Garsh returned to his seat after leaving the negotiations to his aides.
âIâm sorry to have kept you waiting. Thatâs a very interesting souvenir.â
âNo, thatâs alright, I didnât mean for it to be a souvenir however.â
I was rather remorseful, but Garsh is staring at me as impressed.
âYou immediately realised that it might match the dish, even though you have never had it before.â
âBecause it fits anything, that isâ
âHmmâ
Garsh growled with his arms folded.
âIt looks like the demons arenât as barbaric as I thought. I think they are a little misunderstood. I apologize.â
There is no doubt that the demons are barbaric, but if you can say that, letâs just agree.
âItâs true that I lived in undeveloped land, so donât worry. But if possible, Iâd like to live while sharing prosperity with humans.â
When I answered that, Garsh nodded a little.
âThen thereâs no reason to ally with the Demon Kingâs army. It just seems more interesting than teaming up with the fucking bastards in the north, but only if you meaning us no harm is true.â
The last part of his statement carried a lot of weight.
Garsh still seems to doubt that weâre doing something at sea.
No wonder, because we are demons.
This is more and more likely to require consultation with the mermaids.
Then, in a tone that Parker ponders, he says:
âI had been negotiating with the mermaids for a long time at the order of the Demon King, but during that time they had no suspicious movements. Is there a map?â
âOh, wait a minuteâ
Just as there was a map of Beruza on the wall, Parker borrowed it and pointed it with his finger. Itâs off the southwest coast of Beruza.
âIsnât this strange? This is a place where the tide is gentle. There are some reefs and islets, and there are a lot of mermaids.â\n
âHmm?â Garsh made a strange face.
âItâs off the route because thereâs a reef. The ship heading to Lotso in the east is missing.â
âThen mermaids have nothing to do with it, do they? Theyâre wary of human ships, so I donât think theyâll get close to the route.â Parker shrugged.
Garsh was thinking, âHmm ⊠Hey, Vaito, How credible is this guy?â
I donât trust him at all.
Iâd like to say that, but it doesnât look like Parker is purposefully bringing out vague information.
So I canât help but follow Parkerâs words.
âParker is one of the most trusted generals of I and the Demon King. He only reports what he can look up and confirm.â
I glanced to see Parker grinning, but itâs a shame I have to admit it.
âAnyway, Iâll meet the mermaids once. If they have any disturbing movements, Iâll convince them, and if that doesnât work, the Demon Kingâs army will cooperate with Beruza.â
I still think it was a misunderstanding.
Garsh nodded to my words and brought a large bottle of mead from the counter.
âDrinkâ
âWhy?â
Then Garsh smiled.
âTodayâs negotiations are over. Weâll have a welcome party, so even if youâre not good at drinking, youâll have to drink.â
âHahahaâ
I smiled back as I received the bottle.
âIs there any side dish?â
âOh, Iâll feed you a lotâ
Apparently, it seems that today is an eat-all-you-can-eat for free.
Letâs say that we are well welcomed.\nThe next day, I came with Parker to a sandy beach on the outskirts of Beruza. Itâs the beach outside the cove.
âThen letâs go see the mermaids.â
Parker looked back on a small rowing boat, about the size of a fishing boat.
âDid you go in that?â I asked.
âThe sea here is calm, and I donât have to drink or eat. Itâs just a matter of riding the tide and drifting for about three days.â Replied Parker, who was laughing crazily,
I sighed and asked, âIn the meantime, what should I do?â
âOops, I forgot that! Letâs do this.â
Parker marked the void, as if he was waiting for me to say it.
âCome from the Dark Gate of Gevena, my friend.â
The voice was horrifyingly cold.
I feel that the magical power of the surroundings is distorted in each space and sinks darkly.
A number of spatial distortions occurred, from which skeletons slowly emerged. They looked worn out, but were dressed as sailors.
There were four skeletons that appeared.
Parker said in a low, dark voice, as if his usual tone was a lie.
âBrave sailors, there is no time to rest. Now, row the boat.â
The skeletons silently board the ship and pick up the oars with familiar movements.
And started rowing slowly.
I jumped onto the ship and stared at this gruesome departure.
The greatest feature of Parkerâs necromancy is that you can open the gates of the Netherworld and summon the dead directly. Itâs quick because you donât have to make your own. Itâs an undead rental.
However, the shape and abilities of the undead differ depending on the summoned place. Since this is the beach, the skeletons of fishermen and sailors come out. Those who died around here long ago.
Seeing the skeletons rowing the boat silently, I suddenly ask Parker, âDo they have no emotions or intellect?â
âI donât know because communication is a one-way street, but perhaps all they have left is longing for the past.â Parker replied, and continued, âIâm not that different from them either, so I can call them.â
After all, we shut up and headed offshore on a boat rowed by skeletons.\nVisit wuxiaworld.eu for extra chapters.
After a while, I felt a strange sense of unease.
Ripples were spreading containing the magical power that floats around. Itâs a wave of magical power.
Mermaids use magic. That is also the magic of spiritual control.
Somehow, it makes me feel like going home. I miss Rune Height, Grunstadt Castle, and the hidden village of werewolves.
âNearâ
âYou can tell?â
âOh, I canât hear the sound, but I feel the vibration of magical power. This is mental control magic.â
âYeah. This is the song of the mermaids, âKonaideâ.â
The mermaids attract and alienate others by singing, Parker informs me, âWell, it doesnât make sense to me, and it wonât work much for you. I think itâs just enough for humans.â
Of course, the rowers of this ship are skeletons, so it wonât work on them either.
âIf you row toward the center of the song, you will reach it without trouble.â
âGot itâ
I decided to keep an eye on the destination of the ship, suppressing my feelings of nostalgia for my hometown.
Sometime later, when the land was completely invisible, the boat approached a reef-filled sea area.
Eventually, a number of ripples spread around the ship. Beautiful half-naked women came out of the sea.
They are probably mermaids. This was the first time Iâve seen them. Surprisingly, everyone had a positive smile.
Parker took off his hat and approached them.
âIs everyone fine after a long time?â
Then the mermaids replied with a clear, cool voice.
âYes, thank youâ
âMr. Parker, what about your lord?â
âOh, heâs fearless and wonderful.â
\nAll the other crew members are skeletons, so Iâm monopolizing the eyes of the beautiful women.
Itâs a little embarrassing.
I greet them.
âNice to meet you. Iâm Vaito, the adjutant of the Demon King, Gomoviroa.â
âWell, you were the one Parker was talking about!?â
What is this surprise?
The mermaids gathered around me all at once and stared at me seriously.
When I grabbed Parkerâs skull, I quickly questioned him for a moment.
âHow did you talk about me?â
âNo, nothing, youâre my younger brother âŠâ
âA disciple. What else did you say?â
Parker then collapsed to the bottom of the ship and pretended to be just a skeleton.
âHey, say something.â
Then the mermaids giggled and told me:
âMr. Parker was just proud of Mr. Vaito. He said, âThere are a lot of talented people in the Demon Kingâs army, but the best one is my younger brotherâ.â
âMr. Vaito, it seems you understand the hearts of people. Thatâs why even though they are demons, they are loved by humans.â
From their facial expressions, it doesnât seem like theyâre lying or flattering.
When I stared at Parkerâs face, he shyly looked down.
âNo, I didnât think my younger brother would be proud of me talking like this âŠâ
âMaybe youâre talking about me everywhere you go?â Then Parker spoke quickly.
âWell, Iâm not just talking about you. My friends under Gomoviroa are irreplaceable treasures for me. I donât have a family anymore, so itâs definitely a story of friends. Just like this one â