novelraw Chapter 699: Main Story Side Story • Main Storyline • Ke'er
Chapter 699: Main Story Side Story • Main Storyline • Ke'er
"Ah? What? How did we win? You don't know, right? On the frontlines, I was incredibly heroic! Seeing that group of humans not even dodging, countless magic and bullets grazed right past this granddaddy's scalp... See here, look at my tail, this patch right here, was left from fighting back then!"
As the setting sun gradually slanted westward, in the Sunset Valley bathed in its afterglow, the atmosphere of the Red Dragon Court was extremely lively. Most residents were hurrying towards the direction of the Myriad Flower Court; today seemed to be an important day.
At this moment, next to a circular terraced grand plaza near the forest of the Myriad Flower Court, a yellow-scaled Dragon-kin holding a wine glass was gesturing while speaking, full of youthful vigor. Before him, a dozen or so children—a mix of Dragon-kin and other Demi-humans—looked at him with stars in their eyes, extremely eagerly anticipating him to continue his story.
Unable to restrain themselves even in the free time he took to raise his glass and drink, several little ones impatiently tugged at his pant legs and sleeves, urging,
"And then? And then, Uncle Buer?"
"Yeah, Dad! What happened after that? Were there a lot of enemies? What did those humans look like? Where did you guys fight back then?"
This group of wet-behind-the-ears Demi-human brats hadn't even seen a proper human since childhood. It wasn't that there were no humans in the Dragon Court, but they simply felt like the humans of the West Continent and the humans of the Southern Continent were two entirely different species.
Buer downed a gulp of hot alcohol. The biting scent of alcohol instantly surged from his oral cavity, illuminating even the Mana Circuits all over his body.
Because Dragon-kin possessed soul horns, their utilization of soul, mana, and other substances had begun very early on. Even though they weren't as proficient in magic as humans, the mana wine they brewed was top-notch. Legend had it that even the Dragon God Fafnir would get drunk after drinking the fine wine brewed by the Dragon-kin. No wonder Raphaela previously said that human spirits were all just water.
Buer exhaled in satisfaction. Although the alcohol steam spraying from his mouth didn't ignite into a flame, it still frightened the brats in front into retreating successively. There were quite a few fur-covered Demi-humans here; if their fur got completely burnt off, it wouldn't be fun.Drinks to this degree were superior grade to the Dragon-kin. Buer let out a boozy burp, then continued to describe vividly,
"And then, at that time, light shone brightly in the sky. To tell you the truth, it was a shaking of earth and mountains, the wavering of the three armies, just like the end of the world! At this critical juncture, I! The commander of the Dragon Court's Third Army, Buer! Stepped forward bravely, raised the banner, and led the charge! And then... Ouch!"
"Thump!"
As Buer spoke, a gentle fist suddenly struck his head. Frightened, he hastily turned his head, only to see Mill carrying a little yellow-scaled female dragon and looking at him angrily.
"Buer, I already said the banquet is about to start. Yet you are still secretly drinking here, and in front of our sons at that!"
"Hehe, Mill, and my little darling Ke'er... Mill, where did you just bring Ke'er back from?"
"I just came back from Lord Raphaela's side, chatted with her a bit about... private matters."
"Private matters? What private matters?"
"Female dragon-kin private matters, don't ask."
Buer rubbed his head. As Mill's Tail-Compatible Partner, a patch of scales on his body instantly flattened. He hastily set down his wine glass and walked over to Mill's side, preparing to take the daughter she was carrying.
But right at this moment, two representatives from the underage group behind them became displeased.
The two little yellow Dragon-kin, sons of Mill and Buer, hurriedly ran indignantly to their mother's side, hugged her legs, and threw a tantrum.
"Mom, let Dad finish the story! He just reached the critical part!"
"Yeah, Mom!"
Mill got angry. She threw her little daughter into Buer's arms, kicked one son flying, curled her tail around the other's waist mid-air, and wrapped her arm around the first one. After getting them under control, she raised her other free claw and ruthlessly delivered a punch to each little dragon.
