Chapter 91
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 91
Aria started building a campfire.
"Is this how it’s done...?"
She placed the charcoal in the center.
"It’s not the same charcoal we used back in Edlen, but the scent is nice."
Next, she set up a barrier of stones to grill the clams. The ring of uneven, flat stones she’d assembled looked unstable. A strange wave of sentimentality washed over her, and she murmured softly.
"Maybe it would have been better if we had bricks..."
Comparing the crude campfire to the ones from her childhood, the mermaid looked down at her hands, now stained black with soot.
"..."
After a long silence, Aria muttered, "...It’s different from back then."
Preparing a campfire had been so difficult for her tiny body.
"I’ve always reminisced about the past, but feeling this peaceful is a very unfamiliar experience."
Suddenly, Aria felt as if she were dreaming.
The Cold-Blooded Sage. The Incarnation of the Sea. The Judge of All Marine Beasts. The master of the game board and the world known as the Deep Sea had no reason to ever build such a small, shabby campfire again. To repeat an act from the most peaceful time of her life with these blood-stained hands…
"It feels completely surreal."
She had never imagined this would be possible. There was no reason for it to be.
"It feels almost strange."
In truth, this could all be a dream conjured by a single mermaid who, after falling into a long slumber, couldn’t shake her old habits. She had such dreams occasionally, so it wasn’t entirely out of the question.
Staring at the flickering flames, Aria eventually murmured, "Well, I suppose it doesn’t matter..."
She made no attempt to distinguish what was real from what was fake. This was uncharacteristic of Aria, who had always faced reality head-on, placing no value on illusions.
But if this was a dream, it was a delusion well worth enjoying.
"Gio."
Gathering the hem of her dress, which looked terribly out of place, Aria headed toward the cabin’s kitchen.
"The grill for the clams is ready. We just need to put a wire rack on top."
"I’ve finished prepping them all. The stew is almost done as well."
"Then, are you planning on eating outdoors?"
"We have a campfire, and the weather is nice. Wouldn’t that be much more enjoyable?"
"You are right."
There had been many times like this.
They would visit the bustling market together, pick out ingredients that caught their eye, and Gio would cook whatever the mermaids fancied. He was the only adult and the sole cook in their tiny house.
Aria and Iser would stand by his side, looking up at their tall teacher, learning human wisdom or chattering about trivial things. The atmosphere was always chaotic yet cozy.
And whenever that happened, their teacher would ask for help.
"Could you help me, too, Aria? Your teacher is a bit short-handed..."
"Give the clams to me."
Taking the tray piled high with prepped clams from Gio, Aria continued, "This is my job, after all."
Grilling the clams had always been Aria’s responsibility.
"I’ll grill them well, so you don’t have to worry."
"I feel reassured having you here, Aria."
"...Is that so?"
"I’ll look forward to some delicious grilled clams."
"..."
Aria parted her lips slightly, then turned and walked back outside.
Back then, Aria had been frail, but her greed had far outmatched her physical shortcomings. Believing Gio’s cooking to be the pinnacle of human wisdom, she had stubbornly demanded a role.
I tried so hard to get the job of lighting the campfire from Teacher, too. Even when I offered to help with the cooking, he rarely let me do anything with a high risk of injury...
She had pouted, wondering if he didn’t trust her. Giovanni had tried to shoulder every dangerous task, big or small, himself. To her, it had seemed like proof of his lack of faith.
It was only after his death that she finally understood. Their teacher cherished his young mermaid disciples too much and simply didn’t want them to get hurt. It had nothing to do with trust.
"..."
Of course, the young mermaid who hadn’t understood that had eventually managed to win the job of lighting the campfire anyway.
"How ridiculous."
The fact that she still held that trivial role made her feel unmoored, as if detached from reality. It was a strange sentiment. Though she had never abandoned it, she had never expected to take on this role again, not even in death.
"..."
"Kwoo?"
"...I told you not to act so friendly, Mr. Gentleman."
"Kookookoo."
"Are you really unfazed by all this?"
The teddy bear sitting by the campfire, clapping its paws, looked utterly inconsequential. Though her question was flat and emotionless, Aria’s inner thoughts were far from calm as she stared at the worn, faded doll.
"Are you truly fine with this?"
Aria had covered the sun with the sea.
"I put so much effort into it. Out of hatred for the sun, I drowned all of your children in the ocean. I couldn’t even bring myself to touch Gio, who had dissolved like water..."
"..."
"Yes, I lacked courage. Feeling wrath for the first time, I was out of my mind. I was terrified that I might somehow destroy his remains, so I was nothing but cautious."
"..."
"You are the one who lost your warmth, who lost all your children to the desperate struggles of a mere mermaid who couldn’t even live on land... yet seeing you so carefree now is utterly absurd."
