CH 80

Parker was shy and silent, so I turned to the mermaids.

“It seems that these unscrupulous brothers have caused some trouble. We apologize for the inconvenience.”

“No, no, fufufu”

Why are you so happy?

“It’s good, brothers and disciples…”

“It’s nice”

The mermaids happily fluttered their tails, but I didn’t know how to answer.

Personally, I would like to hear various stories immediately, but it seems that the mermaids are not good at such clerical conversations.

No need to get in the way here, let’s relax and keep pace with them.

But first of all, let’s give an apology.

“Parker isn’t a bad guy, but he’s just frivolous and easily misunderstood. He seems to have said things rudely, and I’d like to apologize.”

Then the mermaids hurriedly shook their tails from side to side, “That’s ridiculous, Mr. Parker is a really sincere person and he helped us a lot.”

I can’t believe it.

Sincere?

“But he once said, ‘Because the upper half is fine, join the Demon King’s army…”

“I didn’t say that, right?”

The Mermaids mysteriously tilt their heads.

“Even though we declined the offer of the Demon King’s army, Mr. Parker helped us a lot. He is a very serious person.”

Serious? This guy?!

I couldn’t believe it, but the mermaids further explained: “Mr. Parker has enshrined the spirits around here. Thanks to that, we are able to hide in the reefs around here.”

“If Mr. Parker hadn’t come, we would have been wandering through the vast ocean, reducing our numbers.”

To summarize their story, it seems that the mermaids had been living while wandering until recently. However, they are not migratory fish. Although they are a hunting and gathering race, they seem to be the type that settles down in a specific place.

Parker is said to have removed the reefs and islets where the ghosts were roaming for them.

The spirits of those who died in the sea wandered in the waves in search of land, so offshore islets and shallow waters often have spirits that can’t go to the Netherworld.”

Parker says this with an upward glance and hides his face again.

Did you do that thinking you wouldn’t come back at all?

When I stared at Parker’s face, he scratched his head in trouble.

“Hahaha, it seems that I’ve been skipping it! But thanks to that, I’ve been practicing exorcism! It’s already a huge number!”

“Parker”

“What?”

I said with a smile, “Thank you, you did a good thing”

Immediately Parker falters and leans against the rim.

“Stop, don’t praise me! You’re embarrassing me!”

“No, it is the right policy of the demon army to help the demons. Isn’t it possible to praise him as an adjutant of the demon?”

“No, no, that’s it? It’s just left behind after the negotiations are over?”

This guy seems to be vulnerable to being praised unexpectedly.

Let’s praise him more.

“As his fellow disciple, I can tell you that he has a very proud nose. He’s such a fine fellow-brother.”

“Well, is that so? No, no, let’s negotiate with the mermaids rather than that.”

“My dear fellow disciple, I respect you.”

“No, can you stop…”

Parker sneaked and stuck to the bottom of the ship, and became motionless.. You can’t use this method anymore. Let’s also teach senior Melene.

Having silenced the annoying brothers, I decided to talk slowly with the mermaids.

“Actually, humans are suspicious of you, they think you are attacking human ships.”

Immediately mermaids started buzzing.

Legend has it that they can manipulate water and curse the sinking of ships, but I can imagine that they don’t have that much power. The same is true for vampires and werewolves. Humans have a strong imagination and want to quickly add things to suit the mystery setting.

“We don’t attack human ships. The song ‘Konaide‘ may ask you to leave our home but that’s it.”

“If anything, it’s rumored here that humans are catching our companions.”

What does that mean?

Then Parker stood up and explained to me carefully, “I remember because I’m a former human being, but mermaids are thought to be immortal, because they don’t look old at all.”

In addition, there are only women, so it seems that they are seen with a mysterious image. That’s why some heartless humans are aiming for mermaids, thinking that the secret of immortality may be hidden in mermaids.

“We certainly don’t look much different, but when we get older, we can’t go out because the ocean is full of enemies.”

The mermaids said sadly. They looked to be in their mid-teens to late twenties, but they told me that there are actually mermaids in their forties. 

“There are a lot of ferocious monsters in the ocean. We can fend off our enemies with the speed of swimming and the power of singing, but if neither works, we will be eaten.”

Therefore, when they get older, the mermaids usually retire early and take charge of young singing instruction and babysitters in the reef. It seems that they just don’t appear in public.

By the way, it seems that there are some male mermaids as well, but since they specialize in swimming speed rather than singing, they are in charge of hunting in the flock. Everyone seems to be busy catching fish and shellfish.

It is said that male mermaids are always in short supply, as they often go missing while hunting, perhaps because they are attacked by monsters.

As a man, it’s a story that I can somehow sympathize with. 

It doesn’t seem to be as mysterious or graceful as humans think …

I also understand why Parker becomes sympathetic to the mermaid.

“We young mermaids swim fast and sing well, but in the waters we were in before, several mermaids of my age suddenly disappeared.”

“I wasn’t particularly isolated from the flock, and I was only attacked by humans or monsters…”

The Mermaids had sad expressions.

“We don’t have the power to fight humans, and we don’t want to fight at all, so we were wandering in search of safe waters.”

So that’s it. That’s where this frivolous skeleton came in.

The waters where the mermaids were in before were close to Beruza, so they decided to move with caution for humans. However, the reef that they finally found was full of ghosts and they couldn’t get close to it, and they couldn’t get rid of it by singing, so they were in trouble.

It seems that the mermaids were in front of the waters just east of Beruza. It’s close to the route from Beruza to Lotso.

Neither humans nor mermaids testify that they are attacking each other.

If either testimony is true, there could be a third “enemy” attacking both.

If so, is the “enemy” a human being or a monster?

“Hey, Parker”

“What?”

When I was training, I remembered the description I read in my master’s collection.

“Is there a sea-dwelling monster that can prey on mermaids and sailing ships?”

“Hmm… I don’t know. There are giant creatures on land, and there is sure to be something in the sea.”

Parker shrugged, but suddenly said, as he remembered.

“By the way, I’ve been lost in the deep fog while drifting in search of the mermaids.”

“Fog?”

Parker rowed into the sea with the skeleton sailors to meet the mermaid, but was trapped in the fog for several days during the voyage.

“The wind and tide seemed to have stopped, and the fog was rushing in. I thought it was a strange place, and I hid the boat with the illusion I had just learned.”

After that, nothing happened, and eventually the fog cleared and Parker met the mermaids.

“It’s weird, but what should I say…”

This guy is a skeleton.

Even if a monster finds Parker, it can’t eat him. Even if he encountered a monster, it would just pass by him.

I’ll have to remember what you just said.

“I understand your situation for the time being, so I’ll talk to the humans about it. I’d be happy if you could accompany me.”

Then the mermaids looked at each other, as if they were a little scared.

Is it impossible after all?

“By the way, who are your chiefs?”

“We don’t have anyone in particular. We don’t fight, so we don’t know who is the best…”

Their temperament of a demon is in a strange place, though it should be decided by discussion.

Anyway, let’s go back and talk with Garsh and others.

I should also contact Rune Height.

TN: Konaide means “Don’t come”