188 Episode 188 "The Circumstances of Mermaids and the Great Treasure of" Clothing, Food, and Housing "".txt (1/2)

The Labyrinth of Saint Delilah, the Pool Room.

...... Who is that, sir? ......?

The mermaid, Sonia, looked at me and said so.

Her tone was lisping.

This is Saint Delilira's labyrinth. The pool room at the back of it.

In the thin, bright water, a little mermaid was watching me.

Her name is Sonia, and she's less than ten years old. Her age is less than 10 years old.

She has long light blue hair wrapped around her body, and she looks a little frightened.

Her lower body is a fish. Her light blue scales glisten in the light of the room.

Faint ripples on the surface of the water are caused by Sonia's trembling.

Maybe she's scared of me, the first time we've met.

I know that ...... is the same human species that drove the mermaids out of their home.

I'm not going to be able to get it right. Mr. Sonia.

Iris, sitting by the pool, shook Sonia's hand.

'This is Iris's beloved, gentle master, you know.

...... easy, people?

Yes, he's very kind to me.

Then, with her little finger, Iris pressed her lips together.

'Iris has gotten used to it lately, so ...... you can make it a little harder, though.

Hey, hey, hey.

What are you talking about, blushing? Iris.

”...... kind, human.

Sonya's trembling stopped.

It seems that interacting with Iris makes the mermaid Sonia feel at ease.

I'm sure she is a descendant of the sea dragon Kerkator. I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about it. So maybe we have something in common.

I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this. The brave shama.

This time I'm just here to support you. You were assisted by my friends and Lady Delilira.

'Well, you know. Delilira-san is an 'attentive saint', you know!

Right above the pool, the ghost saintess threw out her chest with an ”eh”.

She was worried about the mermaid, Sonia, and she's been following her for a long time. She's really a nice person. She's a good person.

Well, she was so attentive that she couldn't quit her job and died prematurely.

'Rest if you're aware, Your Highness.

The people here are me, Iris, the saint, and Sonia the mermaid.

Sonya gets nervous when there are too many people here, so we decided to have everyone wait outside.

By now, we should be at the entrance of the labyrinth, drinking tea and taking a break.

So, Sonya. If it's okay with you, you can tell me what happened on the beach.

I said.

At the same time, I sent the situation of this place to Cecil and Aine by ”Consciousness Sharing (Mind Linkage) - Revised”. It's the usual information sharing.

''...... hui,''

I'll start by telling you what happened when my people found you.

The mermaid, Sonia, nodded, so I continued.

'At the time, one of my companions was on a quest to investigate a river,' she said, 'a very talented beastman girl was there. A very talented beastman girl was there.

The girl used some kind of power and found you lying deep in the water source. In order to save you, the knight girl's twin sister, who had special powers, flew through the air with her powers and pulled you out.

Then, along with you, appeared the saint Delilira in the form of a bird.

So you're saying that Iris's people used their magical powers to help Lady Sonia out.

'Don't let him get into the details. Sonia,

............ yeah.

The mermaid, Sonia, half-sunk her face into the water and replied.

'You know what? Sonya believes in the Iris shama. When Iris Shama is by her side, she feels at ease. The mermaids know about the saint Delilira-chama. So... ...... Is the Brave Shama your favorite person?

My beloved.

He's like a student who can't be ignored.

So long, then.

Chappu, kicking the water, Sonia comes close to me.

”Sonya swears her allegiance to the brave girl .......

You don't have to swear an oath of allegiance. I just want to know what's going on in your neck of the woods.

It's all in your mind.

Sonia stepped back, and with a crunch, she tapped the surface of the water with her tail and bowed.

Then she closed her eyes and began to speak slowly.

──────────── ...

It was just as the saintly lady had said that mermaids were sub-humans who lived along the coast.

And it was just as I had expected that Sonia and her friends lived near the Land of the d*mned.

”For generations, Sonia and her friends have purged the curse by singing and dancing happily.

The mermaids don't know when the place became the 'Land of the d*mned'.

But there was a legend.

A long time ago, the human king committed a great crime against the dragon that lived on the earth.

The dragon's anger was so great that he was furious with the dragon for that crime.

This anger would not subside, even after the death of the dragon.

It is said to destabilize the minds of those who approach the land.

”The curse doesn't work on mermaids,” she said. They don't suffer too much.

Doesn't bother you?

'Yes. If it's not life-threatening, I'll forget about the bad stuff in about three days.

So what's the threat to your life?

We'll deal with it. If that doesn't work, we'll just give up and run.

””...... I see.”

That's a way of life that can be done because we are a species that lives freely in the sea.

Mermaids don't have a civilization or even a home.

If humans did the same thing, it would be a hassle to get rid of them afterwards. ...... But I like ....... That way of life, too.

That's the kind of life that mermaids live in. ...... A frightening person came ...... to live with such a mermaid.

Sonia began to tell the rest of the story.

────────────

A few weeks ago, a ship came to the mermaid's realm.

In addition to the sailors, there were two humans on board the ship - a swordsman and a wizard.

