Chapter 541: 19. Punishment
“Raphael.”
Faced with the strong attitude of Raphael in front of her, Jasmine was momentarily at a loss for words. She was pressured by Raphael’s words and kept retreating until there was nowhere left to go.
In reality, neither Jasmine nor Raphael wanted to start a direct confrontation. They were comrades and sisters who had fought together for four years, and the mutual support they provided in day-to-day life was not something Fisher could easily shake.
Their long companionship had given them a deep understanding of each other’s personalities, and they avoided saying hurtful things, allowing each other room to breathe. With Raphael showing unprecedented toughness, Jasmine found herself with nothing more to say.
Moreover, Jasmine truly had no better reason to contend for Fisher.
She had nothing at all; with just a simple phrase of “I don’t want to give up,” she could do nothing else, which would only fuel the conflict.
In comparison to Raphael, her feelings for Fisher were like a blank sheet of paper, seeming insincere and lacking clarity.
Watching Jasmine being so stricken that she could no longer fight, Raphael did not show any victorious joy. She seemed to feel her words were too harsh, yet there was no room for regret.
She fell silent for a moment, her tone softening slightly as she said to Jasmine,
“Sorry, Jasmine, let’s leave it at this for today. Let’s both calm down, and we’ll talk about this again later. This matter was too sudden; I wasn’t prepared.”
“I understand, Raphael. You should rest for now. Once you’ve rested, we can talk about other things.”
Jasmine took a small step back, her gaze sparkling as she replied to Raphael.
Raphael gratefully looked at Jasmine, who had made space not too far away. Then she turned to Fisher beside her and quietly and calmly said to him,
“Fisher, come with me.”
Then, Raphael turned her head and walked deeper into the royal court.
Watching her silhouette gradually disappear into the depths of the corridor, Fisher finally regained a bit of composure from his silence.
Throughout most of that time, he had kept silent not because he didn’t want to intervene and watch Raphael and Jasmine clash due to his mistake, but because he had no room to maneuver.
Objectively, the incident had come as a sudden shock, crashing into his unprepared self in a nearly uncontrollable manner, offering too little time to react, and the situation was overly complex and terrifying. Even he found himself dazed for quite some time.
It should be known that although he was of Mythical Rank, he couldn’t resolve emotional conflicts using a rank higher than theirs, or in other words, he couldn’t directly do so.
Well, once again, thanks to Sir Book—the great—and his desertion had led to the current situation, which Fisher would be sure to thank him for later.
Additionally, he had just returned from the past after a four-and-a-half-year absence. A lot had happened during that time, and he had long been separated from both ladies, unaware of the ties and relationships between them. He hadn’t even clarified the changes and battle conditions of the Dragon Court over these years, and he had no idea how Jasmine had suddenly ended up here.
Any response he attempted might have omissions, so it was better to keep quiet for now. He understood that the more he said, the more mistakes he would make.
But from the previous exchange between Raphael and Jasmine, Fisher had still gained a rough understanding of their feelings for each other.
Their bond was very deep, and their ties were strong.
Thanks to their unwillingness to hurt each other’s feelings, the conflict had not escalated further, and they had temporarily separated. Of course, this did not mean the matter was settled; at the very least, Fisher believed that even if they didn’t settle accounts with each other, he must settle accounts with himself.
Fisher would rather the ladies settle things with him because he knew all of this was the consequence of his unrestricted taking, and he deserved such punishment.
That’s to say, in this regard, Fisher was quite self-aware.
Thinking of this, Fisher turned to look at Jasmine, only to see her forcing a smile, clearly still unable to shake off the shock from their earlier clash. She said to Fisher,
“Teacher Fisher, you should go first. I’m okay. Raphael probably has something to say to you as well.”
“Okay, Jasmine.”
Fisher nodded, then took a deep breath and walked towards the corridor where Raphael had entered, disappearing into the darkness under the watchful gaze of the Whale Folk behind him.
He passed through the corridor and soon arrived at the palace deep within the royal court.
The heavy door opened towards him, and inside the suddenly bright hall, Fisher saw Raphael’s back as she hung up the cloak she had been clutching in her hands earlier.
Her tail hung down, looking a bit dejected. Hearing the footsteps behind her, she paused for a moment, and a low voice came,
“Close the door first.”
