[Later]
Marco and Alice reached Port Natalia at the same day they left from San Ilia since they knew the path better, the travel was easier than before. Before coming here, Marco finally made a pizza for both of them, and the when she ate it… She had the same reaction with the Kebab.
Maybe the stain in the forest is dried or maybe it's still there, it isn't Marco's problem now.
Alice: This pizza *Nom* Is delicious! *Nom*
Alice was eating her last slice, while Marco was searching for the house where Meia, the mermaid that requested for someone to come here for something, was.
Marco: Where in the name of Buddha is the house…
Alice: Buddha?
Marco: Don't ask, if you try to find out what does everything I said mean, we would stay here until I die…
Alice sighed and followed him, in the way they encountered some things, like…
Mermaid Kid: Hey mister, do you want to hear my song?
Marco: Why not?
Marco and Alice watched as the mermaid kid coughed a bit and started singing.
Mermaid Girl: My Mermaid song…! Can you hear it…?
Thanks to Marco's immunity, the accidental mind attack that the Mermaid used while singing didn't worked, but it was not the same about the man passing nearby…
Man: M...M...M...Master? M...M...M...Master!
The man threw himself at the girl, who screamed.
Mermaid Girl: Kyaaaaa!
Before the man could reach the mermaid kid, Marco used 'Start' and knocked him down with a fist in the chin. The mermaid panicked a bit at the scene and said to Marco before running away.
Mermaid girl: Wawawa… I wasn't supposed to sing that song… I'm sorry, mister…
Marco: Don't worry, say sorry to him, not me.
the mermaid nodded with a guilty look and Marco and Alice left, to search Meia's house, but before that, they stopped in a pub to drink something since they are thirsty, the pub was called Mermaid Pub, and they were welcomed from a mermaid.
Mermaid: Welcome at our Mermaid Pub, what are you going to order?
Marco: Some normal beer will do.
Alice: I pick a glass of water
The Mermaid nodded and left to take a glass of beer for Marco, meanwhile Alice looked at him with a curious look.
Alice: I didn't knew you drank alcohol.
Marco: I'm at the right age to drink, to kill and to fuck, I don't have any problem with this and I like alcohol a bit.
Alice shrugged and the mermaid came back with beer for Marco and water for Alice, which they drank a sip before putting it back at the table.
Marco: I wonder how things became like this… Mermaids living with humans without any problem…
The mermaid heard them and smiled before asking.
Mermaid: Do you want to hear a little story?
Marco nodded and drank another sip from his beer.
The mermaid took a seat at their table and started to talk.
Mermaid: It's a sad story from a hundred years ago, between a young human and a mermaid.
Marco: 'I wanted to know how the humans came to accept the mermaids with time, not how it started, but it doesn't hurt hearing it again…'
Mermaid: A long time ago, there was a young sailor named Alan in this town. One day, his ship wrecked while on a voyage. He was attacked by a shark, and was mortally wounded. Suddenly, a beautiful Mermaid named Laura appeared, and saved him.
It was love at first sight for Laura. Alan's injury was so severe, that normally it would kill a human. There was a puncture wound through his left chest that went half an inch into his lung, leaving him in a state of cardiopulmonary arrest.
His spine was also injured in the shark attack, and he had lost a third of his blood. Normally someone wouldn't survive that…. Did I already say he was half dead?
Marco: ...Yeah… *Sip*
Mermaid: So, Laura made Alan drink her blood. You may not know, but the blood of a Mermaid is a powerful medicine. Drinking her blood, Alan was somehow able to recover. But even with her blood, he wasn't able to be completely fine.
For a full year he had to drink her blood every day, or else he would die.
Marco: Pfffff!
Marco spit out all the beer when he heard the last sentence.
Marco: How in god's name can she regenerate so much blood?!
The mermaid giggled at Marco's sudden reaction and answered him.
Mermaid: We mermaids have high regenerative capabilities. Anyway, Laura pretended to be a human, and followed Alan to the town. She secretly mixed her blood in with his food to keep him alive. Months passed like that, as she continued to take care of Alan.
Laura and Alan fell completely in love…
Marco: But…
The mermaid nodded with a sad expression, knowing what Marco meant and continued to talk.
Mermaid: One day, it was discovered that Laura was not human. Alan's love didn't change, but the other townsfolk were different. People were terrified of her, and accused her of being the source of all the bad things happening in town.
Marco raised an eyebrow and finished his beer, Alice did the same and were hearing the mermaid's tale.
Mermaid: Finally, soldiers caught her and decided to execute her. Laura decided she would turn herself in and choose to be executed by skewering.
