Hakai no Miko

Looking southeast from the port of Jeboa, you can see a small island shadow across the horizon.

That's Merman's island.

Once in the waters around Jeboa, Marman had only a very small number of tribes. But the tribe of Marman came about a hundred years ago in the east sea, and settled on an island off the coast of Jeboa in the form of swallowing up the tribe that had been there until then.

Initially, the relationship between Marman and Jeboa, who had emigrated, was never good.

The first clash, he said, occurred with fishermen who used the area around the island where Marman lived as a fishing ground. The fishermen, who had been deprived of important fishing grounds to feed their lives, pushed them to the island in large numbers on fishing boats to reclaim the fishing grounds.

But the opponent is Marman, known as the King of the Sea. The fishing boats carried by the fishermen were overthrown without reaching the island.

Besides, that wasn't the end of it. In retaliation for attacking them, the Mermans attacked Jeboa's trading ships one after the other. No matter how big the deal ship is, there's not a single one left on Marman. They broke through the bottom of the ship, and broke the rudder, and many ships sank.

This was a tremendous pain in the ass for Jeboa, who flourished by the ocean trade. You'll see the magnitude of the damage, because even four of the then ten commissioners went bankrupt because of the losses caused by Marman's raid.

The ten-member commissioners who thought it was not a good idea to contend with Marman began to explore the path of reconciliation with the Marmen.

But that wasn't an easy path. He said that their positions and interests collided with each other and sometimes from minor misunderstandings.

However, there were also steps by the Mermans, who had already found interest in their dealings with shore at that time, and Jebor and Merman finally reached a formal treaty of friendship.

It was that instead of officially acknowledging the island as the territory of the Marmans, the Marmans would undertake to protect trading vessels off the coast of Jeboa.

By doing so, the Merchant Guild of Jeboa further developed its maritime trading and built its current luxury.

However, it is undeniable from the history of these clashes that the relationship between Jebor and Marman is a very dangerous one. Fearing to develop into a dispute like in the past again because of minor mistakes and misunderstandings, the two sides had arranged to send an ambassador to each other through discussions.

And it was Merman's envoy who set up an official residence in the city of Jeboa for this arrangement that invited the Ethereal Horse to dinner.

Along with the history of such Jeboa and Merman, the Ethereal Horse was surprised to be told that Merman's envoy, who invited himself, was a young woman named Olga.

It is surprising that even modern Japan, where equality between men and women has been crying out for a long time, is a rare place for women diplomats, but that women are serving as ambassadors in this world where the inferiority of men and women is deeply entrenched.

When I said that, Joash explained to me, "In Marman, women have a higher social position."

According to Joash, Marman is forming a female-dominated society. The supreme power is the queen, and most of the country's key positions are occupied by women. Contrary to that, the man's status is low, and the queen's husband is called the king's brother-in-law, not the king, and has not been given any power whatsoever.

By the way, Dwarf is also a female-dominated society. The fact that both these two races are created by the goddess and believe in the goddess may also be a major reason for their female superiority.

With admiration for those explanations, Aoima considered the invitation from the Angel to be a great opportunity.

If we can have friendship with Marman, who is so influential in Jebor, it will definitely be a restraint on Jebor. It would be exactly the kind of water that could extinguish it against a dull fire called Jebor.

When the Ethereal Horses questioned Marman's official residence with such expectations in their chests, it was that Marman woman who met me at the merchant guild's public house the other day on purpose to greet me at the entrance to the official residence.

"I apologize the other day, Lord Soma Kisaki, son of destruction. Let's name it again. I'm Olga, the minister."

Olga, who rides a barrel-like shape with two human slaves, just covered his chest with a thin cloth with a leather belt that hides his chest, as he did the other day.

This was because Marman, who originally lived in the sea, was resistant to the cold and was not in the habit of wearing clothes because he would be in the way of swimming again. Even the chest and hips alone have become hidden with bands and cloth since recently, when there have been many opportunities to come into contact with other races on land.

The Mermans, who had no clothes, had instead a custom of wearing them with their outfits.

It's not just the big forehead decorations and ear decorations that Olga shines in gold, but the red coral neckline around her neck, through a number of gold rings on her wrists, loosely wrapping thin chains of gold and silver around her whole body, decorating her whole body even this, because this hits the outfit for Marman.

