"Wait a minute, you want to train for underwater combat?　I know better than mermaids."



　If you just want to train for underwater combat, we can send a half-mermaid or a San.



"What?　Since you know such fluffy things, are they more interesting demons than mermaids?"

"I don't know if they're interesting or not, but I think we can train them better than if we bid for one mermaid and make her fight."



"That's a good idea. But what's in it for you?　Unfortunately, I don't trust people who are only nice to me. What are you after?



　If Grizz is more interested in underwater training than mermaids, then I can help him achieve his goal. If we can get him to cooperate with us, it will make the mermaid rescue a lot easier.



"First of all, I'm sorry to return the question to you, but why do you want to train for underwater combat?　If you can train underwater, doesn't it mean you have to be a mermaid?"

"Well, I want a mermaid because mermaids are rare. But it doesn't mean you have to be a mermaid. As a matter of fact. ......"



　Grizz was about to say something when Marquis stopped him.

"Mr. Grizz, I don't think we should talk about it here."



　Grizz's earlier slip seemed to have alarmed Marquis.

　Grizz also looks around and seems to be on the lookout.



　The residents still don't seem to be interested in us, but I don't know where or who is listening. From the look on Marquis' face, it sounds worse than what he just said.



"Yeah, I guess so. "Right. Because we can't stand around here talking all the time. Do you ...... have any time after this?　I'd like to invite you over to my place."

I have time. ......



　I look at Lucky and May.

　It's a merchant's house, so I'm sure it's big, but I wonder if I should have Lucky stay in the box yard.

　Grizz notices my gaze and answers before I can ask a question.



"It's okay. Fluffy can go in my house. Well, then let's get going. We can't take Mohammed in the wagon, so you'll have to follow behind us."

"Okay."



　We'll get on Lucky and follow behind Grizz.

Rock, how do we know we can trust this guy?

I don't trust him. "I don't trust him, but if we don't antagonize him, he might make it easier for us to get the bid off May's mom the day after tomorrow."



"Okay. But if you fight, I'll fight too.

"You won't get into a fight with them. Not after getting hit so hard by Lucky's intimidation."



　Marquis may not like me, but at least the rest of his crew doesn't want to fight Lucky.



　Grizz's carriage continued toward the center of the city, stopping once in front of the largest house in it. Marquis gets out of the carriage and starts talking to me with a pained look on his face.

　I laugh at his obvious attitude.



"You greedy poor thing, you can't come inside the house, so you'll have to wait in the yard for me. You're going to have to wait for me in the yard. You're going to have to follow me on the fluffy to the front door and get off there."

"Okay."



　We pass through the tastefully decorated gate and continue through the garden.

　The garden was filled with flowers, trees, statues, stones, and other things that were in poor taste, and there was no sense of unity.



"It's hard to understand people's taste," he said.

"Lucky, don't worry. I don't understand this hobby either.



　We rode Lucky onward, and when we were near the house, a rare wolf called Wonder Wolf White Wolf came in front of us.



"Lucky, don't attack him."

"Of course not. "Of course not. I'm not going to get into trouble here.



　The White Wolf Wonder Wolf is a very rare creature, and its beautiful fur has been overhunted and its population has dwindled to the point where it is rarely seen in the woods anymore.



　The white wolf seems to be interested in us, and walks leading us at a certain distance.

　Occasionally, it would look back at us.



What do you want?

"I don't know.　But I don't think he wants to antagonize Lucky.



　We walked for a while and finally arrived at the entrance of the house.

　It would have been difficult to compete with someone with the financial resources to build such a large house in the center of the city, even if we challenged him to an auction.



Lucky, wait here.

Hey. Be careful. If anything happens to me, I'll destroy your house to save you.

Yeah, I'll be fine. Come on, Mei.



　I walked up to the entrance of the house and was greeted by a pretty maid dressed in a frilly maid's outfit.

"Welcome. Come on in."



