novelraw Chapter 593: A Slight Change in Perspective
Chapter 593: A Slight Change in Perspective
"Baimon... wait, what did you say? Where were you sent by Baimon previously?"
Fisher furrowed his brows and asked Mitra, who had just spoken, so sternly. Perhaps the intimidation unintentionally exuded from his eyes was too intense, and coupled with the coercion of his Mythic Rank, it made Mitra—who was already badly frightened by the existence of "Baimon"—even more terrified.
She trembled, stepping backward while shaking her head,
"W-We were sent to a human city named... Naris... no, Saint-Nazareth."
"How long ago?"
"...Three and a half years... there were also sisters from four years ago, but it was around that time."
Just as she was about to say more, she slightly froze, pausing for a moment before providing the answer Fisher wanted.
Four years ago...
In other words, it was within a very short period after he left this place and traveled back to the past. It was even highly likely that Helaire had arranged this immediately after knowing he had left... She truly had planned these things for too long, to the extent that it had been like this ever since she learned of the World-Ending Prophecy from Gui ten thousand years ago?
Fisher was momentarily filled with doubt and suspicion, as for a time, he was somewhat unclear about what the current relationship between Elizabeth and Helaire truly was.Previously, when he called the Golden Palace, the inner court official told him that Elizabeth was probably aware of the war situation here, so Fisher felt she was completely in the know regarding the demons, or at least she was aware of the deployment of Barbatos and Agreas.
But the succubi had entered Saint-Nazareth a very, very long time ago, even before humanity formed the allied forces to crusade against the Southern Continent. As such, he could no longer be certain if Elizabeth was fully aware of this.
Thus, he couldn't help but ask Mitra again,
"Then what exactly did H... Baimon tell you all to go to Saint-Nazareth for?"
"For... what?"
Mitra appeared somewhat sluggish as if she had been scared silly, suddenly and inexplicably repeating Fisher's question.
Fisher thought she hadn't heard clearly or didn't understand, so he emphasized his question,
"Mm, you said earlier that you were afraid of ruining her matters, so what exactly did she want to do in Saint-Nazareth?"
Mitra's pupils dilated bit by bit, showing a hint of scattered light within, yet her tone and expression remained vivid. She hesitated for a moment, then said with lingering fear,
"W-We all don't know. A Lord like her wouldn't tell us her motives either... But back then, Lord Baimon arranged for us to work inside human institutions. The City Hall, the Parliament, and the Police Department—each of us was assigned differently. Some were to search for spies, while others were merely arranged to stand by... Back then, I was standing by at the City Hall. I thought Lord Baimon wouldn't be too strict, so I absorbed the Fallen Self-Nature of many colleagues in one day, which is why..."
Although the submissive Mitra said it like this, based on her succubus identity and her thirsty demeanor just now, Fisher didn't doubt in the slightest that she had even hosted illicit parties right inside the City Hall offices. No wonder she was chased out by Helaire and locked back in the Demon Dynasty.
"Spies? From other nations?"
"Mm, but besides those, mainly those 'Slimes' who are skilled at disguising themselves... Earlier, I heard that an attendant deeply trusted by Lord Baimon caught a slime who had been lying dormant in Naris for a long time. That slime was even a mayor of Naris..."
"..."
Slimes?
That group of Northern Border tribesmen disguised and operating in various places...
Furthermore, Fisher still clearly remembered that when he was in the slimes' Borderland, he had a fleeting encounter with that slime disguised as the mayor of Naris. He didn't expect that right now he had already...
Mm, Fisher didn't doubt his current fate in the slightest.
Listening to this, it seemed everything this group of Demon Attendants did in Saint-Nazareth was actually for the good of Naris. Could this also be part of Elizabeth and Helaire's demonic transaction?
"What about the Golden Palace? Were none of you assigned by Helaire to positions related to the Golden Palace?"
"Probably not, I haven't heard of any sisters working there."
"..."
