Chapter 538: Surprise
The Human Allied Forces of Nali had new movements ahead, which was urgent military business for the Red Dragon Court in the south. The first thing Raphael did upon returning was to issue corresponding orders and confirm the current status of the troops.
Fisher did not follow in; he waited in the city, taking the opportunity to observe the situation here.
The city that had risen did not have a specific name, and even after living here for several years, it was not considered a long-term settlement for the Red Dragon Court, so it continued to use the name of their original stronghold: Twilight Valley.
In reality, this location was quite a distance from the actual Twilight Valley where the bat races lived.
Initially, when the Red Dragon Court had not yet mobilized, Twilight Valley, located at the southernmost edge near the coastline, had bided its time. However, since Raphael ignited the war on the Southern Continent and showcased their strength to the world, Twilight Valley became a target, bombarded by many warships from the Western Continent.
Even hiding underground could not escape the bombardment of Shivali’s cannons and magic, so later they migrated northward a distance, entering the hinterland below the mountains, using the original Twilight Valley as a defense line.
At this moment in Twilight Valley, many different types of subhumans walked by, along with humans among them, which is why Raphael said that being here was much more convenient; at least now he would not seem out of place standing on the street, though sometimes subhuman women would glance at him, seemingly puzzled by how a handsome human male appeared here.
Of course, Fisher did not think their gaze was anything romantic; he guessed they simply wondered if he was a spy from the north.
The local residents dressed plainly and were busy, each functioning as efficiently as parts of a machine.
“Fisher.”
Just as he and Emhart were surveying their surroundings, Raphael came back. Unlike her earlier eye-catching armored look, she was now wearing a light red robe that covered everything visible on her.
She then draped that robe over Fisher, turning their outfits into “matching couple outfits.”
“Raphael?”
Fisher glanced at Raphael, whose face was concealed under the hood of the robe; the loose brim was just enough to accommodate the soul horns on her head without letting them protrude awkwardly.
“This is the attire of the Blessing Tower. Like you, I can’t simply show my face; otherwise, we will be surrounded in no time. Last time I returned, I followed the army back, and the bystanders nearly blocked the street. A few years ago, it nearly resulted in an accident. You and I won’t attract attention like this.”
As Raphael looked at the lively city around them, the corners of her mouth turned up slightly.
It was clear that she had poured a lot of effort into establishing the Dragon Court, wanting a peace to spread throughout the Southern Continent, allowing them not to be scattered and bullied like in the past.
Of course, there would still be conflicts among them, but the main conflict right now was still between the Northern Green Dragon Court and Nali.
“They adore you.”
“I don’t know either.”
Fisher smiled faintly, glancing again at this female Dragon race who had grown beside him, not saying much, just following her to the next stop, the Household Academy.
“…Because the war is not over and to maximize resource allocation, we are still operating under a wartime system. For many matters, the Blessing Tower needs the Dragon Court officials to intervene directly. The Household Academy is such an entity; Mill is currently working inside.”
Not long after, through this intermittent introduction, the two of them had successfully crossed the street and the busy residents of the Red Dragon Court, arriving deep within the city, the heart of the Red Dragon Court.
In the past, within the splendid and vast Feima Baharon, these administrative institutions existed not only separately but also had parallel projections down to lower levels.
The four branches of the Dragon Tribe were units governed by the Dragon Court’s domains, each with institutions performing the same responsibilities below them. They belonged to the management of the four branches and were directly subordinate to Feima Baharon. Over the years, this system helped manage the Southern Continent properly until their extinction.
This made it hard for Fisher to imagine that a nation with such a complete system and cultural unity could disappear overnight from the course of history.
But he understood that behind this speed, which exceeded ordinary imagination and rules, lay extraordinary power.
For instance, according to what Raphael said, if the Feima Baharon deity were still alive and lying within the ruins of the Dragon Court today, why didn’t he take action when the Dragon Court fell? Was it because the Dragon race was weaker than the other two mythical races, so the strength and barbarism esteemed Feima Baharon disregarded them?
