Chapter 63
Chapter 63
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 63
Chapter Title: An Aquarium Holding a Whale (5)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Suddenly, another thing worth praising came to mind, so I grabbed Enbi and started babbling.
"Truly, it was all thanks to you, Sir Enbi, that we were able to reach the Hermit's Land."
There was a touch of sincerity in this praise.
"If it weren't for you, Sir Enbi, we never could have so easily caught a demon beast from the depths of the sea..."
As I was speaking, the Crown Prince grabbed me by the scruff of my neck.
"Hm? Your Highness Thymeus?"
The Crown Prince yanked me away from Enbi as if tossing out trash and glared at him coldly.
"Don't act so pathetic."
Leaving me behind, the Crown Prince strode off alone and huddled with the captain, whispering about the Hermit's Land.
"What a jerk, seriously."
I straightened my clothes and glared at the Crown Prince's back. Enbi approached like a curious dog, circling around me again.
"Even though humans are in the same pack, you don't get along?"
"That's not it."
I emphasized to Enbi.
"We're not in the same pack at all."
That said, the Crown Prince was the leader of this demon beast subjugation squad. To ask if we were heading to the Hermit's Land, I sidled up near him and peeked over.
"Your Highness Thymeus. Do you plan to enter the Hermit's Land as well? The battle at the straits ended sooner than expected, so we have some extra time on our schedule..."
"......"
The Crown Prince shot me a sullen glare for no apparent reason. I hated his guts, but he outranked me, so I held my tongue. If this were a game, I'd have shoved this jerk straight into a bad ending out of spite.
"With this unexpected guest, going into the Hermit's Land right now would be unwise."
The Crown Prince's voice was stiff, sounding crankier than usual.
"We'll handle the rest and head back. Confirming no anomalies in the Hermit's Land should suffice for this subjugation."
"What about Hailo?"
My throat felt parched. I had to prevent the king's token from falling into the Crown Prince's hands too. After all, he was one of the male leads. The stronger he got, the trickier he'd be for me to deal with.
"I heard from Gerbera. You planned to take down the sea dragon Hailo. Wasn't that the biggest reason you came to the straits?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"......"
"It's true I intended to slay the sea dragon. But I'm not so idle that I'd turn the ocean upside down chasing one rat. If we don't find it right away, we can just dispatch knights to its sighting areas. My top priority is protecting civilians."
The Crown Prince raised a finger and pressed it firmly into my shoulder. It felt like a warning.
"The point isn't catching demon beasts to rack up achievements. Remember that, Sierra Gluttony."
"I'll keep it in mind."
What a pain in the ass.
"What do you plan to do with that mermaid?"
"Well, I haven't gotten what this greed-driven me is after yet."
"Why do you keep hyping him up? His excessive praise was making even my face heat up."
"He's the mermaid leader. No harm in cozying up to him."
The Crown Prince let out a light sigh and said,
"Do whatever you want with him—release him into the sea or keep him in an aquarium."
With that, he turned away.
"Keep him in an aquarium..."
Before the Crown Prince's figure fully vanished, I faintly caught him muttering to himself.
"It's troubling when the dog doesn't recognize its master."
Hearing that, I debated rubbing my ears.
Hey, did you just compare me to a dog?
'No way... Does Thymeus actually think I'm his dog?'
It was infuriating enough to burst my guts, and I wasn't even a demon beast.
It wasn't like I enjoyed sweet-talking and fawning over Enbi. This was all strategy to get what I wanted.
Unable to explain my deeper intentions, frustration welled up.
I turned on my heel and headed back to Enbi. Favor still at two hearts. It meant I had to pile on more compliments, tedious as it was.
"Wow, Sir Enbi, you're so cool and amazing and incredible that I can't help but praise you."
There was a strange lack of energy in my voice. No wonder, after spouting insincere flattery all day—my stamina was draining.
With nothing to lose, I decided to ask about Elsenote again. I sidled up to Enbi, acting all chummy, and even threw an arm around his shoulder. Being a mermaid, his skin was slick.
"It looks like our group won't be going all the way to the Hermit's Land. How about stopping by the temple on the way back to check if Lady Elsenote is safe?"
"Hmm. Should we? Of course, you humans can't go. I'll check alone."
"Don't say that! Together."
"Why do you keep wanting to meet Lady Elsenote with me?"
Enbi's voice held a hint of tension. Even one of his favor hearts flickered, on the verge of extinguishing.
"Well, obviously..."
If I told the truth, Enbi would dive into the sea and bolt.
"Someone as remarkable as the great mermaid leader is worried about her, so how could I not be curious? As a human, I know little about sacred sites in the sea. But as a mage, my desire for pure, radiant mana is intense. How could I not wonder? Right? Haha."
