Chapter 255

’……What the fuck did you just say?’

Lloyd was not the type to swear often.

No matter how harsh or filthy the situation was, he might grumble inwardly, but he did not actually spit out profanity.

Simply because he disliked it.

But this time was an exception.

The moment Captain Felipe answered him with such sincerity and warmth—

Lloyd almost swore out loud without realizing it.

He almost grabbed the captain by the collar and shook him.

The reason was simple.

‘A song? A song? A beautiful song?’

If there were one thing in the world furthest removed from Lloyd, it would probably be a beautiful song.

Lloyd knew how to look at himself objectively.

Naturally, he was well aware of his own limitations.

Especially in areas like singing.

He had absolutely no expectation whatsoever that he could sing a beautiful song.

He honestly felt it would be more realistic for an engineering student who enrolled yesterday to suddenly produce a semiconductor in a lecture hall.

‘But what? A song?’

It was so absurd that he nearly laughed.

Even so, he could not simply give up.

Because he had to stop the Phenomenon of Fate’s Restoration.

And to do that, he had to find the gem said to exist in the Mermaid Kingdom, just as the Dragon King had told him.

“Um, but does it absolutely have to be a song?”

“Hmm?”

Captain Felipe tilted his head.

Lloyd looked at him with desperate eyes.

Like a man clutching at a straw while being swept away in a flood.

Or like someone frantically searching the shoe rack for height-boosting insoles before a blind date arranged at the last second.

Clinging to the tiniest sliver of hope, he asked,

“Isn’t that right? Does it absolutely have to be a song? All I need to do is show and prove that I’m not an enemy, not an intruder. For example, what about a dance? Or whistling?”

“Hmm, I don’t know. I’ve never tried any other method. Back then, I was drowning, so I didn’t exactly have the leisure to think of alternatives. And besides, a dance or whistling? Why would anyone use methods like that when there is already a proven and certain method through me—singing?”

“……”

That proven method.

I’m telling you, I’m certain I can’t use it.

Lloyd felt like crying.

But he still couldn’t let go of hope completely.

So he asked again,

“Um, then does it work as long as someone sings?”

“Someone? What do you mean by that?”

“Well, um, I’m asking whether it would still count if this friend here sang instead of me.”

Lloyd reached out a hand.

He pointed at Javier standing beside him.

The captain’s gaze swept over Javier, then returned to Lloyd.

And he shook his head.

“I don’t think that would work.”

“Why not?”

“Because I heard it directly. From the mermaid who saved me.”

“What did the mermaid say?”

“She said they only respond to the sound of the desperate person singing directly. So if someone else sang on your behalf, it probably wouldn’t persuade the mermaids.”

“Then I absolutely have to be the one to sing?”

“That seems to be the case.”

“……”

“Why? Is there some kind of problem?”

“……”

Yes. There are many problems.

Lloyd stared blankly at the captain and gave a hollow grin.

It was the smile of someone who had already let go of everything.

Javier answered the captain’s question instead.

“This may be a bit awkward to say, but Lloyd-nim is not very good at singing.”

“Not good at singing?”

“Yes.”

“How bad is he?”

“Have you perhaps heard the rumors from the trading city of Namaran?”

“Ah, a little. I know about the Hell Knight causing a disturbance.”

“Yes. That Hell Knight writhed in agony after hearing it.”

“Writhed? Why?”

“……”

“Don’t tell me?”

“That ‘don’t tell me’ is probably correct.”

“……Ahem, hmm! His singing was so terrible that it made a Hell Knight summoned from hell writhe in agony?”

“Roughly speaking, the sound of scraping metal with a nail file is much more beautiful. You could also safely assume that the parasites living in your intestines, Captain, sing far better.”

“Phew. I see.”

……Would you two idiots please stop?

The person in question is standing right here listening.

‘Hooah.’

Lloyd let out a deep sigh.

Then he brushed away the tears that had started gathering at the corners of his eyes.

That was when it happened.

The captain patted him on the shoulder.

With a broad, kindly expression, he said,

“It’s alright. For that song, even being a little bad doesn’t matter.”

“Huh?”

“Come to think of it, I think you misunderstood what I meant. The ‘beautiful song’ I spoke of wasn’t about outward technique or how clear the voice sounded.”

“Then what did you mean?”

“Sincerity and earnestness.”

The captain’s face turned serious.