Fisher furrowed his brows. From the words of this succubus, he also had to confirm that Elizabeth was indeed the one cooperating with the demons, and she knew everything about it.
Although he knew Elizabeth sometimes used unscrupulous methods to achieve her goals, he sometimes felt that the previous power struggle was an extreme situation, which was why she cooperated with Erwind, putting all her eggs in one basket using the lives of so many slaves as well as Blake and his wife.
Fisher naturally understood that this was wrong, yet he still harbored illusions about her. To put it bluntly, this was compassion born from selfishness, because of the love they once shared in the past, and because of the hardships she had endured.
He hoped they could both learn from past lessons, hoped she could be worthy of the throne she had piled up with so many corpses and so much blood, and become the capable Empress she spoke of who far surpassed her elder brother Dexter's talents...
Borrowing the power of demons and contracting with demons to conduct state affairs—could this be the correct path?
Fisher didn't know, but he had just seen Solomon's fate, and his end was the best proof.
Hearing this, Fisher's heart suddenly felt a bit heavy, but he didn't say anything, burying this heaviness deep within his heart before turning around to set off.
He still had to hurry and save time.
"Jasmine, Holland, we..."
But just at this moment, from the corner of his eye, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a faint silver light flashing at the waist of a female succubus behind Mitra, shooting straight into his eyes.
Fisher's attention was drawn to this fleeting silver light. He immediately looked over and found that it was simply an iron box pinned to that succubus's waist.
Just as he was about to retract his gaze, something in his memory rushed into his mind.
He turned his head to look at that group of succubi in disbelief, immediately striding toward the succubus behind Mitra and yanking the iron box from her waist.
"Ah! My Lord... this Lord..."
"Professor Fisher?"
Exclamations of alarm from the surrounding succubi arose, but not a single one dared to step forward to reclaim the iron box he had taken. As Jasmine, who had just been about to leave behind him, also turned her head to look at him in confusion, wondering why Professor Fisher would suddenly snatch a succubus's belonging.
She also stepped forward a little, examining this small iron box together with Fisher. It was the moment this iron box entered her sight that her pupils also shrank uncontrollably.
But the iron box had already grown somewhat rusty, clinking and clattering inside, seemingly containing some things this succubus kept close to her, only using this box to hold them.
But Fisher and Jasmine didn't care in the slightest about what was actually inside the box. He only looked at the box, looking at the somewhat blurry herbal sigil on it and the Naris text inscribed upon it.
There were two lines of words written on that box,
"Healing House", "Employee Exclusive".
That is, the pharmacy founded by Jasmine's aunt Muxi, which had initially extended Blake's life.
Besides the Healing House, there was another enterprise under Blake's name.
"Pink Pavilion".
Fisher gripped the iron box tightly, his gaze sweeping coldly across the group of succubi beside him, and said,
"You are lying, you all absolutely did not go to Saint-Nazareth four years ago!"
Jasmine also drew her sword once again, pointing it at Mitra from just now, and said,
"Speak, what exact connection do you all have with Blake? Why do you have an internal box from the Healing House? You used to work there!"
This box was exactly the same model as the one Muxi had sent into the sea back then. Only internal employees of the Healing House would have it, and it generally would absolutely never be leaked outside. How could it bafflingly and unaccountably appear in the hands of this group of succubi?
It could only explain that this was something they were able to obtain by following a logical course; they had either worked in the Healing House or the Pink Pavilion.
"W-We..."
Mitra's pupils shrank bit by bit, as if the light contained within was dissipating little by little. It seemed that light hadn't anticipated this turn of events either, instead having its flaw caught by Fisher.
However, the momentary miscalculation of that light resulted in her being completely unable to utter a single word, as if the sensory organs of her throat had been stripped away. She couldn't even offer a decent explanation temporarily, only able to respond to Fisher with silence and stupor.
Seeing this scene, Fisher didn't follow up with questions for the moment, but an unbelievable brainstorm had already flashed through his mind.
