Chapter 535: 13. That Night
Fisher, Emhart, and Raphael walked out of the cave, but unlike when Ral had come with them, they didn’t seem eager to fly or scale walls. The journey with Raphael felt more like a leisurely stroll after a meal, quite relaxed.
“Is that where you met Ral?”
“Ah, I didn’t recognize her at first. She grew up too fast.”
Raphael smiled slightly and said, “She’s still as hungry as before, and exercises regularly, so she grew up quickly. Even I sometimes get a little dazed. But over the years, she and the other sisters have helped me a lot. She has matured quite a bit as well.”
“That’s true.”
From the earlier battle and related arrangements, one could tell that she was no longer the small dragon who used to secretly eat her bread and run away covering her face.
“By the way, I just suddenly remembered that my horn could touch you just now, even though it couldn’t before.”
As Raphael walked, she suddenly remembered this, and Fisher smiled slightly, explaining, “Your dragon horns are an extension of your soul. My soul and body were once separated, unified yet independently existing, which is why your dragon horn couldn’t touch me. But now, my soul and body are connected, so I can touch your horn.”
“Unity of body and soul?”
“Yes, that’s the concept of Mythical Rank. It’s a bit complicated to explain, so I can discuss it with you in detail later.”
“Okay.”
Raphael might have sensed that Fisher’s body was still strong, and since Ral wouldn’t have failed to explain their encounter to them, it wouldn’t be too difficult for Fisher to talk later.
However, Raphael was also a bit surprised to meet Fisher, as an average adult dragon’s rank is about eight to nine. But now Raphael’s rank was as high as fourteen, still far from the mythical rank, yet she was already an unprecedented existence among dragon kin.
Even such a special Dragon Queen was forced back under the interference of mythical demon beings. In other words, the destructive power of the mythical beings clearly surpassed the few world destroyers mentioned in the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans. It seemed those devastating demon beings had a greater likelihood of destroying the world than Raphael, Jasmine, or Valentina, not to mention they were also followers of chaos.
This made Fisher start to doubt the authenticity of the Apocalypse Prophecy or questioning whether the prophecy truly meant something beyond what he had observed.
So, had the prophecy of destruction really been solved by himself?
As he walked, this question suddenly popped into Fisher’s mind, but he couldn’t find any answer for the time being.
Due to certain factors involving her companions, Raphael couldn’t reveal Fisher’s identity publicly, and it was even challenging for her to have him appear before her always tense companions, but she trusted Fisher. As they walked, she was also introducing him to the situation at this defensive line.
Raphael was troubled by the strange movements of General Barbatos. When Raphael had been overwhelmed by him and forced to take refuge in the Southern Branch Mountain, Nali clearly had the opportunity to press the attack and annihilate him. Even Raphael thought it was a critical time for survival, bracing herself with injuries to guard the front line, ready to fight to the death.
Strangely, after driving Raphael back, Barbatos showed no sign of directly attacking southward.
While the main force of the Human Allied Forces was still engaged in a decisive battle against the Red Dragon Court beneath the Southern Branch Mountain, the progress was extremely slow without Barbatos’s assistance, leading to the current standoff.
This uncertainty was something Raphael didn’t like; she had sent agents to the North Mountain multiple times to gather information, but all she received was news of Barbatos standing still at Dragon Court City.
After that decisive battle, both sides fell into a strange silence. Although the enemy had organized a few offensives, in Raphael’s view, they seemed ineffective and she wondered if they were being forced to advance under the orders of the human empress.
Following the Southern Branch Mountain, the Red Dragon Court established a total of five defensive lines, three facing the Southern Branch Mountain and two facing the coastline. From Twilight Valley to the end of the Southern Branch Mountain was the “rear” hinterland, where the Red Dragon Court organized production and rested.
Having understood the general situation, Raphael quickly led Fisher through countless forests and traps. While they strolled, a horn sounded from a distance once again, the same one that had resonated earlier, calling for Raphael.
“It seems the scouts must have discovered something, so they urgently called for me. Fisher, we’ve arrived; you can rest here for a while. I’ll be back soon after I’m done. By the way, are you hungry? If you are, I can have Ral bring some food over.”
