We decided to go back to the water.

　Domorte doesn't need to breathe underwater, so we have him analyze his balls underwater.



"Can any of you mermaids tell me what a starry cove is?"

　Madeline takes the initiative and raises her hand.



"I've been there a few times to sing."



"I see. Okay, Madeline will lead the way. My Ciel will be chasing after the mermaids that have just been caught, so it would be great if Sun could stay on the water with me in the car.



"Of course."

　Half of the mermaids had once transformed into human form, but had reverted back to their mermaid form with little success.

　It is said that among the mermaids, some can transform into humans and others cannot.



　It seems that just as each mermaid has her own personality, so does she have her own magical strengths and weaknesses.

　It seems that it is not far to the cove.



　From the cove, we now look for the merchants' sailing boats.

　If I can meet up with Ciel by then, I will ask him to guide me, but I cannot rely on Ciel alone.



"Mr. Locke, what are you going to do when you get to the cove?"

　Madeline asks me as she swims gracefully.



"If Ciel does not come back, we will first look for a sailing boat. If we find a sailing ship, we can find the slavers in that city and get them, and then we can find out where the mermaids are.



　Of course, it is forbidden to buy and sell subhumans into slavery without permission.

　Once the culprit is found, the rest can be managed by force.

　Unless, of course, there is someone in power behind this.



"I think the closest town to the inlet that could stop a sailboat would be Brandon. It has developed as a commercial city, and there are quite a few slavers there, so it would be hard to find one."



"Have you ever been to Madeline?"

"Yes. Yes, of course. Mermaids usually go shopping on land. The seas here are frequented by merchants, but there are also many pirates, and many merchant ships have been sunk. And then there are storms. So there is a lot of money recovered from sunken ships. People sell more unusual things in human towns."



　He recalls the treasure trove he found when he searched the mermaid's house.

　Apparently, they had picked it up from a sunken merchant ship.



"That's amazing. How do you know if the merchants are being attacked?"

"When they are fighting a big fight, you can hear a lot of noise. They can be enchanted into the water."



　We arrived at the cove in no time while talking with Madeline.

　As expected, there is no place for a sailboat to perch in the cove.



"Well, let's go to the town of Brandon and see what's there.

"Yes, we should go to the town of Brandon.



　Just as we were about to head for the village of Brandon, Ciel came back via the box garden.

"Welcome back. Did you find out where the mermaids are being held?"



　Ciel nodded, pointed with his wings, and began to lead the way.

　It seems we are in the city of Brandon.



　After a while, we see many boats in the distance, including sailing ships.

　Just as he was about to reach Brandon, San gradually slowed down and came to a stop at sea.



Mr. Locke, I am sorry. If I get any closer, I may get into trouble.



　San cuts me off, looking a little apologetic.

　It's true, a man of Sun's size can't walk around town and attract much attention.



"Okay. Thank you, Sun. We'll split up from here."

I'll be waiting offshore, and if you need me, I'll be there to help you.



But just pray that everything goes all right. Please, Mr. Gargoyle."



　Mr. Gargoyle comes out of the box.

Those mermaids who cannot change or fight should wait here with Sun.



　If the mermaids who can't change go with him and get caught again, it would be a complete disaster.

　We'll go ashore from a deserted spot, away from the sailboats.



　We are a little relieved to be on solid ground for the first time in a long time, since we have been on the sea all this time.



　The mermaids put on their human clothes as soon as they come ashore. The clothes are made of a special fabric that dries quickly and removes the wetness from their bodies as they walk, and is said to be magical.



"If you want one, I can make one for you, Mr. Locke.

"I might be interested. Well, we'll see about that after we're done here. Then let's hurry.



　The mermaids are all beautiful women, as expected, and we decide to split them into groups of 3-5 to keep a little distance from each other, as this would draw too much attention from other people.



　Ciel leads us to a corner of the warehouse district by the sea.

"Ciel, there?"

　Ciel nodded his head.



　There were no guards or anything at the entrance.

"I'm going to go check on them, and you guys can wait here. Lucky."

--Aiyo----



　I take Lucky out of the box and leave him to escort the mermaids to the warehouse.

　The warehouse had a large double-opening door, which was only bolted from the outside.



　When the door is slowly unbolted and the door is opened, a strange smell and heat are wafting through the air.

　Inside there were cages of various sizes, and there were many living creatures in them.






　From rare animals not seen in this area, to subhumans whose eyes had lost their animation.

　Some of the bodies were skeletonized.



　The cages are stacked from the bottom to the top of the warehouse and are not well cared for.



　We slowly and quietly enter the warehouse.

　There seemed to be no guards around, but we could not let our guard down.



　As we go deeper into the warehouse, the appearance of the demons gradually changes.

　Is it a rare demon ......?

　There was a monster I've never seen before, a goblin with a draxnake growing out of its buttocks.



　What in the world is this place ......?

　I have a bad feeling about this.