3. Where is the future of the Dragon Palace?
A plump pufferfish rolled around, tied to a rope. It was the doctor who had run away, Doctor Geombok.
[검복
"Let go of this! I want you to untie it right now!"
The doctor, who was furious and angry, stopped when he found Neoul and then shrank down quickly. The officer immediately pulled the rope and squeezed the doctor's torso.
"Prince! Please save me!"
Doctor Geombok flapped his short fins and begged.
"I did the best I could! You're right! The Dragon King's fall was beyond my power!"
"Enough."
Neoul raised one hand to stop the doctor. Then he spoke softly, as if trying to persuade him.
"I didn't bring you here to question you. Just answer the questions I have. What were Abamama's symptoms before he lost consciousness?"
The doctor shuddered slightly and bowed his head.
"Oh, he had a headache for a long time... and he had been coughing a lot lately. His body temperature is high, so he can't sleep at night, and he can't rest even when he rest, and he even lost his appetite."
"Don't you know what the illness is?"
"We don't know the cause at all..."
"Then what kind of treatment have you had so far?"
"In addition to the cough suppressant, I prescribed a painkiller made from sea snail venom to relieve the headache."
"How effective was it? Was it effective?"
"The herbal medicine seemed to be effective at first, but its effectiveness gradually decreased, and the painkiller only temporarily relieved the pain, not the fundamental solution."
"When do you think Abamama, who has lost consciousness, will wake up?"
"I, I am sorry. The Dragon King may not wake up on his own, or even if he does, he will likely be on the verge of death. It would be better to prepare yourself mentally..."
Silence fell all around. The faces of the subjects also showed a gloomy expression. Neoul hesitated and then calmly asked.
"How much longer... can he hold out? How much time does he left?"
"Two and a half years at the longest, one year at the shortest."
"One year."
That's enough time to go to land and bring back rabbit liver. Neoul lowered his body and looked straight at the doctor.
"Can you guarantee it?"
The doctor, who had been showing no confidence until now, shouted loudly as if he was sure of this much.
"Yes! I can guarantee it with my life! Trust me! He will never die before that!"
Neoul stared into the doctor's eyes as if he was trying to figure out whether what he said was true or false. The doctor looked scared, but his eyes did not waver.
Neoul straightened up and asked one last time.
"Do you know the story about rabbit liver?"
"I heard that a long time ago, there was a doctor who prescribed such a thing, but I don't know for sure."
"I understand."
With that, Neoul turned around without any regrets.
"Your Highness. Please decide on the disposition of Doctor Geombok."
"Please release him."
"Yes?"
"I won't say anything. That doctor has done his duty, so please release him."
Having taken the interest of the doctor, Neoul quickly bid farewell to the gathered ministers. The gloomy faces of the ministers were all in a mournful mood, so he smiled on purpose and consoled them in a bright voice.
"I will procure rabbit liver."
"Your Highness...!"
"That's the only hope right now. My brother and sister left for the land a long time ago and became dragons, so maybe they can help me. So don't worry about me and take good care of Abamama. I'll be back soon."
"Aren't you going to say hello to the youngest prince?"
"I'll do it when I get back. Please tell him that I'll give him a present if he eats well and waits without crying."
Neoul left a rather dignified greeting and swam away from the dragon palace.
The future of the dragon palace depended on him.
The courtiers wiped away tears as they saw the heavy gate of the Dragon Palace open wide and then close with a thud.
'When did the little troublemaker prince become like that...'
Although they were a little anxious, the back of Prince Neoul's head, who disappeared outside the gate, felt solid and trustworthy for some reason.
Up until now, it was the back of his head that they wanted to grab just once.
"Officer, give the prince an escort. Don't interfere and follow him quietly, and if a dangerous situation arises, come out."
"Yes."
Chief Royal Secretary, who gave the order to his son, turned around, swallowing his emotions of worry, anticipation, and pride.
His eyes were moist, but he had no time to be absorbed in sentimentality.
What he had to do now was to trust Prince Neoul and protect the Dragon King and the youngest prince until he returned.