Fisher felt this might not be entirely the case. The Feima Baharon Dragon Court revered him as the source of their deity and bloodline, it wouldn’t just be a one-sided affair.
Or perhaps the issues facing the Dragon Court at that time were extremely severe, and the results Fisher saw now were already the consequence of Feima Baharon’s intervention.
If that were the case, it would mean: a demigod still could not protect the Dragon Court created by its offspring.
Was it because of the Mother Goddess?
Or because of the demigod compatriots he was fighting against?
Or was it like during the time of the Ideal Nation?
Regardless, the present-day Red Dragon Court had become incapable of replicating the various institutions of the past, merely inheriting their names; in reality, they were all gathered in one place—
That is under the Blessing Tower.
“We’ve arrived, Fisher.”
Fisher was pulled back to reality by Raphael’s voice. He looked up and saw a tall building entirely made of stone standing at the heart of the Red Dragon Court.
The building was simple, with visible signs of being rushed, matching the conditions of the Dragon Tribes who were forced to retreat and confront the south. Yet even so, it was evident that the stone tower and the surrounding buildings resembled a giant dragon flaunting its claws, contrasting starkly with the architecture of the Green Dragon Court that resembled Nali.
It was surrounded by walls, with fully armed soldiers standing outside. Yet under the guidance of Raphael, the Dragon Queen, Fisher and the curious Emhart were smoothly led inside.
Fisher keenly sensed the soldiers’ scrutinizing gazes behind them; evidently, they were curious about who the person hiding under the cloak was, standing beside the Dragon Queen.
If not for his height, they would likely have thought he was Priest Jasmine.
As Raphael entered the Blessing Tower, the first-floor hall was spacious, filled with various subhumans busily working. Fisher even saw distinct divisions of duties on the walls:
Household Academy, Frontline Academy, Magic Academy, Blessing Tower, Royal Court.
As Raphael led the way forward, upon reaching the back of the Royal Court, the surrounding personnel reduced significantly, and Raphael finally took off the hood of her cloak.
“This is far enough; there are no outsiders here, and this is where I usually come to stay in the Royal Court.”
“Lady Raphael! You’ve returned!”
“Lady Raphael!”
Fisher slightly moved his ears, and Emhart, who had been curiously observing, flew up onto Fisher’s shoulder. For some reason, when he saw the two figures appearing in the distance, he withdrew his gaze in disappointment.
The newcomers were two white-scaled Dragon race women who were already as tall as Raphael, both wearing white short robes and each carrying a short sword at their waists. Their tails, which were longer and thinner than Raphael’s, gently swayed, revealing their excitement upon seeing her. Their features were roughly similar, with a long horn emitting a milky light protruding from their left and right foreheads.
At this moment, they were both holding a Dragon race infant, one big and one small, both no older than three years, with sparse yellow scales growing on them, looking somewhat dumb and cute. They simply remained in the arms of the two Dragon race women, curiously gazing at Raphael and Fisher.
“Fashir, Keshil, huh? Why is Mill’s child here too? Liel, Roer, quickly greet your aunt!”
“Ababababa.”
Indeed, the two Dragon race women that appeared were Fashir and Keshil, who had been captured alongside Raphael back then. Five years had passed, and they, already older than Ral, had also undergone their coming-of-age ceremony, growing horns symbolizing Dragon race maturity.
“Lady Raphael, earlier Lady Aria came by and wanted to see Mill’s baby.”
“And then Mill brought them over, but Hal has already started school, so she only brought Liel and Roer.”
“However, after Lady Aria left, it seems Mill had something urgent to attend to, so she temporarily left Liel and Roer in our care.”
“Lady Raphael, you don’t know, they are really mischievous. I… Fisher?!”
“Yeah, that’s right, they are indeed… Fisher?!”
Like in the past, even after growing up, Fashir and Keshil were seemingly telepathically connected, trading banter back and forth. Coupled with their almost identical looks and expressions, it sometimes became hard to distinguish who was who.
However, what was better than before was that they had now grown their horns, making for a clear distinguishing feature.