The temporary resting place she mentioned was indeed quite rudimentary, basically carved out of a cave before a patch of woods, with many signs of previous camps, but everything had been moved. It should be a place where many dragon kin used to live, as Fisher saw the characteristic incense coils and knots of the Southern Branch dragon kin.
The carved cave was cool. Raphael lit a torch, and the glow slowly spread, revealing a bed piled with animal pelts deep in the cave. Next to the bed were various weapons and armor, all appearing to be items used by the Dragon Queen.
Among those items, a damaged mechanism with the symbol of the Holy Realm was lying on the ground, likely the one Raphael had mentioned as having been studied to no avail.
Fisher and Emhart scanned the surrounding environment, then Fisher said to Raphael, “It’s alright, I’m not hungry, and Emhart doesn’t need to eat either. You go ahead; we’ll wait for you to come back here.”
“Okay.”
Raphael smiled slightly, about to leave when she suddenly remembered something. Amidst the steam, she hesitated for a moment and came back.
Then she straightforwardly pulled Fisher’s clothing, drawing him towards herself.
Emhart was startled and flew up because the next moment, Raphael boldly kissed Fisher’s lips, as if claiming or giving something through their contact.
The kiss was deep and lasted a long time, and the amazement-struck Emhart in the air couldn’t take it anymore, flying to the nearby bed as if pretending not to see anything.
After a considerable time, they parted, and Raphael pulled away with a slightly dazed expression, her tail swaying as if drunk.
“Hah.”
“Raphael.”
“I’ll be back soon.”
“Okay, by the way, make sure to return Ral’s dagger too.”
With that, she smiled slightly, releasing her grip on Fisher’s white robe collar, took the dagger Fisher handed to her, and prepared to turn away while teasingly adding, “Oh and I’ll bring back a suitable outfit for you. My man can’t keep wearing something like this.”
Her figure, dressed in armor, swayed as she quickly reached the cave entrance; facing the external light, the scales that had been layered down on her stood up, transforming into a second layer of armor.
Watching her disappearing figure, Fisher turned his head after a long while. The first thing that caught his eye was Emhart lying on the ground like a corpse.
He glanced at Fisher and indifferently quipped, “You know, Fisher, you look just like a concubine waiting for the emperor’s favor! My God, I can even imagine what will happen tonight! The long-lost dragon kin meeting you, tsk tsk, I’ve decided, tonight I’m going out to sleep. I want to stay far away from the filth of you all. I’ll come back tomorrow afternoon!!”
“Just make sure not to be taken away by some beast.”
“If so, whose fault do you think it is?!”
Emhart sat up indignantly, but seeing Fisher’s smiling face, he knew he was also happy about their long-awaited reunion. He didn’t say anything further to ruin the mood, only muttering, “. Hmph, enjoy it now. You’ll be crying the day you’re exposed.”
“Mm-hmm.”
Fisher responded nonchalantly and soon shifted his focus to the items near Raphael’s extremely rudimentary bed. Besides the armor and weapons tailored for her, there were some books and newspapers near the bed.
Upon closer inspection, many were written in Nali language, mostly newspapers from a year or two ago.
Looking at the content reported, Fisher felt a sense of familiarity mixed with strangeness.
And beside that pile of books and newspapers was an even older newspaper, dated five years ago.
It contained some unclear gossip news regarding himself and Elizabeth’s “universal request.” Fortunately, since Elizabeth was the Eldest Princess, the newspapers didn’t dare to write the details too blatantly, mostly just some hearsay.
In the past, Fisher might have thought those guys were unprofessional, but now he just wanted to thank those newspapers for not daring to write the details too clearly.
Because on the front page of that newspaper, a formal piece of news showed a group photo taken during Prince Losang of Shivali’s visit to Saint Nali University. The figure of Elizabeth standing beside him had been clawed out by someone, suggesting that even such vague news had made her angry.
That was the last time his news appeared in Nali media. After that, he was wanted by Elizabeth.
Elizabeth’s bounty probably didn’t need any concrete reason; Fisher had never cared much and wasn’t very clear. Even if there was, it would likely be an unfounded accusation of “betrayal.”
