The Handbook for Completing Demi-Human Girls

"Raphaela..."

Facing the uncompromising Raphaela before her, Jasmine also couldn't help but be temporarily rendered speechless. Oppressed by her words, she continuously retreated until she had nowhere to retreat and couldn't advance any further.

In reality, whether it was Jasmine or Raphaela, neither wanted to start a blatant conflict. They were comrades and sisters who had fought side by side for four years. The mutual support of being together from morning to night wasn't something Fisher could easily shake.

The long companionship had given them both a deep understanding of each other's personalities. They wouldn't say words that were too hurtful, leaving breathing room for each other. Seeing Raphaela display absolutely unprecedented toughness, Jasmine also had no more words to say.

More importantly, Jasmine indeed had no better reason to compete for Fisher.

She had nothing. Relying on a simple "don't want to give up" could achieve nothing. Apart from adding to the conflict, it had no other use.

Compared to Raphaela, the feelings between her and Teacher Fisher were like a blank sheet of paper, appearing so completely unjustified and illegitimate.

Watching Jasmine being struck to a degree where she was unable to fight anymore, Raphaela's face didn't show any joy of a complete victory. She seemed to also feel that her words were too harsh, but she had no room for regret.

She just remained silent for a moment, her tone softening slightly, as she said to Jasmine,

"Sorry, Jasmine... let's just leave it at this for today. Let's both calm down, and then we'll discuss this matter again. This matter is too sudden, I haven't made the corresponding preparations yet..."

"I know, Raphaela... rest well. Once you're well-rested, we'll discuss the rest."

Jasmine took a slight step back, her eyes sparkling as she responded to Raphaela.

Raphaela cast a grateful look at Jasmine who had left some space nearby, then looked at Fisher beside her, speaking softly and calmly to him,

"Fisher, come with me."

Subsequently, Raphaela turned her head first and walked into the depths of the Royal Court.

Watching her back gradually disappear into the depths of the corridor, Fisher only then recovered a bit from that silence.

Most of the time just now, he had remained silent. It wasn't because he didn't want to operate, wanting to watch helplessly as Raphaela and Jasmine had friction because of his mistakes, but because he completely had no room to operate at all.

In terms of objective conditions, firstly, the incident happened suddenly, crashing completely unprepared in front of him in a near out-of-control manner. Providing too little reaction time, with the situation being too complex and terrifying. Even for Fisher, he was stunned for quite a while.

One must know that although he was at the Mythic Rank, it was impossible for him to use a rank higher than theirs to handle emotional conflicts, or rather, he couldn't use it directly like that.

Alright, thanks again to the great Sir Book Artifact here. It was thanks to his defection that caused the current situation. Fisher would definitely thank him properly later.

Secondly, he had just returned from the past to the present, with a four-and-a-half-year blank period in between. Many things happened during this time, and he had also been separated from the two ladies for a long time, unaware of the bonds and relationship between them. He hadn't even figured out the changes that occurred in the Dragon Court over these years and the conditions of this scene of fierce conflict, not knowing how Jasmine suddenly ended up here...

Any response could have omissions. He might as well not say anything for the time being. He still understood the principle of 'the more you speak, the more mistakes you make'.

But from the interaction between Raphaela and Jasmine just now, Fisher still got a general understanding of the feelings between them.

Their feelings were very deep, and their bond was very strong.

It was also thanks to their reluctance to hurt each other's feelings that they didn't further intensify the conflict between them, even taking a temporary separation. Of course, this didn't mean that the matter was settled just like that. At the very least, Fisher believed that even if they didn't settle accounts with each other, they would settle accounts with him.

Fisher preferred the ladies to settle accounts with himself, because he deeply knew that these were the consequences caused by his unbridled demands, and it was only right that he receive such punishment.

It must be said, in this aspect, Fisher still had quite some self-knowledge.

Thinking of this, Fisher turned his head to look at Jasmine, only to see her force a smile. Clearly, she hadn't recovered from the aftermath of the battle just now. She said to Fisher,

"Teacher Fisher, you go first, I... it's fine. Raphaela should also have things to say to you..."

