by Yuu Kamiya
The trio who formed the perfect counterexample to common sense peered at her together. One of the few sensible members of the party, Steph, raised her voice in the Shrine Maiden’s defense.
“B-breaking through the sea to approach—no matter how you look at it, it could scarcely appear more hostile!! Just how do you expect to be led to the queen at this rate!”
“We’re the ones who were invited. They’re the ones taking forever. We hurried to them in this urgent situation where their fate hangs by a thread. In consideration of Jibril’s effort, they ought to greet us with a dance of appreciation and welcome, right?”
The Shrine Maiden and Izuna, who possessed the senses to detect Sora’s complete and utter bullshit, frowned with half-open eyelids. The remaining Werebeast—Ino—was still writhing, covering his ears.
“…Ahh…I wouldn’t worry about thaaat…look.”
Even as Plum said this, everyone looking in the direction she was pointing saw countless shadows flying out of Oceand and heading their way in a big hurry.
—They had the tails of fish, covered in scales from the waist down, and the appearance of human women from the waist up. Other than having fins where their ears should have been, they didn’t look that different from Immanities. The barest excuses for pieces of cloth covered their breasts, while their necks and arms were unduly ornamented. They appeared—indeed, just as in fairy tales—to be mermaids.
“…All right. So that’s Siren. Great. Good thing it’s like I pictured.”
Sora, having been entirely ready to snap if the Deep Ones from the Cthulhu mythos showed up, was relieved, but then—
“L-look, everyone making such a flurry… We’ll be reprimanded after all.”
Steph whispered nervously as the Sirens swam right up to their membrane, and then—
“H-huh?”
Steph’s eyes popped wide. The Sirens gyrated, undulating their bodies to and fro, showing off their brilliantly sparkling scales. Ornaments of coral and pearl flashed radiantly against their smooth, white skin. No consistent rhythm was detectable in the mermaids’ movements. They gracefully interwove themselves through schools of multicolored fish, illuminated by the glowing jellyfish and the blue sunlight. The sight was fantastic enough to captivate everyone’s attention—so it probably was exactly as he’d suggested.
“……Brother, this is their dance, of appreciation…and welcome.”
“—Guess so… S-see, Steph, it’s all cool, right?”
“What boundlessly tolerant creatures…”
Eventually, one Siren emerged, decorated in a manner gaudy even among such company. She beat her hands around and flapped her mouth for some reason. Steph looked on, puzzled, but Sora produced the answer immediately.
“We’re in Jibril’s air bubble; she’s in the water—her voice must not be able to reach us.”
“Indeeed…I’ll go explain things and get some blood while I’m at iiit. I’ll use that fuel to cast an underwater breathing spell on all of youuu, so after that, please dispel this wall of aiiir…”
With that, Plum set off at a trot, broke through the air membrane, and swam into the water. Watching her back:
“Even having said that we are the saviors come to rescue their race from destruction…”
“—Who would throw this sort of welcome after seeing such havoc wreaked right afore their city?”
Jibril and the Shrine Maiden whispered with gazes sharp, at which Sora smirked.
“…Siren, huh. Are they really that stupid, or—?”
“Hiii, guyyys, tee-hee-hee! I’m Amila, the stand-in for the queeen. Mm, eeeverything’s fiiine! ”
They were stupid. Sora managed to swallow this frank opinion. The Siren who had come right away after Jibril dispelled the wall of air, this “Amila” chick, if you took her at her word—and, frighteningly enough, it did seem to be the truth—was, in fact, the effective agent plenipotentiary currently leading Siren. Beneath her rich, greenish hair slid sensual, fair skin. She had big, bright blue eyes. Coral jewelry adorned her entire body, but tastefully. This must have been the mermaids’ formal dress. But what was inside—
“Thank you sooo muuuch for coming alll the way heeere! Ohhhhh, goodness, there’s no way I can express this feeling except to kiss you, righhht! Tee-hee-hee! Right?!”
