Chapter 167
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 167
For months, the Carmine family and the Great Sea Serpent Merfolk had been locked in a brutal, bloody war.
After transforming into Great Sea Serpents, the merfolk had manipulated magical beasts to lay waste to every coastal city and village under Carmine’s control. They had even pushed inland along the rivers, striking deep into the heart of the family's territory.
The clashes had only recently subsided after a survivor returned from a mission to track Armani. He was the only one of the three sent to return alive, having followed a lead extracted from a kidnapped Carmine noble.
[That brat killed the other two?]
[Yes. I barely made it back. Father, you’ll avenge them, won’t you?]
The Merman King sighed deeply at the words of his only surviving child.
They already had an enemy in Carmine; why add another? Turan was a human and an inevitable adversary, but there was a proper order to things.
I knew this would happen, but it’s more serious than I thought.
The transcendent power gained from the Great Sea Serpent carcasses came with a heavy price. Some had gone completely mad and had to be put down; some, like the prince before him, had suffered a breakdown in logic; and others, like the King himself, had become prone to sudden fits of violence.
And then there are those who remain unchanged.
The Merman King thought of Armani, the young prince who had fled with the tribe’s treasure. The child possessed the greatest "vessel" and was the answer their race had sought—the one they believed was destined to become the successor of their kind.
But that child had abandoned them simply because he didn't want to fight a single human.
Now, they had to kill Armani—both to recover the treasure and to ensure the location of their stronghold, where the Great Sea Serpent molts were kept, remained a secret.
The problem was how to achieve it.
Since the last clash, the Parsha family had issued a total evacuation order for the coastal areas. No matter how powerful the Great Sea Serpent Merfolk were, their strength diminished significantly on land, making it difficult to force a confrontation. Furthermore, they were still in the middle of a war with the Carmine family.
As the King spent months deliberating, recalling his kin to maintain a temporary lull in the fighting, an envoy from the Carmine family arrived.
Possessing the Shoal Bloodline, the envoy entered the underwater palace with ease. Ignoring the murderous glares of the surrounding merfolk royalty, he delivered his family’s proposal.
[A strategic alliance?]
[Exactly. What you want is the Blue Coral Crown, isn't it? You likely fear that if you lose the power of the Great Sea Serpent one day, you'll fall back into subordination without it. We will return it. In exchange, let us forget past grudges and cooperate.]
After the years Carmine had spent oppressing the merfolk, did they really expect them to forget their resentment just for the return of a crown?
While the surrounding merfolk screamed to tear the envoy limb from limb, the Merman King held them back. Unless they were fools, the humans wouldn't have come with such a meager offer.
[I will hear the rest.]
[You know of the Parsha family, I presume? We want your help in eliminating them. In return, we will provide you with a yearly supply of humans. Whether you use them as food or slaves is up to you.]
Had they been in the heat of war, the King would have dismissed this as nonsense, but now it was hard to ignore.
Ever since learning of Armani’s existence, the merfolk had been using their pirate henchmen to gather intelligence on the human world. They knew Turan’s influence was far from negligible. Turan had planted his subordinates within the Baraha family of the East and drawn Lavitas of the South into an alliance, growing his power to a terrifying degree.
If he gained even more strength and eventually held them accountable for destroying his ports and killing his people...
[How do you intend to attack?]
After long deliberation, the Merman King decided to accept Carmine’s proposal.
Of course, the other party was an enemy that had oppressed them for ages. They were beings that could not and should not be forgiven. However, if one had to choose between an old enemy who could be dealt with later and a rising foe who might eventually devour them, the latter had to be eliminated first.
Judging by how ruthlessly Turan had killed their kin, reconciliation was impossible. Armani had likely already spilled the beans about the merfolk’s hostile plans anyway.
Above all, if they eliminated the Parsha family, the merfolk could gain a massive advantage that Carmine was unaware of.
I must recover the Jade Mirror from Armani at all costs. Before the others realize what it truly is...
The secret behind the Parsha family’s teleportation had yet to be uncovered, but eventually, someone would realize it was the Jade Mirror—an ancient relic of the merfolk. It was a practical treasure that allowed free travel between the North and South Seas, but it also held immense religious significance as a legacy of the ancient Great Sea Serpent they worshipped as a deity.
