TuxedoTranslations

Chapter 92

Warm magic clung to the still-stinging wound, but before Larimar could even feel any relief, the injury healed at an astonishing speed, leaving behind only an unbearable itch.

Without the pain, wrapped in warm water, he felt as though he had returned to that illusory bubble once again.

The warmth before him could not possibly be real.

Thinking this, Larimar sharply dug his nails into the freshly healed wound on his arm, tearing it open again. The scent of blood spread through the air, and pain instantly coursed through his body.

Although this pain was not caused by humans, it still kept him clear-headed, constantly reminding him of humanity’s true nature.

This person before him was the Holy Son of the Sea God, from the Temple of the Sea God that had always preached the evil of sirens. Rumor even said they had purchased many sirens before. How could someone like that possibly be kind-hearted?

He absolutely could not be deceived by him!

“What are you doing?!” Albin turned around and discovered that he was actually hurting himself. He cried out in alarm and hurriedly grabbed Larimar’s wrist.

For the first time, his expression became truly stern. Scarlet chains instantly bound Larimar in place.

Larimar sneered inwardly.

Ha, there it is. Exposed at last. How could humans ever truly treat sirens kindly?

But then, he watched as Albin carefully treated his wound again.

Larimar felt irritated. Why? Why? Why was this human acting like this?

Seeing him struggle, Albin quickly said, “Don’t move. I’ll let you go in a moment.”

“Did I accidentally touch your wound earlier?” Albin asked softly while using magic, gently blowing on the injury as if trying to blow away the pain.

After finishing the treatment, Albin brought over a pair of gloves and tried putting them on Larimar’s hands.

His crimson eyes looked at Larimar as he said, “Your nails are amazing, you know. But sharp nails like these should be used to protect yourself, not hurt yourself.”

Larimar fell silent.

“There.” Albin removed the chains. Seeing that Larimar no longer seemed intent on hurting himself, he sighed in relief. “You probably haven’t eaten lunch yet, right? I’ll go prepare some food for you. Once your throat is healed, I’ll send you back to the sea. Until then, you can stay here without worry. No one will come here to capture you.”

He had just stepped out the door when, just as it was about to close, he suddenly opened it again.

After glancing at Larimar and confirming he still showed no signs of self-harm, he nodded in satisfaction.

“I’m not really sure what sirens can eat. Can you eat seafood?”

Larimar was somewhat surprised that he actually seemed genuinely concerned about him. Distracted, he nodded.

With his answer, Albin finally felt reassured and went out to have food prepared.

Preparing the meal would take some time, so after giving instructions, Albin returned to the room.

He discovered the siren standing beside his desk, holding his pen and paper.

Looking at the curved blue fish tail on the floor, Albin found himself rather curious about how sirens walked on land. Did they bounce around like Tigger?

Then he realized Larimar seemed to be writing something on the paper.

Sirens could write too?

Curious, Albin walked over and saw Larimar slowly writing word by word like a child learning to speak:

【You. Why. Save. Me?】

Larimar’s handwriting twisted like an octopus.

Of course sirens did not communicate through written human language, but because of inherited memories, all young sirens were curious about human writing.

It was extremely difficult to learn human language in the sea, but Larimar had secretly learned a little.

He simply could not understand this human Holy Son’s every action.

“Mm, I thought you might need help, so I helped. Even if it were an injured kitten, I’d help it too,” Albin said with a smile. “And being able to help others makes me happy as well.”

Larimar wrote again:

【I. Siren.】

“Of course I know that. But whether human or siren, we all live in this world together. We’re basically neighbors, aren’t we? Since we all cross paths eventually, if someone’s in trouble, shouldn’t we help each other?”

Smiling warmly, Albin continued, “I heard that many tourists come to Pearl City specifically because there are sirens here. Even though sirens don’t directly live in the city, you still help attract a lot of tourism income.”

Neighbors?

