Chapter 1391: Chapter 38: The Moment of Confession (Part 2)
"The so-called tail-matching partner, even for those outside the Dragon-man Species, it’s not hard to guess that it is closely related to marriage, union, and reproduction, let alone the little dragon cubs. In the Dragon-man’s settlement, unions are sacred, and so are tail-matching partners. This is something every Dragon-man must learn and understand, not to mention the romantic stories full of love and moonlight that always pique interest and curiosity...
"Back in the South Branch Tribe, when the kids were young, every time it was time to rest, my children would huddle together to hear the legend left by a couple countless years ago... They would be joyful hearing a happy ending, listening with envy and pleasure; they would feel regret for the lovers’ imperfections, listening with sadness and resentment...
"But ah, that child Rafael, that only girl, wasn’t like that. She was the most special, the most unique of my children, and I don’t just mean her crimson scales, identical to those of the legendary Dragon God, or her physique stronger than the other children with an even more fiery soul... She was never interested in those concepts and stories, refusing to believe in the beauty created by others. She was so confident and proud, proud enough to think she didn’t need the support and help of a partner..."
Yaril’s smile was kind and warm, as if that little dragon princess about to breathe fire would jump out from her memories,
"Perhaps it was this pride that made her confident enough to leave her hometown, thinking she could see the sights outside the tribe; or perhaps it was the scarcity of those love stories that made her appear so naïve and awkward in emotions...
"The so-called tail-matching partner is not Life’s choice. For us, reproduction is not the purpose of tail-matching, but its manifestation. This is why, if a Dragon-man never finds a tail-matching partner in their life, they have no need for reproduction... Tail-matching is a choice of the soul, Fisher. Rafael’s soul chose you because you offered her help when her pride was shattered, because you gave her certainty when she doubted, because you gave her freedom when she needed respect...
"Her solitary soul suddenly had a destination, like when I married her father, she thought she was holding onto a beauty unique to her, and for this, she was willing to stand by you at any cost, to stand by you, a noble Nali upper-class person. But who blamed her for being so oblivious when she was young? That’s why she overlooked that you are human, you do not tail-match, your soul doesn’t burn with the same certainty and intensity as hers.
"For this, she will surely taste the price, a taste of pain that no Dragon-man Species has ever tasted. To a Dragon-man, sharing a partner feels as though their soul is being torn apart, a pain she feels constantly but never speaks of. You don’t have Dragon Horns, no matter how strong your body has become, you cannot read the thoughts contained within her Dragon Horns, the burning jealousy that seems to drag her into the Abyss...
"I ask you, Mr. Fisher... if you had a daughter in the future, would you be willing to give her to someone like yourself?"
In the end, it was a simple request for empathy.
By the Mother Goddess above, how simple, how straightforward, how fatal, how venomous those words are.
It’s so straightforward and simple that Fisher only needs to think about it to picture the corresponding scenario; it’s so fatal and venomous that even Fisher cannot give a definite answer.
Fortunately, Yaril did not hope for Fisher to provide a specific answer, or rather, whatever Fisher says now wouldn’t change her thoughts and views.
She then continued,
"As Rafael’s Mother, honestly, I oppose your union. I do not wish for what is sacred and sweet to the Dragon-man Species, the tail-matching, to become an endless torment, and at the same time, I am pessimistic about the feelings you, Mr. Fisher Benavides, have for Rafael... Forgive my boldness, but I must say I oppose your marriage."
"..."
Fisher looked straight at Yaril before him, listening to the many things this Mother of Rafael said, until in the end she voiced her opinion. He remained silent throughout, not interrupting her words.
After several seconds, when Yaril said no more and only her somewhat trembling fingers raised the teacup to drink most of the tea, Fisher let out a helpless laugh and said,
"...Aunt Yaril’s acting is so good, I was almost deceived by your kindness when I first came in with Rafael."
Yaril shook her head at him and then said,
"It actually takes courage to say these things in front of you, Mr. Fisher."
"Courage?"
"Yes, courage... I even want to reconfirm your identity now, are you really human?"
"I..."
Fisher glanced down at his palm. Perhaps he hadn’t even expected this himself, but as he was immersed in Yaril’s narrative, his already terrifying Rank was blooming bit by bit, producing an incredibly intimidating pressure that seemed to fluctuate with his emotions.
Yaril’s words at that moment once again reminded him of a well-understood fact: he was now a Mythical Rank chaotic monster wrapped in human skin.
