novelraw Chapter 588: One Condition
Chapter 588: One Condition
It's hard to find words to describe how Fisher felt at this moment, because even he himself couldn't describe it. He could only simply use his heart to feel it.
He just felt very, very satisfied, very, very carefree, as light as if his soul had been cleansed.
It was as if everything that just happened was a great dream of extreme bliss, one that had long transcended the common affairs living beings could experience. The sense of fulfillment from it far exceeded the limits of what the body could experience, igniting his long-standing feelings for Jasmine, whether out of affection or guilt...
But even such feelings and such dreams seemed to have an end. It wasn't until an unknown amount of time had passed that Fisher's consciousness cleared up significantly. He slowly extracted himself from this intoxicating feeling and returned to the real world.
What entered his eyes was still the extremely dim hall of Eliog's castle. The surroundings were filled with the scent of saltpeter. That slightly pungent smell made him a bit more sober, and his body gradually awoke from that exhilaration, feeling the Whale-kin girl pressing tightly against his body.
It was the sleeping Jasmine.
He was slightly stunned. Looking at Jasmine, who had fallen into a deep sleep with her face still flushed, he subconsciously wanted to reach out and stroke her slightly damp blue hair, to feel everything about this girl who had become a part of him. But the numb feeling on his hands made him stop abruptly, because the retraction of the lightning still bound his hands; it just no longer tied his hands to the headboard of the bed.
Originally, regarding Jasmine's punishment, Fisher had only planned to stop after a brief attempt. For this kind of thing, he still wanted to hold the initiative (with the sole exception of Helaire, because for some reason, she always managed to hold the initiative).
But Jasmine's was simply too large. He fundamentally couldn't refuse, so he let her do as she pleased, letting her punish him to her heart's content.
"Awake aw?"Just as Fisher was blankly observing the face of his sleeping lover, Eliog's voice came from the dim surroundings beside him, startling him into a shiver. He hastily turned his head to look and saw her figure standing in the darkness with her arms crossed.
He swallowed a mouthful of saliva, but then thought about it in a split second. He had undergone Jasmine's "punishment," and because of the [Post-Reproduction Enhancement Buff] ability granted by the Demi-Human Companion Completion Handbook, his soul energy was now replenished and he had returned to a normal state.
"Eliog, where did you just go?"
"... It wasn't 'just' aw, do you not even have a concept of how much time has passed? It seems you haven't just made progress in your Rank, but also in that aspect... Tsk, somewhat regretting giving this opportunity to this Whale-kin."
In the darkness, Eliog took a few steps forward, but her footsteps happened to touch a glass bottle knocked over on the ground, causing it to roll and make a sound.
She looked down, sized it up, and then said,
"This guy even used this on you aw?"
"... You're talking about that medicine she gave me to drink? What is that?"
"The secret medicine of Cidi, the Demon God who governs Carnal Desire. Previously I made a bet with him. If he lost, he would give this treasure of his to me."
"A bet?"
Eliog smiled slightly and came to the bedside. She scanned Fisher's current state from top to bottom and said,
"He bet with me to see if he could take down Barbatos. If he lost, he would have to give all the treasures he was proud of to me, and if he won, I would have to give him a precious weapon aw. He lost, in the end, it was him who was taken down by Barbatos."
"... The rumors about him and Barbatos are true?"
Feeling her scrutinizing gaze, even Fisher felt somewhat unnatural, especially with Jasmine still lying on him right now.
"Pretty much true, but the world has a bit of a misunderstanding about Cidi's image. He doesn't actually enjoy indulging in lust, and as Mythical Species, we wouldn't lightly give ourselves to others. It's just his nature requires him to consume Fallen Self-Nature in this way, which is why he appears very promiscuous, and often causes disasters and the corruption of morals. Other existences are too weak, their consciousness too irresolute. In our eyes, they are at most reduced to Food. But blessings and disasters come together. Although because of this he formed an enmity with a certain powerful elf, and was repeatedly pushed to the brink of death, Barbatos saved him, and from then on he formed a bond with Barbatos..."