“…Nah, let’s just say it’s the thought that counts…”
It wasn’t even a question of formality at this point. Strictly speaking, she was speaking Immanity, but it was weird through and through. As Sora & Co. rolled their eyes, still Amila went on swimming pell-mell all around them
“Talk of you two has spread aaall the way down to the bottom of the ocean! The miracle king who saved Immanity, they said you were handsome, but now I see your face and you’re just my type and you’re so hot and squeee!! Right?! ”
“Ahaah. I see.”
It was the first time a girl had ever told him he was handsome, come to think of it…but strangely, Sora wasn’t happy at all—.
“Aha! Your voice is sexy, too?! I’m sooooo wet! After all, we are in the oceaaan, tee-hee-hee!”
As he silently looked over to Plum, the Dhampir quietly returned his gaze, shaking her head sadly. With no sign of having noticed this, Amila went on with a bubbly smile.
“Ohh, yeahhh! We’re preparing a party for you, tee-hee! You want food? Or you want…me? ”
Foop—twisted the seductress Amila. Ready or not, behind Sora, Ino seemed to be heating up in more ways than one—
“Take me to your queen first. Save the hospitality for after we wake her up.”
At Sora’s curt dismissal, Ino somehow couldn’t believe his ears. But Amila said, not seeming to take it personally:
“Oh, you’re so serious, juuust like they said! But you know what? Amila kinda admires that, aha!”
“…I see… Well, okay then, let’s go.”
“Surrre! Let’s gooo! I’m gonna swim to the castle! Follow me, follow meee, tee-hee-heee! ”
Guided by Amila, Sora’s party descended from the vista in the direction of Oceand.
Ino whispered into Sora’s ear.
“…Sir, I am impressed at how promptly you managed to refuse.”
“Unh?”
“Well, even we Werebeasts have our senses limited under the sea, so I cannot ascertain your inner thoughts, Sir…but to show no hesitation when faced with such an enticing lady, Sir. You have self-control that exceeds all imagination—”
His eyes half-lidded, Sora spat back at Ino.
“Gramps, are you out of your head? I may be a virgin, but what am I supposed to feel for that…? Let’s go, Shiro.”
“…Mm…”
Leaving Ino behind to gape, Sora grabbed Shiro and headed driftingly for the city—
Upon entering Oceand, they were greeted with ear-splitting cheers. Every Siren was bursting with smiles, dancing, seducing, playing off-tempo music. Their words—it perhaps not being necessary for them to speak Immanity—were a complete mystery, but their welcoming intent came through. Scattered here and there among these bustling Sirens could be seen some girls who appeared to be Dhampirs. Their expressions, though, in contrast to the Sirens’, tended to resemble Plum’s. With miserable…smiles, their tired demeanors told Sora and his crew, Thanks for coming all this way.
—The Sirens provided a stable supply of blood, and the Dhampirs helped the queen reproduce. This symbiotic relationship had worked perfectly well until the queen went to sleep and was now as a candle in the wind—and yet—
“Hey, why are these guys so cheerful when they’re a step away from extinction?”
Indeed—the Dhampirs aside, the Sirens showed no sign of melancholy whatsoever.
“…What, didn’t I tell youuu…? They don’t understaand it.”
Jibril added to Plum’s answer with a weary smirk.
“The foolishness of Siren reaches the status of legend. Siren has become a synonym for fool in the idioms of every race’s language, and in fact, it
is even used as a verb in some.”
Sora’s party walked the ocean floor as they followed Amila.
—Underwater ambulation. Confused as to whether it was swimming or walking, Shiro proceeded on Sora’s arm. As for Ino, Izuna, and the Shrine Maiden—what would you expect of Werebeasts? They had already figured out how to move in these circumstances and were advancing with languorous, bouncing strides. Meanwhile, Jibril, despite being underwater, was still “flying.”
“—Hey, so Immanity is supposed to be beneath this globally recognized race of idiots?”
It was true that right now the ones most obviously struggling were Sora and Shiro, but still.
“Before I met you, my masters, I would have answered, ‘Yes’—but perhaps this would be a better way to put it: They are ranked one above Immanity purely by virtue of having a special nature, but they are the race that represents the extreme of stupidity.”
