival of the Saintess Choir. They had only just arrived at Feilon City a few days ago and had to head south after the performance.
“Mr. Fisher, they are here.”
Feilon pointed to the direction of the distant street. At the end of the road, two knights clad in silver armor stood at the front, holding long halberds, and behind them were three exquisitely decorated carriages.
Fisher took a glance at the shimmering silver magic glow on the knights and the densely packed white circles on their weapons. In Saint Nali, anyone would know that these two knights were not to be trifled with.
They were the church’s chapel knights.
“They are responsible for the safety of the Saintess Choir in the Southern Continent. If it weren’t for coming to the Southern Continent, the church wouldn’t dispatch two chapel knights.”
Feilon descended from the carriage with his staff, and Fisher followed.
“The Southern Continent is indeed not very safe; the church’s concerns are valid.”
In the distance, the carriages stopped at the entrance of the theater. Under the scrutinizing gaze of the two knights, they made way, revealing the girls who were getting off the carriages behind them.
The leading woman couldn’t be called a girl anymore; she was a bit older and wore a pure black church ceremonial robe. Emotionlessly, she bowed to Fisher and Feilon and then said,
“Let’s confirm once again, Mr. Feilon, do you wish to hold the performance here and share the choir’s performance with these… citizens?”
It seemed the Saintess Choir was not pleased about performing in front of commoners.
“I confirm, Priest Ca Yu.”
After receiving Feilon’s nod, Priest Ca Yu no longer spoke, simply instructing the girls behind her to get off the carriage quickly.
The girls of the Saintess Choir were all young girls under the age of eighteen, dressed in light cream dresses, each wearing a golden church ceremonial crown on their foreheads, looking elegant and sacred.
After getting off the carriage, they bowed to Fisher and the others, and then lined up following the knights into the theater. However, when it came to the last girl, she secretly winked at Fisher, catching his attention.
Beneath the young golden crown, the black-haired girl’s lovely face held a smile, looking at Fisher as if reminding him.
“Teacher, do you remember me?”
“You”
Fisher also found the girl quite familiar, especially with this unique address, reminding him of the time when he was a tutor in Saint Nali.
“Milica!”
Just as Fisher was about to speak, the black-robed Priest Ca Yu interrupted the girl’s next words.
The girl, named Milica, stuck her tongue out at Fisher and quickly whispered,
“Fisher teacher, see you again in Saint Nali.”
In the next second, her expression shifted to one of piety, and she silently followed her companions into the theater.
Thank you for your reading and voting support, everyone.
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(End of Chapter)
