Chapter 206: Classic Masterpiece [The Little Mermaid] (Revised Brother's Part)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 206: Classic Masterpiece [The Little Mermaid] (Revised Brother's Part)
You have selected [Octopus Witch].
According to the effect of the Lead Role Selection Ticket, the story will be tailored to the lead role you have chosen.
The gender of the [Octopus Witch] will be changed.
[Octopus Witch] has changed to [Shark Mage].
Following the flow of the Classic Masterpiece [The Little Mermaid], the [Shark Mage] cannot appear in the main story immediately.
However, you may create your own story through individual activities.
※Caution!※
If your individual story affects the main story, the ending will become unpredictable.
In a Classic Masterpiece, contribution is judged by the final result once the story is fully concluded, so please exercise careful judgment.
The Classic Masterpiece [The Little Mermaid] will now begin!
The role I chose was the Octopus Witch.
'Maybe I should have gone with the Little Mermaid.'
I could have changed the story itself into something like the turbulent adventures of a Mermaid Prince, but I couldn't do that because I knew for a fact that Kim Min-su would choose the Prince.
There was the option of choosing the Prince myself just to screw him over, but I chose the Witch because Kim Min-su might try to approach Melanie early on.
'Besides, it’s easier to predict his moves if he picks something obvious.'
Just as a human can't truly know the mind of a monkey, I wouldn't know what Kim Min-su would choose or do if he didn't become the Prince.
Furthermore, since this was a Gate he had prepared, he likely had his own plans. I decided it would be easier to proceed with the story by crushing those plans one by one.
'Still, I didn't expect to become a shark.'
I had briefly worried that if the Octopus Witch became a man, he’d end up bald, so this was a relief.
'He looks like he belongs in a ninja manga.'
It was a character design I’d seen somewhere before. The only difference was that the face and hair looked exactly like my original self.
Gills on the neck, fins on the arms and back. Sharp teeth that looked like they could easily tear a person apart. Even my breathing felt perfectly natural underwater.
'My body feels about twice as large, too.'
Not only that, but unlike my usual body, I could feel an uncontrollable power surging within me.
'Is this how I use it?'
As I focused on this unprecedented power and waved my hand, a portion of the flowing sea miraculously came to a halt. It was only the flow of water around my hand, but it was quite impressive.
'It said I wouldn't be able to meet the Little Mermaid for a while, right?'
In reality, that only applied to the very beginning. The Little Mermaid was a fairy tale with a story short enough to be summarized very simply. Saving the prince, hanging out with the unconscious prince for a bit, bringing him to shore, and so on.
'It’s surprisingly full of regret, misery, and obsession.'
Come to think of it, The Little Mermaid possessed all three of those elements.
'Though that won't happen now that I've intervened.'
I couldn't meet Melanie right away because I couldn't interfere with the main story yet, but since I had a plan, I immediately left the place where I had been staying.
'What kind of shark lives in a cave?'
This part was likely an unavoidable consequence of the [Octopus Witch] concept. I had been surprised when I first opened my eyes to find myself in a cave filled with mysterious potions and cauldrons.
'Well, shall I go?'
There was only one person I needed to meet in this situation.
+++++++++++++++
Your role is [The Little Mermaid].
According to the main story, the Prince will drift down into the water shortly.
※Caution!※
If you do not save the Prince, you will be unable to escape the Gate.
You must do your absolute best to save the Prince so that he does not lose his life!
"Eek!"
Melanie screamed the moment she opened her eyes.
"N-Naked!"
In a panic, she reached out and pressed seashells against her chest. To think that the only thing covering a grown woman's naked body was a pair of seashells. They were so small they were worse than a NuBra.
The only saving grace was that her lower half was covered automatically.
"Whew..."
Melanie let out a sigh of relief, having momentarily considered pulling up some seaweed to cover herself.
'Wait, then where are the clothes I was originally wearing?'
This was the first time her outfit and body had changed upon entering a Gate, so the question naturally arose. If they had been ordinary clothes, she wouldn't have even wondered, but the clothes she had picked out today were very special.
'I even matched the top and bottom...'
Not only had she matched the color of her underwear, but she had chosen see-through lace lingerie that men were said to love. She was going to wear that with Baek Tae-yang and...
