Chapter 420 – 37. Turning Over a New Leaf
“Stop! Who are you? Don’t move!!”
The shadows in the forest quickly crossed the distance between them and Fisher’s group, producing sounds of hooves cracking stones, armor clinking, and footsteps echoing through the dense jungle. Mikhail’s right arm began to glow, but the increasing boundary value in front of him made him momentarily stunned; soon, his right arm dimmed back to its normal prosthetic state.
Hela yawned with a smile, as if all this had nothing to do with her, and retreated behind the others to enjoy the scenery.
However, the figures that appeared did not require her attention. Soon, a group of deerfolk, also half-human, half-deer, appeared before Fisher and his companions, estimated to have ranks of about five or six. The leading few deerfolk wore plain but clearly more formal hemp clothing, distinctly different in style from garments of the Western or Southern Continents, with many individuals clad in light armor and carrying wooden bows on their backs.
The leading male deerfolk was robust but not armored, wearing various shades of dark green clothing. Unlike the female deerfolk, he bore a beautiful pair of white antlers with some metallic ring decorations, and a sword hung at his waist, exuding a faint scent of incense.
The earlier shout had come from him.
“Lu Ming, are you alright?”
The small female deerfolk, frightened by Tang Zeming Asuka, hurriedly approached the male deerfolk, clearly spooked by the glowing magical circuit surrounding Tang Zeming Asuka.
“I’m fine, they…”
Fisher noted that Hela had completely become invisible behind them, and Mikhail wore a fierce expression, ready to offer an explanation. Unexpectedly, Gouwen stepped forward first, bowing toward the deerfolk and smiling as he said:
“I sincerely apologize. I am Gouwen, and these are my companions resting here. We did not intend to harm your lady; it was a misunderstanding, and I hope you can see that.”
The leading deerfolk was taken aback by the politeness shown and raised his hand in response, asking:
“I am Lu An, a guest official of the Prime Minister of the Chuan Kingdom. This place is a hunting ground of my master, and outsiders are forbidden to trespass. How did you get here?”
“It’s an honor to meet you. I was just about to mention this. To be frank, we come from the Holy Realm of Angels to wish the King a long life. Please, can you inform the Prime Minister and introduce us to Duke Chuan?”
As Gouwen spoke, he stepped aside, revealing the extremely playful Hela behind him, who waved at them innocently like a mascot.
Fisher found the unfamiliar customs bewildering; he raised an eyebrow and quietly leaned closer to Gouwen, glancing at the male deerfolk named Lu An in the distance, asking, “Do you know him? Is he famous on the Tree Continent?”
“I don’t know him! I’ve never even been to Duke Chuan’s place. I don’t even know the Prime Minister, let alone his guests.”
“….”
Fisher understood that Gouwen’s “honor to meet you” was merely a polite expression and not an indication that he truly knew this individual well.
Meanwhile, Tang Zeming Asuka stood up, having felt a bit intimidated by the circle of deerfolk surrounding them. She nervously ran back to Fisher’s side, sneaking a glance at the little deerfolk, Lu Ming, who was hiding beside Lu An.
At first, she was startled by Lu Ming’s appearance, but soon her curiosity grew as she observed her secretly, while Lu Ming did the same in return.
Lu An was silent for a moment. Although Hela behind Gouwen did not appear threatening, her angelic halo was unmistakable, and Hela smiled and waved at Lu An. For some reason, that smile, though typically bright and warm, sent a chill down his spine; he attributed it to the pressure of a mythical being.
After all, being an angel implied that Hela could compare to the great lords of the elves. While his understanding of the elven lords was limited to Duke Chuan, it did not hinder his imagination of what beings of higher status and power than Duke Chuan might look like.
Thus, he immediately bowed to Hela, saying, “I understand. Please, follow me; I will report this matter to the Prime Minister and let him decide.”
“Thank you. Shall we depart, everyone?” Gouwen said, looking relieved.
However, Hela behind them suddenly lost interest, yawning and looking around, allowing Gouwen to take the lead. Tang Zeming Asuka sighed with relief and quickly returned with a water jug filled from the river, handing it to Hela for them to put away. Fisher observed Hela’s thoughtful expression while gazing at the deerfolk and resumed the earlier topic that had been interrupted, asking:
“What you mentioned about helping me advance to a mythical rank, what does that mean?”
“Eh? Fisher, do you have a bit of a liking for subhumans?”
Unexpectedly, Hela did not respond to his question, instead eyeing the distant deerfolk and asking.
Fisher blinked in surprise, denying it while looking at her from the side, “No.”
