Chapter 32
Chapter 32
Episode 32.
Yona's judgment was lightning fast. 'He knows my identity.' The moment this realization solidified in her mind, her brain worked frantically. Should she kill the paladin before her? No. Too many people knew he had come to meet her. Moreover, the possibility of subduing him was uncertain. The combat prowess of paladins varied wildly between individuals. If there was even a one-in-a-million chance this man was a high-ranking paladin, she wouldn't stand a chance.
Thus, there was only one answer. Flee.
The instant she twisted her torso to leap through the window, Aiden's large hand clamped down on the nape of her neck like a vise.
Yona was a platinum-ranked adventurer—a powerhouse recognized by the guild as top-tier.
Yet she felt overwhelming helplessness without even crossing blades.
The paladin was swift as lightning, and his grip strength seemed limitless.
The pressure was such that it felt like he could crumple steel plates with ease.
If not for the sea... No, even in the sea, she wouldn't have been confident.
"I have no intention of harming you. Sit."
Aiden pulled Yona back to her original seat. She felt like a puppet. Aiden continued in a calm tone:
"As I said, I need to go to the sea. Will you accept my request?"
Yona was a resident of an underwater civilization. In other words—a mermaid. The merfolk built their civilization in Atlantis, an underwater city located about 200 meters deep in the Bvon Strait.
This was Vacheksar's doing.
A punishment from the Sun God upon the 'Sierun' tribe who worshipped the Sea God.
Before Vacheksar imprisoned the tribe in the depths and confined them to Atlantis, they could freely traverse both sea and land.
Thanks to their divine gift, they could take human form on land and merfolk form in the sea.
But the Sea God who granted them this power was torn apart and sealed by Vacheksar.
Consequently, the Sierun tribe's transformative ability became strangely distorted.
Within Atlantis, they lived in human form, but the moment they left the city and touched the sea, they lost their sentience and transformed into mindless merfolk.
Ironically, the citizens of Atlantis used this phenomenon to execute criminals.
Exiling them, turning them into monsters. These banished merfolk ended up on the dining tables of land-dwelling humans.
The Sierun tribe lived believing Atlantis and the surrounding sea were the entirety of their world.
Forgotten history, continued ignorance.
But Yona was a special case.
She was the only one who retained the Sea God's divine gift in its complete form.
Such individuals were born only once a century. A fragment of divinity left by the Sea God—a supernatural phenomenon created just before his sealing, for the sake of the Sierun tribe who worshipped him.
In other words, Yona was both the Sea God's apostle and Atlantis's liberator.
Though right now, she was merely an adventurer.
"...How much do you know about me?"
Yona decided pretense was pointless and asked directly.
Aiden was pleased by this. It meant he wouldn't have to resort to the brutal method he'd prepared.
That would have been too cruel for her.
"I know everything from beginning to end. And your wish aligns with my interests."
Yona longed for the liberation of the Sierun tribe.
Aiden sought the ruins of the Great Hero Elpis hidden within Atlantis.
To access the ruins, one had to prove their worth by destroying the prison that was Atlantis.
Thus, Yona's wish and Aiden's goal coincided.
There was a contradiction, though.
The Great Hero Elpis was the one who had imprisoned the tribe in the depths.
Yet the condition for visiting her ruins was the liberation of Atlantis.
Aiden, of course, knew the reason. Part of why he summoned Saint Yuriel here was related to this very paradox.
Yona stared at Aiden with wary eyes.
From her perspective, nothing made sense. How did he know her identity? What did he mean by 'aligned interests'?
"...So. What do you want from me?"
"I've said it multiple times. Take me to the sea."
"Be more specific."
"Impossible."
The moment he listed Atlantis's secrets, Aiden would die.
Instead, he pulled out a bead the size of a fingernail from his pocket.
Something he'd obtained from Arhan in exchange for hiding the ruins and crafting a body.
Yona's eyes trembled violently. This was what she'd been searching for—the key to Atlantis's liberation.
Of course, this bead wasn't the only one. There were other ways to obtain it, but all were beyond Yona's current reach.
"How—how did you get that?!"
"You recognize it, I see."
As she reflexively reached out, Aiden swiftly pocketed the bead again.
He pressed his index finger against her forehead and pushed her back.
"I'll use this as payment for your services. What do you say?"
Yona was speechless. The object she'd desperately sought was right before her, yet its owner was a paladin of the Church.
Moreover, he refused to elaborate on what he knew. She couldn't make an informed decision.
Seeing her trembling gaze, Aiden slowly spoke:
"Let me warn you in advance. Don't even think about stealing it."