Plum followed the smirking Jibril with an ephemeral grin. “They have no skills other than to eat, sleep, screw, and play, you seeee…You know how fish contain things that make you smarter, but fish themselves are stupid…? It’s a mysteryyy.”
This world really doesn’t have any races that get along, does it? Sora thought with distant eyes.
“…Well, when you consider that the de facto agent plenipotentiary is her…”
“Oh, no… Her Highness Amila is actually far and away one of the best, if only by virtue of being able to speak the Immanity tongue…”
She was one of the best—. Sora glanced at Plum compassionately. Plum accepted his look with one of infinite, long-suffering forbearance.
“Well, we’re in the same boat, as they sayyy… The plan and methodology for you to help us—as well as the idea of intervening in the queen’s dreams itself—were all concocted by uuus…They don’t even have the concept of work. About the only thing they’re good at is matiiing, ha-ha…ha…”
“……Must be rough, kid…”
Guided by Amila, they entered a building that was tall even by Oceand standards. While being guided, suddenly Sora mentioned something that had crossed his mind.
“Speaking of mating, Jibril… Sirens have kids with men of other races, right?”
“Yes, that is so.”
“Are there any ‘half-breed’ Ixseeds crossing races?”
—It hadn’t been long since Sora and Shiro had come to this world, but, in fantasy worlds, there were often “half-elves” and stuff—but he didn’t remember hearing of any such “half-breeds” here. That was as it should be, Jibril declared.
“There are not. The Ixseeds do have some similarities in appearance, but their souls are completely dissimilar.”
—There was that “soul” again. This entity that had not been demonstrated in Sora and Shiro’s old world apparently was common sense in this one. It must be like chromosomes, Sora decided on his own as he continued. “But Sirens mate with other races, right? So doesn’t that make half-Sirens?”
“No, what is born is strictly a Siren.”
“Even though you’re using two souls?”
“Just as Dhampirs obtain soul from blood, Sirens obtain soul from mating and transform it to create copies of themselves. It is because this is less efficient than the reproduction of ordinary living things that the partner is sucked dry.”
“…Still pretty sick.”
“I wonder? Strictly speaking with reference to literature—it is said to be a pleasure that ascends to the heavens.”
“You mean the ‘ascend’ part literally, don’t you…and it’s a one-way trip.”
But, all right—in any case—
“This is why half-breeds—children inheriting the traits of different races—cannot be born.”
Hmm…Sora pondered. I guess it’s because they’re indivisible that Tet designated them as “sixteen seeds.”
“—Jibril, is there something on my face?”
Sora noticed Jibril staring at him.
“I believe I mentioned that Flügel are not ‘living things.’”
“Yeah…you said they’re ‘living beings’ or something.”
“Therefore, our souls are amorphous. It would theoretically be possible to intake a bit of soul through copulation and synthesize it with my own to form a child into definite shape. It would only be virtual, mind you, but in a sense, it would be possible to have the child of an individual of another race.”
“—I’m not really seeing what you’re getting at.”
Lowering her head reverently, moving her halo to the back of her head, folding her wings—a posture of loyalty shown only to her lord—Jibril clasped her hands together as if in prayer and spoke.
“All you must say is ‘Bear my child,’ and your humble servant, Jibril, will be ready at any time to become great with—”
“…Jibril…STF, U…”
Jibril found herself forcibly silenced by one sharp word from Shiro, but their guide was oblivious.
“Weeeeeee’re! Heeeeere!”
Sora raised his head at the high-pitched voice that subsequently rang out.
“Here we arrre! This is the chamber of the queeeen!”
Amila put her hand on the door, slowly pushed it open—
—and light spilled out.
The chamber of the queen was quite expansive and draped with a pink ceiling curtain and carpet. On the walls, seaweed emitting soft light was woven into regular patterns to illuminate the room. Stained glass canopied the high ceiling, which allowed what sunlight reached as far as the ocean floor into the room. But even this faint light seemed unnecessary due to the giant crystal on the throne below that emanated a presence that was almost blinding—. No, it only was beautiful and clear enough to look like a crystal…it was actually a mass of ice.
