66-65  Mermaid Prisoner




 My name is Lamp-Eye, and I am one of the Six Crazy Witches.

 I have been embarrassingly called the "Crazy Six Witches", and I personally have been given the embarrassing nickname of "The Witch of Hellfire".

 Before I was arrested, I was a mermaid soldier serving the Mermaid Palace.
 I was skilled in handling medicinal magic, especially burning and explosive potions, which is why I was called the "Hellfire Witch".

 One time I beat up an imprudent person in a fit of righteous indignation, and the imprudent person was known as the Hellfire Witch.
 He was the son of a nobleman of the mermaid race.

 I was imprisoned for my crimes.
 Normally, it would have been a crime punishable by death immediately. But I was able to get away with it because of the efforts of the royal family behind the scenes.
 However, I too am a public servant. I can't bring any more trouble to my master's family.
 I thought about settling this matter by committing suicide in prison.

 Then Prince Arowana made an unexpected proposal to me.

"Why don't you get some rest in a distant prison cell?

 And.
 I couldn't say no to the royal family when they cared so much about me.
 I have accepted my fate.

 I accepted my fate and decided to leave for a new land.
 I was accompanied by two people.

I was accompanied by two companions, Puffa, the Freezing Cold Witch, and Gala Rufa, the Plague Witch, both of whom, like me, were six years old.

 Both of them are madwomen, just like me, and are counted among the Six Witches.
 However, for me, a prosperous soldier of the court to be thought of as one of these people is the height of insult.

 Anyway, after saying something like that, we arrived at the place of imprisonment.
 It was on land.
 Are we going to live on land?

You guys are going to have to drink this!

 And Prince Arowana presented it to him........
 ..........?

 Here! Could it be that this is the latest type of land humanization drug developed by Princess Platy?

 No side effects!
 Effect indefinitely!

 One of the many greatest achievements in the history of the mermaid race achieved by that person who is said to be the perfection of the land manification drug!
 I drink! Let me drink it!
 As a soldier in the service of the palace, I am honored to be a test subject to Princess Plati's new medicine!
 I will respectfully take a gulp!

 Gokgokgokgok...!

 It smells like medicine!
 And the bottom half of my body is changing gnocchiously!
 I'm now a landman's foot. Super handy to walk in two halves!

''The land-humanization potion made by Prati will never return to nature due to its lasting effects. A woman as wise as you would know that, needless to say...!
Heh.

 What?
 Like me, Puffa, who has been transformed into a human being by drugs, has run into the sea!
 Head in the water?

Whoa! Oh, my God, that's painful! I can't breathe! Dying!

 Of course!
 We are the changed ones, we are now fully literate! I can't breathe underwater!

No, I just wanted to see it in action. A scientist should get the facts by experimenting.

 That said, please stand your ground.
 That's what you're doing now. You can't complain about being killed for attempting to escape!

 .........
 But, she does have a point.
 It's the first time for me to take a land humanization drug. With the prince's permission, I tried to dive for a test run.

 Bu-ho!
 It's painful, painful! Ella, I can't breathe! Ella breathless!

 It's a fresh sensation.
 I've heard that the new drug the princess has developed can only be used to turn you back into a mermaid if you take the release drug.
 That means we can't return to the sea without permission.

 I see, so this is the place of exile, isn't it?
 In a way, there could be no more harsh and desperate penal colony for mermaids.

 While I was thinking about all this, someone came from inland.
 Is that..........?
 A demon tribe?

Welcome to our home. Our saint has sent us to guide you. I'm Bati.

 Is this the demon tribe's sphere of influence here?
 The story is getting a bit fishy. I'm feeling spectacularly uneasy.

"I will now escort you all to the house of our saint. But there are some things you need to know first.

 Do I have to tell you?

'Yes, that's right. The saint has laid down some rules for you to live here. Among them, there is one rule in particular that I want you to absolutely follow.

 It sounds serious.
 I don't disagree with you, but the other two have a rebellious streak, so if you talk to them in a way that is too stifling, they will rebel.

That rule is that you are not allowed to go out on land with your bottom half exposed!

 Hmm?

'It means you can't go out in public with your crotch and buttocks spooning! Anyway! I've got pants, skirts and trousers for you guys, so put them on as fast as you can!

              * * *

 You have a strange custom on land.
 Let's follow the township. These pants? When I put on the thing, my buttocks tightened up and felt uncomfortable.
 When I complained about that - or did you say Batty-san - the demoness blushed and said, "I'll get used to it soon! I said loudly.
 There's nothing to shout about, is there?

 The three of us, Puffa and Gara Rufa, will lead the demon tribe to the back of the land.
 We are prisoners, so let's go in a good manner.
 The convoy soldiers have left, and the only one who will still be accompanying them is Prince Arowana.

 What kind of place is this?
 It's not like a city or a village or anything like that.

 I was more and more surprised when I went inland.
 There are monsters.
 Orcs and goblins. They're called anthropomorphic monsters.
 As expected of me, I'm not familiar with land monsters, and this is the first time I've ever witnessed orcs and goblins!

Well it's nice to meet you. You're the new guy who claims to be from the land of mermaids, right?
How do you do?
My name is Okubo and I organize the Orcs. It's nice to meet you.
Yo, nice to meet you!

 I exchanged greetings with the monster.
 Land monsters are intelligent enough to talk to each other, aren't they? I had never heard of it before.

 After the greeting, the monster immediately went back to the work he was originally engaged in, it seems.
 Farming.

 After recognizing the monster's appearance, I became more and more worried.
 They say that mimic monsters have a habit of following the demon race.

 The demon tribe that showed up to greet us.
 The monsters following the demon tribe.

 Is this the demon's sphere of influence after all?
 The saint who rules this place is a demon?

 Don't tell me that the Mermaid Kingdom and the Demon Kingdom have formed some kind of secret alliance?

 And after some confusion, we finally arrived at the final point.
 This seems to be the real destination.

 What a big, majestic building.
 Even with my explosive potion, it's going to be hard to blow it up!

"...don't blow it up?

 I got a tweak from Mr. Puffa in line next to me.
 What is it? Please don't read human thoughts, okay?
 Don't treat humans like bombs!

 As we were arguing like that, I was surprised when Prince Arowana suddenly shouted out loud.

''Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! Prati!

 Eh!
 I was surprised by the volume of his voice, but I was also surprised by the content of his words.

 What name did the prince just say?

''I've brought the reinforcements you wanted! Don't show your face!

 In response to that voice, the doorway of the huge warehouse opened up with a giggle.......!
 What came out from within...?

'You don't have to shout that loud anymore, I can hear you. Don't be embarrassed, brother!

 Princess Plati eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee?
 I am a court jester, and I can use my whole life for this!

 Princess Platy?
 What brings you here?

 Is it possible, is it possible, sir?
 I'm here to serve Princess Platy?

 If that's the case, then Riku, you're in for a hell of a ride!

 This is heaven!

 It's more like heaven at its finest!

 Tengoku!