CHAPTER 506: IMPENDING BATTLE IN MERFOLK KINGDOM

"Then...what is he planning to do? How would he reclaim it?" Mier asked, curious on what his father was actually planning to do.

"That...I don’t know. However, compared to the family who I left behind, as they prefer to have you and presumably me to be a sacrifice to a god who didn’t even exist, based on what the Harvest Goddess knows about the gods, I would support your father without hesitation," Alessa said with determination in her voice.

"What your mother said is correct, Mier. There are no gods who require human sacrifice to prove loyalty or to show reverence. It is proven by the gods that there are no benefits for them to require a human sacrifice, and it is more like a waste of followers and believers, which would be less desired by the gods. Therefore, the act of sacrifice is something that shouldn’t be done by the gods. The god they believe in is presumably something like a beast that got pacified as a result of their constant sacrifice or something similar which resulted them to have this ritual, believing on that."

"Does that mean, we are going to go back to the sea in the future?" Mier asked.

"Perhaps. However, you can choose to where you will live in the future. If in case we can go back without the fear of being sacrificed brought up in the future, then you can choose to perhaps live in the sea or remain here on land. It won’t be long, Mier."

Mier went quiet after the revelation. It is something she wasn’t expecting at all. It was all too much to take in after all.

"Looks like she is overwhelmed by what she learned. Considering that she is still a child, perhaps a good night’s rest would allow her to clear her mind. Go now, child. Have some sleep. Besides, the current time is already not an idea time for you to remain awake. Go and have some rest," the Harvest Goddess urged.

Mier nodded and yawned before she returned to her quarters. The Harvest Goddess turned to look at Alessa and shook her head.

"Why did you choose to hide the information that her father was actually doing a small rebellion to take over the Merfolk kingdom and is already on the path of winning?"

Alessa shook her head. "She shouldn’t know just yet. Because there is a chance that Fohl might accidentally fight my father to the end, and I don’t want her to learn that his Grandfather and Father decided to fight to the death just to learn who will claim to be the rightful ruler of the kingdom of the merfolks."

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After Mier’s questions last time, Elaina learned from the Harvest Goddess that she finally knew who her father was. It seems she has gotten a bit happier compared to how reserved she was and a bit shyer. Although her behavior did not change much, she is now much more smiling than before, and Elaina thinks that is a good thing.

One more thing that she learned is that Fohl will soon return, and this time, it seems that he has some talks and some propositions that he wanted to ask later, but Elaina is not sure what. Despite this, Elaina didn’t mind it. As long as she can do it, then she will not have problems with it.

Since she is still busy trying to prepare to explore the Land of the Dead, a little bit of distraction from other things is a good way to pass the time. So, after cultivating, checking the winter crops, and helping Curaj with the animals, Fohl arrived.

Contrary to what Elaina expected, Fohl arrived alone, and this time, he didn’t use the usual place he used to come and visit Alessa at night. He came in his regular form and visited normally.

"Sorry for suddenly visiting and only having my wife and daughter relay the message to you, Miss Elaina," Fohl bowed in apology.

"It is fine. Besides, something happened last night, right? It’s understandable, so don’t worry. Come to the living room, and we will discuss things there. I will also call your daughter and Alessa for a bit."

Fohl smiled and went to the living room while Elaina called for Alessa and Mier. Shortly after, the two arrived while Elaina and Julia were preparing snacks.

Mier quickly hides behind her mother, while peeking on Fohl who is awkwardly smiling while watching the two.

"Come on, Mier, don’t be shy, it is your father."

Although reluctant, Mier didn’t hide behind Alessa forever and revealed herself, but is a bit shy and is playing with her fingers to hide her nervousness.

"I am sorry, Fohl, Mier is just this shy with people she just met or talks to."

"I don’t mind. Consider this as something of a consequence of my actions, and I think I deserved it for hiding for too long," Fohl bitterly smiled.

"No! I don’t hate you, but perhaps I only needed to have a little talk and perhaps a few hours of bonding time for me to get used to your presence," Mier interrupted, causing Fohl to have his face to seem to light up and show a faint look of relief on his face.

Placing the cookies, bread, and juice on the table, Elaina took a seat on the sofa and seriously looked at Fohl.

"Alright, let’s start with what you wanted from me. I heard you have something that you needed to talk to me about. But what is it, and is it really something I can help with? I mean, I am not one of the merfolk, nor can I help out with what you are doing there."

"Don’t worry, Miss Elaina. This task is more of a commission to you rather than a request. It is something we don’t immediately need, but we need some help from you with what I will be doing soon. And no, it doesn’t involve you helping out in the combat that we will be doing soon, despite that little fact that we needed the help of someone who can fight. But we aren’t so desperate to force someone to do our bidding."

"Combat? Wait, are you fighting someone?" Elaina frowned.

"Someone? No. More like something."

"Eh?" Elaina and Alessa frowned when they looked at Fohl.

"Right. It was something. A monster. This monster is now scheduled to attack and try to destroy the kingdom of the Merfolk soon. It was the consequence of the kingdom failing to offer a suitable sacrifice. And yes, I am talking about the so-called god of the merfolk kingdom," Fohl revealed.

Alessa was shocked. She wasn’t even expecting that it would come to that point now.

"That monster is going to attack?" Alessa asked.

"Yes. It has awakened after a few years of sleep. It seems it was expecting for the sacrifice to arrive but it seems but considering how the situation of the kingdom has become after you left and how the disagreement of sacrifice has been bought up, many people are more than ready to clash blade and fight against the one they call the "god" just so they can destroy the law that requires sacrifice of unborn children. They wanted the women to have a safe pregnancy without fearing that they would be going to offer their babies to the monster and risk dying in the process."

Elaina went serious after hearing this. "What kind of monster is this, and how big are we even talking about?"

Fohl shook his head. "We can’t measure it regularly. But one thing I can tell you is that this monster is huge. Very huge to the point that merfolk like us look like ants in front of the monster. They call this god "Leviathan" and it is now going to rampage if not stopped soon.

Elaina was flabbergasted when she heard the name. She never expected to hear it. And what is more surprising is that the Goddess of Taming also expresses her shock.

"[Elaina, my dear, it seems that my blood, as the Goddess that bears the genes and blood of my father, God of Hunting, is tingling. I am hoping that you can help slay this monster."

"Isn’t the Leviathan the monster that is known to be called the Serpent of Sinners? The one they called to be the one who will devour the world if left alone? I thought it was just a legend, but that monster was actually real?" Elaina asked.

"[As real as it can be. I didn’t even expect to hear that monster’s name as well, considering that this monster existed way beyond the time the gods walked with the humans back then. It is a known monster that has swallowed one of the gods in the past and was ordered to be killed. I didn’t even know that thing still existed till this day.]"

"Wait a minute, Goddess. Isn’t this a bit too much for me? I know I am strong in battles, but I am not someone who can fight monsters that would easily destroy me due to the size difference! Aren’t you expecting too much from me?" Elaina complained.

"[Don’t worry, as I said before, you will only support the slayers of the Leviathan. The one who will deal with and end the monster, and according to my father, the original Leviathan has been dealt with, so he suspects this Leviathan that is currently terrorizing the Merfolk Kingdom is a juvenile monster. I wanted you to help with the slaying of this monster and deal with it, before it becomes an actual threat. And yes, don’t worry, if you succeeded, we will be giving you a reward.]"