novelraw Chapter 445: Poison-Infused Frosting
Chapter 445: Poison-Infused Frosting
"Crack!!"
As Fisher's nearly berserk power embedded deeply into the peach tree before him, the trunk, which looked no different from any ordinary, fragile peach tree, instantly snapped in the direction of his force and fell sideways.
The branch Helaire was sitting on at the top of the peach tree plummeted under the pull of gravity. She, a Mythical Species who hadn't revealed her true strength, tacitly allowed gravity to drag her down.
Facing the night wind of the Peach Blossom Spring, her white robe flapped wildly, naturally tracing the graceful and beautiful contours of her body.
Fisher couldn't understand either. Even though she supposedly hadn't chosen a gender yet, why were the curves of her body so soft and harmonious, drawing his gaze so intensely?
She seemed a little surprised as she used both hands to cover the lower half of her white robe, which was about to be blown up, like a shy maiden holding down her long skirt. Her long legs were positioned unevenly, with the front one raising its tiptoes up slightly, pointing straight at Fisher below.
"Crack, crack, crack!"
Even though she fell straight to the ground like this, she didn't make a single sound, just like an agile cat. Instead, the peach tree that had been snapped in half by Fisher let out a mournful creak as it fell backward. The trembling peach blossoms in the sky drifted down slowly, covering the white robe on Helaire with a layer of pink, making it impossible for Fisher to see whether she was secretly laughing or distressed.
However, amidst the confusing flurry of peach blossoms, Fisher could no longer restrain himself. He reached out his hands, which were like iron tongs, straight toward this annoying angel's pale wrist.
Perhaps even Fisher didn't expect things to go so smoothly.He grabbed her soft wrist with ease. The force was even so great that it caused her to fall backward onto the ground, pinned beneath Fisher, causing the distance between them to suddenly shrink considerably.
In such a cramped confrontation, the atmosphere between them showed not the slightest regard for any so-called gap in tiers, thus appearing incredibly aggressive.
"What exactly do you want to do?"
Fisher's voice was low and deep, as terrifying as a male lion licking its prey.
He was indeed somewhat puzzled, because ever since he arrived here, this unexpectedly encountered angel seemed to pay a lot of attention to him. Whether providing help or teasing and provoking him, there was no obvious reason for it.
Logically speaking, her "seeking amusement" theory didn't hold water at all. But for some reason, applying this reason to her felt so natural. Yet, seemingly reasonable explanations could also invite suspicion, and this was exactly the case right now.
With Renee's previous training, Fisher actually already had a high resistance to Helaire's similar teasings. But he couldn't withstand the reproductive desire constantly fanning the flames within his body. Not to mention, he had just escaped the research session with those demi-human women and was on the verge of collapse.
But even so, this fellow was still...
Helaire, whose hands were tightly pinned to the soil by Fisher, turned her head to look at him pitifully. Her short, curly golden hair fell on her cheek, covering her right pupil. Her breathing was shallow, misting the gentle water vapor in the air. Yet she didn't answer Fisher's words; instead, she begged for pity.
"It hurts so much~"
"...Are you still going to pretend?"
Facing that plea for mercy that seemed capable of melting even the hardest stone, Fisher fell silent for a moment. The force gripping her hands unconsciously deepened little by little, as if he wanted to fuse together with her. Following that, he struggled to expose her flaw-riddled acting.
Helaire's "pitiful" expression floated up slightly. Her breathtakingly beautiful face was still faintly visible among the peach blossoms scattered on the ground, surprisingly giving Fisher a sense of brokenness that evoked pity.
It was just a pity that the corners of her mouth curling up little by little betrayed her.
Even when exposed, she didn't find it troublesome at all because, in her eyes, the man before her, trapped by desire yet still struggling to hold on, was so amusing.
Her smile was extremely unique. Compared to others, her smile had less clarity and more ambiguity, less calmness and more danger. It was like highly toxic poison coated in frosting, or like climbing a magnificently beautiful yet exceptionally steep mountain peak. Even if a single misstep would result in a fall into a bottomless abyss, it still attracted people to willingly challenge it.
Maintaining that smile, Helaire asked in return.
"I haven't. Mostly, it's just that I don't know what you are puzzled about."
