Seeker 275

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Chapter 275. The Calamity Beast

Merfolk warriors, along with their king and queen, were freed by us from the underground dungeon.

Now, together with them, we were swimming through the spiral passage from the underground to the first floor.

We decided to listen to the mermaid king's story while moving, after escaping from the underground dungeon.

"The legendary magic spear said to have been wielded by the Merfolk Hero and the Mythical Beast sealed by that spear... is that it?"

I repeated the story I heard from the Merfolk King.

The Merfolk King nodded slowly.

"That's right, Human Tribe hero. There's a door in one of the caves near this settlement that leads to the sealing chamber. However, that door will never open unless the passphrase is spoken. Even if that four-armed creature reaches the door, it can do nothing but turn back, or so it was supposed to be."

"But there was a Sahuagin who knew the password— is that the case?"

Kazane chimed in.

The Merfolk King nodded again.

"Yes. It's a password passed down through generations only to the royal family of our tribe. How that Sahuagin woman learned it. I have some ideas, but it's not a problem to consider now. Anyway, if she's there, the door to the sealing chamber will be opened."

"What kind of creature is the sealed Mythical Beast? Is it like a great demon king plunging the world into the depths of terror?"

Yuzuki interjected.

The merfolk king spoke with a trembling voice.

"The name of that calamity Mythical Beast is Kraken. It's the worst monster that even our tribe's heroic king couldn't defeat, and it had to be sealed using the power of that spear."

"Eww... Kraken, seriously?"

"Wait... Daichi-kun, wasn't Kraken part of a subjugation mission?"

"Yeah. I remember it well because it's the mission with the highest experience points among the available ones. Encountering it here would be the worst."

Even though we were underwater, I felt a cold sweat coming on.

Rather than a fearsome great demon king, the monster's name sounded more concrete and realistic. 

Among our incomplete mission list, the highest experience points were for defeating one Kraken (200,000 points).

 Judging from the experience, the threat level should be high.

So, what happens to this Kraken?

Will the seal be broken?

Are you serious?

Can I go back now?

No, Rebecca-san seems to have been taken by that Sahuagin woman, who was referred to as a priestess.

To achieve the mission, we have no choice but to pursue it.

"But why was Rebecca-san taken?"

Kazane voiced her doubts.

The Merfolk King shook his head with a heavy expression.

"It is probably a sacrifice to completely revive the Kraken. The lifeblood of a maiden with the power of a warrior is needed."

"A maiden... By the way, before that, what kind of evil sealing was that? Wasn't it sealed by the power of a hero or god? Is that god actually an evil deity?"

"What are you saying? It's a ritual to release an evil Mythical Beast from the seal of a god. That's what it is."

"Hmm, I see...?"

Yuzuki tilted her head slightly, not entirely convinced.

Well, it's understandable.

From what we hear, there's no point in complaining about supernatural phenomena we don't understand. 

When encountering such unexplained phenomena, what's needed is a gaming mindset.

What is our goal, and what should we do now to achieve it?

I signaled Kazane and Yuzuki to come closer and whispered to them.

"We mainly have two options. Abandon Rebecca-san and the Merfolk or confront them."

I had already made up my mind, but the situation had changed significantly.

A reassessment was needed.

After a short silence, Kazane and Yuzuki spoke.

"...I don't want to abandon them."

"We feel the same. If you eat poison, you might as well clean the plate. We'll clean the plate, absolutely."

Well, I expected that.

"As I said before, Kazane and Yuzuki are the most important to me."

I made up my mind and embraced the shoulders of the two who approached from both sides.

As Kazane and Yuzuki were embraced, both widened their eyes and blushed.

I took a breath, exhaled, and then conveyed my words to them.

"I don't want to regret leaving them or making Kazane and Yuzuki regret it. If you two wish, let's go together. And let's definitely return alive. Okay?"

"Yeah!"

"Of course! Senpai, sometimes you become surprisingly cool like this♪ By the way, Senpai, I'll use that favor you promised me earlier. I'll use it now."

"Huh...?"

Yuzuki swam in front of me.

Thinking about what she was doing, Yuzuki grabbed my head with both hands without asking for permission.

And then—

"Mmm!?"

Without saying anything, Yuzuki forcibly pressed her lips against mine.

What?

What is she doing at this time???

I feel dizzy, and my rationality is about to fly away???

After separating her lips from mine, Yuzuki, with a face blushing to her ears, smiled mischievously.

"I'll save Rebecca and do the rest after everything is done. Senpai can't die if I do this. ──Oh, Kazane-san, you can join too. Feel free."

After separating from me, Yuzuki moved away.

Kazane, who had been at a loss next to me, asked, "Huh, can I too?" and Yuzuki replied, "I won't monopolize such a reward. Please."

Kazane's subsequent actions were quick.

From the state of being embraced by my left arm, she smoothly turned around to face me, brought her face close, and pressed her lips against mine, just like Yuzuki did.

"Pfft... Hehe, Daichi-kun, let's return alive together."

She said with a smile.

What should I do about these two?

I'm so happy that I might die soon.

No, it's not good.

Who is going to die here?

"I understand. Let's save Rebecca and the merfolk and return alive. Definitely."

I spoke the determined words.

During this exchange, I deliberately didn't look around.

It was an outrageous act performed in the midst of the merfolk warriors swimming together.

It's no longer just a commotion between a foolish couple, but perhaps it was a necessary ritual for you to assist them. 

So please forgive me.

Or rather, please forgive me. Let's pretend it didn't happen.

Anyway, while doing such things, we finally reached the 1st floor of the palace, swimming towards the exit.

Carelessly, the weapons of the merfolk warriors were also left in the underground dungeon, and we were ready for combat.

We should leave the palace now and quickly pursue the Sahuagin.

Thinking that, we aimed to swim towards the exit of the palace, but—

At that moment, Kazane reacted with a twitch.

Kazane stared at the exit of the palace with a stern gaze, urging us to pay attention.

It seemed that some of the Merfolk warriors were also [Presence Detection] users, as they were sending warnings to the surroundings in a similar manner.

A moment later, a voice came from outside the palace exit.

"Ugh, damn it! Why won't that door open at all! The Sahuagin King is causing me nothing but frustration!"