[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
Tristan, having entered the cave, said.
[For the entrance to a mermaid kingdom... it seems too modest.]
There was no disagreement with those words.
Because the cave, from its entrance to its interior, was far too ordinary.
[To think of it as the entrance to a nation, the facilities are too poor.]
[Even in the old books of the Order's library, there were no records stating that a mermaid kingdom exists in the Blue Sea.]
[In that case, it would be correct to interpret that there is something drawing the corrupted mermaids in.]
True to being adventurers, they were quick to shift their thinking without being bound by existing hypotheses.
Not a single corrupted mermaid was seen until the party went all the way inside.
The reason for that, naturally, would be because of Tesila's magic cannon.
[Ms. Tesila, about how many times can you use that magic from earlier in succession?]
[Hmm~ On a day when I'm in good condition, even five times is possible.]
[Five times...]
Oscar stroked his chin.
Would there be a guy who could withstand taking five consecutive hits from a magic with that level of destructive power?
'The only one that comes to mind is someone around the level of the Great Emperor.'
In the case of the Four Great Counts, except for Darwin, it seemed they wouldn't be able to withstand it.
Even for Darwin, rather than a feeling of withstanding it, the feeling of regenerating after annihilation would be stronger.
Of course, this was a story assuming all five spells hit their mark.
'I had been excluding adventurers from the war against the demons, but they are a more valuable combat force than I thought.'
Oscar stared at her with a highly satisfied expression, as if looking at a newly acquired toy.
Meeting that gaze, Tesila let out an awkward smile and said.
[Uh, well... for reference, there's a drawback too.]
[A drawback?]
[Yeah, after firing the magic once, I need some time to cool down my magic circuits. About 3 minutes? Oh, of course, on a day with good condition, 2 minutes and 40 seconds!]
Indeed, with magic possessing that kind of destructive power, the magic circuits would instantly overheat too.
It was only natural that time was needed to cool down that heat.
[You forming the party like this was also to buy that time, I see.]
[That's right. Because anyway, there's hardly anyone who can land a stronger attack than me.]
Oscar nodded his head.
Certainly, for this party, rather than those with excellent offensive power, those who can buy time are a better fit.
Since for the most part, they wouldn't be able to withstand Tesila's magic.
When he was in the middle of delving into her magic, Maureen stretched out her hand and shouted.
[Huh? There's something up ahead!]
As the party's vanguard, she ran forward holding her hammer and checked the place first.
Tesila, who was slowly following behind, asked her as she had come to a dead stop.
[Maureen, did you find something?]
[Ah? Yes, there is something, but...]
Trailing off, Maureen spoke in an unsure voice.
[There's a pond?]
[What?]
Soon after, the party arriving by Maureen's side blinked their eyes.
Because at the end of the cave, in a place where the ground was hollowed out, water was actually pooled.
It was a smooth water surface, as if covered by a transparent membrane, unmixing with the surrounding seawater.
Even the sight of occasional ripples forming on the surface made it unmistakably a pond.
[It's a real pond, isn't it?]
[No, isn't this underwater? How can there be a pond?]
[Everyone calm down. It's nothing special.]
The mage hailing from the Blue Tower, Tristan, opened his mouth.
[Tristan, do you know what this is?]
[Yeah. It's a phenomenon called an underwater brine pool. The water pooled there is probably hypersaline water that's much heavier than the surrounding seawater. The difference in salinity is so great that it can't mix easily and pooled at the bottom.]
[Oh, as expected from the Blue Tower.]
[A total Dr. Know-It-All.]
As Tesila and Maureen clapped their hands, he let out a chuckle and bent one knee.
[I'll show you something interesting. Now, if you put your hand in like this and lightly stir it...]
And then, the moment he put his hand into the pond.
Crack!
Along with the sound, the surface of the pond split like a cracked mirror.
Seeing that sight, Tesila shouted in deep excitement.
