Chapter 80
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 80
Gio gazed at the Mermaid Princess, who had grown strong and beautiful.
“…”
Her hair, with its strange coloration like the deep sea; her eyes, resembling pearls from legend; and even her dress, which flowed like waves—everything about her symbolized the ocean. And yet, the oversized white doctor’s gown draped over her shoulders stood out starkly against it all.
Back then, we used to play pranks like this all the time. It was just a silly joke.
“…”
“…Yes, I am human, too.”
And because of that, Gio could be certain.
“Let’s talk.”
In the end, this was a place where humanity had to win.
Give the Mermaid Princess an ending (0/1)
He was sure of it.
* * *
Aria did not resent Giovanni.
In her eyes, he was the only human who mattered. Among countless others, he was the most truthful and, at the same time, as good and gentle as a character from a fairy tale. Something so rare deserved to be loved.
“I respect you, Giovanni.”
But too much time had passed.
“Hasn’t too much happened for a shallow word like ‘respect’ to cover it all?”
“To me, it feels like I just woke up from a nap to find the young mermaids running around, causing trouble.”
“They are no longer young, unfortunately.”
Aria loved Giovanni, but she hated humans. She loathed and despised them.
“I learned so much from you. Human emotions, human life, human judgment…”
“I also taught you human anatomy.”
“That was a great help. Even after you died.”
“Do you resent me?”
“It’s closer to love and stubbornness. That’s a bit different from resentment.”
“Mermaids are creatures like that, after all.”
“Aren’t we a foolish race that can live an entire lifetime on a single memory?”
For such a mermaid, the existence of Giovanni was far too cruel.
“Since your death, I have faced countless humans. Some were self-sacrificing, some were selfish. Some drove their own children into the Abyss, while others gave their lives for strangers whose faces they didn’t even know.”
“Such diversity is precisely what proves humanity’s potential.”
“I agree. That’s why I couldn’t give up on this life. Believing an end would come someday, I have analyzed, researched, and studied countless humans.”
“It must have been a very long time.”
“I have wished for this day to come for a long, long time. All the while, I continued to vent my meaningless anger, sinking the suns of so many dimensions…”
“I understand.”
“And now, it seems my ending has finally arrived.”
It was an ending in the name of Giovanni.
“In the Earth fairy tale, the Mermaid Princess eventually turns into sea foam and disappears. Is the ending you envision the same, Giovanni?”
“How they imagine it is up to each child. Even if the mermaid in the story turns to foam and is forgotten by everyone, in some child’s mind, she is living a happy life with her prince.”
“I’m sorry, but there are no children left here. All that remains is a princess stained crimson with blood in her quest to see humanity’s limits, and the loyal subordinates who follow her.”
“Then, what is the ending that the Mermaid Princess desires?”
“Human suffering. Human despair. The annihilation of humanity. I never expected to meet you on this Earth while trying to sink yet another sun… but for now.”
“Did you devour humans, Princess?”
“The oceans of all dimensions have already devoured countless humans. Even at this very moment, the sea is taking the lives of the greedy, and it must be devouring the innocent as well.”
Gio’s noble face was on full display. It was the face of a saint, once called the savior of humanity and the son of the one true God.
“As you once said, isn’t the sea a cruel existence to humans?”
“But it is beautiful. Just as I, who couldn’t even swim, built a house by the sea and lived there for half my life.”
“Do you still consider the sea and mermaids to be one and the same?”
“Do you want to hear that you’re beautiful?”
“I can’t say I don’t. I wanted to show you how much I’ve grown, my Teacher.”
But this was probably not the appearance he had hoped for.
“How does it feel, seeing the mermaid you raised with your own hands grow up like this?”
“…”
Mourning filled his blue eyes.
“…I am sad.”
“I see.”
“I am glad to meet you again, yet it is tragic.”
“Why is that?”
“Because you are a mermaid.”
For whom was that mourning intended?
“And I am human.”
“…Giovanni, you always used to speak of the differences and limitations between humans and mermaids.”
With a smile that looked as if it would only ever speak of fairy tales, Giovanni had always spoken of the wretchedness of reality.
“This is the important part.”
Aria glanced at the white-haired Hunter sitting with a tense expression, then looked back at Gio, who still wore that gentle smile.