If this group of demons directed by Helaire had entered Naris a very long time ago, then they must have started accomplishing something for Helaire back then.
Moreover, Helaire herself wasn't sealed to begin with, having known Fisher a very long time ago. She was also the only free Mythical Species surviving in the world; the things she could do were so numerous that it was beyond Fisher's imagination.
Then, would Helaire strike out at the other ladies he knew back then because of her relationship with him ten thousand years ago?
No, highly unlikely.
If she had truly done so, then he shouldn't have known other women, or even if he did, they would definitely be secretly torn apart by her?
Maybe she had originally wanted to do so, but had to give up due to certain reasons...
It was right at this moment that Fisher suddenly remembered the metaphor she had told him in the shipyard.
She said that because of a certain 'fish that escaped the net', he had consequently embedded these ladies holding deep relationships with him into his body like hammering in nails, unable to be pulled out.
So, she might have tried pulling out these 'nails', but had either failed, or... succeeded, yet resulting in consequences unacceptable to her.
Reaching this point, Fisher suddenly felt hair-raisingly terrified.
Think about it, if operating on the premise that "Helaire has always been watching him", then from the time of his birth up until he traveled back to the past, she had always known and understood him. There were a great many things she could have done...
Could his picking up the Demi-Human Girls Completion Handbook have been related to her?
Could his separation from Elizabeth have been related to her?
Could Teresa's death have been related to her?
No, impossible. Even if that Gate of Victory was the exact opposite, there could also be errors. It couldn't be that because the person opposite to him said that the Sister Teresa on his side naturally died of illness, that it must definitely be an accident on his own side...
If Helaire was the one who killed Teresa...
Fisher simply didn't dare to imagine this possibility.
If it truly was so, he might never forgive her forever, even if she had once shared such an intimate relationship with him...
Calm down!
She had no reason to do so; he was merely speculating and letting his imagination run wild.
"Buzz..."
His cheeks unconsciously began to squirm, as if the Chaos within his body was spurred by this feeling, fluctuating alongside his current emotions.
"This Lord..."
"Get lost!"
"Boom!"
Seeing the nearby Mitra still about to say something fawningly, Fisher's already extremely irritable emotions finally erupted uncontrollably. His terrifying power instantly crushed and exploded the box in his hand. Following a wave of his hand, a strong gust of wind mixed with explosive sounds extended towards that direction.
Along with the sound of bones shattering one after another, an alarming and massive trench also rose from beneath the pink ground. At the end of the trench were the scattered and unconscious succubi who had been struck flying and dropped.
They were just workers and entirely likely ignorant of all of Helaire's plans. Fisher was merely punishing them for deceiving him.
But such deception did not ultimately stem from themselves, but from Helaire. In other words, Helaire might've always been doing many things he didn't dare to imagine under the cover of lies.
Including this time, if that group of demons had truly entered Saint-Nazareth under her manipulation, then would misleading him into constantly thinking Elizabeth might know about this have been Helaire's stratagem?
Perhaps who he truly ought to ask in person was Helaire. He wanted to know if she had done anything before they recognized each other... But even if she did, she would undoubtedly lie. As such, Fisher also extinguished any thoughts of directly going to ask her.
He could probably confirm now that Elizabeth might truly not know about the existence of these succubi, nor know that the demons were in Saint-Nazareth. Could all of this have stemmed once again from another plan Helaire hadn't told him?
Although she had already secretly manipulated Blake into executing her own plans as early as the Pink Pavilion and Healing House period, if she knew about it, at the time of guaranteed victory, she even told him the matters concerning Erwind. There was no need to hide anything in this aspect.
So, could Elizabeth currently be surrounded by a group of Demon Attendants completely unawares in the dark?
Fisher gritted his teeth, seeming to have a bit of new understanding of the existence known as "Helaire", and these understandings were things Eimhart had told him previously, only that she had prior never displayed them before him.
