Chapter 6 – What Happened at the Festival (Part 8)

As soon as Ellerdin stepped into the garden, the other races lying on the field all stood up at once.

Their wounds were not fully healed, and they wore unfamiliar restraints around their necks.

At that moment, several voices flowed into her mind.

“Thank you for saving us.”

“Thanks to you, we’re alive.”

At the distinctly different, comfortable voices compared to last time, Ellerdin raised her head in surprise.

The other races were bowing their heads to her in submission.

“Squeak, squeak.”

Feeling a tug on her dress, she looked down to see small lizard-like creatures clinging to her skirt.

“Good human! Good human!”

“Play with us! Play with us!”

They were the children who had been trapped in a small box at the illegal market last time.

As Celine, startled, tried to brush the lizards away, Ellerdin stopped her.

“Do you like it here?”

Ellerdin asked, placing a lizard on her hand. The young hatchlings, Phil and Pearl, laughed gleefully, saying they liked it.

At the sight of the wild children, a black figure at the back sighed.

“Get off quickly. You’re making Ellerdin uncomfortable.”

Surprised that it knew her name, Ellerdin looked at Parin.

Seeing her round eyes, Parin gave a weary smile.

‘Ah…….’

Confirming Parin’s appearance, Ellerdin swallowed her saliva internally.

He had the form of a dragon, but most of his body was covered in black slime. The sprawled Parin was panting as if exhausted.

Black slime was wriggling into the holes humans had stabbed last time all over Parin’s body.

Celine seemed not to hear their voices and quietly waited for Ellerdin’s actions.

Just as Ellerdin was about to start explaining them to Celine, Parin sent a thought to Ellerdin.

“Don’t bother explaining our existence to them.”

Phil and Pearl started circling around Parin, squeaking.

“I am a great being, once the sole guardian of this place, a dragon.”

Though now, I’m dying. 

Parin chuckled with a sneer.

Parin shifted his eyes, looking at Phil and Pearl, then at Ellerdin.

“So don’t worry about others and do what you want, mermaid child.”

At Parin’s last words, Ellerdin gasped. With that, Parin panted and closed his eyes.

Phil and Pearl began to burrow into Parin’s embrace. Black liquid started covering their bodies.

“No, come here!”

Ellerdin exclaimed in surprise. At her shout, Phil and Pearl hesitated and cautiously approached Ellerdin.

“Well done. Keep them from jumping on me. This is a concentrated poison of monsters, so your skin will melt quickly.”

As Parin said, even though it was just for a moment, steam rose from the poison on Phil and Pearl’s bodies.

The liquid began to move over their bodies, as if wanting to swallow them.

Ellerdin hurriedly ran towards the lake with Phil and Pearl on her hand.

Arriving at the lake, Ellerdin knelt and dipped her hands holding Phil and Pearl into the water.

Without washing them much, the poison quickly dissolved and disappeared into the water.

‘Huh……?’

Does it usually disappear this easily? 

Ellerdin looked at the lake in surprise.

Phil and Pearl, seemingly liking the lake, had already slipped from her hand and were swimming on the water.

‘If that’s the case…….’

Could the poison covering Parin’s body also be removed with this water?

“Celine!”

Ellerdin called out to Celine, who was behind. Celine hurriedly ran to her.

“Is there a container nearby that can hold water?”

“A container? Hmm… I’ll bring one from the castle. Please wait a moment.”

Celine hurriedly ran towards the castle. Soon she returned with a large container.

“I’ll do it.”

Since it was too much to lift the container, let alone fill it with water, Ellerdin stepped aside obediently.

The lake water filled the large container. Celine lightly lifted the container filled with water.

“What should I do now?”

“Go to the dragon covered in black poison over there.”

“What? A dragon?”

Celine approached Parin with a bewildered expression.

“Wow… I never thought I’d see a dragon in my lifetime.”

Ellerdin hurriedly ran to Parin and pointed to the poisoned part.

“Please pour water on this part.”

Celine poured water on it with all her might. As the water touched it, the poison began to dissolve with a sizzle.

After confirming the effect, Celine and Ellerdin repeatedly went back and forth in the garden, pouring water over Parin.

The sunny morning had turned to night, and the poison covering Parin’s body was reduced by half.

But while pouring water, the poison stopped dissolving.

“Huh?”

Ellerdin and Celine looked at the poison in panic.