Far away on the Southern Continent, Raphael wouldn’t understand the internal situation of Saint Nali back then, so she naively thought it was due to her journey with Fisher on the Southern Continent and her relationship with him being exposed by people who knew Fisher that led to his exile.
Raphael had many things she needed to take care of, and naturally, there were many restraints; otherwise, she wouldn’t have to be so cautious now. But even treading on thin ice, she still kept Fisher in her heart.
Fisher looked at the yellowing newspaper that had started to fade, perhaps having passed through Raphael’s grasp countless times, as if trying to trace his trails through the paper.
He remained motionless for a long while, then after some time, he lifted his gaze gravely and abruptly asked Emhart, “Emhart, tell me all the information about Barbatos.”
Upon hearing Fisher mention urgent matters, Emhart quickly flew to Fisher’s shoulder and spoke to him, “Fisher, the birth of demons happens in order, but the order of birth doesn’t indicate their status. Their status is determined by the strength of their ranks, the territories they govern, and their prestige within the dynasty. Generally, strength is the defining factor. The ranking of titles goes from [King], [Duke], [Marquis], [Count] to [Noble Young Master], corresponding to ranks from nineteen to fifteen. So the demon you encountered earlier, Eil, is an eighteen-ranked Duke, and Barbatos is of the same rank, also a Duke.
“Among them, there are two particularly special ones: Baemon, who has a strength of only eighteen but holds the title of [King]; and Ag, who similarly possesses eighteen but is a [Marquis]. I’ve heard that Ag was originally a Duke in the dynasty but was demoted to Marquis by the other two [Kings], Bal and Astaroth, for meddling too much. As a result, she not only didn’t quiet down but also liked to establish various codes of virtue, scaring all the demons away from her.”
Ag is the demon who intercepted the death rune mentioned earlier by Eil, and it was she who organized the actions to pursue Erwind. It turns out there are such oddities among demon kin.
As for Hela being ranked as [King], Fisher finds no surprise.
After all, she is probably the oldest among all demons and has been working in the Holy Realm even before they were born.
“The problem is, according to you, there are a total of seventy-two true demon beings, besides the three with nineteen ranks, and there are countless others with eighteen ranks and below. Besides Barbatos, could there be other demons emerging?”
Emhart shook his head, adding, “I’m not sure. That Baemon fellow could do anything weird. But I think it unlikely that they would all come out. Otherwise, why would they hide among the Nali Army to make a living? Many of those demons aren’t good guys; if they come out, they’ll either loot and vandalize or feast on Fallen Nature for pleasure. After all, there’s currently no Holy Spawn or that group of elves to stop them. It’s like a free buffet with unlimited supplies; they would be fools not to take advantage of it.
“Also, I’ve heard that Barbatos and Ag are somewhat similar in that he is a relatively benevolent demon who likes to meddle, which can explain why he is willing to mix among humans as a general. So I can reasonably conclude that the number of demons emerging isn’t many, but it’s still enough to give the Dragon Court a good run for its money. In this era of eighteen ranks, and considering Baemon, that unidentified bad fellow, they can easily sweep through the Southern Continent!”
Fisher nodded, agreeing with Emhart’s analysis.
He had faced off against the Duke of Peach, who held the nineteen ranks. He naturally knew the vast difference between the ranks and mythic levels. This was evident from the time the Chaos Race invaded the Northern Region, nearly emptying the place.
After a moment of silence, he suddenly remembered the hints and paths given by the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans before.
His eyes narrowed slightly, and then he slowly drew two square books from his chest, the two supplement handbooks he had seized from Feilon and Erwind.
His fingers slowly brushed over the text on the covers, and sensing something, a terrible strange sensation surged over his fingertips, as if unable to maintain human form, echoing the familiar murmurs of Fisher.
They seemed to tempt and deceive, or perhaps to rationally persuade, saying, “Soul Supplement Handbook.”
As twilight gradually set in, not knowing how much time had passed, Raphael, who had finished the meeting and made the necessary arrangements, walked into the forest again with Ral, heading towards the cave where she had placed Fisher.
However, both of their expressions were not too pleasant. Earlier, the reason the army had called Raphael back was due to a heavyweight piece of information brought back by the scouts.
Due to the prolonged standoff, the frequency of scouts returning was gradually decreasing, but their return always indicated a notable movement from the Northern Pseudo Court.