"Alright, Jasmine."

Fisher nodded, then took a deep breath and walked towards the corridor Raphaela had entered, similarly disappearing into the darkness under the gaze of the Whale-kin behind him.

He passed through the corridor and very soon arrived at the palace deep within the Royal Court.

The main doors were wide open before him. In the hall that suddenly became brighter inside, Fisher saw Raphaela's back as she was hanging up the cloak she had been clutching in her hand earlier.

Her tail hung down, looking somewhat listless. Hearing the footsteps behind her, she paused for a moment before her low voice drifted over,

"Close the door first."

"Alright."

Fisher did as he was told. After entering the palace, he gently closed the heavy doors behind him.

Looking over, Raphaela was sorting out the cloak on the coat rack, adjusting it bit by bit, inch by inch, attempting to smooth out every single wrinkle on it with her claws. He didn't know what meaning this kind of action had, why she was doing it. She merely continued doing it in silence.

Fisher looked at her back. Just as he was about to move his steps forward again, he heard her voice sound suddenly. She kept her voice light and asked in a low tone,

"Fisher, is it romantic love between a man and a woman that you feel towards Jasmine?"

What had to come would come, it could never be dodged.

Fisher didn't remain silent for too long, nor did he advance further. He just replied,

"... Yes."

Raphaela's slow movements of adjusting the cloak came to a screeching halt. The tail behind her even went limp as if its bones had been removed.

"..."

Following closely, she lowered her head a little. In her hands, the claws that originally intended to smooth those wrinkles into a wide expanse of flat land instead grabbed the cloak bit by bit, creating uneven ripples.

She trembled slightly, and very soon, even her voice began to tremble,

"Then it's also romantic love between a man and a woman that you feel towards me, right?"

"... Right."

But the instant she heard this, Raphaela fiercely turned her head around.

It was only then that Fisher barely realized, the majesty and calmness she displayed in front of Jasmine just now had completely shattered and fragmented. Or rather, in front of Fisher, she had always been that little dragon from several years ago.

She gritted her teeth, her eyes completely turned into dangerous vertical slits, but it wasn't the threat of hunting, because a large area around her eyes was already red. The tears carrying rolling scalding heat had already begun swirling in the prison of her eyes long ago, but she forcefully held them back, refusing to let them fall...

Perhaps she already had such sorrow during the confrontation with Jasmine just now, but she tried her best to handle this matter properly. She didn't cause anyone to lose face, nor did she want to put Fisher in an embarrassing and difficult situation of having to choose, which was why she repeatedly interrupted Fisher's words.

She didn't want words favoring either side to pop out of his mouth. If they fell towards Jasmine, it would hurt herself; if they fell towards herself, it would hurt Jasmine; and if they fell towards herself, he would have to face the simultaneous blame from herself and Jasmine.

But in private, she finally couldn't bear it any longer.

"Fisher, aside from us, exactly how many females do you have an intimate relationship with?!?"

Raphaela sobbed, and the scorching steam on her body drifted out bit by bit. She forcefully threw the cloak behind her onto the ground and walked towards Fisher, staring straight at him, questioning him,

"That Elizabeth, that Witch Renee, Jasmine, me... Who else?! How many more such relationships do you have that I don't know about?"

Fisher didn't back down. He watched helplessly as Raphaela, with tears in the corners of her eyes, approached him, pouring out all the inner words she had hidden just now in a shattered and fragmented voice,

"Are you blaming me? Fisher, are you blaming me for not coming to find you for so long, blaming my incompetence, blaming me for not having the ability to openly tell everyone of your existence? So you feel I have no love for you, no responsibility, no concern for you?"

"I haven't, Raphaela. I know your feelings for me, I've known and been certain of it since a long, long time ago..."

