Chapter 60

"So you dodged it...?"

"Can't you see this?"

"I told you—this training is about learning to read the flow of water and adapt to it. If you could already see it, you wouldn't need to learn it in the first place."

"Must be inconvenient for you all."

"Never thought I'd hear that kind of thing from a human..."

The currents flowed like white silk, wrapping around his body. By leaning against their direction, he found his balance. It was simple: he saw, so he understood. And understanding let him decide his movements. No need for all that talk about meditation or reading the flow. He'd already done this before, when he dodged by sighting Un's mana. He just moved according to what he saw.

Strangely, it felt even easier than standing on flat ground with one foot.

"Hold that for thirty minutes without falling."

Thirty minutes.

Time was on his side. The longer it went, the more he adapted. He kept leaning against the opposite direction of the currents until it became automatic. No concentration required.

In the end, just like Saki had said: think of nothing. Focus on nothing. It wasn't difficult enough to warrant focus, so without thought, without effort, he balanced effortlessly.

And so, true to Saki's intention, the thirty minutes passed.

"This is a training that usually takes thirty days."

Thirty—the unit changed.

"Thirty days?"

"Yes. Even Atlantis's soldiers need thirty days to master this. The first stage of Mermayado is a month-long ordeal. But you were already able to see the flow by instinct. That means the first training is meaningless to you. You could probably have done this step even before coming to Atlantis."

"So..."

"So the only real trial was climbing the coral peak. That was everything. That was the end."

"You said first—how many stages are there?"

"Three. Let's go down now."

Saki grabbed him and guided them downward. As they descended slowly, Un let out a small hum.

"What's up?"

She and I reacted at the same time.

A lone mermaid came into view.

"Scout uniform... an enemy."

"One of the traitors who followed the Crayfish General."

The mermaid had an unusually wide gap between her eyes and a triangular mouth. A stingray mermaid, no doubt. She wore grayish-brown armor.

"Better take her out before she reports."

"I was watching to see if you'd openly hostile her or if some comradery remained. Guess it's the former."

"I'm not like the Queen. An enemy is an enemy."

That meant the Jellyfish Queen—Hari Bo—still considered the traitors her people. A headache of softness. Indecision. The exact opposite of the Empire's Emperor—a king drowning in compassion and love. But in the fight against the Crayfish General, those feelings would only be a hindrance.

Saki's dark circles thinned. They dripped down like tears, then the droplets turned into smoke.

Just before she launched into battle, I spoke.

"Can I take this one?"

"What?"

"I want to fight."

"Mago, it's hard for a human to beat a mermaid in the ocean. Even if you breezed through the first stage, you're not ready yet. And these soldiers who followed the General are stronger than the palace guards."

"Only one way to find out."

*

"Too slow..."

The wounded scout spun around and dashed away.

Fast.

In an instant.

I was the slow one.

I lay sprawled on the sand.

I lost.

To a fry no bigger than a stingray pup.

"What did I tell you?"

Saki bent at the waist, looking down at me. It was impressive—her flexibility almost made me admire it.

"Saki, aren't you going after her?"

"This works out better. She won't be on guard against you now."

"That just pisses me off more."

"Mago, you still haven't learned to read the water currents, ah."

She caught herself, as if she'd let something slip.

"Seeing is everything. Now you need to learn how to move in water like a mermaid. How to fight the currents and move fast. As you just felt, you're way too slow right now. A sea turtle would outpace you."

"Sea turtles are actually pretty fast in the ocean."

"Ho... Mago, you just hit on something important. Sea turtles are fast in the sea."

"Yeah, obviously."

"What if that turtle was also fast on land?"

"Then it wouldn't be a turtle anymore."

"That's exactly what you need to do."

"What are you getting at?"

"A human pushing through these currents is like running with sandbags strapped on. But if you can learn to move like a mermaid here, then when you return to land..."

She bent down even lower, her face close to mine.

"...No one will be able to call you human anymore."

*

I followed Saki to the second training site.

"Like I said, matching a mermaid in the sea is going to be incredibly hard."

"If you really thought that, why did you trust me? I mean, Hari Bo."

"Mago, how many times do I have to tell you? Add 'Her Majesty' or 'the Queen' to that—"

"Even though you knew how hard it would be to move like a mermaid, why did you trust me and make that promise? Because you thought I could beat the General?"

"I trusted you because you have the electric current. I certainly didn't trust your combat ability. Besides, you told me yourself: there was no need to fight. You said you'd use the magic tool to steal the Demon King's Castle."

"Ah, that part."

"Yes, that part. The part about not needing to fight."

"Hari doesn't want anyone to get hurt."

"Hari? Do you think you're friends or something?"

"Will you stop obsessing over titles? Hari said it's fine."

"Still, you're being far too rude..."

"If you love long titles so much... then let me introduce myself properly. I am Captain Mago of the Imperial Army Independent Special Operations Unit, 15th Division."

I said it deadpan, all nineteen syllables.

"Mm... I think I'll drop it."

Saki gave up, and the title issue was settled for now.

"Back to what I was saying—there's no war where nobody gets hurt. Hari is thinking about Atlantis's current situation way too lightly."