This time was no exception; the pseudo courts had shown signs of regrouping their forces, and it was easy to imagine where their target would be. This also meant that Raphael and the others were in for another hard fight.
Seeing Raphael silent the whole way, Ral couldn’t help but touch the two daggers at her waist and said, “Maybe this time the pseudo court will be like before, a lot of noise but little rain, Raphael.”
Raphael shook her head upon hearing this, saying, “I have a premonition that this time will be different from before. Previously, Barbatos wouldn’t act along with the main army, but the scout’s intel has clearly indicated that Barbatos will personally lead the team for this encirclement.”
Ral also knew well the terror of that general of the allied forces, as she had been present when he struck Raphael with no ability to counter. If Jasmine hadn’t been there then, she could hardly bear to think about it.
Watching the silent Ral beside her, Raphael smiled slightly, then reached out to pat Ral’s head, comforting her, “. We still have time, don’t we? They’ve just started to regroup. From the mobilization to the first batch of troops reaching the Southern Branch Mountain will take at least a month. Before that, I need to return to the rear to ensure the stability of our logistics. That way, I can return to fight the pseudo court without worry.”
“And Fisher?”
Ral nodded but suddenly thought of something, saying to Raphael, “Earlier, he almost dispersed my whole team using just a little effort. He’s quite different from ordinary humans and very powerful. If we have his help, along with Sister Jasmine, we would have a better chance against Barbatos.”
“I…”
Raphael paused for a moment and then smiled helplessly, “I’m not sure. But after all, this is my war—I don’t want to involve him unless it’s absolutely necessary. Moreover, I had resolved to catch up with him the moment I left him, to stand by his side. I didn’t expect that five years have passed, and I still haven’t accomplished anything, merely staring at his back. I truly am…”
Ral opened her mouth. Looking at the somewhat conflicted Raphael, her steps halted.
In the distance, the cave where Raphael resided was already faintly visible, but Ral had no intention of moving forward.
She glanced at the troubled expression on Raphael’s face, knowing that these feelings of Raphael would definitely not be revealed in front of Fisher.
Raphael had probably fantasized countless times that after securing freedom and a future for the Southern Continent, she could openly seek Fisher and bring him back, instead of being unable to even let him appear before her fellow compatriots as she did now.
Ral knew that Raphael felt guilty and sad about this.
After a moment of silence, Ral handed over the clothes she had hanging on her hand to Raphael and said, “These clothes should fit his size. I sewed them recently; Mill taught me.”
Raphael nodded. At this moment, the often defeated Raphael in battle was no longer the passionate one she was before Fisher.
Of course, she would feel confused and clueless, but her instinct to appear strong prevented her from showing it in front of her lover.
“Thank you, Ral.”
As she looked at the neat stitches on the clothes, she cast a grateful glance at Ral. Raphael could fight, but she absolutely couldn’t cook or sew.
Seeing the heavily burdened expression on Raphael’s face, Ral sighed, looking as if she was very “unassured.”
She raised her hand, lifting Raphael’s slightly lowered head, and said, “Alright, Raphael big sister, my dear sister, don’t look so troubled. Since we have time, let’s not get entangled in these today. Let’s take it slow, alright? Right now, you should go back to find Fisher; he’s still waiting for you. Relax a bit.”
Looking at Ral, who resembled a small adult, Raphael couldn’t help but smile.
She ruffled the other’s head, reigniting a carefree smile on her face.
“You little one, really…”
“Woo. Are you sure you want to go dressed like this? Don’t you want to wear some ‘victorious battle outfit’? Woo woo woo!”
Raphael flushed as she listened, hastily scrambling to dismiss Ral’s expressionless remark before it came out, and lightly scolded her, “Really, how shameless! Where did you hear such things?”
“Raphael, from the storybooks in your carriage. Woo woo woo.”
Raphael rubbed her small face, and then huffed, turning her head away and clearing her throat, “Alright, alright, enough. Let’s leave it at that for today. You should go rest, good night, Ral.”
“Yes, yes, good night, Lady Raphael.”
Ral smiled slightly, stepping back a bit before jumping up onto a nearby tall tree.
