Chapter 259

“To think a Hellgate suddenly opened above the sea. You truly must have many worries.”

Lloyd’s shameless voice colored the Mermaid Queen’s chamber.

The wrinkles on the Queen’s brow deepened.

“Worries. Of course. Until that incident, the most peaceful sea in the world was right here, in the Arctic Ocean.”

“That incident?”

“The Bone Dragon’s invasion.”

“Gasp.”

Lloyd nearly spat out the seawater he was breathing.

He barely managed to cover his mouth, hiding his flustered feelings.

The Mermaid Queen continued, her words laden with a sigh.

“It wasn’t long ago. This sea, which had once been utterly peaceful, suddenly became turbulent. It was an invasion. An unprecedented invasion by a Bone Dragon.”

“A Bone dragon…?”

Lloyd swallowed dryly.

A Bone Dragon visiting the Arctic Ocean.

And recently, at that.

It had to be Yong Yong.

It had to be.

‘Because the timing more or less matches what the Queen is talking about. The Hellgate I opened as an escape route from Hell connected to the sky above the Arctic Ocean. And Yong Yong, who just happened to be in the Arctic Ocean at the time, crossed through that Hellgate into Hell and helped defeat the Lava Giant. Perfect. It fits perfectly.’

Lloyd subtly hunched his shoulders.

His conscience was being jabbed in real time.

And more than that, a sense of crisis was bubbling up.

What if the Mermaid Queen found out that he was the one who had sent the Bone Dragon Yong Yong here?

‘That would be an instant one-shot beheading.’

At the very least, it didn’t seem like he would leave here in one piece.

Even with Javier protecting him, it would be the same.

In this deep sea, even Javier probably wouldn’t last long without magical assistance.

That conviction only grew stronger after seeing the explosively muscular physiques of the Queen and the mermaid royal guards.

As Lloyd kept swallowing dryly, the Queen continued.

“Naturally, the mermaid legion mobilized.”

Perhaps recalling the events of that time,

the Mermaid Queen’s gaze turned cold.

“We launched wave after wave of attacks. It was a bloody battle. Then, in the middle of that fight, after several days of combat, a Hellgate opened in the sky above the Arctic Ocean.”

“…”

“Even for a Bone Dragon, our legion’s offensive must have been burdensome. The moment that creature saw the Hellgate open, it fled in a panic like a fish with its tail on fire.”

“…”

In reality, that had been Yong Yong, happily wagging his tail as he caught Lloyd’s scent and flew toward it.

Lloyd had a lot he wanted to say, but he kept his mouth tightly shut.

The Queen went on.

“Anyway, ever since that incident, the Hellgate that opened above the Arctic Ocean still hasn’t disappeared. That’s why it’s such a headache. Hot air from Hell keeps pouring out.”

“…That certainly would be a problem.”

Lloyd forced a bitter smile.

The more he listened, the more understandable the Queen’s headache seemed.

‘If hot air is pouring out of the Hellgate, then… the temperature around here must’ve risen quite a bit. Come to think of it, when I entered the Arctic Ocean region, the blessing I received in Hell didn’t activate.’

Suddenly, he remembered the blessing he had received in Hell, [Praise: Hands So Cold Brr, Feet So Cold Brr].

‘The activation condition for that blessing was entering a region with an average annual temperature of 0°C or lower…’

But the blessing hadn’t activated when he came to the Arctic Ocean.

Which meant that the Arctic Ocean’s average annual temperature was currently no longer below freezing.

‘Sigh. Is this some unexpected polar warming situation?’

This was getting troublesome.

Without meaning to, he had become the main culprit behind environmental destruction.

But there was no way to fix it or stop it.

‘That Hellgate… the King of Hell wants to keep it open.’

So it probably wouldn’t close unless something absolutely unavoidable happened.

For the time being, it would most likely remain open above the Arctic Ocean.

Which made it all but certain that the warming would continue.

‘Tsk.’

It wasn’t as though he had intentionally connected the Hellgate there.

He felt a little sorry for the polar bears and mermaids living in this area.

But those feelings were brief.

He quickly got his expression back under control.

‘If I get caught, I’m dead.’

The rampage of Bone Dragon Yong Yong.

The Hellgate, the main cause of the warming.

Both incidents were tied to him.

But there was nothing to be gained from letting the Queen find that out.

‘Survive first. I need to survive first. Only after I have some room to breathe later can I help solve those problems.’

And if the mermaids somehow managed to solve the Hellgate issue themselves in the meantime, even better.

Thinking that, Lloyd layered a shameless iron plate over his face.

Rubbing his hands together, he chimed in with the Mermaid Queen’s complaints.

“Hoo, that really is serious. You truly must have many worries.”