Listening to these secret histories, Fisher didn't continue asking about the relationship between "Cidi and Barbatos". He wasn't interested in that. Instead, he asked doubtfully,
"Since all you Demon Gods are like this, and even Cidi who excels in this path isn't what ordinary people think, then why did you back then..."
"What, think I'm very casual aw?"
Eliog glanced at Fisher expressionlessly, but he hastily shook his head and continued,
"No, it's just that I hadn't thought of the reason why you did that. Furthermore, I could feel that back then, you... had never had such an experience. I also don't feel that I possessed any aspect that could attract you back then, even though I didn't know at the time that your true identity was actually an Eighteenth Tier Demon God."
"..."
Upon hearing this, Eliog just looked at him, her eyes carrying an unclear meaning. Fisher vaguely felt that a specific answer had already brewed in her mouth, the answer to a question Fisher had wondered about for so long... But this answer unexpectedly came right to her lips yet went unspoken, instead only leaving behind silence.
After an extremely obvious silence, she suddenly yawned, and then changed the topic,
"... This little Whale-kin simply doesn't know what punishment is. She even drank this kind of medicine with you, making both of you satisfied instead aw. Now I'm the only one who's unhappy."
"... So, what exactly does this medicine do?"
Fisher felt she didn't want to say the answer to this right now, nor did he forcefully ask her why she gave her precious first time to him. Instead, he followed her words, understanding and considerate, continuing to ask,
"Its effect? Its effect is to make you love each other even more ha. Though thinking about it carefully, it's actually not bad aw. At least Baimon should like seeing you deeply in love with other women more than I do, not bad, not bad."
No, Fisher felt that if Helaire found out, he would definitely be in deep trouble...
Wait, that's not right. Doesn't she often secretly observe him? Could she have already known by now?
Fisher swallowed a mouthful of saliva, choosing not to reply to Eliog's words which were fully loaded with mockery.
"..."
But indeed, Fisher also felt that earlier, the love between him and Jasmine had simply reached its peak. For a moment, Fisher's mind was actually thinking terrifying thoughts like "I must have Jasmine in this life and cannot have anyone else," to the extent that he didn't even feel there was anything bad about her using a whip to punish him. It seemed it was all thanks to Demon God Cidi's medicine...
With that said, Fisher glanced out of the corner of his eye at Eliog, whose corners of her mouth tipped up slightly. He seemed to feel that Eliog wasn't as at daggers drawn towards other women involved with him as she was towards Helaire.
If Eliog were like the other ladies, appearing in front of her looking like this right now, he was afraid his head would be cut off and kicked like a ball. Only Eliog could still stand by the bed and chat like this... although Eliog wasn't necessarily that calm, and Fisher wasn't necessarily that natural either.
After a good while of silence, he suddenly spoke up,
"Sorry, Eliog..."
"Sorry for what? Is it regarding Baimon's matter, or the matter with this little Whale-kin and the other women?"
"... Both, and what I said just now."
"..."
Eliog sat on the edge of the bed and simply stared straight at him like that. Then she suddenly reached out and gently pinched his cheek, rubbing it like a caress, as if doing so made her very happy. Then she finally said,
"... I went out for a stroll earlier, planning to look for Agreas, but she was already gone... and not like me where her soul disappeared, but her main body disappeared."
Hearing this, cold sweat profusely broke out on Fisher's forehead. He couldn't help asking,
"You didn't try to contact her, did you?"
"... Not yet, what's wrong?"
Fisher let out a sigh of relief, first signaling her to help remove the ropes on his hands. She smiled while saying,
"What, you're already at Mythical Rank, and you still need my help aw?"
"... You are my teacher after all, seeking a teacher's help isn't considered shameful."
"Gururu~"
A comfortable light rumble came from her belly, and then she undid the ropes binding him,
"Speak."
