In the water prison, the rmaid and the young boy gazed at each other.
"Hehe, thank you for your complint~"
The rmaid, upon hearing the boy’s praise, smiled happily. Her tail shimred with multicolored light beneath the water, swaying gently as she blinked at him, her voice becoming even sweeter.
"Co closer, let take a good look at you~"
She called out charmingly, a shy blush on her face, looking like a bashful girl in love.
However, in the depths of her eyes, there was no sweetness to be found.
The deep blue eyes were cold and profound, like a seemingly calm sea hiding its tempestuous depths.
Foolish and greedy mortals.
Co closer.
I will make you understand what price you will pay for underestimating the sea...
As she watched the boy really move forward, the ridicule in her eyes grew stronger, though she continued to ask gently, "And then? What do you plan to do to ?"
But just as she was about to reveal her nacing intent, for so unknown reason, a part of her hesitated.
He might be innocent.
She wasn’t sure where this feeling of rcy ca from, but she didn’t want to kill him just like that.
That would be... such a pity.
As she was internally conflicted, she heard the boy’s response.
He said:
"And then what? Do nothing, my house doesn’t have such a big fish tank."
"Oh, you’re going to... huh?" The rmaid was completely stunned, "Fish tank?"
"Is there a problem? You can’t be without water, right?"
rmaid: "...Huh?"
Boy: "Huh?"
rmaid: "Uh..."
She imagined Herbert giving many kinds of replies, lewd, crazy, greedy... but she never anticipated such a rational one.
For crying out loud, a fish tank!
She never expected such an answer.
Which legendary sea siren would lack water!!?
Are you nuts... huh?
No.
Wait!
She suddenly realized sothing, looking at Herbert’s clear eyes with curiosity, "How co you’re not enchanted by my voice?"
"Your voice is lovely too." Herbert tilted his head, saying matter-of-factly, "It’s just a bit too affected, you could speak more naturally."
No joke.
With such a sweet voice, if you were to wear a virtual avatar and sing, you would definitely rake in gold coins from the fans.
Except Herbert didn’t like such affected tones, like "Little windmill, whoosh whoosh!" Other than making him feel physically uncomfortable, there would be no other physical reaction.
After listening, the only thing that got tense was his fists.
With the rmaid’s previous display, he could only give seven out of ten.
Just average. (Pulls up pants)
"No, you..."
The rmaid narrowed her eyes, carefully examining the boy’s gaze, she indeed saw no signs of enchantnt.
Really not under the spell?
But, this didn’t seem right either.
"Then those words you said earlier..."
"They were all sincere."
Herbert didn’t think there was anything wrong with what he said.
No matter how you look, this sea siren lady aligns with human aesthetic standards.
Though you could discern so non-human traits, slightly pointed fingertips and teeth, with a thin layer of liquid covering the skin when out of water...
No matter the angle, she very much resembles the mythical and fantastical being - the rmaid from human legends.
Beautiful, delightful to look at.
Of course, Herbert was well aware of this prisoner’s true identity.
She was not rely a pretty girl with a sweet voice.
[Apocalypse Singer], [Death’s Howl], [Sorrowful Ice River]—Fremay Kya.
Three hundred years ago, she drove hundreds of sailors and fishern to commit suicide, turning several fishing ports into ghost towns—a terrifying sea siren.
From Fremay’s current expression, he guessed that she probably hadn’t harbored any good intentions earlier, likely planning to lure him in and finish him off.
You were all so cruel.
I’m just a freshly minted little paladin, is it really necessary?
"So, what were you originally planning to do to ?"
At this mont, Herbert gazed sowhat resentfully at Fremay.
After a mont of silence, the rmaid lady quietly looked away and awkwardly said, "Ahem... nothing, nothing at all!"
"The kind of thing like drowning you... not at all!"
.
.
Deep in the Mist Monastery, at the Sealing Sanctuary.
"Your Grace, Archbishop, why have you co? It’s not ti for the rotation yet, is it?"
The red-robed ascetic covered in hundreds of rusty nails slowly opened his eyes, looking at the old man in a coarse burlap robe who appeared beside him, frowning slightly as two nails clanked together, emitting a strange tremor.
"Has there been anything unusual lately?"
The old man did not explain, his calm eyes revealing no emotions as they remained fixed on the statue in the center of the sealing array.
It appeared to be a girl kneeling, the statue only half human height, and its visage seed worn by the sands of ti, with only the vague motion of a devout prayer visible.
The Saint’s sealing item—the Desecrated Prayer Statue.
"... It awakened twice."
"When?"
"The first ti was in the morning a month ago, lasting for two minutes; the second ti was at noon the day before yesterday, for thirty seconds."
"Understood."
Their conversation was eerily calm, lacking any fluctuations, as if the awakening of the sealing item was of no concern.
"You go rest, watch for any affected cultivators, I’ll take over guard duty for now."
"... Yes."
Changing shifts before the scheduled ti was against protocol, but the Rusted Nail Bishop didn’t question it.
The Archbishop undoubtedly had his reasons for this.
He was a walking Saint in the mortal realm, a legendary existence to whom even deities would smile.
Moreover, even the Mist Monastery was personally established by the Archbishop back in the day, his words were the supre law.
After the Rusted Nail Bishop left, the Archbishop sat cross-legged, staring at the statue, and spoke slowly: "I know you haven’t slumbered."
"What have you noticed?"
"What do you intend to do?"
The Archbishop silently questioned for a long ti, and throughout, the sanctuary remained silent, his voice echoing alone.
The statue offered not a single response.
Ancient and silent.
Finally, the Archbishop seed sowhat resigned, closing his eyes and issuing a final declaration with calm.
"No matter what you intend, as long as I am here, your sches will never co to pass."
The Archbishop’s voice was calm and seed devoid of intimidation, yet at that mont, it appeared to induce so kind of subtle, unseen change in the entire space.
He said:
"I will not let you harm anyone."
.
.
At midnight.
In a dimly lit room with only one candle, the boy silently wrote in his open notebook.
"Pen Fairy Pen Fairy! You are my past life, I am your current life. If you wish to continue this destiny with , please draw a circle on the paper."
The next second, his left hand slowly moved, drawing a perfect arc on it...
Swish.
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