“I…”
It was a smile she had wanted to possess her entire life but never could. A smile her younger brother had tried to imitate but could only ever mimic. A smile she had yearned to see just once more but hadn’t even dared to attempt…
In the end, it was a smile she had given up on.
“…For thousands of years, I have endlessly studied humans, trying to find their limits. But I must confess my own incompetence; I could never define a clear goal. I was simply wandering, not knowing what to do.”
Gio spoke. “And it is the teacher’s role to show the path forward.”
“Giovanni, I am standing at a crossroads. You must help me.”
What would he choose?
“This foolish, stubborn mermaid could spend the rest of her immortal life simply hating, despising, and loathing humans, or… yes, like the fairy tale of this Earth, she could turn into sea foam and disappear.”
The death of a human, or the death of a mermaid?
“Now, Teacher.”
“…”
“What should I do?”
Aria respected the human named Giovanni. She loved his very name. She felt a sense of mystery in his humanity, and she worshipped his endless wisdom and welling kindness. If there was ever a human who could bring sunlight down into the sea, it was Giovanni.
“Teacher, you wanted the land and the sea to become one, didn’t you?”
Aria had placed the sea in the sky to devour the sun.
“Even if our goals were the same, the results would have surely been different. Isn’t that right?”
Instead of this cold, fishy reality, Giovanni would have created a warm fairy tale that smelled of sunshine. But that Giovanni had been betrayed by humans and devoured by mermaids. Aria looked at his kind face, still filled with warmth.
“…”
“Now, give me my end.”
After all, you became the sun for that very purpose.
* * *
Watching the situation unfold, Yoo Seong-un held his breath.
…This is going in a strange direction.
When young Cha Yi-sol was first kidnapped, and they ended up here in the ‘Deep Sea Kingdom,’ he had expected a massive battle. It was only natural for a fight to break out when Hunters entered a dungeon.
But this mermaid, Aria, seemed to genuinely want to talk. This entire space had been created solely for a war of words.
And… she’s forcing Gio to choose between humans and mermaids.
He could feel her sincerity.
If Gio chooses humans, what will she do? Will she torment humanity out of spite? Or is she really going to die?
Depending on the ‘path’ Gio showed her, Aria would either torture humans for the rest of her life or die right here.
Monsters are usually like that, but…
Aria’s hatred for humans also seemed stronger than anything he’d ever seen.
It sounds like she’s saying she’ll put an end to her life of researching humans. After thousands of years, I guess it’s about time for a resolution, but does it make sense to hand that choice to Gio? He’s deciding the fate of both humans and mermaids.
What a selfish attitude.
“…”
Yoo Seong-un glanced back at Gio.
“…”
“…”
Gio was still looking at the mermaid, Aria, with a smile on his face.
…I’m actually curious what choice he’ll make.
It was true that the entity known as ‘Gio’s Portrait’ was extremely favorable toward humans. However, just as he had worried when they first arrived at the ‘Deep Sea Temple,’ Gio had deep ties with these mermaids and might just choose them.
In fact, he can’t even be called human right now. He’s a monster, same as them. If he chooses the mermaids, it wouldn’t be completely out of line… I have no idea what choice he’ll make.
Moreover, that side was arguably more rational. Objectively speaking, the losses would be far smaller.
If he chooses humans, Aria, the mermaid he was close to, will die immediately. On the other hand, if he chooses the mermaids, it’s not like he can suddenly kill all humans across every dimension. If Gio chooses the mermaids now, he could stay by their side and advocate for humans. Objectively, that would be more beneficial in the long run.
Of course, Aria had said, ‘You are human in the end,’ and acted as if she might devour even Gio if she got displeased… but given Gio’s status, he wouldn’t be defeated so easily.
From that perspective, the few humans in this dungeon would die, but the majority of humanity—and his beloved mermaids—would live. Because Seong-un knew Gio had a shameless side and wasn’t purely good, he was even more worried.
“…”
Still, this wasn’t his place to intervene, so Yoo Seong-un kept his mouth shut.
…In the end, it’s Gio’s choice.
As they waited, Gio let out a soft chuckle.
“Whew… To be honest, I found this a bit amusing.”
“…What is?”
