TuxedoTranslations

Chapter 95

“I’ve already bought the auction house. These are the nobles who previously purchased sea demons.”

Gold handed Albin a stack of documents. His fingers were covered in ornate rings, and he idly toyed with a gold coin between his fingertips.

“This is only part of the list. To obtain the full roster will take some time. Some nobles use alternative trade channels, so tracking them down will require more effort. Should we start with these people first?”

Albin looked over the list, his brow furrowing at the rows of noble titles.

He hadn’t expected there to be so many…

By the time he reached the end, he was so angered that he stood up abruptly.

He forced down his rage and said, “These people all employ magic users. If sea demon disappearances start occurring one after another, it will likely alert them and only create more trouble. It could even draw attention from the Sea God Temple. It’s better to obtain the complete list first and deal with everything at once.”

The gold coin flipped lightly between Gold’s fingers as he thought. Then he flicked it upward and spoke.

“In that case, this is actually a good opportunity. I’ve heard there’s a secret merfolk salon recently. We can use it to identify them all at once.”

Albin nodded quickly. “Then we’ll confirm their identities during that time and act immediately afterward. Their guards will likely accompany them, so defenses will be weaker. With so many victims involved, the faster we move, the better.”

The Day of the Merfolk Salon

Lalima was locked inside a cage reinforced with magic. The pale blue glow of the spell cast eerie light across his face.

Carriages pulled by strong horses entered the seaside estate of the Sea God’s Holy Son in an orderly procession, each bearing different noble crests. At the entrance stood a grand, imposing statue of the Sea God, gazing down at every guest.

The butler greeted each noble politely, guiding them to the salon and escorting the sea demons they brought to their designated locations.

“…Viscount, shall we place your sea demon in the pool for you?”

The viscount glanced at the cage being carried down from the carriage and said, “Not yet. I don’t want him placed with the other sea demons. I intend to present him as a surprise gift to His Holiness the Holy Son.”

“As you wish,” the butler replied smoothly. “I will arrange your gift in a separate room.”

Satisfied, the viscount straightened his clothes and walked inside, heading ingratiatingly toward the Sea God’s Holy Son.

A cage draped in deep blue velvet was carried into an empty room by servants and set down.

On the way, through a lifted corner of the fabric, Lalima caught sight of a passing pool.

Inside it were his missing clansmen.

The usually lively and mischievous sea demons now looked listless, some covered in injuries. They huddled together timidly. Those who had once eagerly interacted with humans now shrank into corners, trembling at every sound.

Lalima’s expression turned as dark as still water.

He had found a crucial lead and was close to rescuing them—but he felt no joy at all.

Damn humans!!

Alone in the room, he began thinking of ways to take revenge and rescue his people, but the mention of the “Holy Son” made him uneasy and restless.

Why was Albin here? Was he also one of these scum?

Had everything he said before been a lie?

No… perhaps he, like himself, was infiltrating?

The thought had barely formed before Lalima harshly rejected it.

He was actually defending a human!

He had believed a human’s sweet words!

And yet he was supposed to hate humans the most.

His nails dug deeply into his palms.

If Albin truly was trash…

He would kill him.

Inside the seaside estate, the grand hall was decorated with heavy fabrics, exquisite furnishings, and luxurious tapestries. Tables were filled with desserts and drinks, while elegantly dressed guests conversed in refined tones.

Sea demons were, after all, magical creatures. Compared to land monsters, their main form of attack was their song. If their throats were silenced, they were significantly less dangerous, though occasionally other threats still existed.

Thus, warriors and clergy of the Sea God Temple stood guard outside the hall like statues, ready to respond at the first sign of danger.

Servants moved quietly through the room with trays, serving drinks to the guests.

With so many attendees—and additional attendants and guards to serve—the estate’s original staff was insufficient, so the butler had hired temporary kitchen help days earlier.

Such workers normally would not be allowed in such a prestigious place, but one maid stood out: clever, capable, attractive, and willing to stay long-term. The butler therefore allowed this girl, “Hailan,” to serve food.

The blue-haired maid kept her head down as she arranged desserts, listening to the guests’ conversations.

They commonly referred to sea demons as merfolk.