"Today, thank you for inviting me. I'm Aoima Kizaki."

When the Ethereal Horse returned his greeting, Olga nodded to Eagle Deep Fried and then took the hand of the Ethereal Horse.

"Let's put an end to tough greetings. - Come on, I have a banquet seat for you. Let me show you around."

Having said that, Olga began to guide the Ethereal Horse to the room where the feast seats were prepared. That's all, or I'm going to say sorry to the Ethereal Horse who's making his eyes black and white on this unexpected favor.

"Don't be offended. I am aware that you are declaring the abolition of slavery. But what's inconvenient about this lower body is that we live on land."

He seemed to think the confusion of the Ethereal Horse was because he was using slavery.

But the Ethereal Horse also doesn't have to know if it's the city of Bornis, and I'm not going to come to another country and say it anyway. Besides, in Marman, where the lower body is a fish, it is understandable that travel on land is irresistible if someone has to carry it.

Also, as Ethereal Horses have learned over the last few years, I just thought that slaves in this world are particularly terrible in the eyes, but they actually don't seem to be very different from Earth's slavery. Of course, there are those terrible slaves. But slavery is a worthy asset, and rarely is it like abusing or killing without darkness. All that. Some regions say they punish excessive abuse of slavery.

The image of the slaves once held by the Ethereal Horse being badly abused was more of an element of subhuman persecution by sacrament than because they were slaves.

The Ethereal Horses, guided by Olga, were surprised to enter the room that would serve as a banquet seat.

There was already a feast table dish available there, but the quantity and variety are eye-catching.

"Come on, don't hesitate to have fun"

With that said, Olga also acted as a cook and a booze separately to the Zoan warriors who were accompanied by all the Ethereal Horses.

The attitude of Olga was just as surprising.

In the common sense of this world, the Zoans who have accompanied the Ethereal Horse invited to Olga are like guest escorts or entourages. Such persons are normally expected to wait in separate rooms, even if they are generous invitees, to the extent that they can at best behave and drink in separate rooms.

But Olga entertained all the Zoans who had accompanied him on the same banquet as the Ethereal Horse.

I feel over-considered until I have deliberately welcomed myself to the front of the official residence, a statement like an excuse for my use of slavery. I couldn't help but feel the back of this, no matter how many people were good pale horses.

For this reason, in the feast, Olga tells a story, but the pale horse's mouth gets heavy.

Instead of a pale horse with such few words, it was Shemr who pointed Olga's spearhead.

"Oh! So, what happened?

"Mm-hmm. Regardless, I withdrew. Leave it to everyone, we're going to back off. But the gall power of my" You under the umbilical cord "wasn't something I could guess at."

It seems that it is about the Bornis showdown that Shemru talks about with one hand and a soot face.

"Oh, my God." Not enough to be afraid of Holmeer or anything else. "Follow me, all of you," he exalted. And when he jumped on the back of Dinosaurian on his knees, struck by its authority, Soma cut ahead and plunged into thousands of enemies. Oh, 'you under the umbilical', which is exactly what I deserve to give my life and soul, and I trembled with emotion. "

Where is that, Mr. Soma?

That's what the Ethereal Horse wanted to do. What Shemr talks about doesn't seem to be about him at all. Whatever it is, this is too exaggerated. The Ethereal Horse seemed too embarrassed, fire coming out of his face.

In the corner of the banquet seat, Zug's words whispering to Doverlyn next door, "That's a lot different than what I was hearing," are disgraceful.

But I can't just be so shy. I will listen carefully to what Olga has to say in order to explore the purpose of getting in the mood for herself so far.

Then, somewhat, Olga realized that she cared if the abolition of slavery in the city of Bornis was true. Among other things, they seem to care how the enslaved are dealt with if they enter the city.

"Mr. Olga. Something bothering you about the treatment of slaves in our city?

The Ethereal Horse, whose shame was also taking its limits on the bravery tradition of the perfect Superman Soma that Shemr spoke of, also pointed out to Olga to block it. Then Olga becomes visibly suspicious of behavior. Without even noticing that the liquor was spilling from the glass in my hand, I let my gaze wander over here and there, so much so that I thought the Ethereal Horse had asked me something bad.

