Chapter 698: Text Extra – Apocalypse Line – As Long As He Is Good
“Elizabeth, wake up. Elizabeth.”
In a daze, a gentle voice echoed in Elizabeth’s ear, causing her tightly closed eyes to quiver. However, due to her trust in the speaker, she simply reached out her hand to grasp the person beside her without opening her eyes, then nestled closer into his embrace, whining, “Just five more minutes, darling.”
Fisher smiled helplessly beside her, but with no other options, he allowed her to stay in his arms and closed his eyes again, placing his hand gently on her back and patting it softly.
Although they had been married for over half a month, hearing Elizabeth refer to him as such still felt surreal and dreamlike to Fisher.
Despite the struggles along the way, he had truly achieved his goal of marrying Elizabeth, the Eldest Princess.
He had won the Griffin Race championship, and Elizabeth had publicly promised him a universal request, which had angered the Godlin family to no end. However, Fisher only learned of these matters after graduating; before graduation, Elizabeth had given him so much.
Looking back, the atmosphere at her birthday banquet had been tumultuous, and thanks to Elizabeth’s protection, Fisher had not realized the dangers at that time.
Since graduating, Fisher had begun to grasp the difficulties involved, so he focused on academics and magic. Over the next few years, he indeed did not disappoint Elizabeth, quickly making a name for himself in Saint Nali.
As Godlin the Ninth grew older, Elizabeth had several discussions with Dexter, which led the Godlin family to relent and promise this marriage, allowing the couple to finally come together and, on a suitable date, enter the halls of marriage amidst the witnesses of the Nali people.
Though it was not easy, Fisher felt fortunate; fortunate that Elizabeth was so gentle and patient, waiting for him to grow up and mature, and fortunate that there were no obstacles between them. Aside from the Godlin family, they received blessings from everyone, with no one interfering in their relationship.
“Ho ho.”
Gazing at the peacefully sleeping Elizabeth in his arms, Fisher’s lips curled up slightly. Just as he was about to raise his hand to poke her nose, Elizabeth seemed to sense it and opened her eyes, looking at him with her slightly dazed yet particularly lively golden eyes.
In an instant, Fisher’s mischievous hand froze in midair, and Elizabeth puffed up her cheeks, biting down on his finger, causing him to retract his hand in surprise, laughing as he said, “You smell awful!”
“Hey, now that you’ve married me, you’re starting to dislike me, aren’t you?!”
“Of course not! I meant, ‘Your Highness, would you like some water?'”
Seeing Fisher bringing over honey water attentively, Elizabeth pouted, smiling as she leaned in for him to feed her.
“Gulpgulp.”
“Is it good?”
Elizabeth took a large gulp of honey water, not stopping there but drinking several more sips.
Finally, when the cup Fisher held was nearly empty, Elizabeth’s lively golden eyes curved mischievously.
Fisher blinked in surprise, just realizing what was happening when she leaned in and kissed him, her lips filled with honey water.
Thus, Fisher tasted the sweetness of the honey water.
His gaze darkened, feeling like that honey water was pouring onto the raging fire within him, igniting a conflagration.
After an indeterminate amount of time, when Fisher and Elizabeth came down from the mansion’s bedroom, the maids in the living room were still clearing the dishes. Upon seeing Elizabeth and Fisher, they quickly said, “Your Highness, please wait. Breakfast has gone cold; I’ve already ordered the kitchen to redo it. It will be served shortly.”
Elizabeth changed into a casual dress, and since there were no other matters today, enjoying the warm breeze felt delightful. Fisher, on the other hand, wore the standard white shirt and black pants of a Nali man. It must be said that Elizabeth couldn’t compliment Fisher’s fashion sense, but since he had gotten up in a rush today, she had no time to help him pick what to wear.
Hearing this, Elizabeth felt a bit embarrassed, knowing it was their endless morning workout that caused the maids to wait, resulting in them missing the optimum tasting time.
Her face reddened as she pinched Fisher’s waist, causing him to look back at her innocently.
Both were at fault; neither could blame the other in this situation!
“No need, we can just use magic to warm it up to avoid wasting it.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
The maids nodded and hurried back to the kitchen, while Fisher headed first to the study. Perhaps the morning workout had inspired him since he rushed to the study as soon as he came down.
Seated, Elizabeth puffed up her cheeks and crossed her arms, calling into the study, “Fisher, come back for breakfast!”
“Isn’t it not ready yet?”
His voice came from the study, causing Elizabeth to pout even more, while the nearby maid couldn’t help but stifle a laugh.
