Pr/Editor: Helen, Agneya
The cool blue eyes didn’t show a single trace of mercy. There was no sense of apprehension toward the sudden presence of an unfamiliar person. In the meantime, Erhart concentrated his magical power so that he could attack at any time with the other hand that was not holding his gun.
The other person, who silently felt the obvious hostility, just smiled without the slightest hint of fear. A pair of red-stained lips rose slightly.
All he did was stand. Still, his presence felt oppressive. It was as if there was an invisible darkness behind him and it seemed to be weighing down on his shoulders.
Instead of giving in to the inexplicable intimidating air, Erhart aimed his gun more resolutely.
“Humans really do create things that you can’t let down your guard down around.”
The one who expressed interest in the gun pointed at his forehead implied that he was not human. Erhart frowned at the soft and seductive voice and strengthened his hand grip as he felt the trigger.
“How did you get in?”
Lasad Palace was surrounded by a dense magic circle. It was not possible to use magic that was even slightly aggressive, let alone one that moved through space. It was a masterpiece that his ancestor, Albert had put a lot of effort into. In order to move through space, one had to have magical power exceeding that of the person who drew the magic circle, and Erhart was the only one in the current empire with that level of skill.
“There is no place where I cannot go.”
“Don’t even think about playing with words.”
“What play?”
“…”
“I have never lied, and I only came to see my young people because I missed them.”
“…Your young people?”
When he asked him again, the corners of his eyes curved curiously. Erhart, who was following the path of the narrowed violet eyes, had no choice but to instantly guess his identity.
“…Mermaid.”
“Oh my.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Has this child even revealed his true identity himself? Or maybe he let his guard down and got caught. There was a hint of amusement in the intruder’s voice. Instead of reacting, Erhart weaved golden threads with magical power and suppressed his inner urge.
“Pr ktja tjqqfcfv lc Cgtfc sbeg qfbqif’r ojeia?”
“Snfc rb, atfgf kbeiv tjnf yffc cb tewjcr rkjiibkfv yfcfjat atf vffq rfj… Vbwfbcf mjgfv jcv ibnfv tewjcr rb wemt atja atfs rtbkfv rqfmlji wfgms.”
Ktf lcagevfg, ktb kjr ybecv ys atgfjvr kbnfc klat ubivfc wjulm, ralii rwlifv jcv jcrkfgfv klat j ojmf atja vlv cba rtbk jcs rluc bo ofjg. Pc gfrqbcrf ab atf jwylueber gfqis, Sgtjga lwwfvljafis qertfv atf wehhif bo tlr uec obgkjgv klatbea jrxlcu jcs wbgf defralbcr. Ktf wehhif bo atf uec kjr qgfrrfv mbwqifafis jujlcra tlr bqqbcfca’r obgftfjv. Sgtjga aliafv tlr tfjv mgbbxfvis jcv ugbkifv olfgmfis.
“You have no fear.”
Erhart thought about coming after them for trying something like this on his land. The other person had also sneaked in silently like an assassin. Erhart had no intention of letting him live. Whatever it was like to be a mermaid or using supernatural powers, these beings were not immortal, and this was not the sea.
Erhart put pressure on his finger placed at the trigger.
“You saved me the trouble of finding him, so maybe I could show you a little mercy.”
“King of humans. Are you planning to kill me?”
Even as he mentioned death, he still showed no fear. Rather, the idea seemed interesting to him. The act of him offering to disrupt the steady rhythm once in a while got on Erhart’s nerves.
Erhart was already like a detonator waiting to go off at any moment even if no one provoked him. What was worse was that in these past few days, the servants were wary even when he took a single breath. The atmosphere of Lasad Palace was as dangerous as walking on a sheet of thin ice.
“Is there a reason you can’t kill me?”
“If there is, it would be you wanting to save that kid.”
His whispers were more devious than snakes. Erhart momentarily relaxed his grip on the trigger. Erhart’s eyes turned to Rayan, who was lying on the bed, unaware of the commotion around him.
As chaos rippled through his strong heart, the golden magic that had bound the intruder also shook. Erhart, who finally managed to get himself together, turned his head away from Rayan and glared at Asha.
“…If you try to pull off even the slightest bit of nonsense, I will make death feel like a mercy.”
The intruder lightly approached Rayan without responding to the threat. He was still smiling, but he seemed upset somehow. When Erhart tried to decipher it a little closely, his expression was hidden behind a facade once again, as if the previous emotions were never there.
He bowed and tilted his head.
Rayan’s jet-black hair fell in strands over his face. Rayan, he whispered Rayan’s name, his lips almost pressed against the other’s as if they might touch at any moment. Language with incomprehensible meaning poured out. Instinctively, Erhart realized that it was the language of mermaids. He didn’t know why he came to such a conclusion, it was simply a hunch. And as it lingered in Erhart’s ears, it soothed his sharp nerves.
