The Handbook for Completing Demi-Human Girls

Chapter 153: Moonlit Night

The environment of the theatrical playhouse was very nice. Because watching operas was a historic tradition of the Nari people, they liked to gather together to come and watch whenever there was a holiday rest. Sometimes the repertoires were the same, yet people even wanted to go see different showings performed by different actors. It seemed the style of every different actor was never entirely identical; there were also different lasting appeals.

Fisher was also very fond of theatrical plays. He frequently came over to watch together with Renee before. However, that fellow completely lacked any artistic appreciation cells. She completely came just to flirt with you or whisper quietly into your ear.

The name of today's theatrical play was called "Moonlit Night," narrating an ancient legend from Nari's ancient times.

This was a story regarding the king of a certain kingdom in ancient times falling in love with a prince sent to his kingdom to serve as a hostage. But this naturally wasn't a homosexual story written by Schwalians. That hostage also wasn't a true prince, but a small kingdom's princess who came over as a substitute.

The king of the small kingdom was unwilling for his sole son to head to another kingdom and risk his life as a hostage. Therefore, he demanded his own daughter to pretend to be her older royal brother to replace him. The story unfolded under this kind of backdrop.

The princess was both gentle and brave. In order to save her accompanying servant, she dared to make a bet with the king of the large kingdom. She also donned a knight's helmet to combat stone demons residing in the mountains, retrieving the treasures stolen from the kingdom.

During the protracted time they spent together, her kindhearted character moved the king. And she gradually became best friends with the king, being extremely intimate.

Following closely behind, the king finally discovered that he had fallen in love with this hostage from another country—unrelated to gender and status. Although this kind of emotion was viewed as taboo, leaving him ten thousand times conflicted, he therefore had no choice but to issue an order for the hostage to leave his nation, never to be seen again.

But on the occasion of the hostage's departure, he still couldn't overcome the sincere love in his heart, resolving to break through worldly conventions and be together with her.

Amidst the hazy moonlight, the king rode a white horse in a private capacity and caught up to the princess sitting on a carriage, about to leave this country. He revealed his heart to her, and the princess was also moved by his sincere emotion, telling the king the truth that she possessed a female body.As the plot reached here, the moonlight pushed aside the clouds and mist. The audience's moods also felt surprise and delight exactly identical to that king. They embraced and kissed each other beneath the moonlight. Soon after, the theatrical play's song also reached the climax of emotion within an instant. The two actors possessing beautiful singing voices sang out,

"Ah, my princess, why did you have to deceive me to this extent, making your beloved suffer the torment of taboo?"

"Dear King, this was not my original intention. My love for you makes me linger; my responsibilities to the kingdom make me hesitate... At this moment in time, taking this moonlight as my witness, I am willing to relinquish everything, entrusting the sincere me to you, loving you to the final moment of life."

It seemed the blood pursuing this romance was actually in the bones of the Nari people. The repertoire of "Moonlit Night" was rarely performed. However, the actors' consummate acting skills today made the audience below the stage quickly fall into an ecstatic state of self-forgetfulness.

Originally, with Prince Lausanne's position, wanting an individual private compartment was a matter as easy as lifting a finger. However, because the tickets were given by Karolina, he could only squeeze into the ordinary seating down below with the other people.

Lausanne also didn't have any complaints, just sitting in the ordinary seats like the other Nari citizens. Exactly like he had said previously, he didn't put on any airs.

Whereas Karolina beside him blankly watched the two actors snuggling above beneath the moonlight, not knowing what she was thinking about.

A couple beside them was leaning together kissing. An aura of romance spread within the playhouse. Only Karolina and Lausanne were two people who were out of tune, because the large majority of those who came to watch this repertoire were lovers or couples.

Their relationship was rather awkward, incapable of being clearly explained or stated. Although looking from their external appearances, they were quite suitable.

Lausanne turned his head and cast a glance at Caro wearing the formal dress. She hugged a small women's handbag in her embrace, exactly as bashful and elegant as a Nari lady. Gazing at Karolina's side profile, Lausanne smiled slightly and began,

"This repertoire is still quite decent. Inside our Schwalian playhouses, many are dramatic plays regarding war."

"...It's finished watching; let's go."