Chief Royal Secretary took a step forward with a determined face.
But then, the tightly closed door opened again with a creaking sound. When he turned around, he saw Neoul peeking his head out through the crack of the door, his characteristically blank expression on his face.
"Your highness. Why again......?"
The prince's spirited voice rang in the ears of the bewildered subjects.
"Chief Royal Secretary! But what does the rabbit look like?"
The tears that were about to fall suddenly disappeared.
Can I really trust him...... ?
Will the future of the Dragon Palace be sa… fe.......
***
Neoul got information about the rabbit from Chief Royal Secretary and left the Dragon Palace. Then he returned once more, asked which direction the nearest land was, and really set off.
The blue-ringed octopus that had been following him in secret almost got caught when the prince suddenly turned around.
She quickly changed her body color to disguise herself as a rock and quietly followed the prince.
They had told her not to disturb the prince, but to secretly escort him. She misunderstood the order and moved quietly and secretly as if she was stalking him.
Unlike the inside of the Dragon Palace, which was as bright as the shallow sea where sunlight reached, the outside of the Dragon Palace was so dark that it was difficult to tell the direction. It was so different with only one door between them.
Bioluminescent creatures and sea creatures, each with their own purpose, slowly moved through the darkness.
The tail of Neoul also glowed with blue light and white lights like constellations.
It was a light that could not be seen in bright places, but was clearly visible in the deep sea.
A white shark darted towards him as he swam, just like its name suggests.
In the darkness, the shark opened its mouth, revealing its sharp teeth.
In an instant, Neoul's right arm was swallowed into the shark's mouth. The great white shark seemed to be contemplating whether to close its mouth or not while holding Neoul's arm in its mouth.
The blue-ringed octopus flinched and quickly tried to approach.
But Neoul calmly stared into the pitch-black eyes of the white shark biting his arm.
The blue-ringed octopus crouched, debating whether or not to come forward.
"Oh, Sangsang [*Imagination]. I can't play with you today."
As Neoul spoke soothingly and pulled out his arm to stroke the shark's gray body, the great white finally closed its mouth. The pulled out arm was fine, except for a slight tickling sensation from its teeth.
The baby white shark, Sang Sang-i, who was only 1.6 meters long, swam around the waves, wagging his tail from side to side.
In the past, Neoul had found a newborn white shark that had lost its mother and was caught in a net, and freed it. After that, the baby white shark came down to the Dragon Palace and followed Neoul around.
It was a smart shark that would knock on the door with its body and ask for it to be opened if the dragon palace was not open.
He, who had grown attached to the baby white shark, ended up naming it 'Sang Sang-i'.
"I told you not to go alone, it's dangerous. Where is Stardust?"
As soon as Neoul finished speaking, a small whale shark about 3 meters long came swimming gently towards him from over there.
The whale shark flipped over and circled around Neoul, its fins waving as if in greeting.
"You were nearby. Stardust, you've worked hard taking care of Sangsang."
Neoul patted Stardust on the back of the whale shark and went on his way again. The two sharks naturally followed him.
Stardust wasn't saved by Neoul or do anything special for it, but one day, for no reason, it followed him around and started to swim with Sangsang.
Neoul named the whale shark 'Stardust' because the white dots on its back looked like shooting stars that fell from the sky.
Although it couldn't talk to Neoul or sit down to eat with him, it was a precious friend who traveled the sea with Neoul, who had no friends.
Neoul swam diligently and told them where to go.
"I'm going to go to land to meet a rabbit. I'll go to the Sea Priestess and ask her to make a bridge for me."
In the underwater cave near the Dragon Palace, there lived a giant octopus that was over two thousand years old.
Everyone called her 'Sea Priestess.'
"The Sea Priestess knows the land better than anyone else in the Dragon Palace. She often comes and goes whenever she's bored, so she might know about rabbits, too."
The Dragon King would sometimes leave the Dragon Palace for business trips far away. It was to inspect the distant seas.
Whenever he did, he would always leave young Neoul in the care of the Sea Priestess.
The day Neoul first met the Sea Priestess, she smiled brightly and said this.
