Chapter 90
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 90
Armani’s face, which had been alight with hope just moments ago, clouded with confusion at Turan’s flat refusal.
As the briefly relaxed atmosphere turned heavy once more, the merman boy asked a question, sounding as if he couldn't wrap his head around the situation.
"But... why?"
"There are several reasons, but first and foremost, I don't trust you," Turan replied. "How do I know you aren't just making up excuses to snatch it? Besides, for an item to be of equal value, it would have to be something like that mirror you use under the sea, and I doubt you’d be willing to part with that."
"T-that’s true, but—"
"Armani!"
It was his sister, Rowina, who suddenly yanked Armani back by the scruff of his neck.
Having restrained her brother, she glared at Turan and spoke sharply.
"Then what do you intend to do? Do you plan to let that monster roam the seas indefinitely? It’s a threat to us, and it certainly won't benefit you humans either. You might have been lucky so far, but if that thing continues to prowl these waters, your coastal cities will eventually be reduced to rubble. And if it manages to cross beyond the mirror, even the Southern Sea won't be safe."
That was a prospect Turan found truly unpleasant.
Given the circumstances, if the Mimic Relic had essentially been sealing the Great Sea Serpent, he couldn't claim to be entirely blameless for the disaster caused by taking it.
However, he simply didn't like the proposed solution—one that demanded a unilateral sacrifice and offered no guarantee of success.
Moreover, considering he would eventually have to face those powerful gods, the loss of combat power resulting from giving up the relic would be nothing short of fatal.
In contrast, there was another way—one that, if successful, wouldn't just prevent a loss of power but could potentially lead to a massive increase in it.
"Just how strong is this resurrected Great Sea Serpent?"
"What?"
"I told you before. It hasn't been fully resurrected. So, I’m asking how strong it is right now."
"...Why do you ask? Do you actually intend to hunt it?"
"If I think it’s doable. Like you said, trying to seal it again is just a temporary fix. It’s safer to just get rid of it entirely."
Listening to Turan, Solif let out an impressed whistle.
"Are you serious?"
"As long as it’s not so strong that it’s impossible to catch. If you're scared, I won't judge you for backing out."
"Don't talk nonsense," Solif replied, glancing toward Meisa. "Have you ever seen me back down from something like this?"
Meisa nodded without hesitation, signaling her respect for Turan’s decision.
Rowina looked at them as if they were madmen.
"Do you... do you even know what the Great Sea Serpent is? It was a being that once stood on equal footing with your gods."
"I know enough. I’ve seen it in person, even if it was just a corpse. If you don't plan on answering my question, then you should leave. We'll handle this on our own."
Of course, if the Great Sea Serpent’s power truly proved to be that overwhelming, he intended to step back and grow stronger before challenging it again.
Thanks to the senses provided by the relic, he could roughly estimate the magnitude of the enemy's power.
More people might fall victim to the storms in the meantime, but he couldn't afford to risk a massive loss of strength and the subsequent dangers just for that.
The ones he was most responsible for right now were his friends, not some faceless 'lambs' living along the coast.
As he cut the conversation short, Rowina’s expression turned cold.
Seeing her look as if she might pounce at any moment, Turan inwardly debated how badly he would have to beat this mermaid princess before chasing her away.
He intended to avoid killing her if possible.
If this were the past when he knew nothing, it might have been different, but now he knew the merfolk were linked to the god backing the Carmine family.
He was already in a hostile relationship with the Arabion-Nagin alliance and the Zahar-Baraha alliance after taking their successors—or rather, their possessed vessels. He didn't want to add another formidable faction to his list of enemies.
Of course, if she persisted in trying to seize the relic, the story would change...
However, contrary to his expectations, Rowina didn't lash out. Instead, she stared at them intently before asking a question.
"How strong are you?"
"Hmm?"
"I am asking just how much power you possess to display such arrogance. Are you perhaps on the level of the heads of the Great Families you worship on the surface?"
"I can hold my own well enough."
If the merfolk were going to attack to steal the relic, they would be enemies. There was no reason to honestly reveal his full strength.
