Chapter 723: My Sea (3)
It started with a small pair of earrings. The Earrings of the Mermaid Queen of Changlang, given as a reward for hunting down a monster that had popped out due to a system error. They didn’t mean much. The Unfilial Children often registered items they’d used before becoming Transcendents as rewards, and those earrings were one of them. Since they were useful equipment for water–attribute Awakeners, they’d passed through many owners.
Han Yujin used the connection through those earrings as a pretext to ask the Mermaid Queen for her power. Even back then, the Mermaid Queen had intended to use him in a way other than as a cradle of Transcendents, so she granted Park Yerim the power of a ruler of water. It had only been a single experience, and she hadn’t expected much. Park Yerim had switched from mainly handling ice to handling water, and grew faster, but the Mermaid Queen had assumed that was because of Han Yujin.
But it wasn’t.
– …Me.
The Mermaid Queen gazed at the girl shining clearly in the storm. She held a cracked spear and spread her torn fin–wings. Between the long strands of water–hair whipping in the rough wind, her vivid blue eyes met the queen’s, proud and unflinching.
A girl who had followed the path of water and come to stand before the king, leveling her spear at her.
The Mermaid Queen’s eyes wavered. An emotion that couldn’t be put into words filled her worn, worn–out heart. It bunched and bunched until it swelled large. The feeling drummed through every part of her body and burst out in a shout.
So lovable.
This child was walking the path the Mermaid Queen herself had once walked, long ago, now faded and gone. A girl who stood up and moved forward with her own strength, looking beyond, had just told the Mermaid Queen she admired her. A Title didn’t matter. The girl had already been looking up at her without anyone’s interference. Purely, clearly.
How could she not love that? Overwhelming affection poured down as a torrential rain. No matter how long a Transcendent had lived, it was a loveliness they could not resist.
– …Yes. That’s how it was.
A fact forgotten by the king who was left alone, who could no longer leave anything behind or let anything continue.
The countless futures that would leave the nest and grow.
She had been the king who watched those backs. The foothold for those who went out freely. And she herself, a very long time ago—
‘Girls tend to be like that.’
There had been a gaze that looked gently down at a girl all messed up. That girl grew up to be the king who embraced all seas. Growing however she pleased beneath that warm gaze.
She had been like that herself, and now it was her turn to watch in return. Somewhere along the way, the lonely king had become a tyrant. The king was everyone’s foundation. So was the system. What and how people piled atop that foundation was not for her to decide.
I was wrong.
The mermaid who bore the name of the first wave at dawn admitted it.
“I’m going back! Somehow, no matter what!”
She bowed her head toward the fresh, surging young wave.
Park Yerim drove the cracked spear forward with all her might. The sea followed. The Mermaid Queen opened her arms. She was joyful. Water never ceased. It flowed without end. Even in the moment she closed her eyes and turned away, it quietly welled up and overflowed.
Kwoooosh–!
The spear wrapped in the sea pierced blue scales. Crack, the shaft snapped and sprang high. Park Yerim’s body, unable to bear the recoil, tumbled between the waves. But the spear tip had sunk home without a doubt.
Park Yerim blinked. The wind died down and the rain thinned. As the waves subsided, clear sky showed through the clouds. The Mermaid Queen’s fingertips lightly brushed the spearhead lodged in her chest.
– Flow wherever you like.
Freely, as you wish. The blood–stained spearhead slid out of her chest. The scattered fragments gathered and formed a smooth blue shaft. A spear that held the waves and the sea’s jewels settled down in front of Park Yerim.
The Mermaid Queen let out a long breath. With a body that was growing heavy, she dragged up her power. Han Yujin had cut his world, Park Yerim’s world, off from the system. But it had not completely escaped the interference of Transcendents yet.
Help for the lovable girl. If perfect protection was too much, then at least the water that could be its foundation.
“Uh, excuse me?”
Holding the newly born spear, Park Yerim looked at the Mermaid Queen in confusion. It definitely wasn’t a fatal wound. It should have been little more than a scratch, but her reaction was strange. The Mermaid Queen smiled at her and slowly closed her eyes.
– I’m going to sleep now.