Marco: 'I have a really dark joke, which may make all the mermaids and humans here infuriated with me, but I'll stay silent…'
Mermaid: Choosing the bloodiest possible method, she wanted Alan to be able to collect all of her blood. Alan figured out what Laura was planning on doing by the letter she sent him… He decided to kill himself by drinking poison.
Marco: Huh… Romeo and Juliet…
Alice: Who?
Marco: It was a tale that I heard about two people separated from each other that loved themselves, Romeo died for poison while Juliet died for suicide, they loved each other really deeply, but their parents didn't like it.
Mermaid: Well, it is something like that… Where was I…? Oh right, if he died, Laura wouldn't be forced to stay by his side to give him her blood. He couldn't bear the thought of Laura being executed for his sake.
Laura fled from the execution ground after hearing of Alan's death. For the next few days, a storm blew through the town, as if summoned by Laura's grief. The people of the town regretted their actions. They decided to repent, and came to accept Mermaids… The end.
Marco: *Deeply exhales* Well, it was a sad story… I really liked it.
Then Marco laid on the table a tip for the mermaid, who appreciated it and then Marco and Alice left the pub.
[Later]
They finally reached the street, and just came in front of Meia's house.
Marco: 6th street… 3-29… This is the one.
Then Marco came in front of the door and knocked.
?: I'm coming!
Alice and Marco heard an excited female voice, which is probably Meia.
And then the door opened, revealing the mermaid that Marco and Alice met the last time before the explosion at the mermaid school, she was Meia, the one who want to request for the ring for her marriage with her lover.
Marco: Meia?
Meia: Yes, that's me, I'm sorry for cutting our conversation short last time. Due to the explosion, I completely forgot about our conversation.
Marco: It's nothing, it was something important.
Then Marco and Alice followed Meia inside her home and sat in a sofa in a small room.
Meia: Please excuse the small house… I don't have much to entertain you with either…
Marco: Don't worry, we're fine, now let's talk about the request.
Meia nodded and brought some suspicious looking aquatic-based cakes and tea on the table and sat in front of the table.
Alice: Your request better not be stupid…
Marco: Don't worry, if she needed to send a request to San Ilia, it may be an important one.
Meia nodded and said with a smile.
Meia: Actually… I'm in love with a human.
She held her cheeks while blushing.
Marco: ...And?
Meia: Well, we lived together in this house for a while, and right now he's out at sea fishing… But, although we love each other deeply, we're not married. It's because we can't perform the Marriage Trial dictated by marine law…
When a Mermaid and a human get married, they have to offer a written pledge to the Queen at the temple on the seabed. But… The monsters along the way to the temple are too dangerous. I have some magic power, but my darling isn't too strong.
We wouldn't be able to make it there safely…
Marco: Alright, I got it, I'll go there. 'I'm not a hero so I shouldn't have any problem with the Sea Queen'
Meia: Thank you!
While Meia was joyous, someone opened the door, and a kid entered the room.
Boy: I'm home!
Meia: Ah! Welcome home!
The boy noticed Marco and Alice and said to Meia.
Boy: Heeey Meia, who are these people?
Meia: They're very admirable adventurers! I asked them to deliver our pledge of marriage to the Queen!
Boy: Oh, really? Thank you! We really want to get married, so that would help us a lot.
The boy thanked Marco and Alice, they didn't seemed surprised from the appearance of the boy, both knew that he was under a eternal youth spell. Then Meia gave them the letter Marco should give to the queen and a transparent crystal.
Meia: Then please take these… This is our pledge and a Ball of Guidance.
The moment Marco touched the ball of guidance…
*Ding*
*Discovered enchantment: Guide(Sea Temple), Breathing Underwater*
*Absorb it?*
*[Yes] or [No]*
Marco: 'Huh… Neat… Yes'
Then an invisible aura left the ball and entered Marco's body, no one noticed the change.
Marco: Alright, if I don't get wrong then it's at the beach of south the starting line… Right?
Meia: Yes, good luck on your quest.
Marco nodded and he and Alice left Meia's house, heading to the beach to enter the sea temple to give the pledge to the Queen.
[SPECIAL QUESTS]
1st. Kick Gabriel's ass
2nd. Achieve coexistence between Monsters and Humans
3rd. Kill Illias
4th. Return to Lucifina's grave
5th. Visit every places in Illias Continent, Sentora and Hellgondo
6th. Slap Lazarus' face
[UPGRADE QUEST]
Help the mermaid Meia and her lover to get a marriage ring from the Southern Monster Queen