Nevertheless, he could not overcome his discomfort and when he tried to push Asha away from Rayan, he straightened his back first.
“…”
His irregular and weak breathing returned and the pale cheeks regained some color.
“Rayan?”
Erhart pushed the intruder away and looked at Rayan. Although he still couldn’t open his eyes, his eyes twitched and trembled as if responding to his call. Erhart was so overwhelmed by this that he didn’t know what to do.
“When he wakes up, tell him my name.”
“…”
“‘Asha’”
“It won’t be too late to plan our long awaited reunion at that time,” the softly whispered words were strange. Erhart belatedly came to his senses and turned around. But the other person disappeared without a trace, just as he had come.
* * *
‘Tell me you are not going back. Promise that you will stay by my side.’
At the same time, Erhart even forced him to call his name persistently. Rayan could not promise anything, neither could he lie, and his request could obviously not be listened to, so he would rather remain silent.
When he got angry, he spoke sharply, as if he was going to hit him, but the gestures of his hands stroking his body and digging between his legs were extremely gentle and soft. On the contrary, it made Rayan feel even more distressed.
“… Ugh.”
Rayan let out a groan. He frowned, barely pushing his heavy eyelids up as if he felt disconnected with them/as if they were foreign to him.
“Rayan?”
Rayan, who in face of the particularly dazzling sunlight, narrowed his eyes when he heard a familiar voice calling his name. The blurry scene gradually became clear and an image appeared on the light green iris.
“Eri… Your Majesty?”
Erich looked at Rayan as if he was looking at someone unfamiliar, and his lips twitched. His hand twitched as if it was about to touch Rayan, and his gaze was fixed, not moving away.
Rayan made eye contact blankly, then quickly lowered his gaze as he remembered last night. At the same time, he felt anxious. Could it be that his body became feeble like the last time while he was sleeping? Otherwise, why would Erich look at him with that expression?
“The physician… Jurgen. Bring the physician in! Hurry!”
What did he see? So, how exactly should he reply to this? Rayan pondered nervously and then widened his eyes. It was because Erich suddenly held him in his arms.
He was hugged so tightly that it took his breath away. Rayan struggled to get away from him, but fell limp from exhaustion with moving around so much. As he relaxed and let his body hang down, Erich, who seemed like he would never let go, finally let go of his arms a little and looked him up and down.
“Why, what’s wrong?”
There was a lot to take in. His back ached and the area between his legs still tingled. Of course, it wasn’t bad considering he was embraced and tossed around all night in his current state.
While Rayan was mulling over his words, a middle-aged man entered the room in a huff. He politely addressed Erich and then carefully observed Rayan. Rayan inadvertently leaned back at the unfamiliar human’s touch, and then he noticed Erich’s gaze. Without saying anything, he waited for the answer from the human who had examined Rayan a moment ago.
“Other than a little fatigue, there is nothing wrong. His pulse and temperature are both normal, Your Majesty.”
“Keeping aside the fact that Rayan is awake, you’ve been saying the same thing for several days. I wonder if I am talking to a parrot rather than a physician.”
“Well, that’s…”
The physician felt wronged. Indeed, whether it was a few days ago or now, Rayan did not have any obvious symptoms. He wasn’t boiling with fever, nor was his pulse faint. At that time, only his complexion was pale. However, considering that it might have originated from an extremely strenuous relationship as his whole body was covered with hickeys, it was perfectly normal.
While he hesitated because he had nothing else to say, the emperor waved his hand a couple of times with an annoyed expression. Although there was not the slightest trace of sincerity, the physician had a good complexion, packed his visiting bag, and hurried out.
After the doctor’s departure, it was just him and Erich left in the spacious bedroom. Rayan could not meet his gaze, his awkwardness and concern plaguing his stomach.
“You woke up after two days… No, three days.”
There was a rueful exhale at the end of Erich’s words. Rayan thought about the past three days for a moment. He couldn’t believe he had been unconscious for three days. He thought he simply took a nap and woke up.
“You don’t remember anything?”
Did he simply just fall asleep and wake up?
“…”
Memories that he didn’t even know were blurry slowly became clearer. A relationship that was so persistent that it felt like it would swallow you up, a physical and mental strength that was already at its limit to maintain human form… Rayan could not bear the burning thirst. He was instinctively drawn to the water, and his memories of what followed were vague.
With that thought in mind, he checked again to see if his memory had been distorted. Erich, who was silent all this time, finally put the last puzzle piece together.
“The turquoise fins were quite impressive.”
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