Free Web Novel“......!”
“How rude!”
“Your Highness, Princess, please allow us to drag these insolent people away at once!”
The merman soldiers erupted into an uproar.
Beyond their ranks, the Mermaid Princess was visibly flustered, pacing in place.
“Huh? At once...? Yes, drag these insolent people away immediately...!”
“What will you do if His Majesty is trapped there?” Ian cut in. “Will you simply keep waiting? ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) What if he is barely holding on against the mamool right now, waiting for rescue?”
“What...?”
The Mermaid Princess covered her mouth in shock.
“Then what should we do...? No, how do you even know that my father and my brothers went to fight the mamool?”
‘Because I saw it in the game.’
And also because she had just mentioned that her brothers had gone to fight.
Since he could not say that aloud, Ian improvised.
“If a place as magnificent as this has stone fragments scattered through it—remnants of the mamool’s rampage—then it means this city has suffered considerable damage from them, does it not? I cannot imagine your merciful and courageous father and brothers sitting idly by while such creatures threatened the kingdom. Most likely, they left you, the young princess, to defend the castle while they went to subdue the mamool.”
“That’s right! Oh my goodness! How did you know? You must be an exceptionally wise human!”
The princess covered her mouth again in amazement.
“Wise?”
Keith and the elf both turned to look at Ian.
Ian remained perfectly unfazed.
“Of course, Your Highness. My insight is renowned on land. People even call me Ian the Wise.”
“Incredible!”
“......?”
“......?”
Ding!
[Mermaid Princess Moel believes you are wise.]
Ding!
[Keith doubts you are truly an Agent of God.]
Ding!
[Dorian(?) thinks you are an excellent liar.]
“Annoying.”
Ian waved away the notifications piling up in front of him.
“With my brilliant mind, I predicted that something ominous was happening here in the Underwater City... and so I descended to resolve the matter.”
“Really? Truly...?”
“Your Highness!”
One of the merman soldiers shouted. Judging by his ornate helmet, he seemed to be a general. His booming voice echoed through the chamber.
“You must not trust them! They are humans! How can humans be trusted?”
“Yes, they are humans... I can’t trust humans...”
The timid Mermaid Princess wavered once again.
“With that sly tongue of his, we cannot trust them even if we lock them in the dungeon! Please, Your Highness, banish them permanently!”
“Banish them!”
The soldiers shouted in unison.
“Banish them? But these humans came here knowing of our plight...”
“How could they possibly know of our troubles from so far away on land? Wise? I don’t believe it! Where is the intelligence in that pretty face?”
The general shouted in frustration, and the princess seemed conflicted again.
“Ugh...”
“...?”
That was worth debating?
“They are using sweet words to deceive Your Highness! I find the fact that they know about our troubles even more suspicious. They may be humans connected to ‘that one’!”
“Gasp!”
The Mermaid Princess gasped as if she were about to faint.
“‘That one’?”
Ian was sure of it now.
No version of the original storyline had ever mentioned “that one.”
A major new questline had been introduced with this patch. It was not merely a matter of new characters being added.
Hadn’t he heard something suspicious back on the Fairy Queen’s island too? freewebnovёl.ƈom
He should have dug deeper back then.
“If that is the case, then banish them... No, interrogate them...?”
“There is no need to hear any more! With that cunning tongue, they will only toy with Your Highness again! Banish them!”
“Banish them!”
The soldiers were relentless.
At this point, the usual progression was for the Mermaid Princess to expel the protagonist’s party.
That was how it typically went.
But if you played things differently, there were always hidden dialogue options to unlock.
“Go ahead and banish us,” Ian said. “Then Your Highness will lose three foolish humans willing to risk their lives to slay the mamool.”
“Wait, I’m included in that?” the elf interjected.
Ian ignored him.
Adding one more to the count made their numbers look slightly better.
“Who else will go? Who else would dare venture into a dangerous place from which not even His Majesty and your brothers have returned? Certainly not Your Highness. You must remain here and rule your kingdom. Is that not why you were left behind?”
“Ah...”
“Let us go. We will find out whether His Majesty and your brothers are safe, discover what happened to the other warriors, and, if possible, eliminate the mamool before returning. We may be humans, but we are willing to swear before God. Even in this distant Underwater City, surely you have heard of this man’s reputation—the Agent of God, Keith. Isn’t that right, Keith?”
“.......”
Keith hesitated.
He had worn the title of Agent of God without much resistance, believing he would eventually pass it to its rightful owner.
He lived according to divine principles, so the title itself had not troubled him much.
But now, to claim he was the Agent of God in earnest...
Could he dare?
Ian stared at him and lightly tugged on his sleeve, his eyes asking, What are you doing?
The tug was subtle, but it was enough to open Keith’s mouth.
“Yes.”
“Sir Keith, the Agent of God... Your reputation precedes you. If I cannot trust you, then I cannot trust anyone...”
The Mermaid Princess’s voice trembled.
“Your Highness, Sir Keith is still human!”
“If there is one human who could not possibly be connected to ‘that one,’ would it not be Sir Keith?”
This time, the princess did not falter.
The hope of bringing back her father and brothers was too tempting.
More than that...
Had any merman ever returned alive from that place?
These humans were essentially walking to their deaths.
If they truly were connected to “that one,” then her decision would still be unwise, but...
The princess made up her mind.
The burden of ruling this kingdom was too heavy for her.
She simply wanted to see her father again.
She wanted to follow his words, trust her brothers, and live peacefully under their protection.
The thought of being freed from this responsibility was too tempting.
“Open the way.”
Her voice trembled as she gave the order.
For the first time, it was a decision she had made on her own.
“Yes, Your Highness!”
Once the order was given, the soldiers offered no further resistance.
Their duty was to obey her will.
The humans and the elf were led away by the soldiers.
“Will this really be all right?”
As events moved quickly around her, the princess felt dizzy.
Under the soldiers’ guidance, Ian’s group walked for what felt like an eternity.
As the light illuminating the Underwater City shifted westward, the elf finally asked,
“How much farther? We left the palace ages ago.”
It was the question on everyone’s mind.
Keith kept his hand on his sword, suspecting the soldiers might be leading them into a trap.
The darkening surroundings seemed perfect for an ambush.
“This is the place, humans,” the merman general said.
Clank!
He held up a bundle of keys, selected one, and unlocked a large iron gate.
The rusty hinges groaned as the gate opened, revealing an ancient passage that looked as though it had not been used in years.
“This is the royal tomb. Go straight in, and you will find traces of the mamool. ...Good luck.”
His tone was flat, as if he were bidding farewell to the dead.
Ian nodded solemnly at the grim-faced merman.
The royal tomb was vast, almost like an estate.
If not for the eerie, lifeless atmosphere, it might have been mistaken for one.
As they stepped inside, the general locked the gate behind them.
Click!
The merman soldiers slowly withdrew.
“Uh, are we trapped in here?” the elf asked innocently.
“.......”
Ian was certain the general had heard that question.
“No. You go. Find somewhere to hide.”
Watching the soldiers disappear, Ian turned to the elf.
The mermen might be treating this place as Ian’s party’s tomb, but—
Would Ian have entered if he thought that was all it was?
Now that he was inside, this place was a treasure trove of experience points.
And he had no intention of sharing it with some character who might or might not join him later.