She would exhaust all her strength and fall into slumber. Her worries for the worlds that had vanished and would vanish under Crescent Moon’s and her subordinates’ hands remained. At the same time, she felt certain.
On the day she woke from her long, long sleep, she would see a dazzlingly beautiful sea.
– My young sea.
The Mermaid Queen sank into a happy dream.
I came out of the water. But it felt like I was sinking even deeper. The door closed and vanished without a trace. Gone. Thunk. The bag in my hand slipped and dropped. I thought I heard Yuhyun calling me from beside me, but my ears rang. Every voice felt far away.
I opened my mouth. I should be talking, moving, but only the sound of my breath hissed out. This isn’t the time, I’ve got to pull myself together…
“–That’s why, hyung!”
After Yuhyun’s shout should have come the familiar follow–up, Mister! as if it were obvious. It didn’t. It only echoed in my head like an old auditory hallucination. My breath caught like I was still floundering in the waves. Grass rustled by my feet, but I was still underwater.
“…Right now, I…”
My groping hand brushed Yuhyun’s arm. Get a grip. We don’t have time to waste. Get a grip.
“Hyung–nim! Snap out of it!”
“You’ll be okay, Yujin!”
– Kkuuung, kiang.
Voices poured in around me. I blinked.
“Let’s go save her, hyung.”
Yuhyun said firmly. Yeah, of course. Of course.
“…The Mermaid Queen won’t hurt Yerim.”
This is my fault.
“She… gave her the successor Title too.”
I’m the one who made Yerim stay.
“Her original target was me, so she’ll keep Yerim alive as a hostage.”
My choice to stay had turned into this. No, I shouldn’t have brought a kid into a place like this in the first place. I shouldn’t have trusted Transcendents.
“If I step forward even now, she’ll send Yerim back safely.”
“Sit down first.”
I heard Seong Hyunjae’s voice. He was already back to his usual appearance. I didn’t know who’d brought it, but Yuhyun sat me down in a chair. Noah picked up Peace and set him in my arms. His red fur was dry and fluffy already.
“Cut it out with the hostage exchange talk.”
Moon Hyunah cut in.
“Yerim is definitely a kid. Even as an S–rank, she’s at an age where she should be protected, so I get why you’re shaken. I was surprised too. But kids need respect as well.”
Hyunah looked me in the eye. It was hard to meet that strong gaze head–on.
“If we hand you over and bring Yerim back, then what she did ends up being for nothing. That’d be a total failure. So. Not for your sake, but for Yerim’s.”
“…But.”
“First things first, you’re sure about the Mermaid Queen’s attitude, right?”
I nodded. The Mermaid Queen had no reason to harm Yerim.
“But she’ll be scared. She’s trapped alone. Even adults would be terrified!”
“…I know. Even if she comes back without a scratch, her heart is going to take hits. And we have to choose the path where we get hurt the least.”
The path where we get hurt the least. We couldn’t come out of this without wounds. Yerim had stepped forward. She’d moved after seeing what I did. That was Yerim’s choice, and I had to give her an answer. I squeezed my eyes shut, then opened them. Telling the Mermaid Queen to just take me straight to her and release Yerim was… No. That was the option that made things easier for me.
“…Chief Song, what’s the standard response in a situation like this?”
“If the hostage’s safety is practically guaranteed, we don’t move rashly. Above all, the opponent is an Awakener, and now a Transcendent who can cause even greater damage.”
“What about a hostage exchange?”
“…We prioritize non–Awakeners over Awakeners, and lower–ranked Awakeners over higher–ranked ones. And if the hostage is a mid–rank or higher Awakener, we look for ways to coordinate with them.”
“Newbie.”
At my call, petals like layered flowers appeared in midair. Under light–beige curls, round red eyes looked at me.
“Can you get in touch with Yerim?”
[Please wait a moment.]
Newbie stepped down onto the grass as they spoke. The blades bent but did not break. It was an illusion, not a physical body.
[Even opening the door wasn’t easy. What was destroyed is only part of the system, but the effects are system–wide, so sneaking up to the little droplet without the Mermaid Queen noticing is too hard right now.]
“When the system stabilizes, will you be able to talk to Yerim?”
[She’s still a member of Honey’s team. It won’t take long. We don’t need a full restoration, just a bit more tinkering.]