The princess wasn’t just asking him to come for breakfast; she clearly wanted him to be by her side.
Mr. Fisher was good in many ways, but sometimes he didn’t seem like a romantic Nali man, which might be a good thing, as it meant he wouldn’t be like other Nali men who sought out affairs.
Hence, Elizabeth had no choice but to stand up and walk toward the study, leaning against the doorframe, watching Fisher sort out the books he had used the night before at the desk.
Elizabeth took a moment to survey the surrounding books and couldn’t help but ask, “Busy already after just getting up? Let the maids handle it after breakfast.”
Fisher smiled and turned to Elizabeth, saying, “I just moved in; these books are all marked by me. Asking them to do it will be a hassle, and they won’t do it to my satisfaction. Let me handle it myself.”
“Um.”
After graduating, Elizabeth had moved out of the Golden Palace to live in her mansion outside the city. Fisher had only moved in after they got married.
“Hmph, it’s always like this. When I advise you, you listen; when you advise me, I don’t listen.”
Fisher looked at Elizabeth with her arms crossed, knowing she was bringing up old grievances.
A few years ago, during the war between Shivali and Nali, concerned for the country, Elizabeth had told Fisher that she wanted to volunteer to fight. However, fearing for her safety on the battlefield, he had tried every means to persuade her not to go to the front lines.
“I know, I know. At that time, the military was exhausted. To you, they were all useless. You didn’t participate, and you indeed suffered later. But I never said you couldn’t go; I said, if you go, I’ll go with you, okay?”
“You still say! You, a scholar who has never held a gun or artillery, going to the battlefield to cast magic live?”
Elizabeth complained, and Fisher, cornered, pulled her into his arms and whispered, “So, you see, that’s not me persuading you; that’s you giving up all on your own.”
“Alright, fine! Then I’m not going to persuade you not to focus on books right now; I’ll help you organize them!”
Even his wife insisted on winning in such matters, as if she wouldn’t allow him to stop her from going to the battlefield without getting something back.
But at this remark, Fisher chuckled and stretched out his hand, saying, “By all means.”
“?”
Unable to win verbally against her scholar husband, Elizabeth watched as he turned back to sort the books on the desk, while she walked over to the bookshelf, finding many books still in disarray on the floor.
Her sharp eyes suddenly spotted a peculiar, ancient-looking book and prompted her to squat down to pick it up, reading the title, “Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans?”
Reading the title, Elizabeth initially thought it was a secret novel her husband had bought during his younger years; after all, the name was quite suggestive.
However, given the current Nali people’s attitudes towards subhumans, such a book would hardly have any market.
Moreover, this book was Fisher’s, leaning more towards the possibility of research material.
“Fisher, have you bought any other books related to the subhuman races? Have you done research on this?”
“Um, I had thought about it, but doing research on magic brings fame faster, and studying subhumans is ultimately not mainstream. If I have time later, I might do a bit in that area.”
Over the years, to marry Elizabeth, Fisher had focused on mainstream magical research to elevate his social status.
Without Elizabeth, he might have really written something related to subhumans or criticism of the shortcomings of the current academia in the Royal Academy.
However, to avoid disappointing Elizabeth, he couldn’t create too many enemies that would hinder him, thus he had long been disinterested in that line of research, wholeheartedly devoted to the fruitful magical fields.
Elizabeth caressed the cover of the aged book, brushing off some of the thick dust, and softly said, “Fisher, please do some research on this and ethics later. Didn’t you used to love this kind of content?”
She knew that in order to marry her, Fisher had devoted himself to magic over the years, letting his academic pursuits become a burden.
Elizabeth didn’t want Fisher’s research to all be for her; now that they were married, she urged him as such.
Fisher was momentarily stunned. He walked over, looking at her as she wiped the dust off with her clean hand. Quickly, he took out a handkerchief to wipe her hands and carelessly tossed the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans to the ground, saying, “That book has been sitting for so long, it’s covered in dust.”
Watching Fisher carefully focus on her palms, Elizabeth smiled slightly but still held onto his hand, stopping his motion while looking at him earnestly, “I’m serious, Fisher.”
Fisher raised his eyes to meet those of his wife, unable to resist leaning down to kiss her lips.
“Mm.”
“Pop~”
“Alright, I promise you, but—”
However, ignoring Elizabeth’s mildly flushed reproachful expression, he glanced at the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans on the floor and casually said, “That’s not a research book about subhuman races.”
“Ah? What does it say? It isn’t really some kind of novel about subhuman women, is it?”