Listening to this, Karolina was somewhat unnatural. She picked up her small handbag and was about to leave here. In any case, she was already finished watching the theatrical play.

To tell the truth, right when she came out just now, she had completely forgotten all those matters Fisher exhorted her about clean away. What about 'must curry favor', what about 'the hope of survival lies on Prince Lausanne'...

From meeting Prince Lausanne until now, she had continuously remained wooden, nor did she speak on her own initiative. Much less anything about currying favor with him.

She originally wasn't adept at doing this, much less in front of this prince.

Prince Lausanne cast a glance at her back figure, then silently stood up and followed behind her. He waited all the way until she walked out of the playhouse with her bag in hand, yet she still didn't stop her footsteps.

Watching helplessly as she was about to leave, Lausanne hurriedly caught up to her. In one move, he reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling her beneath the streetlight.

Under the lamplight, behind their bodies were two interlacing shadows.

"Wait. Can't you see that I am interested in you? By carrying on like this, you are just whittling away at both our patience. How about we both be a bit more direct, alright?"

"Let go..."

Karolina struggled for a bit but failed to break free. Subsequently, she cast an resentful glance at Lausanne and said,

"What do you know? Do you think I'm an ordinary Nari girl? I am..."

"You're a Witch from the Witch Research Society, right? Fisher already told me ahead of time. I also only came to look for you after steeling my resolve. What of it if you're a Demi-Human? As long as I like you, as long as you are a girl, what is impossible about it?"

Karolina blanked out for a moment, then looked at Lausanne somewhat bizarrely,

"He told you... I am a Witch?"

This time it was Lausanne's turn to be bewildered. In his heart, there was faintly an ominous premonition. Within his mind, it seemed as if some strange clues connected into a line. But under Karolina's gorgeous visage, he didn't jump to any conclusions. He merely continued asking,

"...You aren't a Witch?"

"No... I am too, but, how do I say this. I... am a comparatively special kind of Witch..."

Meeting Lausanne's line of sight, Karolina's face turned slightly red. Blustered, she explained in a panic, resulting in the more she explained, the messier it became. Finally, Karolina honestly confessed, giving up on herself,

"But I am not an ordinary Witch. It's just... I was human at first, but later I became... a Witch... Alright, alright! I am an Artificial Witch!"

"Artificial Witch?"

Lausanne chewed over this noun. It seemed at that time within the magic boundary, Priest Dirk also said those monsters were Artificial Witches of the Witch Research Society? Yet before his eyes was distinctly a beautiful lady?

He seemed as though he had fallen into a mental predicament. Only after pausing for a good while did he say,

"Wait. Are you saying, you are an acquiredly formed Witch? And before becoming a Witch, you were a human?"

"...Right, and before becoming a human, I was even male! Are you satisfied now? So you liking me right now is no different from those Schwalian nobles."

Karolina gritted her teeth. Looking at Lausanne's sincere line of sight, she finally couldn't endure it, deciding not to deceive this prince any longer.

Perhaps the thought of that scummy man Fisher was to let her deceive Prince Lausanne, or hide the truth to seduce him, and only after like this would she be able to retreat safely.

But Karolina struggled for a good while, still deciding to tell him the factual situation. If worst came to worst, she'd just return to those days of being chased by people again. It would be nothing more than the people chasing her increasing by two nations...

Even if it was like this, she still didn't want to deceive Prince Lausanne.

Lausanne was struck as if by lightning. In a single move, he released Karolina's hand, wearing a look of unbelievable disbelief on his face.

Numerous recollections of his childhood surged up in his heart in an instant, surrounding him exactly as if it were a curse he could never escape from, making him step backward slightly.

Then didn't that mean I...

The nighttime moon had already reached midway into the sky. Hazy moonlight fell between them, slightly obscuring quite a bit of the lamplight. Their atmosphere also reached extreme awkwardness and deathly stillness.

"I've already rejected you long since, yet you still insist on drawing close. You are a kingdom's prince, with so many beauties for you to pick. I am just a monster produced through an experiment!"

"Your affection will only disgust yourself. It's best if you gave up on that damned romantic brain of yours. Just imagine a bit more on how to benefit your populace... Just don't let girls born in your country suffer the poisonous hands of that scum group, the Witch Research Society, anymore; then I'd be thanking goodness!"