Everything was like that.
"Why is it so peaceful?"
This forest, its master Gio, and even the tiny creatures and massive entities he kept by his side like family—all of them were helplessly, endlessly peaceful.
Aria looked down at the fluffy doll, which contained a massive and stable divine presence.
"Do you not resent me?"
"Kwoo."
"This is why the gods are so repulsive."
One could never expect genuine emotion or a mutual connection from them. A priest offering a sacrifice was practically the only way humans could communicate with the divine. It was that impossible to converse with a god, to meet their gaze, to understand them, or to exchange feelings.
Thus, a god would never harbor resentment toward a mere mermaid.
"You are emptier than a monster like me."
And yet they spoke of mercy and love. What a difficult bunch.
"Tormenting the sun isn’t something just anyone can do. Couldn’t you show me a more rewarding reaction? Grieving, resenting, getting annoyed... there are plenty of options."
"Kookookoo..."
"Are you laughing?"
It was irritating.
"..."
Though it was of a vastly different nature from her brother’s almost noble smile, Aria maintained a polite one as she murmured, "I didn’t resent you either."
It was the truth.
The clever mermaid knew exactly who was at fault. Fools blinded by greed had caused the disaster; she, her brother, and Giovanni had simply been caught in it. If she were to feel wrath, its target would be the very nature of humans, who so easily corrupted and betrayed.
"That world was too horrible."
Not a single human could comprehend eternity. Even as she herself became an incarnation of wrath, she loathed it.
"So horrible that I could only endure it if the sea covered the world to the very edge of the sky..."
That was why she did it.
"..."
"Yes, Father."
It was a fact she had learned long after becoming a mermaid.
"They say the Sun God and the Deep Sea God were once one body, right? In the end, you were my father, too."
"Kwoowkoo."
"No, since you are a split existence, I suppose I should call you Uncle. Which do you prefer?"
"Kookoo."
"Uncle? Good heavens, that’s enough to give me chills. I was just making a point."
It was a disgustingly peaceful word.
"At this point, even I am losing my mind."
It was a rare occurrence. In a life lived with absolute clarity, she had fallen into confusion only twice. The first was when Gio had taken her side instead of humanity’s, and the second was when she had confirmed Gio’s unrecognizable corpse.
And now, in this dreamlike situation, Aria was experiencing confusion once again.
"It feels like I shouldn’t be here..."
A self-deprecating laugh escaped her lips.
"..."
The gentle spring breeze was soft.
"...How ticklish."
"Aria, are you ready?"
"Yes."
This place was inside their kind teacher’s belly.
That fact felt a little distant.
* * *
"How is it?"
"It’s cooked well," Iser said, tasting the stew.
Gio took a spoonful himself. "It’s a bit bland for my taste, though."
"You used to like spicy food, Teacher..."
"I just eat it without complaint. It’s a bit embarrassing to say I actually like it."
Perhaps because the tomatoes were much sweeter than usual, the stew lacked a certain kick. Taking some dried Milky Way Mary from the cupboard, Gio ground it finely and sprinkled it over a portion of the stew.
"Perfect."
It was moderately spicy and stimulating. Savory yet sweet, with the salty flavor of cured ham seeping through, while the broth drawn from carrots and other vegetables added a sophisticated touch of bitterness.
"Ah."
Rustle.
Clack, clack.
Flap...
"You must like it."
Perhaps because the Milky Way Mary sparkled, or perhaps because it was also a fruit, a few water birds flew over from their nest and snatched a few grains.
Gio turned a blind eye to his friends' minor theft.
They’re cute, so it’s fine.
As long as they didn’t steal from other people’s houses, it was fine. Gio patted the water birds as they splashed in greeting, then spoke.
"I was a bit anxious since it’s been a while, but the stew turned out quite well."
"You haven’t made it for yourself in the meantime? You enjoy cooking, Teacher."
"Not really, since I was dead...?"
After all, it was only very recently that 'Giovanni' had been overlaid onto Seo Gio.
"..."
"I misspoke, Iser. Please ease your expression."
"No, I should be the one..."
"Calm down."
A brief, awkward silence passed, but regardless, the stew was truly satisfying.
"It’s good with clams, and it’s good with meat, too. Iser, do you still prefer the seafood version?"
"...I don’t have much of an appetite anymore, so it’s hard to say. But yes, if I had to choose, the seafood version is much more familiar."
"For someone with no appetite, you sure ate that pumpkin-sized tomato well."
"That was..." At a loss for words, Iser pondered for a moment before replying shamelessly, "The tomato was delicious."
"I grew it."
"As expected of you, Teacher."
"Indeed."
