Chapter 189
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 189
Giovanni loved the sea.
The sun was warm, yet scorching. The sea was cold, yet refreshing. Everything in the world had its pros and cons, and this world consisted not just of land, but of the sea as well. The ocean breeze had a clear, distinct flow.
So, it was only natural that he had given his heart to a mermaid.
"Aria."
With familiar bare feet, Gio walked upon the water’s surface.
"You know I can’t swim."
"You really are a peculiar human, Teacher."
Splash…
The mermaid’s fin splashed lightly against the water.
"On that planet, humans who couldn’t swim were truly rare."
"For some reason, I just kept sinking."
"You have to relax your body. Only then can you speak with the sea."
"Perhaps it’s because I’m already content with just you."
"You have a knack for saying the most embarrassing things."
Aria asked, "Is it really alright for you to come out this far?"
A pale, slender hand wrapped around Gio’s leg.
"A mermaid might just gobble you up, you know."
"Ahaha…"
Giovanni clasped her cold hand.
"That sounds lovely, too."
"..."
"Will you teach me how to swim?"
"...Alright."
Aria clasped his cool hand in return.
"Let’s do that."
Splash—
Pulled by the mermaid, the priest plunged into the sea.
*
"It was like this back then, too."
Embracing his lukewarm warmth, Aria continued.
"You were like a prince woven from sunlight. I believed none of the sun’s children could be more noble."
"..."
"I was so fascinated by what I didn’t have. That light, shining even beneath the surface, felt as though it would last forever. Perhaps I wanted to hold you close and drag you down to my home in the deep sea."
"..."
"Even now… I still do."
Even in the dark night, Gio’s platinum-blonde hair was as warm as the spring sun.
Aria raised her hand and gently stroked the cheek of Giovanni, who floated above her. Whether his warmth had been stolen by the dawn sea or he had always been this cold, he was not as warm as he appeared.
Yet, he was smiling.
"..."
"...Teacher."
Holding his cheek, Aria laughed and cried at once. Tears of pearl streamed from her eyes.
"I love you."
The first child of the land I ever wanted to possess.
My one and only teacher, who taught me about the world, about emotions, about daily life. The sole, irreplaceable human across all dimensions.
"I love you, Teacher. I’ve missed you for countless ages. Without you, the entire world looked so hideous. Ah, and yet… it was a world you loved so dearly."
"..."
"I tried to love it, too, but it wasn’t easy. Something that was easier than swimming when you were here became so difficult without you. Why didn’t the sun save you, Teacher? Why didn’t the deep sea punish us?"
"...Aria."
"I know you won’t forgive me. The only forgiveness my brother and I need is yours, but you have no forgiveness to give us. It probably wasn’t yours to give in the first place."
For the first and last time, the mermaid felt regret.
"I regret it."
If I had known you would truly return to my arms, I would have waited more quietly.
"And my regret isn’t for the pitiful lives that died by my hand."
"I know."
"Nor is this the regret you wished for, Teacher. But what can I do? I am such a selfish, wicked monster…"
After all, if a monster repented for its sins, could it still be called a monster?
"But even so… am I human?"
"Is there any reason you shouldn’t be?"
"..."
"Humans can be as selfish and wicked as they please."
"...You’re right."
Aria embraced her teacher once more.
"You would know that best."
For it was her teacher who had died by the most horrific selfishness and wickedness. If Giovanni did not know the ugliness of humanity, who possibly could?
"I am just a little cold, and good at swimming…"
"And a human whose tears turn to pearls."
"Whatever you say is right, Teacher."
"I see."
"If only our grave had been the sea of that day…"
Aria fantasized about suffocating to death in the sea—a fate only a 'human' could suffer.
"Nothing can be undone."
Even if she resurrected all those she had killed, restored the broken families, and returned the sun to the planets imprisoned in the sea, that day could never return.
Aria blamed herself out of sheer selfishness.
"I have only two choices left."
"What are they?"
"I could become an Evil God and be with you forever."
"And?"
"...Or I could bear my own responsibility and wait to be accepted one day."
"Your own responsibility."
His voice was warm.
"What will you do?"
"Teacher."
Aria asked, like the young student she had once been.
"...Do you love us?"
"Of course."
Gio did not know how to abandon what he had once loved.
"I will love you forever."
Within those words, the mermaid found her answer.
"..."
"When will I see you again?"
"...Once the preparations are complete."
Releasing Gio from her embrace, Aria smiled.
"I will invite the humans."
With that, she vanished into the deep sea—deep, deep into the darkness where Giovanni could not reach.
*
"...??"
Ju-hyeon looked dumbfounded.
"Wasn’t that a declaration of war?"
"It was."
"...I see!"
Yoo Seong-un let out a hollow laugh at Ju-hyeon’s strained reaction.
"Monsters these days have a romantic way of declaring war."
"That was romantic?"
"Yes, romantic and poetic. An embrace in the dawn sea…"
"She must have missed her teacher’s warmth."
"The strange part is, you’re not even wrong."
Yoo Seong-un followed up with a question.
"How long do you think the preparation will take?"
"Are you asking me, a mere portrait?"
"Still, out of all of us, you know the mermaids best."
"Aria is an outstanding doctor and researcher. It won’t take that long."
"So you can’t even give a rough estimate?"
"Hmm… about a month?"
"You’re kidding."
Yoo Seong-un let out a sharp exclamation.
"We only have a month to prepare for an attack from an S-Rank Dungeon?"
"In reality, all they need is mental preparation, so it might take even less time."
"So, is this it? Is Earth finally done for…?"
