Chapter 634: 112. Secrets
At the moment Fisher felt Milica hug him, he was slightly taken aback but gently reached out to support her shoulder, creating a more polite distance. It was at this moment that he got the chance to closely observe this long-unseen student in front of him.
“Long time no see, Milica.”
“You too, Teacher Fisher. Ever since you and Jasmine left Saint Nali, I’ve been worried about you, especially about Elizabeth. I heard she seemed to have been kidnapped by pirates at sea. I don’t know what happened to her.”
“She should be fine now. I entrusted Elizabeth to the Ice Mountain Queen; she has a good relationship with me.”
“I see.”
Seeing that Milica was no longer leaning towards him, Fisher gently released her shoulder. After all, he had promised Raphael not to establish connections with new females, and for a long time, he had only regarded Milica as a familiar student. Naturally, he couldn’t act recklessly like Emhart might have imagined. He simply said,
“I’m back this time—”
“This time, Teacher Fisher must be back to attend Master Heilson’s funeral, right?”
Before he could finish his sentence, Milica preemptively spoke up, prompting him to nod in acknowledgment.
“Yes. Since I haven’t been back for a long time, I only learned about the teacher’s news through overseas friends. I just arrived in Saint Nali and don’t know much about the situation over the years, so… what has happened with Master Heilson all these years?”
“Well, actually, shortly after you left Saint Nali, Master Heilson announced his retirement, refusing the pleas of Her Majesty Elizabeth and the New Party of the Griffin Party. He returned to his hometown, Chiter City, to live out his years. After that, Master Heilson seldom appeared in public until his sudden passing this time.”
Fisher looked at Milica in front of him. After a moment of silence, he still asked,
“So, Master Heilson is really gone.”
“Yes, it is indeed true.” Initially, Milica was taken aback by Fisher’s question, but after a second, she opened her mouth and said, “Are you worried about Her Majesty Elizabeth?”
“…”
Fisher did not respond, but it seemed to imply agreement, making Milica more certain. Although there were only the two of them in the room, she still turned around to glance around, as if afraid that someone else might overhear.
“Um, Teacher Fisher, the matter of Master Heilson’s passing should indeed be true. About a week ago, Dad sent church personnel to Chiter City. They not only confirmed his death but also took on the task of presiding over the funeral. But Teacher Fisher, if you are going to the funeral, you should indeed be cautious of Her Majesty Elizabeth. Since she took the throne, I’ve always felt… she’s becoming more and more frightening. It’s been especially so this past year; even Dad is afraid to see her.”
“Frightening?”
“Yes, it’s hard to put into words. A few years ago, Dad took me to her birthday banquet, but every time I saw her, I felt chills run down my spine, as if she was always watching me. Whenever I had that thought, my body would become stiff like stone, so later on, I didn’t dare to go anymore. Although the public loves her, both Dad, Principal Damien, and those ministers are increasingly fearful of her.”
Milica hesitated for a moment and cautiously stole a glance at Fisher, finally whispering,
“They have been secretly saying that Her Majesty Elizabeth has been cursed for slaughtering too many of her blood relatives and is no longer human.”
“…”
From Milica, Fisher gleaned a glimpse of how the upper echelons of Saint Nali viewed Elizabeth now, sounding entirely different from the personal adoration of ordinary Nali citizens and the middle class.
Of course, perhaps the reason for that fear from those people is related to the artificial eye that Elizabeth now wears.
Having experienced events from ten thousand years ago, Fisher knew that the artificial eye seemed to be connected to the archangel Pandora, who perished in the Ideal Nation.
Then the question arose: Pandora and Remiel died together in the underground of the Ideal Nation, so how was that relic forged? Moreover, it seemed to be a teardrop relic (Emhart had previously said it could communicate with her), could it be that later angels found another teardrop lost in the Ideal Nation to forge it?
He forgot to inquire about this with Hela earlier. Although she doesn’t forge relics, she should know the history of that time.
“I see, also, there’s one more thing.”
After that, Fisher did not forget to show the map to Milica, and as expected, growing up under the influence of the Archbishop, she quickly recognized where the location drawn on the map was.
The items left for Fisher by the Subhuman Girl Enthusiast were located beneath the cathedral, in the resting place of devout believers’ souls.
Hearing this answer, Fisher appeared somewhat surprised, which means that what the Subhuman Girl Enthusiast left for him was right beneath Teresa’s ashes. The resting place of the cathedral is divided into two parts: above ground and underground. The above-ground part is primarily a place for the relatives and friends of the deceased to mourn; in the past, when Fisher visited Teresa, that was the location he went to.
Access to that place is also strictly regulated. Only family members of the deceased are qualified to enter, and appointments are required. Of course, those in power like Elizabeth don’t need to do this; Fisher’s first meeting with Elizabeth was indeed there.
As for the underground, it is the true resting place for the souls of devout believers within the Mother Goddess Faith. No outsiders are permitted to enter, making it Fisher’s true destination this time.