The two men announced to the mermaids: ”The time has come to open this land.

'The time has come to open this land. We will find someone who can resist the curse and fulfill the ancient oath.

And...

And so they began to attack the mermaids.

The mermaids do not have the ability to fight. The best that can be done is to sing a song that has a 'purification' effect.

I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this as well.

What happened after that ...... Sonia doesn't even remember exactly what happened.

She desperately fled to a secret escape route - an underground water vein.

The reason there was a 'Horned Serpent' with her was because those guys had been defeated by swordsmen and wizards.

The underground water vein was flowing fast, and after hitting the rocks several times, Sonia lost consciousness.

Then she realized that she was in the saintly lady's labyrinth.

──────────── ...

...... It was a very frightening experience. The eyes of the people on the boat were ...... as if they weren't looking at anything, as if they weren't subhuman or demonic, but ...... as if they were the sea Float, like a disturbing driftwood ...... magic, releasing ...... magic, using the big demon, ......

The pool ripples.

Because the body of the mermaid Sonia is trembling.

That's how scary it must have been.

The scariest part is that I don't know why they did it. Mermaids are ...... purifying the land, and they're just doing it for the fun of it. Mermaids get tired of it and go far away. They didn't attack humans and they didn't hate ...... them.

...... Dear Sonia.

If it weren't for the help of the heroic Shama's friends, ...... mermaids (Sonia) would have hated ...... humans. ......

Sonia reached out and grabbed the hem of my pants and squeezed.

'Thank you ...... brave man, shama.'

I'm sorry I had to remind you of something horrible.

The same thing happened with the ”Wise Goblin” that attacked the beastman's village, but why are there people who do unnecessary things in this world?

The mermaids continued to cleanse the ”cursed land”.

I heard that fishermen traded with them, so the place must have been cleaned up enough for a few people to enter.

But the 'rookie trainees' ruined it.

I guess that's what the people who took the training are going crazy about, in other words.

I wonder why they would do that.” ...... I have no idea, Delilira, I just don't get it.

Iris, too. If you want to 'train the new guy', you should do it in the middle of nowhere.

I'm with you on this one.

'So, Nagi-kun, how did you analyze what you heard, Sonia?

...... Right.

From what Sonia said, I'm guessing that .......

'In other words, the mermaids lived in that realm in order to purify the ancient curse. The curse is most likely the curse of the dragon ...... that dwells on the earth, or the 'earth dragon'. The one who drove out the mermaids was probably a person with a different power. I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this in the future.

They are conducting a 'rookie training' there. The purpose is to find people who are resistant to the ”curse”. Thus, they're trying to find the source of the curse, the Dungeon of the Demon Dragon. That's what the 'Quest for the Brave' in 'The Visitor' is all about. The Marquis is cooperating with ...... it, no, don't make a quick decision. More information: ......

Brave boy, you're catching on too quickly!

We've done some research beforehand. We know who's doing the 'rookie training'.

We know how they treat people, me, Leticia, Cutlass, and Rafilia have experienced it too.

And the purpose of 'Newcomer Training' is not to train people, but to find people who can withstand the extremely black environment of 'Curse'.

There are few people who can nullify the ”curse”.

Even in our party, only Cecil, Rita, Aine and Iris have resistance to the curse.

I'm not going to be able to get close to that ”cursed land”, of course. But ...... I have a feeling it's not good to just leave it like this.

And also I want to return the mermaid to her original sea.

It's a black world, so it's good to have a race of carefree, singing and laughing people.

''Well, I was going to go explore the 'Demon Dragon Dungeon' anyway.

We are deeply involved with sea dragons and celestial dragons.

If there is a demon dragon, a ground dragon, I want to make sure that I know what it is.

I'm also the 'Otosan' of the 'Young Living Body of the Heavenly Dragon'.

''Saintess. Do you have a question?

Yes, Nagi.

”The only reason people who are taking 'rookie training' are meekly following it is because they are mentally unstable because of the 'cursed land'.

'Yes. Delilira thinks so.

The Ghost Saintess nodded.

The so-called 'cursed land' is a place where the anger and sadness of a giant being - in other words, big emotions - remain. Even the strongest of people would be mentally unstable if someone was standing next to them in a constant state of anger, wouldn't they?　That's what I mean.

With Her Ladyship's 'Silver Plate of Purification', you can bring everyone back to their senses.

'Yes. But with a strong curse, it may take some time to cleanse it. If you hit them with a huge 'divine power', you can bring everyone back to their senses in an instant, but I'm sure there's someone who can do that...

When she was about to say it, the saintly lady said, ”Haha,” and held her mouth.

''-You don't say that, do you? Anyway, the moment Delilira-san said that, Inochiki master Nagi-kun said, 'Okay, let's use that one! Hmmm!

Why are you sulking, saint?

No, there are certainly ways to purify, though.

Please don't sulk before you say it, Holy Lady.

''In that case, we'll first weaken the 'curse' and return the people receiving the 'training' to their senses. The only thing left to do is to deal with the giant demon that attacked the mermaid's territory. Do you have any information about that?