“I’m counting on you.”
Newbie nodded. They looked like they had something they wanted to say, but after studying my face, they quietly vanished. Am I really that much of a mess?
“Let’s dry you off first.”
Yuhyun called up flames. Iryn came over.
“If we’re going to save Park Yerim, we need you in shape, hyung.”
“The young master’s right. Hyung–nim has to be fine.”
“Uh, should I go find something to eat?”
Mari, who’d been holding her breath and watching us, shot her hand up.
“Something warm. When your stomach feels warm, your mood improves too. We’ve got fire, so we can grill, heat, or boil things.”
“…Thank you.”
I couldn’t make myself say I’m fine. I didn’t want to worry them, but it was hard not to. As a Hunter, I’d always known Yerim could get hurt. But facing it for real, the shock was bigger than I’d expected. Especially because it was something my choices had brought about.
“Remember this. You’re the victim here, Han Yujin.”
Seong Hyunjae spoke.
“When there’s a clear perpetrator, the victim doesn’t need to feel guilty.”
“…Even if I could have stopped it?”
“Erase the perpetrator from the picture. What would have happened?”
“…Nothing. We all would’ve arrived here together.”
If the Mermaid Queen hadn’t shown up, Yerim wouldn’t have been taken.
“You can decide to be more careful from now on, but that’s it.”
“It’s… not easy.”
Still, I couldn’t shake the thought that if I’d just done something, done better somehow… I tried to steady myself, but the anxiety kept creeping back in. No matter how strong a front she put up, she was still a kid. She had to be scared. What kind of guardian was I, sitting apart from her at a time like this. I wished someone could be with Yerim. Even if there was no one, I wished there were.
[Honey!]
Newbie’s urgent voice rang in my ears. I shot up from the chair.
“You got through?!”
[Well, Senior Tree…!]
Sssrrrt, vines sprouted in midair. Vines with blue and red leaves twined together, forming the outline of a square door. Then the space inside it opened and connected and—
“Mister!”
It was Yerim. She appeared from a wide, open underwater scene. With a splash, she leapt down in front of me.
“I’m back!”
I stared at her smiling face without even blinking. Yerim tilted her head slightly. She reached out. I pulled her into a hug without saying a word.
“Um, Mister…”
My throat was so tight I couldn’t even cry. I should be telling her welcome back, asking if she’s okay, but I couldn’t. Yerim hugged me back, feeling my body trembling.
“You were… really worried, huh.”
Even her flustered voice had a hint of tears in it.
“I thought I’d be okay, actually…”
“…Yerim.”
“But I was scared…”
“…Mister was scared too. Really.”
We clung to each other and sniffled. The tears came, but the shaking in my body slowly calmed. Yerim made a little ball of water and told me to wash my face. Just like always.
“What on earth happened?”
I asked once I’d pulled myself together. Newbie answered before Yerim could.
[Senior Tree brought her over!]
[Droplet asked me.]
The vines forming the door unraveled, and a small figure like a wooden doll wrapped in leaves stepped out.
[To take her to Newbie. And, if possible, to help you all at least once.]
Droplet… that meant the Mermaid Queen? Why, all of a sudden? Yerim slipped out of my arms, shrugging her shoulders and shining her eyes.
“The Title, I got it.”
“What?”
“Not me, her.”
– H–hello!
Water gathered in Yerim’s palm. A tiny mermaid–shaped mass of water bowed to me.
– I’m Sanho, Yerim’s water spirit!
The water spirit, so that meant…
“Ah, hi. You woke up, huh. But the Title…”
– Y–yeah. I accepted the Title instead of Yerim! See, I’m Yerim’s spirit, so even if I get the successor Title, I don’t become bound to the Mermaid Queen.
“So Sanho passed the Mermaid Queen’s successor power, the ruler of water’s power, on to me! The power itself was on equal footing with the Mermaid Queen’s, so I fought her head–on, but the experience gap was huge, you know.”
– It was scary…
“I still charged in planning to land at least one solid hit, but then she suddenly said she’d send me back! Oh, and I did stab her properly! The spear broke, but the Mermaid Queen fixed it for me too.”
…I wasn’t sure I’d arranged that story right in my head, but in other words.
