Chapter 200: By the Lake

That morning, all my colonists sat by the lake to await the arrival of troops from the kingdom of Fin'ce. I did order them to do that as a gesture of respect.

"Regarding the merman race, some people say they are illegal genetically modified creatures. There are many theories on why they could make ordinary humans like them. One of the theories is that they were made that way so that in the future, all of humanity will live in the water." Eric explained. "And there are many more theories that try to explain why their creator wanted humans to live in water."

"And they were brought here illegally too." Seb, who was sitting next to his son, sighed. "Like those poppy seeds."

"But there are creatures in this world that are not recorded in the database." Gwen chimed in. "Like those Stump Scorpions you guys told me about. Maybe they were the result of an illegal experiment that wasn't recorded and not many people knew about."

"Arrrrrgggghhh!!!" Leva ruffled her hair furiously. "You guys talk boring shit and hard to understand, you know!"

"Well, I have to admit, I don't really understand their conversation either." Miro shrugged, then looked at Gwen. "Are you sure you're all right, Gwen? You were in the cold lake water for quite a while last night."

Gwen looked back at the man with a pale face, though still swollen. "My body's condition is indeed weak. My immunity might be down. But, maybe it's just a coincidence that I haven't had any bacteria or viruses that have infected me."

"And I don't understand what you're saying either." Miro shrugged his shoulders a second time.

Their attention then turned to the lake, which was now decorated with many splashes, which looked different from what Re'i usually displayed. Every now and then, I see the appearance of golden-shod feet that appear between the splashes, instead of fish tails.

Before long, the Mermans, numbering around fifty, rose to the shore. I was pretty amazed to see them. They all wore golden and shiny green armor. The shape reminds me of medieval armor, but the head is attached with a transparent tube filled with water instead of the normal metal helmet.

They all carried spears or rifles that matched their armor.

One of them, a merman who wore armor that stood out the most because it was decorated with magnificent carvings, approached Gwen. At the same time, the other bowed his head to the woman.

Ah, he's Re'i.

Gwen's gaze was fixed on Re'i's lower body, which was in the form of two legs, no longer a fish tail.

"Holy shit..." Miro hissed as he squeezed his head, looking at the Mermans with amazement. Slowly, her tears started to fall. "I can't believe I could see something like this in my life."

Re'i came to Gwen, who immediately tried to put her forehead against the king's.

"Ouch!" However, the blonde woman's forehead hit Re'i's helmet. I could see the king's men were trying not to laugh. When Re'i looked back, they returned to their upright position.

Leva was also holding back laughter, and she had to be elbowed by Miro.

While Gwen rubbed her forehead, Re'i pressed a button on his bracelet. The water inside his helmet shrunk, then he took off that thing. Gwen was finally able to put her forehead against Re'i's.

"Hey, now you have legs, Your Majesty." Gwen smiled as she closed her eyes.

Re'i smiled back. "Yes, we do have the ability to turn our lower bodies into human-like ones, although it feels weird to use this. Usually, I'm in this form while training."

"Thank you for being willing to do this, Your Majesty."

"Well, I can only bring this kind of troops, even though my kingdom's fighting power is far from this. The cabinets insist that I can't bring much because it's a very trivial matter." Re'i sneered. "They don't understand how important this is to me. They never think about my happiness."

"This is more than enough, Your Majesty." Gwen rubbed the merman king's face. "You really are the best. I will not forget this noble act of yours, Your Majesty."

"Ah, I'm flattered." Re'i chuckled. "Well, we don't have to linger any longer. Let's go now. Your friend needs our help right away, right?"

"Doesn't your highness want to rest first? You and your people need good stamina to fight."

"We Mermans have strong physique and stamina. This kind of thing is nothing... Ah, there's one more condition, Gwen." Re'i added. "You can't come with my troop."

"Huh!? But...."

"You're far from fit, Gwen." The king shook his head. "Neither can I come because this mission could put my life in danger."

"Just follow his orders," I whispered in the blonde haired woman's ear. "You can get sick if you push yourself. Have him wait at your house. I believe he'll be delighted."

Gwen sighed again. "In that case, would your highness be willing to stay at our place for a while?"

"That's my plan." Rei's smile widened. "As long as you're okay with some of my followers."

As soon as Re'i gave a hand signal to his troops, four other mermans came forward and bowed to Gwen. They consist of two men and two women.

"So, let's go." Re'i put his helmet back on, pressed the button on his bracelet to fill it with water, then carried Gwen in his arms.

Gwen looked shocked, and Re'i just smiled.

"Errrr... Let's go home now." Gwen told her friend.

The journey begins with Gwen being carried by Re'i. My colonists led the way to their homes.

"Hey, you know something about this, right? I've been asking you for a while, but you never answered. So does Gwen." Leva whispered to Miro, who was walking next to her. "There's no way these half-fish creatures would help us for nothing."

"Does their leader want to have Gwen?" Manu asks along, sounding worried.

You don't want to lose her either, Manu?

"If that's true, it's going to be very bad," Seb added, looking uncomfortable.

"You'll find out later." Miro quickened his pace. "It's not my right to tell you guys."