Chapter 36: The Legend of rmaids and Mariti Disasters
Aurora frowned, realizing only now how daunting the problem was, her face filled with concern.
Was the first major challenge of their journey already this troubleso?
Unlike the worried princess, the young mage appeared perfectly composed, as though everything Aurora ntioned posed no problem at all.
Rhine understood well that the claim "rmaids are terrifying and cause disasters to attack ships passing through this sea" stemd from records in Rose Kingdom's literature. However, the Rose Kingdom was a landlocked country. These accounts of the rmaid kingdom were, in truth, third- or fourth-hand retellings—embellished tales from sailors of foreign lands and a blend of vivid imaginations.
From his careful study of these texts, Rhine discovered that the supposed evidence of "rmaids causing disasters and attacking ships" boiled down to this:
When certain ships passed through the area, sailors occasionally reported seeing groups of rmaids floating on the surface at dusk, holding hands and singing hauntingly beautiful songs.
The songs, more enchanting than any human singer could produce, praised the depth and beauty of the ocean. Yet their lyrics were chilling, as though urging the sailors not to fear sinking into the sea and to embrace the ocean’s splendor.
To the sailors, however, nothing was more terrifying than the ocean depths.
If it were just eerie songs, it might have been dismissed. But what truly frightened them was that nearly every ship that heard the rmaids' singing t disaster shortly afterward.
Even when the sea was calm like a lake, monts later it would rage. The sky would darken, black clouds would gather, and a furious storm would roar, raising waves towering over ten ters high that swallowed ships whole. Most sailors sank into the ocean—just as the rmaids’ songs described.
The few survivors who escaped these mariti disasters told horrifying tales, calling it “the curse of the rmaids.”
From then on, every ship entering this sea dreaded the sight of rmaids and their singing.
If anyone spotted a group of rmaids surfacing and singing their ethereal lodies, the crew knew their ship was cursed.
So sailors covered their ears or plugged them with wax, desperate not to hear the srizing but ominous tune. Others wept openly, resigned to the storm swallowing their ship and lives. The sailors' cries mixed with the rmaids' haunting songs, carried on the sea breeze, creating a nightmarish scene.
But to Rhine, the so-called "rmaid's curse" was likely just a misunderstanding!
According to The Little rmaid, the sea king's daughters enjoyed rising to the surface, holding hands, and singing in praise of the sea's beauty whenever a storm approached.
Clearly, the rmaids didn’t understand how terrifying the ocean was for humans.
Because they lived in the sea, rmaids were incredibly attuned to its temperant. They could predict storms with precision and chose to sing their praises before the ships just before the storms hit.
But to humans, especially in this magical world, it seed as though the rmaids’ singing summoned the storms!
Singing about the ocean's beauty to sailors who feared sinking—and then having a storm actually hit? It’s no wonder humans viewed them as harbingers of disaster and monsters, Rhine thought wryly.
Having realized this misunderstanding, Rhine knew Aurora’s worries were unnecessary.
The princess’s voice pulled him from his thoughts.
“So, should we find a guide familiar with the underwater world? The world is vast; there might be a mage who knows or has even been to the rmaid kingdom.”
“There is such a guide who understands the rmaid kingdom,” Rhine replied.
“Who?” Aurora perked up with curiosity.
“The Sage Beyond the World, the Prophet Who Foresees the Future, the Wizard of Miracles and Wishes. Forr Court Mage of the Kingdom and the future queen’s ntor,” Rhine answered with a smile.
You’re talking about yourself? Aurora rolled her eyes, already accustod to her teacher’s peculiar sense of humor.
“Well then, honorable guide. First question: how do we get into the sea?” Aurora asked.
Rhine flipped his hand over.
The tinderbox Aurora carried appeared miraculously in his palm.
Strike. Strike. Strike.
He struck the tinderbox three tis.
With a whoosh, the dog with eyes the size of tower dos—the largest of the three magical dogs—appeared on the beach.
Rhine gently stroked the dog’s fur and murmured an incantation. The dog’s form began to shift rapidly, transforming into a strange, enormous fish resembling an anglerfish from Rhine’s previous life.
The giant fish opened its mouth, and Rhine, taking Aurora with him, stepped inside its belly. The fish then leaped forward, diving into the depths of the ocean with them.
The fish’s belly was transparent, allowing them to see the underwater world. On its head was a chandelier-like structure that glowed, illuminating the dark seafloor.
Aurora raised the second challenge:
“But, my guide, this sea is vast and endless. How are we supposed to find the rmaid kingdom?”
Rhine smiled again and commanded the fish, “Go, swim to the rmaid kingdom.”
Rhine didn’t know the exact location of the rmaid kingdom in the ocean, but that didn’t matter.
The fish, in essence, was a transformation of the tinderbox’s magical dog, imbued with its inherent wonders.
Rhine had conducted dozens of experints with the three dogs after acquiring the tinderbox, testing their ability to find various targets.
No matter how unusual the object of the search, as long as it was within a certain range, the dogs could always locate it. From buried antiques to a specific individual, their noses unerringly detected the target’s position.
No wonder they could find wealth for soldiers—though it was unclear which wealthy family’s treasury they plundered—or discover that "the kingdom’s princess" was not in the palace! Rhine mused.
In fairy tales, epics, and folklore, many supernatural powers are absolute. Rhine surmised that the tinderbox’s summoned dogs had an inherent ability to find any target within a certain range.
The fish, now transford from the dog, seed to sense the command and began swimming purposefully in a specific direction.
Before long, the fish descended to the seafloor, which was covered in white sand.
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