“To be honest, when I fell into the Arctic Ocean back then, I wasn’t good at singing either. I couldn’t have been. Think about it. I was floundering in a freezing sea that felt like my entire body was locking up. I had already shouted myself hoarse at the ship sailing away, begging them to come back, screaming that I had fallen overboard. In that state, what do you think my singing sounded like?”

“Hmm, probably not very good.”

“Right. It was awful.”

The captain let out a small chuckle.

“It was a terrible song, unpleasant to listen to even if you were in your right mind. The pitch was all over the place, my voice was wrecked, and even my breath shook pathetically. Honestly, I had very little hope that the mermaid in front of me would think kindly of it. I sang only because I had no other choice. Half in desperation.”

“But the mermaid still received your song favorably?”

“Yes.”

The captain’s smile deepened.

“At first, she tilted her head. Then she quietly looked into my eyes. That’s when I felt it. She was listening. Really listening. Little by little, she was sensing my sincerity, my desperate plea for her to understand that I wasn’t an enemy, that I hadn’t come there as an intruder.”

“So your sincerity and earnestness got through.”

“Exactly.”

He could feel the strength in the captain’s grip on his shoulder.

The captain continued,

“So don’t lose heart just because you can’t sing pleasantly. That’s only superficial technique. What matters in this is the sincerity and earnestness contained in the song.”

“So you’re saying even my song might work well enough.”

“Speaking as someone who has actually gone through it, yes.”

“Thank you.”

For the first time, Lloyd was finally able to smile with a lighter heart.

Hearing it from someone with real experience, it made sense.

‘Right. I was jumping to conclusions. They’re mermaids. Not humans. So the way they listen to songs could very well be different from ours. So let’s not panic in advance. I just need to show sincerity.’

He gained confidence.

It was the first time in his life that he had ever felt such a thing about his own singing.

Maybe because of that—

Encouraged, Lloyd cautiously asked the captain another question.

“Um, then, Captain?”

“Hmm? Is there something else you’re curious about?”

“Yes. What are your sailing plans in the near future?”

“My sailing plans?”

“Yes. Since the subject came up, I’m thinking of heading to the North Sea myself to make contact with the mermaids. If possible, I’d like to receive help from an experienced and capable captain like you.”

Lloyd honestly laid out his plan.

He had to find the Mermaid Kingdom no matter what.

Which meant he had to go to the Arctic Ocean.

And if he was going anyway, then it was clearly better to go aboard the ship of the most experienced captain.

‘Well, the easiest option would be to ride Ggoming or fly on the Bone Dragon Yongyong. But for this, that probably won’t work.’

Ggoming was a sparrow.

Which meant, fundamentally, he wasn’t suited for long-distance flight.

If his stamina dropped during the journey, Lloyd would have to stop and let him rest several times a day, even if only briefly.

But flying all the way to the Arctic Ocean?

That would be impossible.

‘Too cold. And it’s nothing but endless sea. There’s no land. Sure, there are ice floes here and there, but even if we landed on one, there’d be no proper rest.’

Flying on the Bone Dragon Yongyong didn’t feel right either.

‘He probably wouldn’t get tired like Ggoming. But he’s far too large and intimidating. Just his very existence would make the mermaids feel threatened.’

And once the atmosphere turned hostile like that, everything would be ruined.

He had to win over the mermaids with sincerity and earnestness.

If they marked him as an intruder from the very start, then it would all be over.

Lloyd absolutely did not want that.

“So I’ll pay generously. Could you take your ship out for me once?”

“Hmm, are you asking to charter it?”

“That’s right.”

“And it’s for a round trip to the Arctic Ocean. You do realize it’s the off-season right now, when we don’t hunt Emperor Whales?”

“That’s exactly why I’m asking so earnestly.”

“Hmm. I’d have to call back sailors who are resting, and with the ice floes thicker than usual, the voyage would be much more dangerous. That means the allowance would need to be at least doubled.”

“That’s fine. I have plenty of money.”

“Really?”

“Yes. For starters, here’s the contract deposit.”

Thud, creak!

Lloyd placed the pouch he had prepared beforehand on the table.

At once, the table gave a heavy groan and creaked.

The captain’s gaze trembled slightly.

“……”

“You can check inside if you’d like.”

“……Ahem, hmm!”

The captain peeked into the pouch.

The gold coins and jewels Lloyd had taken from the Dragon Cave greeted his eyes with a brilliant gleam.