This hurt the two sons so much they instantly felt unbearably painful. Seeing them settle down, Mill then said,
"What is there to talk about? Your dad basically didn't even fight much, the battle was just won in a muddled manner. He probably didn't even touch the enemy's vanguard. If it wasn't for Lord Raphaela, Lord Jasmine, and Mr. Fisher, how could there be today's victory... This is the whole truth."
Although Mill was considered to have relatively weaker physical strength among the Dragon-kin, dealing with two wet-behind-the-ears brats was truly very easy.
"Ah? We all know Lord Raphaela and Lord Jasmine. Who is that Mr. Fisher? What species is he?"
"Definitely also a dragon-kin, there's an 'er' at the end of his name, too!"
"Sister Anar the Lion-Human has an 'er' too, it's not just dragon-kin who have it!"
"Ah? Then I also don't know..."
Hearing his wife dismantling his stage, and seeing the group of little tots in front of him start arguing again, Buer hurriedly carried his daughter Ke'er, turned around, and slinked away, saying,
"Alright, alright, let your moms and dads tell you about this. I'll take my little darling to arrange the venue first. Don't worry, nothing will happen for sure! You guys go help your mom, I can't manage you, no matter how I look after you, your mom will scold me."
"Don't be sloppy, tonight is the celebration banquet, and there is also the Tail-Matching Ceremony coming up later..."
"Alright, alright."
Buer slinked away with his daughter. His two sons were also dragged away by Mill despite their wails. In an instant, that group of brats scattered like birds and beasts, returning to find their respective mothers.
However, Ke'er in Buer's arms looked confused. Wagging her still-short little tail, she looked at her old dad and puzzledly asked,
"Dad, what is the Tail-Matching Ceremony for?"
"Ke'er, you are still too young for this, there's no use telling you. Heh, you guys only need to know there will be delicious food later."
Ke'er nodded her head in a hazy, half-understanding manner. Though she didn't understand, it didn't prevent her from gulping down a mouthful of saliva. Her small mouth also subconsciously held her claw, clearly craving food.
In actuality, starting from the ancient Dragon Court, the Tail-Matching Ceremony had been an extremely important ritual. As the ruling race of the Dragon Court, the pairing and reproduction of the Dragon-kin had always been of utmost importance.
Because Dragon-kin only felt desire for their Tail-Compatible Partners, and without desire, they rarely even had the intention of interacting deeply with the opposite sex. Therefore, ceremonies had to be held frequently to forcibly gather those young opposite-sex Dragon-kin who hadn't yet found a match, thus increasing the success rate of tail-matching and ensuring the continuation of the race.
Traditional Tail-Matching Ceremonies included many activities, such as drinking, singing Dragon Songs, and so on, but the most primary one was still dancing.
Rituals in the beginning were all extremely cumbersome. Otherwise, Raphaela wouldn't have been so annoyed by such activities in her youth, running out of the tribe with her sisters and getting caught.
Now, ever since the establishment of the Dragon Court, Demi-humans of different species lived together. The Tail-Matching Ceremony had undergone some deletions and modifications in procedure. For non-dragon-kin species, it became a joyous festival of family reunion, so naturally, the entire Dragon Court had to participate.
"Buer, hurry over here and check if the wine and water are sufficient!"
"Buer, we need help over here!"
Just as he arrived at the location of the activity center, the staff of the Prayer and Blessing Tower, who were in a terrible fix, began calling out to him one after another. Who told him to be Mill's Tail-Compatible Partner? He deserved it.
Buer heaved a sigh. Hearing the calls coming from all directions, it was hard not to feel the pressure as huge as a mountain. He pinched the cheeks of his little daughter in his arms and mumbled,
"I really don't know how Mill manages to take care of you little darlings while helping out everywhere, it's simply more tiring than fighting a war... Like this, Dad will take you to Lord Yali'er's side. You stay there and wait obediently for dinner, alright?"
"Mhm."
Ke'er nodded obediently. Buer's daughter had always been bold and wasn't afraid of anything. Upon encountering something she hadn't seen before, not hiding from it aside, she would even proactively chase after it to investigate it to the ultimate end. In daily life, she frequently gave her parents cause for worry. If she ran off randomly later, it would be troublesome.
So he simply brought her straight to the back of the ceremony's altar platform. Raphaela's mother Yali'er was resting there, and it was relatively quiet. WIth Faxir and Kexir also there, he felt a bit more reassured.
"Buer! Come quickly!!"
The people behind continuously called out to Buer, making him sweat profusely as he carried his daughter Ke'er to the backstage area. Glancing at the quiet space within, Buer patted his daughter's back and instructed her,
"You know Aunt Kexir and Aunt Faxir, right? Hurry and find them, stay here and don't run around randomly, dear."
"Mhm."
Ke'er nodded obediently, watching her dad walk out of the room before making her way inside. While walking, she carefully looked around, searching for the figures of Aunt Kexir and Aunt Faxir.
The backstage area wasn't considered quiet. Distinctly, the sound of someone speaking with a raspy voice wafted out.
"Still worried about the child's soul issue, huh... Why don't you rest a bit? Today is a great festival for the Dragon Court, hiding here alone really makes it dreadfully quiet for you."
Curious, Ke'er walked inward a certain distance. The first thing she saw was a book floating in mid-air.
That floating book could actually speak! The voice she just heard was coming from it.
"Hehe, I heard this banquet will have dancing tonight, I'm truly looking forward to it. With so many people watching, who will you choose as your dance partner... Heavens, it's simply a lethal question!"
"...Why are you so happy?"
The one speaking was another male voice. He didn't sound angry, rather, he carried one part doting affection and nine parts absentmindedness.
Ke'er wasn't afraid at all. Instead, blinking her small eyes, she curiously and stealthily approached the book floating roughly halfway up a person's height in the air.
"How could I not be happy? Sigh, say, do you think they will start fighting in public then, and with blood rushing to their heads, split you into two with one stroke!"
That book was still in its fantasy moment, utterly oblivious that behind it, a young "hunter" had already sneaked up to its rear.
Ke'er looked at the book above. Unseen, her small tail waved several times like a rattlesnake. She half-crouched into a jumping stance, her eyes firmly aiming at Emhart in mid-air.
"Perhaps..."
"Eh, are you truly driven out of your mind by the matter of that child? You're even fine with me speaking like this. Let me try again: Fisher, you are a big idiot... Ahhhh! Who is it?! Help! Fisher! It's Baimon! It's that damned Baimon coming to attack me!!"
"Awuu!!"
Before the bitchy words of the book in the air could finish, the Ke'er below leapt up like a fierce tiger pouncing on its prey, catching the mid-air Emhart in her arms and pressing him to the ground. This sudden occurrence almost scared Emhart into a faint.
And Ke'er the little dragon-kin merely curiously pinned down the constantly struggling Emhart, looking up and down at this "weird thing" that could talk.
"Help!! Fisher!! It's Baimon! Baimon is here! Save me!!"
"Book-book monster!"
"Haha..."
Being at the Mythic Rank, Fisher had discovered this little one entering early on. Naturally, he also knew she had been taking aim at Emhart in mid-air all along. However, out of mischief, he maintained not mentioning a single word, even momentarily showing weakness to lower Emhart's guard...
As a result, he was caught red-handed by the little one.
Fisher stood up from the chair and saw Ke'er bite down on Emhart's cover with one mouthful, startling him into immediately letting out a sharp explosion of noise; it looked like the book was about to fly away from fright.
Helpless, Fisher had no choice but to grab this little Dragon-kin girl's collar and hoist her up, simultaneously pulling Emhart, who was caught in her "bloody gaping mouth," into mid-air. If she continued biting for a bit longer, the great Sir Book Artifact might just faint.
"Little one, he isn't some monster, he is my friend. Could you let him go?"
"You are that Mr. Fisher?"
He didn't usually show his face outside. Even though the matter of defeating the Green Dragon Court allied army previously had a lot to do with him, he was, after all, a West Continent person, and he didn't want to cause trouble for Raphaela during the prior war.
"You know me?"
"Mn. I heard mom mention your name, and that book-book monster also said your name just now."
Even though Fisher hoisted Ke'er up, and even when facing the Mythic Rank Fisher, this little girl actually wasn't afraid in the slightest. Instead, with Emhart still in her mouth, she widened her innocent eyes, looking at Fisher, and answered him so childishly in garbled speech.
Fisher had already noticed this when he encountered Lar previously: Dragon-kin seemed to have absolutely no fear of the Mythic Rank. This was likely related to the Demigod bloodline flowing within them.
Even if they weren't Mythical Species in the true sense, the pride of that noble bloodline was hard to obliterate.
Looking at the handsome human man before her, Ke'er's attention quickly shifted away from the "monster" bitten in her mouth. She blinked her eyes and suddenly loosened her jaw, allowing Emhart to escape while cursing continuously,
"Argh! You little brat, were you born in the year of the dog?! Look at what you bit the great Sir Book Artifact's face into?! Whose child are you?!"
Fisher turned to look, spotting precisely a row of bite marks on his front cover. Presumably, there was another row on the back.
"Awuu!"
Hearing him, Ke'er opened her mouth again, posturing to bite again. Frightened, Emhart hastily took a step back on Fisher's shoulder, panic-stricken,
"Wh-what are you trying to do?! Again?"
Unable to hold back a smile, Fisher set down the unexpectedly bold little girl before him. Yet after setting her down, he couldn't help but kneel on one knee before her small body, looking her up and down as she prettily raised her head.
"..."
Fisher's black eyes flickered slightly. Originally, he couldn't really be said to like children, especially brats. But ever since he learned of Raphaela's pregnancy, he couldn't help but pay attention when watching the children running around Yali'er, particularly Dragon-kin children. He would increasingly fantasize about what his and Raphaela's child would look like if born.
Mixed-blood children would generally follow their mother's characteristics, but in many areas, they would also inherit traits from their father.
He or she might be as bright and warm as the light, just like Raphaela, or perhaps introverted and fond of researching bizarre and strange questions, just like himself...
Mhm, and so, after thinking of a lot of things, he suddenly remembered he still had no clue about the soul issue of Raphaela's stillbirths, and became increasingly anxious.
These days, he essentially stayed in the Royal Court of the Prayer and Blessing Tower in deep contemplation. Having only just relieved the crisis of the Dragon Court and the Southern Continent, Fisher walked into another conundrum without stopping his horses, causing Emhart's one book cover to become two heads huge.
Seeing the cute and adorable little dragon-kin before him, Fisher couldn't help but be reminded of this vexing matter. While thinking, he also reached out a hand and rubbed Ke'er's head.
Not afraid in the slightest, she simply tilted her head up, still staring at the Emhart on his shoulder, looking as if she still wanted to go up and take a bite.
"You are Mill and Buer's daughter, right, little one..."
"Mn, Ke'er is Mom and Dad's child."
Every reply from this little one caused Fisher to feel surprised. He knew Mill and had also met Buer. When Buer found out Fisher saved Raphaela and the others, he even came to thank him. It was just that Fisher hadn't expected their child to be this bold, seeing as Mill and Buer were both the gentle and timid type. Subconsciously finding it a novel occurrence, he remarked emotionally,
"Your personality is very different from your mom and dad's. You are very brave, little one."
But after hearing Fisher's words, Ke'er just thought about it for a second and then dazedly asked in return,
"Why must Ke'er's personality be the same as Mom and Dad's?"
"..."
Fisher stared blankly for a moment, then couldn't resist rubbing her head again, smiling and saying,
"You're right, little Ke'er."
"Teacher Fisher, are you inside?"
Just at this moment, by the door, a soft and gentle voice suddenly rang out. Fisher looked up and saw Jasmine, wearing a classical Dragon Court formal dress, walking in.
The Southern Continent was rich in metals, which greatly influenced its culture. At this moment, on Jasmine's light golden form-fitting long dress, an array of various precious metal pieces of jewelry were hanging dazzlingly. And resting against her fair forehead was a circlet woven from ores like agate and jade, accentuating her magnificent beauty even more.
The Dragon Court's makeup styling was very simple; it lacked the powders and rouge of the West Continent. It merely utilized a red pigment related to some plant to trace an eyeshadow about the size of a thumb at the corner of her eyes, making her gaze appear bright.
Against her innate, naturally fair and smooth skin, the so-called agate and jade were but a preamble; what could truly be called gemstones were perhaps not those dead objects, but Jasmine's pair of blue eyes.
This light golden attire was specifically used for Dragon Court priests. However, due to its excessively broad bosom, the jewelry hanging from the neck labored to rise and fall as if traversing mountain ranges. The sparkling, reflecting metal ornaments made it even more impossible for Fisher to shift his gaze away.
Jasmine slipped in stealthily, not forgetting to glance left and right. At a glance, she spotted the small Dragon-kin Ke'er, who was eagerly awaiting in the middle of the room.
"Ke'er, you are here too..."
"Lord Jasmine."
Ke'er called out affectionately to Jasmine, making Jasmine smile. She ran to her side and fondly stroked her head.
"So obedient. Why are you here? Where are your dad and mom?"
"Mom and I just returned from Lord Raphaela, and they even mentioned Lord Jasmine just now!"
"Ah? Mentioned me? What did they say?"
Jasmine stared blankly for a second, and Fisher also looked over curiously. Ke'er simply said with a naive expression,
"Lord Raphaela asked Mom about things concerning the little baby... and also said that after having the little baby, she can't handle Mr. Fisher anymore, she is very, very tired. Thanks to Lord Jasmine helping to share the burden, otherwise Lord Raphaela would have fainted in the hot spring! Oh right, Lord Jasmine, did you guys go bathe in the hot spring? Hot springs are so fun, mmm!"
As Jasmine listened, she realized something was wrong. She hurriedly reached out with a flushed-red face and pressed down Ke'er's unshielded mouth.
"Okay, okay, Ke'er, you... don't say anymore! What exactly did you hear just now? You didn't tell anybody else, right?"
The Fisher behind her also darkened his expression. Raphaela and Mill, who was acting as an understanding older sister who was already married and had a child, presumably chatted about some boudoir matters. But he hadn't expected this Ke'er, though young in age, to have an exceptionally good memory, having recorded everything down.
"No, because Lord Raphaela told Mom not to tell others... but Mr. Fisher and Lord Jasmine are the parties involved, not others."
Ke'er blinked, naively assuming Jasmine was truly asking her this question. After contemplating, her bright, watery eyes grew even brighter.
"Oh right, Ke'er also heard a shocking big secret from Lord Raphaela!"
"Shocking... big secret?"
Ke'er covered her mouth, but still nodded her head, making Jasmine even more curious.
"Then can you tell me a little about this secret?"
Ke'er shook her head, saying in a low voice,
"Can't tell you, because Lord Jasmine is not a party involved... But I can tell Mr. Fisher, he is a party involved."
"?"
A question mark instantly shot out from Jasmine's mind. Listening to Ke'er's words, her first reaction was...
Is Raphaela trying to sneak off again?
Last time at the hot spring, they had said they would call a truce, for everyone to cease drums and rest well. As a result, Raphaela herself couldn't hold it in and secretly went to the hot spring to find Fisher... Although she herself didn't hold it in either, secretly going over as well, she had gone through quite a bit of conflict at the time!
She even wondered if she was too lecherous, clearly having only done it once yet thinking of this kind of matter every day. Wouldn't Teacher Fisher and Raphaela mock her?
She never expected that by the time she fought however many ideological battles to quietly run to the door of the hot spring, Raphaela had already been soaking in there for who knows how long!
Jasmine became alert. Observing her appearance as if facing a great enemy, Fisher couldn't help laughing and arrived behind her, saying,
"Then wouldn't it be fine just telling an involved party like me?"
"Okay!"
Ke'er nodded, then turned her head to look at Fisher. Over there, Jasmine had already cranked up the horsepower, ready to lean in and listen closely. Even Emhart flew down from the ceiling with a face full of curiosity, ready to hear what was going on.
"Mr. Fisher, let me tell you..."
But just as Ke'er approached Fisher and was about to speak, a clamor of voices suddenly drifted over from the plaza outside the door, rising and falling one after another.
"Lord Raphaela!"
"Queen!"
Bad news, it's Raphaela arriving!
Jasmine paused slightly, hastily snapping out of her curious listening. The Ke'er who was about to speak also turned her head towards the door. Just as she was about to welcome her at the door, Jasmine's expression changed. She hurriedly ran to Ke'er's side, telling her,
"Little Ke'er, listen to me, absolutely do not tell Raphaela I came by, understand? I'll give you delicious food afterwards, okay?"
"Ah? Oh..."
"Teacher Fisher, I'll be leaving first!"
Fisher behind Ke'er was slightly stunned. Thinking about it, since Jasmine got here, he had seemingly forgotten to ask: with the banquet outside being so busy, how did she run over like someone with nothing to do?
Could it be...
Just as Fisher was about to ask, Jasmine placed a finger against her lips, blocking what Fisher was going to say.
Subsequently, she fled in panic without choosing her path towards the back of the room, quickly disappearing from Fisher's sensory range. Presumably, she had gone far away.
"..."
"Ding ding dang dang..."
Not long after, wearing a black formal suit and heavily laden with gold and silver jewelry, Raphaela walked into the room. Upon seeing the small Dragon-kin in front of Fisher, she was also somewhat surprised, and immediately asked,
"Ah? Ke'er, you're here... Where are your mom, dad, and brothers?"
"..."
The Raphaela right now wore the formal wear of the Dragon Court's Queen, her crimson long hair cascading down. She looked majestic and dignified. She glanced at Ke'er, Fisher, and Emhart on his shoulder in the room. The room suddenly descended into an eerily quiet atmosphere, making Raphaela open her mouth.
"You guys..."
"Lord Raphaela, my mom and dad are both busy, they put me here to stay."
After a second of silence, Ke'er suddenly smiled naively, answering Raphaela. It struck Emhart dumbfounded.
No, little brat, you possess quite some skill! How could you enter the state so fast, and truly not mention Jasmine?
"So it's like this... It's natural. Outside is extremely busy today; it is an important day after all, everyone is in a terrible fix with busyness."
Fisher glanced at Raphaela and abruptly asked,
"Raphaela, where's Jasmine?"
Hearing this, Raphaela's face flushed red slightly. Then, coughing lightly, she said,
"She is still busy with supply matters. Today there is a grand banquet, and many items are needed. I only came over after finishing being busy too."
"..."
Good heavens, so to sum up, both of you secretly ran over without finishing your own business yet?
However, this time it was Jasmine's turn to learn from her mistakes. Last time she hesitated back and forth for half a day doing ideological battle, feeling it was too unkind to just go directly, leading to Raphaela soaking in the hot spring for a half-day first.
This time Jasmine drew a lesson and decided to strike first and came over directly. Instead, it was Raphaela's turn to go be busy with matters first, hesitating and falling behind?
Emhart could no longer understand the twists and turns involved. Ke'er seemingly didn't want to understand either, merely raising her eyes to look at Sir Book Artifact, not knowing if she was still thinking of biting him.
"Forget that. Compared to this, Fisher, we haven't drank wine together and danced at the Tail-Matching Ceremony yet..."
"Is it suitable for me to show my face? Furthermore, with the Queen of the Dragon Court, no less."
Fisher smiled slightly. Principally, everyone top to bottom in the Dragon Court still felt emotional toward Naris and the Green Dragon Court in the north. Moreover, as the Queen of the Dragon Court, there were times when personal choices definitely couldn't be made exactly as one pleased.
Fisher was also considering things for her. In reality, he himself wasn't all that bothered by it.