“Exactly. Especially since the icebergs are melting far too quickly. Listening to the protests and complaints of all the sea creatures one by one makes it feel like my head’s going to split open. I never realized ruling could be this difficult. I’d rather spend twelve hours in a breath-holding tug-of-war with twenty Emperor Whales. That would be much easier.”

“I-Is that so.”

“Hmm, sincerely. If I ever find the culprit behind this incident, I feel like I want to pour all the resentment I’ve built up into this fist and drive it straight into their solar plexus.”

“…”

“What is that expression? You look strangely pale. Are you still not used to breathing underwater?”

“No. I just suddenly…”

“Suddenly?”

“Out of nowhere, I remembered the honey jars I left back home.”

At the very least, before dying, he wanted to suck down some honey.

Lloyd answered carefully and sincerely.

Fortunately(?), the Mermaid Queen did not seem to notice his anxiety.

“Honey. I’ve heard that land-made product is sweet. If I ever get the chance, I’d like to try it. In any case, it’s time for you to withdraw now. As I said earlier, I grant you permission to move about within the kingdom.”

“Thank you!”

He bowed quickly.

Then withdrew from the Queen’s presence even more quickly.

If he lingered any longer, his tail might really get stepped on.

The moment he left the Queen’s quarters, the breath he had been holding finally poured out.

“…Hooah.”

It felt like he had survived.

But even then, he could feel a sharp, piercing stare at the side of his face.

Lloyd looked back at Javier with a bitter smile.

“Why are you looking at me like that? You’re not giving me that look because you think I still have a conscience, are you?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

Javier replied as though driving in a pointed remark.

“There is no way to say that the opening of the Hellgate and the rampage of Bone Dragon Yong Yong in the Arctic Ocean are unrelated to you, Lloyd-nim.”

“Well, that’s true. But what am I supposed to do? Survive first. Didn’t you see the Queen’s muscles earlier?”

“I did.”

“And you’re still saying that? Do you need to see me get a free hug in those muscular arms and be crushed flat before you’ll be satisfied?”

“Yes.”

“Gasp, you won’t even deny it.”

“Because it’s my honest feeling.”

“So you need to see me get crushed to death before you can feel at ease?”

“Throwing away both conscience and honesty just to survive is no life for anyone but a coward.”

“Okay, thanks. Then I’ll live long and prosper as a coward.”

“…”

Lloyd chuckled.

Javier’s expression hardened.

“But, Lloyd-nim.”

“Yeah.”

“This Gem of Truth… is there truly a reason you must find it, even after coming all the way to a place like this?”

“Hmm, probably?”

Lloyd deliberately shrugged.

And thought to himself.

‘Right. It’s about time this guy started having doubts.’

Lloyd glanced sideways at Javier as they walked.

He probably didn’t know.

That misfortune would befall Count Frontera’s family.

That the Count and Countess, Julian, and Scheherazade would die one after another.

That the family would collapse completely.

And that this world would proceed much the same way it had in the history of the novel Iron Blooded Knight.

‘That’s the Restorative Power of Fate. Damn it.’

Just thinking about it made him inwardly shudder.

The novel Iron Blooded Knight.

He had worked so desperately to change the gloomy opening of that story.

How much of his blood, sweat, effort, and hardship had been poured into everything he had done until now?

‘And in the end, all of it becomes useless because of that damned Restorative Power of Fate or whatever.’

It was unfair.

But this wasn’t the time to sit there trembling with resentment.

He had to act to stop that cursed future.

He had to find a way to stop it.

And for that, he needed to find the Gem of Truth, the thing that could answer any question.

‘But I can’t tell this guy any of that.’

The original history.

The altered story.

Fate trying to force everything back into place.

To explain all of that, he would have to reveal his own identity too.

That he wasn’t the real Lloyd.

That he was just a fake from another world.

Even the fact that he had stolen the real one’s place.

He would have to reveal everything.

‘I can’t do that.’

Lloyd shook his head inwardly.

So now was the time to lie.

And fortunately, he had already prepared a lie in advance for moments like this.

“Hmm, the Gem of Truth is…”

Lloyd wet his lips.

Then, in a calm voice, he smoothly delivered the line he had prepared.

“Insurance.”

“Insurance… you say?”

“Yeah.”

Nodding as if perfectly confident,

Lloyd continued his lie.

“Lately, I’ve been waking Dragon King Verkis every morning, right? While doing that, I happened to hear about it from him.”

“You mean the story that there is a Gem of Truth in the Mermaid Kingdom?”

“Yeah. That thing is supposedly an incredibly powerful treasure.”

“What kind of power does it have?”

“They say it gives you the answer to even the most difficult question in the world.”

“Gives you the answer?”