Larimar raised his head and stared at the sincere expression on Albin’s slightly youthful face.

He gripped the feather pen so tightly that the quill bent from the force.

【Impossible!】

He wrote 【Siren】 and then 【Human】, then drew a huge X across both words.

【Sirens. Dangerous. Monsters.】

Albin nodded. “I’ve heard that siren songs can enchant humans. For sailors and people living by the sea, sirens really are extremely dangerous monsters.”

“But aren’t you communicating with me perfectly fine right now?” Albin grinned slyly. “I know lots of monsters. Some are good, some are bad. Whether human or monster, I believe it’s the same.”

“A siren lady once saved me when I nearly drowned before… I think she was a siren, anyway. In any case, she was a really good person. Doesn’t that prove there are good sirens too?”

Larimar thought to himself that the only one foolish enough to do something like that was probably his older sister.

“So, as long as everyone helps one another, we can develop together and reach good outcomes together. But if we only hurt each other, then aside from lots of people dying, what can anyone really gain?”

Larimar’s expression clearly showed disagreement.

He firmly believed that only human deaths could earn sirens a peaceful life.

Albin noticed his disapproval. After thinking for a moment, he asked in return, “Then do sirens have any way to wipe out humanity without sacrificing a single soldier? Humans aren’t limited to just the people living along the coast, you know.”

Larimar was left speechless.

In the myths, the Sea God had once caused a great flood, yet even that failed to wipe out all humanity.

Naturally, Larimar did not believe the current siren race possessed such power either.

Larimar wrote two words. He circled 【Human】 and then circled 【Siren】. A tiny 【Human】 attempting to enter the sirens’ circle was quickly crossed out with an X.

“You mean humans stay on land, sirens live in the sea, and the two sides never interfere with each other?”

Larimar nodded.

Albin frowned. “I don’t know if something like that can really be achieved, but if that happens, the conflict will only continue endlessly. Both sides would suffer enormous harm. Is that really worth it? I don’t know whether sirens long for the land, but humanity’s yearning for the sea will never stop because of this.”

He could sense that Larimar harbored some longing for the human world.

A monster completely uninterested in humanity would never bother learning human language, just like Emerald had once been.

Larimar fell silent again.

Humans longed for the sea, but didn’t sirens long for the land as well?

That was their origin—the home where they had once lived as humans.

He could use slaughter to stop humans from sailing into the sea, and he could make human ships disappear, but he could never truly stop his own people from approaching the shore and making contact with humans.

Even if the land were nothing but a festering swamp, as long as they had never witnessed it themselves, never experienced pain the way he had, the young sirens would never give up.

Besides, compared to the dull and simple life beneath the sea, the human world was simply too rich and dazzling to sirens.

Humans could weave beautiful clothing and craft all kinds of exquisite objects from stone, wood, and metal.

Every time a ship sank, the human items aboard would trigger fierce competition among the young sirens, becoming the subject of excited conversation for ages afterward.

What exactly was he supposed to do?

Larimar sank into confusion.

Albin picked up an intact feather pen and drew a path connecting 【Human】 and 【Siren】, then drew a large circle around both words.

“We can slowly change all of this together. A siren lady saved me, and I saved you. That’s already a tiny change.”

“I know an organization devoted to helping monsters and humans coexist peacefully. Quite a few monsters on land have already joined. Would your people consider it too?”

“If another siren gets captured or attacked by humans or other monsters, we would gather the strength of both humans and monsters to rescue them together. Humans could also provide goods that sirens need. And likewise, if human ships are attacked by sea creatures, we hope nearby sirens could help protect those ships.”

Just as Albin finished speaking, someone knocked on the door.

“Looks like lunch is ready,” Albin said, ending the topic. “And if you have any other requests, you can bring them up too. Helping each other and exchanging what we need—that’s what neighbors do, right?”

He carried lunch in from the doorway and set it before Larimar.