"Wrong, Mago. Her Majesty doesn't even see this as a war."

"That's way too soft."

"She is soft. Soft and transparent."

"Didn't know you could joke."

"I wasn't talking about her body... She has always been a benevolent ruler. I was so moved by that, I chose to follow her."

"That personality earned you a loyal subject like yourself, but at the same time, it's why the General betrayed her. She looked weak."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"No. I'm saying I envy it."

"Huh...?"

"I wish she could merge halfway with the Emperor of the Empire."

"No leader can satisfy everyone."

"True. But right now, this is wartime. The traitor General is an officer in the Demon King's Army. Atlantis has to fight the Demon King's Army on top of a volcanic eruption—a natural disaster. You have to go in with the resolve to kill them all."

"I think the same as you, but we don't have the strength. Most of the soldiers who held Atlantis's power have joined the Demon King's Army now."

"I thought you wanted me to take charge of that power. That wasn't it at all, was it? Did Hari really think everything would be over once I stole the Demon King's Castle?"

"I believe she did. Though in reality, this fight won't end until we cut off the Crayfish General's head."

"Is she pure, or just naive?"

"I think she's both."

"Then she needs to understand—even now. There's no war without wounds. And there's no guarantee only one side gets hurt. Hari has to make a decision. She needs to prepare to fight for her life, even if she's at a clear disadvantage. And you too, Saki. You need to be ready to drag the remaining soldiers into hell."

"You speak as if you've been through a war yourself."

"Well, maybe I have."

"Hmph. Talking made the time pass—we're here."

Saki stopped walking.

She had no choice. One more step and she'd fall off a cliff.

The second training site was a precipice.

"Mago, look down."

I was already looking.

Below the cliff, a massive whirlpool raged.

The first stage was the sea's wind—training to not be shaken by it.

The second stage was...

"The sea's storm," I said, though it was obvious.

Just as I'd guessed. A whirlpool so violent it would tear you apart if you brushed against it. Starting from the second stage, we were dealing with natural disasters.

"Reading the current is good. But if you just ride it without thinking, you'll get swept away without knowing where you're going."

"So..."

"So you also need to learn how to break free on your own. That's what it means to overcome the current. The second stage of Mermayado."

"You don't mean..."

"Looks like you caught on."

Suddenly, Saki grabbed my ankle with her hair. She gripped it tight, then—

She threw me.

Pushed me straight off the cliff.

"Don't move, Mago. You have to fall straight down—that's the eye of the storm. It won't be as strong there. But the walls around you will be spinning."

Then she declared, "I won't pull you up this time. You have to escape on your own. I'm heading back to the Royal Palace. Follow me yourself."

*

The inside of the scrap-metal pile was nothing but darkness.

The Sea Demon King's Castle.

The third and last Demon King's Castle in existence.

This castle, powered by electric current, had originally been planned to use Atlantis's monarch, Hari Bo, as its fuel source.

In the control room of the castle, the Crayfish General struck the helm with his hand, sending it spinning.

It was a meaningless hamster wheel.

The castle, starved of the necessary electric current, remained unresponsive no matter what he touched.

"How tedious..."

Blue-tinted helmet and armor encased his body. The clanking sound of footsteps echoed, followed by a heavy thud as he sat down on the throne.

He settled in and pressed down, testing the seat's feel.

"Ah, and... there was a human. With Saki O..."

It was the stingray scout's report.

"A human?"

The Crayfish General, who had been as lifeless as the unpowered Demon King's Castle, finally lit up at that.

"A human, you say?"

"A man wearing all-black clothes."

"All-black clothes..."

"I don't know much more than that he was next to Saki O."

"So you only looked?"

"No, sir. He recklessly attacked me... so I countered."

"And yet you returned unharmed. I take it you didn't lose."

"Yes, sir. He was just a human. I don't know what gave him the confidence to pick a fight, but he was an ordinary one. Powerless in the sea. Very slow and weak. I don't believe you need to concern yourself with him at all."

"I won't."

"Yes, yes...!"

"Is that it?"

"It... it is. Why do you ask?"

"I asked if that was how you ended it. You knocked down a human. Then what?"

"I came straight back. To report to you..."

"Why didn't you kill him?"

"What? I—I'm sorry..."

"Slow or weak—don't you think the only reason he can breathe and move down here is that Hari Bo's magic is laid over him?"

"Yes..."

"Why would she use magic on a human? There must be some cooperative agreement. A promise. Isn't that right?"

"Yes..."

"You didn't kill the human. You didn't even try to extract information. Your loyal subject, Saki O, was standing right outside, and you didn't assassinate her. Instead, you came running back here, delighted to tell me you beat a human who was with Saki O..."

The scout had nothing to say.

"Did you think I'd be pleased to hear that?"

He had no words to refute it, and even if he did, it would be useless. His mouth simply clamped shut.

"I am not Hari Bo. Enemies must be annihilated—every single one, without exception. That is the rule of my army... no, of the Demon King's Army. You must kill as many as possible."

"Yes, yes!"

"Don't disappoint me."