When they saw the smiling Fisher next to Raphael, the two dragon-sister pairs had their expressions freeze for several seconds before Keshil finally blurted out,
“Is it possible that Nali has come to haunt us?”
“So soon? I didn’t hear any noise.”
Raphael’s earlier smiling expression grew dark in an instant. If it weren’t for the fact that they were still holding a child, she might have really punched them one each.
“Fisher is only here looking for me; he has nothing to do with Nali. Don’t tell me you still don’t trust him?”
At this point, their bewildered expressions immediately melted away, and they smiled, speaking to Fisher in the Nali language,
“We were just joking; we didn’t expect to see you after all this time!”
“Welcome back, Fisher Benavides.”
Fisher nodded in response, saying, “It’s rare that you not only learned the Nali language but also managed to remember my full name. It’s been a long time, Fashir, Keshil.”
“Hmph, understanding the enemy is the first step to defeating them.”
“Plus, if you have met Ral, you would know that guy is impressive; he hasn’t even reached adulthood, yet he’s such a fighter.”
Raphael glanced around, momentarily interrupting their small talk, and said, “Fisher was discovered by Ral. Alright, you two just temporarily act as nannies for these little ones. When Mill returns, I still need her to help Fisher with his identity issues in the Dragon Court. Speaking of which, it might be because of the orders I issued earlier in the army that she is busy.”
“The army? Right, Lady Raphael returned this time…”
“The Nali people and that bunch from the False Court are on the move,” Keshil and Fashir’s expressions grew serious, but before that, Raphael shook her head and said, “No need to worry; I came back specifically to handle this matter. Before that, Fisher, you should stay here for a moment; I want to tell her, my good sister priestess, the surprise of our reunion. She should be in the Royal Court.”
Needless to say, that “her” referred to the good sister priestess Raphael had mentioned earlier.
“Alright.”
Fisher nodded, watching Raphael excitedly turn to leave, but after walking a few steps, the end of her tail seemed to remind her of her thoughts, turning halfway around. Then, she seemed to be drawn by that tail and turned back to look at Fisher.
At this moment, her gaze was somewhat evasive, her face slightly flushed. Just as Fisher was puzzled about what she had to say but could not express, she suddenly spoke up.
“Then, after that, Fisher, you… come with me to a place… to the Flower Court.”
“The Flower Court?”
Fisher was somewhat puzzled, but Raphael, blushing, nodded.
Keshil, holding Mill’s child with one hand, smiled slightly and reminded her, “Fisher, that place is a sacred ground for our Dragon race. Not only is it an open school for Dragon races and other ethnicities, but you also do not know that the names of our Dragon race’s newborns are to be given by the elders there. Most importantly, Raphael’s mother, Lady Aria, is in charge of it.”
Fashir also chuckled and said, “Lady Raphael wants to take you to meet her mother.”
Fisher was momentarily stunned, understanding the deeper meaning behind Raphael’s actions. But when he turned to look, he found the Dragon Queen’s face had turned even redder, her gaze more evasive, but her words remained firm as ever.
“It’s just… just to take him to see the situation there, alright? You just stay here for a while. Once I introduce my good sister to you, we’ll talk.”
A faint steam began to swirl around Raphael, and then she turned around with a swish of her tail, quickly moving away as if to escape.
On his shoulder, Emhart, who had previously been looking around, suddenly seemed animated, bouncing around as if doing preparatory exercises, perhaps tired of staying in Fisher’s arms.
Meanwhile, Fisher watched Raphael’s figure gradually disappear, a smile curling at the corners of his mouth.
In reality, he didn’t completely lack experience with meeting a partner’s parents before.
Back in his youth, while romantically involved with Elizabeth at the Royal Academy, he had visited the Golden Palace to meet Elizabeth’s family and father. However, it goes without saying that it was not a particularly pleasant memory.
At that time, he saw the person he had fallen for, filled with anticipation, brought home only to be openly and subtly ridiculed by those he trusted and relied on the most.
This pressure was difficult for Fisher at the time, especially in a public banquet where the Godlin royal family did not dare to treat him, who had already become a student of Heilson, too disdainfully.