“It’s lemon grilled fish, kelp and clam soup, and creamy seafood pasta. Give it a try. These are delicacies from the human world!”

Larimar’s thoughts were still a tangled mess.

Was the image people had of the Holy Son of the Sea God actually real?

Looking at Albin’s bright eyes, he only felt the other was absurdly naïve—perhaps even more naïve than his own sister.

And yet, inexplicably, Albin’s words had shaken him. Maybe…

No!

How could humans and sirens possibly coexist peacefully?!

This had to be sweet-talking deception! This human wanted to lower his guard and trick him into drinking poison!

Larimar picked up the kelp soup and gulped it down.

Panicked, Albin hurriedly grabbed his bowl. “It’s hot, it’s hot! Don’t rush—blow on it first!”

Larimar had already swallowed half the bowl.

The hot soup burned the roof of his mouth and slid down his throat. He could almost feel the shape of his esophagus as it traveled downward.

Pain and warmth appeared together, making it impossible for him to tell whether this was illusion or reality.

Larimar detected no poison in the soup. He immediately bit into the grilled fish beside it and shoved mouthfuls of seafood pasta into his mouth with his claws.

No poison…

This was human food.

Warm, cooked food—the culmination of human wisdom.

All his life, Larimar had eaten cold, raw sea creatures. He had long grown numb and sick of them. Never once had he imagined these same creatures could become this delicious.

Even his soul trembled because of it.

If they had remained human, then this was what they should have been eating.

“This is how you eat noodles,” Albin explained patiently, teaching him how to use a fork.

Larimar learned quickly. Sitting properly, he ate the cooked delicacies with a fork like a human.

After lunch, warmth spread through his body, filling him with an unprecedented sense of satisfaction. A lazy, comfortable feeling rose within him.

Meanwhile, Albin curiously began asking him questions about sirens.

“Do siren tears turn into pearls? Are there witches in the sea who brew potions? Does it feel uncomfortable for you to stay out of water? Should I prepare a tub of seawater for you?”

What kind of ridiculous questions were these?

Larimar had no desire to answer such stupid things, but Albin’s sparkling eyes looked at him with pure curiosity, so he reluctantly replied.

No.
No.
No need.

And before long, he found himself unable to resist using the paper to ask questions about the human world in return.

Do humans eat monsters at every meal?

Why can’t humans breathe once they fall into water?

That afternoon, through their questions and answers, it felt as though he had returned to the fantasies of his childhood.

The friendly boy before him was exactly the kind of human he had once dreamed of endlessly as a child—the kind of companion he had longed for.

Albin seemed like someone who had stepped directly out of his fantasies. Countless times, he had imagined becoming friends with a human like this.

Until the day those fantasies shattered…

His lashes trembled as he looked at Albin before him. He still did not know whether he should trust him, nor whether he should believe those naïve ideals.

【Name?】 he wrote.

“My name is Albin. What about you?”

【Larimar.】

Albin softly repeated the name several times before smiling and nodding. “Then that makes us friends, right?”

Become friends with a human?

Larimar froze for a long moment before finally lowering his head, pretending he hadn’t heard.

His people were still in human hands. He could not completely trust humans, much less trust the Holy Son of the Sea God.

The Temple of the Sea God was the group most hostile toward sirens.

This was a little liar.

He repeated this to himself over and over, trying to stay clear-headed.

He needed pain. Opening his hand, he wanted to pierce his skin with his nails, to feel pain again. Mere gloves could never stop his sharp claws.

But then he remembered the worried expression on Albin’s face. For reasons even he could not explain, he forcibly suppressed his craving for pain.

Changing the subject, Larimar asked Albin what the organization promoting peaceful coexistence between humans and monsters was called.

Even though he knew he should not trust him—should not trust any human—he still could not resist wanting to know.

Albin noticed his evasiveness. A flash of disappointment crossed his face before he quickly replied proudly:

“It’s called the 【Apostles of White】!”

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