“Yeah. So, you know, in life, you might run into an incredibly difficult problem. Think about the Monster Domino Incident. The huge swarm of locusts that came flying in.”

“I remember.”

“There’s no guarantee that something like that won’t happen again in life, right?”

“So what Lloyd-nim means is that you want to find the gem in advance, so you’ll be prepared when disaster strikes your territory?”

“Right. Exactly that.”

Nodding even more calmly,

Lloyd’s lie continued.

“Life is long. You never know what sort of disaster might come your way. But if you find and secure a treasure like that gem in advance? Then it means you’ll be able to overcome that kind of disaster appropriately and safely at least once. What do you think? Not bad as insurance, right?”

“Indeed. I see.”

“Right?”

“Yes.”

“But why are you nodding along so obediently to what I’m saying?”

Lloyd asked with a bitter smile.

Javier replied with an expressionless face.

“I believe that even someone who is a complete mess occasionally says the right thing.”

“Huh?”

“That is why. Acknowledging, encouraging, and giving courage to the rare correct words spoken by someone who is otherwise a mess may be the beautiful consideration that a person like me can show.”

“Gasp.”

“You truly said something right for once after a long time. Well done, Lloyd-nim.”

“Wow, you can even beat people to death with compliments now?”

“As I have told you many times, I have never used violence against you, Lloyd-nim. Nor do I intend to.”

“Tsk. If you couldn’t even talk back, you wouldn’t be nearly this hateful.”

“Thank you. For hating me like this.”

“Should I keep doing it from now on too?”

“I thank you in advance for that as well.”

“You even do thanks in advance?”

“If possible, I would prefer to settle it all in one go.”

“You don’t like installment payments, huh?”

“Yes. That way, I won’t have to thank you again later.”

“Wow. You should just become the young master. I’ll be the bodyguard instead, seriously.”

“Let’s do that, Sir Frontera.”

“…Hey.”

“Sorry.”

“But you’re smiling?”

“Because it was enjoyable.”

“Right. Well, if it was enjoyable, then what more is there to say.”

Lloyd let out a chuckle.

And thought to himself.

‘Thank goodness.’

Javier had bought his plausibly fabricated lie.

Honestly, Lloyd had worried that his excuse about finding the Gem of Truth as insurance against future disasters might not be quite convincing enough.

‘For now, that excuse worked. I can relax for a while.’

With that, Lloyd brushed at his chest.

Meanwhile, Javier glanced at Lloyd with deepening eyes.

And thought to himself.

‘Thank goodness.’

Lloyd-nim had bought his plausibly fabricated reaction.

Honestly, Javier had worried about whether he would be able to hide everything until the very end.

‘For now, Lloyd-nim… no, that fake hasn’t noticed a thing. He probably still doesn’t know that my reaction was fabricated, or that I only pretended to believe that flimsy excuse. I can relax for a while.’

So now he could watch over that fake with a more relieved heart.

He could help with what that fake was trying to do.

With that thought, Javier smiled meaningfully.

By then, the two of them had completely left the Mermaid Queen’s palace.

Passing through several corridors, they entered a city shaped like a giant cluster of grapes or a honeycomb.

‘Hooah. I want some salted pollock roe.’

The sight before them was a city where thousands, tens of thousands of egg-like structures, each dozens of meters across, were packed together in dense clusters.

Looking at it, Lloyd smacked his lips.

The appearance of the city made him miss the taste of home for the first time in a long while.

Most of all, it made him think of the salted pollock roe he used to love.

‘Hoo. Salted pollock roe, cut into proper pieces, drizzled with perilla oil, sprinkled with sesame seeds, placed on top of fluffy rice with seasoned soybean paste, then wrapped in roasted seaweed and eaten… Haa. This is driving me crazy.’

A wave of homesickness washed over him, and he swallowed hard.

But now wasn’t the time to blank out like that.

‘First, the gem search.’

Lloyd steeled himself.

With determined eyes, he looked around the urban district of the Mermaid Kingdom.

Countless muscular mermaids were swimming about everywhere.

‘One of them has to know something about the gem!’

He clung to that hope.

After all, it was this kingdom’s legendary treasure.

Even if it was a treasure from far too ancient an era, it was still a precious divine artifact.

He figured at least some of those mermaids must know a little about it.

‘So I’ll go around and ask. I’ll gather answers from as many mermaids as possible and piece them together. Then some kind of possibility will appear. At the very least, I should be able to get enough of an outline to track down the gem.’

That was Lloyd’s plan.

And he was confident.

He thought it was a simple task, nothing especially difficult.

Armed with that confidence, he approached the mermaids.

And not long after that,

Lloyd began receiving exactly the same treatment as someone going around asking, ‘Do you know the way?’