135 Ch. 135 'Triton Herb'

Niken was stunned to see all the mermaid's treatment of her. Everything was very contrary to what she heard so far.

They did not lock her up or curb her. Instead, they treated her like a distinguished guest.

Merylin invited her to swim around the kingdom of Mermaladia. Niken could see the mermaid's primary food was not human as she had expected, but rather a green grass-like. Isn't that seaweed?

"So, you don't eat humans?"

"Ew... Of course not. Human flesh tasted awful, and the smell of blood is stink."

"But humans can eat fish."

"Then? At least they don't eat mermaid. Some of us also hunt fish to be our food."

"What about your scales? Doesn't someone sell mermaid scales soup?"

Merylin was astonished to hear that and stopped swimming. Niken stopped and turned around when she realized her tour guide wasn't swimming anymore.

"Niken, you're so mean. We helped you, but why are you so cruel to us?"

"Ah?" Niken was even more confused by the mermaid princess's expression, who now looked at her with fury.

"I better return you to the mainland. Follow me."

Merylin swam quickly to the surface, making Niken bewildered following her. After all, Merylin had a tail to help her swim fast while Niken only had a pair of legs and was not used to swimming in water.

As soon as they arrived at the surface, Merylin created a whirlpool under Niken's feet and then lifted her body and dropped it to the lake's edge roughly.

"I hope we don't need to meet again after this," Merylin muttered, then dived again until her tail was no longer visible.

Instantly Niken was overwhelmed by feelings of guilt at the expression of disappointment and hurt from Merylin. Even though she saw that someone had sold mermaid's scales soup for herself, she shouldn't have spoken openly to expose this reality in front of the mermaid.

All of them have been kind enough to heal her wound, yet she acted rudely toward them. Niken did not know who hurt her. She did not even know whether the mermaid was telling the truth or not when they said she fell off a cliff.

At this time, Niken could not believe the words of the mermaids.

Niken got to her feet and patted her buttocks to clean the dust and realized that her clothes were dry as if she had never fallen into the water. Seeing this makes her feel even more guilty.

Why is an evil mermaid so good to her like this? It doesn't match the rumors at all.

After staring at the lake for a long time, Niken turned around and was very surprised at what she saw. There was no barrier or whatsoever to prevent mermaids from luring humans into lakes, and the land that should have been empty was now filled with a variety of ornamental plants.

Niken walked while looking around her with wonder. She was sure she was in the North region, but why did she feel something different about it?

The building's location and shape were exactly the same as Crystal Inn, but why was the name of the inn different?

Niken decided to go inside and ask the innkeeper about the customers who were staying here.

"No one named Lionel or Kazuto is staying here." the innkeeper's answer made Niken even more confused.

"Are you sure? Yesterday the three of us stayed here together. The one with black hair around this height, "Niken raised a hand to measure Kazuto's height, "Then the other has golden yellow hair with dark skin."

The innkeeper seemed to think for a moment, then shook his head. "No. No such customers come here."

Niken sighed at that and then walked out. Her stomach began to grumble. She realized she had not eaten anything since she woke up. When Merylin was about to take her to a meal together, Niken even offended the mermaid's feelings, and now she was left alone on land.

Niken decided to come to the restaurant she visited yesterday with Kazuto, Lionel, and Zehell. The restaurant's name was the same, but the interior inside was a bit different.

Niken sat at one of the tables, then looked at the food menu there. All food menus were precisely the same except; this menu does not have mermaid scales soup.

Niken nibbled her nails nervously, trying to analyze what had happened to her.

The same lodging but had a different name, the same restaurant, but the interior was changed. Moreover, there was one food menu that this place didn't have. Not to mention, barriers around the lake that were supposed to protect humans also did not exist, and mermaids were not human eaters.

Plus, Niken felt that there was so much magic energy around her. The vibe did not belong to a witch but belongs to... mermaid?

Niken glanced at one of the magic owners she felt and saw the beautiful face there. She remembered that she had run into that face when she was with Merylin.

"Wow, is this the best seaweed?" said one of the cooks in this restaurant.

"Of course. Princess Merylin never gives bad things to her friends."

Niken stupified at that. So this place was a harmonious place where mermaids were good friends with humans? No wonder why she did not find a barrier blocking human habitation near the Mermaid lake.

It turned out she made a mistake—a huge one.

Niken didn't know where she was, but she knew she wasn't in the North region she had been before.

Niken immediately got up to return to the mermaid lake.

"Princess Merylin, Princess Merylin, forgive me. Now I know I made a mistake. Please forgive me."

Because there was no answer, Niken walked into the water and walked on until she could dive into it. Strangely, she could not breathe like before made her have to swim up to take oxygen.

Niken coughed because the water had entered through her nose. After removing the remaining water from her nose and throat, Niken tried to call back the mermaid princess.

"Princess Merylin, please come out. I'll explain everything to you. What do I have to do for you to forgive me?"

"What do you want to explain?"

Niken turned and saw Merylin's head had appeared there with a look of dislike.

"I have a reason why I acted earlier. But now I know I was wrong. I'm sorry for offending you. I realize that the relationship between mermaids and humans is so good that it is impossible for humans to make mermaid tail scales their food."

"It's true. Do you know what they have to do to turn our scales into soup? They have to pull out our scales with a knife. It's the same as flaying a human with a knife. In other words, we will die."

Niken gasped at this. Does that mean the human who sells mermaid scales soup has killed the mermaid? How? Aren't they unable to catch a mermaid without approaching the lake?

Ah, she can think about it next time. For now, she needs to fix her relationship with this mermaid princess and find out what this place is.

"Right. I did not know about that. Forgive me. Can we start from the beginning?"

Merylin paused and thought for a moment, then swam to Niken.

"Alright. I will forgive you this time. Don't ever say about our scales soup in front of others."

"I promise I won't ever mention it."

Merylin nodded in satisfaction. "Then you should go back."

"Wait." Niken prevented Merylin from going down. "Can you take me with you? I don't recognize anyone here, and you are my first friend here."

Merylin tilted her head in surprise at her question. "You want to go back to Mermaladia? But I have cleansed the triton herb in your body."

"A triton herb?"

"Yes. Triton herb is a concoction from flora Elementalist that allows you to breathe and talk in water for twenty-four hours. You don't know that?"

"Ah, I think I forget about it." lied Niken. "Where can I get the triton herb?"

"Do you really want to go back to Mermaladia?"

"Of course."

"Then, instead of using the herb, why don't you use your magic? Isn't your magic level at the indigo stage?"

"How... How do you know?"

"I'm a mermaid who uses magic. Of course, I can immediately know the level of a wizard's magic."

"Ah. But I don't know how to do it."

"Just follow your instincts. Your magic circle will assist you with whatever you want."

Niken obeyed and closed her eyes to concentrate. The indigo magic circle appeared under her feet, which was moving around to make her body float. The circle then shrank and changed shape by moving upward to cover each curve of Niken's body.

Niken's two legs that were moving opposite now swam in unison and became one. Not long after, a tail appeared to replace Niken's feet. It's just that Niken's tail color was indigo and not blue like other mermaids.

Reflexively, Niken sank her head to try to breathe underwater. She smiled happily as soon as she managed to breathe and talk freely in the water. However, Merylin's surprised expression astonished her and made her curious. Niken glanced at Merylin's shocked target and was shock beyond words.

Niken gasped to see her lower body. She could no longer find a pair of legs, but now turned into a mermaid tail!?