He hadn't expected Raphaela to have come prepared. Like performing a magic trick, she produced two jugs of wine, saying to Fisher,
"Of course I know that! Which is why I specifically came here... Beside the Myriad Flower Court lies a lake, just a short distance out from this room. That place is a restricted area, there's hardly anyone there. We'll go there and stay for a bit, okay? Anyway, there aren't many matters left over at the front either, I handed them all over to Mother."
Since words had reached this point, could Fisher still refuse?
It's just a pity for Jasmine. Attempting to steal away without success, she gained nothing and slinked away. Fisher glanced at the innocent Ke'er beside him and asked,
"Then what about Ke'er? Faxir and Kexir went off to heaven knows where. Could it be we will just leave her here alone?"
"Lord Raphaela..."
Ke'er looked innocently towards Raphaela, making Raphaela rub her lower belly and smile,
"It's fine, the place we are going isn't far, bringing her along is fine too."
"Not far?"
Raphaela walked in front, reached the back of the room, and opened the door, revealing the scenery of the outer perimeter of the Myriad Flower Court.
Within the lush greenery, a lake shimmering under the sunset lay quietly amidst the verdant green.
It turned out the lake was right behind this room; no wonder Raphaela said the lake wasn't far away.
This place was originally a territory of the Myriad Flower Court restricting entry to outsiders. Even Ke'er hadn't come here before. Now, seeing the beautiful scenery outside, her childish nature took over and she charged out excitedly.
"Wow, so pretty, I've never been to the seaside!"
Because the coastline of the Sunset Valley used to be a military control zone, it was perfectly normal that a small child like her had never been there. But from now on, with the war over, she could go anywhere she pleased.
Raphaela smiled, following leisurely behind with Fisher. Watching the young Dragon-kin sprinting about energetically, Raphaela wore a somewhat eager expression.
Emhart proactively flew away with tact, leaving the space for Raphaela and Fisher. Raphaela also handed the wine jug in her grip to him.
Looking at the beautiful wine in his arms, Fisher's inhalations, even a little bit, were brimming with the aroma of alcohol. Beside him, Raphaela also smiled and said,
"This is the beautiful wine that even the Dragon God is fabled to get drunk on, it's just right to drink it now. Our ancestors believed that beautiful wine can activate the power of the soul, and dancing can cause two originally unsynchronized souls to converge."
Actually, Fisher thought this tradition existed solely because the probability of tail-matching when disoriented with drunkenness increased, and dancing facilitated physical contact with the opposite sex.
But what need was there to say something so unromantic?
Fisher merely drank the wine. Indeed, this mana-infused alcohol could not only nurture the physical body but also infect the soul, making it exceptionally effective on Mythical Species of unified body and soul. No wonder it was fabled that Fafnir would get drunk too.
While drinking, Raphaela's arms couldn't help but circle around Fisher's waist. Without any prior teaching at all, she had already tacitly begun moving in synchronization with Fisher's steps.
"Ding ding dang dang..."
The gold and silver jewelry on her chimed, echoing across the entire riverbank, also causing Ke'er beside them—who had run herself tired and was squatting on the bank—to turn her head in that direction.
Dancing, dancing, dancing.
On the bank, the speed of Fisher and Raphaela under the blurring effect of the alcohol gradually sped up. Using the traction from having found their Tail-Compatible Partner, movements that originally needed to be slowly synchronized became extraordinarily tacitly understood.
While dancing, Raphaela panted and spoke to Fisher,
"Fisher, I... have a surprise to tell you..."
"What is it?"
"Mother checked my body today, she checked the condition of the baby in my belly..."
"Ah, and then..."
Raphaela's tail violently wrapped around Fisher's waist. Amidst a spin, she spoke up once again,
"Mother says the babies in my belly might be twins."
Although Dragon-kin gave birth to many, they generally had one child per pregnancy, not something as exaggerated as eight or nine in one go.
Therefore, don't let it deceive you that Lar had many siblings; the total number of eighty or ninety was truly given birth to one by one!
