For reference, the kidnapped Chai Sol was not particularly concerned.
"The galaxy eyes are so cool."
He had no thoughts.
It wasn’t just a coincidence that he and Gio got along well.
"They keep flashing."
"Hah..."
"It’s like a dragon!"
"Well, technically, it’s a reptile."
"No, it’s much cooler!"
"Dragons are still a kind of reptile."
"Wait, really...??"
Chai Sol asked with a serious face.
"Then, does Eunha also hibernate when it gets cold...?"
"I don't hibernate. Technically, I'm a fish."
"But there’s no fish."
"What do you an by that...?"
"It’s not a fish, right?"
"Ah..."
It seed like Chai Sol was struggling # Nоvеlight # to find the traits of a rmaid in Iser’s appearance.
"...Then, did my eyes look like human eyes?"
"Isn’t a rmaid supposed to have those legs... you know, fish legs...?"
"......"
"You don’t have legs."
"...But I do have them..."
Children really are curious about everything.
"I can explain that part."
"Oh, sister."
"Taking care of children isn’t easy, huh?"
"I can't say it’s not."
The current Iser was no longer the "Eunha" Chai Sol rembered. Despite her now obvious adult form, Iser’s overly familiar behavior was quite disorienting.
She was treating him gently, yet the situation was still one of kidnapping. But Chai Sol wasn’t frightened; he had a strong belief that his brother and sister would co to find him.
Even though he knew this was a kidnapping, he felt like he was at an amusent park, excited instead of scared.
"By the way..."
Iser’s words seed to catch Aria’s attention too.
"It seems you’re not afraid of rmaids, are you?"
"...? Should I be?"
"Humans from Earth tremble in fear when they et a rmaid in person."
After the 'Great Disaster' event on Earth, rmaids had been spotted dozens, if not hundreds of tis. Naturally, since they were also monsters that attacked humans, most Earthlings feared them.
"And yet, you've been kidnapped by us."
"Ah... I know."
"Then, could you tell why you're still smiling like this?"
"Well, you didn't hit , did you...?"
"Oh."
Aria tilted her head.
"You could hit , though?"
"...Are you going to hit ? Then I'll run away."
"Oh, how unfortunate. It’s a bit late to run away now, though."
"You’re not going to hit , right?"
"There’s nothing more foolish than abusing a precious hostage. But even if we don't harm you, how could you believe us?"
"Isn’t it up to you to decide whether you will or not...?"
"......"
For a mont, Aria was lost for words, then turned to her younger brother.
"A tough opponent."
"A tough one, indeed."
"Seems like soone Gio would like."
"I think he just feels protective because it’s a child."
"Could be, since he’s soone who cared for sothing small and weak."
Aria raised her head.
"Here they co."
The sound of the sea stirring could be heard.
"......"
"To have such a good reaction, even though Gio cares for children, this is pretty quick."
"...It probably ans they were getting ready as well."
"At least we weren’t the only ones preparing. Whatever the result, it won’t be unfair."
"Since we were not the only ones paying attention."
Suddenly, Iser thought it had been a long ti since the word "heart" had co from her sister’s mouth. With a smile on her lips, Iser looked at her sister, then extended her hand to Chai Sol.
She was no rmaid afraid of extending her hand to a human. With Giovanni as her teacher, she could easily be an ideal priestess.
"Shall we go, Priest Chai Sol?"
"We're not priests yet..."
"I am."
Just disgusted by it.
"Is your hand cold?"
"It’s really cold... can I put a hot pack on it?"
"...No. It’ll dry my skin."
"Then, won't you get frostbite?"
"rmaids, whose body temperature is lower than humans', don’t get that."
After a brief mont, they were ready to et Gio.
And they didn’t intend to fight.
"......"
"Another nightmare?"
"I’m not having any."
That would be preferable.
"Nice to et you!"
Gio had died, but even in death, he was Gio.
"Are there any rmaid friends blessed by the ocean here?"
"My goodness, who do we have here."
As Aria gracefully walked down the temple entrance stairs, a gorgeous rmaid dress waved like the sea.
"The uninvited new Sun God, Mr. Black Cloak, I presu?"
"Black Cloak? Now it’s Sergio. Be careful not to make that mistake later."
"Alright, Gio."
"Actually, it’s Giovanni."
"...Could be."
Aria responded with a smile, then looked around at the humans with bewildered expressions.
"Looks like a bunch of humans rushed in to save the child."
"...Are you Eunha’s family, Miss rmaid?"
"That’s right. I’m Iser’s older sister, Aria, the true owner of this dungeon."
"Oh..."
Yoo Seong-Woon looked at Gio.
"Seems like we should suggest raising the dungeon’s level once we return."
"Why? I think it’s already quite high..."
"There are two dungeon owners now. This doesn’t happen often."
While still maintaining a smile, Yoo Seong-Woon sighed deeply and looked back at Aria.
"Since the true dungeon owner ca out so calmly, does that an you have no intention of fighting us? Is it safe to assu that?"
"I’m glad we can communicate well."
Aria smiled slightly. She was a monster who knew how to play the polite ga.
"I apologize for bringing my younger brother without permission, Hunter Chara."
"Ah..."
"I only used you as a tool to call them, so don’t worry about any injuries. Go check on my brother."