Fisher gently moved the soundly sleeping Jasmine from his body to his side, then sat up. As he got up, he finally noticed some extra wounds on his body. They were all marks left from Jasmine's "punishment", along with a slight soreness.
But Fisher still seized the time, telling Eliog about Helaire releasing the two Demon Gods into the Demon Dynasty, along with their purpose for entering the Demon Dynasty.
"The Base..."
Eliog frowned, rubbing her forehead with somewhat of a headache, and sighed,
"Those two guys are also turning to any doctor in a crisis, actually daring to trust that Baimon, the most cunning fox in the world. I wouldn't believe it if they weren't swindled clean. Just now, I also wandered near the [Gate of Knowledge]. Baimon's palace is almost deserted... She hasn't been back for a very long time, rendering my trip futile. The surprise I prepared for her couldn't be delivered, otherwise I wanted to invite her over to watch the live broadcast."
Upon hearing this, Fisher's body stiffened, and cold sweat couldn't help but bead on his forehead.
He hadn't expected this guy Eliog to be truly ruthless enough to go through with it. She could even come up with such a vicious plot. If Helaire were here, and really came over to watch the live broadcast... that scene, Fisher didn't dare to imagine.
"Why are you looking at me? I told you it was a punishment aw. You guy got off easy, and you're still having lingering fears now? But I didn't know what happened back then, and fortunately she wasn't here. However, if she was here, whether you could have entered here is still unknown..."
Eliog let out a yawn, pointing her finger at Fisher. Clearly, Baimon's matter previously still made her very unhappy, to the point where she was still dwelling on it until now.
"So, they still don't know you came here?"
"Mhm, but I don't know how long I can delay it either. I came here for two purposes. One is to find the Base Helaire... Baimon used to tamper with the Mother Goddess Seal. The other purpose is to find a way to make the 'Immortal' die."
"The Immortal? Are you talking about your companion?"
Fisher was slightly stunned, asking,
"You know where he is?"
"Aw, I saw him at a very outer place when I went out just now. He's at the edge of the Gate of Victory, almost running over to the [Gate of Carnal Desire]. The Death on his body was stolen away, very similar to that human Monarch. They were both used by Agreas to make a [Death Rune]..."
"Besides the one used to deal with Erwind, she previously made another Death Rune?"
"Mhm, but I don't know what she used it for. It should have been used up to kill some existence..."
That is to say, whether it was Holland or that Solomon, the reason they couldn't die when killed was because Agreas stole their Death and turned it into a Death Rune.
This made sense. Hunting down Erwind shouldn't have been too long ago, at most ten years, which perfectly matched Holland's matter.
But at the same time, Fisher also had a doubt. He couldn't help asking Eliog,
"If that's the case, this kind of 'immortality' is like a Blessing to other people. An attribute where one cannot die no matter what, wouldn't that be exceptionally powerful, and it can even form weapons? Why didn't Agreas apply such methods to herself, or is it that this process actually has special requirements?"
"Aw, you're right. The target chosen for this spell technique has special requirements. It must be an existence that resonates with the Authority of Death and is at a weak enough Rank. The pursuit mechanism of death will elevate the power of death targeting humans to the Twentieth-Tier. The power of death at the Twentieth-Tier is already extremely difficult to control, and if it rises any further to surpass the power of a True God, it's not something Agreas can control, moreover having an immense hidden danger... After all, the Authority of Death is not quiet. An out-of-control situation would be a disaster for us and the entire world."
Eliog nodded. Then she glanced at the soundly sleeping Jasmine beside Fisher. For some unknown reason, a wicked thought bubbled in her heart, causing her to turn her head and suddenly kiss Fisher. Then, amidst his befuddled expression, she withdrew her head a little.
Fisher touched the kissed mouth, unable to help asking,
"Wha-what are you doing?"
"Nothing aw, continue."
