Chapter 109

The battle in the sea demanded far more three-dimensional movement compared to fighting on land, making it an incredibly disadvantageous battlefield for the Hero.

It’s only natural that the situation is tough when you’ve got to deal with the Shtur Sea Serpent, which swims freely in the cold waters where movement isn’t easy.

However, despite being in such an unfavorable condition, the Hero was putting up a fight better than expected.

Even without solid footing to swing their Sword of the Hero properly, they were still deflecting the Shtur Sea Serpent’s fangs and tail while finding openings to wound its scales.

Thanks to this, the body of the Shtur Sea Serpent—a Lesser Dragon—was left with various large and small wounds. For the Shtur Sea Serpent, this might be the first time it’s suffered such injuries.

Even without any restrictions on breathing… If this were any weaker monster than the Shtur Sea Serpent, wouldn’t it have been wiped out instantly?

And so, leaving behind the hardworking Hero…

“You’re not going to help directly, are you?”

“Huh?”

“I mean the Mermaids.”

I glanced at the Mermaids who had fled from the Shtur Sea Serpent and were now watching the Hero’s struggle from afar.

Judging by how they quickly escaped as soon as the Shtur Sea Serpent appeared, fleeing dangerous situations must be something they do often.

Apparently, Thetis wasn’t protecting these Mermaids either.

“Yes… Well, both Mermaids and the Shtur Sea Serpent are creatures living within the sea. It wouldn’t be right to take sides for just one party.”

Hmm. Is that so? From Thetis’ perspective, both Mermaids and the Shtur Sea Serpent are merely lifeforms residing in the sea?

Should I call this fairness or cruelty?

“They hunt to survive too, and the Mermaids also prey on other fish for survival… We can’t protect them just because they resemble humans, are praised as part of the great flow, and can sing beautiful songs. It’s the law of nature: hunting and being hunted.”

“That’s quite reasonable, but still, this is almost abandonment, isn’t it?”

“Yes. That’s true. But sometimes, it might be better to leave things alone rather than help one side unfairly.”

Hmm. Could letting things be actually be better than taking sides?

I don’t know… Which side is truly right?

Then, let me change the question.

“If that’s the case, why did you save humans drowning in the water?”

“Humans?!”

If the Mermaids don’t rescue others due to principle, then why save humans?

Isn’t this distinction rather ambiguous?

“Well, humans are land creatures, not born or raised in the sea. They’re outside my jurisdiction, so I thought it would be fine to save them.”

Hmm. Is that really how it works?

Definitely, humans aren’t sea creatures, so from Thetis’ standpoint, they’d be outsiders.

Taking care of sea creatures while sending land creatures back could be Thetis’ basic attitude, huh?

There’s definitely a strong sense of exclusion toward outsiders here.

“Well, we currently tolerate land creatures fishing sea creatures since they need food to survive.”

“Hmm. You’re lenient about hunting for sustenance, I see.”

“Yes. Isn’t that the law of nature? Surely no creature harms others for fun or unrelated purposes.”

“Hmm…”

I couldn’t find much to say against Thetis’ words since there were all too many points hitting close to home regarding creatures harming others for fun or other reasons.

We should educate humans later. When catching sea creatures, they should only do so for eating—not just for amusement. Otherwise, Thetis might get angry, and it won’t end well.

And Mermaids… Hmm. Would humans even eat Mermaids? Though their intelligence may be somewhat fish-like, they are technically humanoid.

They’ll be fine. Yeah, they’ll be alright.

Let’s move on.

“If that’s the case, why did you give the Hero the Water Breathing Magic to rescue the Mermaids?”

“Well, there are two reasons. First, Mother has nurtured this Hero carefully, and she wants to see the power of the child she has worked so hard to raise.”

Indeed, since they are the children I’ve raised, it’s understandable she wants to witness the strength of the Hero she has meticulously cultivated.

“To compare the Hero’s strength with the Shtur Sea Serpent, which is arguably the strongest sea creature, and see how powerful this Hero really is.”

“Hmm? Did you perhaps summon the Shtur Sea Serpent yourself?”

“The second reason is, with both Mother and the Hero from the land watching, if the Mermaids, who resemble humans, were simply left to be hunted, wouldn’t they think poorly of me?”

Thetis continued speaking her own thoughts without answering my question.

This One who manages the dark spirits intentionally summoned it, didn’t they?

For some reason, this feels darker than before. Thetis wasn’t originally like this… Right? Wasn’t she?

Hmm. Could neglecting her for too long have caused her to darken? I’m unsure.

