Free Web NovelIt was an unexpectedly inventive form of torment. To think he had tried to pour alcohol into the tank of a mermaid who lived in water.
And what the Drunkard had made Maril do was unexpected as well. I tilted my head and asked again.
“Rain? He told you to make it rain?”
“S-sniff... y-yes... yesterday, that crazy fire-starter... hic... set everything on fire...”
“...Ah.”
I rolled my eyes as I recalled yesterday.
Varen, having lost his reason, had nearly turned the forest into a sea of flames, and just then, rain had fallen and ended the situation.
I had thought it was simply fortunate timing. But to think that sudden shower had been caused by Maril.
As that realization sank in, a cheer nearly escaped me. I quickly raised a hand to cover my mouth so Maril wouldn’t notice, still sniffling as she was.
If Maril alone could produce that kind of rainfall, then the sea spirit must possess far greater power.
This wasn’t some fairy tale swallow delivering a magic seed. It was a mermaid from a fairy tale bringing with her an overwhelmingly powerful ally.
I forced my lips, which kept curling upward, back into place and composed my expression. Then I looked up at Maril with eyes full of concern and sympathy.
“Maril, thank you. Because of you, we avoided what could have become a major disaster.”
“S-sniff... now... now I... hic...”
“Stop crying, okay? From now on, I’ll...”
As I tried my best to comfort her, Varen, who had somehow come to stand beside me, crossed his arms and glared at the tank.
“Fish stink, stop crying. It’s annoying.”
At his rude tone, I struck his calf lightly with my clenched fist.
This arrogant bastard. To someone who’s about to play a crucial role in negotiating with the sea spirit.
I tried to convey my meaning with a look, but Varen only glanced at me, maintaining his overbearing attitude.
At this rate, the two of them would start bickering like children. I shook my head and stood up, stretching my legs, when Maril pressed her hand against the glass and came closer.
“S-sniff... Prince Ceryl... please... please...”
But unlike usual, Maril lowered herself completely and clung to me. I had no resistance to a woman crying and pleading like that, which made this particularly difficult.
I gave an awkward smile and stepped closer to the tank, trying somehow to calm the tears streaming down her face like falling beads.
“Let me... go home!!!”
A roar loud enough to be heard within a hundred kilometers exploded right in front of me. It felt like my eardrums were about to tear, like my entire body was being pierced with needles.
I froze stiff as ice, and Varen quickly pulled me into his arms.
“You damned fish stink! How dare you use mana on a human!”
“You crazy fire-starter! Because of you, I almost got doused in alcohol!”
“But you didn’t in the end! And if you want revenge, take it out on me!”
“Ahhh! Let me go, let me go! Just take me to any river and I’ll find my way to the sea myself!”
The argument that finally broke out pounded against my aching head.
Even as I was wrapped in Varen’s arms, replenishing my strength with his mana, the human body couldn’t withstand the mermaid’s roar.
In the end, I lost consciousness.
***
Maril’s roar had an enormous impact. Most of the humans outside the tent had apparently collapsed.
Having been hit at point-blank range, I suffered lingering aftereffects. I only woke around midday the next day, and my ears were still ringing so badly I couldn’t understand what people were saying beside me.
“After thinking it over, Ceryl’s idea is quite reasonable. If we can bring the spirits to our side, there could be no better allies.”
“I get that, but how are we supposed to bring them in? Are we supposed to offer sacrifices or something?”
At Morpha’s statement, Noance asked with a frown. Then Varen answered in my place.
“Ceryl said he offered walnuts in exchange for taking the salmon.”
“Walnuts? And the river spirit helped just for that?”
Inside the tent that had once belonged to Adeline and now belonged to Noance, the key members sat in a circle.
Leaving me still half-dazed, the others continued their heated discussion.
“The one who rules the sea will not cooperate. We should give up on that and meet the river spirit and the forest spirit instead.”
“But I’ve heard the sea spirit is the strongest among them. Isn’t it a waste to give up without even trying...?”
“What do humans know?”
“Hah, don’t underestimate human intelligence.”
It was only when I heard Varen and Theo bickering that my foggy mind began to clear.
I straightened my upper body from where I had been leaning against the chair and pressed a hand to my throbbing forehead.