Understanding the implication, Rowina shrugged and held her palms up to show she had no hostile intent.
"If you are strong enough, I will speak to my father myself. I will ask him what he thinks about hunting the Great Sea Serpent together."
"You guys?"
"Yes. You realize there is a significant difference whether we help or not, don't you? Not to mention our combat strength—it would be difficult for you to even track the Great Sea Serpent on your own."
It was a tempting offer.
In hunting the Great Sea Serpent, which primarily operated underwater, having the merfolk—who called the sea their home—as allies would certainly make a meaningful difference.
After all, they currently didn't even have a clue where their prey was.
The only catch was...
"Your attitude has changed quite a bit. A moment ago, you acted like you were going to take it by force."
"Anyone bold enough to talk about hunting the Great Sea Serpent isn't some mediocre weakling. If your companions are of a similar level, it won't be easy to take the item, even if my entire race joined forces. Many would be injured or killed in the process. That is not what I desire."
Turan’s estimation of the mermaid princess rose slightly at her blunt honesty.
His first impression was that she was just an arrogant fool, but she seemed to have enough sense to gauge someone's ability.
Or perhaps her initial overbearing demeanor was just a tactic to scare Turan into handing over the relic, and this was her true personality.
"So, are you in a position to persuade the Mermaid King?"
"Easily."
When Turan glanced at Armani, the boy nodded vigorously in agreement.
"Sister Rowina is one of the strongest and wisest among us! Even Father favors her!"
Turan hadn't thought much of her because of the power she radiated, but it seemed she was quite a formidable mermaid by their standards.
Inwardly, Turan adjusted his estimation of the merfolk's military strength downward.
I won't have to worry as much about them stabbing us in the back, but they might be less help in the hunt. I guess there are pros and cons.
In truth, the strength of most non-human races surviving in the modern era tended to be around that level.
Even the Dark Elf King, the most powerful necromancer, hadn't been stronger than Meisa when she was emaciated and in poor health.
They could trample a few average mage families, but if a Great Family set their mind to it, they would be utterly crushed. Those like the dwarves, who had practically become beasts, were in an even more miserable state.
In comparison, Rowina was on par with the most powerful Dark Elf necromancers he had fought in the past, making her a top-tier powerhouse among the non-human races.
In this case, he wondered how on earth the merfolk maintained an equal partnership with the god behind the Carmine family.
As he was lost in thought, Rowina spoke to him.
"However, I must know if you truly have the strength to back up such a demand. There is no guarantee you aren't just putting on a shallow show of bravado."
"And how do we do that?"
"There is an inconspicuous clearing on the north side of this island."
It wasn't hard to guess that she wanted to spar and test each other's skills.
Turan glanced down at the ground and asked, "It’s on land, not in the water. Are you okay with that?"
Rowina gave a faint smile.
"I was prepared to fight here if necessary."
*
As they walked north from the alley for about thirty minutes, Turan asked the merman siblings several minor questions.
From the basic biology of merfolk to their social structure.
Unlike Armani, Rowina was an older mermaid and knew much more, making it a fairly productive time.
"So, you're saying the habit of eating humans can't be fixed through education?"
"That is correct," Rowina replied. "If they are sufficiently full, they don't necessarily crave humans, but there are few prey as easy to catch as a human who has entered the sea or is on the shore. The ability of the lower classes to control their urges is worse than that of most animals. Unless you are right there beating them, they cannot be controlled."
"Then what about you?"
"It seems our royalty used to eat them often in the past, but we haven't since your god arrived. It’s not for any particular ethical reason, but rather to avoid giving a pretext for subjugation..."
He thus learned the secret of the merfolk's cannibalistic habits, which Armani hadn't known before.
In the middle of their conversation, Turan subtly shifted the topic.
"By the way, what happened to that corpse?"
"Which one?"
"Our god. Is he still there? If he had come back to life, I feel like he would have said something, but I haven't heard anything."
Even after Turan had taken the relic back then, the Drowned God hadn't rotted or collapsed on the spot, but he didn't know if that was still the case.