“Power equal to the Mermaid Queen?”
“Not anymore.”
– The one we draw power from, the Mermaid Queen, fell asleep. Thanks to the successor Title I’m stronger than other young spirits, and I’ll grow faster, though.
The spirit puffed out her chest, shy but proud. The Mermaid Queen had fallen asleep? Oh…
– What the heck is that!
Iryn let out flame over my shoulder.
– I’m the first spirit, you know! I have to be the strongest in this world!
He spun in circles, then whined at Yuhyun.
– Yuhyun! I wanna swallow that thing! I’ll put up with the heat and swallow it! If I eat that, I can get stronger than her!
He meant the first fragment of fire. Even the fire spirit hadn’t been able to stand how hot it was. What would he do if he burned himself out. I patted Iryn, but he still huffed, unable to calm his temper.
– So noisy.
Sanho muttered, poking her head out from behind Yerim’s shoulder.
– That one only shuts up if Mister helps, right?
– What? I’ll start talking on my own soon enough!
– Yerim, fire spirits are always loud. And violent.
Mm, I couldn’t deny that. Iryn was kinda like that. Yerim smiled and stroked Sanho teasingly with the tip of her finger.
“Get along with her, okay? And with everyone else too.”
– Okay, Yerim. But I still like you best.
“Yeah, I like you best too, Sanho.”
Watching the two of them made me glance at Iryn without thinking. Yerim and Sanho really were so sweet together.
“…Yuhyun, be a little nicer to Iryn too.”
“He’s been useful.”
“L–look, Iryn. Yuhyun likes you too.”
– No, he doesn’t.
Iryn answered flatly.
– Yuhyun only likes you, hyung! Right, Yuhyun?
“Yeah.”
– That’s why I like Yuhyun! If Yuhyun liked me, that’d be bad. A Yuhyun like that wouldn’t be Yuhyun, I’d hate it! That’d be lukewarm! Hyung keeps talking but doesn’t get it!
The fire spirit huffed and went back to Yuhyun. W–well. As long as you’re happy, I guess. Yuhyun and Iryn really did suit each other.
“Anyway, whatever the reason, the Mermaid Queen let you go and went to sleep, right?”
“Yes. I don’t know why, though.”
[Honey! Droplet–senior used her own power to wrap Honey’s world!]
“What? W–what did she do!”
[She’s protecting it! Uh, so, things got complicated. The Filial Duty Addicts won the bet, so they’re supposed to get a shard of Honey’s world, but the system connection somehow… I don’t know exactly how, but it got cut, so they can’t take it. And among their representatives, the King of Predation… is gone, and Droplet–senior fell asleep…]
So in short, it’s a mess.
[I have no idea how it all ended up like this! So, for now!]
[I sent out word that I’m calling a meeting.]
Tree said.
[I can stall for about a day. But you’ll need to find a way before that. Droplet has wrapped Honey’s world in waves, but it isn’t perfect. Use those waves as a base and reinforce your defenses. If you hold on for about a month, give or take, even the traces of the system connection will vanish.]
[Senior Tree, you’re really helping us?]
[This is because Droplet asked. I owed her, and this repays that debt. But it won’t be ongoing.]
The tree doll tilted its head.
[I don’t know why Droplet suddenly changed her mind, but it has nothing to do with me. I’ll help protect Honey’s world, but after that I’m going back to my own place.]
[We’re still really grateful!]
[And you, Newbie.]
Senior Tree looked at Newbie. Newbie’s ears drooped long.
[…I don’t know. But I want to help Honey.]
[Okay. I’ll buy time, you sort things out.]
[Yes!]
The little tree figure turned into countless clusters of flowers, then scattered and vanished. Newbie looked back at us.
[First I’ll stabilize the system, then we’ll look for a method. I’ll slow the flow of time, so you can rest for a day or two.]
The low, domed ceiling vanished, revealing a wide sky. Grassland stretched out endlessly, and I saw our familiar house. Myungwoo and Young Chaos walked toward us.
At the same time, the breath I’d been holding finally escaped. We could rest. I had no idea why the Mermaid Queen had done what she did or how things were going to go, but even so. Just for a little while.
“Hyung!”
My consciousness flicked off like a switch.
–TL Notes–
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