Fisher could guess that Elizabeth faced obstacles a hundred, thousand, or even ten thousand times worse in private. Yet despite that failed meeting, she still did not give up on Fisher, even promising him a “universal request” that represented her passionate feelings.
She stubbornly, recklessly held on, while it was he who had let go, clueless at that time, and now felt guilty.
Fisher had learned from those past lessons, so he wasn’t worried at all that Raphael’s mother might be disappointed by her partner from a hostile nation. Rather, he was certain that the other party would definitely be disappointed in him.
There was no way; even if the other side was magnanimous enough to disregard his race and nationality, just knowing he was such a greedy and relentless bad person was enough.
The buffs on him were practically stacked to the ceiling; if the other side was normal, they would definitely oppose him.
But Raphael’s willingness to do so already indicated her feelings for him, just as Elizabeth had done many years ago.
Only this time, he would absolutely not let go, no matter what.
Raphael walked quickly down the corridor of the Royal Court, passing by the vividly painted ancient murals of the Dragon Court and the true visage of Feima Baharon.
It was somewhat embarrassing to mention; at the time she entered the ruins, she knew nothing, only focusing on that dragon god who seemed to have jumped out from myths. It was her sister who was meticulous, even remembering all the murals they passed by and recreating them here.
It was precisely these orthodox paintings and documents, unknown to the Northern Dragon Court, that led many scattered subhumans to flock to Raphael’s Dragon Court, even enduring later defeats without abandoning it.
Just as Bull sang, in Raphael’s heart, the bond with her sister went even deeper.
“Tap tap tap.”
Raphael quickly crossed the hall of the Royal Court, arriving before the chambers, the usual place for her to handle affairs. Since she moved to the frontline for command, she had completely left this place to her trusted priestess sisters until today, without worry about them seizing her power.
And truly before she expected, she quickly saw a figure in the hall ahead, writing something at the desk.
She was a subhuman different from the beings of the Southern Continent. Earlier, Raphael had known she was a subhuman from the ocean; every so often, this friend even had to swim back into the sea.
But from a distance, that gentle and humble aura instantly radiated from her.
It was like a rainfall that nourished without a sound, making one feel comfortable; like a soft embrace, bringing warmth so near yet so tangible.
Raphael gradually slowed her footsteps but couldn’t help but move into the hall, watching the blue-haired girl at the table recording something, her long ears shaking from time to time.
Compared to before, she and Raphael were the same; both their appearances had not changed much, retaining some of that charming baby fat. Yet after experiencing a multitude of events in the Dragon Court, she was no longer as naive and helpless as she had been when she first landed.
The whale-folk girl had a face seemingly untouched by the ravages of time, complemented by a soul that had weathered some storms, adding contradictory but not jarring beauty.
Yes, this current Dragon Court priestess subhuman girl was—
“Jasmine!”
“Eh, Raphael? You’re back from the front?”
The girl at the desk paused slightly, pulling herself away from her busy tasks. When she saw the red-haired Dragon race standing at the door, her face lit up instantly, and she got up to approach her, saying,
“Is there urgent information you need to process that made you come back in person?”
Raphael opened her arms and embraced her for a moment, then stepped back a pace and said,
“Indeed, but before that, I need to tell you a surprise.”
“Surprise?”
Jasmine smiled, looking at Raphael with slight confusion. She saw her looking very happy and then nodded, responding,
“Right, Jasmine, do you remember our agreement from several years ago?”
Yes, the agreement.
At that time, she had just arrived at the Dragon Court and learned how similar her situation was to this burdened Dragon race girl.
Both waiting to find someone, both striving for their goals.
So they’d promised to help one another, to become the person they wanted to be in their hearts, to achieve their respective goals.
Such a vision had never been forgotten by Jasmine until today.
She had trained in the mortal world for so long, always accumulating strength and enhancing her rank and mindset.
“Raphael, are you saying…”
Could it be that Raphael has finally met that person she wanted to see?
Though the war situation in the Dragon Court was unfavorable, even so, waiting to meet that person in her heart was still something worth celebrating.