What had disappeared immediately upon contact with water now expanded its area as if nothing happened.

‘Could it be that it no longer works?’

Ellerdin stared at the liquid in panic.

“It’s because your power left in the water has disappeared.”

Parin’s voice echoed in her mind.

“My power?”

Ellerdin murmured.

“There was healing power dissolved in that lake earlier. You must have turned into a mermaid there before.”

She was right. Ellerdin had transformed into a mermaid there once before.

Before, she wasn’t sure, but Parin’s words made her certain.

‘I can be helpful too……!’

Her heart began to pound. With that power, she could heal not only Parin but also Fernan’s curse.

Furthermore, she might even be able to break the curse of the former Duke.

For now, the priority was Parin. To do so, she needed to transform into a mermaid in the lake again.

Since she couldn’t show Celine yet, Ellerdin grabbed her hand.

“Celine, thank you so much for helping today. I’ll rest here for a bit, so you should go and rest too.”

“I’m glad I could help. Don’t overdo it, Madam, and make sure to go inside soon.”

Celine carried the container and left the garden.

As soon as she left, Ellerdin hurriedly ran towards the lake.

But there was a problem. She didn’t have the strength to carry the water to Parin.

Noticing her dilemma, Parin struggled to rise.

He took one step at a time toward the lake. Thanks to Ellerdin and Celine removing the poison from his legs, it was possible.

Seeing Parin coming, Ellerdin plunged into the lake.

As a human, her eyes, a mysterious mix of blue and purple, turned completely blue. It was a bright blue reminiscent of blue flames.

White legs sprouted scales and transformed into fins that held light.

With the mermaid’s visit, the lake water began to sparkle.

The healing power naturally began to seep into the water. Phil and Pearl circled the lake, seemingly fascinated by the sparkling water.

“Can you come in here?”

Ellerdin asked Parin. Parin nodded silently.

The poison was slowly descending from his body to his legs. His moving legs began to stiffen, and his steps slowed.

“Just a little more.”

Ellerdin said in an anxious voice. Fortunately, before the poison enveloped his body, Parin dipped his head into the lake. His massive body plunged beneath the lake.

With a splash, water sprayed across the garden.

“Ugh.”

Ellerdin blocked the water with her arms against the giant wave of water.

The poison covering Parin’s body began to dissolve quickly. The poison that had penetrated his wounds, eyes, and mouth slowly started to disappear.

As the pain that pressed and stabbed his body vanished, Parin opened his eyes wide underwater. He turned her body and soared into the sky in an instant.

“Wow…….”

The previous appearance was gone, and a pure white dragon revealed itself. Ellerdin expressed admiration at the appearance of a complete dragon.

Phil and Pearl flapped their wings following her. However, unable to fly due to their small wings, Ellerdin chuckled and lifted them up high with her hands.

At the elevated view, Phil and Pearl squeaked and burst into laughter.

Parin descended to the ground and bowed his head toward Ellerdin.

“Thank you. Thanks to you, I can take care of the children.”

“Not yet.”

Ellerdin replied abruptly. Parin widened his eyes.

“You’re not fully healed yet. I’ll heal you.”

As she said, there were still holes all over Parin’s body. Simply using water could only drive out the evil, not heal the wounds.

“I don’t want to make you do even that. If left alone, it will heal on its own.”

Parin let out a long yawn.

However, despite Parin’s words, Ellerdin anxiously hovered around him.

Watching the small body move here and there, Parin gently grasped Ellerdin’s shoulder.

“Stop moving and go rest.”

Ellerdin needed rest.

Parin scanned Ellerdin’s body with the unique eyes of a dragon. Dragon eyes, mixed with peculiar magic, could see inside the body.

Ellerdin’s body had only a faint energy flowing, and her physical body was at the end of fatigue.

Leaving the body to that extent meant that the mind was even more broken.

‘But that’s a bit concerning…….’

Parin narrowed his eyes. He could see power condensed near Ellerdin’s heart.

Ordinarily, it would be considered good as potential, but in her case, it wasn’t.

The fact that the potential hadn’t opened despite being on the verge of death meant that the power might not manifest until death.

Of course, the power would be immense, but what use is it if it doesn’t manifest?

And above all, Ellerdin didn’t even know what kind of being she was.

‘A mermaid who doesn’t know what it means to use healing power…….’

That means she doesn’t know what rank she holds. Such a child was dangerous.

