novelraw Chapter 497: Strawberry
Chapter 497: Strawberry
And factually, it was indeed so. To Fisher, last night was a crazy dream, one that continued into this morning without him fully waking up from it.
Last night...
When Fisher's consciousness first arrived at this charm-filled concept, the first thing he felt was that he was refreshed and invigorated. Following that was a sense of lingering attachment and nostalgia that was absolutely unprecedented. Ordinarily, after releasing his physical desires in the past, he would become exceptionally rational. But for some reason, when it came to Helaire, he actually developed such thoughts.
This was indeed Helaire's fault.
As his consciousness became clear, he subconsciously began searching for the whereabouts of that evil Angel. But just as he was preparing to move his body, he immediately discovered her location.
Fisher lowered his head slightly, only to see the face of the beautiful, short-curly-blonde-haired Angel resting right next to his neck. He couldn't see Helaire's adorable sleeping face at this moment, nor could he appreciate the beautiful appearance of the quiet Angel. Consequently, Fisher, currently in his 'sage mode', actually had the mind to ponder meaningless, trivial matters like "do Angels need to sleep?"
After all, the last time they shared a pillow, she looked like she hadn't slept the whole night, and even blamed him under some grand pretext, claiming it was his fault.
At this moment, Helaire's soft body was completely pressed against Fisher's flesh. As expected, she was very light; Fisher couldn't feel any weight at all despite such an excessive posture. The places where she pressed against him felt neither hot nor itchy. He only felt a warm, sunny softness and comfort. Accompanied by a faint fragrance reminiscent of afternoon sunlight, it made him just want to close his eyes and hug her for a very comfortable, deep slumber.
Right, where did her Crown go?
Staring at Helaire's completely bare head at this moment, Fisher suddenly thought.He quietly lifted a bit of the blanket, taking advantage of this time to carefully observe the Angel's beautiful body and structure.
Hm, so the wings behind her were still there. It was just that they were wrapped around him as well. But why didn't he feel anything at all?
Fisher reached out and poked Helaire's blue-gold ethereal wings that wrapped around her and himself. As a result, the moment he made contact with them, Fisher felt a cool, extremely smooth and soft sensation.
So this thing was actually a physical entity. No wonder they had snapped off during the previous battle with Lord Tao.
Fisher stroked the smooth, supple ethereal wings on her back, suddenly remembering that he had not bound Helaire yet. She had not completely turned into a female previously, but now that she had, binding should be possible. Although binding a Mythic Species would be discovered by her, Fisher trusted Helaire. Even if he let her know more information about himself through binding, there was no harm in it.
[Angel-kin]
[Available Binding Research Slots: 0/1]
[Bindable Target: Helaire, Female Adult Angel (Post-Transformation)]
[Bind?]
Bind!
The moment this thought popped up in his mind, the golden light before Fisher's eyes abruptly surged into his body. Following a burst of familiar pain, he hugged Helaire in his arms a bit tighter.
Perhaps caused by his movements, the slender golden eyelashes of Helaire in his embrace suddenly fluttered once, like a beautiful butterfly flapping its wings.
Along with this action's emergence, the gem-studded Crown that Fisher had forged with his own hands slowly flashed into existence atop Helaire's head.
"Wu..."
She let out a yawn. Even though she hadn't even opened her eyes yet, her open little mouth pressed right against Fisher's pectoral muscle. While inhaling, she sucked onto his muscle, letting out a crisp "Bo" sound.
Just like a strawberry. It wasn't until this exceptionally obvious mark was stamped on him that Helaire looked at Fisher in front of her with a beaming smile. She said,
"Morning."
She should have already realized the connection between him and her. Only, just like Eliog, she didn't show any reaction.
Fisher looked her up and down, gazing at the Crown that suddenly appeared on her head, then asked,
"Morning... Do the halos on Angels' heads disappear when they rest?"
"That is indeed true. Because as you know, this halo represents our current state. Angels rarely sleep, and once we sleep, we will definitely dream. The halo that symbolizes consciousness will also recede into our bodies, so you wouldn't be able to see it."
"Dream... What did you dream about last night?"
"I dreamed about... mmm..."
She didn't speak. Her finger poked around on Fisher's body. Like a surveyor directing bomber planes, every time she poked a spot that she looked pleased with, she would mark it, then move her small mouth over, going "Bo!" and bombing out an obvious strawberry mark.