“Alright.”
Fisher complied and gently closed the heavy door after entering the palace.
Looking over, he saw Raphael was still organizing the cloak on the coat rack, smoothing it out bit by bit, trying to flatten any creases with her claws. This seemingly meaningless action was something she was doing for an unknown reason, remaining silent as she continued.
Fisher watched her back, just about to move his foot to step forward again, when he suddenly heard her voice.
“Fisher, do you have romantic feelings for Jasmine?”
The inevitable had come; it had always been something he could not evade.
Fisher did not remain silent for too long; he did not move forward but simply responded,
“Yes.”
Raphael’s slow movements in organizing the cloak abruptly halted, her tail behind her seeming to lose all strength.
“…”
Immediately after, she lowered her head a bit, and the claws that had been previously smoothing out the wrinkles tightened around the cloak, creating uneven folds.
She shook, and soon her voice began to tremble,
“You feel the same way about me, right?”
“Yes.”
But the moment Fisher responded, Raphael suddenly turned her head.
Only then did Fisher realize that the authority and calm she had shown in front of Jasmine had completely shattered, or rather, before Fisher, she was always the little dragon from several years ago.
She gritted her teeth, her eyes transforming into dangerous slits; it was not a threat from hunting. Instead, the area around her eyes had turned a dark shade of red, and tears were already swirling in the confines of her eyes, but she held back and did not let them fall.
Perhaps this sadness had already blossomed when she confronted Jasmine earlier, but she had tried to handle it as best as she could, without losing face for anyone, and didn’t want to put Fisher in an embarrassing position or make him choose. That was why she had interrupted Fisher’s words repeatedly.
She did not want him to say anything that might favor either side; to choose Jasmine would hurt herself, while to choose herself would hurt Jasmine, and if he chose her, he would have to face both her and Jasmine’s harsh criticism.
But in private, she could no longer bear it.
“Fisher, how many other close female relationships do you have besides us?!!”
Raphael cried as the hot steam began to spill out of her, throwing the cloak she had been holding to the floor, walking up to Fisher, looking straight at him, and questioning him,
“That Elizabeth, that sorceress Renee, Jasmine, and what else?! How many such relationships are there that I don’t know about?”
Fisher did not step back but watched as Raphael approached him with tears in her eyes, expressing all the hidden feelings in a broken voice,
“Are you blaming me? Fisher, are you blaming me for not coming to find you, blaming my inadequacy, blaming my inability to tell everyone about your existence openly? So you think I have no love for you, no responsibility, and that I don’t care about you?”
“I do not, Raphael. I know your feelings for me; I have known and confirmed them for a long time.”
“Then do you think I am an emotionless beast, a lowly subhuman of the dragon race, a slave you bought, a being unworthy of your noble human race? So you regard my feelings for you as trash, my efforts and longing for you as waste? Even coming back to find me, is that merely a high-handed mercy and pity to you?”
“I have never seen you as a lowly race or a slave; I have always regarded you as a soul equal to mine, not as a tangible race.”
Raphael’s tears flowed more freely now, her claws grasping Fisher’s body, and every trembling vein and bone showed her shock and sorrow. Nonetheless, she did not treat Fisher the same way she had treated the cloak she had cruelly tossed aside.
In fact, Fisher could only feel her nearly pleading and confused soft touch, and her voice followed,
“So, this is your punishment for me, right? I still owe you a punishment; is this the way you want to retrieve it, right, Fisher?”
She remembered that when they had parted in the harbor earlier, Fisher had mentioned in his letter that Raphael owed him a punishment in that game. But that had merely been a playful comment; he had never thought that Raphael owed him anything, nor would he actually seek that punishment.
But Raphael remembered it all, even every word and expression from that letter. It was understandable; even if their time together had been short, those memories had long been deeply carved into her soul.
At this moment, accompanied by her tearful expression from being so close to Fisher, her scales once again flattened, becoming especially pliant.
But this sign of a suitable tail’s love made Raphael seem especially sorrowful now.
“So, you want to punish me by making me say those words to Jasmine, who has been with me for so long and helped me so much? You want me to lose my composure before the impending war, making me not know what to do and leaving me so helpless, just like back then, right, Fisher?”
