Chapter 621: 99. Love
The next morning, Raphael, who received a report on the situation behind the Dragon Court, prepared to return immediately to inspect the situation, especially after hearing that his mother had fainted while covering the children of the Wanhua Court.
Fisher also prepared to return to the Dragon Court with Emhart. During this time, besides pondering how to contact Xu and Gouwen to solve the big issue in Raphael’s belly, he was studying the newly acquired Death Completion Manual.
However, Fisher was quite worried because Raphael had only completed the task of organizing the battlefield and regrouping the troops last night, almost until dawn, and now she was set to depart again without rest.
Well, although he knew that after entering the Mythical Rank, this level of physical exhaustion was nothing, he still unconsciously worried about her since she was pregnant and held human notions. He raised the issue in the carriage leaving the front line, resulting in puzzled looks from both Raphael and Ral, who was driving the carriage.
“Don’t worry, this little thing is nothing at all. Even if it were an ordinary Dragon, being pregnant wouldn’t make them so weak,” Raphael said.
“Lord Raphael is right.” While comforting Fisher, Ral provided an example, “Mill was running in the Blessing Tower every day when she was pregnant, and she gave birth on the way to the Wanhua Court. She just ran into the bushes alone to have the baby and then continued to hurry to the Wanhua Court. By the time she arrived, Lady Aria was very surprised.”
“. She did it alone?”
Fisher raised an eyebrow, surprised that a Dragon could be so tough, but according to his research, that didn’t seem right.
Shouldn’t that kind of feeling belong to the Trolls?
“She’s lying to you, Fisher.”
Raphael smiled, gave Ral a light tap on the head, causing her to make a squeak, then explained,
“Mill actually gave birth at the Wanhua Court, and it was my mother who helped her. But you really don’t have to worry about me; we aren’t that fragile. I can take care of myself.”
Fisher glanced at Ral speechlessly, but saw her playfully stick her tongue out at him while covering her head.
Emhart was perched on Fisher’s head, while Jasmine had yet to return from the seaside. Earlier, when she left, Raphael used the Dragon Court’s messenger magic to send her a message about their return from the front line.
There were some bumps along the way, and Ral dismounted when they reached the front line to reorganize the situation there. So, of course, the driver’s seat was left for Fisher.
When he took the reins in front of the carriage with Emhart, he suddenly felt a wave of nostalgia.
Back in the day on the Southern Continent, he drove a carriage like this with Raphael, traveling across the Southern Continent.
Unfortunately, Emhart was not sharp enough to pick up on the sentiment. He just stood on Fisher’s head, quacking for him to hurry up and get going, which resulted in Fisher grabbing him and putting him aside.
As before, the small door connecting to the carriage slightly opened, revealing a pair of bright green eyes peering at Fisher with a smile.
“Does it feel a bit familiar?”
“Ah, indeed. But you’re no longer that little dragon from back then.”
“Bang.”
It seemed that was the sound of her dragon tail hitting the ground inside the carriage.
“I wasn’t a little dragon back then either.”
Raphael countered, but as she looked at Fisher’s back, she hesitated for a moment before regretfully speaking up,
“Earlier on, I was still keeping the carriage you gave me. But it was damaged during the war two and a half years ago when the fake Dragon Court bombarded the rear, so…”
Fisher turned his head to look at Raphael hiding inside the carriage, then smiled and leaned over to gently kiss her lips through the small door, earning a deadpan stare from Emhart, who flew up to the top of the carriage, refusing to look.
Soon after, some hot steam seeped out from the carriage, forcing Fisher to take flight and call out below,
“You two are such procrastinators, are we going to set off or not?!”
But the two below ignored him, continuing to let steam waft around, making him so furious he wanted to crash into a tree.
After the kiss, Raphael gazed dreamily and stepped back a little, first glancing at Fisher, then stealthily scanning the trees around the carriage before looking back at him.
As her Suitable Tail Partner, Fisher immediately understood her request.
He raised an eyebrow, merely lowering his gaze to her abdomen, and quietly advised,
“Raphael, you’re already pregnant.”
“…”
“This might not be good for the baby.”
“…”
Raphael just stared at him, her tail swaying behind her, seemingly unfazed, still maintaining a stubborn stance.
Seeing her like this, Fisher felt helpless and decided to take a slower approach,
“Let’s talk about it after we return to the Dragon Court. I promise.”
“…”
Raphael thought for several seconds and finally reluctantly nodded, pushing Fisher’s shoulder and shyly saying,
“Alright, we have a deal.”
“Mm-hm, let’s set off.”
Fisher turned around with a smile and waved the reins to set off, heading in the general direction of the Dragon Court. Despite this path being one they had recently traveled together, Fisher now found it unrecognizable due to the battles between Eil and Barbatos reshaping the land and mountains.
Previously, within Raphael’s army, a saying began to spread about “Fei’s blessing,” claiming that the Dragon God manifested, and the powerful forces that tore through mountains and oceans were summoned by the Dragon God to punish those humans.