“Alright, I’ll go look now. As for later, you…”
With the answer in hand, Fisher quickly stood up, thanked Milica, exchanged a few pleasantries to confirm each other’s current conditions, and prepared to leave. Milica pressed her lips together, watching him and suddenly interrupting,
“Wait, Teacher Fisher, later my father and I will also go to Master Heilson’s funeral. I can take you in; maybe we can bypass Her Majesty Elizabeth.”
“Then your father will have a headache.”
If that little girl’s dad knew she was meddling in his affairs with Elizabeth, he would likely forget the teachings of the Mother Goddess and give Milica a good scolding.
Milica stuck out her tongue at this, but didn’t argue further, still feeling somewhat reluctant.
“This is my own decision to help you, it has nothing to do with my father.”
“Yes, but your father relates to you. He loves you, don’t disappoint him.”
“He doesn’t love me; he loves his position as the Archbishop.”
Fisher did not respond, merely smiled and said,
“If he didn’t love you, he wouldn’t have let me come to tutor you in mathematics. After all, anyone can see that your math level is hopeless; at least he hasn’t given up on treatment back then, willing to spend a lot of money to try. Though it ultimately failed.”
“Teacher Fisher!! If you continue like this, I’ll accuse you of sneaking into the Saintess’s room! And I’ll also inform Her Majesty Elizabeth!”
Milica’s face turned red, and she indignantly clenched her fists, feeling furious after having her secret exposed. However, Fisher was already at the door, smiling again and saying,
“That unfortunate one will definitely be you first.”
“Hmph, you don’t understand how convincingly I can fabricate stories.”
“No, it’s you who doesn’t understand Elizabeth.”
Fisher was about to push the door open to leave, but from behind, Milica’s voice hesitated for a moment before still coming through,
“… Also, Teacher Fisher, do you know what happened to Jasmine over the years? Did she return to the sea? Is she affected by something?”
Fisher was slightly taken aback, then turned around to look at Milica, who was somewhat worried on the bed. Clearly, she hadn’t let go of the events from five years prior when her two friends suddenly distanced themselves from her life.
But perhaps at this moment, with Fisher’s return, everything should be a little easier.
“She’s fine, I assure you.”
“Really?”
Finally, Milica couldn’t help but smile, a bit relieved, saying,
“That’s wonderful.”
“My God, Fisher, you know? I almost just prepared to tell that human girl about how you took care of Jasmine until she was in bed. What was her name again? Milica? I’m so curious what her expression will be like after finding out.”
Fisher changed his demeanor again, silently walking through the corridors of the church. He was somewhat unfamiliar with the complex structure of this place, trying to align himself with the destination as best as he could based on his few memories, and at that moment, Emhart, who had been hanging in his arms, finally poked his head out and muttered.
Fisher glanced at him and replied flatly,
“Although you mostly complain about Hela, I think you’ve been infected by her, haven’t you? Your ‘fearful of chaos’ appearance is exactly like hers. Have you become her fanboy?”
“Pfft! How unlucky! I’m just being realistic, okay? Baemon does it for fun and loves to fabricate and deceive; can they be compared? Don’t slander my innocence!”
“Ha ha, being realistic.” Fisher mocked with a smile, then continued, “Didn’t you say I was going to do something to my students? Don’t you see my attitude towards Milica now? Is that also your ‘realism’?”
“No, I think the reason you don’t feel anything for her is simply that she’s not a subhuman.”
“…”
With a deadpan expression, Emhart assuredly replied. Fisher paused for a moment, suddenly at a loss for words to retort, until a few seconds later he responded,
“… Then what about Elizabeth? Do I like her because she has any subhuman blood?”
“How could you think the eighteen-year-old you is the same as you now? You sounded pretty pure back then; now, well… I really can’t say. Hey, what are you doing? If we can’t argue anymore, oh!!”
Fisher gently reached out, giving him a sense of awareness about reality, causing him to retreat in panic back within his suit to escape Fisher’s grip.
Fisher truly didn’t want to tease him anymore because at that moment, after avoiding many guards outside, he had arrived in front of the Memorial Hall in the church.
This place, he had often entered since his eighteenth year, but the route was different from the one leading to the Saintess Choir dormitory. He had always entered through another grand door. Perhaps Sir Book was right; he really was no longer the eighteen-year-old Fisher. At least back then, he wouldn’t have naturally moved in and out of the Saintess’s dormitory.
However, looking at this long-absent location, he couldn’t help but take a deep breath, his expression becoming somewhat serious.
It was now afternoon rest time, so there was no one on guard near the memorial hall. He directly pushed open the large door of the hall, revealing large stone walls engraved with the names of the deceased, and at the center of the stone wall stood the Mother God Statue.
His footsteps involuntarily slowed down, until the large door behind him slowly closed. Emhart, seeing no one around, slipped from Fisher’s embrace and perched expertly on his right shoulder, curiously surveying the surroundings.
Arriving in front of a wall, right at the edge of the wall, on a small stone box, was engraved everything about him before he turned eighteen:
“Thank you for giving the lonely me a home. Even if you’ve left, and I am once again alone, you will always be my family.”
“Dedicated to: Teresa Benavides, a great and devout nun.”