The fallen peach tree in front of Helaire's prone position seemed to be restored by time, growing back up again. Under the moonlight, the leaves formed an undulating, swaying shadow, like a living piece of chaos covering half of her face, revealing only her red lips that moved as she spoke.
"Are you puzzled about my special attention toward you... or should I be more specific? Are you puzzled about why I delight in teasing your already precarious desires?"
Her line of sight slowly moved downward, as if she saw something she shouldn't have, something that ought to invoke shyness and evasion...
But unexpectedly, her gaze did not stray at all. It was unclear if it was provocation or something else, but it was both annoying and incredibly alluring.
"What if it's the latter?"
"Because it's very fun this way~"
She answered without hesitation, as if it were the natural order of things, and completely oblivious to the fact that her hands were being imprisoned by Fisher, she even blinked at him.
Fisher had anticipated this. Or rather, no matter what question he asked her, this would be her justified, universal answer.
This time was different, however. The smiling Helaire kindly gave Fisher a deeper explanation regarding this point.
"You see, restrained desires are like a barrel of high explosives with its fuse lit. You keep stretching that fuse, trying to lengthen it to delay the explosion. But you also know that it will inevitably explode, and every time it explodes, it brings consequences. Especially when you don't have a stable female companion by your side. Every explosion is a sin that tugs at your sense of responsibility, making it impossible for you to abandon the past and hard for you to let go of the present, filling you with worry for the future..."
Her fingers tapped against the back of Fisher's hands like playing the piano. Every word and every sentence entered his heart along with her playful yet profound actions.
"The desire for procreation is not just indulgence and a release; it's more like an unbridled possession. Tracelessly, it changes your heart, making you unable to abandon anyone you've had a connection with. It makes your rationale unable to choose to act casually with just any opposite sex to vent your desires... oh, no, perhaps you have thought that way before, but when you look back on it, you find it's something you simply can't let go of regardless."
Helaire's words easily struck right at Fisher's heart. He had indeed done so. Otherwise, he wouldn't have so easily entered into such a relationship with Eliog back in Saint-Nazareth. And just as Helaire said, even though he and Eliog had spent such a short time together, she, like Raphaela, was deeply engraved in his heart, as if it were only right and proper that she should belong to him. He would even consider her when encountering a scene of fierce conflict...
Since when had he become such a greedy person?
Looking at the slightly stunned Fisher before her, Helaire continued to smile.
"But those aren't important; they're all your past affairs. However, even though you already know that there will be consequences to your actions, you definitely don't know that right here, right now, in this world and at this location, the consequences of everything you do will be hundreds or thousands of times more severe than anything you've done before..."
Hearing this, Fisher's pupils contracted slightly. Smart as he was, he almost instantly realized the true meaning behind Helaire's words.
But the riddle wasn't to be solved by himself, because the next second, Helaire in front of him slightly raised her head and aimed her red lips at Fisher's left ear.
From there, an imperceptible voice that only the two of them could catch came.
"Fisher, you come from the future. Want to try and see what the consequence is of detonating a barrel of explosives in the past?"
"You..."
Fisher was indeed somewhat shocked. The fact that he came from the future should only be known by Gou Wen in this world. He didn't suspect Gou Wen had sold him out, because he had been together with Gou Wen almost all this time. Gou Wen had absolutely no opportunity to tell Helaire about this, nor did he have any reason to do so.
Thoughts about Helaire's various possible goals and his rapidly expanding desires clashed in his mind. It made the originally quiet and peaceful Peach Blossom Spring become incredibly noisy inside his heart. However, before his train of thought could spiral into anxiety, Helaire leaned back down against the ground and spoke.
"Don't worry, I'm not interested in that kind of thing. Dead and rigid certainties aren't what I like. I lean more toward uncapturable unknowns... From a woman's perspective, I prefer surprises. Instead of this, why not consider your current predicament? How about little Karasawa? Doesn't she seem to rely on you a lot? Calling you 'Teacher Fisher' every day. She's the easiest to get your hands on, you know..."
The "that kind of thing" in Helaire's words clearly referred to the future. Even though she knew Fisher came from the future, she wasn't interested in the future at all. Most likely, in her view, if she knew what would happen in the future in advance, wouldn't it lose all meaning?
