Chapter 8: What Do You Plan to Do to Me?

In the underwater dungeon, the mermaid and the boy gazed at each other.

“Hehe, thank you for the compliment~”

Hearing the boy’s praise, the mermaid smiled happily; her multicolored underwater tail swayed gently, and she blinked at him, her voice growing even sweeter.

“Come closer, let me take a good look at you~”

She called out in a syrupy tone, her face flushed with shy redness, her gentle expression resembling that of a timid young girl gazing at her beloved.

Yet, deep within her eyes, there was not a trace of anything resembling affection.

Her deep blue eyes were cold and profound, like a calm sea concealing violent undercurrents.

Foolish and greedy mortal.

Come closer.

I will make you understand what price you pay for underestimating the sea…

Watching the boy actually move closer, her eyes grew more mocking, yet her voice remained tender: “And then? What do you plan to do to me?”

Just as she was about to reveal her monstrous true nature, for some reason, a flicker of hesitation stirred in her heart.

He might be innocent.

She did not know where this pity came from, but she did not wish to kill him so easily.

That would be… too much of a waste.

As she wrestled with her thoughts, she heard the boy’s reply.

He said:

“What ‘and then’? I’m not going to do anything. I don’t have a fish tank that big.”

“Oh, you’re going to… what? Fish tank?” The mermaid froze completely.

“What’s the problem? You can’t live without water, can you?”

Mermaid: “...Huh?”

Boy: “Huh?”

Mermaid: “Er…”

She had imagined Herbert might respond in countless ways—lewd, mad, greedy—but she had never imagined such a rational answer.

What the hell is a fish tank!?

She had never expected such a reply.

Who the hell does a legendary sea monster think needs water!?

Are you insane… huh?

No.

Wait a minute!

She suddenly realized something, staring at Herbert’s clear eyes: “You weren’t charmed by my voice?”

“Your voice is nice too,” Herbert tilted his head, speaking as if it were obvious. “But it’s a bit too squeaky. You could just speak normally.”

No kidding.

That sweet voice, if she put on a costume and sang as a virtual streamer, her fans would shower her with coins.

But Herbert didn’t like that kind of voice—like “little windmill, whoosh!”—it only gave him physical discomfort, nothing else.

After hearing it, the only thing that got hard was his fist.

Based on the mermaid’s performance just now, he’d give her a seven out of ten.

Average. (zipping up pants)

“No, you…”

The mermaid narrowed her eyes, studying the boy’s gaze closely—she saw no sign of enchantment whatsoever.

He really wasn’t affected?

But that didn’t make sense.

“Then what about what you just said…”

“It was all true.”

Herbert saw nothing wrong with his own words.

This sea witch, no matter how you looked at her, fit human aesthetics perfectly.

Though you could spot non-human traits—slightly pointed fingertips and teeth, a thin layer of liquid covering her skin when she emerged from water…

But overall, she looked exactly like the mythical creature from human legends: the mermaid.

Beautiful. I like looking at her.

Of course, Herbert knew the prisoner’s true identity.

This wasn’t some sweet-voiced little girl.

【Final Singer】、【Death’s Howl】、【Sorrowful Ice River】—Fremi Kya.

A terrifying sea monster who, three hundred years ago, caused hundreds of sailors and fishermen to drown themselves, turning several fishing ports into ghost towns.

From Fremi’s expression now, he guessed she’d had no good intentions—she’d likely planned to lure him close and kill him.

You’re all so cruel.

I’m just a brand-new, ultra-newbie Holy Knight. Do you really have to do this?

“So, what were you planning to do to me?”

At that moment, Herbert gazed at Fremi with a hint of wounded resentment.

After a moment of silence, the mermaid averted her eyes, embarrassed: “Cough… n-nothing!”

“I wasn’t planning to drown you or anything!”

Beneath the Mist Monastery, in the Sealed Sanctuary.

“Your Grace, why are you here? It’s not yet time for the shift change.”

The red-robed ascetic, his body pierced by hundreds of rusted rivets, slowly opened his eyes, gazing at the old man in coarse hemp robes who had appeared beside him without warning. As his brows furrowed, two rivets clinked together, emitting a strange, trembling sound.

“Have there been any anomalies lately?”

The old man gave no explanation, his expressionless eyes fixed steadily on the statue at the center of the seal array.

The statue, shaped like a kneeling girl, stood only half a person’s height; its face, eroded by centuries of wind and sand, barely revealed the posture of a head bowed in devout prayer.

Sacred Sealed Artifact—The Blasphemous Prayer Statue.

“...It awoke twice.”

“When?”

“First, one month ago at dawn, lasting two minutes. Second, yesterday at noon, lasting thirty seconds.”

“I understand.”

The two spoke with eerie calmness, their tones utterly devoid of emotion, as if the awakening of the sealed artifact meant nothing.

“Go rest. Watch for any monks influenced by it. I’ll take over guarding for now.”

“...Yes.”

Replacing the guard before the scheduled time violated protocol, but the Rivet Master did not ask why.

The Grand Abbot had his reasons.

He was a Saint walking among mortals—a legendary being even gods would deign to smile upon.

Moreover, the Mist Monastery itself had been founded by the Grand Abbot’s own hands; his word was the supreme law.

After the Rivet Master left, the Grand Abbot sat cross-legged, staring at the statue, and spoke slowly: “I know you are not asleep.”

“What have you noticed?”

“What do you intend to do?”

The Grand Abbot asked silently for a long time; the sanctuary remained utterly still, his voice echoing alone.

The statue gave him no response.

Ancient. Silent.

Finally, the Grand Abbot seemed to sigh, closing his eyes, and delivered his final declaration calmly.

“No matter what you plan, as long as I am here, your schemes will never succeed.”

His voice was flat, lacking any threat—but at that moment, it seemed to shift something subtle and invisible within the space.

He said:

“I will not let you harm anyone.”

Midnight.

In a dim room lit by only one candle, the boy silently wrote a passage in his open notebook.

“Spirit Pen, Spirit Pen! You are my past life, I am your present life. If you wish to continue our bond, draw a circle on the paper.”

The next second, his left hand slowly moved, drawing a perfect arc upon the page…

Swish.

【?】

Cough, cough, I’m not going to admit I forgot to set the timer…

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(End of Chapter)