Their discussion centered entirely on them. Their attitudes toward sea demons generally fell into three groups.

The first was the pet faction.

As the name suggested, they kept sea demons as pets or ornamental fish. Some even dressed them up for display, showing them off to guests.

However, this group was relatively small, mostly newcomers to the circle without much sophistication.

The second was the slave faction.

They treated sea demons as slaves, beating and abusing them freely. The sea demons they kept often met miserable ends.

They did not lack real slaves, but their mistreatment of sea demons stemmed from twisted jealousy.

Not all nobles possessed magical talent. The disparity in innate ability bred resentment.

Why should commoners have something they did not?

The proud nobles found their self-esteem deeply wounded.

Yet they still needed protection from magic users and dared not direct their anger at human mages they employed, fearing for their safety.

The closest targets—and therefore the easiest to resent—were the sea demons.

Wealth and power became their magic, allowing them to abuse creatures they viewed as lesser.

This was usually directed at sea demons specifically, since land monsters could release dangerous miasma and had to be killed on sight if captured.

The final group—and the largest—was the collection faction.

They collected everything related to merfolk: beautiful scales, preserved fragments…

These items allowed them to admire pieces of merfolk without risking their sharp teeth.

They even turned the collected materials into decorative objects.

But what they collected was far from limited to scales alone.

“Where is the Holy Son?” a noble asked, looking around.

“He was called away earlier by a viscount,” someone replied.

Finding their target gone, the noble clicked his tongue in disappointment.

“I brought my latest creation to present to everyone.”

Others immediately showed interest. After waiting in vain for the Holy Son’s return, he clapped his hands.

Servants carried in a statue covered by cloth.

The noble stepped forward proudly.

“Please admire—my masterpiece.”

He yanked off the covering cloth, revealing a beautiful, vividly colored merfolk specimen.

Red curly hair, golden eyes, and a blue-purple fishtail shimmering with hints of gold… The small sea demon was also adorned with elegant accessories and gemstones.

The surrounding nobles immediately erupted in gasps and admiration.

But the blue-haired maid disguised as “Hailan” fixed her gaze on the small sea demon.

Fay?

But how could Fay’s tail be blue-purple? And the eye color was wrong too…

A ridiculous possibility suddenly surfaced in her mind. Her gaze trembled, and her whole body began to shiver uncontrollably.

As if falling into an ice cave, panic and rage ignited within her.

“What you see here,” the noble said, “is my masterpiece—created by merging multiple merfolk. I take only the finest parts from each one. This is a one-of-a-kind merfolk, belonging solely to me!”

A skeptical noble lifted the pearl necklace around the sea demon’s neck, the hair strands by its ears, and the thin veil around its waist—only to reveal visible stitching underneath.

“It’s perfect! Whose craftsmanship is this?”

“What an ingenious idea! Custom-building a merfolk exactly to your taste—there’s no better collectible!”

“So that means the fishtails I’ve been collecting will finally be useful.”

Reflected in Hailan’s eyes were the faces of those excited, exhilarated nobles—and the sea demon’s stiff smile and distorted, unnatural posture. The nauseating scene replayed like a nightmare before her eyes.

She felt frozen in ice, while rage burned like fire inside her.

So this is humanity?!

This is the humans she once wanted to coexist peacefully with?

Hailan felt deeply wounded by what she saw, overwhelmed by disappointment and fury.

She understood that humans, under the Sea God Temple’s teachings, viewed sea demons as enemies. But she believed misunderstandings could be gradually resolved.

Unlike her stubborn younger brother Lalima, Hailan had long realized that with the priests of the temples in place, they could never fully eradicate humanity—and the sea demons’ fascination with humans was also impossible to erase.

Meanwhile, human ships were becoming more numerous, sturdier, and capable of traveling farther.

Even if sea demons isolated themselves from the world, one day they would inevitably be discovered—and by then, a small population that had not developed and remained underwater would be at a clear disadvantage.

So she had always hoped to improve relations with humans, to make sea demons and humans friends.

As a high-ranking magical creature capable of taking human form, she often went ashore in secret to observe humans.

She knew many humans came to Pearl City specifically to see sea demons. That could be an opportunity for peaceful relations.