"Um, Mr. Olga. Please calm down."

"I am not in a hurry. I am always calm and settled."

Unexpectedly, "Where?," Olga coughs up one thing after saying that she's going to want to put a penetration in.

"Excuse me. To see through my heart, that's the Son of Destruction. It will be good. Let's crack a belly and talk. - Now we, Merman, are having a headache with a problem."

"Say it's a problem?

"There have been successive disappearances of young children lately."

The disappearance of children is a story that does not calm down.

"There are also many birds in the sea around here. Some of the missing persons will have been attacked by such molluscs. But there are still too many missing children."

"How the hell could you?

To the question of the Ethereal Horse, Olga said once he had firmly drawn his lips and tied them together, placing them between a beat.

"I wonder if they found me a slave on land."

"Is it to the merchant of Jebor...?

Olga vaguely described it as the land guys, but the Ethereal Horse dares to make a statement stepping into the core. From what I had had with the ten Commissioners at the meeting the other day, it shouldn't be that extrapolating.

And Olga still nodded small.

"That's what I think. Of course, we don't think all Jeboa merchants are involved, but at least someone should be."

But that's something that will never be forgiven, Olga says.

In the past, Jebor and Marman, who had a quarrel, were now in a relationship of coexistence and co-prosperity. The protection fees that Jebor is paying instead of protecting trading ships from shipwrecks, pirate raids, etc., are an important source of income for the unindustrial Marmans. Conversely, the fact that for Jeboa we have made a pact with Marman, also known as the King of the Sea, and that he enjoys its protection, is a guarantee of the safety of the sea that, as a maritime trading nation, is hard to replace anything.

If we were to abduct the other child in such a friendship by unfair means and sell him off as a slave, this is a major problem that cannot be looked at.

Asked if there was any certainty, Olga shook her neck to the side.

"But in an area called the Empire to the east, rumors are true that we Merman slaves are traded at high prices. There is no doubt that someone has figured out the young children and sold them off as slaves to the centre of the continent. I want to help you proclaim the liberation of slaves in order to save your children!

The Ethereal Horse could deduce an approximate situation.

Olga thinks that once the children found in Jeboa were transported by land to distant ports, they were taken by boat to the Empire.

It is certainly too risky to put the children in the bare hands on a ship sailing the sea in Marman's sphere of power. In the unlikely event that we find out that the children we have figured out are on board, the Mermans will sink the ship relentlessly. If that happens, the relationship with Marman will not only deteriorate, but all the expensive traded goods loaded will become sea algae chips (scraps), and the damage will be immeasurable.

Instead of taking such a risk, it must be safer to carry Merman by road to a place where he has no influence before taking him on board a ship bound for the centre of the continent.

And if you try to carry things somewhere by road from Jeboa, it's the city of Bornis that needs to pass.

"I hear that in your city, where slavery is abolished, visiting merchants are scrutinizing for slavery. Haven't you found Marman's slave before?

It was a begging Olga question, but unfortunately I don't remember hearing any reports that the Ethereal Horse had Merman's slave. Ask Shemr with her eyes, but she also shook her neck to the side. If it is not also in the memory of Shemr, who has always refrained from being close to the Ethereal Horse, then I guess no such cases have been reported.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think you've ever found Marman's slave"

To the answer of the Ethereal Horse, Olga drops her shoulder. In the way he sank to see it, the Ethereal Horse just felt a greater sorrow than the outrage that the young children of the clan had been shown.

"Maybe to your family or acquaintance?

"Yes. Actually, my sister's been missing for about a week now."

I guess it would be a painful thought if you had a victim in you.

To Olga, who has clouded her face, Aoima wanted to do something about it.

"Okay. Intensify the inspection of luggage from Jeboa in the city of Bornis. And then I'll talk to someone I know in this city. If there's anything I can't tell you about Marman, I might be able to ask you."

Given the delicate relationship we have with Jebor today, strengthening the examination of Jebor merchants cannot be said to be a good idea. Also, the parents and children of Menahem and Joash, who rely on them, will never look good if they keep looking into things that would be to the detriment of Jeboa.