[Wow! Tristan! That's really fun!]
[El Sia. There are still so many mysterious phenomena in the world that we don't know about.]
Unlike the party who were thoroughly thrilled by the bizarre sight, Tristan's face stiffened hard.
[Th-this is strange.]
[Huh? What did you say?]
[This... is very different from the underwater brine pool phenomenon that I know of...]
The moment he shook his head and tried to say something.
Swoosh!
Tristan's body was sucked into the pond.
[Tristan!]
A highly startled Tesila dove into the pond while covering her face with both arms crossed in an X shape.
[Sister!]
Following right behind her, Maureen joined in.
The three people who were looking at each other threw their bodies in without a moment's hesitation as to who would go first.
[Ugh!]
Oscar, who rolled on the floor several times, hurriedly stood up from his spot and looked around.
Unfolding before his eyes was a city filled with architecture he had never heard of or seen before in his life.
In the massive spherical space, buildings were attached not only to the floor but also to the walls and ceiling.
Luminous corals shone like stars between the round buildings made of white stone and mother-of-pearl.
Stairs or roads did not exist at all, and ocean currents laden with blue light powder spiraled across every part of the city.
'Do they use those currents like some kind of transportation to go back and forth throughout the city?'
When Oscar was looking at the panoramic view of the city with great interest.
[@#$^&!]
He turned his head at the childish voice heard from behind.
Then, he saw a young mermaid clutching a harpoon rushing at Tristan.
[Is it a sneak attack?]
As Tristan, who glanced at this, flicked his finger.
The surrounding seawater moved softly and snapped the harpoon.
Following that, the mermaid's body was slammed straight into the ground, and the child shrieked in an incomprehensible language.
[Wait! Don't kill it!]
Just then, Tesila, who stopped Tristan, approached the young mermaid.
Then, she went down on one knee and spat out words that were difficult for him to understand.
[%!@#%^?]
The mermaid, making a surprised expression at those words, quietly replied.
[......@!$#.]
Tesila, who conversed for a moment after that, nodded her head.
[Tristan, let him go.]
[...Understood.]
As Tristan, who followed her words without complaint, stepped aside, the young mermaid raised its body.
Next, the mermaid who swept its gaze over the party chattered about something or other.
[Ms. Tesila, what is that mermaid saying?]
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
[It's asking us if we are real humans. It's asking how we got in here.]
[...You know how to speak the mermaid language?]
[I told you. I have a mermaid friend in the South Sea. Fortunately, we can communicate.]
No, obviously we thought that mermaid knew how to speak the Imperial language.
[Hold on a second.]
Oscar, unfolding the Wind Archive, cast a translation magic on everyone except Tesila.
[With this, you should be able to roughly understand.]
[Hmm? Is that true? Hey, kid. Can you hear me?]
[Who are you calling a kid!]
The mermaid flared up at Tristan's words and shouted.
[Oh, I can really understand.]
[Is that the previous White Tower Master's Wind Archive? It certainly deserves to be called an omnipotent magic.]
[...No way, this is a language I learned by really suffering like a dog for two months.]
The moment Tesila murmured while heavily drooping her shoulders.
Clack, clack!
Those who appeared to be mermaid warriors surrounded them and aimed their tridents.
Their encirclement, floating not only on the ground but also above their heads, was incredibly dense.
[Ms. Tesila, what do we do? Do we fight?]
[No. Since they are people we can communicate with, let's try to resolve it with a conversation first.]
Tesila, holding both hands high, said.
[Hello! We are humans, could we have a little chat?]
[...Humans, you say?]
[More importantly, they know how to speak our language?]
As the mermaid warriors murmured, the one who appeared to be their leader narrowed his eyes and asked.
[Humans. How did you get in here?]
[We just came through a strange pond and found ourselves inside.]
[A pond? Hmm. Did you come in through the emergency exit?]
The warrior tilted his head.