It's evident how strong the desires of Tail-Compatible Partners among Dragon-kin truly were—there was simply no end to it.
Raphaela also forcibly pressed Fisher beneath her, making him lean against the shore of the lake.
Her emerald eyes sparkled. Looking at Fisher, she smiled and said,
"Is this a surprise?"
"Of course..."
"Then, is it sufficient for this Queen to bestow upon you her favor alone tonight?"
Alone?
Didn't you just say to Mill...
"Mainly it's your body..."
Putting on a brave front but weak within, Raphaela coughed lightly, yet still pouted and forcefully endured it,
"Hah? Are you looking down on me? If Ke'er wasn't here, you would know my might right this instant!"
But the problem is I already know; the intimately familiar kind...
Fisher didn't dare hold any dissenting opinions towards a pregnant Queen wanting to force it. Instead, the faintly mentioned Ke'er nearby let out a sneeze, adorably wagging her tail.
Regarding a certain plaything, children will get bored of it at once, yet they will quickly find a substitute.
Wasn't this it? Seeing Emhart flying to and fro in the sky, the child's mischievous impulse instantly arose.
Pinching a small rock, she threw it towards the sky while shouting at Emhart,
"Book-book monster, come down!"
"Do I look crazy? Why would I listen to a little brat like you? No, never!"
In an angry huff, Ke'er searched the shore with her small claws for a somewhat larger rock to vent the displeasure in her heart. So, with a "Heave-ho", she expended massive effort lifting a rock almost half her height, tossing it up towards mid-air.
But the speed was too slow; Sir Book Artifact dodged it very easily, and could even turn around to mock her once or twice.
Ke'er could only watch helplessly as that rock sank into the water's surface, splashing up a large white spray.
"You're not allowed to go looking for Jasmine tonight. Do you hear me?"
"Erm..."
"Plop!"
On the shore, the aggressively fierce, flush-faced Dragon Queen slightly drunk on wine had just wanted to lower her head and capture the unbelievably fragrant lips of her Tail-Compatible Partner beneath her. The large rock thrown by the mischievous Ke'er, however, had already exploded into water spray.
Once a Dragon-kin's desires go to their head, they completely disregarded everything else. Fisher was even worried she would perform some R-18 acts in front of Ke'er, because Raphaela was quite obviously already getting fired up.
But very soon, this worry vanished into thin air.
Because as that large piece of rock fell into the surface of the lake, not much time passed before a Whale-kin could no longer stay submerged and floated up.
Having just floated up, the Whale-kin thought Raphaela had discovered her. Thus, somewhat guiltily pointing at Raphaela on the shore, she said loudly,
"Raphaela! No! We agreed! And didn't you just tell big sister Mill that your body couldn't withstand it anymore? Now, not only do you monopolize Teacher Fisher, you... you even throw rocks at me!"
If not Jasmine, who else?
"Jasmine?! Wait, didn't you leave just now?"
"Hey hey, umm..."
Fisher hadn't expected Jasmine not only didn't leave, but also secretly hid within the lake to eavesdrop. Hearing him, Jasmine bashfully lowered her head, while Raphaela sitting on Fisher was also instantly dumbfounded.
She hadn't the slightest idea Jasmine was here, hadn't the slightest idea she sneaked out, much less about throwing a rock at her.
"I... didn't throw a rock at you! It wasn't me... wait, Jasmine, how did you know the things I told Mill... since... when did you arrive?"
Jasmine, having self-destructed, was also instantly stunned in the water, looking blankly at the equally speechless Raphaela and Fisher.
Subsequently, coinciding without prior agreement, they looked at the little dragon-kin Ke'er next to them... who was hugging another rock, plotting to continue hurling it at the floating Emhart in the sky...
She blinked innocently. Despite being foolish, she nonetheless realized the atmosphere was somewhat wrong. Thus, she hurriedly opened her mouth with a milky voice, attempting to awaken Raphaela's latent maternal love and a Whale-kin's mercy toward life,
"Lord Raphaela... Lord Jasmine... Um... Um..."
"Ke'er!!"
(End of Chapter)