"Then do you feel I'm an emotionless beast, a lowly Dragon-kin demi-human, a slave you bought, a lesser race unworthy of your noble human self? So you treat my feelings and love for you as garbage, my effort and longing for you as waste? Is even coming back to find me just an act of high-and-mighty charity and pity to you?"

"I have never treated you as a lowly race or slave. I have always seen you as a soul equal to me, not a physical race..."

Raphaela's tears flowed even more. Her claws also climbed onto Fisher's body. The trembling meridians and bones all revealed her shock and sorrow without exception. But even so, she didn't treat Fisher like she treated the cloak she had cruelly thrown to the floor.

Even to the point where Fisher could only feel her gentle strokes that bordered on pleading and bewilderment, while her voice continued to reach him,

"So, this is your punishment for me, right? I still owed you a punishment, and this is your way of collecting it, right, Fisher?"

He still remembered when they parted at the port previously. In the letter Fisher left behind, he had mentioned that Raphaela owed him a punishment from that game. But that was ultimately just a joke-like remark. He never felt Raphaela owed him anything, and naturally wouldn't seriously seek to collect that punishment.

But Raphaela remembered every single bit of it, down to every single word and phrase in that letter. It could be imagined that even if their time together was short, those memories had already been deeply engraved into Raphaela soul.

At this moment, accompanied by her sobbing expression, because of her proximity to Fisher, her scales once again lay flat, becoming exceptionally smooth.

But this love symbolizing Tail-Compatible Partner made Raphaela appear exceptionally sorrowful at this moment,

"So, that's why you wanted to punish me, making me say those words earlier to Jasmine who has been with me for so long and helped me so much. Making me lose my composure in front of the imminent war, making me not know what to do, making me feel as helpless as back then... Is that so, Fisher?"

"I want to take you to meet my mother, let her know you, accept you, and then starting from her, have my clan and the whole world accept our union... But what am I supposed to do? Directly tell her your identity and character? Can she accept you? Or perhaps, use your powerful strength like humans bombarding us with artillery, to force me, my mother, and my clan to accept you?"

"I want to let my sister witness my love, let her feel my joy. What do you want me to do? Accept other females sharing you with peace of mind? I can't bear to hurt Jasmine. How much space does that Renee occupy in your heart? Even Elizabeth and her Naris beat me black and blue, making me not dare to venture north..."

"You were originally the Prince Consort beloved by the noble human Empress, such a noble and outstanding person, a world-renowned gem of the human world. And me, the daughter of a Southern Continent demi-human indigenous tribe patriarch, a Dragon-kin who accidentally became a slave, a defeated queen beaten by humans and traitors until she couldn't hit back..."

"I worked so hard for so long just to be worthy of you. But looking at it now, no matter what I do, I'm unworthy of you. What do you want me to do? Whether it's waiting or working hard, it's all of no avail. What do you hope I do?"

"Fisher..."

"Fisher..."

When her words reached the end, those tears exclusively shown to Fisher couldn't help but uncontrollably burst forth from her eyes, leaving obvious, steam-emitting trails on her beautiful face.

She moved closer to Fisher bit by bit, resembling an embrace, yet seeming to have scruples and fears preventing her from going further. That feeling of being unable to get close no matter what made her feel sorrowful, while those other ladies and Jasmine were just the surface manifestations of this feeling.

Her cause was completely stagnant. She didn't know that humanity had the help of Demons over there. She just felt she wasn't strong enough, didn't work hard enough. Even when beaten until her head was broken and bleeding, utterly defeated, she had never considered giving up, but she would still have doubts and anxiety at the bottom of her heart.

Could it be that possessing physical intimacy alone represented everything, represented walking into his heart, walking to his side?

If it was like that, Raphaela wouldn't have separated from Fisher back in the past, but would have followed him back to Saint-Nazareth instead.

What she wanted was an equal standing by his side without any misgivings. But now she was drifting further and further away from this goal. To the point where such an unequal her didn't even dare to express a monopolizing desire towards Fisher.

What virtue or ability did she have to compete with Elizabeth, that haze looming over the Southern Continent like a Demon King.