“Really? I just saw the way your eyes were glued.”
Hela turned her head, mischievously confident in her conclusion, prompting Fisher to rub his temples before turning to deny it again.
“This is just academic curiosity. I’ve never seen such subhumans before; as you said, humans are generally curious about the unknown.”
“Even academic interest is still interest. So, why don’t you study me? I’m an angel.”
Fisher instinctively looked at her, only to collide with her face as she leaned in closer. He remained calm, causing Hela’s smile to deepen slightly. Unable to resist, he asked, “What are you doing?”
“You’re lying.”
“?”
“Your eyes are lying. From the moment we met in the Holy Realm, the way you looked at me was similar to how you looked at that little deerfolk girl—there was a barely noticeable eagerness in your gaze. But as soon as I mentioned that angels are androgynous, although you were still somewhat moved by my appearance, it seemed to lack something. Now I understand; what you really want isn’t a subhuman but a subhuman female, right?”
“….”
Fisher suddenly recalled Erwind’s comment about him before his death. He might indeed have a slight preference for subhuman females, but not to an excessive degree—just a little. Furthermore, he had already promised Renee not to act recklessly. Perhaps he was genuinely reflecting on this, knowing that debts from flirtation must eventually be repaid; he was clearer about this than anyone.
Earlier, during his time at the Pirate’s Harbor, this contradiction had already begun to surface. While it had found some uneasy stability at the cost of Renee’s distress, Fisher deeply understood that he could no longer act in such a manner; he was the one who should bear the weight of the knives intended for him. Therefore, considering his future, he ought to exercise restraint.
He thought seriously about it, sighed, and turned to follow Gouwen while replying to Hela, “Even if it’s a subhuman female, it’s just for research or some other purpose. I have turned over a new leaf.”
Yet, in the end, he still did not learn what method Hela meant by “helping oneself reach a mythical rank.”
Hela was momentarily taken aback. As she watched Fisher slowly walk away, she seemed to sense that his words held some truth, and she recognized a certain resolve within him, resisting greed.
However, for some reason, Hela’s smile grew deeper; it seemed she saw something more interesting in Fisher’s newfound resolve and thought of a way to have even more fun. She waved her hand and quietly followed Fisher, her voice barely audible, “Turning over a new leaf? How interesting, truly interesting, hehe.”
“Hey.”
At that moment, floating outside the planet within the Holy Realm, the vortex of the Sixth Day was as quiet as usual. Or rather, it was slightly noisier than usual, as there was now a self-pitying book in front of the window of the Sixth Day.
Its square-shaped body slumped before the window, gazing longingly at the dead silence of the universe outside, much like countless other books on the shelf behind it, hand-written by the angel Gabriel but full of life.
After a long while, it sighed deeply.
“Hey.”
Emhart could no longer bear to look at the outside scenery, fearful that prolonged gazing would lead to more thoughts and longing. So, he drew down the curtain with his mouth and then wobbled over to where Gabriel was at the center of the vortex, laying down beside her. Countless open books, yet to be read, lay around him as proof of his troubled thoughts.
“Hey.”
He sighed again, uncertain how many times he had sighed today. It felt as if he were trapped in the abyss where Baemon resided, and this separation from Fisher made him feel tormented.
“Good boy, good.”
Above, Gabriel remained entranced, only repeating the process of lulling a child to sleep. The similarity between the two—one sighing in the vortex, the other soothing—was indeed remarkable.
On the ground, Emhart glanced at her, and the annoyance he had previously felt transformed into a tinge of understanding. He began to mumble to himself as if lost in thought.
“Hey, Holy Spawn, you’re just a poor angel like me. Well, you seem a bit more pitiful than I am. But really, I worry—a lot. Since I can remember, I’ve been wandering restlessly around the world, of course, meeting many people and subhumans along the way, but I’ve never stayed long with any of them. Fisher is somewhat annoying, but he should still be considered a good person.”
“That guy loves ladies, especially subhuman ladies. Ah, he’s just a human; I don’t know where that strong desire for procreation comes from! He spends so long—several hours! If I don’t keep an eye on him, he’ll probably find a new love in a few days. Sigh.”
“Ugh, but he’s with that guy Baemon! You have no idea how terrible she is; even among the chaotic demons, she’s one of the worst! She eats people and leaves no bones—how terrifying! Have you seen the records she wrote? It’s terrible, and Fisher is right next to her! He hasn’t seen Baemon’s true form and probably hasn’t recognized her yet.”