"I am here, so I doubt it will come to ruin."
"I knew this day would come eventually."
"It won’t perish."
Ju-hyeon asked, utterly flabbergasted, "Then shouldn’t we stop standing around like this?"
"Come on, Ju-hyeon. Do you have any idea how long it’s been since I last had a vacation?"
"To be honest, the fate of the Earth seems a little more important than your personal vacation."
"Seriously, do you have to be so heartless?"
Yoo Seong-un let out a deep sigh.
"...First, I’ll inform our Guild Master."
"If possible… it would be best to inform the Association as well."
"Since we don’t know how they’ll use the sea, we should definitely give the coastal areas a heads-up."
"Once the Collector and the Association find out, the other Symbols of Eternity will inevitably learn of it too."
"Even so, it’s not like all of them will step up. Well, maybe the folks at Justitia, but…"
Gio, who wasn’t well-versed in guild affairs, asked, "What is Justitia?"
"It’s the name of South Korea’s number one guild," Ju-hyeon explained, as always. "They say it was named after Lady Justice."
"While the Association handles South Korea’s overall administration and our Collector Guild manages the funding, Justitia handles public security, big and small, across the whole country."
"Justitia’s Guild Master is one of the Symbols of Eternity, dedicated to protecting human lives and eradicating crime. Because of that, they do a lot of minor volunteer work and frequently lead major raids."
"Since their Guild Master leads by example, they would certainly lend a hand if a national disaster struck, but…" Yoo Seong-un rubbed his neck. "They’ll probably be too busy protecting ordinary citizens to directly participate in the raid."
Justitia had always felt like a 'last bastion.'
"Unless the country is on the verge of complete collapse, we shouldn’t expect too much from them."
"Still, isn’t it reassuring that they can prevent potential casualties in a worst-case scenario?"
"They certainly are reliable in that regard."
However, it was hard to expect them to join the raid.
"An S-Rank Dungeon doesn’t necessarily require an S-Rank Hunter. You can always overwhelm it with sheer numbers. High-ranking Hunters are precious, especially in Korea, a country that succeeded through its human resources."
"Above all, an S-Rank making a move carries immense symbolic weight. If they step forward directly, it might actually make more people anxious. Even the Association President, who cares deeply about administrative management… will likely try to avoid stepping up if possible."
"The times when a Symbol of Eternity stepped up were usually when the aftermath of the Great Catastrophe was severe. Considering how many people are still terrified of the Great Catastrophe, they won’t act lightly."
Gio tilted his head. "What happens if a bigger problem arises because they held back to avoid triggering public fear? Rather than leaving dangerous possibilities unchecked, wouldn’t it be better to take thorough action from the very beginning?"
"That’s the textbook answer, but…" Yoo Seong-un paused to think before continuing. "Look at it this way. The Symbols of Eternity are far too busy to step in every single time Earth has a problem. You could think of it as the price of their reputation—to get those people moving, South Korea has to be shaken to its core, at the very least."
"Does that mean there is a heavy burden in deploying them?"
"It might seem a bit strange to you, but nations are inherently entangled in a countless web of conflicting interests. You can think of it as their movements becoming sluggish because they’ve climbed too high."
"Is it a matter of status?"
"Hmm… in short, yes."
This wasn’t a problem unique to the Symbols of Eternity.
"Above all, if we rely on the few S-Rank Hunters we have every single time a problem arises, this planet won’t last long. Even now, the world is barely sustained by the mercy of a handful of powerful individuals. If S-Ranks personally handle everything, humanity will grow complacent."
This was a matter decided long ago in a summit of the world’s S-Ranks. Unless the fate of a nation or a dimension was on the line, S-Ranks were to refrain from intervening as much as possible.
"The rest of humanity needs to adapt to this environment beforehand, while the S-Rank Hunters are still around to prevent the worst. After all, you never know when those people might change their minds."
"So it’s giving them a chance to adapt."
"No matter how capable S-Ranks are, that handful of people can’t resolve every single matter on Earth. Even if they could, they shouldn’t. So, it’s hard to expect an S-Rank to step up."
They would keep a close eye on the situation, but they wouldn’t intervene from the start.
"So for this… it would be better to form an alliance with other guilds."
"Will you not collaborate with the Religious Order?"
"We’ll have to see. It might needlessly provoke the mermaids."
Ju-hyeon nodded at that. "Shall we head back for now, then?"
"I can’t even enjoy a vacation in peace. In my next life, I’m definitely going to be born as a Non-Awakened."
"I’m not sure if that’s something you can just choose."
Gio chimed in. "Would you like me to help you?"
"Please do, once I die."
"I will try my best."
"I don’t know what exactly you’re going to try, but alright."
"From now on, you will be my friends even after you die."
"..."
Yoo Seong-un hesitated before asking, "...Did we just make some kind of contract?"
"Since I live this long, you’ll have to be friends with me in your next life, too."
"Your positivity is frankly terrifying."
"You flatter me."
Sensing the stiff atmosphere, a gentle smile formed on Giovanni’s face.
"It was a joke, so ease up."
"How is that a joke?"
"Why do you think it isn’t?"
"Ju-hyeon, say something."
Ju-hyeon laughed. "It would be nice to be friends with Gio in the next life, too."
"No, at this rate, we might end up being friends with Gio in the life after next as well!"
"A friend who stays by your side even after you die and come back to life—that sounds quite reassuring."
"...Sure."
Yoo Seong-un accepted it.
He’d clearly given up.
That was a smile of resignation.
"I told you, it was a joke."
"Yeah, yeah, I get it."
No one paid any attention to Gio’s words.