"..."
Fisher remained silent. Helaire, tilting her head up a little, continued to suggest.
"Oh, I forgot. Little Karasawa is a human... How about Nekelia? She's a Phoenix Species, and you seem to quite like demi-humans, right? Just package up the story of your so-called Phoenix ex-wife, and maybe that cold-faced Phoenix Species will take a liking to you too? After all, you're pretty well-liked by the Phoenix Species. And..."
Looking at the angel beneath him who was talking eloquently and nonchalantly looking for so-called "amusement," Fisher's gaze grew darker and darker.
It might be because of this fellow's constant malicious teasing, or because of her long-term dereliction of duty, or perhaps it was because of the way she seemed to hide everything in the fog, looking so obscured that he couldn't see a single flaw or her true roots. The myriad of frustrations and angers mentioned above made it harder and harder for Fisher to endure.
While Helaire was still talking, Fisher abruptly took a deep breath. With his heart set, he violently lowered his head and captured her incessantly chattering mouth. As if seeking revenge, he began to gnaw and bite at everything she had.
"Mmh..."
Helaire's blue-gold, scattered pupils trembled slightly. It seemed that Fisher's action before her eyes truly exceeded her expectations at this moment.
And what the unexpectedness brought her was not surprise and panic; all she felt was joy and intense interest.
Her hands, which had been bound by Fisher, seemed to suddenly gain the force of a thousand jun, easily breaking through Fisher's lock. Immediately after, under Fisher's somewhat surprised gaze, she cupped Fisher's cheek with one hand and suddenly deepened this kiss, which originally carried the implication of revenge and venting.
In that instant, Fisher felt as if the back of his head had been struck by an electric current.
The sensation akin to the sweetest frosting, and the reproach akin to the most bitter poison — the complexity mixed within a single kiss made it hard for Fisher to put his actions into effect even if he wanted to break away.
"Bo."
Helaire's kiss was very strange, giving Fisher an absolutely unprecedented sensation that actually made him pant slightly. He allowed Helaire to draw satisfaction from him continuously as she pleased before slowly parting away. It stimulated his brain and heart, alleviating some of the constant fiery heat in his body, making him somehow feel the coldness of the night.
It wasn't until Helaire's soft lips left him that Fisher, realizing it after the fact, covered his cheek, seemingly still savoring the feeling of that kiss just now, which actually made it hard for him to let go.
Helaire lay on the ground with a smile. Among her somewhat messy short golden curly bangs, Fisher saw her eyes radiating specks of brilliance. Right after, her voice, filled with an alluring tone, slowly drifted over.
"Oh my, so you chose me as the target to vent on? To tell the truth, I was indeed somewhat surprised..."
Fisher remained silent. He stared intently at Helaire before him as if he wanted to swallow her whole.
But just as Helaire said, no matter how one tried to select a target, choosing Helaire was not an optimal solution.
First of all, without mentioning that this fellow's tier was much higher than Fisher's, he didn't really understand her. She naturally carried an unstable risk. Moreover, this fellow's personality was extremely malicious, and she enjoyed seeking amusement. This made the danger for Fisher, who was already walking on thin ice, run even deeper.
"Making ample consideration and weighing the options before deciding"—this was Fisher's accustomed practice. But in front of this fellow, Fisher uncharacteristically cast this aside, surprising even himself.
But truthfully speaking, the feeling of getting back at her like this felt pretty good.
"Is finding you displeasing a suitable reason?"
Fisher wiped his lips and snorted with a cold face, answering her just as unreasonably. It seemed like a counterattack serving as the reason for the "seeking amusement" she loved so much.
Helaire's smile deepened even more. That pair of blue-gold eyes lit up slightly. She clapped her hands and praised.
"Has anyone ever told you that this side of you is very cute?"
"Psycho."
The smile on Helaire's face did not diminish. Looking at this male before her who clearly displayed disgust on his face but honestly reacted with desire in his body, she lightly raised a finger and floated up from the ground to a standing position.
