Will you marry me?
Yes, sir.

　I am the mermaid debater Hendler.
　A lifelong blunder.

　I never thought a woman would ask me to marry her.

　Lamprey, the love of my life, is a woman of exceptional talent who is called a witch by the mermaids.
　While I was wondering if I was worthy of her, she asked me to marry her.

　This is a man's role, but what a delay.

　I had no choice but to accept her proposal with open arms.

　Thus it was decided that Lamprey and I should be married.

　Coincidentally, my beloved Lord, Prince Arowana, also raised the candlelight ceremony at the same time.
　His opponent was also, coincidentally, one of the six witches.

　As if by chance, she and the prince got married at the same time.
　And he is also one of the six witches.
　He marries the highest-ranking woman in the mermaid kingdom at the same time. It was painful to imagine how the people around him would react to this connection.

　However, he can't avoid paying tribute to Lump-Eye's feelings, so he finally decides to pay tribute to her.
　It was time to pay the tribute.

　It would be very troublesome for me to settle down.

　Well, it's a lot of trouble because of my birth and the path I've taken so far.

　I was born into a great family, ran away from home, cut off my family's ties and became a solitary debater.

　Still, marriage is a big deal in life.

　He said he couldn't not tell his parents about it, so today, he took his fiancée back home with him.

　　　　* * * *

　And when he met with his father, the first thing he said at the opening was....

"Are you planning to become a mermaid marshal?
Why?

　It was very unexpected.

　The Mermaid Marshal was the head of the Mermaid Nation's military department.
　It was so bad that the position was currently vacant because he had to have all the skills, knowledge, supremacy, and virtue.
　Or rather, it's been vacant for the past few decades.
　If someone was newly appointed as the Mermaid Marshal, it would be an amazing feat that would go down in history.

　I've been told that in the distant land of evil, a person named Belfegamilia was appointed to the position of commander of the demon army, and the Mermaid Marshal is the equivalent of that.

Why do you think I have been given such a prestigious position?　Did you get lost in the blood?
'No?　Your recent accomplishments, I think they are of sufficient quality and quantity for you to go after the Mermaid Marshal, don't you?

　My father, who holds the position of a great general in the Mermaid Kingdom Military Department, says, "Currently, the Mermaid Army has two great generals in addition to your father.

　At present, the Mermaid Army has two other generals besides your father, and the policy of the army is decided by consensus of the three, and with the approval of the Mermaid King.
　However, when the Mermaid General takes office, the decision will be completely left to that one person.

　Do I have to shoulder that kind of responsibility?
　It's horrible to imagine.

"Think about it. Your reputation is at an all-time high thanks to your efforts to put down the last coup. You are now known as 'Prince Arowana's best friend'.
Is that what they call you?

　No, I knew that.
　But I'm a publicist, so I have to be quick to listen. I don't feel comfortable with people calling me that...

In addition, last year you tied for the top 4 in the WUWA swimming competition. While the other three were all monsters of a different dimension, you, Takebe, still showed your presence.
I just got lucky.

　That's all I can really say.

　King Nagas, Prince Arowana, and the Saints.
　The main reason I made it to the semi-finals was that I didn't hit these strongest guys until the semi-finals.

　If I had hit them, I'm sure I would have been defeated when I did.

''But you still fought to the end in front of His Royal Highness the Prince. That was definitely a great game!
I lost in the end.

　This was my final semi-final match.
　My opponent was Prince Arowana, whom I admire very much. But fighting him in person showed me how strong he was.

　After just one bout, I knew right away that I couldn't win.
　The results of my martial arts training on land were more than enough. Before he left for training and after he returned, the prince's supremacy was different like a different person.

　The match itself was a long one, but that was willpower.
　I just wanted to see how close I could get to my lord.

It's the height of insolence for a vassal to want to compete with his master. Your record of warfare is the best in the world.
'Maybe so, but...'

　In that tournament I had earned the reputation of being the strongest in the entire country, except for the royalty.
　A title too exaggerated for a mere debater.

To top it all off, I'm now going to join with one of the Six Mad Demonesses. I've heard that Prince Arowana will soon have another one of the Six Mad Demonesses as his bride.

　Father.....
It's better not to call it 'Crazy Six Demoness' in front of him.

''Regardless of how you interpret this, it will result in strengthening the bond between you and the prince. You have achievements, your abilities are well known, and you have uncommon ties to the future king. Above all, you have a good bloodline!　I think we have enough groundwork to go after the first Mermaid Marshal in decades!

"I think? I'm not.
　Father. He thinks he can turn out the best in his family.

　It'll be great if it happens, won't it?

You're right, father-in-law!

　And there was another one who was excited.
　He is sitting next to me.

'This lamprey, from now on, I will do my best to support you as Master Hendler's beloved wife!　Master Hendler is a genius!　It has the potential to reach the Mermaid Marshal!
Do you think so?　That's what I'm going to marry, and I know Hendler well!
"Your father-in-law is the one who sees through Master Hendler's brilliance.　With my unofficial help, I hope to raise him to the rank of mermaid marshal!

　My fiancé is really motivated.

　........well, it's because his original occupation is the Mermaid Palace Kingsguard.

　As expected, as someone who has been in the military, I understand the greatness of the Mermaid General.
　I'm sure she'd be excited to hear that her husband would be able to take on such a great role.

"Wait, father, I've told you many times...!
If you're going to have a family, you're going to have to have a real job. Now it's time for you to join the army.

　That's a tough one to say!
　It's sad to see a debater's job not considered a regular job.

　..........and Lamp Eye. He's willing to give up his prestigious duties of guarding Princess Plati on the farm to join me.

　I'm going to have to give up a part of myself to make a new life for us.

　Isn't that what marriage is all about?
　

'What post would you like to have in the military?　How about a second-in-command of the Kingsguard?　You'll learn a lot from your captain's eldest son!

　I've already made a lot of decisions.

'My, I'm here today to ask for permission to marry, so let's talk about that first...!
Oh, that's right. It's often said that rushing the conversation is a bad habit of mine. Hahaha!

　Father, you can't hide your embarrassment with a single smile.

''It's a great honor to have one of the Six Mad Demonesses in our family, an honorable maniacal demoness!　I'm not the best person to be your son, but it's nice to meet you!
Don't give me that crazy talk.

　Lamprey says without cracking a smile at all.
　It's scary.

It's time for you to meet the whole family, isn't it?　We've got them all for today!　Just hold on for a moment as I call you in!

　Father said with a cheerful smile and walked out of the room.
　I'm sure he'll bring all the family members who are waiting in another room.
　If the face-to-face meeting with the parents and siblings is done without a hitch, the lump eye will finally become a member of our family.

''.........You don't look happy.

　When we were alone, she said abruptly.

'I'm sorry. It's not appropriate for such a happy occasion...''
'I've always wondered if Master Hendler had anything to do with your family?

　He asked me a question that I had never been asked before, in no uncertain terms.
　...No.
　If I had to ask her, this would be the only time to do so.

　I've been giving off an air of not wanting to be asked, so she was wise enough to leave me alone with her intentions.
　But if I was going to be dealing with the family in question from now on, there was no way I could avoid mentioning it.
　I also made up my mind.

''Well, it happens all the time.''

　I start to talk about it in fits and starts.
　How I came to be out of this house.

"I was a failure,