Elizabeth’s expression turned suspicious, making Fisher more helpless as he hurriedly explained.
“How could it? Could it be sold in Saint Nali?”
To assure Elizabeth of his sincerity, he quickly picked up the handbook, placed it in front of her, and opened it to show her.
“Look, this book I got from who knows where; it actually has no content at all, just written something about the Apocalypse Prophecy.”
“Apocalypse Prophecy?”
Elizabeth’s mouth opened in surprise, and Fisher nodded, flipping to the title page, “Yeah, and when I first got it, I kept having dreams, dreams filled with a sense of the world’s destruction. During that time, I searched everywhere for information and found that the current Nali nations were colonizing the Southern Continent, oppressing the subhumans, and I always felt that such actions would incur retribution. Furthermore, upon finding many ancient texts about subhumans, it seemed they may have been superior to humans in status in ancient times, so I believed it to be true back then.”
Listening to Fisher’s solemn description, Elizabeth’s heart became more curious, asking, “Did you ever think about what measures to take?”
“I did, but wasn’t it right when you said you wanted to go to war? Besides, a crucial magic paper was also at a critical juncture, so I couldn’t leave. Over time, I put it aside.”
“Very crucial, you mean that new offensive magic you created with Professor Heilson?”
“Yeah, that paper really made me famous, leading to all of this today, right? Moreover, what was written here might just be an alarmist prophecy, a warning to those humans who are too excessive now, but what does it have to do with me?”
Fisher smiled slightly, looking at the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans in his hand, unsure if it was an omen.
“By the way, previously, no one could see this book; I even specifically asked Trandal and Professor Heilson; they couldn’t see it. Yet today, you can see it. How strange.”
“Could it be that the Apocalypse Prophecy is already upon us, and there’s no time left?”
“Caw caw!”
“Haha, maybe that’s it. I’m your wife who wishes to grow old together with you, so our hearts might be linked?”
Fisher’s eyes were filled with her. Just as he wanted to say something, a maid’s voice suddenly called out from the door.
“Your Highness, Prince, breakfast is ready.”
“Ah, we’re coming, Diane.”
Elizabeth turned to see a woman with black hair and a poised demeanor standing at the door with her head bowed.
After Elizabeth spoke, she finally lifted her head, revealing a smiling face.
Fisher glanced at Diane. This maid had been hired when Elizabeth first moved into the mansion after graduating. Over the years, she had been diligent and earned Elizabeth’s trust.
In the past, Fisher had rarely seen her because he hadn’t yet married, but over the past half month, they had become closer.
Following Diane back to the living room on the first floor, breakfast was already warmed up. The sun was bright outside, and the morning, full of vitality, cast golden light on the lush grass, making Elizabeth feel refreshed. As she enjoyed breakfast with Fisher, she invited, “The weather outside is so nice. Hey, Fisher, shall we take the dogs out for a walk after we eat?”
The lawn outside Elizabeth’s mansion was very spacious. As the country’s Eldest Princess, the lawn was extraordinarily large, with woods surrounding it, making it easy to take a leisurely stroll for an hour or two.
Fisher pondered for a moment and replied, “Sure, but you can take the dogs out first. My paper still needs a final polish, and once I finish, we can go for a walk together.”
Fisher wasn’t fond of walking dogs. He only had a passing interest in small animals, but he was definitely looking forward to strolling with his wife.
Elizabeth smiled slightly in agreement, unconsciously speeding up her breakfast.
After breakfast, Elizabeth took several large dogs she owned out for a walk. While the dogs often ran wildly on the lawn, their energy was different now that their owner was with them, all of them galloping excitedly around her.
Elizabeth didn’t walk too quickly, but as she strolled through the grass, she turned to look at the direction of the mansion’s study.
At that moment, she felt very happy.
Being able to stay with Fisher and live a quiet life like this, casually walking the dogs while he wrote his articles.
Later, if there were free moments, it would be nice to go out to explore and enjoy beautiful sights and foods with him.
And after that?
She wanted to have a few children with him. Elizabeth wanted to teach their children well, not letting them grow up like she did in the Godlin family with its emotional distance and sadness.
Fisher was so smart, and she herself wasn’t inferior; under their devoted care, even if their children were not as clever, they should at least be as happy and joyful as their parents.
As long as that was the case.
As long as that was the case, it would be enough.
All power struggles and past grievances should dissipate.
Elizabeth smiled as she walked on the lawn, suddenly feeling an unprecedented sense of calm within her.