In most cases where someone has power but is ignorant, they are used and discarded. And she likely walked that path as well.

Parin examined the scars densely covering Ellerdin’s body.

‘Sigh… one more thing to take care of.’

Parin stretched, taking his eyes off Ellerdin. The holes throbbed, but compared to the pain earlier, this was nothing.

Stretching after a long time, the stiff scales spread, revealing their presence.

“Go quickly. It seems someone is waiting for you.”

Parin chuckled at the ominous energy felt from afar.

Though it was a fairly strong energy for such a young age, it was nothing compared to the demon he knew.

‘I wonder how that guy is living.’

Parin lifted his head to look at the castle. A familiar energy was felt from there.

‘I wonder why I sense that demon’s energy from him too.’

Parin narrowed his eyes, looking at Fernan, who was watching his from afar.

‘What on earth happened while I was asleep? I remember him being healthy before entering hibernation.’

The demon’s power was faintly felt. It seemed like it would end any moment, yet it was still alive.

If possible, he wanted to see that shining silver hair once more.

Having woken up from hibernation after so long, Parin couldn’t tell how much time had passed.

‘Sigh, I was just trying to catch up on the world after a long time, and what a disaster.’

Parin groaned and turned his body.

It was the biggest crisis of his dragon life to be caught by humans when his power hadn’t returned.

‘Well, I survived thanks to this little one.’

Parin’s pupils focused on Ellerdin. Noticing his gaze, Ellerdin smiled warmly.

“Then, I’ll see you tomorrow. Sleep well. You two, take care.”

Ellerdin bid farewell to Parin and greeted Phil and Pearl, who were busily running around below.

The other races also bowed their heads to her once and then scattered to their places.

As she left the garden and opened the castle door, someone stood in front of it.

“Oh? Fernan?”

“You’re back. I was just about to go out since I couldn’t sleep, so I’m lucky.”

Fernan smiled warmly. Ellerdin looked at him with a worried expression.

“Can’t you sleep? Haven’t you been unable to sleep much lately?”

Ellerdin reached out and touched his eyes. Feeling the gentle touch, Fernan closed his eyes quietly.

“I couldn’t, but… meeting you makes me feel sleepy. Is it okay if I sleep with you again today?”

“Of course. I’ll put you to sleep today.”

Ellerdin smiled warmly. Throughout the nightmares, she knew something warm was holding her.

She couldn’t tell exactly what it was, but she knew from the gentle gesture that it was Fernan.

Just like you protected me, today I’ll protect you.

Ellerdin took Fernan’s hand.

“I’ll be here, so you can sleep anytime.”

Ellerdin nodded as if to say, trust only in her.

She reached out and patted Fernan’s chest. Through the blanket, she felt his firm muscles. Moving her hand, she felt as if she were tapping a stone.

However, contrary to her determination to put him to sleep, it was Ellerdin who fell asleep.

Seeing her asleep, breathing softly, Fernan turned to look at her.

Just a moment ago, she seemed comfortable, but now a wrinkle had formed on her brow.

Fernan embraced her. He slowly stroked Ellerdin’s back.

When he sensed Ellerdin’s energy in the garden earlier, he was startled. It meant she had transformed into a mermaid.

For a moment, he wondered if he should run to her, but he decided to trust and wait for Ellerdin.

‘Because I’ve decided to respect whatever you do.’

He hoped Ellerdin would try anything without worrying about others.

He hoped she would rush out to try anything instead of being tied to this place.

Of course, it was fine if she stayed here too.

‘I will respect any choice you make.’

Fernan kissed Ellerdin’s forehead briefly.

***

When she opened her eyes in the morning, she saw Fernan’s smiling face.

“Did you sleep well?”

Fernan smiled brightly at her, still drowsy.

He got up from the bed, tidied his clothes, and turned to Ellerdin.

“I think I’ll be busy for a while. I’ll be in the office for the time being, so if you ever need my help or want to see me, please come.”

Ellerdin nodded at his words.

In fact, Fernan wasn’t that busy, but he said this because he wanted Ellerdin to act freely without worrying about him.

Ellerdin would probably spend a lot of time in the garden, and if he said he was waiting here, she would return on time.

He didn’t want to be such a hindrance.

“Oh, but make sure you don’t skip breakfast.”

Fernan said as he was about to leave. Ellerdin chuckled and agreed.