Regardless of the mermaids' preferences, Gio preferred the meat version.
When we lived in the village, it was certainly hard to get meat.
Because it was a seaside village, meat was far more expensive than seafood. Even though he was a noble, he was an unsupported youngest child, and what little he had was spent on medical equipment or donated, so he hadn’t lived in luxury. This kind of meat was a welcome treat.
The sausage, stripped of its casing, had softened nicely as it simmered, but cooking it longer at a lower temperature would make it even more tender.
"Perhaps because it’s cured meat, it doesn’t soften easily."
"I like it this way, though..."
"Well, I think we’re ready for dinner."
With Iser’s help, Gio carried two large pots out to the yard. They had brought a wooden table and chairs from somewhere, instantly creating a lively atmosphere.
"Now then."
The stew pot was settled next to the campfire.
"Let’s eat."
"Koorook."
"Honey, don’t even think about climbing into the pot."
"Kkoongkkoongkkoong..."
"I have no intention of drinking water infused with you."
Scooping up Honey, who had plopped right into the pot, Gio placed him in a bowl and set it near the campfire. Honey, sitting in the bowl, began to absorb the stew. He had gone so limp that it was hard to tell what was stew and what was Honey.
"Dana, don’t steal your brother’s stew. Eat your own."
"Kyu-kyu-kyu-kyu-kyu?"
"Good girl."
Dana, who had been peering into the bowl where Honey was melting, trotted over at Gio’s call and took her place before her own bowl. The stew seemed to suit both animals' palates, as the contents of their bowls steadily decreased.
"If anyone wants to add more flavor, I’ll leave the pepper here, so help yourselves."
When he placed the finely ground Milky Way Mary on the table, Aria tilted her head.
"Pepper?"
"Yes, pepper."
"But it’s completely different."
"The taste is similar."
"It is edible, right?"
"Would I ever recommend something you can’t eat?"
"..."
"Aria?"
After a brief silence, Aria nodded. "You were never one to play with food, but..."
"Why are you saying something so obvious with such a serious face?"
"Sometimes, your actions are unpredictable, Teacher."
And it wasn’t just Gio’s quirky charm that made her wonder.
It doesn’t look like an ordinary ingredient.
It wasn’t that it looked inedible, but that it exuded the aura of a precious medicinal herb rather than a simple seasoning. In some worlds, people would call this an elixir.
"...You certainly find the strangest things."
"There’s a ton of it blooming in the forest."
"Ah, a ton?"
"Is there a problem?"
"..."
Looking around, Aria shook her head. "No, of course not."
This world was filled with things so precious that humans—petty and terribly greedy by nature—would lose their minds if they saw them. If anyone could freely enter this place, it would certainly cause problems. But no matter how far human evolution progressed, they would never be able to crawl into this terrifying dimension with mere vulgar greed.
Unless it’s a greed bordering on conviction, they won’t even be able to approach this dimension. The very thought of humans targeting Teacher’s sanctuary makes me sick... but it’s highly unlikely to ever happen.
Weighing the possibility of Giovanni being persecuted by humans again, Aria accepted the stew her mentor ladled out for her.
The wooden bowl was incredibly warm. Warmth spread to her fingertips, and a faint, ticklish feeling sprouted like a bud inside her.
"..."
"It’s seafood stew. Is that alright?"
"Yes, I prefer it over meat."
An appetizing aroma wafted through the air. She hadn’t thought she was hungry, but the rich scent of the tomato stew made her feel an emptiness inside. She wanted to fill that void with the stew before her.
It had been a very long time since she had felt the desire to eat. Her complex, racing thoughts began to gently unwind.
...Strangely, I never dislike Gio’s cooking, even when the aroma is strong. My own preferences have faded to almost nothing, so why is that...?
The clinking of tableware, the gentle warmth heating her fingertips, the peaceful, simple chatter—it all tickled her heart with a bizarre gentleness.
Is it because I’ve returned home?
Strictly speaking, this place, which wasn’t the Deep Sea, was not her home. Yet, perhaps because Giovanni was here, she felt a strange nostalgia. It was a sensation hard to define.
Even while belonging to this space, she felt a step removed. Even while spending time with them, it felt empty and elusive, leaving her yearning. This emotion, which she hadn’t felt even in the deepest, darkest sea, was truly foreign.
...This man probably hasn’t even forgiven us. Yet he shows such kindness. To say it’s because he was twisted by divinity... Giovanni was always this kind of strange person.
The unfamiliar feeling sent a tingle through her, enough to make her open and close her hands a few times.
"..."
She felt as though she shouldn’t be this comfortable.
Becoming terrifyingly helpless, she found herself unable to escape the peaceful atmosphere.