“...We don’t know the odds, but we still have to go to the sea. We promised to take Maril back.”
“Release her into a river and she’ll find her way.”
“And what if she gets captured by humans along the way?”
“Hmph, how weak.”
I shot Varen a glare as he continued to object over Maril.
Then Morpha, who had apparently negotiated with Maril while I was unconscious, added calmly,
“Maril had one condition. That Ceryl personally escort her. She refused any other human.”
“That makes sense. And I’m the only human who can look her in the eye and remain unaffected.”
“But Ceryl, shouldn’t going to the Aylos family come first?”
Morpha reminded me of what I needed to do.
Suddenly holding two choices in my hands, I frowned.
In terms of urgency, going to the Aylos family came first. Considering the spell I had cast on Leobin had worked properly, the army of the dead might already have been formed.
But delaying Maril again also weighed on me. I couldn’t keep a magical creature, already bordering on depression, trapped indefinitely.
As I tapped the table and wrestled with the decision, Margon, who was now confidently attending the strategy meeting, cut in.
“The Aylos family is to the south. It takes about three days by horse to reach the sea... so if we fly, we’ll get there in a day. I’ll escort you, Ceryl.”
Margon lifted his chin as he spoke, looking not just confident but imposing.
Varen clicked his tongue and glared at him.
“Tch. I thought I’d be going alone with Ceryl. Now another large human is butting in.”
“Seriously? And how am I supposed to trust a dragon like you to look after Ceryl?”
“You insolent human. You are not the one entrusted with Ceryl—I am the one who protects my mate—”
“Both of you, quiet.”
I pushed their faces apart with both hands as they bared their teeth at each other over my head. Despite their size, both men yielded without resistance.
I began organizing what I needed to do, step by step, in my mind. Though the outcome was still uncertain, it felt like I was finally moving forward into a future that had once been nothing but vague.
At that moment, Morpha looked at Varen with a dark expression.
“Lord Varen, must you truly go to the sea?”
Now that I looked, there was concern in their face. Morpha, who was usually expressionless or irritated, looked like that for the first time.
That alone showed how dangerous it was for Varen to go to the sea.
“Yes. I will go.”
“...Haah...”
Watching Morpha let out a deep sigh, I bit my lip.
I had heard that dragons could not use their strength properly in the sea, but if it was dangerous enough for Morpha to worry like that...
This time, I would have to be separated from Varen, and go alone—
“Among dragons, only a Dravergh can deal with the sea spirit. If we want to bring him to our side, it is right that I go.”
Varen cut off my thoughts cleanly, speaking with firm conviction. I looked into his ocean-blue eyes.
For no logical reason at all, I found myself thinking—if not a dragon with eyes like that, then who else could possibly face the sea spirit?
The remaining members each decided to seek out the forest spirit and the river spirit. We distributed people carefully to maximize the chances of bringing as many beings as possible to our side.
Morpha would go to the forest spirit, the one closest to dragons, and Noance would go to the river spirit, the one most favorable to humans.
“Spirits rarely reveal themselves to humans. Noance alone will have difficulty finding it.”
At Morpha’s words, Noance simply shrugged.
“Well, if I scatter walnuts at every river I see and call out, won’t it show up?”
“You think such a sloppy plan will work?”
“It’s better than having no plan at all. It’s not like we have another option.”
Hearing their exchange, Varen let out a short sigh.
He’s definitely thinking of the same person as me. I quickly grabbed his hand, but Varen spoke first.
“There is another human who knows the river spirit besides Ceryl.”
***
Perhaps because she was so excited, her messy orange hair bounced with every step.
I followed behind Kallen, rubbing my face repeatedly with both hands, my expression troubled.
“Kallen, if anything dangerous happens, don’t step forward. Understood?”
“Yes, yes. I get it, so stop nagging.”
“...Sigh. It’s quite far from here, so make sure you bring enough food. Where did you put the gold coins?”
“Ugh, you nag too much. I wrapped them up tight in my inner pocket.”
“Take Rami with you. If anything happens, contact me immediately—”
“I said I get it!”
Kallen finally snapped, shouting. Even so, she couldn’t hide her excitement at finally having a role to play.