"Is that so?"
Enbi didn't argue with my evasion and simply nodded. Was he kind, or dense? Probably both.
"Besides, I want to face off against that sea dragon Hailo soon and see how it goes. Humans in the areas Hailo attacks are suffering greatly. As a duke, it's hard to stand by while people endure such pain."
"Hmm..."
Did my words sway Enbi a bit? His expression seemed to soften slightly.
Seizing the moment, I pressed further.
"If you hand over Lady Elsenote's pearl, I promise not to interfere with your freedom any longer."
Meaning, once I had the pearl, your chances of becoming mermaid king would be dead in the water.
"This is such a hassle..."
Enbi muttered. Here I was pleading desperately, and he wouldn't budge for such a minor reason.
From his perspective, it was natural, though. I was just some novice otherworlder he'd met today.
"......"
After a tense silence...
"How about this?"
Enbi suddenly broke it with an excited tone.
"You like deals, right?"
That opening alone made me uneasy.
"In exchange for getting Lagia back, I'll fetch the pearl for you. By tonight. You humans can't head to your home turf right away anyway, right? Wait just a bit, and I'll bring the pearl. In return, give me Lagia."
"......"
I gave an awkward smile and took a step back.
Absolutely unacceptable terms.
First off, releasing Enbi meant he could use the pearl to take down Hailo himself. If he claimed the king's token that way, all my exhausting flattery of Enbi would be for nothing.
And asking for Lagia? No way. If Enbi got Lagia and powered up, then hit it off with the heroine during some future demon beast subjugation...
'No.'
My dead sister—no, what I wanted was a total annihilation ending. All the male leads—every single one, all of them! I wanted them miserable. Everyone except me.
I couldn't let Enbi, who'd tormented Dahlia through countless game episodes, become mermaid king and strut around succeeding in romance and business.
This was my pure malice.
"That won't work."
"Why not?"
"Because I want to get stronger."
I locked eyes squarely with Enbi.
"You're so indifferent you tossed Lagia away the moment you saw it. But I'm different. Lagia reshaped itself into a scythe to match my mana."
"Lagia doesn't change forms easily."
"...And with Lagia, I can use new techniques. I couldn't take down Hailo alone without it."
"I never said you had to do it alone."
"...Not just Hailo. I have to face even stronger foes, so how could I let go of such a great partner?"
"Do you want to get stronger?"
I nodded seriously in response.
"Yes. Stronger than anyone."
"Hmm. Are you strong now?"
Enbi grabbed my arm, yanked it up, and shook me around like a toy, inspecting it.
"You don't look built for wielding a sword. A scythe would be even heavier."
"I can handle it with mana..."
"Well, true. That yellow human called Thymeus was smaller than me but pretty strong. The red human seemed strong too, blasting those flashy flames. Are you like that?"
"Yeah, you could say that."
Enbi shook me a bit more before stopping the human abuse. Whew. On this already rocking ship, I nearly got twice the seasickness.
Once the play stopped, Enbi stared at me intently and asked.
"So, you want to get even stronger than now?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
I decided to answer with pure sincerity.
"Because I want to make miserable everyone who made my sister unhappy—demon beasts, humans, whatever race, no exceptions."
That includes you, Enbi. I won't say it, though.
"I'm strong without Lagia."
Enbi said out of the blue.
"You seem like it."
"I'm not all that fond of Lagia either. He's noisy. Lots of nagging. And inconvenient when roaming with the orca pod. I have to carry him in a human-like form."
"Then just go without Lagia."
"Lagia's been the mermaid king's token for generations. Even when I was a tiny whale, Mother Elsenote told me. That I'm fated to become mermaid king. That I must meet a being to make me stronger. That has to be Lagia."
"......"
Enbi's loyalty to Elsenote seemed rock-solid.
But something felt off. Enbi's face as he spoke of becoming mermaid king looked utterly reluctant.
Isn't this a must-achieve dream? Why does he look like a kid forced by parents to go to cram school?
"By any chance..."
I recalled the game version of Enbi. What was this guy's heart like back then?
Enbi's happy ending route was clear: uniting with the heroine and pacifying the seas.
The bad ending: trying to save the heroine cursed by Elsenote, only for Enbi to get devoured by Elsenote instead.
'Ah... So that's it.'
Yeah. Now I get it. Why Enbi was so jittery about Elsenote.
Elsenote was both his mother and his predator.
That's why Enbi inwardly feared her and tried to obey her command-not-command to become mermaid king.
'But deep down, he doesn't even want to be king.'
I'd thought becoming the strongest was Enbi's happiness and goal. Maybe not. Maybe he prefers this life of enjoying duels and drifting freely through the seas.
"Sir Enbi. Do you really have to become the mermaid king?"