"Uh, uh... um..."
"You seem scared to go alone, weak Hunter. How about the other two accompany you? That’s the polite thing to do for a lady."
Yoo Seong-Woon shrugged.
"I’m not a gentleman, though."
What he had to do was take care of the origin and supervise the gallery’s artworks. Yoo Seong-Woon glanced at Kang Seo-Dam and Chara.
"I’ll stay with Gio, so Priest and Hunter Chara, you should secure Chai Sol first. Since Iser isn’t visible, she’s likely with him."
"The chance of combat is low."
"Chai Sol was probably bait to draw Gio in. The situation isn’t emotionally tense, so I believe Chai Sol is truly unhard. How about we move before we provoke the rmaids?"
"That makes sense."
Kang Seo-Dam led the extrely nervous Chara into the temple. Once they were out of sight, Aria looked at Gio.
"......"
Her blood-red lips opened heavily.
"She looks so much like him."
"Don’t you think it’s him?"
"Mr. Sergio, what do you think?"
"Actually, it might not be."
"That’s why I feel like the Gio I know is the one."
Aria narrowed her eyes.
"That person always kept the possibility open."
"Was he?"
"He even kept it open for his death."
"I feel ashad."
"......"
Aria, who had been looking down at Gio and Yoo Seong-Woon from the stairs, turned her body.
"Co on in, gentlen."
"......"
"Enjoy the rmaid’s invitation."
Yoo Seong-Woon muttered softly.
"...If it weren’t for being with you, Gio, I’d think this was the beginning of a battle."
Aria’s voice was strange and chilling, even though she was smiling softly.
It was because her hatred and contempt for humans were so clearly present.
Aria led Gio and Yoo Seong-Woon to the banquet hall.
"Wow, a seafood party."
Yoo Seong-Woon was speechless.
"Is this okay for a rmaid?"
"Humans are so narrow-minded. Just because they're from land, doesn’t an they don’t eat fish."
"I get it, but imagine the mood of humans being served a seafood banquet by a rmaid from the deep sea... It’s terrifying. There's no at on this table, and now I can’t help but think about what kind of ssage that sends."
"Well, we’re not serving humans on the table, so what’s the problem?"
"It’s still scary..."
Aria's tone had changed to sothing much more comfortable.
‘Maybe it’s because it feels like ho here... or maybe...’
Yoo Seong-Woon glanced at Gio.
‘...Is it just that he feels comfortable having a al with this guy?’
It could be both.
Gio, however, wasn’t paying attention to their conversation and found his seat. It seed like he was quite used to it. Yoo Seong-Woon, on the other hand, felt like the banquet hall was too luxurious for a temple.
"This place sure has a lot of stuff for a temple."
"This Sun Cult doesn’t value simplicity."
"Uh... huh?"
Yoo Seong-Woon looked at Gio again.
"Do you also know where this place is?"
"It’s the place where I was trained, so I have to know."
"Trained...?"
"As a priest, I learned many things. It was like a training school for young priests."
"I see."
It seed that no matter the world, the way priests were raised was similar.
Noticing Aria watching him silently as he processed the explanation, Yoo Seong-Woon swallowed a sigh and sat next to Gio. Aria naturally sat opposite him, not at the seat of honor.
"...? Aren’t you the master here? Why aren’t you sitting in the seat of honor?"
"The master of that seat wasn’t , but the Pope."
Aria’s eyes widened.
"I ate him."
Gio blinked in surprise and looked at Aria.
"Didn’t get a stomach ache, did you?"
"No... Wait, is that really important right now?"
"That man was packed with saturated fat..."
"Is that really important?"
It seed like saying "A monster ate a person" left nothing else to say. Aria seed to think the sa.
"You don’t seem very remorseful."
"I went through a lot because of that guy, so why would I speak kindly?"
"With that noble face, you were pretty sharp-tongued."
Her lips, smiling mischievously, made her blue hair sway.
"I guess you are my teacher after all."
"It could be, or maybe not."
"Would you like to tell you, then?"
Aria smiled.
"Teacher."
"......"
"rmaid’s human teacher. The embodint of a saint, Giovanni the Priest. Savior and betrayer of humanity."
"You've made it sound pretty grand without even knowing."
Gio smiled back at her.
Yoo Seong-Woon suddenly realized how similar the smiles of Giovanni, Aria, and Iser were. They were all smiling, but there was a heaviness rather than joy...
As they spoke, Gio continued.
"So, what will you call , Aria?"
"Anything’s fine."
Snap
When Aria snapped her fingers, the temple was filled with seawater.
"......"
He could still breathe fine.
"Welco back to your sea."
Her hair, resembling the deep sea, scattered like coral.
Aria’s dress, like a slow wave, moved like fins. Her pearlescent eyes glead, and the tiara atop her head shone mysteriously.
The seafood on the banquet table, now subrged in seawater, raised their dead heads and opened their mouths, welcoming both guests and invaders alike.
"...Yeah, that’s right..."
The sea god was present in that room.
"......"
"Gio."
Eyes that could never be human held the saint, the most human-like of them all.
"Let’s talk."
"Sounds good."
"If I don’t like it, I’ll eat all the humans."
For thousands of years, the rmaid princess had been enraged.
"Even you."
Only toward ‘humans’.
The painter who paints dungeons.
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