Karolina didn't go look at Prince Lausanne. Instead, she quite ruthlessly roasted Prince Lausanne's foolishness,

"You should go back. Incidentally, tell Fisher I accept his kindness. This is the remuneration I prepared for him ahead of time. It's fine for you to personally hand it to him."

Karolina pulled out a well-folded paper slip from her bag. Some sort of picture seemed to be drawn on it.

But Lausanne merely looked at Karolina. He didn't accept the paper slip she passed over. On the contrary, using a somewhat hoarse voice, he asked,

"Then what about you? The Nari authorities are currently tracking down members of the Witch Research Society. How will you escape?"

"...It will be fine as long as you don't tell them I was at the scene. As for when it will be exposed, that is not a matter you ought to be concerned about. The Witch Research Society took the blame, and right now, they probably couldn't even manage themselves properly. They have no time to come catch me. As for the others, I'll think of a method myself again. Alright, you can go now."

Karolina forcefully stuffed that paper slip into his hands, subsequently straightening her long brown hair. Only at this moment did Lausanne discover she had painted a bit of light makeup, with a faint touch of lipstick upon her lips.

If she wasn't a lady, then was this truly her basic nature or her disguise?

Prince Lausanne remained bewildered, looking on helplessly as the female clad in a formal dress waved at him and turned her head to walk away.

The repertoire ended. The audience inside continually came out. While discussing the theatrical play, the crowd walked onto the streets, sluggishly forming an invisible wall, isolating her on that end and himself on this end. Only the moonlight in the heavens formed an illusory path, penetrating through the tangible obstacles, pointing straight towards her direction.

Prince Lausanne tightly grasped the paper slip in his hands, yet he still didn't budge his footsteps from beginning to end.

With very little expression on Karolina's face, she pulled out that Paper Airplane Messenger previously used to communicate with Fisher from her bag. Hesitating for a second, she ripped that item into pieces. As the Magic Crests were destroyed, its magical functions also completely disappeared, turning into a pile of paper scraps.

Perhaps Lausanne would fly into a rage out of shame because of her deception. However, at this moment in time, Karolina would rather believe he wouldn't do so.

She suddenly recalled how, within the magic, that prince asked her if she was in much pain. To date, that was the first time since she was born that someone paid attention to her—seemingly the first time someone understood her...

Karolina was most afraid of pain.

Perhaps she didn't want to fail his words of concern, she ultimately confessed frankly to Lausanne, in order to avoid the other party becoming infuriated because of deception from now on. In that case, the painful thing wouldn't only be her own body, but an even deeper heart.

She also didn't know whether the heartache could be mended by her own Trait...

She felt the brown hair atop her own head. That single black hair within the ocean of brown hair had already sluggishly faded in color, turning into a brown color identical to Karolina's original hair color.

The owner of that black hair seemed to have completely abandoned her. Right now, not the slightest bit of connection existed anymore. That was why that strand of hair would slowly become dyed with brown color, although Karolina still hadn't reverted to a male.

Being this way was perhaps also not bad?

Karolina casually tossed the paper scraps away. And in the next instant, her hand was abruptly grabbed. Startled, she turned her head back. She only saw Prince Lausanne clutching her hand in a death grip, staring straight at her.

"Asking you one matter."

This was the first sentence Prince Lausanne said. The moonlit night behind him parted the crowd, separating out a path leading straight toward Karolina.

"...What?"

"If we are together, can we reproduce offspring?"

He was a prince. Reproducing offspring was not for himself; that was the hope of a kingdom.

At this moment in time, Prince Lausanne coming forward along the moonlight was already the outcome of his own decision. But he must also bear responsibility toward his motherland; only then could he question her like this.

Karolina opened her mouth. Her complexion was slightly ruddy, somewhat helpless and annoyed. Yet she still didn't extract the hand he grasped. Instead, she yelled out,

"Hah? Is the brain of you guy broken? I already told you, you are a prince! Shouldn't you be getting married with the daughters of those princes and nobles or whatever? How long have we known each other? Do you know my natural disposition? Have you the gall to come over like this? Are you not afraid that I am actually a spy for the Witch Research Society in reality, and protecting you and whatnot was all acting?"