“I want to take you to meet my mother, let her know you, accept you, and then, starting from her, let my people and the whole world accept our union. But how am I supposed to do that? Should I just tell her your identity and nature directly? Will she accept you? Or, using your powerful strength, should I force my mother and my people to accept you, just like humans use cannon fire to strike us down?”
“I want my sisters to witness my love, to sense my joy. What do you want me to do? To accept other women sharing you, without a care? I cannot bear to hurt Jasmine, how deeply does Renee occupy your heart? Even when Elizabeth and her Nali beat me bruised and battered, I do not dare to go north.”
“You were originally the prince cherished by the noble human empress, someone so noble and excellent, a gem famous in the human world. What about me? The daughter of a subhuman tribal chief from the Southern Continent, a dragonborn who mistakenly fell into slavery, a defeated queen unable to fight back against humans and traitors.”
“I have worked so hard for so long to be worthy of you, but now it seems that no matter what I do, I cannot measure up to you. What do you want me to do? Waiting or striving is futile; how do you wish for me to proceed?”
“Fisher.”
“Fisher.”
At the end of her words, the tears that she had only shown to Fisher finally overflowed, leaving a noticeable, steaming trail on her beautiful face.
She gradually moved closer to Fisher, resembling an embrace, yet hesitating and fearful of getting too close. That feeling of not being able to approach no matter what made her feel sad, and the so-called other ladies and Jasmine were just a reflection of that feeling.
Her career had come to a complete standstill; she did not know that there were demons on the human side helping them. She only felt inadequate and felt that she was not trying hard enough, and even being beaten and bloodied did not make her give up. Yet, she still felt doubts and anxiousness deep within.
Was it the case that merely having a physical relationship could signify everything? That it could mean she had entered his heart and come to his side?
If that were the case, Raphael would not have separated from Fisher in the past but would have followed him back to Saint Nali.
What she sought was an equal standing by his side without reservation, but now she felt she was getting further from that goal, even to the extent that in this inequality, she didn’t dare to express her desire for exclusivity to Fisher.
She felt undeserving compared to Elizabeth, the shadow that loomed over the Southern Continent like a demon lord.
She cried helplessly; her repeated questions were ultimately just the doubts and resentments in her heart, to the point that she lacked the courage to tightly embrace Fisher.
In her sobbing, Fisher suddenly felt her mouth open wide, biting hard into his shoulder.
The sharp teeth of the dragonborn pierced through his clothing, preparing to sink into Fisher’s skin, drawing blood.
But because of the difference in ranks, even as she exerted all her strength, all she left were faint bite marks.
Not knowing if she aimed to use this pain to drive Fisher away, to make him understand the savagery of the dragon race and the enormous gap of difference compared to noble human civilization.
Yet, that biting, accompanied by her tears, could not hurt Fisher’s flesh; the pain resonated in his heart.
In his silence, Fisher gradually embraced Raphael, who kept a distance from him, pulling her closer little by little until they were completely intertwined.
“Ugh.”
“As for Jasmine and other women, all the blame lies with me.”
Right now, he had come to the final realization about the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans.
Perhaps Hela was right; the “reproductive points” added by the Supplement Handbook were not merely about biological reproduction but were more significantly about igniting his unrestrained possession of others. Only by possessing them could he achieve fleeting satisfaction, which was also why Fisher could never resolve his desires by himself.
That was not a physical desire but rather a desire of the soul.
When he hadn’t encountered other ladies, his body had remained normal, without any inappropriate reactions; that alone could indicate this point.
So, in the past, Fisher would often find ways to blame the Supplement Handbook. If not for that, things would have been different.
But now, in front of the pained Raphael, he felt that it was entirely his fault.
Even if a thousand reasons led back to the Supplement Handbook, ultimately, it was his inability to control greed that created such a mistake, and he had to acknowledge that.
Hence, even if Emhart hadn’t told him in advance, even if he had suddenly found himself in such a situation, even if him making Raphael feel pain caused him profound guilt, he had to recognize it and bear the consequences.
“I deeply apologize for that. But you’re mistaken; I have never blamed you, I have never seen you as lowly, and I have never sought to punish you. Whether you are the queen of the Dragon Court or the little dragon from back then, I have always viewed you as my equal, and that has never changed, nor does it now.”