She cried helplessly. The continuous questions ultimately just stemmed from the bewilderment, perplexity, and unwillingness in her heart, to the extent that she couldn't even kindle the courage to tightly embrace Fisher.

Amidst Raphaela's sobs, Fisher suddenly felt her violently open her mouth and fiercely bite down on his shoulder.

The sharp fangs of the Dragon-kin brutally pierced through his clothing, ready to stab into Fisher's skin and splash blood.

But due to the gap in their ranks, even though she exerted all her strength, she could only leave a row of indistinct bite marks.

He didn't know if she wanted to use this pain to drive Fisher away, letting him understand the barbarity of the Dragon-kin Raphaela and the heaven-and-earth difference compared to the noble human civilization.

But that kind of tearful tearing couldn't hurt Fisher's flesh at all; the place that hurt was his heart.

In the silence, Fisher tightly hugged Raphaela, who maintained a slight distance from him, pulling her closer bit by bit, allowing her bite to go further, until she was completely crushed tightly against him.

"Wu..."

"The matter regarding Jasmine and the other females, all the guilt lies with me."

At this moment, his blame towards the Demi-Human Companion Completion Handbook had ultimately reached an end.

Perhaps Helaire was right. The 'Reproduction Points' added by the Demi-Human Companion Completion Handbook wasn't just on a biological reproduction level. More importantly, it ignited his unbridled desire to possess others. Only by possessing them could he attain momentary satisfaction, and that was also why Fisher could never resolve his desires on his own.

That wasn't a desire of the flesh, but a desire of the soul.

Before encountering the other ladies, his body was very normal and never had any abnormal reactions. This already explained this point.

Therefore, in the past, Fisher would often find various ways to blame the Demi-Human Companion Completion Handbook, saying if not for it, things would have been thus and so.

But now, facing the extremely aggrieved Raphaela before him, he only felt it was entirely his own fault.

Even if there were a thousand and ten thousand reasons attributed to the Demi-Human Companion Completion Handbook, it was ultimately his inability to control his greed that brewed such a mistake, and he had to admit it.

So, even if Eimhart didn't warn him in advance, even if he suddenly faced such a situation, even if it made Raphaela feel pain which resulted in him feeling deep guilt, he had to admit it, had to bear the consequences.

"For this, I feel deeply apologetic. But what you said isn't right. I have never blamed you, I have never looked down on you as lowly, and I have never wanted to punish you. Regardless of whether you are the Queen of the Dragon Court or the little dragon from before, I have always looked at you equally. This point has never changed from beginning to end, and remains the same now."

"Raphaela, perhaps you don't know why I went to the Southern Continent back then, why I found you and not someone else. After all, a person like me has never had any interest in slaves. In order to find you, I crossed the entire Southern Continent, traveling to the south, and finally found clues about you from a person named 'Orn', who came from Pherone City."

Raphaela's actions of gnawing on Fisher's skin softened bit by bit following his embrace. Perhaps even knowing Fisher hadn't suffered any injuries, her long tongue couldn't help but repeatedly lick the spot where she left the bite marks, making him feel a slight itchiness.

Fisher's gaze grew solemnly focused bit by bit. After hesitating again and again, he still revealed everything about his encounter with Raphaela,

"I saw a prophecy, a prophecy confirming the impending destruction of the world."

"A prophecy... terminating the world?"

"Ah, 'First to rise shall be the Crimson Dragon Queen, reducing all humanity to ashes with her wrath'..."

He recited the prophecy recorded in the Demi-Human Companion Completion Handbook aloud. Upon hearing the leading "Crimson Dragon Queen", Raphaela couldn't help but be stunned for a moment.

Indeed, red-colored Dragon-kin were extremely rare. No wonder Fisher traveled ten thousand miles to find her.

Raphaela didn't treat this prophecy as something Fisher hastily fabricated to escape his predicament. Firstly, Fisher wasn't that kind of person. She understood him, otherwise he wouldn't have answered those fatal questions straightforwardly just now, angering Raphaela to the point of collapse.