Rowina replied nonchalantly.
"I have only heard that he is still there, perfectly intact. Do you intend to go see him?"
"I don't mind, but there's someone who wants to see him."
Hearing that made him curious all over again.
Why did the Great Sea Serpent return from death while the Drowned God did not?
What was the difference between the two?
A short while later, they arrived at the clearing Rowina had mentioned.
The surrounding forest was quite dense, making it a good battlefield where they didn't have to worry about prying eyes.
Turan handed Bije, who had been clinging to his side, to Meisa and lightly loosened his hands.
"One representative should be enough, right? The two behind me are stronger than I am anyway."
At Turan’s words, Meisa and Solif looked at each other and gave awkward smiles at the same time.
In truth, the three of them each had different strengths and weaknesses.
Turan was the most outstanding in everything from combat sense to magic technique, but his bloodline magic was non-combat oriented and his mana was the weakest.
Solif had abundant combat experience and handled powerful fusion magic, but lagged behind in terms of sensory perception.
Meisa was excellent in mana, magical sense, and bloodline, but was relatively less physically trained and lacked combat experience.
Generally, considering that mana is the most important factor in a mage's skill, his words weren't wrong, but in a real fight, it was hard to say for sure who would win.
Of course, once Turan fully awakened the Arabion lightning bloodline later, there would be no need to ask who the strongest among them would be.
"Fine. Just to be sure, you should be able to suppress me easily. If you only barely win, you won't stand a chance against the Great Sea Serpent."
"That goes without saying."
"You certainly don't lack confidence. I hope your skills match it."
The mermaid princess snorted and took a deep breath, and her body immediately began to transform.
Just as when Armani had turned into a pup shark, the change was instantaneous.
The contours of her entire body seemed to blur, and then, with a crunching sound, she was covered in a carapace.
Turan let out a dry laugh as he faced a giant crab over three meters tall.
"I see... I wondered what gave a mermaid the confidence to step onto dry land."
Unlike sharks or fish, crabs were creatures that could breathe and move perfectly well on land.
He just hadn't imagined she could transform into something like this.
Then, Rowina spoke, her crab-like mouth opening horizontally.
"You aren't scared, are you?"
"Not at—"
Just before he could finish his sentence, Rowina lunged forward, thrusting a massive pincer.
Her speed was surprisingly fast for her heavy build.
Turan immediately dodged backward and lightly stamped his foot, causing several sharp stone pillars to erupt from the ground.
"Ugh!"
The stone spikes that dug into the crab's plastron were all crushed with a loud crack, but judging by how she flinched and stopped, it seemed the attack wasn't entirely ineffective.
Next, he sent out a small amount of Soul of Fire and detonated it. With a roar, the crab's carapace sizzled and burned.
"Had enough?"
"Nonsense!"
Rowina, who had been staggering from the explosive attack, shouted and immediately moved her multiple legs nimbly, rushing toward Turan, who had retreated into the forest.
Because of her large size, she got caught on the nearby trees, but her thick crustacean legs easily pulverized the trunks to clear a path.
Strength, speed, and durability... she's much stronger than a noble of the same rank. Is she on par with those specialized in physical combat? She's stronger than I thought.
Gauging his opponent's skill, Turan immediately used wind magic to float and widen the distance.
Rowina then immediately turned her head toward the sky, opened her mouth wide, and fired a brilliant blue beam.
"Oh."
Since when were crabs built to look up at the sky?
And what was the nature of that beam?
Even as he was surprised, the beam reached Turan in an instant.
If not for his thought acceleration, he would have been hit before he could even prepare.
He immediately activated the defensive magic tool he was carrying, and a green shield emerged from his pouch to block it.
He could gauge its power through the mana being consumed.
Her physical abilities alone are on par with high-ranking nobles specialized in physical combat, and on top of that, she has long-range attack capabilities... Most nobles of the same rank wouldn't be able to beat her.
Anyway, since he had a rough idea of her strength, this was enough playing around.
Turan toyed with the sling in his pouch for a moment but put it back and looked up at the sky.
