Chapter 91
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 91
Three days later, Turan’s party steered their boat toward the island where the operation was set to take place.
Likely a lingering effect of the storm that followed the Great Sea Serpent, the sky remained choked with dark clouds, and the sea churned into high waves under a fierce wind.
Naturally, theirs was the only vessel for miles. There were no witnesses to see the small fishing boat gliding across the turbulent waters.
“I see. So this is how humans wielding the power of devils sail. It’s nearly as fast as a mermaid’s swim.”
Rowina, the mermaid princess on board, offered a low murmur of admiration as she watched the sea fly by. Beside her, Armani nodded in agreement.
“It’s much faster than the last time I rode with them. It wasn't like this then.”
“That’s because three people are driving it now,” Turan said. “The mackerel is done; do you want some?”
“Thanks!”
After sharing the mackerel Turan had caught using Fluid Manipulation Magic, Armani transformed into a pup shark and dove into the sea, saying he would alert his family of their arrival.
Turan extended his relic-enhanced senses across the ocean, feeling a small presence rapidly receding beneath the waves.
“For someone who just said that, he’s certainly a fast swimmer.”
“Well, he is a shark,” Rowina sighed as she watched Armani vanish. “It’s something to be envied—the ability to swim that fast.”
According to their earlier small talk, Rowina, who took the form of a crab, was free to move on land but was slower in the water than others of her kind. Because of this, she planned to join Turan’s group in a pincer attack from the shore during the upcoming battle.
Meisa looked at Rowina and asked, “By the way, how is your transformation decided? Are you just born with it?”
“Something like that. You can guide it to an extent, but there’s an innate inclination. If I really wanted to, I could have turned into a different kind of crab… but it wouldn’t have changed much.”
In the distant past, there were apparently royals who could take the form of the Great Sea Serpent itself, but that was now nothing more than a legend. Nowadays, royals who could take the form of large creatures like sharks or whales were considered to have the highest potential.
Despite his youth, Armani was seen as a promising talent among the merfolk.
“There must have been quite an uproar when a kid like that went missing,” Turan remarked.
“Hm? Oh, well… it wasn’t that much of an uproar. We figured he’d find his way back eventually.”
When Turan subtly brought it up to emphasize the merit of saving Armani, Rowina brushed it off as if it were no big deal.
Turan let out a dry laugh. Even as allies, she refused to yield an inch of ground. He turned his gaze toward the northern horizon, where the island was finally coming into view.
“I assume the promise we discussed has been kept?”
“Of course. There will be no one there except the royalty participating in the fight and a few noble-class servants to attend to us. Managing the commoners is a headache for us as well.”
This was one of the conditions Turan had demanded. He had insisted they not bring any low-ranking merfolk, who would be useless in hunting the Great Sea Serpent and would likely only become a nuisance.
This was also to maintain the balance of power. No matter how powerful they were as mages, if thousands of merfolk swarmed them while they were fighting the royalty, they would inevitably be drained of mana and stamina.
“And what about you?” Rowina asked. “Are you really planning to take that bird into battle? It looks dangerous.”
“She’s tougher than she looks. She’ll be fine.”
As Turan stroked her head, Bije closed her eyes and basked in the touch, then shot Rowina a look of pure disdain. Her expression seemed to say, ‘As if someone like you could ever understand my worth.’
In truth, Bije was the reason Turan had even considered hunting the Great Sea Serpent. Having wings to detect a powerful enemy and escape was a massive factor in such an undertaking.
Before landing, Turan activated his tracking magic, scooped up a handful of seawater, and sniffed it.
‘…Good. At least it doesn’t seem like there’s a massive swarm of them.’
He estimated there were a dozen or so at most. The island wasn't particularly large, so by the time they made landfall, his relic-enhanced senses covered the entire area.
There was one mermaid whose presence was equivalent to a top-tier to mid-tier human noble, another slightly weaker, and six more who ranged from upper to mid-tier. Finally, there was one low-tier presence—likely Armani. In total, there were nine royals.
Including Rowina, that made ten.
Additionally, he felt about ten other presences with far weaker power. These were likely the noble-class merfolk who had come to serve, possessing flames of life similar to ordinary humans.
Turan used wind magic to discreetly relay this information to Solif and Meisa.
Meisa asked with a meaningful look.
[Ten royals… and the kid doesn’t really count as a combatant, so nine. If it comes to a fight, can we handle it?]
[Easily. Merfolk are generally stronger than nobles of the same rank, but the same applies to us. Just remember: we must never let ourselves become weaker than them, either during or after the fight.]
The most important thing was remembering that the merfolk were, at best, untrustworthy allies. If they exhausted too much power hunting the Great Sea Serpent, they had to be prepared for a potential betrayal.
“We’re here. Let’s head out.”
*
The boat reached the shore, and Turan’s party disembarked with Rowina to head inland. Since the island was small, it took only a few minutes to reach the clearing where the mermaid royalty were gathered.
“Oh, so these are the humans?”
“They all look so young. Are they really that strong?”
“Sister Rowina wouldn’t have messed this up.”
The mermaid royals Turan met for the first time all spoke with a surprisingly casual, almost thuggish tone. He had expected the stiff, formal mannerisms of Armani or Rowina, but perhaps those two were the outliers.
Clad in garments woven from seaweed, the exceptionally small Armani greeted Turan.
“That one with the gray hair is Turan, the kind devil who saved me! He’s really strong! Even Sister Rowina lost to him without being able to do a thing!”
Rowina’s lips twisted into a grimace as her pride took a hit, but she didn’t argue. It was a fact that she had been utterly overwhelmed. Hearing Armani’s words, the other royals looked at Turan’s group with even greater interest.
“Ho…”
“I heard she lost, but to that extent?”
“They must be some of the most powerful devils on the surface. Kid, you got lucky.”
As they chattered, Turan’s gaze shifted to a noble mermaid standing respectfully behind the royals. The noble was staring intently at Turan’s group, drool leaking from his mouth.
“Oops.”
“Hey, Yakon. I told you to restrain yourself. Have some dignity.”
“My apologies, Prince…”
At the royal’s rebuke, the noble mermaid quickly wiped away his drool. Turan had heard that noble-class merfolk had decent self-control compared to the commoners, but seeing this made him realize just how little restraint the lower classes must have.
Turan narrowed his eyes as he watched the merfolk chatter.
‘It would be nice if I could read their emotions too.’
Though he didn't fully understand the mechanics, Turan could read human emotions to some extent through scent. This even applied to most animals, but merfolk were an exception—perhaps because of the fishy odor they emitted.
Just then, Rowina shed her human clothes, donned the seaweed garments typical of her kind, and spoke quietly.
“Let’s start with introductions.”
“I’m Turan. These are Sol and Misha. Good to meet you.”
When Turan stopped there, one of the merfolk asked in confusion.
“Hm? Is that it? Don’t you humans have family names or something?”
“There are those among humans who wander without such things,” Turan replied.
The merfolk looked puzzled, but since none of them knew much about human society, they simply shrugged it off.
Next, the merfolk introduced themselves. Surprisingly, they were all children of the current Mermaid King. One older brother, four younger brothers, and three younger sisters. Including Armani, there were nine in total.
Turan immediately voiced a question. “What about other relatives?”
“Hm?”
“I mean, your father, the Mermaid King, must have siblings. Where are their children?”
Judging by the numbers, mermaid royalty didn't seem to have low fertility. If those relatives were included, their strength would rival that of a human Great Family.
One of the merfolk answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “They’re all dead, of course.”
“…How?”
“We sent them on their way. There is only one King in the kingdom, and only his bloodline is allowed to prosper.”
The young royal explained with chilling nonchalance that when a new King takes the throne, all royals who are not direct descendants of the new King are purged. Turan glanced at Solif and Meisa; both were visibly appalled.
“Is it always like that?”
“Yes. It’s the same for merfolk in other kingdoms—”
“Don’t talk about unnecessary things, Coloba,” Rowina interrupted, silencing the talkative royal.
The revelation that there were multiple mermaid kingdoms was news to Turan.
‘Well, I suppose it makes sense. Other races aren't all one single faction either.’
Besides the Necromancer King that Meisa had subjugated, there were likely dark elf tribes underground and groups of dwarves surviving in the Gray Zones. There was no reason to assume the merfolk were a single, unified group.
But this realization brought something else to mind. It was possible that these merfolk were not the ones cooperating with The Lawyer that Ymir had mentioned. If so, he might have been barking up the wrong tree from the start…
Swallowing his doubts, Turan continued questioning the talkative Coloba. “Did you not ask the other kingdoms for help?”
“Huh? Then we wouldn’t be able to keep the corpse for ourselves. That’s the whole point of doing this.”
“Coloba!”
The eldest son of the Mermaid King barked a warning, but Turan had already heard enough.
Just then, the tenth mermaid Turan had sensed stepped out from behind the thicket. Armani, who had shrunk back at the sudden tension, brightened and shouted.
“Oh, Father! You look like you’ve had a very satisfying bowel movement!”
“Be quiet, you little brat.”
The one who spoke with a low growl was a middle-aged mermaid with white hair and a beard that reached his navel. Unlike the depictions in storybooks, he wore no golden crown, but the authority radiating from his piercing eyes marked him as being on an entirely different level.
Above all, what made him special was the trident he held like a staff. Judging by the massive flow of mana within it, it was no ordinary magic tool.
‘A relic… and a top-tier one at that.’
The Mermaid King, holding a treasure that Turan estimated to be on par with or even superior to his own Mimic Relic, surveyed Turan’s party with a dissatisfied expression.
“Young mages. You can’t be more than sixty years old at best.”
“Skill doesn’t always follow age.”
Turan intentionally spoke without honorifics, emphasizing that he and the Mermaid King were equals. He sensed that the moment he showed subservience, the King would treat him as an inferior.
As expected, the Mermaid King merely twitched an eyebrow at Turan’s informal speech but did not show anger.
“Arrogant brats.”
The Mermaid King snorted and sat down on a large stone chair, looking down at them imperiously. Turan looked him in the eye and got straight to the point.
“Before we proceed, I think our calculations need to change.”
“What calculations are you talking about?”
“The corpse of the Great Sea Serpent. Rowina said it was worthless, but now it seems that’s not the case.”
“Who said such a thing?”
As the Mermaid King turned his head, all the royal children looked toward the talkative one, Coloba.
“Uh, I just…”
“Seeing as you’re trying to monopolize it without even asking other mermaid kingdoms for help, it must have considerable value, right?”
Turan stared intently into the Mermaid King’s deep, reddish-black eyes. After a ten-second staring contest, the King shook his head as if fed up.
“Humans! Always the same! So, what do you want? Do you want me to split the Great Sea Serpent’s corpse in half, even though it’s useless to you? Or do you want a box of pearls?”
“You mean the things that come out of those shells?”
“I don’t know why, but I heard you humans love them.”
“Be quiet while Father is talking, you idiots!” the eldest brother shouted.
The royals chattering in the back flinched and bowed their heads. Seeing this, Turan understood a bit better why the King favored Rowina.
“It’s nothing that grand. I just want to hear a few stories about the surface.”
From what he could see, none of the mermaid royalty possessed any decent magic tools. It was likely difficult to carry and use items while transformed into sea creatures. The only useful thing was that trident, and asking for that would surely cause the hunt to fall apart. Thus, the most rational payment Turan could demand was information.
“……Is that all?”
“Of course.”
“What kind of stories?”
“The Lawyer.”
The Mermaid King narrowed his eyes and glared at him, then nodded after a moment.
“Fine. We’ll talk alone. You lot! Go play somewhere else!”
“I’m curious about the human stories too.”
“Me too.”
“Get lost, now!”
At the King’s roar, the grumbling royals left one by one. Turan likewise signaled Solif and Meisa to step back. Once they were alone, the Mermaid King asked in a low voice.
“That name… where did you hear it?”
“From Ymir.”
Since they were in opposing camps anyway, Turan didn't hesitate to use the name. The Mermaid King tilted his head.
“A name I don’t know.”
If he didn't know that name, it meant the Mermaid King was not an active participant in the gods' power games. At best, he was just one of their pawns. In fact, the very use of the nickname 'The Lawyer' even with allies was proof that the Lawyer wasn't particularly sincere about this relationship.
“Are you cooperating with the Lawyer?”
“I don’t know if I’d call it cooperation, but we’ve been connected for generations. They’re the ones holding our leash.”
Judging by his tone, the King felt no goodwill toward the Lawyer—only hostility. He followed orders only because the Lawyer had some way to exert pressure.
‘Is he ruling over multiple mermaid kingdoms?’
If so, it was clear why the Lawyer could stand against several powerful enemies as a single force. Four or five mermaid factions of this size would be enough to easily crush a human Great Family.
Then, the Mermaid King looked at Turan with a sharp gaze and asked, “Are you also one of those monsters? Those who live eternal lives?”
“I think you already know the answer to that.”
“Ha, I should have known… I should have realized when young humans were said to be excessively strong. What kind of game are you playing this time?”
“I’m serious about catching the Great Sea Serpent, so don’t worry. As long as your side doesn’t pull any strange stunts, that is.”
At Turan’s words, the Mermaid King shook his head in exasperation. “Even if I kill you here, won’t you just come back to life someday and take your revenge? I have no desire to gift my kin an eternal enemy.”
“That’s fortunate for both of us.”
If the Mermaid King mistook him—and by extension, the other two—for members of the Frea Divine Clan, there was no better deterrent against betrayal. There was no greater folly than making an enemy of someone who would simply return to life after being killed.
Turan suppressed his satisfaction and maintained a relaxed demeanor. “So, is that all you wanted to ask?”
“This operation—why didn't you ask the Lawyer for help? It seems like something that would interest him.”
Turan didn't know if a god’s vessel had unlimited mana, but surely they wouldn't pass up an opportunity to absorb such massive power.
The Mermaid King looked at Turan as if he were asking something nonsensical. “Isn’t that something you people would know better than me? Why ask me?”
“I’m not exactly a friend of the Lawyer.”
When Turan implicitly emphasized that he belonged to a different faction, the Mermaid King gave a small snort.
“The seal itself, using that relic you took, was a method he proposed. We never mentioned the hunt to him. If he knew, he would never let us have the corpse.”
“Why?”
Instead of answering, the Mermaid King opened his reddish-brown eyes wide and stared at Turan. He seemed unable to tell if the question was a probe or a genuine inquiry.
After a moment, he spoke slowly.
“Because it would allow us to return to being true mermaid royalty. To the forms we held in the days when we were the Priests of the Great Sea Serpent.”