That’s what she thought.
“Crack crack.”
But at that moment, a sound of something shattering came unexpectedly from the sky above.
At first, Elizabeth didn’t notice. Until the bright sunlight on the ground was drowned in a layer of crimson, the dogs that had been surrounding her grew restless, barking anxiously at the sky.
“Woof woof! Woof woof!!”
Elizabeth was taken aback, looking up at the sky, only to see that the entire sky appeared to be burning with some kind of illusory flames. In the far North, that crimson light suddenly pierced the sky, shattering countless illusory bodies of unknown existences that fell from above.
What was that?
As a mere human, Elizabeth stared at the strange phenomenon in the sky, feeling lost. At this moment, she didn’t even know what had happened, much less the rest of humanity.
Inside, her feelings of unease and fear only grew, for the crimson that had pierced the sky was now pouring down from the distant Sema Snow Mountain, dyeing the entire Northern Region in a terrifying scarlet hue.
The flames of the soul had already ignited; the god of the sky had descended.
But in Saint Nali, Fisher and Elizabeth knew nothing; just a moment ago, life was calm, yet in the next instant—
That crimson was already heading towards the direction of Saint Nali, as if in pursuit of something it had lost.
Along the way, the world began to collapse. In the sky, it seemed as if the bodies of the dead deities fell like meteors, crashing to the ground in Saint Nali, producing loud booms.
“Boom!!”
“Fisher?!”
After a brief moment of shock, Elizabeth felt a deep sense of anxiety in her heart, instinctively looking toward her mansion and dashing towards it.
She needed to find Fisher and be with him.
“Elizabeth, where are you?!”
At the same time, inside the mansion, Fisher’s anxious voice echoed as well.
Upon hearing her husband’s voice, Elizabeth’s heart relaxed slightly. The maids around them all screamed as the ground began to shake violently, and twisted, bubble-like forms fell from the sky into the streets of Saint Nali, creating an enormous pit in the earth.
“Boom!!”
“Ahhhh!!”
Countless screams, debris from the ground flying, and the sounds of buildings crumbling all echoed in the terrifying red glow. Panting, Elizabeth hurried towards her husband.
Fisher also ran out from the study. Elizabeth saw him emerging from the study, rushing towards the balcony.
She reached out her hand, trying to get closer to him.
“Boom!!”
But the next moment, a large rock that had been thrown up from the streets of Saint Nali suddenly crashed down like a meteor, easily piercing through the protective magic of the mansion and collapsing half of it.
The horrific blast sent Elizabeth flying, spitting blood as she fell to the ground, her vision becoming hazy as she stared at the bodies of several maids lying before the ruins.
Gasping, she heard only a ringing in her ears.
“Buzz, buzz, buzz.”
“Fisher… No, Fisher!”
Tears flowed uncontrollably down her face, unable to comprehend what was happening, why human magic had no resistance against the calamity descending from the sky.
She didn’t even know what was going on.
Was Shivali attacking?
Aside from the Shivali, what else could it be?
I don’t know.
I don’t know…
Just moments before, everything had been peaceful, so why had it all changed in the next moment?
“Fisher!”
Elizabeth struggled to get up from her injuries. She had a wound from the debris that had splattered earlier, blood trickling down. Amidst the ringing in her ears, the sounds of more screams and cries came from the direction of Saint Nali’s city, seemingly plunging everything into chaos.
She rushed towards the remnants of the mansion that only existed as rubble now, forcing open the shattered balcony door, calling out,
“Fisher! Fisher, are you alright?! Don’t scare me! Fisher… Wuwu…”
“Elizabeth…”
A weak voice came from within, and Elizabeth froze momentarily, frantically rushing towards the source of the sound amidst the rubble.
She reached out her hand, disregarding everything, pulling away the fallen stones piece by piece, unaware of the countless cuts forming on her hands, only focused on finding that person.
“Fisher! Fisher, hold on! I’m coming to save you! Fisher!”
“Boom!!”
But the world’s turmoil did not cease; rather, everything that had just occurred was merely the beginning. The following chaos only intensified, as if the world must collapse entirely, extinguishing all life before it would relent.
Yet Elizabeth could not see what lay ahead. She only focused on the present. She needed to find Fisher, her husband!
“No! Fisher! Speak to me! Where are you? I can’t find you!”
“Elizabeth.”
Beneath the rubble, Fisher’s weak voice finally echoed again.
Elizabeth poured all her strength into clearing the obstacles before her, striving to find him.