“……”
All who laid eyes on it were lost for words. Solemnly—or at least doing her best to attempt solmenity—Amila announced:
“May I introduce—the queen of Siren…Her Majesty…Queen Laila Lorelei.”
—Inside the ice, a beauty slept. Blue hair, rolling like the sea, draped over her young, almost translucent face. Her white limbs, decorated in dazzling gold, faded to seductive scales from the thighs. Reflecting the light that illuminated the room, they seemed to sparkle with a rainbow. The queen, wrapped in light and gold inside a coffin of ice, had her eyes quietly closed on the open-shell throne. At the back of the speechless party, Plum spoke with Amila.
“Oh, Your Highness Amila… It’s about waking Her Majesty, buuut…King Sora and the others heeere…say they want to all try the game togetherrr… Is that okaaay?”
At Plum’s words, Amila briefly made a face but repled:
“Whaaat? I don’t miiind! Is it okay with youuu?”
“Yeeess…S-sooo, I’d like about thirty assistants to help compile the riiite.”
Amila nodding, mmm-hmmm. “Okay! Then I’ll go do the things to wake up the queen, all righhht! Since you’re all going to do magic, you’ll need blood, too, won’t youuu, tee-hee-hee! Amila’s going to go get some more girls for you, so please do your best, Pluuum!”
“Righhht… O-okay, then, I’ll be off to get the rite ready to enter the queen’s dreaaams…”
With a bow, Amila and Plum made their exits from the room.
Seemingly oblivious to this exchange, the rest of the party stood staring at the ice in which the queen slept.
“Wh-what a comely lady…”
Steph went off heatedly as if she’d forgotten they were the same gender. In fact, the queen’s alluring figure made not only Ino, but even Jibril, the Shrine Maiden, and Izuna all gawk, entranced—but—
“Hmmg…? You think she’s all that pretty, Shiro?”
“…I…dun-no…”
“Whaaaaaat—?!”
As Sora and Shiro muttered quizzically together, everyone else gaped at them.
“A-are you two out of your minds?! Wh-what would you call her if not beautiful?!”
“…Hey, you’re the one
who needs to chill. I’m just saying she’s nothing to get all worked up about.”
Sora groused and knitted his brow, annoyed by Steph’s outburst. He looked at the queen again.
—Laila Lorelei, the mermaid princess sleeping in a coffin of ice. Her appearance was, sure, pretty nice. But, Sora could clearly assert—she wasn’t all that. It wasn’t like, for example, Jibril’s violent beauty capable of silencing works of art. Nor did it resemble the divinely bewitching attractiveness the Shrine Maiden had displayed under the moonlight. It didn’t have Izuna’s innocent cuteness, not to speak of—
“…? Brother…?”
Addressing the searching expression of his sister beside him, Sora declared, “Yeah. —Not even worth comparing. I mean, even Steph’s better-looking than that.”
“…! Y-you can’t appease me with such transparent flattery?!”
“No, what would be the point of me trying to flatter you now…”
Behind the incredulous Sora, Ino quietly patted his shoulders.
“King Sora……… Ah, never mind. It’s quite all right.”
And he continued in a gentle tone.
“There is no cause for concern—impotency can be cured. I recommend softshell turtle stew—”
“That is not how it is! Don’t slander me!”
Shouting and jabbing a finger at the ice as if to say, I mean, Sora howled:
“Stop and think about it!! I’m not saying she’s ugly, but is she anything to get worked up over when we’ve got the Shrine Maiden, Jibril, Izuna, and Shiro? Our beauties are all literally off the charts!”
Steph and Ino still glared as if looking at something sad—but at Sora’s words, Jibril and the Shrine Maiden alone came around.
“I-indeed my master is wise… That is the special characteristic of Siren I mentioned earlier.”
“—Huh?”
The Shrine Maiden and Jibril averted their eyes from the ice, and Jibril continued.
“Sirens, though lacking the traits of physical excellence and magic, are able to survive principally thanks to their one weapon, on display here…namely—” She took a breath. “As long as they are in the sea—they can attract anything.
