Chapter 68

From the moment she was born, she was acknowledged by the sea.

The mermaid who was the heir of the deep sea from birth, Aria, was always curious about the world beneath the sun, a place she had neither the duty nor the authority to rule and there, she met a human.

“Now, Aria. Look at this cross-section. The human skin has layers.”

“Is it different from a mermaid’s skin?”

“It is a little different, as a mermaid’s skin can withstand the deep sea….”

He was a teacher.

“What are you drawing now?”

“Aria, I was drawing you.”

“This is a painting of the sea.”

“The sea is the mermaid.”

A friend.

“Understanding humans is good, but empathizing with them wouldn't be bad either.”

“I don't think there's a difference.”

“You can accomplish more just by empathizing than by understanding.”

“……”

And family.

Giovanni was the only being who was Aria’s equal, or perhaps even higher.

He was different from her younger brother, Iseur, who had to be protected and looked after.

With Giovanni, Aria could have interesting conversations.

Whatever Aria did, Giovanni could handle her.

The existence of a perfectly interlocking cogwheel.

“Aria.”

“Yes.”

“Please do not harm humans.”

That’s what she thought.

“Why should I do that?”

“Because that is what I do not want.”

“Selfish words.”

“Aria, as this foolish priest has always said.”

“A relationship is about being considerate and adjusting to one another.”

“I am glad you remember.”

Aria considered herself and Giovanni to be cogs that would never be misaligned, but Giovanni did not think so.

He always spoke of hatred.

“I am human and Aria is a mermaid. Our ways of thinking and expression are different, yet we were able to become this close. Until now, Aria has yielded many things to me and received a corresponding price for it.”

“So you’re telling me to do the same this time?”

“If you really don’t want to, fighting and winning against me is one way. I prefer to resolve differences in thought through conversation rather than conflict, but Aria might prefer a more direct method.”

“Jio, I do not wish to fight you. So I will yield.”

“It is truly a joyous thing to not hate each other despite our differing views. Then for dinner tonight, shall we have the clams that Aria likes.”

It was pleasant.

“Is this the human way? It’s quite bothersome.”

“Not all humans will be like this. As I always say, humans are far more diverse and fickle than mermaids. If you wish to interact with other humans later….”

“I do not wish for interaction with such vulgar beings.”

“I see.”

When she was with him, it was enjoyable.

It was a rare thing that could not be found even among her own kind.

“It would be nice if you became a mermaid.”

“Unfortunately, when I die, I will return to the Sun’s side. That is what I want.”

“Well, humans get cold easily. The Sun’s side would be warmer than the deep sea. I admit that.”

“Thank you for your understanding.”

If that’s the case, Jio.

“……”

“……”

When I went to the trouble of letting you go, you should have returned to the Sun’s side.

“…Si, sister….”

“What happened to Giovanni?”

She had barely managed to rescue her brother who had been dragged to a temple while helping humans and had destroyed every temple on the land, but for some reason, she couldn’t find even a single piece of Giovanni’s bones.

Her brother, who came to his senses after nearly a year, couldn't even cry as he answered.

“I ate him.”

Her brother was smiling.

“I was hungry, so I ate him. The humans put some kind of drug in that small water tank….”

“……”

“…The rest of his body probably rotted and melted in the water. Though I ate most of it.”

“Aha.”

Perhaps because she had been prepared for the unimaginable worst, she wasn't that surprised.

‘Jio was always worried that I would be hurt after he died, but I’m not as shaken as I thought I would be.’

She was quite calm.

“I see.”

But she couldn't stop searching for even the last remaining trace of Jio, even if it was the water he had rotted in.

She went around killing every human in sight and wandered, constantly searching for Jio's body.

And in the residence of the Pope, who received the greatest love of the Sun, she was able to find Jio.

“……”

He had become water.

“…The fishy smell is strong.”

It was like looking at seawater.

“Shall I clean it up, Princess?”

“No, leave it as it is.”

“But….”

“If you just leave it, it will flow into the sea.”

Just how long, and with what, had they trapped the body?

When she opened the large divine statue used as a torture device, his body, which had melted into a thick substance like the essence of seaweed, flowed out.

Not a single trace of a human form could be found.

“……”

No, it wasn't even the form of a living creature.

“But it is a long way from here to the sea.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

She just had to drag the sea up to the land.

