Hakai no Miko

It was not until the day after that that that Olga visited Menahem's mansion, where the Ethereal Horse was in trouble.

The Ethereal Horse, who I thought had just received a reply from the Queen of Marman, greeted Olga with joyful faces. But when you see such a pale horse's face, all of a sudden Olga becomes suspicious of behavior.

"What have you done?

"No. I'm not in a hurry. I am calm and settled."

It doesn't look like it at best, but before the Ethereal Horse points it out, Olga makes one cough and then tells him.

"I tell you what Her Majesty the Queen has to say." If you can come to the island, you're always welcome, "he said."

And the pale horse felt faintly uncomfortable. If that's all you have to say, you don't have to bother coming Olga herself. It's a story where even one of the dwarves can come by.

Besides, I'm also concerned that Olga has some bad looks on her face.

But in any case, the Queen of Marman told me to welcome you. I'm pretty sure I took a step forward first to bond friendship with Marman. The Ethereal Horse felt a small sense of accomplishment.

"You were there because of me, how about some tea?

There was also a sense of gratitude for taking the trouble to get to himself, and Aoima invited Olga to tea. But Olga insisted that it was sorry, and went straight home.

"Hey, Soma. Wasn't that woman crazy?

Even Shemr realizes it, so it wouldn't be his fault Olga was behaving suspiciously.

But I don't see why she would be like that.

I got word from the Queen of Marman that I would welcome him anyway, even though I felt something unintelligible about Olga's attitude. Earlier, the Ethereal Horse began to prepare to cross to the island of Marman.

He was a pale horse who was in a hurry to prepare candidates and souvenirs for those who would accompany him to the island, but it was Joash who slipped his face there. Hearing stories from Ethereal Horse that he was invited to Merman's Island, Joash says the words of celebration and then goes on to say:

"So when are you going to the island?

"I'd like to go tomorrow or the day after, if possible."

Unexpected days have been squandered by bandit exorcisms that were not planned. In the present situation, where we do not know when the Holmeer country will attack us, we wanted to meet with the Queen of Marman as soon as possible in order to form a friendship as soon as possible.

But in response to the Ethereal Horse, Joash wrinkles between his eyebrows.

"Excuse me, Master Soma. From the other side, when did you specify to come?

"No. I was told whenever, especially when..."

To the answer of the Ethereal Horse, Joash, who deepened the crease between his eyebrows, asks further.

"So, what about the conductor?

"Especially..."

The Ethereal Horse, which was a little floating in Olga's words of welcome, also felt and mouthed Joash's tone. In front of such a pale horse, Joash sighed one.

"This has become a pain in the ass."

He asked what that meant, but Joash did not answer on the spot and guided the Ethereal Horses to the seaside when they were taken out of the mansion.

"That's the island where the Marmans live."

An island shadow was seen in the sea ahead of Joash pointing his finger.

"Make the cave on that island a royal palace, and the Queen of Marman will be there"

I thought I was at the bottom of the ocean.

The Ethereal Horse also agreed with Garam, who looked small and said in an impressive way. Aoima also imagined sights like Dragon Palace Castle and the undersea city.

"That's what you all say," Joash said before continuing his words.

"In Jeboa, we forbid you to approach the perimeter of that island. Because that island is surrounded by many reefs, thereby complicating the tidal flow of the sea. And more than that, because ships that get close without saying no are sunk by the Marmans."

The Ethereal Horse was surprised by the content of the sword-soaked story of being sunk.

"So, but I was invited, wasn't I?

Joash shows the Ethereal Horse shaking his neck wide and sideways.

"No. No. If you were really invited, you'd be sending a guide to tell you when to come."

"I mean..."

Joash nodded loudly and then said:

"That's right. The word welcome if you can come to the island means come and see if you can. I mean, it's a good rejection."

◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆

Because of this, I figured it was a pleasure to have friendship with Marman, and the Ethereal Horse just disappointed me.

"I thought I could take a step forward because of you..."

Still unable to give up, the Ethereal Horse asked Joash with the feeling that even if it was no good.

"Is there any way to manage to bring the Merman people to the negotiating table?

After all, I didn't think they'd say there was any such way. But Joash returns unexpected words.

"Well, when it comes to having..."

Joash continues his words with a bitter laugh as he gathers the expected gaze of the Ethereal Horses.

"You just have to cross that island on your own."

The Ethereal Horses were surprised by Joash's unexpected suggestion.

"But did they refuse to let Soma go to the island?

I guess I don't care about Merman's attitude when he shook off the pale horse's hand for friendship without a shake. Shemr said in a tone that just kept saying "kakera".

