CH 10

The bed of glowing Laffels was like a vast flower garden over the sea.

Even more than the stars she could see in the sky, more than the nets that the fishermen would hoist up.

Then, Ophelia’s expectations began to rise.

On the day that Ian showed her a small flower garden, Ophelia asked him.

—You went out to sea often, so you must have seen this sight a lot before. Isn’t that right?

—No, I haven’t seen much Laffel while travelling. To be exact… Seeing the Laffel out at sea is considered as an ominous sign.

—They’re beautiful, but ominous… Why is this so?

—When Laffels glow, it is usually because there are other creatures hunting them. That’s why it’s best to be careful when they’re seen glowing.

Beautiful voices imbued with mana… Not only did they hunt the Laffel, but they also lured many sailors to drive their ships to their reefs.

The magic tower’s namesake. They were the symbol of the tower itself.

Siren.

Ophelia, watching a bird flying over the coast, spoke lightly.

“Alei, retract your mana. So that they’ll come here.”

Hearing her words, Alei made a face.

“Just what’ll come?”

“What do you think?”

They’ll help you find your memories.

* * *

Sailors would often speak of sirens in two ways: first, as a monster with a beautiful voice, but a hideous bird-like appearance, or second…

As a creature that has a beautiful voice with an equally beautiful appearance.

Even those who have seen sirens personally seemed to be divided in their opinions, but before that, it was more often said that they did not exist.

But Ophelia knew the truth of their appearance.

Of course, this was because of her past life.

After Alei had regained his memories in the past, he returned to the tower. Perhaps it was natural for him to return to that place, since he was the lord after all.

Because she knew how desperate he had been in trying to regain his memories, Ophelia did not hold onto him.

However, if she had been given permission to hold onto him, then she definitely would have.

What she thought back then was that, if he disappeared, she might lose her voice again. Who else would she be able to confide in? She felt as though she was left alone in the middle of an endless blizzard.

But how could she ever dare to be greedy and hold onto him?

He finally found his place again.

So instead of clinging onto him, Ophelia instead went to Alei’s room more often before he left. She spent more time with him in front of the fireplace, content with the time they shared together as they talked.

There was one day when she baked plum pie well for the first time.

Recalling that Alei had a sweet tooth, Ophelia sought out Alei with two slices of the plum pie in hand.

However, before she could enter his room, there was already another guest inside.

With curly hair so short that it didn’t reach that person’s nape, a captivating impression that was sharp enough to make you feel unbalanced, an irresistible allure that would make anyone fall in love…

“Dian. What is this female?”

…And, very rude.

Alei frowned and scolded the person right away.

“I told you you’re not supposed to say that, Sante.”

“Why not? I don’t think it’s a male.”

“I’m not talking about the gender… Anyway, come in, Ophelia.”

“…Ah.”

Ophelia finally snapped out of her reverie. This fascinating man—well, judging by his voice, he was a man. But as Ophelia stood blankly while looking at him, she was surprised that he wasn’t a woman instead.

She glanced at the man named Sante, then turned to Alei.

“You have a guest. Can I still come in?”

“It’s okay. He’ll leave soon. Sante, don’t do anything weird.”

“What weird thing are you talking about. But do you really think it’ll be alright if I’m left alone?”

At Sante’s question, Alei narrowed his eyes, seeming as though he was contemplating deeply.

But it didn’t take long.

“You… Before you do anything strange, let’s just reveal it in advance. Ophelia, he’s not human.”

“Yes. A wise decision.”

“Sante is a siren representative.”

“Yep. Siren.”

“…Don’t play with my words.”

“But it’s true.”

Ophelia couldn’t understand what they were talking about. Perhaps she might have been less flustered if she had at least set down the freshly baked plum pie.

She felt the need to sort out the situation.

“Do you mean… the tower?”

And then she was laughed at. Sante guffawed so loudly that she almost dropped the plates.

Feeling responsible for the commotion, Alei gently took one plate of plum pie from Ophelia, then, somewhat awkwardly, he spoke.

“The explanation earlier was rather incomplete. That guy interrupted me, but anyway, I wasn’t talking about the tower. To be exact, the tower was named after their species.”

“…So that’s what you meant by ‘not human.’”

“I tried to put it simply, but I’m sorry it just confused you.”

“No, I understand. A siren, then.”

Fortunately, Ophelia quickly accepted the situation, and so Alei noticeably looked relieved.

At that time, Sante also settled down.

Thanks to that, Alei was also able to continue his explanation.

And it was not that long.

Because sirens could shift back and forth between the physical forms of birds and humans, they’re often asked to assist the tower in terms of communication. In return, the tower would help them hunt for Laffel.

And right now, Sante was the current head of the sirens.

After listening to his explanation, Ophelia had one question.

“Is it okay to let me know about this? Since you’re of a different race, humans won’t leave you alone.”

What if she made a mistake and put Sante in danger?

Understanding what she meant, Sante laughed loudly again, but this time, it was a bit more subdued and a more pleasant laugh than a while ago when Ophelia mistook him as a person from the tower.

She asked why he laughed again, but no one told her why.

But she found out later.

Truthfully, the sirens were wearing several layers of protective magic that the tower placed on them, and in the first place, they were a superior race to human beings. Rather than the other way around, it was actually the sirens who hunted humans for fun.

There was nothing wrong with all the rumors she heard in the past.

The fact that sirens lured ships to the reefs and made them sink, that they were birds, and that they looked human. It was all true.

If, in fact, the sirens were being hunted by humans, then it wouldn’t have been easy to meet one like this.

“When you first saw me, what did I look like? Female? Male? Both?”

“So that’s why you were sparkling so much earlier! Just try doing that again! Just try it!”

Ophelia tried to imagine it—sirens in their bird-like forms, sitting on a reef with their feet dipped into the waters.

Apparently, they only looked like birds from a distance, but the closer one got, the more their appearance would change.

Sure enough, this was what she heard from Alei.

—Sirens are vigilant, but also curious. What they consider as jokes are very violent. For them, the act of killing sailors is a mere jest. So if people ever meet one, it’s not exactly hard to approach them.

—What makes it difficult to approach them?

—If you’re a normal person, it’ll be hard. Sirens are impatient and easily bored.

In other words, if you didn’t want to die, humans needed to be careful in front of them.

Recalling Alei’s words back then, Ophelia turned to the young sirens who appeared after the mana from the ocean had been retracted.

In the short time that they were here, they were already losing their patience.

“If you don’t make it quick, I’ll drown you in the ocean!”

“I’ll crush your head on the reef!”

Even if they said it like that, what’s so scary about their threats?

Next to Ophelia was a man who had so much power that he could turn the sea into the starry night sky.

“Alei, isn’t it too loud?”

“I agree.”

As soon as Alei said this, the sirens’ lips clamped shut.

It’s better now.

As she looked at the sirens, Ophelia spoke with a light tone, trying not to lace her words heavily.

“Siren. We can light up the sea as much as you want if this is what you wish for.”

“Oohh!”

“I can show you even more amazing things, and even more Laffel that you can stuff your stomachs with.

“……!”

“Have you ever seen the turbulent sea calm down in an instant? What about rain falling backward? Do you want to see the bottom of the sea? If you can help me, I’ll do anything you ask.”

Ophelia continued to lure them in. The sirens soon grew speechless as if they were possessed.

If these sirens were anything like Sante, persuading them might have been more difficult. But fortunately, these sirens seemed to be as young as Cadelia.

Anyway, luck was also a skill.

Ophelia asked directly.

“What do you say? Will you help me?”

And right there, she got three splendid messengers.