“Raphael, perhaps you don’t know why I went to the Southern Continent, why I sought you rather than anyone else. After all, someone like me has never had any interest in slaves. To find you, I crossed the entire Southern Continent until I finally got a lead from someone named ‘Auren’, who is from Feilon City.”
Raphael’s actions of biting into Fisher’s skin gradually softened as he embraced her. Perhaps even if she knew Fisher wasn’t actually harmed, her long tongue couldn’t help but lick the bite marks she had left, causing him to feel a slight itch.
Fisher’s expression grew serious; after much hesitation, he decided to lay out the facts about how he had met Raphael,
“I saw a prophecy, a prophecy confirming the world is about to face destruction.”
“Apocalypse… Prophecy?”
“Ah, ‘The Crimson Dragon Queen shall rise first, and will burn all of humanity to ashes in her rage.'”
He recited the prophecy recorded in the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans. When Raphael heard the title, “Crimson Dragon Queen,” she couldn’t help but be taken aback.
Indeed, red dragonborn were very rare; no wonder Fisher had traveled such a long distance to find her.
Raphael did not regard this prophecy as something Fisher had fabricated to escape danger, because first, Fisher was not that kind of person; she understood him. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been so direct in his deadly questions earlier, which had sent her into a rage.
Secondly, for some reason, hearing this epic-like prophecy caused something strange within Raphael to resonate, as if the world was listening and didn’t want to interrupt.
Such a profound feeling made Raphael’s heart tremble, causing her horns to shine brighter.
“As you know, upon understanding this Apocalypse Prophecy, I began my journey to explore it alone, and you were the first apocalypse-bringer I found. Raphael, what do you think was the best way to handle the situation when I found you back then?”
“…Kill me.”
“Ah, that is indeed the case.”
Fisher held onto the now-responding Raphael tightly and then closed his eyes, laughing bitterly as he spoke,
“I did indeed have thoughts of killing you, wanting to snuff out the spark of destruction before it ignited. But in the end, I could not bring myself to do it. It wouldn’t be called pity; it should be called affection. I ultimately gave up on killing you and didn’t want to keep you by my side, just as I wrote in my letter; your future is in the wilderness of the Southern Continent, not in Saint Nali.
“I want you to be free, to reclaim what was taken away from you by humans, yet I never thought of you as a burden, nor did I consider you a lowly subhuman. It was just that at that time, my abilities were insufficient; carrying burdens and worries, I hesitated much.
“Perhaps Jasmine is right; all of us have various real reasons that prevent us from speaking each other’s names. I have my reasons due to Saint Nali and Elizabeth; you have yours due to the Dragon Court and your kin. But things are different now; I am now a fugitive from Saint Nali, so I can speak out about my relationship with you, and I can bear responsibility for you.”
As Raphael hid in Fisher’s embrace, she suddenly asked,
“At that time, did you leave Elizabeth and flee from Saint Nali partly because of me?”
“Yes. Although leaving my homeland didn’t feel good, I still gained a bit of freedom. One day, I will return, back in the daylight.”
“…Will you return to be Prince of Elizabeth?”
Not knowing if it was “Whenever enemies meet, they are particularly hostile,” Raphael had a strong opinion about Elizabeth, even more than her aggressive attitude toward Jasmine.
And Jasmine felt the same way; her hatred of Elizabeth was no less than Raphael’s.
“Not really. Rather, by that time, or even now, I will also be able to publicly declare your existence.”
“…”
Raphael sniffed and, although still reflecting the remnants of her earlier tears, felt reassured to hear Fisher’s words after earlier, so she could confirm that Fisher’s feelings for her were soulfully resonant, something a suitable tail partner could perceive, thus alleviating her internal uncertainties. Her tone became somewhat lighter.
But this did not mean she had forgiven Fisher; the pointed words she now used indicated that.
She still had to settle accounts with Fisher and the other ladies. Fisher could not escape.
“…I want to take you to meet my mother.”
But before that, Raphael opened her mouth once more.
“Are you certain?”
“Mm.”
“Alright.”
Since Raphael had already said so, Fisher certainly had no intention of refusing.