Eliog smiled, her tail wagging slightly behind her, looking like a "cat playing a prank". This rendered Fisher instantly speechless, leaving him no choice but to continue asking,
"Then how to make the person whose death was stolen die again?"
"... Isn't he your companion? Why do you want him to die so much?"
"It's him who wants to die himself. Furthermore, I indeed need him to die to obtain the Completion Handbook on him."
"You already have more than one Completion Handbook on you, right? You should know you can't read more than one, otherwise the repulsing Chaos within them will turn you into a monster. You wouldn't want to..."
"I've already read two."
Eliog's words stagnated slightly. She looked blankly at Fisher before her. After confirming he was still the same as before and not some madman, she finally answered Fisher's question,
"There's no other way. Unless he is made to face the Authority of Death directly, he cannot die. But this is impossible."
"Impossible?"
"Mhm, how did you get in here? Portal?"
"I came in from the Gate of Victory..."
"Aw, then this makes it convenient."
Eliog crossed her arms and nodded, saying in passing,
"You don't understand the Demon Dynasty. Actually, fundamentally speaking, the existence of the Demon Dynasty is solely to suppress the Authority of Death hidden beneath it. And those ten gates aren't passages for us to go in and out. In reality, even for us to pass through there is extremely troublesome, otherwise we wouldn't have built so many external Portals to use... Those ten gates are actually the [Seals] for the Death Runes. They are the physical forms formed by the [Sea of Chaos] before our birth; they are the power of the source of Chaos."
Fisher was slightly stunned. In his mind, he suddenly recalled the black ocean he leaped into back then to save Helaire. It turned out the extremely dense power of Chaos contained within that black ocean had all transformed into those ten doors. That is to say, the so-called [Yin-Yang Sea] he saw previously was actually a portion of the true body of Chaos's power?
"With those ten gates around, the Authority of Death cannot appear in the world. Even Agreas, who is well-versed in this path, can only cast spells through the Authority of Death's connection with the outside world. But once the doors are completely opened and the Authority of Death appears in the world, it will trigger a disaster. By then, I'm afraid it will be even more terrifying and serious than facing two Demon Gods..."
What to do now? He called the Death Minister all the way from Kadu, and now after finally getting in, did he have to tell him there's really no way for him to die?
Never mind that, but the key lied in the fact that right now he had no way to finish reading the Life Completion Manual. Without the Death Completion Manual, he would at most be at the Sixteenth Tier. Even with Eliog's help, he'd probably find it difficult to fight against two Demon Gods.
Or perhaps, could he find the Base Helaire placed before the two Demon Gods?
Fisher rubbed the bridge of his nose with somewhat of a headache. Out of the corner of his eye, he looked at Eliog. Naturally, he hadn't forgotten his purpose for coming here.
Aside from missing this demon very much himself, he also came here to seek her help, it's just the sudden turn of events made it inconvenient for him to bring it up.
But the situation was urgent, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and say it,
"... Eliog, I don't know the slightest thing about this place, I need your help."
"Mhm, helping you isn't completely out of the question aw. After all, I'm quite fond of you myself, and fundamentally this matter is also because of that fellow Baimon, but..."
Eliog turned her head to look at Fisher. The smile on her face was lazy and wicked, just like a true demon. Seeing this, an ominous premonition spawned out of thin air in Fisher's heart,
"But?"
"There is one condition. If you agree, I'll help you, and help you unconditionally... You know aw, I am the most tolerant and fond of you."
"... So, what's the condition?"
The ominous premonition in Fisher's heart grew deeper and deeper, and the smile on Eliog's face also became more profound. She glanced at the mark on Fisher's chest, then said,
"Hehe, I want you to say right now, I am Eliog's person, not Baimon's oh. No, to use your more intimate terms..."
"Say: 'I am Eliog's person, not Helaire's person'."
The surrounding darkness suddenly grew profound, as if some invisible existence, together with Eliog who was smiling and watching Fisher, was awaiting Fisher's answer.