Yona wasn't foolish. She had no intention of betting her life and her people on an impossible gamble. She was just frustrated at being unable to discern Aiden's intentions.
"...I'm not stupid."
Aiden nodded.
"I know why you're conflicted. This might sound strange, but could you tell me your story in your own words? It'll make our conversation much smoother."
The moment he heard the information from her, the divine prohibition would lift.
"What on earth do you mean...? Didn't you say you knew everything?"
"That's separate. There's a reason I need to hear it from you."
Yona stared at Aiden with suspicion. Silence stretched between them, and Aiden grew increasingly impatient.
He frowned.
"Strange. From what I see, you should be clinging to me for dear life. Even now, merfolk are being served on dining tables."
Yona looked down at the floor. The sound of her teeth grinding was audible.
"Come on, time's short. Hurry."
Yona had no choice.
Aiden headed to the Tears of the Mermaid inn where he'd instructed Deril to wait.
Since it was fairly close to the adventurer's guild, it didn't take long to reach.
The clerk at the counter directed Aiden to a room—likely arranged by Deril. Aiden immediately went upstairs and turned the doorknob.
Deril and Sein looked up at him. They'd been inspecting their gear, given the assortment of blades scattered messily across the floor.
Deril always maintained his weapons like this before battle, though this time it was unnecessary. His mission was different.
"Milord, you've arrived? But who's this lovely lady beside you?"
Aiden locked the door behind him and answered flatly:
"A mermaid."
Yona whipped her head toward Aiden. Her glare seemed to scold him for his bluntness.
Deril and Sein exchanged glances, unsure how to respond to Aiden's dry joke. They wanted to play along to spare his dignity, but nothing came to mind.
"Haha... My apologies, milord."
Aiden gave them a puzzled look before pointing to the circular sofa in the center of the room.
"Everyone, sit."
True to the city's wealth, the inn's furnishings were quite luxurious.
They all sat around the circular table.
Yona frowned. Directly in front of her was a decorative piece made from mermaid skin—a blue flower crafted from tightly arranged scales.
Aiden made a slightly bitter expression and said to Deril:
"Switch seats with her."
Deril thought to himself that Aiden was indeed a man—he must want to sit facing the pretty woman.
"My apologies for lacking tact, milord."
Deril grinned and swapped places with Yona.
Aiden glanced at everyone before speaking:
"Let's cut to the chase. Yona is a mermaid. I plan to descend to Atlantis with her, while the two of you have separate tasks."
With the divine prohibition lifted, he could speak freely.
Silence fell. Deril and Sein stared blankly at Aiden. It was unlikely Aiden would joke twice.
Yona's gaze turned to Aiden.
"Is this also necessary?"
"We'll need hands to rescue your people."
If Atlantis fell, Vacheksar's curse would vanish. The merfolk would cease to be merfolk—they'd return to being ordinary humans.
Yona nodded resignedly. Then she rolled up her sleeve and presented her arm to the two.
Scales shimmered into view. Deril and Sein's pupils dilated.
Deril recoiled so violently he toppled backward over the sofa.
Sein, surprisingly, adapted quickly. He stared at the scales with curiosity.
"They're pretty."
Yona seemed slightly taken aback by his reaction.
"Pretty?"
"Yes, the colors are lovely."
Yona brought her arm closer to Sein.
"W-want to touch them? I don't mind."
Sein glanced at Aiden for permission. When Aiden nodded, Sein cautiously reached out.
The scales were smooth and moist to the touch.
Aiden gestured to Deril.
"Pull yourself together and sit back down."
Deril scratched the back of his head sheepishly. Seeing his younger brother so composed made his own panic feel embarrassingly excessive.
After a brief pause, the chaotic atmosphere settled. Aiden spoke again, detailing their plans moving forward.
Deril, Sein, and Yurion each had separate tasks on land. He repeated his instructions multiple times to ensure they understood before concluding.
Yona handed Deril a fish-shaped key.
"It's a vault key. Even in these times, there'll be sailors willing to set sail for the coins stored there."
Money she'd saved up during her adventuring days.
With that, the preparations were mostly complete. Right on cue, a knock sounded at the door. 'Perfect.' The saint must have successfully slipped away from the Church.
"Who is it?"
"Open up."
Deril rushed to turn the knob—then froze stiff.
When Aiden approached, he saw Yurion and a woman disguised as a man standing outside. Even in disguise, her beauty was unmistakable.
The handsome youth blushed shyly, staring at the floor, while Deril couldn't take his eyes off her.
Eventually, Deril sniffed loudly and reached out. The youth panicked and stepped back. He'd never encountered someone like Deril—so transparent yet somehow crude.
"Milord... I think I might prefer men."
Aiden exhaled deeply.