"You're right, but at the same time, the Queen herself said, 'If you come to the island, you're welcome'. If we can truly cross over to the island, the Queen can't go down without us."

"I see. I mean, as long as we cross over to the island, it's this one."

When Joash nods to Shemru's words, everyone becomes an ideological face uniformly.

"How about multiplying the darkness of the night and secretly crossing to the island?

It was Gallum who suggested so. Even in the darkness of the night, it is a zoan-like suggestion to use its acute five senses to hunt. At the same time, however, it was also Zoan's suggestion that he did not know the sea.

Joash says, shaking his body slightly as he waves his fears.

"It's outrageous! Around that island, even though there are many reefs, it's like going to hit a reef in the darkness of the night. If so, will there be a big hole in the bottom of the ship or will it be thrown off the ship by impact? Either way, you'll sink into the ocean at night."

"Do you want to swim across?

To Zug's suggestion, Doverine, who was next door, bluntly glanced at him. It is synonymous with dying to swim and cross the ocean if you look from a dwarf whose body is hard to float in the water.

And Joash was also negative about Zug's proposal.

"I was wondering if I should stop doing that. Marman is always on guard around the island. If Merman on patrol finds him, he won't be able to escape at all. Besides, there are a lot of scissors around here. Even Marman says many people are attacked and lose their lives, but in humans and Zoan, it's like going to feed themselves."

But the Zoans' reaction to it was dull. Even Gallum and Zug, who are the brave men who represent the plains and are in a two- and three-turning battlefield to be aggressive and decisive, seem puzzled.

Asked by the Ethereal Horse what was wrong, Shemr said on behalf of everyone.

"Hey, Soma. Well, what's a" sawdust "?

I am also convinced that they were bewildered. They lived on the plains, but they didn't get through.

"Erm. You're a very big carnivorous fish. Sometimes in the world I was in, there were stories of people swimming in the ocean eating their arms and feet off."

"Do you eat too many people's arms and feet?! Do you have such amazing fish!

Such fierce creatures are about wolves or bobcats in the knowledge of the Shemurs. In the back of everyone's brain came up an imaginary picture of a strange creature like a werewolf face fish without a mermaid.

"Yeah. But do some of us look like Joes over here?

This is a different world. Some of them may be monstrous like Joes, a movie that depicts giant squirrels and human death fights I saw on an old masterpiece movie feature I used to do on TV.

"What, what's that 'no'?

"It's Jaws. A giant man-eater with about a boat. I drink human beings all the time."

Imagining the sight of gawking and barking giant wolf-sided fish eating people burly out of their heads, the Shemurs turned their hair upside down. And as I said, everyone steps back from the ocean.

"... you should stop swimming"

"Hmm. I have no objection either"

Garam and Zug in a bitter tone, and I said so.

But then we don't have the means to cross over to the island. No boat, no swimming, later about to go from the sky.

So the Ethereal Horse thought of Harpuran. But I'll shake it right off my head.

Actually, I used to wonder if the sky could fly if I had a lot of harpurans hanging me, like some monster hero crow helicopter.

But when I suggested it, Pipi, the captain of Harpuran, told me, "That's an interesting joke." As a pale horse who secretly yearned to fly, it is a slightly unfortunate and embarrassing memory.

Besides, even if that were possible, it would be one thing to cross over to the island. That doesn't make any sense.

The Ethereal Horses had been walking along the coast for a while wondering if they would come up with any good ideas. Then one carriage stops in front of such a pale horse.

"Is that it? Dear Soma, what have you done here?

It was Marco, the cook of the Ethereal Horse, who came out of the carriage.

Marco liked it when he came to Jeboa, and he let him walk around the neighborhood eating a variety of dishes. Aoima had also allowed it to help develop new dishes, but I had no idea we'd meet here.

"Today, isn't it? They feed the fishermen fish and shellfish in the village ahead."

They've extended their legs so far today that occasionally local dishes with rustic flavours would be good, not just hand-in-hand dishes that can be eaten all over the city.

But that's all I bother to do, even prepare a carriage and even bring it for the food, so Menahem is generous. However, that seems to include the aim of gently pulling through Marco.

The most pivotal Marco seems to think only about "good people who feed me good food". Marco, who has grown up in the last five years as well as the Ethereal Horse, but when it comes to anything other than cooking and eating, it remains dull as ever.

Even now, he talks with a nagging eye about the fisherman dish he just ate.

To Marco like that, Shemru was annoyed. This one is desperately worried about how to cross over to Marman's island, but it's blocked by the fact that he was losing his depression on food.

