Chapter 465: 82. Cupid
“Is Hela the Angel really injured in order to protect Teacher Fisher?”
After descending from Pandora’s lighthouse, Fisher and Tang Zeming Asuka walked on the clouds of the First Day. After leaving the imposing Archangel, Asuka finally felt a bit relieved. Her gaze lingered on Fisher for a moment before she suddenly asked.
Fisher didn’t look at her, only gazing straight ahead on the road, and after a long time, he replied,
“I don’t know either.”
Hearing this, Tang Zeming Asuka pouted and teased Fisher,
“Wait, Teacher Fisher’s response is just too unfair, right?”
Fisher turned to look at her expressionlessly and suddenly said,
“Huh? Are you very concerned about my private life, Tang Zeming?”
“Eh? Concerned about private life?”
Tang Zeming Asuka’s face turned red, and she quickly raised her hand and waved it, flustered as she said,
“No, no, no, I was just… anyway…”
Seeing her panic, the expressionless Fisher suddenly softened, forming a mischievous smile.
Then, as if he had succeeded in his trick, he smirked and gently tapped Tang Zeming Asuka’s head before walking towards the stairs leading to the Second Day, saying,
“I know, stop standing there like a fool, let’s go.”
Tang Zeming Asuka, who had been tapped on the head, stepped back several steps, and after a few seconds, she realized in disbelief that her teacher had picked up a terrible habit: that is, tapping her head!
Tang Zeming Asuka was quite angry and, after a few seconds, strode a few steps forward, gently colliding her whole body against Fisher, but with her small frame and life rank, she instantly felt as if she had slammed into an iron plate and stumbled back, sitting down on a soft cloud.
Fisher raised an eyebrow and looked back at her with concern, only to see her huddled like a little hedgehog, holding her head and appearing to be in great pain, even with tears in her eyes.
“Are you an idiot?”
“I’m not an idiot! Teacher Fisher is the one who is the idiot! Idiot! Idiot! Oww, it hurts, Amitabha…”
Tang Zeming Asuka was in pain and, seeing Fisher’s amused expression, became even more agitated. Just as she was about to say something, she found Fisher had squatted down and extended his hand toward her,
“Insulting your teacher is not a good habit, but although I’m strict with academic matters, I’m quite lenient in this regard, so I don’t mind… hmm, maybe.”
Tang Zeming Asuka puckered her lips, her feelings toward Fisher somewhat complicated.
Emotionally, she certainly had a good impression of Fisher; she still remembered that restless night when she first arrived in this unfamiliar world, it was Fisher who guided her and gave her a sense of security. Moreover, throughout the journey, Fisher not only taught her magic but did so without any pretentiousness as a teacher. Though very composed, he resembled a considerate senior, allowing Tang Zeming Asuka to unknowingly lower her defenses.
However, objectively speaking, even with a good impression, these feelings were quite hazy.
Even if we disregard Tang Zeming Asuka’s own naivety, both she and Teacher Fisher were Transcenders and did not even come from the same place. If they were to return home in the future, they would certainly part ways. Besides, everything about them was drastically different. Whether it was the level of life, knowledge, or experiences, Tang Zeming Asuka, as a gullible high school student, certainly lacked competitiveness.
Hazy emotions are best at evading, especially for someone as self-deprecating as Tang Zeming Asuka.
Thus, she, as if she were completely unaware, just did what she often did in the past and ignored her feelings, reaching out her hand to use Fisher’s strength to stand up again. Then she patted her white robe and said to Fisher,
“Then Teacher Fisher, are we going to notify Hela to meet with Archangel Pandora in the Second Day?”
“Well, we need to wait for Pandora to bring back the information about the Ideal Nation and Margaret before we can proceed with our next actions.”
Visiting Hela might just be a side task?
Tang Zeming Asuka nodded meaningless, but when she heard Fisher mention the name “Margaret,” she couldn’t help but think of the situation in the Duke’s barrier at that time.
She thought of that gentle woman who had lost her daughter early.
The scenery of the Second Day was somewhat different from Fisher’s previous memories, but indeed, last time he came here, he had just transitioned together with Emhart, when he could scarcely breathe in the air up here. He was captured and thrown to the Third Day shortly after, and therefore separated from Emhart.
And when he had just sent Hela here, he had not fully entered, only handing Hela over to other angels at the door, and at that moment, Gou Wen had gotten into an argument with Raphael near the entrance.
He still wanted to see if he could meet Emhart on the Sixth Day before Pandora provided information.
Coincidentally, Mikhail had been sent to the Fifth Day due to his injuries, and Fisher could take the opportunity to find out what the already insane Gabriel was up to.
“You are here to find Hela, right?”
The Second Day at this time was not crowded with angels, in stark contrast to the bustling Fifth Day, this place was very calm and peaceful, filled with floating light spots resembling fireflies.
Except for a few angels, as soon as Fisher arrived at the Second Day, he saw the Second Day’s Archangel, Raphael, standing at the edge, gazing into the deep space. In front of him seemed to be a gospel forge used by angels; he appeared to be forging something, which further corroborated the love of the angelic race for craftsmanship.