Shatter!
"I must be going crazy!"
Realizing where her thoughts had drifted unconsciously, Melanie completely crushed the seashells she was holding against her chest into powder. Right now, focusing on the Gate was the priority.
'There he comes.'
As if on cue, just as she finished gathering her thoughts, a living creature slowly drifted down through the water. Even from a distance, she could tell who it was immediately because of his hair color.
Melanie moved her body, remembering the warning message.
'How great would it have been if it were Baek Tae-yang instead of Kim Min-su?'
With that thought, she rescued Kim Min-su to progress the early story. He was dressed as a prince, but because of his past actions, he didn't look the part at all. He had slicked his hair back as if trying to imitate Baek Tae-yang, but it looked ridiculous. Melanie barely held back a laugh at his hair, which looked like he had just rolled out of bed.
'Still, maybe there's some lingering affection...'
There wasn't.
Thinking about what she had suffered at Kim Min-su's hands, Melanie's face hardened with anger, and she slammed Kim Min-su down onto a rock.
'Is he unable to wake up because of the story?'
Even a fallen hero is still a hero. There was no way a man once called a Hero would lose consciousness just from falling into the sea. She peeled back his eyelids to see if he was faking it, but that wasn't the case either.
Rescue successful! Please bring the Prince to shore shortly according to the story's progression.
Until then, you may woo him, dote on him, or do whatever you like!
Melanie's expression hardened even further at the subsequent Gate message. Come to think of it, she remembered that in the original story, the Little Mermaid had fawned over the unconscious prince.
'Is it crazy? It's not even Baek Tae-yang.'
If it had been Baek Tae-yang, she would have pressed her lips against his immediately, but this was Kim Min-su. Regardless, having some free time, Melanie sat on the rock.
"If you leave me behind and finish this again, I will never, ever forgive you."
She made a firm vow that this would be the last time she was left alone.
Thwack!
Feeling petty, Melanie drove her fist into the sprawling Kim Min-su's stomach.
Spurt!
The fountain of water erupting from Kim Min-su's mouth did nothing to quench Melanie's rage.
'But then, does that mean Baek Tae-yang is the Octopus Witch?'
Melanie prayed for this time to pass quickly as she pondered that thought.
++++++++++++++++++
"Is that really true!"
"Yes, it is. It's the truth!"
"How can I believe those words?"
"How else would I have found this place so easily and known your youngest daughter's name?"
"T-That is true!"
Things were going smoothly.
'It’s definitely working.'
The person I had come to meet was the Little Mermaid's father. In other words, the Mermaid King.
'And also the most tragic person in The Little Mermaid.'
The most pitiful being who loses his youngest daughter and the hair of his other daughters. That was the Mermaid King.
There wouldn't be a single line mentioning this in the fairy tale, but it was something one could easily realize upon deeper thought. Moreover, since this was a place where only beings from the fairy tale appeared, he was naturally someone I could meet.
"Are you saying my daughter will really die and become a spirit of the air, just as you said?"
"Yes, that's right."
"But... I can't believe it... especially with you barging in here so recklessly..."
His words were perfectly understandable. It was only natural, given that I had burst into his kingdom shouting that his youngest daughter was going to die.
"But if I hadn't done that, you wouldn't have met me. It was an unavoidable method."
"Urgh... that's true, but..."
Actually, since I was pushing an absurd argument, I hadn't expected much. If someone showed up for the first time and said, 'Your youngest daughter will die and your other princesses will go bald,' who would take that seriously?
It was only because I mentioned Melanie's name and possessed a reputation that others would recognize that I was able to force my way this far.
'This isn't the main event anyway.'
The real deal would begin the moment I could appear in the main story. Until then, this was all just groundwork in case of emergencies.
"For now... I understand, so please leave for today. I will seek you out again later."
"Understood."
After some deliberation, the Mermaid King dismissed me, and I politely followed his command with a bow. The real story would begin tomorrow.
'When Melanie comes to find me.'
Since that was when the true value of my plan would be revealed, I left with only a meaningful smile and returned to my original location.
'This time, it'll end quickly.'
If the Little Mermaid comes to me...
The Prince and the Mermaid will never meet again.