Because of this, the smile on her face became even brighter, as if smilingly reporting: "Reporting to the commander, bombing mission completed"...
She was just such an evil fellow.
It wasn't until she planted one or two more of such marks that Helaire lazily smiled and replied,
"I dreamed that... you and I eloped. We went to a hidden place we had never been before."
Eloped...
If Fisher hadn't met the other ladies, such a topic would simply be the most enticing temptation in the world. It was just a pity that before this, he had already become acquainted with quite a few women whom he had also spent wonderful times with.
Perhaps the answer to this question should be identical for every woman. If Fisher had never met other women, he would agree to their requests to elope.
Fisher's unrestrained greed had brought him harvests and possessions. Correspondingly, it also brought responsibilities and prices.
Without paying the price, there is no harvest. Without obligations, there are no rights. The logic was that simple.
He felt that if he dared to run, the other ladies would dare to chop him to death with random blades.
Fisher stared at the ceiling, raising his brows. He looked down at his own body and changed the subject, speaking of other things,
"Wait, aren't I at the Mythic Rank already? How are you leaving marks on my body?"
"I am also of the Mythic Species, and my level is even higher than yours. Only with great strength can miracles happen. Haven't you already experienced that last night?"
"..."
Helaire replied with a beaming smile, as if not noticing that Fisher had effortlessly changed the topic.
Fisher wanted to reach out and pinch her annoying face, but she directly opened her mouth and lightly bit his finger like a cat.
Without waiting for Fisher to retaliate, she then slowly separated from Fisher's body. The white robe spread over the mattress flew up without any wind, wrapping her body tightly and completely.
Having failed in his retaliation, Fisher sat up as well. He suddenly realized that the Reproduction Ability buffed by the Demi-Human Completion Handbook post-Mythic Rank was actually a double-edged sword.
On the flip side, the flames of desire from the union of body and soul brought a torment even more unbearable than before. On the positive side, once released, the sense of relief was also unparalleled compared to the past. Furthermore, the unification of flesh and soul extended the amount of time before it would ignite once more.
There are pros and cons to everything, I suppose.
Fisher thought as such.
The others didn't return last night, leaving the house exclusively to Fisher and Helaire. He didn't know whether they went out to celebrate the festival or because they heard their terrifying commotions, and so were understanding and considerate enough to act this way.
It was still too early now, probably close to 5 a.m., but not quite 6. Fisher stretched his body and left the house. As the ∞ symbol in his eyes continually twisted, he looked outside the foggy Ideal State. Over there, the golden light of the Eye Trees had grown increasingly bright, symbolizing the imminent approach of the World Tree.
It seemed the time left for Margaret to entirely master the Loom would not be much. She had to accomplish this action before the World Tree arrived.
Fisher narrowed his eyes. Using this time, he familiarized himself with his body, which had stepped into the Mythic Rank.
In reality, after "in-depth observations" of Helaire and her "personal teachings" last night, Fisher roughly discovered how Mythic Rank power influenced Rules.
First was the most direct: the means of using one's own power to twist Rules. Lord Tao's previous attack was similar to this. As Fisher tried it out, he found that perhaps because he was tainted with Chaos, his effect on the Rules was closer to destruction than twisting.
In Fisher's eyes, he could already easily observe the perfectly ordered Rules contained within matter, and use his power to destroy them. This destruction was a chain reaction, because the Rules of this world were basically continuous. Once a tiny bit was destroyed, the chain reaction triggered would be exaggeratedly huge.
But as a human, he didn't possess an excess of Talents and abilities akin to other Demi-human Races. Hence, even after advancing into the Mythic Rank, his offensive measures were still monotonous. Perhaps he could try researching more Dual Prime Magic capable of rivaling the Mythic Rank. After all, his current conditions could be deemed exceptionally blessed; he could carry out many more deep-level tests and attempts.
After understanding what he could do currently, the other issue worth noting was the side effects.
After entering the Mythic Rank, the incompatibility brought upon by his twisted Soul appeared more and more prominently. Over-using his abilities, or even when he and Helaire did it last night where his emotional fluctuations were large, would trigger mad ravings within his brain and lower his sanity. This might be the drawback of choosing to enter the Mythic Rank by borrowing Chaos.