However, as each layer of bricks was removed, what lay beneath was Fisher, whose lower half had become a pool of blood.
Just as two humans, Elizabeth and Fisher found themselves fragile like ants in the face of this sudden calamity. Seeing that Fisher was nearly crushed, Elizabeth’s tear-stained expression froze in place, yet she still tried desperately to lift the stones off him.
“Fisher, no! Get up! Please get up! Wuwu…”
“Leave… Elizabeth…”
“No, I won’t leave! I’m not going anywhere! Please get up! Fisher, please get up!”
But beneath the stones, Fisher’s breathing grew faint, and his voice became weaker. Yet Elizabeth was close to madness, her motions mechanical as she continued to push aside the rubble covering his body.
“Fisher, no! I don’t want this! I can’t bear to lose you!”
“Go… my… dear…”
“No! No! Ahhhh!”
Elizabeth looked down, for beneath the rubble, Fisher had already fallen silent, blood pooling around him.
“Boom!!”
The entire world began to collapse. In the aftermath of the chaos, the reason that some creatures shivered before death was forever imprinted in their hearts; yet almost all knew not what had transpired. They were encircled in confusion, howls, and despair as they approached their end.
Death.
But for Elizabeth, perhaps even death couldn’t begin to describe her pain.
They had just overcome all the hurdles to marry; they were on the verge of beginning their happy life together!
Tears streaming down her face, Elizabeth looked at the silent Fisher before her, feeling no desire for survival, simply bowing her head, waiting for death’s approach.
“Your Highness, are you alright?!”
But just then, a feminine voice suddenly rang out behind her, causing her to stiffen and turn.
There stood Diane, spotless amidst the ruins, her expression filled with concern and urgency.
Yet at that moment, Elizabeth, whose heart had turned to ashes, merely glanced at her before returning her gaze, falling into silence once again.
Diane quickly approached her. Upon seeing Fisher’s lifeless form beneath the rubble, her eyes flickered, and she whispered, “Be strong, Your Highness.”
“What… happened? Why… why?”
“Boom!!”
In the trembling earth, Elizabeth watched in despair as all the beauty around her shattered. Having lost all will to escape, she reached out a hand, gently touching her husband’s face amidst the rubble, closing his worried eyes for him.
His last words had been for her to hurry and escape.
But without him, what purpose did her escape hold?
They had finally—
Quietly, Diane extended her hand to support her, gently urging, “Your Highness, let’s go to a safe place. If we don’t leave now, it might become dangerous.”
Elizabeth merely looked down at Fisher, mumbling in despair, “I won’t go… I want to stay here by his side.”
Diane sighed softly, retracting the hand she had placed on Elizabeth’s shoulder and suddenly said, “Your Highness.”
“What truly happened? How could you be so clean and unscathed? Did you know beforehand?”
Elizabeth stared in confusion at the spotless Diane, momentarily taken aback. Diane lifted her gaze, her blue-golden eyes glancing at Elizabeth, somehow making her feel as if her very soul was being drawn in.
But Diane merely smiled slightly, lowering her head as she softly said, “Your Highness, I did nothing at all this time.”
Elizabeth gingerly looked back at Fisher, murmuring, “It doesn’t matter, just leave, Diane. I’m staying here.”
“Your Highness, Prince would certainly wish for you to be safe. Please come with me to a safe place.”
“No, I’m not going!”
“Is the past not beautiful enough?”
“How could it ever be enough?! How could it… Wuwu…”
Elizabeth pushed Diane away angrily, shouting at her, “What happened?! We were just beginning to be happy. We had just started our life together, and now… now I’ve lost him! I can’t lose him!”
“… Perhaps this is just the price of beauty, Your Highness. The world may not hold perfection, not even for the gods.”
“I just want him to live. I just want him to be well.”
Elizabeth looked blankly at Fisher’s lifeless body, repeating, “I just want him to live. I just want him to be well.”
In response, Diane merely raised her gaze and asked her quietly, “Even if that would leave you deeply wounded, erasing all the beauties of your past?”
“I just want him to live. I just want him to be well.”
Diane smiled faintly, rising to her feet and looking at the spot beneath the rubble where Fisher had disappeared, silent for a moment before softly stating to Elizabeth, “Your Highness loves him so much. Surely, even if some beauty is lost, and you become hollow from it, he will feel your value and grasp you tightly, not letting you fade away.”
“I just want him to live. I just want him to be well.”
And in the next moment, as the crimson in the sky completely enveloped the heavens, the world fell into annihilation, plunging into profound darkness.
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(End of this chapter)