"Professor Fisher, they..."
"We are setting off now, let's hurry and save time... They have nothing to do with your aunt's matters. At least Elizabeth and Blake both don't know of their existence."
"Sigh, it must be that fellow Baimon."
Eimhart sighed again, remarking thus as if accustomed to strangeness. Even if he didn't know what specific matter it was, according to Eimhart's viewpoint, as long as it was blamed on Baimon, then it was correct.
But right now, Fisher—who originally hadn't cared much for Eimhart's catchphrases—was pricked with annoyance by Eimhart's words. This uncertainty, especially the uncertainty related to Teresa, made him unable to wait to find the answers. However, unfortunately, the current situation forced him to temporarily put it aside.
He still had to go find the Base and resolve Raphaela's matter.
"Just walk, stop talking."
"Oh, let's go."
Jasmine pursed her lips. She rarely saw Professor Fisher so angry; even back then in Saint-Nazareth, he had never lost control like this. She was somewhat worried for him, but seeing that Fisher didn't want to say anything at this moment, she could only silently shut her mouth, take a glance at the severely injured succubi swept all over the ground nearby, and quickly caught up with Fisher's steps.
The Lord of Souls didn't pay too much attention to Fisher. Or even if he felt Fisher's behavior was abnormal right now, due to not being very familiar with him, even Jasmine found it hard to say anything, making it impossible for him as an outsider to speak up.
He just tugged at the top of his pants, walked quite a distance away to pick up the belt dropped on the ground, and fastened it.
Then he glanced at the ground not far away and gently hooked his finger. That group of birds which were originally dead completely dead bizarrely twisted their heads again, struggling to climb up, and flew towards his side 'chirping' and 'twittering'...
"...Where are we heading now? Have you found that whatever Base?"
Looking at Fisher ahead, whose complexion was poor...
"We need to pass through here, go to Barbatos's palace, and close his portal to buy time."
"Oh... then regarding my death, do you have any clues?"
Fisher's footsteps briefly paused. He looked at the Lord of Souls, also no longer wanting to conceal it from him and drive him using unwarranted motivation.
"...I do. Brace yourself, I'll tell you everything once we reach Barbatos's palace."
"Alright, Mr. Fisher."
The Lord of Souls narrowed his eyes, seemingly guessing something, but didn't say anything further, only silently hurrying along behind Fisher.
The atmosphere of the group was a bit heavy, not like how it was when they just exited Eliog's palace.
Fisher was because of Helaire's deception, Jasmine was because it reminded her of her aunt's matters, and the Lord of Souls was because of the answer he vaguely guessed...
Oh, Sir Book Artifact's mood was rather good, enough to hum out some songs.
He was seen humming some unknown tune on Fisher's shoulder with his raspy drake voice, appearing to be in a joyful mood, even floating up to record the scenery of the Gate of Carnal Desire nearby.
Seeing Fisher and the others dejected and discouraged, he still had to constantly blather a few sentences, speaking to Fisher with earnestly good intentions,
"Sigh, why so silent? Isn't this a good thing? At least you have profoundly realized that Baimon is completely untrustworthy. She is just a bad person, and you should stay far away from her, the further the better, having no relation at all is best... Yo yo, I already can't wait to see her weeping and whimpering appearance after she fails."
"Shut up."
"Oh, alright."
Without Baimon by his side, Eimhart's good mood wouldn't be affected, going so far that even his speech had become courageous... mm, anyway, he felt that even if Fisher scolded him, he wouldn't mind it very much.
Their speed was extremely fast, advancing along the original plan without paying mind to the palaces of those Demon Gods in the Gate of Carnal Desire, or paying heed to those little demons and Demon Attendants who either hid away or secretly peeked at them from the shadows.
They continuously advanced straight towards the Gate of Expression deep within, and were very soon going to arrive at the place filled with gales over there.
The first pillar behind that gate, was exactly the Demon God Barbatos.