Upon hearing this, Lausanne also sighed, subsequently stating,

"I saw your expression clearly on that day. Your expression of fearing pain was not fake... Moreover, my standards also aren't high. Rather than engaging in a political marriage with any other family, it would be much better to find a simple person to marry. Therefore, testing it out with you also shouldn't matter, right?"

Karolina pursed her lips and gave no response. Prince Lausanne then went on to continue asking his previous question,

"So, the answer? If the two of us are together, can we or can we not reproduce offspring?"

"...How would I know? Won't I know if we just test it out?"

Karolina didn't dare look at him, stating this exactly as if sulking.

There was yet another showing of an opera starting to be performed inside the playhouse. It turned out it was still "Moonlit Night," just that she didn't know whether they swapped actors to perform. That bel canto was beautiful as ever, singing the Nari Language ballad to sound incredibly pleasant.

What was sung was still that line of lyrics:

"Ah, my princess, why did you have to deceive me to this extent, making your beloved suffer the torment of taboo?"

"Dear King, this was not my original intention. My love for you makes me linger; my responsibilities to the kingdom make me hesitate... At this moment in time, taking this moonlight as my witness, I am willing to relinquish everything, entrusting the sincere me to you, loving you to the final moment of life."

By the grassy bushes not far away, Jasmine opened her mouth, looking at those two people clasping hands and slowly taking their leave. She didn't know what expression to make.

Fisher beside her possessed a bizarre expression, wearing a look of not knowing what to say.

Since Karolina and Lausanne came out, those two had secretly trailed them. Jasmine was in order to eat gossip, while he was in order to see if Karolina succeeded or not—it seemed exactly like that also possessed no differences from eating gossip.

Just earlier, when he heard Karolina spill everything out, he still felt it was going to fail. If it weren't for Karolina giving that ruins paper slip to Lausanne, he would have gone out and forcefully interrupted the spellcasting...

Joking aside, Fisher was not this unfeeling.

Truthfully speaking, this itself was an attempt. Whether Karolina succeeded or failed, it was still passable for Fisher to smoothly send her out of Nari. After all, Prince Lausanne had already enjoined the other people to not spill the beans about her being at the scene.

The Nari authorities wouldn't discover her for a while. As long as he secretly sent her away, letting her head to some minor country or some unknown place to safely spend the rest of her life was also a pretty good choice.

But who could've known this development was so outrageous?

Fisher felt that the sentence Prince Lausanne said upon their first encounter—"First of all, I am not homosexual"—was simply total bullshit.

While Karolina indeed didn't look much like a normal male, Fisher felt that if they cast the blame for transforming her completely into a lady onto that black hair, it would be far too unjust to the Undying Witch...

However, the final conclusion ought to still be considered pretty nice. As for how to bring Karolina back and explain to Prince Lausanne's aunt—that is, the Schwalian Queen—that was his own matter. After all, they had only known each other for a few days. They still had a long and drawn-out romantic path to walk.

This was already unrelated to Fisher.

"Let us go. I will escort you back."

Jasmine squatted behind the grassy bushes wearing an appearance of watching a play. Having watched two theatrical plays in a single night, it was already worth the ticket's price point.

Hearing Fisher's words, she turned her head and nodded. Subsequently, she stood up and straightened out her dress, following that gentleman to walk towards the other end of the street. They could take a carriage there.

"It turned out that Ms. Karolina was male previously; I couldn't tell at all... Life truly is a miracle. May I tell Lord Ramastia of this matter?"

Jasmine's small face was blushing brightly. Having interacted with him for a long time, she was no longer so socially anxious. Even her words had multiplied a considerable amount. Her identity as a [Whale-kin Internal Chatterbox] was amply corroborated quite a bit. Though in the eyes of humans, she was merely an ordinary little girl.

Fisher smiled lightly and said,

"The restaurants will be open exceptionally late during the evenings of these several weeks of the Gothrin Festival. Do you want to eat supper?"

"Mn!"

"..."

He shouldn't have even asked this. Formal pleasantries were fundamentally a non-existent concept towards the Whale-kin Jasmine. Only hunger was entirely tangible...

Forget it. Only for today, considering it as an apology to her.

Speaking of which, didn't it seem he had already apologized to her many times?

The moonlit night hung high in the sky. Hazy moonlight descended warmly, coincidentally paving an underlying nuance for the path those two people advanced upon.