“They say family resembles each other. I guess we did, too.”
Unlike the dark, blunt, black-haired Gio, this brightly colored Giovanni naturally suited even that light, somewhat playful smile. The mermaid Aria, though chillingly expressionless, seemed captivated by it.
“…”
It was as if she couldn’t help but recall a time she sorely missed.
Gio curled his lips, looking embarrassed, troubled, and amused all at once.
“I had my own worries, you know. I found a way to come to the ‘Deep Sea Kingdom’ without a submersible, but no matter how much I wandered around and waited here, I couldn’t find a single trace of you or Iser.”
It seemed the reason this portrait had been visiting the ‘Deep Sea Kingdom’ all this time was to meet the mermaids.
“Perhaps you were avoiding me?”
“I can’t say I wasn’t. I was terrified of receiving divine punishment from the new Sun God.”
“The Sun God…”
“Surely you didn’t plan on hiding it. Not while harboring such burning divinity.”
“I did end up taking on the role unexpectedly, but to be honest, I don’t really know what I’m supposed to do either.”
“Isn’t it to kill me? It’s surprising that there’s something even you don’t know.”
“Because I am human, too.”
“…”
“We always run into limitations.”
Gio wore his characteristic, neat smile.
“So, just as you kidnapped the Cha Yi-sol siblings to draw me out, I also devised a way to gather our dear mermaid friends. I wanted us to have a conversation where no one could run away.”
“And what method did you devise?”
“Compared to what you prepared, it’s a very humble plan. Rough, you might say. I’m quite embarrassed that I can’t show you anything grand, considering my dignity as a teacher, but…”
CR-CR-CRACK…!
“Now.”
A ferocious roar, completely at odds with the brilliant, eye-searing light, echoed through the chamber as spears of pure radiance manifested in the air.
He spread his hands.
“…”
“Look.”
There were more than ten of them in total. And the blades of those spears, blazing with the heat of the sun, were all pointed directly at Gio himself.
“This is how humans converse.”
“…”
Before anyone knew it, the seawater filling the temple had evaporated, leaving only the terrible, desiccating heat of a desert.
“…Human conversation? What does that mean?”
“A good person is not always rewarded.”
“…I know.”
“Then you should have known better.”
Gio continued, his tone like a teacher instructing a student.
“There is no guarantee that kindness will be met with kindness, and a notorious villain isn’t always punished to soothe the aching hearts of their victims. The world is not a fairy tale. Reality creates its own ending as each moment unfolds.”
“…”
“Because humans are always changing. They can grow, and they can degenerate. It’s foolish to expect a constant ending from this fickle creature that cannot stay still for even a moment. If you are as clever as I know you are, you must understand this well.”
The banquet hall was now engulfed in a heat so intense it stole their breath.
“But that is precisely why humans created countless rules. They learned how to face one another, and they learned how to converse.”
“…”
“And they made it so that even a terrifying murderer, whose body count cannot be measured, can be held accountable for their crimes.”
“…Are you going to hold me accountable now? Citing human rules to me, who isn’t even human?”
“Aria.”
His face, radiant as the sun, was warm.
“Humans are diverse. They have no limits, and neither do you. I said that to be human is to change, to be unable to stay still for even a moment.”
“…”
“Weren’t you the same? Did you not change at all? You only fell into the illusion that you were the same as you were thousands of years ago because you grew and degenerated…”
“…I…”
“We can talk,” his voice was firm. “If you receive your rightful punishment.”
Like a teacher instructing a young student.
“…What on earth is this punishment? I don’t understand.”
“We use cheap tricks to get what we want, don’t we? Shall I ask this time?”
“I don’t know. I don’t understand.”
“Just as I have no reason to stop your hatred for humans, Aria…”
The teacher who once guided his student now asked:
“Is there any reason why I shouldn’t take ‘Giovanni’ away from you?”
“…”
Gio had chosen humans.
And yet, according to his words, there was no difference between humans and mermaids. He had neither given up anything nor truly made a choice.
At the cheap declaration of a greedy adult, the mermaid’s face crumbled.
“Whether to choose humans—including myself and you…”
“…Ah…”
“Or to choose the mermaid’s wrath. The choice is yours.”
What was revealed then was not the ocean, but the face of an immature student.