If that were the case, Jasmine felt genuinely happy for her from the bottom of her heart.
Before her, Raphael smiled slightly but did not want to spend time on what seemed excessive explanations. They were sisters over the years, and sometimes, just a glance could convey understanding. So she simply took Jasmine by the hand, leading her out with a smile, saying,
“Jasmine, come with me and you will see.”
“Hahaha, okay.”
Watching her sister so happy, Jasmine chuckled helplessly and then had to put down her tasks to follow her.
Quickly returning along the original route, that eager joy to share, that impatient desire to let her recognize the person she had been waiting for,
For many years beforehand, they had endured without revealing to one another, afraid that halfway through, there would be hesitations or impatience.
But now, they could finally properly introduce the person they had been waiting for to each other.
Their footsteps were swift, and soon enough, the hall where Fisher, Fashir, and the others had been standing appeared before them.
And following out was the handsome Nali gentleman, Fisher, engaging with Fashir and Keshil, while a lively book perched on his shoulder was looking this way.
Having the mythical rank, he, of course, could hear the voices of the newcomers and had already looked over first.
But in that mere second that his gaze met, the expressions of this human gentleman and the book on his shoulder varied greatly.
Fisher’s face abruptly stiffened, as if he had encountered a horrifying sight, momentarily immobilizing even someone as powerful as a mythical rank; meanwhile, the book on his shoulder displayed an extraordinarily strange expression of “Ah, finally comfortable.”
And in the corridor, Raphael and Jasmine wore different expressions.
Raphael first looked at Jasmine beside her, then smiled again at the figure she had been waiting for all this time.
She then gently released Jasmine’s wrist, extending her hand towards the now stiff Fisher, intending to introduce them to each other.
However, this sudden turn and introduction took Raphael completely unaware of her sister’s anomaly.
In truth, just before they left the corridor, Jasmine had sharply noticed that blurry figure in the distance. Her heart nearly stopped, and maintaining her breath felt almost impossible.
Earlier, she thought Raphael had found the person she had been waiting for a long time, but that figure seemed…
Thus, naturally, another assumption surged in her heart.
Could it be that Teacher Fisher had heard about her situation in the Southern Continent and traveled thousands of miles to find her?
So he came to the frontline and encountered Raphael stationed there. Teacher Fisher was quite powerful, so Raphael and the others should have trouble capturing him, which allowed him to inform Raphael about her situation.
So, actually, the surprise Raphael mentioned, was this!?
At this moment, Raphael gazed at Fisher ahead, smilingly introducing him to Jasmine beside her,
“Jasmine, let me introduce you to this is Fisher Benavides, he is my husband…”
But as she started to speak, the emotionally overwhelmed Jasmine rushed out first, bypassing the hand that was meant for introduction by Raphael. In the astonished eyes of both Fisher and Emhart, she dove into Fisher’s embrace, tightly holding onto the long-lost Fisher.
“Teacher Fisher!!”
Raphael’s smiling expression instantly froze, turning into an incredulous, terrifying shock.
The hand she had stretched out to introduce was rigidly suspended in midair.
The tail behind her suddenly drooped, and the whole Dragon figure became as motionless as a statue.
Meanwhile, Jasmine, tightly embracing Fisher with her head buried deep in his chest, felt anything but unhappy. The overwhelming joy of reuniting after such a long separation was almost indescribable, enough to overshadow everything else within her.
Thus, she didn’t realize how rigid Fisher was at that moment, nor did she notice the mischievous smile on Sir Book’s face that looked like he was having the time of his life. The hall had fallen into a silence so deep that a pin falling could sound like thunder.
Even the small babies in Mill’s arms held by Fashir and Keshil seemed to understand the atmosphere, sucking on their little claws as pacifiers while timidly looking towards Fisher.
At that moment, completely unaware, Jasmine turned her teary-eyed face toward the frozen statue of Raphael.
She wiped the tears just about to fall from her eyes, choked with excitement and gratitude, saying to her, “Raphael… thank you for this surprise. I am really… thank you, Raphael!”
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(End of Chapter)