“What if he’s deceived by Baemon? That would be disastrous. He has already left the Holy Realm with her, and it must be related to how I was created, but… I am clearly a holy relic created by you! I am the great Sir Book! I am the creation of the great Holy Spawn. But I can’t remember how I was born; I don’t recall my life in the Holy Realm. I only remember how I wandered the world after the Holy Realm collapsed.”
“I finally made it back, and you all have forgotten me, and on top of that, you took Fisher away and locked me up—wahhh.”
Emhart slightly pouted, sobbing on the ground as if the memories of his confinement had brought back some unpleasant recollections.
Since the moment he could remember, it seemed he had been wandering alone around the world, reading books from various places in search of the legendary Holy Realm and the creators of the Holy Spawn. But accidentally, he had ended up in the abyss, caught by Baemon’s collection, tortured for a long time, and then thrown into the Royal Library of Nali to sleep until he met Fisher, which had finally ended everything.
Therefore, indeed, even though Emhart often bickered with Fisher, he felt happy and joyful when by Fisher’s side.
“Wahhh.”
Emhart cried on the ground, but unexpectedly, he began to float uncontrollably, getting farther away from the ground. Until a golden tear dropped from his lone eye into the air and vanished, he suddenly realized that something had lifted him.
Staring up in a daze, he found Gabriel, holding a piece of crystal in her arms, staring blankly at him.
The terrifying pressure from the Nineteen Rank made him too scared to move. But soon, the pressure from the rank gradually dissipated, becoming as gentle as a spring breeze.
They maintained their gaze on each other. Gabriel’s hold on the crystal did not change, while Emhart, suspended in the air by an ethereal force, remained still. After several seconds, Gabriel’s right hand suddenly detached from the tightly held crystal and gently extended her index finger, slowly approaching Emhart’s cover.
Emhart nervously closed his eyes, his entire book body trembling as if faced with some kind of torturous ordeal that frightened him.
But that finger did not touch him; instead, it stopped just close to his eyes. Then, Gabriel’s mundane yet vacant voice came again.
“Good boy. Don’t cry.”
“….”
Emhart immediately opened his eyes, looking at Gabriel, and adjusted himself from crying, trembling as he tilted his head defiantly.
“I am a great holy relic! I won’t cry!”
“….”
Gabriel slowly retracted her hand, once again hugging the crystal tightly, staring blankly at Emhart, not responding to his words, which made him feel quite awkward.
Clearing his throat, he changed the subject.
“I’ve said so much; now you can tell me about yourself, Holy Spawn. Like, why do you always hold that crystal?”
“….”
“Okay, not willing to say. Then can you tell me about the history of the Holy Realm? I mean, in detail. Most of what I know comes from the texts I’ve collected over the years, but I have no memory of living here. But I always feel that a special holy relic like me must have lived in the Holy Realm; look, you all are surprised by me, trying to learn about how I was made. Doesn’t that already show my greatness?”
“….”
Gabriel had disconnected but continued to stare blankly at Emhart.
“. Hey, if you won’t speak, then fine. Let’s assume I’m just being self-pitying. Just don’t complain about my constant chatter now; you should know, when I first arrived here, your voice woke me up every night. We’re even now.”
“. Ugly.”
“What did you say? I didn’t hear you clearly?”
Emhart leaned in a bit more, as if he heard Gabriel had said something, but he couldn’t make it out.
Gabriel did not look at the closing distance of Emhart but seemed startled as she hugged her crystal and turned away, muttering to the crystal.
“So ugly. Baby, we won’t look.”
“….”
Emhart could only sigh silently, drifting slowly to the window to gaze at the Holy Realm and the massive planet beneath it.
Previously, when Fei Mubaha had arrived outside the Holy Realm, the commotion was significant enough to frighten the dazed Gabriel, certainly allowing Emhart to see the outside scene.
He clearly saw from the window at the bottom of the Sixth Day near the Fifth Day how Baemon took Fisher and several others aboard the Moon Boat and left the Holy Realm, recognizing that the ship they rode was the same holy relic used by the demon sisters they encountered when fleeing Nali.
Having experienced “Baemon Trauma Syndrome,” Emhart naturally had reason to doubt that Baemon was deceiving him. She did not start paying attention to Fisher in the Northern Region; her gaze had lingered on him long before, and that had never meant anything good.
“Please don’t let anything happen to you, Fisher.”
“Left-behind book.” Emhart pitifully pressed against the glass, looking down at the planet, murmuring, yet he did not notice that, at some point, Gabriel’s gaze had returned to him.
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(End of this chapter)
