Sellu was remarkably kind to me. It was hard to believe that just a short while ago, we had been locked in a life-or-death battle. The next morning, as I entered the bath to truly wash myself, Sellu gazed at me intently, her eyes filled with anticipation.
"What's up?" I asked.
"What do you mean? Didn't you come here to do it first thing in the morning? I figured you were so obsessed with the mermaid that you'd be here at dawn."
I frowned and shook my head. Sellu leaned against the bathtub, chuckling as if amused by my reaction. I lay back in the water and asked her,
"Is there anything you'd like to eat? I can't release you into the river, but I'll do my best to accommodate you."
"Heh, give Eve something delicious instead of me."
"Eve is still a criminal. Until she undergoes rehabilitation, I can't just treat her however I want. I'm the lord, after all."
"You're also a religious figure who has sex with mermaids."
"Even from a religious perspective, rehabilitation is necessary. Eve isn't as cooperative as you, so things aren't progressing."
"Just use that thing to satisfy her."
Sellu pointed to my groin as she spoke. I stared at her for a moment before shaking my head. Noticing my gaze, she asked,
"What's wrong?"
"Why are you being so kind?"
"What do you mean?"
"I captured both of you, and Eve's fate is in my hands. Why are you so friendly? Shouldn't you be resisting or showing some hatred toward me? You hate humans, right? Even if I saved your life, I'm still human. Why are you so kind?"
Yesterday, I was too distracted by the mermaid's allure to think about it, but now it struck me. Both Eve and Sellu should despise humans, yet Sellu was friendly toward me. Mermaids aren't a submissive species, so her compliance after a single defeat felt odd to me.
"I do hate humans. But, what can I say? I hate them, but I don't feel the need to take it out on them."
"That's a strange thing to say."
"To me, humans are like storms. Have you ever lost friends or children to a disaster? When a massive storm hits, sometimes young or inexperienced mermaids get swept away by the currents and torn apart on the rocks. It happens occasionally."
Thinking about mermaid corpses floating on the ocean's surface soured my mood. I grimaced involuntarily, then quickly adjusted my expression. Sellu noticed my disgust and smirked.
"Humans are the same. When we encounter them in the sea, we die like that. Do you know how they hunt us? They shoot harpoons or nets into the water where they think we might be. Anyone who can't escape gets caught. What's it like? Imagine hooks suddenly descending from the sky, snatching you one by one. After experiencing this a few times, what happens? At first, you're shocked, then you hate them, and finally, you resign yourself to it. You face reality."
Sellu leaned closer in the bathtub, her slender, pale arm brushing against my shoulder in a seductive motion.
"Even if I sink ships and kill sailors, it doesn't last. More hunters come. If I kill them, stronger ones arrive endlessly. If I don't, I die. It's a vicious cycle. So, to me, humans are like storms. I can't stop them, and with my limitations, I can't eliminate them either. Heh... isn't it amusing?"
"So, you've resigned yourself to it?"
Sellu shook her head and pointed to the bathroom door.
"If I wanted to avoid them, I could flee to the farthest reaches of the ocean, where humans can't find us. We could create a mermaid paradise, singing and swimming every day, like finding an island untouched by storms. But why are you so kind to me?"
I nodded. The conversation was finally reaching its conclusion.
"I could live like that, but Eve can't live like a mermaid."
"Eve is a mermaid hybrid. She swims well."
"But she's not a mermaid."
"You're drawing a line."
"I have to. Eve can't do any of the things a mermaid can."
"But Eve is a mermaid. She's stronger in water, and her blood is blue."
"But she can't lay eggs during her fertile period, mimic voices, or sing mermaid songs. She can't speak underwater, and without gills, she can't breathe there. By our standards, Eve is just a human who swims exceptionally well."
"Eve would be sad to hear that."
"It can't be helped. It's the truth. Every time I say this, Eve gets angry. She insists she's a mermaid. Maybe that's why she hunted hunters so ruthlessly."
"Don't you consider Eve your daughter?"
"No. Eve is my daughter, no matter what. Even if she couldn't swim, the fact that she carries mermaid blood is enough for me."
"If you accept her, that's all that matters. You're the leader of the mermaid island."
"My acceptance doesn't make Eve a mermaid."
Sellu tilted her head, seeming confused. I replied without thinking,
"It should."
"You're a lord too. You know that just because you accept something doesn't mean it becomes reality."
"But you're the leader. Does being a leader limit your authority in mermaid society?"
"Being a leader doesn't mean I can force others to accept what isn't true. Me considering Eve my daughter and others accepting her as a mermaid are separate issues."
"That's strange. With Eve around, you could eliminate most hunters. Wouldn't it benefit the mermaids to keep her?"
Sellu laughed again, her laughter echoing in the small bathroom. After a while, she asked,
"If a cannon in your domain suddenly spoke, would you treat it as human? Even if you did, would your people accept it?"
It was a question I'd never considered. If a cannon in my domain started talking, should I treat it as human? I struggled to answer, realizing there was already someone in front of me who spoke but wasn't treated as human.
"Heh... that's it. Eve can live with mermaids but never become one. But she can become human."
"With Eve's personality, she wouldn't fit in with humans either. She hates them. How can you expect her to live among them?"
"Eve can do what humans do, but she swims better than them."
"That's logical, but it lacks emotion. Eve probably won't like it."
"But Eve's eventual place is among humans. That's her only choice now. Are you planning to send her to the gallows?"
"No."
Since I've had sex with fish, being part-fish isn't an issue. I planned to make Eve mine. Someone as beautiful and useful as her was worth it.
"That's why I'm kind to you. Take care of Eve. All I can offer is this body. Heh..."
Sellu stuck out her tongue and shook her head. Compared to her first impression, she was smarter than I'd thought. I submerged my neck in the bath and exhaled, watching bubbles rise to the surface. After a long soak, I stood up.
"Want me to soap you up?" Sellu asked.
I had to ask, "Where did you hear about soaping up? Do you use soap when you're in the sea?"
"When Eve first came to the mermaid island, she said she felt cramped without showers. Later, she brought freshwater and washed herself."
She seemed tidier than I'd thought. After my bath, as I stepped out, Sellu said,
"Oh, and feed me too. I'll eat anything, just make it tasty."
"Yes, I'll take care of it."
"And take care of Eve. Please?"
Sellu smiled slyly, asking again. I planned to treat Eve very well, as requested. It was time for a body-to-body education.
To focus on my duties in the morning, I instructed my attendant to bring food for both Eve and Sellu. The attendant looked confused, as if feeding a mermaid was new to him.
"My lord, what do mermaids eat?"
"They eat anything, so give them anything."
"Oh, should I give them the food scraps...?"
"You're going to bring food scraps to my bathtub?"
"No, my apologies."
These attendants often did annoying things without my instruction. I'd have to address this later, but for now, I was busy with Sellu and Eve. I gazed at the two remaining potion bottles, wondering if they'd work on Eve, a half-mermaid, even if they didn't affect full mermaids.
After finishing the last document, I headed to the underground dungeon. It was time for an exciting bodily conversation.
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