This Archangel looked exactly like Uriel in the Third Day, but his hair color and expression were milder, and unlike other Archangels, he had no airs about him. If he hadn’t spoken first when they just arrived, Fisher might have not even noticed this big shot standing at the edge of the Second Day.
“Yes, Archangel Raphael.”
Since the other party spoke first, Fisher politely greeted him.
Raphael glanced at Fisher and Tang Zeming Asuka and then looked at the very quiet Second Day. He spoke,
“She is inside. After my treatment, her condition should have improved quite a bit; you can call her, and she should be able to hear you. However, many strange things have happened in these years. In the past ten thousand years, there have rarely been instances of angel injuries, but this year, there have been two. Hela has also become one of the few angels to choose a gender after Gabriel, which surprised me.”
“. Two cases of injury? Besides Hela, which other angel has been injured?”
Fisher was silent for a moment, as if he hadn’t heard Raphael’s comment about choosing gender, and just pressed on with his inquiry concerning the first part.
With a slight smile, Raphael pretended not to know. He looked down at the planets below and recalled before saying,
“I think about seven months ago? It was the Sorobato Angel from the Third Day who suffered a relatively serious injury and came up to ask me for treatment. Are you very interested in this matter? Unfortunately, Sorobato doesn’t have a good reputation in the Holy Realm. There are rumors that he violated the law to forge the Life Gospel Sacred Object, so I didn’t inquire further about the cause of his injury.”
“Teacher Fisher, isn’t this name mentioned by Archangel Hela before?”
Tang Zeming Asuka suddenly thought of something and quietly said to Fisher.
Sorobato Angel?
Yes, Fisher seemed to remember that Hela had mentioned this name when they were in the Tree Continent, and at that time, they met his Prime in Chuan Kingdom, who was Xiong. He was originally a slave in the Holy Realm and had been taken to the Tree Continent during the last birthday celebration, and the angel leading the team was Sorobato.
Did he also sustain serious injuries? Who in this era could injure a mythical being angel? Elves?
“Was it the elves that made the move?”
Raphael shook his head and replied,
“Not likely. The mythical beings’ attacks would leave a strong aura, just like the peach blossoms that adorned Hela before, but Sorobato does not exhibit such traces, suggesting he was struck down by sheer brute force. However, he loves to go out and has a bad reputation for forging Life Gospel Sacred Objects. Who knows what he did? He might have been punished by the Lord God.”
“Thank you, Archangel Raphael.”
Having not obtained any extra information, Fisher could only sigh and mark this matter in his heart.
However, contrary to what he previously thought, during the judgment of the seven Archangels, this Archangel and Uriel had agreed to execute their group of Transcenders. Yet now he seemed so kind; it was hard to say why.
Perhaps Raphael was just forced to stand on one side due to Uriel and the other two Archangels, or perhaps they had heard some rumors and realized that what they were doing now was related to the events happening in the Tree Continent, thus setting aside their previous hostility for the overall benefit of the Holy Realm? Fisher did not know.
After a simple conversation, Raphael fell silent. He was prepared to lead Tang Zeming Asuka to visit Hela, but unexpectedly, Tang Zeming Asuka suddenly stopped. Feeling the pause behind him, Fisher turned to look and saw her forcing a laugh, glancing around, saying,
“Um, Teacher Fisher, you go visit Archangel Hela. I want to stroll around. Don’t worry! I definitely won’t run off and cause trouble!”
Seemingly eager to avoid repeating her previous troubles in the Tree Continent, she quickly guaranteed this.
After a moment of silence, thinking about Hela’s temperament, Fisher guessed she was up to some inappropriate tricks again, and if Tang Zeming Asuka was around, he wouldn’t be able to counter effectively under “youth protection mode.” Thus, after considering, he agreed to Tang Zeming Asuka.
“Okay, but remember not to wander too far, especially you must be careful with the angels. This is the Holy Realm; you don’t want to get captured for judgment again, do you?”
“Don’t worry, Teacher Fisher, I’ll just stand right here and won’t go anywhere.”
She waved her hand and said so, unwilling to enter, preferring to stand in place, unable to clearly express whether she was reluctant to disturb Fisher and Hela.
Fisher stared at her for several seconds, and when her gaze wandered off, he nodded and turned to head deeper into the Second Day.
If the elves’ architecture is a harmonious resonance like nature, then the angels’ architecture is a hall of orderly beauty that is extremely rigorous. Just like Raphael’s healing arts, the buildings of the Second Day are mostly gentle white structures, few angels inhabiting this place, yet small light spots like the ones seen outside filled the air.
Fisher wandered in the white hall for quite a while without knowing where Hela had been taken until he was almost lost when he turned and called out,
“Hela?”
“Whoosh!”
Just as he spoke, a swishing sound erupted behind him. Fisher quickly reacted, turning sharply, but the speed of the sound was beyond his imagination. Before he could make a move, an arrow struck him in the body like a beam of light.
Yet aside from that, he felt no pain.