If he accidentally hit her with his specialty, a sling attack, and her carapace shattered, killing her instantly, things would get awkward.
Instead, Turan decided to draw power from the heavens.
Perhaps due to the presence of the Great Sea Serpent, which had merged with a storm spirit, the sky here was full of clouds, making it perfect for a lightning strike spell.
"Tell me in advance if you think you're going to die."
After giving that warning, Turan drew lightning from the sky and struck it down toward Rowina.
His lightning strike spell, since he hadn't fully awakened his storm bloodline, didn't have the best accuracy, but it wasn't hard to hit a giant crab three meters tall.
One, two, three strikes.
Rowina held her ground quite firmly, but after the seventh bolt of lightning, she could no longer endure and fell to her knees.
"Urgh..."
"S-stop! Stop! Please stop, Good Demon! The match is already over!"
While Armani hurriedly shielded his fallen sister with his body, Rowina’s body shrank and returned to her mermaid form.
Turan landed on the ground and looked at Armani with an exasperated expression.
"I don't know why you're acting like I’m bullying her. This was a mutually agreed-upon duel."
"That’s true, but—"
"Enough, Armani. Don't act so pathetic. You're only embarrassing me further."
"S-sorry, Sister..."
Rowina pushed Armani aside, stood up, and struggled to catch her breath.
The consecutive lightning strikes must have been a significant blow, but she recovered quickly, proving her race was indeed sturdier than humans.
"I have seen enough of your skill. With you, your two stronger companions, and our help, hunting the Great Sea Serpent doesn't seem impossible."
"Is it that much of a threat?"
"I believe so. We once worshipped them as Lords of Disaster and great gods, but the current Great Sea Serpent is nothing more than a shell."
Rowina said she would need her father's consent, but she herself was willing to cooperate.
*
After reaching a simple agreement, the merman siblings disappeared, saying they would talk to their father, the king, and return.
They returned exactly one week after they had parted, in the evening.
"My father has agreed."
"Really?"
"The conditions are simple. The mana of the Great Sea Serpent is a power we can't do anything with anyway, so we will leave it to you, but the corpse will be ours. In exchange, we will not only lure the beast to the battlefield but also fully cooperate in fighting alongside you."
"Can you make something by processing the corpse?"
As he recalled, he hadn't felt any particularly divine power from the horns or scales of the Great Sea Serpent in the past, but things might be different now that it had become a spirit or a ghost.
However, the answer he received, whether true or not, was quite underwhelming.
"It is a being we once worshipped as a god. We plan to use it as a decoration for the royal court."
He didn't understand why they would use a being they worshipped as a god as a decoration, but he figured it would be foolish to try to understand the culture of a non-human race.
"Fine. So, where is the Great Sea Serpent?"
"At the center of the storm that circles this North Sea."
That meant the Great Sea Serpent hadn't been far away even when Turan’s group was caught in the storm a while ago.
Of course, considering it hadn't been picked up by the relic's senses, it must have been at least several kilometers away.
Rowina said that in about ten days, the Great Sea Serpent would move near an island about a thousand kilometers north of here.
Since there was dry land nearby, Turan’s group would be able to rest on solid ground.
The core of the plan was to hunt it there together with the merfolk.
It was certainly convenient to cooperate with the merfolk.
Everything from the hunting ground to the schedule was resolved in an instant.
"But are there no other collaborators besides you merfolk? For example, human mages like us."
The target Turan was subtly probing to check on was, naturally, the Carmine family.
He knew that their god and the merfolk were in league.
Given that they would be the most troubled if the coastal cities were destroyed by the storm, it was strange, even suspicious, that they weren't showing any presence.
Rowina replied to Turan’s question as if it were no big deal.
"Well, to be honest, I expected help because there are a few human families we cooperate with in secret... but for some reason, the very people we were certain would assist us gave a negative response."
"Which ones?"
"Only my father knows that. He is the only one who contacts them."
In any case, the conclusion was that they couldn't expect help from any other human mages besides Turan’s group.
It seemed he would only find out the truth by meeting the Mermaid King in person and asking him.