　We go inside Grizz's house. Inside the house, there were many inconsistent decorations. There were also some wooden statues of people I didn't recognize.



　As soon as we entered the house, we were shown to a large hall and then to a room in the back.　

　When I entered, Grizz was already seated and waiting for me.



"Well, just take a seat."

　Inside the room, as outside, there were many objects with a unique sense of style.

　Among them, one in particular caught my attention. The wall was covered with a large painting of a hideous demon-like creature. May was looking at the pictures of demonic creatures on the wall with great interest, perhaps because they were unusual.






"So ...... you were talking about underwater training."



　A servant at Grizz's house puts a cup of tea in front of us.

　The tea is of such high quality that you can tell by the smell alone that it is of the finest quality.



　I bow lightly and take a sip. I start asking questions.

"Oh, why do you want to do underwater training?"

"Well, you already know that I said I wanted to buy a mermaid because there is talk of half-mermaids attacking the city in the future.



"Half-mermaids are going to attack the city?"

"Yes, there is a settlement of half-fish just offshore from this town, and we have received information that the half-fish are targeting this town."



　Me and May look at each other.

　Half-fish attacking the city?　They would never do such a thing.　

　But ...... if slavers were passing on this information in order to sell mermaids for a higher price, it's ...... not impossible.



"I was born and raised in this town, I know some people and like some of them. Well, the guy who brought the information is a slaver. We don't know how much of it is true, but we can't rule it out as a lie. He has guessed disasters in the past."



"What kind of person brought the information about the half-fish man?"



"Oh, that's a man named Chad who runs a slaver's business on this continent."

　Chad...... I believe it was such a trader that Drakul was being held captive by.



"Is this the man you say has contributed to the city in various ways?"

"Yes. You don't know me, but you know him."

　Grizz continues to laugh, a little self-deprecatingly.



"I want it all. I want the girl I like, the monster I like, the money, the position, the honor. But a lot of people see me as nothing more than a bourgeois heir. In fact, there are many who make fun of me. But honestly, I don't mind. It's not a process. I'll play the fool if that's what the future requires. It's the outcome that counts. But the loss of this city is a different story. If this city disappears, whatever we have will be meaningless.



"Then, don't you have time to go to the dungeon of fire?"



"Yes, of course. But there's a lot about this Chad guy that makes me suspicious. How is it possible that a half-fish who has never attacked a human city before would suddenly attack a city?　There has to be more to it than that. That's why ...... I'll have to gather as much strength as I can. If possible, I want to fight them off before they enter the city.



　I debated whether or not to tell him that the half-breeds had already broken up.

　If I told them here, Grizz wouldn't have to worry about it.

　But to explain that, I would have to tell him about the mermaids.



　As I ponder this for a moment, May opens her mouth.



"I want the mermaids that are going to be on sale. That's why I asked Locke here to help me. I'm sure he'll do something about it. It will be easier if you help me with that."



"What are you talking about, girl?　We're talking about business now. This is not your time.



"No, I can give you what you want. If you help me, I don't know if it will be necessary, but I can give you underwater combat training and give this city maximum water blessings."



"What nonsense ......."

　Marquis waved his hand to end the conversation, as if it were silly to even deal with him.



"I'm a little girl, yes. But I'm also powerful in my own way. I'm not just a burden on the rock."



　May stood up and suddenly started to cast a spell.

"Stop it, May!"



What are you doing?　Mr. Grizz, please. I don't think we should let these weirdos in the house after all. ......"

"No, it's funny."



　May creates a giant ball of water in the room and then turns it into countless smaller spheres, manipulating them without damaging any of the room's decorations. She then made another large sphere and instantly erased it.



"You see?　The water loves me. Of course I'm good at fighting underwater. I'm not going to lose to a half mermaid. So why don't you bid on that mermaid and give her to me?　Give it to me and I'll return the favor."



"You've got to be kidding me!　You're using magic in this room!　Master Grizz, let's turn them over to the soldiers right now!"