“Fisher Benavides”
This is Teresa’s tombstone, the resting place of the deceased.
“Is this where Teresa rests? Wait, haven’t we all left for five years? Look, there’s still a lot of burnt ash under this stone box. Could it be that other orphans she cared for came to visit her aside from you?”
Emhart turned his head to ask such a question, while Fisher raised an eyebrow in a bit of surprise and shook his head, saying,
“I handled everything about Teresa. The other people in the church school found the tedious resting process annoying; they didn’t even know where Teresa was sleeping… But there should be the priest’s records of the words of dedication over there.”
Saying this, Fisher still felt somewhat uncertain, so he walked over to the wooden table in front of the tombstone to check the records of the words dedicated to the resting priest. As part of the booking process, the prayer notes brought by the family of believers should have been documented.
Following Teresa’s tombstone’s serial number, Fisher quickly turned over the record book, and the next moment, he opened his mouth in surprise, instantly catching Emhart’s attention as he turned to look at him.
Because on that record, a column of identical names was clearly written: Elizabeth Godlin.
One month ago, a dedication of words was burned; two months ago, two dedications were burned; four months ago, a dedication was burned…
Continuing like this, although this record book only documented this year’s situation, it was clear that in the five years since Fisher left Nali, she had continuously come here to burn words of dedication for Teresa on his behalf.
Generally speaking, the words of dedication express the living’s desire to speak to the dead. Although Fisher didn’t know what Elizabeth wrote for Teresa, perhaps she merely conveyed Fisher’s current situation, or perhaps simply expressed her longing for Teresa on his behalf.
But at least, over the years, she had been fulfilling Fisher’s unfinished responsibilities here.
“… Alright, I now have to admit, the reason you liked Elizabeth back then perhaps really has nothing to do with so-called subhuman bloodline.”
Emhart blinked and commented. Fisher couldn’t help but look up at the row of tables and chairs in front of the Mother God Statue, at a certain place far back among those tables and chairs, was where they first met many years ago on one afternoon.
“… Let’s go.”
“Oh, okay.”
After a long silence, Fisher slowly closed the dedication record book before reluctantly retracting his gaze and turning towards the unguarded underground area.
The underground burial site is connected to the ground level only by a corridor separated by a wooden door. After Fisher searched for a long time, he finally found the locked wooden door.
Gently applying force, the lockpiece dropped to the ground like fragments, revealing a somewhat cold space below.
Fisher grabbed Emhart, and after he cast a deadpan look back at Fisher, he silently floated up. His entire body shone with a golden light, illuminating the space below like a little floating lamp.
Below resembled a basement; the ground was piled with countless dust-covered jars and bottles, evidently untouched for a long time.
Surroundings were dry and cold, and after Emhart surveyed the area, he found no signs of a secret chamber. There was nothing but ashes. He shivered and turned back to ask,
“Could it be we’ve made a mistake? There’s so little here; there’s nothing… And didn’t that human girl say this place was newly built? Whatever your predecessor left could have been demolished.”
“Impossible; she’s not an ordinary person.”
The Subhuman Girl Enthusiast has lived for so long and chatted with beings like Gouwen, angels, and elves, seeing her so capable yet still enduring suggests her remarkable skills; how could what she left behind be dismantled by a group of human construction workers?
It’s more likely that they haven’t discovered the location of the secret chamber.
But the problem lies in the fact that Cidi said one needs to go to a specific place to write out runes and read them to open the secret chamber, but here it’s all ashes. Where is he supposed to write?
Fisher’s mind spun as he recalled the rune-writing and pronunciation he memorized repeatedly. As he thought, he suddenly realized that the so-called “rune” seems to be a character from the language used by the Subhuman Girl Enthusiast.
If he hadn’t found anything to write the runes with for a long time, it is very likely that this is a riddle, and the answer to that riddle might be hidden in the meaning of the rune.
Although Fisher didn’t know what the specific meaning of that rune was, he remembered that his Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans had just gained a brand-new function; it could translate the language used by Subhuman Girls.
Thinking of this, he quickly took out the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans hidden in his bosom. As he opened it, he manipulated his finger surface, twisting it to release drops of blood as ink to write that symbol.
“女” “马”.
He meticulously wrote the square-shaped symbol on the pages of the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans, then gently uttered the pronunciation of the symbol,
“ma.”
“Buzz buzz buzz.”
The next instant, the Chinese characters written with Fisher’s blood indeed began to twist on the pages of the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans, indicating that it referred to a specific meaning that was being translated by the handbook.
In the end, the blood-red letters gradually transformed into the Nali language that Fisher could recognize, meaning:
“Mother.”
At the moment Fisher saw that text, his pupils slightly contracted. He frowned in disbelief and murmured in Nali,
“Mother?”
“Ka ka ka!”
At the moment he spoke, right in front of the underground tomb, with a peculiar force distorting, a large door seemingly hidden in an imperceptible secret gradually revealed its true form before Fisher.
求求投票、打赏和支持，这对我来说十分重要！
万分感谢支持！
(End of this chapter)