They were drawn to each other.

They were kin.

But all her beautiful hopes shattered in this moment.

Hailan felt suffocated by despair.

Was this the true nature of human “love” for them?

Was that admiration merely hiding such disgusting desires?

If even the upper class of humanity was like this, then true peace was impossible.

She could already imagine that if her original plan had continued, sea demons would eventually be unknowingly dragged into their control.

She would have led her entire race into an abyss.

Humans!!

At that moment, her understanding and trust in humanity collapsed completely.

She was wrong…

Her brother had been right. She had been too naive.

They were monsters, and humans would never treat them as equals. They were destined to be eternal enemies.

These thoughts echoed in her mind like an unforgiving truth.

A terrifying killing intent surged from Hailan’s body. Her tied-up curly hair loosened, and countless translucent, jellyfish-like poisonous tendrils extended from within.

The noble who had been speaking confidently collapsed without warning.

Before anyone could react, one by one, they all fell.

She stared coldly at them.

“Die, humans!”

Panic erupted in the hall as guards and priests rushed in. Spells of various kinds were aimed at the blue-haired woman at the center.

But the translucent tendrils struck back just as quickly—Hailan’s poison ability causing wave after wave of enemies to collapse.

The queen of the sea demons walked through a floor of human corpses and approached the grotesque sea demon specimen.

Her arms trembled as she embraced it as if it were her own child, gently stroking its body. Tears fell like dew onto the sea demon’s hair.

“Sleep well, my little sea demon.”

In another room of the estate.

The quiet atmosphere was suddenly broken as two people entered.

“Your Holiness the Holy Son, this is the gift I prepared for you.”

Lalima, who had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them.

Holy Son?

Albin is here?

His body tensed, as if suspended above an endless abyss, ready to fall.

Complex, uneasy emotions surged within him again, and he dug his nails into his arm to stay awake and grounded.

Footsteps approached.

Blood slowly dripped from his arm.

When the viscount finally pulled back the velvet cloth, Lalima—already adjusted to the darkness—looked directly at the person in front of him despite the harsh light.

And then he froze.

No Albin?

The chubby nobleman Barny narrowed his eyes, inspecting him with satisfaction before nodding.

“Not bad. He looks quite obedient too—similar to that sea demon recently taken by the Sun God’s Holy Son. Such a waste. Put him in my pool.”

Lalima suddenly realized.

Albin is the Sun God’s Holy Son, not the Sea God’s?

He sat motionless in the cage as his frantic heartbeat slowly calmed, a surge of relief flooding through him.

Good. Albin hadn’t lied to him.

A strange, pleasant feeling spread through him—not born of pain.

As the viscount unlocked the cage, the chains clattered loudly. Lalima narrowed his eyes, glancing at the Sea God’s Holy Son beside him.

Since the so-called Holy Son wasn’t Albin, he no longer needed to hold back.

The moment the cage opened and the chains hit the ground, a massive shadow on the wall suddenly sprouted writhing octopus-like tentacles…

Albin had rescued several small sea demons from a noble estate and fed them a newly prepared antidote.

But then he heard news:

The Sea God’s Holy Son and several nobles had been attacked at the seaside estate. It seemed an extremely powerful sea demon had assaulted the place, and the highest-ranking priest of the Sea God Temple had already rushed there.

What happened?

Albin knew those nobles were not good people. He had already seen disturbing things in their estates, and Gold’s documents also listed many crimes—some even involving children. Truly the worst of the worst. He had even rescued a child himself.

He suspected the sea demons had been provoked by the merfolk salon.

But regardless, if the Sea God’s priest intervened, both the attacking and victimized sea demons might be wiped out.

After all, he didn’t even know whether the priest was still human—or whether the Sea God had already taken over his body.

The Sea God’s reputation was not good.

Feeling something was wrong, he hurried off with the small sea demons, unable to return them first, and rushed toward the seaside estate.

He told the sea demons to hide in the carriage and went straight into the now-devastated manor.

And when he arrived, he saw a dark-blue-haired man gripping Lalima by the throat.

“O?”

Feel free to buy me a coffee/show your support on ko-fi! Thank you ❤