“So…”

Deep enough to submerge the sun.

“……”

Just staring at the body that had become water.

“……”

Once left alone, Aria whispered.

“…I thought if you were to die, the cause of death would be natural, due to the limits of your species.”

“……”

“Humans have shorter lifespans than mermaids. They age faster, and are easily corrupted. So I thought that if we were to eventually part… it would be because your value had faded.”

“……”

“Whether that noble character was clouded by greed, or that weak body withered from disease, or you overcame all those trials and died whole to return to the Sun’s side. The partings I imagined were only like that. I was in a state where I had properly understood and accepted that part.”

“……”

“Why did you of all people have to die like this? When your own value had by no means faded, to be beaten to death by the hands of ghouls who could not see despite having eyes… and to be scattered not in the sun, but in the deep sea.”

“……”

“To be able to hate someone so casually like this, humans are truly beings worth studying.”

She couldn't help but ask.

“Do you not hate humans?”

The mermaid hated humans.

My vastness in facing our parting came from your mortality, so I did not know the end of this story would be so ridiculous and miserable.

“It must be cold there?”

You should have gone to the Sun’s side, you fool.

“You couldn’t win against anyone.”

You died trying to protect a mermaid, and now you’re shivering in the cold even in death.

Your value was not something that should have crumbled due to such a stupid conflict between species.

You shouldn't have been unable to even go to the Sun's side like this, to have everything amount to just becoming a part of the sea.

“……”

Her brother, the only mermaid who defended humans, shut his mouth.

“Ah….”

Giovanni, the only human who embraced mermaids, lost his mouth.

“…That’s right.”

“……”

“There’s no one left to stop me now.”

It was truly a shame.

“……”

“……”

“Hey.”

Can’t you feel my sincerity?

***

“…Mr. Jio, you’re good at cooking too.”

At Iseur’s difficultly spoken words, Seo Jio smiled.

“I’m happy to hear you say that.”

“Are you particularly skilled in seafood dishes?”

“I’m good at everything, generally.”

“And where did you learn this recipe?”

“Well, I just….”

The platinum blond hair, almost silver, catches his eye.

“I wanted to try eating it like this.”

“I see.”

He sees the blue eyes that resemble the surface of the water where sunlight scatters.

“I just grilled it over a bonfire, but it was so delicious I had to ask.”

“If that’s the case, feel free to ask anytime.”

“Because sharing what you know is a joyous thing?”

“…Does student Eun-ha have a mind-reading skill?”

“I had a feeling you would say that.”

Because Giovanni always had those words on the tip of his tongue.

‘As I thought, a little…’

No, very much.

‘He’s too similar.’

At this rate, the suspicion he himself created, that he was just ‘a different person who looks quite similar,’ doesn't even work.

‘I can’t keep acting like this.’

He was fully aware that he was doing something foolish.

When the human named Yu Seong-un gave him a look that said, ‘Are you really okay with this,’ he felt so pathetic that the word ‘arrogant’ couldn't even come out.

“Mr. Jio, where is your hometown?”

“I don't know if you'd know it, but it was real countryside.”

“The countryside….”

“I sometimes did some farming, too.”

“I see.”

The fact that he was unusually down-to-earth for a priest of noble birth was also the same.

‘Ah, this is not good….’

He lost the energy to make a move.

‘…Seeing as the atmosphere of the entire dungeon has lightened, my sister must be flustered too. Even if she is flustered, I can’t possibly be fine. This was not supposed to drag on for so long… at this rate, it’s better to leave Earth quickly….’

That would be the way to regain his past calm reasoning.

“……”

But.

Is that okay?

‘…Is it really right for us to leave, leaving only Jio in this dimension?’

He had traveled through countless dimensions, but there had never been an opponent he could be sure of at a glance, thinking, ‘Ah, this person is Giovanni.’

But no matter how much he thought about it, this person seemed to be Giovanni’s reincarnation.

‘But why does he have divinity? As expected, unless a sun god from some dimension pulled some strings, no, but… a being of the level of a sun god wouldn't bother to care what happens to humans.’

It was a confusing situation, but one thing was certain.

“…What are your plans for after this?”

He had to send these people out quickly.

‘Looking at the situation, it’s difficult to hold onto just Jio. It’s not too late to just send everyone out together, consult with my sister to sort out my thoughts, and then make a new plan.’