At the Merman King’s acceptance, the Carmine envoy gave a sly smile.
[Before long, Baraha is scheduled to invade Ruban. You are to attack Parsha at that time. Their head and their main forces will be away providing support in the East, so they won't be able to respond.]
The absence of their main force meant they couldn't inflict massive casualties on the soldiers, but for a Great Human Family, having their home base occupied carried a significance far beyond material loss.
[But they have a means of crossing space, do they not? What if they return using that?]
The Merman King already knew that Turan had linked a pair of Jade Mirrors between Parsha and Baraha, allowing easy travel between the two locations.
At his question, the Carmine envoy clicked his tongue.
[Naturally, we’ve prepared for that. We’ve already spoken with the Ruban family. They won't engage the Baraha army directly; they’ll simply maintain a state of tension by keeping their distance. They’ll retreat when pursued and close in when the enemy retreats. With an enemy looming right in front of them, there’s no way they can just head back.]
The plan sounded plausible. No matter how useful the Jade Mirror was—or rather, because it was the Jade Mirror—it would be difficult to abandon the battlefield in such a situation.
Furthermore, the weakness of the Great Sea Serpents on land could be mitigated with the help of the Carmine family. If the powerful nobles of the Shoal Bloodline combined their strength, they could move vast quantities of water inland.
All in all, it was a proposal the merfolk had no reason to refuse.
As a down payment, the King would receive the Blue Coral Crown, solidifying his hegemony as the leader of the merfolk. He would also secure a supply of humans, recover the lost Jade Mirror, and execute a traitor all at once.
The other merfolk, who had initially been raging in opposition, were now listening intently, enticed by the envoy’s offer. The only thing to be wary of was the possibility of the Carmine family betraying them mid-war.
Just as the King wanted to clear out both Parsha and Carmine, Carmine likely wanted to eliminate both Parsha and the merfolk.
[Fine. However, I will not mobilize all my forces. As you said, if Parsha’s main army is away, it shouldn't require that much power to crush them.]
The most certain way would be for both factions to mobilize their full strength and trample the enemy together, but there was a catastrophic lack of trust for that. They would only incur losses they could afford to sustain, just in case the other side stabbed them in the back.
[Fair enough. It’s not like our Family Head is personally stepping out either. Just don't make it a half-hearted effort.]
[Understood. And one more thing: I require a hostage.]
[A hostage?]
[Place your successor—the one you intend to use as the next body for your leader—with us. Once Parsha has fallen and we’ve confirmed you haven't betrayed us, we will send him back.]
The envoy’s face contorted at the Merman King’s demand. How dare this arrogant fish make demands?
Despite sensing that contempt, the Merman King maintained an expression as cold and rigid as forged metal. After a moment, the envoy let out a sharp sigh and shook his head.
[Fine, fine! I’ll add that condition as well.]
The Merman King had expected more of a struggle; he was inwardly surprised but did not let it show. After adjusting a few more details and concluding the negotiations, he asked one final question.
[Why go this far?]
[Hmm?]
[As far as we know, you haven't had a major conflict with the Parsha family yet. At most, it’s been a war of nerves. Is there a reason to risk all this just to uproot them?]
The Merman King didn't expect a straight answer. However, the man simply chuckled and nodded.
[I agree. But... it seems there’s someone who doesn't. Someone from the West who wants to crush those bastards no matter what.]
*
The Great Sea Serpent Merfolk and the elite forces of the Carmine family landed at the port near Ofen City and immediately moved southwest at high speed.
The lifeblood of this operation was speed. The key was to inflict maximum damage before the elites of the Parsha family, including Turan, realized something was wrong and returned.
During the march, the commander of the Carmine mages handed several portraits to the merfolk royalty.
"Here, remember these faces. This is the Berk family. They are the core of their magic device production, so they must all be eliminated."
"Are you saying these people won't be deployed to the East?"
"Exactly. No idiot sends an Enchanter to the battlefield unless the family is on the brink of total annihilation. And here, this woman is likely to remain behind. We estimate her strength to be on par with our Family Head, so be especially careful..."
The merfolk royalty looked at the portrait of the beautiful woman with flowing hair. The face was familiar.
"Is it her?"
"Yeah. Looks like it."
"She was damn strong. But she wasn't on the same level as the Demon Captain, was she?"
"They keep getting stronger."
