Chapter 41
Chapter 41
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: The Protagonist is a Villain
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I felt like I was about to lose my mind at the bizarre sight that surpassed even my wildest expectations. What the hell was this? Did every twisted thing in the world really exist? It looked like a B-grade slasher movie set had been ripped straight out of the film—filthy, gruesome, and utterly repulsive.
"Guh... guh... kkhuh..."
I couldn't fathom what the Hero had seen to make him say Eve cherished this mermaid. What connection did they even have? In the original game, Eve just joined as a companion after a good beating, with no special cutscenes beyond the adult scene—she was just an event companion. The forbidden drug incident was the same; it stuck closely to the game settings, yet deviated in these weird ways.
A faint clash of swords echoed from above. I couldn't afford to waste more time. I smashed the tank with my mace. Water gushed out from the shattered glass. The tremendous pressure swept through the room and corridor like a tidal wave, followed by screams from the sailors behind me. Clutching the bars beside me, I barely held on and looked down at the mermaid flopping on the floor.
She was still twitching, letting out those eerie "kkiiik... kkhiep" groans. Did Eve abuse this woman out of love? Given the original Eve was a total psycho, maybe her "love" for the mermaid was some obsessive fixation. With her twisted sexuality, raping a mermaid wasn't out of the question.
I pulled the dildo from between the mermaid's legs. It was a bit smaller than Lucius's, but still impressively sized. As I yanked it out, her body went limp, dangling slackly. Disgusted, I tossed the dildo aside and removed her gag.
"Heh heh... heh heh heh..."
As I'd suspected from her glazed eyes, she wasn't in her right mind. Her hands were still bound anyway, so I figured I could just take her hostage and threaten Eve. As I reached down to pick her up, the mermaid slyly dodged my hand and spoke.
"Have you ever started something without thinking and had it turn into a habit?"
"What?"
"Th-the mermaid is moving!"
The sailors shouted from behind. The mermaid was free? But she was still tied up? Despite her bound hands, they screamed and fled. The sailors who'd come below deck to avoid the Hero started climbing back up.
With a slight flex, the ropes binding her snapped easily with a "twang." Freed arms in hand, she rolled her shoulders a few times. She took a deep breath of the room's stale air and turned to me. Her unfocused blue eyes fixed on me vaguely. Since I said nothing, she spoke again.
"It's like getting addicted to something you do out of habit, repeating it over and over. Haven't you ever done that?"
Dangerous. My instincts screamed that this mermaid was bad news. The red-haired, blue-eyed creature scanned the room with vacant pupils. I mentally opened her status window.
⚔ STATUS ⚔ Name: Selu
Race: Mermaid
Level: 34
Current traits applied.
⚡ Strength: 110 💨 Agility: 120 ✨ Intelligence: 48 🍀 Luck: 78 Traits:
Mermaid's Blessing: All stats double underwater or on water surfaces. Fish School Detection: Can communicate with fish. I swung my mace first. Whatever this Mermaid's Blessing bullshit was, her stats were no joke. If she went berserk here, it'd be a hassle for me too, so better to smash her skull and head up. Even if I kept my distance for threats, Eve wouldn't tell if she was knocked out or dead.
But the mermaid ducked my swing with far greater speed than expected, slithering to the corner like a snake. Legless, yet she moved like a cat with legs. Pressed against the bars, she spoke to me.
"This pirate island used to be home to mermaids. That's why people originally called it Mermaid Island. But once word spread, hunters swarmed in. Mermaid blood fetches a price—supposedly has aphrodisiac effects. Heh heh..."
The mermaid tilted her head side to side with a deranged laugh. This bitch was crazy. I'd thought she was just taking abuse from Eve while tied up, but they were clearly in on some twisted consensual fun.
"Know how many mermaids died? I stopped counting at a hundred. Aside from special ones like me, mermaids are all weaklings."