The one who answered that question was Yu Seong-un.

“First, we need to find a way out.”

“A way out….”

“Usually in cases like this, the methods are divided into about three categories.”

Yu Seong-un, who had roughly filled his stomach with fish, continued.

“The most standard method would be to succeed in conquering it. But we don't have that many Hunters, and above all, it's a situation where there are a ton of civilians who would die if we took our eyes off them for a moment. There's no way we can handle a difficult conquest with this number of people, even without anyone to protect.”

“Then what are the other methods?”

“It would be to have an item that allows you to leave the dungeon, like a return stone, but this isn't a wise choice either. After taking a look around, it doesn't seem like a dungeon where low-grade items would work… and even if they did, how many items would there be? Only a few of us would be able to barely escape.”

“That’s true.”

“The last method is, as expected….”

Yu Seong-un’s gaze landed on Eun-ha, Iseur, who was still smiling like a monotone color.

“……”

“……”

After a fleeting glance, Yu Seong-un continued.

“The dungeon’s owner opens the gate themselves.”

Iseur inwardly clicked his tongue.

‘Were my thoughts read?’

No, it might have been a conclusion that was too obvious even before his thoughts were read.

To both the mermaids and the humans, Giovanni's existence was an excessive deviation from expectations.

It seemed to mean that since both sides were confused, they should first regroup and then face off again.

A C-Class Hunter who had been quietly listening to Yu Seong-un’s words asked anxiously.

“W-Will that work? If the incident happened at the Temple of the Sun, the dungeon’s owner must have planned this with intent… and the number of people captured is quite large. It must be a strong owner.”

“It is not entirely impossible.”

Kang Seo-dam replied in the low tone unique to a priest.

“There’s a saying that a dungeon is a theater stage. The higher the grade of the dungeon, the more closely it is intertwined with its owner, and the conquerors can examine the dungeon owner's story in more detail.”

“Uh… why is that…?”

“In short, if you follow the story well, sometimes the gate will open by luck. The stories of civilians who escaped a dungeon because the owner was moved by the devotion of a conqueror who learned the dungeon's story are not just mere bluffs.”

“Gasp, I thought those were just gossip….”

“They are actually cases that happen from time to time. Especially the more intelligent the owner is, close to a humanoid monster, the greater the possibility of such an escape. For a dungeon of this scale, its owner would surely be close to humanoid.”

At that point, Yu Seong-un chimed in.

“A similar phenomenon is already being seen. Right after being dragged into the dungeon, there were quite a lot of casualties, but look now. We’re openly making a bonfire and eating, yet no monsters are attacking.”

“It is certainly showing a strangely stabilized state for a dungeon that so many conquerors have entered. It probably means there has been a change in the feelings of the owner who caused this incident. I get the feeling they are cutting us a lot of slack.”

“Considering that, in our situation, the one with the highest chance of success is indeed the third option. If we play our cards right, wouldn’t they open the gate for us?”

“I have similar expectations.”

Ah, right.

“……”

Iseur decided to just keep his mouth shut.

‘What bad luck.’

Their skill in exchanging conversation while pretending not to know his identity was truly top-notch.

‘Yu Seong-un has already spoken to me directly, but it’s not like Priest Kang Seo-dam doesn’t know my identity either. Since I had no intention of hiding it before and openly revealed the aura of the deep sea… I can’t act like an ordinary young human at this point.’

Iseur looked back at Jio.

“I hope it works out one way or another. The fish here is delicious, but….”

“……”

“I want to go home, after all.”

To that, Iseur asked.

“What is your home like, Mr. Jio?”

“Ah, it’s an ordinary cabin.”

“A cabin.”

“A cabin in a forest with few visitors.”

“……”

Isn't that a house that suits you so well?

‘…Hearing even this….’

I can’t just keep him captive.

Iseur decided to release the humans who had been caught in the net.

“……”

After all, he just had to catch them again.

Iseur, he knew the greed of humans for mermaids.

***

The people who had been dragged into the unspecified-grade virtual dungeon returned alive.

The number of survivors reached 80% of the total, and everyone praised it as a miracle.

“I wonder if this is a miracle too.”

“I do not know what you mean.”

“Jio, you just stay as you are.”

“I do not know what you mean.”

“Yes… just like you are now.”

Yu Seong-un shuddered at the efficacy of ‘Jio’s Portrait.’

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