"Kkk!　That was fun!　I knew you guys were the best!　My instincts were right. Fine. You can have the mermaid. But let's see if you can beat the half-breed."



"Fine. But I'm not going to do it alone. I'm going to need some help from my friends.

"Suit yourself. So let's do it: ....... First, show me what you can do against my private army on the water. I'll even give you money to buy a mermaid."



"Thank you. I appreciate that.

Thank you. Marquis, quickly select the White Wolf and anyone else who can fight underwater. And show this cheeky little b*tc* how tough the world really is."



"Yes, sir. Let's show these insane people the power of Master Grizz. I'll show them that I'm not just the second generation of a fat, lazy, and useless man."



"Marquis ......, I didn't know you thought that. You're going to take a pay cut."

"No, I didn't mean ...... to say that, I was just ...... thinking what I usually think.

I'll tell you more about that later.



　There was an awkward atmosphere, but May continued.



"Oh, but I'll call a friend of mine who is good at underwater training after I bid for the mermaid. Then I'll give you as many fights as you want.

"What, you're scared now?"






"We don't need to be intimidated at your level. My strength is what I just showed you. Don't worry. My friends are even stronger than I am. And they're used to fighting underwater. You want to train hard, don't you?　After we win the mermaid, we'll fight on the water. Mr. Locke will pay you if we're not good enough. But more importantly, do you know that the slaves those slavers are selling are illegals?"



"What's that? Well, he's a shady one. You mean illegal slaves?"

"Of course!　How can there be mermaids who are anything other than illegal slaves? How can a mermaid be a slave?



"Oh?　Mermaids are classified as demons. They can't be illegal slaves.

What?　What do you mean by that?



　May suddenly jumped at me, so I had to stop her. That's not the point here.

"Mei!　That's not what's important right now."

"Ugh. ......"



"Mermaids are treated as demons, not subhumans. But what about the Dragon Gods?

"The Dragon Gods are treated as subhumans. If they've been captured without permission, they're completely illegal slaves, but ...... it would be difficult to prove that."



　Proving Chad's illegitimacy seems to be a difficult task.



"Well, Mr. Grizz, how do you like the dungeon of fire?"

"This one should be more interesting. First, I'll watch her fail the day after tomorrow. In the meantime, get ready to dive into the dungeon of fire and get some information.

"Yes, sir."



　Marquis hurried out of the room.

　He must have gone to get ready for something or other.



"So, what if the underwater battle doesn't satisfy me?"

"Then I'll let you touch my little Lucky!"

"Oh, that's nice. I've always wanted to touch that fuzzy thing.



　May claimed the right to touch Lucky on her own.

　And Grizz, who was surprisingly eager to do so, was also afraid.



"May, Lucky's going to get mad at you for saying that."

"Don't worry. There's no way Sun and I would lose an underwater battle to their men.



"Well, Mei can get angry with Lucky later for making him a betting man, but how credible is it that the half-fish will attack this town?



"Personally I think it's pretty high. I'm the heir to the Chamber of Commerce, so I get all kinds of information, but there has actually been an attack by the Wonder Wolf in the city that Chad predicted. And the cause of the attack is not known at all. The White Wolf is a very intelligent monster, so it's unlikely that it would attack a human being without reason."



"What about the Wonder Wolf that was in the garden earlier?"

"That was a survivor from near that town. He would have been killed if he hadn't, so I protected him."



　Dove had said that Grizz was the worst of the worst, but that was not quite what he had heard at first.



"Grizz has bought subhumans and demons from slavers before, hasn't he?　What happened to the ones you've bought?"



"You said you didn't know me, but you know me very well. I've had them train with my soldiers, and I've released them into a private reserve I'm building. Of course, I'm careful not to hurt them when I have them train with me.



"You're building such a thing?"

"It's important to protect the demons. So sell me Locke's gray wolf. I've never seen a gray wolf that big."



"Don't say that in front of Lucky. Lucky is Fenrir."



　Apparently, Grizz was mistaken.