Secondly, for some reason, when hearing this epic-like prophecy, Raphaela always felt something strange resonating from afar in the depths of her heart, as if heaven and earth were also listening quietly, unwilling to interrupt it.

It was so profound and mysterious that Raphaela's heart couldn't help but tremble, and even the two horns on her head grew exceptionally bright.

"Just as you know, I learned of this World-Ending Prophecy and embarked on the path to explore it alone. And you were the first World-Ender I found. Raphaela, what do you think was the best way to handle this when I found you back then?"

"... Kill me."

"Ah, indeed it was like that..."

Fisher tightly embraced Raphaela before him, then closed his eyes and smiled bitterly as he said,

"I indeed harbored murderous intent towards you, wanting to extinguish the flames of the world's end before they even started. But, in the end, I couldn't do it. It shouldn't be called compassion, it should be called affection. I ultimately gave up on killing you, nor did I want to keep you by my side. Just as I wrote in the letter, your future lies in the wilderness of the Southern Continent, not in Saint-Nazareth.

"I wanted you to be free, wanting you to reclaim what humans took away, but I have never considered you a burden, never considered you a lowly demi-human race. It was just because my abilities were insufficient at the time, because I had burdens and attachments, so I had many reservations...

"Perhaps Jasmine was right. Due to various practical reasons, neither of us could speak the other's name. I, because of Saint-Nazareth, because of Elizabeth. You, because of the Dragon Court, because of your clan... But it's different now. I am now a fugitive of Saint-Nazareth. I can of course freely tell anyone my relationship with you. I am capable of bearing the consequences and taking responsibility for you now..."

Raphaela hid in Fisher's embrace, but she suddenly asked heard asking,

"Back then, when you left Elizabeth and fled from Saint-Nazareth, was even a little bit... even just a tiny bit... because of me?"

"There was. Although the taste of leaving one's hometown isn't pleasant, in the end, I gained a bit of freedom. One day I will go back, returning openly and aboveboard."

"... Going back to be Elizabeth's Prince Consort?"

She didn't know if it was because of "enemies seeing red when they meet", but Raphaela had huge objections to Elizabeth, even much stronger than her aggressiveness towards Jasmine.

And Jasmine was the same. Her hatred for Elizabeth was no less than Raphaela's in the slightest.

"No, it's just that by then, or even now, I'll be able to broadly announce your existence."

"..."

Raphaela sniffled, the corners of her eyes still carrying the lingering aftereffect of her earlier crying. But fortunately, through Fisher's words just now, at the very least she could confirm Fisher's feelings towards her. This was something Tail-Compatible Partners whose souls touched could perceive, thereby eliminating the uncertainty in her heart. So at this moment, her words also became a bit lighter.

But this didn't mean she forgave Fisher. One could decipher a thing or two from her veiled attacks right now.

She still had to settle accounts with Fisher, settle accounts with the other ladies, Fisher couldn't escape it.

"... I want to take you to see my mother."

But before that, Raphaela still spoke up again.

"Are you sure?"

"Mhm..."

"Alright."

Since Raphaela already said so, Fisher of course had no intention of refusing either.

He didn't want to repeat Elizabeth's disastrous track again.

"... This matter isn't over yet. Jasmine, and other females, and your accounts... I haven't finished settling them all yet. It's just that the war with the Pseudo-Court is imminent now, and Jasmine and I must focus on facing it. During this period, you... are not allowed to do that kind of thing with Jasmine, keep a sense of propriety with her."

"... What kind of thing?"

"That kind of thing."

"... Alright."

Raphaela hesitated for a moment, and still kept her head lowered as she "viciously" laid down the law,

"... If you must blame someone, blame yourself for not killing me back then, letting me entangle you. Since you admit that you and I are equal, then I will not let this drop."

Fisher was somewhat not knowing whether to laugh or cry, but regarding her current appropriate act of sulking, he could only gladly accept it,

"Alright, I will help you both."

