443-441 Succession to the throne




Ladies and gentlemen, could I have your attention for a moment?
"Most of it!

 Queen Sheila and His Majesty Nargus, the Mermaid King, stand side by side and say, "We're afraid to entertain you during our chat.
 What is going on here with the king and queen standing together?

First of all, I would like to thank you for being here today for my son Arowana and his daughter-in-law Pfafa. My son and his wife are very fortunate to have so many friends.
"Most!
As you know, my son Arowana is the firstborn son of Nargus the Mermaid. She is the first in line of succession to the throne. If things continue as they are, Arowana will surely be the next mermaid king.
Mwah!
And today, Arowana's wife, Puffa, will succeed me as the next mermaid queen.
"Mooching, mooching, mooching!

 The whistling noise...!
 Everyone in the hall thought.

 Me, the demon king, and Mr. Ardhegg, too.

"It's so annoying, isn't it?
Let her do her job and have a chat with her.

 Hey! Songgokphone and Veerle!
 You don't just say what you think!

"Both of you have overcome many hardships and have reached an impeccable level of mental and physical fitness. If I were to give up the throne of King and Queen right now, they would be fully capable of doing so from this day forward.
''Mother........?''

 Her groom, Prince Arowana, shed tears of joy at these words.

 In place of King Nargus, who had been rendered speechless by a certain incident in the past, the queen had spoken not only for herself, but also for the king.

 So the words of recognition from her mother were twice as poignant as those of her father.
 With a handkerchief taken out by the bride, Pfafa, she wiped away her husband's tears.

'So.....

 And Queen Sheila continued.

"I think I'll give up the throne right here and now.
"Hey, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!

 Big announcement all of a sudden.
 What kind of a casual declaration is that?

 That's why Prince Arowana's blood is all over the queen and her friends.

"What did you say? What did you say, mother? You're joking, aren't you?
I don't say this in jest. Especially in a public place like this.
That's right!

 We're right in front of the representatives of each country.

Does this mean that your father will abdicate his position as mermaid and your mother will no longer be queen? And you mean I'm going to be the Mermaid King instead?
Yes, what else is there to do?
You don't have one, do you?

 Prince Arowana collapses after checking.
 I tried to find another way to receive it, but it didn't work out.

Arowana," said Prince Arowana. Of course this is your decision, darling. Mum is just telling you that.
Mooch!

 And now your stepfather is crying all the time?
 To assure you that it was your own will?

As I said before, you've already got what it takes to be king. I'm sure you're ready to give up the throne at any time. Then the sooner the better.
So it's a little out of the blue...?
Because when he succeeds to the throne, we have to have another event for the coronation and so on, right? Gather the people again. If that's the case, wouldn't it be more profitable to do it now, all together?
"For that reason?

 d*mn, Queen Mermaid!
"It's our birthday and Christmas coming up. Target.

"I'm sure all of you in this room have come home from your weddings without a care in the world, and the next day or so you say, 'We're going to have a coronation! Gather round! I'm sure you'll think it's a hassle to get the word out that I'm not. Hey?

 Many in the pew looked away as Queen Sheila shook her off.
 It was more of an eloquent dismissal of the gaze than anything else.

'If we have to put a cool down period, it will be at least a year from now, won't it? Both myself and my darling want to abdicate as soon as possible and live a carefree retreat. So, why not? Let's do it, okay?
That's not very casual, is it?

 Anyway, Prince Arowana, the sudden turn of events was very confusing.
 I'm sure they should have at least consulted with him beforehand, but they didn't, did they?

 Why are you trying to surprise me...?

 And so a smaller hand gently holds Prince Arowana's hand, which is going right and left.
 A woman's palm.

'....Puffa?
You can't be unseemly. There are representatives from all over the world watching us.

 She was right, and now the world's dignitaries were watching with bated breath.
 In this situation, if they panicked, their reputation would only be diminished by that much.

''.........''

 Prince Arowana caught his breath.........

".........puffa.

 Look at the mate you will be with today.
 It's already not his problem alone.
 If he changes, she has to change too.

'You don't need to worry about Atai. I'm going to go with you wherever you go, so from the beginning...
I'm sorry.

 Prince Arowana once again knelt before his parents.

"I, Arowana, risk my life to fulfill the burden of the Mermaid King. I will serve my country, serve my people, and honorably disgrace my predecessor.
"Moss.

 His Majesty the Mermaid King Nargus presented it to him, a golden three-pronged weapon.

 It is a replica of the trident, the most powerful blade owned by the sea god Poseidos.

 A replica of the strongest blade the sea god Poseidos possesses, reduced in size so that it can be wielded by humanity.
 Even so, it is a deadly weapon that an ordinary man cannot even touch.

 It was also the jewel in the crown of the mermaid race, a weapon that only the highest-ranking man was allowed to possess.

 When the trident weapon passed from King Nargus to Prince Arowana, all of his power and authority would be passed down from parent to child.

 Prince Arowana stood up and held the divine weapon in both hands.
 King Nagas's hand left his bow.

 At that moment, Prince Arowana was no longer a prince.

 A new king was born in this world.

'I declare it here and now!

 Prince Arowana, or rather King Arowana, raised the point of the spear high into the sky.

I am Arowana, the new mermaid king! Be a servant of peace to the mermaid nation, its people, and all the world!

 A thunderous round of applause erupted.

 It was proof that all those gathered here recognized and celebrated the birth of the new Mermaid King.
 I didn't want a mess to happen from here and be called back to the coronation ceremony at a later date.
 I wanted to make a decision.

 And then the new mermaid queen, snuggled up next to the new mermaid king.

 Puffa.

 A new beginning for both of them, and a new path to a new path.

 It's a difficult path, but I'm sure they can make it.

 King Arowana.
 Queen Puffa.

 Here is a new form of married life.

    * * * *

 And so Arowana and Puffa's wedding came to a close without a hitch.

 I can't call him 'Prince' anymore, but I'd rather not call him 'King' either, so I settled on 'Arowana' after all.
 I don't know why we call him "Prince" anymore, but it's a normal thing to call him that.

 However, Arowana and Puffa will forever remain our dear friends, and I'm sure they'll continue to visit us when they see us, or we'll come visit them.

 In fact, the one thing that is going to change a lot in the future is.....

''Oh no, that's finally a weight off my shoulders!
Mooch!

 Nargus and Sheila are no longer the Mermaid King or the Mermaid Queen.
 The two of them must have gotten quite a bit of free time after retiring.

 What will they do now?

 I can't read the future.......?