But Fisher didn't have a choice. Just as Helaire stated previously, from the moment he first came into contact with powers filled with the color of Chaos like the Completion Handbook, his path was already fixed. It was precisely by borrowing Chaos that his rank could increase by such a massive margin. Otherwise, as an ordinary human, even if he trained to the utmost limit, he would still only be a weakling at the lower ranks.
If one could genuinely raise their rank through conventional methods, the Mother Goddess wouldn't have handed down Magic.
Ranks were reliant entirely on the theory of lineage. As for the latter few who acquired Mythic Rank after birth—excluding a monster like Xuan Can—the rest of their ranks were originally of races very close to the Fifteenth Tier, such as the Phoenix Race.
After exercising and familiarizing himself at the door of the house for a bit, Helaire said she would go find some food for Fisher. But before she could set off, Fisher suddenly saw a figure holding a basket emerging from the distant settlement.
Casting his gaze over, he saw Asuka Karasawa, clad in a white robe, walking back while appearing burdened with many worries.
Upon seeing Fisher exercising at the door and the beaming Helaire preparing to leave beside him, the expression on her face shifted slightly. Following that, she rapidly walked back and called out to Fisher,
"Teacher Fisher!"
"Asuka..."
She briskly ran back, lowering her head to grab something from her basket while saying,
"Teacher Fisher, yesterday... yesterday I didn't have time to give you the gift I prepared for you. Thankfully, there are still some Easter eggs left, as well as... um, a rabbit I prepared for you."
She smiled and took out a few of the scarce remaining Easter eggs from the basket, giving one to Fisher and giving another one to Helaire. Just as she pulled out the not-so-pretty-looking stitched rabbit, out of the corner of her eye, she suddenly glimpsed a pink strawberry mark, partially hidden but faintly visible between Fisher's white robes.
Asuka opened her mouth. As if striking a blind spot in her knowledge, she didn't realize what that thing was for a moment. It wasn't until she turned to look at Helaire, then turned back to look at Fisher, that she suddenly realized something.
"This... um, is a bit ugly, but..."
This sudden discovery caused the rabbit she was handing out to retract a bit. After a second or two, she mustered her courage to extend it out again, her earlobes slightly red as she explained like this.
Let it be said once more, such stimulation was truly too massive for a High School Girl; such knowledge was also way beyond the syllabus for a High School Girl.
Fisher received the rabbit she handed over. After taking a look at it, he said,
"Thank you. It looks very nice."
Asuka smiled happily. She glanced at the beaming Helaire beside them and didn't show much reaction, as if this alone was enough to satisfy her.
Seeing Asuka arrive, Helaire, who had been preparing to leave, miraculously decided not to go anymore. She floated around to the side like a fly, not interrupting their conversation, yet seemingly everywhere at once, causing Asuka's speech to stumble until she couldn't speak at all.
However, this was just right. Yesterday, Fisher had missed practically the entire evening. Now that Asuka had come, he also wanted to ask her some questions.
Watching Helaire floating about, Fisher withdrew his gaze and took the initiative to ask Asuka,
"Asuka, what about Mikhail and Gou Wen?"
"Ah... Mr. Gou Wen drank too much and got drunk in the Dogman Race settlement. Mr. Mikhail stayed behind to look after him, and they rested there."
"What about you? Did you not come back last night? Where did you rest?"
"I-I-I-I... I didn't come back!"
Asuka's head shook like a rattle-drum as she hurriedly explained,
"Yesterday I was celebrating the festival outside. I originally wanted to look for Teacher Fisher, but I couldn't find you, so I handed out Easter eggs to the others first. Later, it was too late and I was too sleepy, so I rested at Margaret's place... haha... ha... that's how it was."
Asuka smiled and said so. Just as she lifted her head, she saw Helaire, who had just managed to float behind Fisher. Her face still wore her usual smile, yet it nearly frightened Asuka into shrinking her head.
The words she originally came to say, the simple feelings she wanted to express, were completely scared back at this moment.
She pursed her lips. She really wanted to tell Teacher Fisher all the information she had obtained earlier, but she also thought of Margaret's advice to her,
[The Loom told me that Cain has methods left on him by the Angel Pandora]
The Hidden methods left behind by the Angel Pandora could silently learn information here through Helaire. This was also the reason why Asuka didn't immediately turn around and tell Fisher about last night's matters.