But such a loss account could never overlook the fact that young children were being sold off as slaves.

The appearance of Shemr, who happily narrows his eyes next door to those Ethereal Horse decisions, affirms that his thoughts were not a mistake.

"Thank you. Instead, let me help you with anything I can do."

Olga also knew the subtle standing of the current Ethereal Horse. Still, the attitude of the Ethereal Horse to assist in the search for the children of the exposed Marman is something we cannot appreciate. I was willing to cooperate in anything I could, without falsely telling the words.

And that is a delightful suggestion for Ethereal Horse as well.

"Then I have a favor to ask of you."

The Ethereal Horse did not cover up and explained the difficult situation in which they were placed, and talked about wanting to enter into friendship with Marman if possible. That's not a bad story for Olga either. In the future, if we deepen our friendship with the Ethereal Horse, it will also serve as collateral for us to cooperate in the search for the children who have been exposed.

"It would be good. Let's play from me to Her Majesty the Queen."

Olga promised so well.

◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆

After the Ethereal Horse returned, Olga quickly returned to the island and went up to the palace.

When you hear of the palaces of the Marmans, you may think of them as like a submarine palace. But Merman's palace in this world was not beneath the sea, but inside the island. The foundation of the palace was a natural cave where the solid rocks shaping the island were eroded over the years. The Mermans put their hands on this and made it a palace.

"Warrior Chief Olga. My compliments to Her Majesty Queen Tateus."

With Olga lying down to throw herself out into the sea water that tucked away on the floor is a domed space large enough for a two-story Japanese house to fit perfectly.

That's where it's called between the queens. Not only does Marman's queen look at her subordinates, but it is also the queen's private chamber and the rear palace where royalty lives together. It was also a treasure trove, and as proof of it, the mountains and piles of gold and silver treasures sparkled between the walls, illuminated by the light shooting through the light-hearting holes provided near the ceiling.

Among such treasures will be the throne. The throne, big enough for a human adult boy to stand up and spread his arms all over it, is a beautiful, polished, red gemstone coral. Its red coral, adorned with gold and silver ornaments and jewels everywhere, is like a legendary treasure tree that yet delivers treasure.

And on the shell of a shell like the Great Shakoguy placed in its center, a single Marman woman lay asleep somewhat.

"It's Warrior Chief Olga. On land, was there something wrong?

Marman's Queen Tateus wakes her body up with a jarring noise of ornaments on her upper body wondering if this is still the case.

"Yes, Your Majesty. If you give this Olga a chance to perform, we will not be more pleased than this."

"I forgive you. Talk to me."

"Sincerely, Your Majesty. This Olga, once more rumored on land, had the opportunity to deal with those who would be the 'Son of Destruction' -"

Olga, with the permission of Tateus, forcefully theorizes that if he desperately deepens his friendship with the Ethereal Horses, he will be a great force in finding his missing daughters.

"Her Majesty Queen Tateus. Though the Son of Destruction is a human being, Zoan, another race, is just called a friend, and the Zoans have also given their trust, and it seems that we deserve to be trusted. Please consider his friendship in order to save many of his daughters."

Having finished speaking the whole story, Olga waited for Queen Tateus's words with her eyes shining in anticipation.

But Queen Tateus whimsically leaks a small sigh.

"... tell the Son of Destruction. If you're coming to the island, you're always welcome."

That wasn't the word Olga was expecting.

Tateus raises his hand gently to control Olga, who hastily opens his mouth to greet him.

"Olga. You must be aware of that, too. The concubines said that Marman was forbidden to intervene in land troubles."

"But, Your Majesty! To get my daughters back..."

"I thought I told you. I want you to give up on her."

Still can't give up. Sooner than Olga tries to say something, Teteus says pizza.

"Olga from Silver Scale. When did you become queen of this country? When you are a warrior, take the helm of your country and give your share!

To Tateus's reprimand, Olga panicked and flattened as he blued his face, expressing her sincere condolences.

Besides, Tateus soothes his expression a lot.

"When I think of my daughters, my concubine is also hard. But the concubines, Marman, must never intervene in land trouble again. - Do you understand, Olga?

Olga just had to nod.