At the merfolk’s reaction, Zemel Carmine’s eyebrows twitched. "What? You already know who she is? Have you met her?"
"Well..."
"Don't worry about it, you moronic demon."
The merfolk responded mockingly. Even if they had formed a strategic alliance out of necessity, the grudges accumulated over the years hadn't vanished. Above all, they had been sternly warned by the Merman King before leaving: they were not to leak a single clue that could become a weakness to the Carmine family.
In that regard, hinting that they had met Meisa before was already a failure, but the merfolk smugly thought this much would be fine.
Zemel’s expression soured, but he quickly forced himself to relax and changed the subject.
"Fine, whatever... forget it. You certainly brought a massive crowd. It’s almost a hindrance to our movement."
"These things breed like vermin anyway. There were too many of them, so we needed to thin the herd a bit," a merfolk royal replied with a casual yawn.
As he said, a merfolk army of well over several thousand followed behind them. Since most were of the commoner class, they were weak individually, but a swarm of them could take down a knight. They were a truly threatening force.
Furthermore, at the front were a hundred Carmine mages, three merfolk royals capable of transforming into Great Sea Serpents, and dozens of merfolk nobles. This was a force capable of taking on Parsha even if their main strength were present.
The mixed army continued their rapid march southwest for three days. Since they had to bypass several cities and move beyond the evacuated coastline, their speed was somewhat slow, but they managed to penetrate deep into the Gray Zone stealthily.
This was possible because Zemel possessed a military map of the Parsha family’s territory, recording major cities, villages, and even the surveillance range of the beacons.
However, no matter how well they knew the beacon locations, their force was too large to move completely undetected. By the time they were a day away from Kalamaph, a scout spotted them and managed to light a beacon.
"Wait, is that a forest fire?"
"It’s the beacon I mentioned. Word will spread soon. We should pick up the pace. We’re not far now anyway."
Fires and smoke of unusual colors appeared and disappeared several times; they were clearly using them to signal the enemy's size and type.
"Move faster!"
The commoner merfolk shrieked and hissed, only to cry out in pain as the noble commanders lashed them with whips. The hardest part of the past few days had been preventing these creatures from catching the scent of humans and trying to bite the Carmine mages or deserting the ranks to find prey.
Fortunately, the alliance’s marching speed increased after being spotted. There was no longer a need for stealth.
By the time the merfolk army arrived on the outskirts of Kalamaph—having filled their bellies by slaughtering a small village along the way—an army of humans appeared to block their path.
Surprisingly, their number was only about three hundred.
Zemel laughed, looking incredulous. "What? They came out to stop us with those numbers? It would have been better to attempt a siege or just run..."
Intercepting in the open was a tactic used only when one's forces were stronger. If power was lacking, the best course of action was to flee or rely on the geographical advantage of a stronghold. Yet Parsha was taking an aggressive defensive stance?
Zemel, who had received word just three days ago that a large Baraha force was confronting Ruban, found it absurd.
"Attack. We’ll just trample them..."
Just as he was about to issue the order, Zemel caught sight of the faces in the front rank and momentarily doubted his eyes.
The first to catch his eye was Meisa Arabion. Since they would have left one of their most powerful mages behind for capital defense, her presence wasn't unexpected. With three Great Sea Serpents and four vessels, including Zemel, they could certainly suppress her.
What he couldn't understand was the young man standing right beside her.
With short silver hair and a small but densely muscled build, clad in silver armor—that appearance was unmistakable.
"Solif Baraha?"
"Have we met before? Ah, now that I think about it, I feel like I’ve seen your face once."
As Solif answered nonchalantly, a massive Halo rose behind his back. Its overwhelming size and heat alone proved that he was no double; the Head of the Baraha family had truly come here, leaving his own kin behind in the middle of a war.
"How on earth...?"
Before his shock could even settle, rings of light erupted simultaneously behind the nobles following Solif. The Baraha nobles, who should have been facing Ruban far to the East, were here.
Don't tell me... the Baraha army over there is a decoy?
As if to prove Zemel’s chilling realization, the merfolk royalty behind him panicked and hurriedly transformed into Great Sea Serpents.
As Zemel conjured an ice platform and leaped to avoid being crushed by the mass of serpents, a long, slender beam of light stretched out from the distance and cleaved through the allied forces.