Raphael’s memories stopped at before entering the dynasty, as any memories after that were very blurry. She vaguely remembered wanting to save Fisher, but there was one thing she seemed to remember very clearly:
As the wheels spun quickly, Raphael’s call suddenly echoed again from the carriage,
“Fisher.”
“What is it?”
“Did you do anything with Jasmine while you were in the dynasty?”
Fisher’s posture stiffened slightly. He turned to look into the carriage, only to see Raphael’s green eyes blinking at him.
Emhart, who had previously looked bored and a bit drowsy atop the carriage, suddenly became alert upon hearing Raphael’s words. He poked his head out, looking down at the stiff Fisher as if he could hardly hold back his laughter.
“. What?”
“What what?” Raphael irritably reached out and pinched Fisher’s waist, tightening her grip on his muscles as she questioned, “Since returning, Jasmine’s vibe has been different. At first, my mother noticed I had a Suitable Tail, and I thought it was strange, but now it’s so obvious with Jasmine. Quickly, tell me, when you went to the Demon Dynasty, did you do something bad?”
“. It was like this: I appeared a bit weak because a lot of magic power was extracted from me, so…”
“Fisher, don’t tell me Jasmine forced you into this!!”
Fisher was interrupted before he could finish speaking, causing him to become more tense as the grip on his waist tightened.
He truly felt innocent because it was Jasmine who had forced him, which was not a lie.
But if he said that, it would make Fisher seem to be shirking responsibility since he had, at least at the time, enjoyed the experience and didn’t resist, so it wasn’t entirely clean.
Seeing Fisher remain silent, Raphael within the carriage became even angrier, puffing out her cheeks and heavily tapping Fisher’s back, producing “thump thump thump” sounds.
“Sorry, Raphael.”
“Sorry, my foot.”
Raphael angrily retracted her hand. After a brief silence in the carriage, she continued,
“I had this premonition long before you left the Dragon Court with her. Even if you restrain yourself for my sake, Jasmine won’t be held back by my presence. She’s wanted to have you for a long time; it’s been four and a half years. She told me this even before I knew her teacher was you.”
Fisher raised an eyebrow, finally seizing the opportunity to speak,
“Then why did you still let her join us?”
“. At that time, I thought the Dragon Court was truly at its end.”
Raphael pouted, but recalling the perilous situation, her true thoughts in the face of a seemingly hopeless war were indeed like that.
As the Queen of the Dragon Court, she had to accompany her country and people to their demise. But since Fisher and Jasmine didn’t relate, rather than let Fisher be bothered by this afterward, it was better to let him be with Jasmine, whom he was familiar with, and leave with her mother.
But now that everything was over, it was time to settle unresolved conflicts from before.
Fisher realized this, too, feeling a bit nervous.
However, the approach was so gentle, just like the clear weather now and the gentle breeze brushing against their cheeks.
Raphael looked at Fisher’s back in front of her, touched her abdomen, and lightly punched Fisher’s back, quietly asking uncertainly,
“Fisher, promise me and our baby that you won’t contact any new females in the future. Can you do that?”
“…”
Fisher suddenly fell silent, not because he couldn’t fulfill that promise—truth be told, he had decided to stay faithful long before returning from the past.
What truly moved him was Raphael’s tone. It may have been a question or uncertainty, but it wasn’t an angry inquiry demanding his guarantee.
In other words, this actually meant Fisher had never given her any sense of security in this regard, and she couldn’t settle the score with him as she had felt more grievance than anger when she learned about Jasmine and Fisher’s relationship.
Was this actually a plea?
Fisher wasn’t sure, but he simply opened his mouth, looking back at Raphael’s eyes, and said seriously,
“I promise.”
Generally speaking, the promises and oaths of bad men are like dog barks, not needing to be understood or believed. But Raphael seemed willing to trust that Fisher wouldn’t betray her trust again.
She nodded and then added,
“Then I can only accept Jasmine.”
Fisher blinked but listened as she continued,
“. I know you know other women, whether it be Elizabeth or Renee; no matter how powerful they are or how much better they seem than me, I don’t care and don’t want to see them. I can only accept your relationship with Jasmine, and for the rest, I’ll pretend I know nothing, act as if they are strangers who won’t cross paths with us. I hope you won’t force me to accept them. I need to give my mother and the Dragon Court an explanation, even if it’s just deceiving myself. Can you promise me that, Fisher?”
This also meant that henceforth, for Raphael, Elizabeth would be Elizabeth, the Empress of Nali, and not Fisher’s first love; Renee would be Renee, an unfamiliar Sorceress, and not the close friend who left clothes in Fisher’s carriage.
Raphael couldn’t force him to let go, nor could she force herself to accept, but when it came to Jasmine, having spent so many days and nights together, she may have prepared herself psychologically for sending Jasmine and Fisher to the Demon Dynasty and entrusting the aftermath.
Emhart wished he could collide his head against the carriage, feeling a sense of regret wash over him asking how he could let Fisher off so easily.
“. Alright, I promise. Those mistakes are mine, with nothing to do with you and the baby, and I will not let them affect you.”