— ᴏʜ ᴍʏ, ᴄᴜᴛᴇ ᴍᴇʀᴍᴀɪᴅ ᴘʀɪɴᴄᴇ. ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴀ ʙᴇᴀᴜᴛɪꜰᴜʟ ᴠᴏɪᴄᴇ. ᴡᴏɴ'ᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ꜱᴇʟʟ ɪᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴍᴇ?
— ɴᴏ? ʏᴏᴜ ꜱᴀʏ ꜱᴏ ꜰɪʀᴍʟʏ, ᴀɴᴅ ɪ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ɪᴛ ᴇᴠᴇɴ ᴍᴏʀᴇ. ɪ'ʟʟ ꜱᴛᴇᴀʟ ɪᴛ ᴡʜɪʟᴇ ᴏᴜʀ ᴘʀɪɴᴄᴇ ɪꜱ ᴀꜱʟᴇᴇᴘ!
After that, Neoul had to spend several nights anxiously, worried that the sea priestess would steal his voice while he was asleep.
Even after the Dragon King scolded the sea priestess not to tease the baby, the attitude remained the same.
—ᴀ ʟᴏɴɢ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ᴀɢᴏ, ᴀ ʀᴇᴅ-ʜᴀɪʀᴇᴅ ᴍᴇʀᴍᴀɪᴅ ᴄᴀᴍᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴍᴇ, ꜱᴀʏɪɴɢ ꜱʜᴇ ᴡᴀɴᴛᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇᴄᴏᴍᴇ ʜᴜᴍᴀɴ. ꜱʜᴇ ʜᴀᴅ ᴀ ʀᴇᴀʟʟʏ ᴘʀᴇᴛᴛʏ ᴠᴏɪᴄᴇ, ꜱᴏ ɪ ᴛᴏʟᴅ ʜᴇʀ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ʜᴇʀ ʜᴜᴍᴀɴ ʟᴇɢꜱ ᴀꜱ ꜱʜᴇ ᴡᴀɴᴛᴇᴅ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ꜱʜᴇ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ɢɪᴠᴇ ᴍᴇ ʜᴇʀ ᴛᴏɴɢᴜᴇ ᴀꜱ ᴍᴀᴛᴇʀɪᴀʟ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀ ᴠᴏɪᴄᴇ ᴀꜱ ᴀ ᴘᴀʏᴍᴇɴᴛ ꜰᴏʀ ᴍʏ ʟᴀʙᴏʀ. ꜱʜᴇ ʀᴇᴀᴅɪʟʏ ᴀɢʀᴇᴇᴅ.
—ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴛᴏʀʏ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴍᴇʀᴍᴀɪᴅ ᴡᴀꜱ Qᴜɪᴛᴇ ᴘᴏᴘᴜʟᴀʀ ᴀᴍᴏɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴜᴍᴀɴꜱ. ᴏɴᴇ ᴅᴀʏ, ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴀʟʟ ꜱᴛᴀʀᴛᴇᴅ ᴄᴀʟʟɪɴɢ ᴍᴇ ᴀ ᴠɪʟʟᴀɪɴ. ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴅɪᴅ ɪ ᴅᴏ? ɪ ᴅɪᴅɴ'ᴛ ᴄʜᴇᴀᴛ ᴏʀ ꜱᴛᴇᴀʟ ᴀɴʏᴛʜɪɴɢ.
—ᴀɴʏᴡᴀʏ, ɪ ꜱᴛɪʟʟ ᴜꜱᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴍᴇʀᴍᴀɪᴅ ᴠᴏɪᴄᴇ ᴡᴇʟʟ. ʙᴜᴛ ɪ'ᴍ ᴀ ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ᴛɪʀᴇᴅ ᴏꜰ ɪᴛ ᴛʜᴇꜱᴇ ᴅᴀʏꜱ. ɪ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʀɪɴᴄᴇ'ꜱ ᴠᴏɪᴄᴇ ʙᴇᴛᴛᴇʀ.
—ɪꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʀɪɴᴄᴇ ɴᴇᴇᴅꜱ ᴀɴʏᴛʜɪɴɢ, ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ʟᴇᴛ ᴍᴇ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴀɴʏᴛɪᴍᴇ. ɪ'ʟʟ ᴘᴀʏ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀɴᴅꜱᴏᴍᴇʟʏ ꜰᴏʀ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴠᴏɪᴄᴇ. ɪ ʜᴏᴘᴇ ʏᴏᴜ'ʟʟ ꜱᴛɪʟʟ ʙᴇ ʙᴇᴀᴜᴛɪꜰᴜʟ ᴀꜰᴛᴇʀ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴠᴏɪᴄᴇ ᴄʜᴀɴɢᴇ. ᴛᴀᴋᴇ ɢᴏᴏᴅ ᴄᴀʀᴇ ᴏꜰ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴠᴏɪᴄᴇ, ᴏᴋᴀʏ?
Kuhaha.
After more than ten years of such teasing, Neoul had reached the point where most of what she said went in one ear and out the other.
That damn old hag is at it again.
I don't know why she's like that.
But even as I listened and let it go, the words, "I made human legs," were engraved in my mind and I remembered them clearly.
At the entrance to the cave, there were many shells that the sea priestess had eaten and thrown away.
When I looked closely at the floor, I saw letters made with shells.
[Going out.]
It meant that she was not inside, so do not come in.
"Sangsang, Stardust. I will come out soon, so wait here for a moment."
Neoul lightly ignored the shell letters and went inside, pulling back the curtain made of woven seaweed stems.
The first thing that caught my eye was the shelves of barnacles attached to the cave walls. The shelves were filled with all sorts of unidentifiable materials and drugs.
Up until now, I had not paid attention to the strange things the sea priestess had made, but if I had known this would happen, I should have looked carefully in advance.
Neoul regretted it, but fortunately, he had a good memory.
—ᴘʀɪɴᴄᴇ. ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴛʜɪꜱ ɪꜱ? ɪᴛ'ꜱ ꜰʀᴏɢ ᴘᴏɪꜱᴏɴ. ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴛʀʏ ɪᴛ?
—ɴᴏ.
—ᴡʜʏ? ᴀʀᴇɴ'ᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴜʀɪᴏᴜꜱ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʜᴀᴘᴘᴇɴ ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀᴛᴇ ɪᴛ?
—ɴᴏ. ɪ'ᴍ ɴᴏᴛ ᴄᴜʀɪᴏᴜꜱ.
—ʜᴇᴜɴɢ~ ᴛʜᴀᴛ'ꜱ ꜰɪʀᴍ.
Neoul recalled the one-sided and petty conversation he had with the sea priestess, and scanned the shelves for the medicine he needed.
Among all those medicines, wouldn't there be one that would turn his tail into legs?
Since Neoul could breathe on the surface like a whale, if he had legs, he would be able to move freely on land.
He glared at it and something unusual caught his eye.
[Human Language]
[Cat Language]
[Dog Language]
[Rabbit Language]
[Elephant Language]
A basket in the corner was filled with small boxes with writing on them.
Neoul took out the box that said [Rabbit Language] and opened the lid. There was a small pill wrapped in a plastic wrapper like a candy wrapper.
'If I eat this, will I be able to understand rabbit language?'
Now that I think about it, I wonder how Byuljubujeon, who brought a rabbit in the past, communicated with the unfamiliar land animal, the rabbit.
Did Byuljubujeon eat this back then?
"It seems useful, so I will take it for now."
Inside the cave, there were dozens of human clothes and a pile of strange objects whose purpose was hard to figure out.
Neoul found a bag that looked quite sturdy inside.
He put the [rabbit language] and [human language] pills in it first, hesitated for a moment, and then poured out the remaining small boxes.
'Just in case I need them.'
But the bottom of the basket that was revealed after pouring out the boxes was covered with the Sea Priestess' warning.
"!"
[Put it back where it belongs, you shameless prince.]
Neoul's eyes widened and he looked around.
Is the Sea Priestess watching me?
How did she know I would sweep up all the pills?
—