Well, what can be done? This is my fault for neglecting her for so long.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

The Shtur Sea Serpent fights the Hero using its teeth, claws, and tail as weapons. However, the Hero’s sword deflects all of its attacks.

With sharp blade counterattacks, the Shtur Sea Serpent ends up battered and bruised. Realizing it cannot defeat the Hero, it quickly curls its tail and flees.

The Hero can only watch as the swiftly escaping Shtur Sea Serpent disappears into the depths. The Shtur Sea Serpent was far faster in the water, and the Hero couldn’t keep up.

Though the enemy fled, victory is still victory! The Hero’s skills remain sharp, regardless of the unfavorable terrain! Truly, this Hero conquers battles on mountains, seas, and even in the air!

Seeing this Hero, even Thetis slightly looked surprised, though it’s a minor detail.

What else would you expect? This is the Hero I’ve nurtured with great care! Lesser Dragons like the Shtur Sea Serpent can never match the Hero!

“Good job.”

I greeted the Hero, who climbed aboard the boat, drying off the seawater with a smile.

“It was your first battle in the sea, yet you performed admirably.”

“It wasn’t easy, though. I was barely blocking attacks coming from all directions. If it weren’t for the freedom of underwater breathing, I might have been the one defeated.”

The Hero recounts the arduous battle. Watching this, Thetis smiles and says:

“Still, the Shtur Sea Serpent is one of the strongest creatures in the sea, and to fight this well against it… Incredible! Not your average human strength. Indeed, the Hero chosen by the Goddess of Life!”

As soon as Thetis finished speaking, the Mermaids surrounding the ship began loudly praising the Hero.

“Hero! Hooray!”

“Hero! Hero! Hero! Hero!!”

“Hero, you’re amazing!!! Have a baby with me!!”

“Ack! That’s unfair! Me too!! I want to have a baby with the Hero!!!”

Uh… Wow, these Mermaids are pretty open-minded, aren’t they?

Do Mermaids give birth or lay eggs? That’s kind of intriguing now.

“A, a baby…?”

The Hero, hearing such remarks, becomes extremely flustered and practically runs into the cabin.

“Hmm. It seems this Hero is quite shy?”

“Isn’t it the Mermaids who are too open?”

“Well, they may mimic human forms, but fundamentally, they’re fish. And one survival strategy of fish is laying numerous eggs, right? Especially with a strong male like the Hero… All the females would naturally desire him.”

Hmm. Looks like outwardly resembling humans doesn’t change their fishy essence.

“Well, if the Hero wishes, he could fertilize the eggs laid by the Mermaids? Such a strong human seed might produce powerful Mermaid offspring.”

“That… Let’s pass on that offer.”

Handling pleasure-less responsibilities might be too much for the Hero, who is still relatively inexperienced.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Thus, the Hero and I parted ways with Thetis the next day. She seemed a bit reluctant to see us go.

Thanks to Thetis guiding us with ocean currents, our voyage back was far smoother—an insignificant detail.

「Ah, Mom! Were you visiting Thetis?」

“Sylphid.”

「Yes! Your cute and adorable Sylphid!」

Hmm. From my perspective, indeed cute and adorable.

“And what brings you here?”

「Nothing special. Did anything unusual happen when you met Thetis?」

“Anything unusual?”

「Yes!」

Anything unusual, you say. Hmm…

“Not particularly.”

「Is that so? Hmm. Well, maybe she changed her mind! Lucky!」

“Hmm?”

Curious, I asked Sylphid again.

“What do you mean by changing her mind? What’s going on?”

「Ah… Hmm… I’m not sure if I should say this… Hmm…」

“Just spit it out already. Don’t keep me waiting.”

After my prompting, Sylphid finally spoke, looking somewhat reluctant.

「Thetis said that the longer it took for Mom to visit her, the more she’d feel guilty… And possibly apologetic toward Mom?」

Yeah, I actually felt quite guilty. If not for the Hero’s mission, I might have stayed with Thetis for a while.

“So?”

「She planned to use that guilt to keep Mom around as long as possible. Since she lives in such a remote place anyway, she figured it was only fair to gain some advantage.」

Eh… Hmm…

「During that time, she intended to use every means necessary to win over Mom, but it’s fortunate nothing happened! It seems Thetis changed her mind!」

Phew… Hmm… Hmm…

Somehow, this gives me chills down my spine.

“Well, since nothing unusual happened, it should be fine, right?”

「Yes! That’s right! And since Thetis reunited with Mom after so long, maybe her pent-up feelings have eased. I think everything will be alright now!」

Still, we should be cautious when visiting Thetis next time.

Grumble. Why have these kids changed so much? They used to be so good-natured…

I sighed softly.