[But it's strange. The defensive magic placed there should be as strong as the main gate. Why was it breached?]
At that question, the party's gazes simultaneously turned toward Tesila.
Because given the circumstances, it was certain that her magic cannon had blown away even that security magic.
[Huh? Why are you looking at me...]
Tesila, who was tilting her head at the pouring gazes, turned pale.
At that moment, Maureen, concerned about something, spoke carefully.
[S-Sister. Sometimes, it's okay for a person to be a little dishonest.]
However, Tesila prostrated herself flat on the floor and apologized.
[I'm sorry! That defensive magic on the pond! I think I broke it!]
At that confession, the entire party covered their faces with their hands and sighed.
[A mere human broke our kingdom's defensive magic...?]
The warrior furrowed his brow and asked.
[No, in the first place, what kind of humans are you to have come this deep into the sea?]
[We are adventurers. For your information, I'm an adventurer who received the title of Special-class even in the Empire. And this is a title that even throughout the entire Empire, there are barely...]
When the lengthy explanation ended, the mermaid warrior opened his mouth.
[In other words, it means that humans are also suffering because of those specters. In that case, we share a common enemy. Hmm. It seems this is not a matter I can handle at my level.]
Without retracting the trident he was aiming, the warrior spoke to his subordinate.
[Go to His Majesty the King and report the current situation.]
The mermaid King's palace was floating right in the dead center of the city.
The floors, walls, and even the ceiling of this city.
It was the only structure where one could survey every district of the city at a glance.
[...Report.]
At the mermaid King's voice, the monthly reports flooded in.
[Due to repeated attacks, the city's defensive magic has weakened. It must be reinforced immediately.]
[The food shortage problem is gradually worsening. We must periodically send warriors outside to procure food.]
[With the seawater circulation blocked, oxygen within the kingdom is becoming scarce. Children and the elderly have begun complaining of breathing difficulties.]
[Due to mana depletion, the magic lights are going out, and the city is gradually growing darker. Currently, we are completely dependent on the luminous corals, and if this state continues any longer, it will become difficult to even maintain the defensive magic.]
[The corrosion problem of the warriors' equipment is also severe. As mana depletes, the means to maintain them have vanished as well. You must make a decision before the lifespan of our remaining equipment ends.]
Somehow, there isn't a single piece of good news.
Feeling dizzy, the King squeezed her eyes shut, let out a deep sigh, and asked.
[Is my father... still the same.]
[The former Emperor is still only looking toward the main gate.]
At those words, the King smiled bitterly.
It didn't seem like he had forgotten the promise to definitely return, but right now, that promise felt incredibly cruel.
Bang!
Just then, the door to the audience chamber opened and a mermaid warrior entered.
[Your Majesty! It's an urgent report!]
[What is the matter?]
The King gulped and asked.
Because at this point, just the words "urgent report" were enough to give her a seizure.
[A group of humans has intruded into the kingdom!]
[...What did you say?]
Humans intruded?
In this situation?
'I'm already too busy dealing with my father, and now a new enemy...?'
Feeling dizzy once again, the King barely regained her composure and asked.
[Is it an enemy attack? What is the scale?]
[The total number of personnel is six. The Captain of the Guard is currently holding captive those who claim themselves to be adventurers.]
A mere six people broke through the kingdom's strict defensive magic and intruded?
Blinking her eyes, the King asked.
[Just how did they get in?]
[Seeing that they said they came in through a pond, it seems they used the emergency exit.]
[The emergency exit...]
Has the defensive magic there reached the end of its lifespan after all?
If that's the case, then specters intruding into the kingdom would also be a matter of time now.
[According to the humans' claims, one of them says she thinks she destroyed the defensive magic.]
[That can't be...]
The King, who had been shaking her head without realizing it, paused.
What if those words are true?
The King, who deliberated for a moment, raised her head as if she had made a decision.
[Please bring those humans to me. Right now.]
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]

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