Raphael shook her head and prepared to leave, but the voice of Ral suddenly rang out behind her, “Lady Raphael, Fisher came for you. He probably never cared where you stood because long ago, you had already stood in his heart. It’s just that, Lady Raphael, you yourself may not realize it.”
Raphael paused for a moment, but behind her, the branch where Ral stood swayed slightly, and her petite figure was no longer visible above.
Raphael looked at the cave ahead, flickering with faint light, and smiled slightly, whispering, “I know.”
Then she walked towards the cave, draping the clothes she held over her arm while extending her claws to slowly undo the straps of her armor.
The sound of the armor clinking echoed as pieces of armor fell to the ground, but Raphael had no intention of picking them up.
She hurriedly followed the light ahead until finally, she was left with only a thin garment and the clothes meant for Fisher.
Upon reaching the depths of the cave, Fisher was sitting cross-legged, reading the Nali book she had previously left on the bedside, which seemed to be about Nali history, something she had read before.
Raphael swallowed hard; perhaps even she hadn’t anticipated that she would become that shameless, impatient one.
But this couldn’t be helped, could it?
Clearly, as suitable tail partners, having been apart for so long, it was fine to want a little more today.
Her gaze flickered, pretending to examine the surroundings as she asked, “Where’s Emhart, Fisher?”
Fisher glanced at the scattered pieces of armor from the cave entrance all the way to Raphael, along with her excitedly swaying tail, and chuckled helplessly, saying, “Him? He voluntarily went out to explore the wild, maybe to go on an adventure? In any case, he won’t be back until tomorrow.”
“Oh, I see.”
Raphael’s face flushed slightly, not asking any further questions, and even felt a bit pleased about Emhart’s absence.
Yet the next second, she brought Ral’s sewn clothes closer to the bed, placing the clothing down.
“I brought the clothes.”
“Alright, thank you.”
“Do you want me to help you change?”
“What?”
“Do you want me… to help you change?”
Her eyes darted across Fisher’s body, and she repeated the question shyly.
“No need.”
“In that case… how about something to eat?”
“No need.”
“How about something to drink?”
“. I really don’t need anything.”
“Then how about I just help you change your clothes.”
Great, here we go again.
“…”
Fisher was utterly speechless and couldn’t continue the conversation.
Perhaps this was Raphael wanting something under the guise of being suitable tail partners—seemingly coy yet blatantly straightforward.
This was the first time Fisher felt like he was the sacrificial lamb on the chopping board; the feeling was exponentially stronger than when he was in front of Alagina.
Mm, she was about to drive him crazy.
Not hearing Fisher reply, Raphael took it as consent, biting her lip, and sat down on the bed. Her tail swayed back and forth like a windshield wiper over the uneven animal hides.
That tail, like a propeller in the water, continued pushing her forward, rushing towards Fisher, cornering him in the bed with nowhere to escape.
“Then let me help you.”
“…”
Raphael was so direct that it was startling. Fisher didn’t dare respond and could only watch as her flush-faced visage gradually came closer to him.
Then, in his astonished gaze, she gently opened her mouth and bit into Fisher’s clothing, slowly pulling at the fabric. It was like a bright spark leaping onto dry tinder, and in an instant, it ignited into a blazing fire.
He took a deep breath, forced a smile, and decided not to expose her poor acting, instead, he gently wrapped his arms around her waist.
“Zizz!”
In an instant, steam began to gush from the dragon kin before him, enveloping both of their figures and obscuring them from external view.
The deep night gradually draped over the earth, veiling this originally sparsely populated Southern Branch Mountain with an air of mystery.
Only on a certain tree outside, a square book was lifelessly observing the mountains, waters, and forests far away.
“Voluntary explorer” Emhart was about to begin his “grand” journey tonight!
Before taking off, he shot a deadpan glance at the cave in the distance where visible steam was rising, wondering what on earth was going through his mind.
Until a long time later, he expressionlessly took flight, deciding to stay temporarily away from that foul place, seeking unknown beauty and poetic vistas.
Naturally, the adventure phrases he started should also be loud enough!
He said, “Fisher, your mom!”
求求投票、打赏和支持，这对我来说十分重要！
万分感谢支持！
(本章完)