"Oh my, you can't endure it at all anymore? But I haven't chosen a gender yet right now. Even if you want to do something, there's no way you can~"
She spread her hands, speaking so annoyingly. But while Fisher wanted to teach her a lesson once again, he surprisingly found the spare capacity to consider whether her revealing that she didn't have a gender would be overheard by Lord Tao. Furthermore, just now, although her voice was very, very low, she had also spoken out about his origins from the future. Wouldn't that be caught by Lord Tao too...
Just as Fisher was thinking and thinking, his brow furrowing deeper and deeper, his cheeks were instantly cupped by a pair of soft hands. His pupils contracted slightly; he didn't even know that Helaire had instantly arrived before him. And as he slightly raised his head, what he saw was her ever-present smile.
She pouted her lips in frustration, adding a bit of cuteness to her breathtakingly beautiful face. Like an abyss, it pulled at Fisher's gaze, both dangerous and captivating.
"Don't worry, it's just us here. Nothing you say will be perceived by anyone else. I guarantee that. Because you were cuter earlier just like that, and there aren't many things that exceed my expectations... Naturally, you deserve some rewards..."
Who cares about your rewards?
Fisher was originally planning to snap back at her with an icy tone.
However, before the words left his mouth, he was surprised to find that Helaire's temperament and vibe in front of him had undergone a slight, subtle change.
Although her posture was already graceful and beautiful before, now her face became even softer, and a faint, profound fragrance that made Fisher restless emanated from her body.
That subtle fragrance made Fisher associate it with Renee. While making him feel a sense of guilt, it also made him realize exactly what kind of changes had occurred in Helaire.
He suddenly asked, "You've chosen to become female?"
Helaire nodded with a beaming smile. She looked at her own figure and then added.
"Yes. I was originally an angel that leaned toward being female. Becoming a female for you isn't something hard to accept... But it takes a rather long process for angels to fix their gender. This process isn't completed in an instant. Therefore, unfortunately, you'll have to wait a little. However, if you're really that impatient, it's not like I can't use other methods to help you... Anyway, if you still don't release it soon, your body will break down..."
As she spoke, she extended her hands. The deep fragrance that rushed toward him was like a net of desire trying to swallow Fisher whole. He looked at Helaire before him and asked suspiciously.
"Other methods?"
His first immediate thought was actually of Michael, who loved playing with toys. It seemed that for these angels, unorthodox methods were never a good thing.
Seeing the vigilant Fisher, Helaire found it even more amusing. She walked forward with her hands behind her back, walking alone to the front of the tent she was staying in. The entire space in front of the tent was terrifyingly quiet, as if the entire Peach Blossom Spring really was as she had said—with only the two of them present.
The tent before her lifted bit by bit without wind, revealing an unseeable, pitch-black space inside.
She stopped in front of that tent, then turned her head with a smile to look at Fisher, inviting him.
"This is a reward, not a punishment. And generally speaking, my rewards never disappoint people~"
In Fisher's eyes, Helaire seemed to be a double-edged sword that succeeded in every endeavor but easily injured its wielder. It seemed to be an earth-shattering gamble where both the reward and the price were heavy, and also an adventure where risks and returns coexisted...
But just as he said before, Helaire possessed a miraculous magic that always easily made people abandon that heavy contemplation which was akin to a shackle.
Fisher didn't walk into her hanging curtain first. Instead, as if seeking revenge with a death grip, he grabbed her arm once again and suddenly flung her onto his shoulder, acting excessively.
"Ah!"
Helaire let out a fake cry of surprise, then grabbed the loose white robe on his back in a panic, but she didn't exert any more force, like a finger pausing before pulling the trigger of a gun.
Subsequently, her voice, carrying a smile, and seeming like both a warning and an enticement, came from behind Fisher.
"However, if you choose me, the consequences will be very severe~"
Fisher tightly grasped her soft, slender waist resting on his shoulder. Then he let out a sigh and fiercely slapped the skin hidden under her robe. Immediately after, gnashing his teeth, he declared war.
"Let's wait and see."
As Fisher's figure, carrying Helaire, vanished into the darkness of the tent, the entire Peach Blossom Spring also suddenly fell silent, as if the only two individuals left had completely vanished as well.
Only that deep, faint fragrance continued to linger, sketching the curved outline of the night sky.