"Hey, Marco. Soma is visiting here on important business. Think and act for a moment."

To Shemr's reprimand, Marco gets sober.

To the nagging Marco, Shemr tried to speak out, "If only I knew". But earlier than that, Marco says.

"Now I'm going to take your share home with me."

Apparently he thought he was pissed off that he ate alone.

Shemr just shrugged back at this and couldn't say anything.

"Ah! Look, Master Soma! It's a fish, fish!

Plus, he says he's just pissed off, but he also forgets and cheers Kellogg.

Marco, who tided his cheeks with excitement, pointed to the trawl net fishing that was just taking place on the beach. Dozens of pullers sing songs, pulling the nets together. On the surface surrounded by nets, a lot of fish were bouncing around to raise fierce blisters.

As the Ethereal Horses watched, the net, finally pulled to the sandy beach, swells to the bread with plenty of fish, as you can see in the distance.

"Wow! That's a great big fish"

Joash stands next to a pale horse raising his admiration.

"It's Merine Blessings season."

"Merine Blessings?

Joash explained to the Ethereal Horse, who asks him back.

"Yeah. Long ago, when fishermen around here were suffering from unfishing, they said a clean and beautiful maiden, Merine, had sacrificed herself and jumped into the sea. Since then, the legend has it that in this season, many fish have gathered near the shores of Jeboa."

There's such a legend, the Ethereal Horse was impressed.

In fact, the phenomenon of this gathering of fish called "blessings of the merine" by the ancient Jeboeans is due to fluctuations in the current.

In this season, at the bottom of the sea off the coast of Jeboa, fluctuations in the currents occur. That pushes the deep water from the bottom of the deep ocean up close to the surface. Because this deep water is rich in minerals, plankton reproduces it as bait. Plus the plankton was being used as bait for the fish.

"Oh, it looks delicious. Should I bake it? Or should I boil it?

The Ethereal Horse also laughs bitterly at Marco, who said he had just eaten earlier and was giving thought to how he would eat the fish that had been pulled away.

But the Ethereal Horse also loves fish again. Fresh fish are hard to come by, especially in the city of Bornis, away from the sea, and they are hard to eat. Because of that, I couldn't wait to eat every day since I came to this city of Jeboa.

I'm going to ask Menahem to cook fish for dinner tonight, too, and I'm going to see the beach no matter what.

And, at that time, the Ethereal Horse felt a sense of readiness.

A net with lots of fish in it, all chopped up.

And I came out of an earlier conversation, that.

When I was in modern Japan, I remember seeing something related to the two. But that is not just a fishing sight. That one, yeah. It was some kind of documentary show. There, use that one...

Behind the brains of the Ethereal Horse, something got into a stiff fit.

"... yes! Wouldn't this work?

The foreign body the gear bit was removed, and the Ethereal Horse's brain began to move violently, as if the mechanism that had stopped until then had moved out at once.

And finally, a measure is shaped.

"Hey, Mr. Joash. Are you sure the Mermans would welcome us if we could cross the island on our own?

The Ethereal Horse confirmed to Joash, half-watched by the people cheering for abundant fishing on the beach.

"Naturally, you won't be pushed back any more than you said you'd be welcome."

To Joash, who replied so, the pale horse gives a pranky look and asks further.

"Mind if I use a little dangerous means?

"Unless it's a very cowardly means..."

If it is a cowardly means of spreading poison on the sea or using hostages to intimidate them, it will instead buy Marman's wrath. Then even if we could cross over to the island, we would not even be able to negotiate later.

Show Joash, who frowned that he might use his hands from the good, that the Ethereal Horse is fine.

"I would now like you to arrange a boat to cross to Merman's Island."

"Well, there are a lot of captains out there who are kind enough to make an introduction with the Shapiro Chamber of Commerce."

I guess the Ethereal Horse came up with something, but Joash pushes in case.

"But if you're a Jeboa sailor, no one else is stained with Marman's horrors. Even if Marman told you to go to the island, you'd turn back just because he slapped you on the bottom of the boat."

On the sea, even the shipowner must follow the instructions of the captain. It is the sailor's code that anyone who defies the captain's instructions is thrown down into the sea by the sailors. Yes, Joash warned, but the pale horse shows a confident grin on his face.

"It's okay. We're not gonna let the Mermans near the ship."

It is too big a language. Joash couldn't help but be distracted because he was a Jeboean person familiar with the sea and the fear of Marman.

To Joash like that, the Ethereal Horse goes on to say:

"And I want to buy all those net-by-net fish, so please negotiate."

Marco cheered in the back.