　That's why he said 10 times the market price when we met.

　You can't really put a price on Fenrir.



"Fenrir" ...... can't be. That's a legendary beast. I can't believe it's in love with someone. ...... I want one. Hey, Rock, give it to me."



"I'll never give it up. That's why you're going to go get it, isn't it?



"That's right. I can see why Fenrir would have charged so much for the lock. And I don't think the gray wolf would normally talk."



　Before I knew it, Grizz was calling my name, and I was strangely convinced.



"Back on topic, you can't catch Chad dealing with illegal slaves, can you?"

"That's impossible. The guy's got the public's psyche somehow."



"How much damage did you expect if the half-breeds attacked the city?"

"It's hard to say, but I'm sure the city's image will be tarnished just by a demon attack. I hope we can fight them off. If not, it will take some time to rebuild the city if it gets a bad reputation. It depends on how big the half-breeds are going to be."



"How did Chad say he got this information?"



"Chad has a woman in his employ who uses magical tools. She has created a magical tool that predicts the actions of demons. She said that the wave values of the demons are extremely high in the sea, so the half-fish are going out of control, though she doesn't know if they will come here or not. I didn't understand the details when I heard it.



　Well, it seems that everything is going to be done on its own.

　If that's the case,......, will the order go to the village of the half-fish people where Domorte is?

　Does the sphere Domorte has have such a function?



　We need to meet Domorte and confirm it.



"Okay. Then the day after tomorrow, at the mermaid auction, bid on a mermaid. If you can do that, I'll help you fight the half-mermaids, and if you want me to train you to fight in the sea, I know someone who can help you fight in the sea."



"Why don't you come with me to the dungeon of fire?"

"I don't have any ...... good memories of that place. I'm not going to go down there unless there's a good reason. But at least if you can't withstand Lucky's pressure in battle, I'd suggest you quit."



"So much for that. You went easy on him in town, didn't you?"

"Yeah, the first time we were intimidated it wasn't like that. We thought we were really dead.






"Well ...... it's going to be pretty fun."

　Grizz was quite positive.



　We chatted for a while and then left Grizz's house.

　Lucky said he had made friends with Wonder Wolf White Wolf.

　We don't know what they were talking about, but at least he wasn't being treated badly at the house.



　After leaving the Grizz mansion, we met up with Shannon and the others.

　Shannon and the others didn't have any new information.

　They were like gourmet critics, saying that the meat at that stall was very tasty and that the meat at the other stall could be a little more seasoned.



　When I wiped his mouth with some demon sauce, he lightly scolded me saying, "I'm not a child.



　But all the merchants said that Chad was a good merchant.



　We decided to return to the Ark of the Holy Beast.

　Madeline and May were going back to the sea, so I asked May to tell Sun that she would be training with the people of the city in combat.



　Grizz would be happy to train with the leviathan.

　For now, it is a relief that Grizz and I will no longer be competing with each other in Slave City.



　But it will be meaningless unless we can expose Chad's evil or find some countermeasure.



　When we returned to the box yard, Patra, Mr. Gargoyle, and the others were waiting for us with food.

"Welcome home, papa!"

"Welcome home, Mr. Locke."



"Hello, Mr. Rock!" "Hello, Mr. Rock!" "Hello, Mr. Rock!" "Hello, Mr. Rock! Is Domorte back?

No, he hasn't come back yet.



　If he's not back by tomorrow, I'll go check on him.

　I'm curious to know how the mermaids are doing.



"Papa, do you think you can help the mermaids?"

"Yes. I think they'll be fine. We just have to deal with the slavers.



"I see. But you can handle it, right, Dad?

I'll do my best.



　I'd like to answer Patra's trust in me, but .......

"Even if you don't have any proof, why don't you just make sure the slavers can't do anything wrong?"

　Mr. Gargoyle says to me as he brings me my food.

　It is not impossible if you don't follow the rules.



　But if we did that, we would be just like slavers.

　There is still much to be done.