He didn’t want to repeat what happened with Elizabeth.
“…This matter is not over, Jasmine, and there are other women, including what I haven’t settled with you yet. However, with the war approaching, Jasmine and I need to focus. For now, you are not allowed to do that with Jasmine; keep a proper distance from her.”
“…What kind of thing?”
“That kind of thing.”
“…Okay.”
Raphael hesitated for a moment before lowering her head menacingly.
“…Blame yourself for not killing me back then, making me entangle with you. Since you admit I am equal to you, I will not let it go easily.”
Fisher could only smile wryly but welcomed her current provocative stance.
“Okay, I will help you.”
“Help us fight against Nali?”
“I won’t get involved in your war with Nali. The Western Continent’s invasion of you is a despicable act, something I cannot agree with. But that is my homeland; once I show myself, I will bear even greater guilt as a fugitive. I understand that anyone associated with me will be implicated, and I cannot do that.”
“What do you mean?”
“What I mean is, this war is not just a war against you and Nali; there are other parties involved whom you cannot deal with.”
“Knock knock knock!”
Raphael was slightly taken aback, just about to ask something, but at that moment, a sudden frantic knocking sound came from outside the door.
She quickly released Fisher and turned to conceal her noticeably tear-stained face, leaving only her back to the door.
Then she walked over to pick up the cloak she had thrown on the ground earlier, and as she moved away from Fisher, the layers of scales that had been flattened once again stood tall.
Her tail twisted a little, becoming lively like a steam engine adding coal, and then she spoke to the door,
“Come in!”
Fisher adjusted his clothing, covering up the torn parts inflicted by Raphael’s dragon teeth.
“Click!”
The door was pushed open, revealing a gasping, yellow-scaled dragonborn wearing a beige work robe from the Dragon Court. She wore a pair of glasses that seemed to be crafted by Nali, radiating an air of intelligence and maturity.
Fisher found this newcomer quite familiar; it was none other than Mill, whom he had not seen for quite some time.
“Mill.”
“My lord Fisher, so you were indeed here. I just heard Fashir and Keshil mention that you came and that you were with Lady Jasmine…”
Seeing Fisher inside the room, Mill’s expression showed no surprise but seemed somewhat hesitant, her face wearing a forced smile.
The reproductive situation of the dragonborn did not appear to affect females at all; it was not as painful as childbirth in humans—this served as a biological guarantee for the dragonborns, who had difficulties pairing yet produced large numbers.
“Let’s get to the point, Mill.”
Looking at Mill’s hesitant expression, Raphael pieced together her broken sense of authority, returning to the imposing Dragon Queen as she commanded her.
“Ah, oh, Lady Raphael, there’s urgent news.”
“News? Is it about the Southern Branch Mountains? Has the false court taken action? But why would you be the one delivering the message? Shouldn’t it be…”
“Not at all, Lady Raphael. It’s a confidential report from the coastal defense, indicating that just now, a private human vessel has been detained by them.”
“A private vessel? Could it be a spy, or is it a message sent by the false court?”
“Neither, Lady Raphael.”
Mill pursed her lips, and her claws inevitably scratched at the curled edges of her sleeves, seemingly unable to find the right words. But seeing Raphael’s overwhelming authority, she knew she couldn’t delay.
Subsequently, she closed her eyes, silently whispered an apology, and decisively stated,
“What arrived is a ship from the human nation of Shivali, and it looks quite luxurious; it should belong to a noble of that human nation!”
“I’ve heard that name before.”
Raphael muttered, and nearby, Fisher stroked his chin, analyzing what Shivali might be doing at this time, perhaps due to discord with Nali, thus thinking of supporting its enemy, the Red Dragon Court, mimicking how Nali had once aided the Four Great Pirates.
“No, they aren’t official ships. The arrival is a young noble lady from Shivali accompanied by her two maidservants; the ship contains no weapons at all, only an abundance of gold and silver treasures. They say…”
Mill’s voice began to falter, her tone growing softer,
“They say it’s Fisher’s legal wife who has been married for four years, coming to look for her husband who has run away!”
Raphael’s expression suddenly froze, while Fisher beside her, who had been deep in thought, froze as well, incredulously gazing at Mill, who had closed her eyes and spilled out everything.
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