Fisher stared down at the arrow lodged in his chest, then noticed that the arrowhead was shaped like a soft heart, sticking to his chest like rubber, with a thin string attached to the shaft.
Following the string, he saw a beautifully golden-haired angel, now dressed in a white garment reminiscent of a skirt, holding a small, toy-like bow, looking at him with a mischievous grin; it was none other than Hela.
Fisher opened his mouth, first glancing at the halo above her head and finding no notable symptoms aside from the brightness and some dimness. This likely indicated her injury had healed largely.
His expression darkened as he gripped the arrow sticking in his chest, only to find he couldn’t pull it off, as if it were permanently glued to him.
“What are you doing again, Hela?”
“I’m not Hela; I’m Cupid~”
“.What is that thing?”
“Well, it is said to be the embodiment of love. As long as two people are struck by Cupid’s arrows, they will inevitably fall in love.”
She wore a white gown more suited for women, the hem ending around her knees, revealing her fair calves and the delicate feet floating above the ground. Hearing Fisher’s question, she slightly lifted one foot, striking a very coy pose, closing one eye and aiming her bow at Fisher as though she was taking aim.
“Bi~u!”
Then, even though the arrow had already been shot, she made a sound to accompany it.
“It’s no wonder Archangel Raphael said you have fully transformed into a woman.”
Fisher felt somewhat speechless as he slowly walked towards her, ignoring her playful game. After all, he didn’t understand angelic legends. Did Cupid exist among angels’ stories too? They couldn’t even reproduce, so there probably wasn’t a need for that, right?
Fisher scanned her from top to bottom, seeing that the injury marks on her body had mostly healed, but her wings remained unfurled. Fisher still remembered that her wings had been almost completely shattered by the Duke of Peach.
Sensing Fisher’s inspecting gaze, Hela tucked away her toy-like bow, then opened her arms wide, waiting for him to inspect her. However, as she did this, her eyes carried a mischievous glance directed at Fisher.
After examining her closely without finding anything wrong, Fisher couldn’t help but admire Raphael’s healing techniques, as she appeared as if she had never been injured.
“It looks like you have fully recovered; that’s good. I went to meet Pandora earlier and probably learned about Margaret’s whereabouts. She went to the Dragon Continent to establish a settlement called the ‘Ideal Nation’ and seems to have found some method to threaten the elves. After that, Pandora will look for more intelligence about that place, and we can take a break for now. By the way, she asked you to see her in the First Day.”
“Ugh, how troublesome. I’m still a patient.”
Upon hearing that she was asked to run down again, Hela, who had just graciously accepted the inspection, immediately resisted, floating up and walking with her hands behind her back to the adjacent room, lying down on one of the hammocks. Clearly, this was where Raphael had treated her earlier.
Lying there, she pondered for a moment, then her halo brightened. She lazily turned on the hammock, looking enticingly at Fisher like an opened jar of fine wine, and grinned,
“Well, but Pandora asked for Hela to meet her; what does that have to do with me, Cupid?”
Saying so, she even pretended to draw her bowstring, as if to prove her identity.
Fisher looked at her expressionlessly. Under such a gaze, Hela finally relented, pouting and saying,
“Alright, alright, I get it. But anyway, Lady Pandora is also gathering intelligence; it would be better to wait a bit longer before going. Besides, we can bring the information back, so we won’t have to run twice, will we? Lady Pandora acts quickly; most slow she’ll clarify the situation by tomorrow.”
Fisher nodded, tacitly agreeing with her suggestion.
He didn’t leave but instead sat down in her resting chamber. The surroundings were very quiet, and after checking her condition again for the third time, he unintentionally said,
“It seems Raphael’s healing arts are truly remarkable; I thought you would need more time to recover.”
Hela smiled sideways, watching his multiple glances at her with great interest, and her blue-gold sparkling eyes seemed to playfully tease him as she said,
“Hey, are you that worried I wouldn’t recover?”
“You just said that Cupid is just here to joke, right? How do I get this sacred object arrows off my chest?”
Fisher silently changed the topic.
“What do you mean by ‘joke’?”
“Didn’t you say you needed two arrows? I think you just want to shoot me with the arrowhead.”
Hela was slightly taken aback, then smiled lightly, beckoning Fisher with her finger as if inviting him over.
Fisher crossed his arms, remaining still and alert, no matter how Hela tried to entice him.
Eventually, Hela simply tugged at the string connected to the arrow on Fisher’s chest. With her move, Fisher finally realized that the arrow’s end seemed to connect to something further away.
Fisher’s gaze followed the gently swaying line forward until he saw in Hela’s direction, as she smiled sweetly, slightly lifting her skirt to reveal a shadow beneath, intertwined with her various healing sacred objects and white robes. There, he suddenly noticed the other arrow hidden on her chest, and it was the one linked to the arrow that had shot him.
Fisher was momentarily stunned, his gaze moving upward, only to meet her wicked smile blooming on those rosy lips.
“The other arrow is with Cupid~”
As the connected string wobbled slightly, she said so.