Fisher, holding the reins, made this promise. After hearing his earnest commitments, Raphael reached out her claw again, gently patting his head, puffing out her cheeks as she said,
“Unfortunately, the world doesn’t turn completely as we wish. If humans and subhumans were always equal, without ranks or disputes, and if I happened to be the first woman you encountered, then perhaps I could openly let you be with me alone.”
Emhart might wonder if, given Fisher’s character, he would truly behave that way?
Maybe he would because there once had been a woman who wanted to pursue that kind of ending with him, but fate separated them. That woman’s name was Elizabeth.
Such a well-matched pair, parted ways—one growing increasingly extreme, the other more greedy.
Of course, Fisher could defend himself and say, “This is certainly because of the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans; it’s not my fault,” but Elizabeth could also say, “This is certainly because of that father who made me blind, because of that terrible Pandora’s eye, it’s not my fault.”
So whether to blame them personally or external factors, let’s just blame it all.
At least Fisher thought so and said,
“Sorry, Raphael.”
Raphael remained silent, yawning like Eil. However, unlike Eil, who yawned openly with a “blood mouth,” Raphael covered her mouth shyly.
“I’m so sleepy.”
“Why don’t you take a nap? I considered that you might be tired, so I arranged for the carriage.”
“You’re so thoughtful, Fisher.”
Raphael lay down on the soft seat inside the carriage, while Fisher sighed with a wry smile and turned to continue driving the carriage.
The carriage traveled long over the barren rocks until even Emhart grew drowsy, landing on Fisher’s lap to rest. Behind them, Raphael’s dreamy murmurs came again,
“I think I had a dream earlier, Fisher.”
“What dream?”
Fisher patiently asked, not even distinguishing whether Raphael was truly awake since her voice was a bit unclear.
“I dreamt that back in Feilon City, I was supposed to die. It was my fate, destined from the moment I was born. But then, I met you before that, and you loved me very much, so… you saved me. But you didn’t know that the fate I was supposed to bear all fell onto your shoulders.”
“And then… you suffered a lot. Clearly, you should have done nothing; clearly, you could have quietly stayed in Nali and been a great human, but because of me, you were forced to fight against enemies that did not belong to you and endure torment that was not yours.”
“I dreamt that you cried out for your mother; I dreamt that your body was corroded by black mud, and your handsome face and body became something I couldn’t recognize, unable to even call for help. Boohoo.”
At this point, Raphael’s murmuring turned a bit tearful, as if her helplessness in that dream saddened her.
“I felt really sad seeing you like that, so I wondered if perhaps it would have been better if I had died in Feilon City? Then you wouldn’t have to suffer so much and in pain. I’m so sorry for putting you through this…”
“Shh, let’s sleep, Raphael.”
But her words were abruptly interrupted by Fisher as he tugged on the reins, holding his other hand down on the drowsy Emhart on his lap, and continued,
“That was just a dream; nothing happened.”
“. Really?”
“Really.”
Her tone held a hint of hope, while Fisher’s was very certain:
“Really.”
“. Then that’s good.”
Within the carriage, Raphael’s previously tearful voice fell silent; Fisher no longer wished to hear the guilt-ridden words.
In fact, Fisher still remembered the pain he endured during the chaotic fusion with the Soul Supplement Manual, a pain so deep it could erase his dignity and consciousness—one he would never forget in his lifetime.
Objectively, perhaps where Fisher was now truly related to saving Raphael and the world-destroyers back then, thus Raphael felt indebted to Fisher for knowing this.
Could it be that this time, the decision to accept Jasmine was influenced by this aspect?
But Fisher never regarded his endurance of everything as due to Raphael, nor did he feel he needed to demand anything from her. He even felt some guilt over keeping Raphael from confronting Jasmine and the other women and for temporarily not resolving the issues regarding the dying baby in her belly.
Why was that?
“Tap tap tap.”
Time flowed again, the red sunlight gradually tilting westward, and the sound of hooves echoed intermittently through the Southern Branch Mountains. Soon, outside the mountains flattened by battles between mythical beings, a shimmering sea reflecting the golden sunset appeared before Fisher, who was driving the carriage.
At the horizon, a massive steamship was approaching the southernmost point of the Southern Continent, emitting a wisp of slanted black smoke. On the flag flying above, there was a symbol representing the Nali family, and beneath that symbol, there was a line of Nali script alongside a line of Northern Region language, both signifying the same thing:
“Wutong Trading Company.”
However, Fisher did not notice the colossal steamship approaching this place. He merely continued to drive the carriage, carrying his beloved in the carriage toward the Dragon Court.
In this moment, besides the sound of hooves and the gentle breeze, there was nothing else to accompany them.
The sound of hooves hurried to the road without the luxury of thought, but the observing breeze understood all the reasons behind it and was ready to speak the principles involved. However, aside from the Demon God Barbatos, no one else could comprehend the voice of the wind.
They were saying: “Love is always being in debt.”
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(End of Chapter)