The wrinkles around the captain’s storm-worn eyes twitched.

“If the deposit alone is this much, then the full payment……”

“I’ll pay you five times what’s in there.”

“Shall we depart today?”

“Thank you.”

As expected, the power of money was great.

There was no longer any need for drawn-out conversation.

Preparations for departure proceeded at the speed of light.

The captain summoned all the sailors who had been enjoying their time off in a single day.

Even those who had grumbled at first eagerly boarded the ship when they heard the enormous allowance they would be receiving.

The same went for provisions such as food and water.

Count Cremo’s help played a major role there.

Still hoping to make Lloyd his son-in-law, perhaps intending to put him in his debt this time, Count Cremo actively supported the Pelicania’s supplies.

Thanks to that, by that very evening—

Even before the sun had fully set, the Pelicania was able to leave Cremo.

And from that day onward—

The endless northern voyage continued.

Fortunately, the weather was clear, and the winds were calm.

The waves were gentle, and even the currents were stable.

‘That’s a relief. I was worried I’d get seasick.’

Lloyd quietly sighed in relief.

In truth, the only proper time he had ever spent on a boat was as a child on a sightseeing ferry on the Han River.

So yes, he had genuinely been nervous.

‘This is my first time spending several days on a sailing ship like this. I was half afraid I’d spend the whole trip retching out everything I ate.’

Thankfully, that never happened.

And because of that, the voyage continued smoothly.

Finally, on the twentieth day after their departure—

Captain Felipe spoke to Lloyd.

“We’ve arrived at the place you wanted.”

“This is it?”

“Yes. The Arctic Ocean. More precisely, we’ve just reached the outer edge of these waters.”

Lloyd looked around.

The neatly maintained deck.

The scenery visible past the ship’s side.

The white breath spreading from every exhale.

An endlessly vast sea stretched out before him, a dark, piercing blue.

Here and there, white ice floes drifted across it.

It was the exact sort of polar seascape he had so often seen in television documentaries.

The captain continued,

“So singing here should do.”

“Sing? Here?”

“Yes. You may not realize it, but the mermaids are already nearby. Since yesterday, they’ve been following our ship, and their numbers have been steadily increasing.”

The captain glanced out toward the sea.

“Don’t ask how I know. You can tell from the movements of seabirds and schools of sardines. Anyway, the mermaids have already gathered in sufficient numbers and are practically surrounding our ship. So it’s about time we made it clear that we’re not intruders.”

“That makes it sound like we’ll be attacked if we don’t.”

“Exactly.”

A bitter smile appeared on the captain’s lips.

“They’re an extremely exclusive people. The fact that they accepted me decades ago was nothing more than a momentary exception. So now, the one who has come with a request must soothe their hearts through song. Otherwise, you’ll be treated as a true intruder and either attacked or driven from these waters.”

“Hoo. Understood.”

As he listened to the captain, Lloyd glanced over at Javier.

The man gave a slight nod.

The captain was right.

The mermaids really had gathered near the ship.

That was what Javier was conveying, his Grand Master’s senses having already detected them.

At last, Lloyd fully understood.

The time had come.

“Ahem, hmm!”

Lloyd cleared his throat, forcing down his nerves.

Holding his pounding chest, he began to move.

Toward the very front of the Pelicania’s bow.

Toward the sharply jutting bowsprit.

He climbed up onto it.

It was the place where he would be most visible to the mermaids in the sea.

And it also seemed like the place where he could most honestly convey the sincerity and earnestness of the song he was about to sing.

‘Hoo.’

He took a deep breath.

Calmed his mind.

Looked inward, toward the truth of his own heart.

‘I want to save them all. The Count and Countess. Julian. Miss Scheherazade. I don’t want Her Majesty the Queen-noona, to lose the use of one arm. To do that…… my sincerity has to reach them here.’

He looked down at the dark blue seawater.

At the mermaids watching him from below.

May his sincerity reach those countless listeners.

May their suspicion and hostility dissolve.

With that tiny hope in his heart—

Carefully.

Earnestly.

With a slightly trembling voice.

Lloyd slowly began to sing.

He poured in his heart where technique was lacking.

He filled the gaps in his unstable pitch with sincerity.

May his heart and sincerity melt away their wariness.

With that desperate wish and prayer, he sang with all his heart.

And a little while later—

The mermaid legion launched an indiscriminate full-scale assault on the Pelicania.

(T/N : I wonder why. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH)