Thetis (3): Clash Beneath the Waves
Sea battles demanded far more three-dimensional movement than fights on land, making this an extremely unfavorable battlefield for the Hero. It was only natural, given that he had to face a freely swimming Sea Serpent in the cold depths where movement was anything but easy. Yet the Hero was holding his own far better than I'd expected, even under such harsh conditions. Despite having no footing to properly swing his sword, he parried the Sea Serpent's teeth and tail strikes, slipping in wounds on its scales whenever an opening appeared. Thanks to him, the body of this lesser dragon—the Sea Serpent—was covered in wounds both large and small. This must have been a first for the Sea Serpent. Even without breath constraints, injuries like those... Any weaker monster than a Sea Serpent would have been torn apart in seconds.
Leaving the Hero to his fierce battle, I turned my gaze to the mermaids who had fled far from the Sea Serpent and were now spectating from a safe distance. They'd bolted the moment it surfaced, so they must be used to escaping danger. It seemed Thetis hadn't been protecting these mermaids.
"You're not helping them yourself, huh."
"Pardon?"
"The mermaids."
I looked at the mermaids watching the Hero's fight from afar.
"Well... Mermaids and Sea Serpents are both creatures living in the sea. I can't just take sides with one or the other."
Hmm. Is that how it is? From Thetis's perspective, mermaids and Sea Serpents were simply lives dwelling in the ocean. Was this fairness... or callousness?
"Besides, Sea Serpents hunt to survive, and those mermaids have hunted and eaten other fish to survive... I can't protect them just because they resemble humans, praise me as the 'Great Current,' and sing beautifully with their voices. Predator and prey—that's the natural order."
"That seems reason enough to me... Anyway, you're basically leaving them to their own devices."
"Yes. Pretty much. But rather than intervening on one side and causing imbalance, letting nature take its course might be better."
Hmm. Is that true? Was it better to stay hands-off than to play favorites? I wasn't sure... which was right.
So I rephrased the question.
"Then why save the humans who fell into the water?"
"Humans?"
If she wouldn't save mermaids for those reasons, why save humans? The line between saving and not saving felt awfully blurry.
"Humans are land-dwellers, aren't they? They're not born in the sea or meant to live there. I saw them as outsiders to my domain, so I just sent them back."
Hmm. So that's how it goes. Humans definitely weren't sea creatures. To Thetis, they were outsiders. Did she manage sea life while repelling land life? It felt awfully isolationist.
"Well, I do turn a blind eye to land-dwellers fishing sea creatures for now. They have to eat to live, after all."
"Hmm. You're lenient about hunting for food."
"Yes. That's nature's law, isn't it? No creature hunts others just for fun or malicious reasons."
"Hmm..."
I had nothing to say to that. Too many humans did hunt for fun or worse. I'd have to educate them later: Catch sea creatures only for food. No sport fishing. Thetis wouldn't let it slide easily.
And mermaids... Hmm. No way humans would eat them, right? Their heads were a bit fish-brained, but they counted as another race. Should be fine. Yeah, it'll be okay.
Moving on.
"Then why tell the Hero to save the mermaids and cast underwater breathing magic on him?"
"Hmm. Two reasons. First, I wanted to see the strength of the child you've raised so carefully, Mother."
Of course. They were my kids, after all. Natural curiosity about the Hero I'd poured effort into.
"I wanted to compare him to the Sea Serpent—the strongest of sea creatures—and see just how strong this 'Hero' child really is."
"Hmm? Wait, did you summon that Sea Serpent?"
"Second reason: With you and this land-born human Hero watching, if I let the human-like mermaids get hunted... wouldn't you think poorly of me?"
Thetis ignored my question and continued with her own points. This girl... she'd summoned it on purpose. She seemed darker inside than before. Thetis hadn't been like this originally... right?Hmm. Had I neglected her so long she'd turned villainous? Who knows. Well, it was my fault for leaving her alone so long.
The Sea Serpent fought the Hero with teeth, claws, and tail as weapons. But the Hero's sword deflected every attack. Counterstruck by that sharp blade, the Sea Serpent ended up a battered mess. Realizing it couldn't win, it tucked its tail and fled. The Hero could only watch it go. The Sea Serpent was much faster swimmer. He couldn't catch up.
The enemy had fled, but victory was victory! Terrain disadvantages couldn't dull the Hero's skill! He'd conquered mountains, seas, and skies alike!
Thetis looked slightly surprised watching him—a minor detail.
Of course! The Hero I'd trained meticulously wouldn't falter! No mere lesser dragon could handle him!
"Good work."
I watched the Hero climb aboard, shook off the seawater cleanly, and smiled.
"First sea battle, and you handled it splendidly."
"It wasn't easy. Attacks from all directions—I was just blocking frantically. Without free breathing underwater, I might've been the one done in."
The Hero admitted the tough fight. Thetis smiled at him.
"Still, a Sea Serpent is one of the strongest in these seas, and you held your own like that. Impressive. Strength beyond any normal human. As expected of the Hero chosen by the Life Goddess."
As Thetis finished, the mermaids encircling the ship erupted in cheers for the Hero.
"Hero! Hooray!"
"Hero! Hero! Hero! Hero!!"
"Hero's amazing!!! Let me bear your child!!"
"Hey! No fair! Me too!! I want the Hero's baby!!!"
Uh. Hmm... These mermaids were very open-minded. Did they give live birth or lay eggs? Kinda curious now.
"Ch-children...!"
The Hero, blushing furiously, fled into the cabin like it was an escape.
"Hmm. This Hero boy seems quite shy."
"Aren't the mermaids too forward?"
"Well, they mimic human forms, but at their core, they're fish. One fish survival strategy is laying tons of eggs. Especially with a strong male like the Hero... any female would want that."
Hmm. Human-like appearance, but fish at heart.
"If the Hero wants, he could sow seeds in their eggs? A strong human's seed might produce strong mermaids."
"I'll pass."
Too much responsibility without pleasure—the Hero was still too young for that.
The next day, the Hero and I finally parted from Thetis and headed back. She seemed a bit reluctant. Thanks to her ocean currents pushing us, the return voyage was smoother—a trivial note.
「Oh, Mom! On your way back from seeing Thetis?」
"Sylphid."
「Yeees! It's your cute and lovable Sylphid!」
Hmm. Cute and lovable from my perspective, sure.
"Anyway, what's up?"
「Nothing much. No big incidents with Thetis, right?」
"Big incidents?"
「Yeah!」
What big incidents? Hmm...
"Nothing out of the ordinary."
「Really? Hmm. Well, she might've changed her mind! Good thing!」
"Hmm?"
I pressed her on it.
"Changed her mind? What do you mean?"
「Uh... Hmm... Not sure if I should say.」
"Spit it out. Don't keep me hanging."
Prodded, Sylphid finally relented.
「Thetis said that the later you came to see her, the more guilty you'd feel, the sorrier you'd be?」
Hmm, yeah, I did feel pretty guilty. Without the Hero stuff, I'd have stayed with her awhile.
"And?"
「She planned to use that guilt to keep you by her side as long as possible. She's in such a remote spot—might as well get some gain from it.」
Uh. Hmm...
「Said she'd pull out all stops to win you over while together. Good thing nothing happened! She must've changed her mind!!」
Huuuh...Hmmmmm... A chill ran down my spine for some reason.
"N-no big deal happened, so we're good, right?"
「Yeah! Totally! And after so long apart, seeing you probably melted her grudges. Should be fine now!」
Still, better stay cautious next time I visit Thetis. Ugh. Why'd they all change like this? They used to be such good kids... I let out a small sigh.