"Help us fight Nari?"

"I won't participate in the war between you and Naris. The West Continent invading you is a despicable and unjust act, which I hold in contempt. But that is my motherland after all. Once I show up, my crime as a fugitive will be upgraded by another degree. Those I know and am connected to will be implicated, so I cannot do this either."

"What you mean is...?"

"What I mean is, this war isn't just between you and Naris, there's also the involvement of other guys, guys you can't deal with."

"Knock, knock, knock!"

Raphaela was slightly stunned and was just about to ask further, but at this moment, hurried knocking sounds suddenly came from outside the door.

She hastily let go of Fisher, then turned her head, covering her exceptionally obvious face that had just cried, leaving only her back to the door.

Subsequently, she walked towards the cloak she had thrown on the ground earlier and picked it up. As she moved step by step away from Fisher, the layers of scales on her body that had originally lay flat also immediately stood up.

The tail behind her twisted once, gaining vitality as if a steam engine had coal added to it. Following that, she finally spoke to the outside of the door,

"Come in!"

Fisher neatened his clothing, covering up the part that had been bitten down by Raphaela's dragon fangs.

"Click!"

The door was pushed open, revealing a yellow-scaled Dragon-kin standing at the doorway panting for breath, wearing beige Dragon Court work robes. She wore a pair of glasses that appeared to be of Naris craftsmanship, giving off an intellectual and mature vibe.

Fisher was quite familiar with the newcomer. If it wasn't the long-separated Mill, who else could it be?

"Mill."

"Lord Fisher, you really are here. I just heard Faxir, Kexir, and the others say you came, and even with Lady Jasmine..."

Seeing Fisher inside the room, Mill's face wasn't surprised, merely appearing somewhat hesitating to speak, forcing a smile.

Childbirth among Dragon-kin seemed to have absolutely no impact on females, nor was it as painful as human childbirth. This was the biological guarantee for the Dragon-kin's difficult pairing but massive reproduction numbers.

"Get to the point, Mill."

Witnessing Mill's manner of hesitating to speak and stopping again, Raphaela pieced her shattered image back together, returning to the majestic Dragon Queen, and ordered her thus.

"Ah, oh... Lady Raphaela, there's an urgent report."

"Report? Is it from the Southern Branch Mountain Range? The Pseudo-Court has made a move? But why would you be the one delivering the message? Shouldn't it be..."

"No, Lady Raphaela. It's a secret report from the Coastal Defense Line, saying that just now, a human private vessel was detained by them."

"A private vessel? Could it be a spy, or someone sent by the Pseudo-Court to deliver a message?"

"Neither, Lady Raphaela..."

The yellow-scaled Mill pursed her lips, and her claws inevitably scratched the curled brim of her sleeve. It seemed she couldn't bring herself to say it no matter what. But the majesty Raphaela exuded before her was too great, and she also knew she couldn't delay.

Subsequently, she could only close her eyes, silently apologizing in her heart, and then decisively spoke,

"The one arriving is a ship originating from the human nation of Schwari, and it looks very luxurious. It should be the ship of nobles from that human nation!"

"Schwari... I remember hearing this name."

Raphaela muttered to herself, while Fisher beside her also rubbed his chin, analyzing what Schwari was coming here for at this time. Could it be that because of their discord with Naris, they thought to fund Naris's enemy, the Red Dragon Court, effectively cutting it from the exact same mold as when Naris funded the Four Great Pirates...

"No... they aren't an official ship. The ones who came are a noble young lady from Schwari and her two maids. There are absolutely no weapons on the ship, it's completely filled with gold, silver, and jewelry... saying... saying..."

Mill began to stutter, her voice growing smaller and smaller,

"Saying she's the lawful wife who has been married to Lord Fisher for four years, coming over to find her husband who ran away from home!"

Raphaela's expression froze abruptly, while Fisher beside her, who was still racking his brains to analyze, was instantly dumbfounded as well, looking in disbelief at Mill who said everything with her eyes closed.