Yeah, if all mermaids were this strong, the seas would be theirs. In the original game, mermaids were bottom-tier fodder even with their blessing—base stats like average humans. Except for weird named ones like this.
"Humans are so strange. They want to eat us, drain our blood, and lust after us too. Ever seen a mermaid-human hybrid?"
I knew of one: Eve, currently duking it out with our Hero on deck, was a mermaid-human hybrid. Not mentioned in the story, but a brief note in her character bio came to mind. That's why her adult scene had scales on her legs.
"Eve swam here alone to Mermaid Island. Hates humans. I'm thrilled she grew so strong. Can't even count the years of insults and persecution from them. They called our home a mermaid colony and snatched us one by one whenever they felt like it. I can never forgive those bastards."
No time to dawdle, but landing a hit was tough. My wild swings met her serpentine dodges. She couldn't touch me either. I was confident I'd turn her into mermaid sashimi the second she lunged to bite.
She kept just out of mace range, darting around the room. I twisted to track her, mace at the ready.
"At first, we only killed the hunters who came. Slaughtering everyone endlessly isn't practical, hate aside. So until we relocated to another island, we agreed to just do a little evil. Heh heh..."
The mermaid shook her head with a manic giggle. That vacant expression creeped me out—like a horror ghost in mermaid cosplay. Great tits, fine body, pretty face, but zero arousal.
"Crazy bitch."
"We said just a little evil, but it got so fun. Me and Eve got hooked. Castrating hunters is a blast, watching them writhe in agony till death—pure joy. Eve bringing women to rape in front of me? Hilarious. Honestly, can't go back to normal mermaid life now. This is too damn enjoyable."
Her eyes gleamed. Now I got why she'd been stuffed with a dildo in this dump—masturbating while watching bound folks get castrated and die.
Eve catered to her tastes, dragging the tank to the torture room for killings and rapes right there. Mother-daughter duo both insane.
Thinking the Hero might've ended up like the nutjobs in the trade city's hall if I'd slipped made my mood sour. I pointed my mace at her.
"You fucking disgusting cunt."
"Heh heh... hey."
The mermaid grinned at my mace. Probably thought she'd win at sea. Hunters chasing mermaids weren't Hero or Lucius-tier in her mind. She saw me as a slightly strong priest, for sure.
"Ever gotten addicted to something you started without thinking?"
She bristled her scales and widened her eyes. I gripped my mace tight, ready for a real fight.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ A rum barrel on deck split in one strike. Eve dodged the blade aimed at her, scowling. This woman was stronger than expected. She hadn't been this tough at first; her skills seemed to grow mid-fight.
Having shown all her tricks in round one, she wasn't falling for cheap ploys now. Blessed by the priest, she even resisted brute force—not the one-sided beatdown anymore. And her technique outclassed Eve's.
Plus, the priest vanishing below gnawed at her. Mom would handle it, but if she lost, things got messy. Ignoring Aei upfront wasn't an option either.
Eve was in a bind. The fight dragged without a clear win. She wouldn't lose, but subduing Aei without killing as planned felt impossible.
"Not bad."
Eve said. Aei gave no reply. No sign she cared about the priest below. Eve spat random shit to rattle her.
"Mom's downstairs. Boss of Mermaid Island. No matter how strong your priest is, she'll tear him apart."
Aei stayed silent. Her blade tip unwavering. Eve snapped irritably.
"Deaf? Your priest is fucked! Mom's gonna shred him. Got it?"
Aei finally spoke amid the standoff.
"You're anxious."
"What? You fucking say that again?"
"Feeling uneasy?"
"Fuck. Me, uneasy? Wanna die that bad? Huh, you fucking bitch!"
Boom!
A roar echoed from below. Both Eve and Aei whipped their heads around. The hatch creaked open, and a redheaded mermaid poked her head out. Eve cried joyfully.
"Mom!"
Then the mermaid flopped limply onto the deck. Lucius crawled out after, spat on the floor, and stomped her.
Seeing Eve's face harden, he said,
"Drop your weapon."