Compared to the Angel Pandora, she indeed trusted Margaret more.
Not only because she had quietly treated the gentle Margaret as a friend, a fellow person from their hometown encountered in another world, and even a mother... a senior; but more so because of the tangible evidence she saw at Margaret's place last night.
She learned of a place called the Spirit World. That place was exceedingly dangerous; even the Dragon God could only guard the entrance to the Spirit World—the Crevice. Therefore, the possibility of the Angel Pandora, who was far inferior to the Dragon God, being able to take them to the Ultimate, was essentially zero. She also learned some secrets regarding the knowledge inside a Transferred Person's brain. She also became more certain that Teacher Fisher was indeed not a Transferred Person; he only claimed to be one back then to protect her and Mr. Gou Wen from the Archangel's judgment.
Teacher Fisher's bravery and decisiveness completely mesmerized her. This endowed her with the courage to face previous difficulties. Even though she had encountered so many terrifying matters previously and had narrowly escaped death with great difficulty, she did not feel afraid.
But now it was different. Because the right to choose, after knowing the truth, had fallen directly into her own hands.
She suddenly didn't know what kind of decision to make. She just wanted to directly send Angel Helaire away, then tell Teacher Fisher all the truth, allowing him to make the decision, and she would simply obey his decision.
Perhaps sometimes not making a decision was wiser than making one?
But with it being so obvious, would the Archangel discover it?
Margaret also suggested that she should not tell anyone about this matter, at least holding out until the Loom was completely grasped and stabilized before making a decision. That way, there would at least be a retreat path. When the time came, she would use the Loom to shelter herself and also gain the confidence to confront Pandora.
Asuka also knew that Teacher Fisher was being pursued by Death, and his deal with the Angel Pandora was to lift the threat of Death. But if Pandora was deceiving them, then what should Teacher Fisher do?
He would die.
Even if she could not go home, she at least knew the way home. But Teacher Fisher alone... she did not want him...
Looking at Asuka Karaawa, who was pursing her lips before him, her face involuntarily turning pale, Fisher's eyes flickered slightly.
After a moment of silence, he abruptly reached out and pressed his hand down onto Asuka's head, ruffling up both her thoughts and her hair entirely.
"Waaahhh! Teacher Fisher, don't... don't rub my head..."
"During this period of time, have you still been practicing Magic?"
"Eh?"
Asuka didn't know why Teacher Fisher suddenly asked this, so she raised her head and answered blankly,
"I-I have... though slightly less than before. But I have already mastered everything you taught me previously."
"In reality, on the path of Magic, my usefulness to you is still inferior to a Scroll that records all the magic in the world. But in other aspects, it's still possible to give you some friendly advice.
"Generally speaking, people who have such talent for engraving magic won't be poor in other areas, and you should be the same. The reason why you feel so constrained is completely because of yourself. Sometimes you are too timid and afraid to face things, and sometimes you act far too carefree and casual, blindly forging ahead, acting like two completely different people. But Asuka, everything you need, you actually possessed a long time ago. As early as when you engraved magic, these Traits showed themselves: calm, confident, and highly methodical... You must treat every matter you encounter exactly the way you treat engraving magic."
Hearing this, Asuka bit her lower lip, and then quickly nodded.
She didn't know if she took his words to heart, but for some reason, the anxiety in her heart slowly quieted down. Even her eyes kept falling on the pink marks planted upon Fisher's chest...
She was craving it.
She too really wanted to personally plant one like that.
"I... I understand, Teacher Fisher. Then I am going to help Margaret now. After the matters here are finished and I obtain the Tear of the World Tree, I... I have something I want to tell you."
"Alright."
Asuka blushed and nodded. Then she turned around and ran towards the distant stone tower.
Fisher, remaining in place, watched her run further and further away. Helaire behind him also floated over and embraced his neck.
"Teacher Fisher~ You really know how to guide your student. The way you speak is so eloquent. Do you believe in your student that much?"
Speechless, Fisher pulled her hands away. His expression appeared somewhat serious. He merely stared at the stone tower, which faintly radiated golden light, and said,
"No, I didn't believe in her. She cannot handle this alone. I am not at ease leaving this to Margaret. We have to go over there too."