GRP Chapter 17

"Looks like we've covered the main business. Ah, one more thing remained. Congratulations on your return. Cheers."

Samthyeon raised an empty glass.

"...Don't tell me this is the homecoming feast?"

"You're calling it even with this? This half-hearted?"

"This shameless?"

People grumbled as they responded to the insincere toast. Mariaeks glanced at Oze sitting across from her. He looked utterly miserable, having had even his drink confiscated. It was fascinating how his expression showed through despite his face being entirely black.

At that moment, Oze jerked his head up and opened his mouth wide. A high, piercing sound like a bird's cry rang out from his mouth. The sharp wave cut through the banquet hall's commotion in an instant. Scattered attention converged on Oze all at once.

"A guest has arrived. Shall we all prepare?"

Predatory light gleamed in the eyes of those who had been grinning like fools. Mariaeks also sensed something approaching, hiding its presence in the rough wind.

Bang!

The wall of the banquet hall—the window covered by a tapestry—exploded with a thunderous sound. Wood fragments grazed Mariaeks's cheek, leaving a scratch. The intruder burst in faster than the blizzard. A white intruder fell onto the table piled high with food. Crash, clang, bang—tableware fell and food flew through the air.

Something white slid rapidly across the tablecloth on the central long table, charging forward. Snowflakes blowing into the banquet hall and scales falling from the intruder sparkled brilliantly.

The size of a giant elk, white hair, white eyes, a beautiful curved white body, and a smooth tail reminiscent of a fish. A snow mermaid, the kind occasionally seen on blizzard days. But it looked somewhat different from what Mariaeks knew. Unlike ordinary snow mermaids, its teeth were as long and sharp as icicles at a cave entrance, and it had two extra pairs of arms sprouting from its body. It seemed to lack the voice that captivated all who heard it.

[Kiiiiaaaaaah!]

"Aah!"

Oze staggered, covering his ears.

[Aaaaaaaaah!]

Joy permeated the snow mermaid's song that poured out like screams. The mermaid swayed its tail, crawling across the table with six arms. Mariaeks stood at the end of that path. The mermaid's mouth opened wider and wider. It seemed to smile brightly. Saliva dripped between threatening teeth. Clear evidence of appetite.

'I should move.'

The distance grew closer. Unlike her calmly turning mind, her body remained frozen. Mariaeks simply stared blankly at the rapidly approaching mermaid, unable to move. The threat was nearly upon her.

"Doesn't look like it's here to rescue anyone."

It was a calm, low voice that didn't match the commotion. The moment she realized whose voice it was, a large hand grabbed Mariaeks's waist. Her body was pulled by strong force. Before her face buried into a solid chest, the last thing Mariaeks saw was Garthe carelessly kicking the mermaid.

Bang!

The mermaid slammed into the wall. A sound louder than when the window burst echoed. Mariaeks gasped for breath, her body rigid. The pungent smell of medicinal herbs and a faint scent of blood penetrated deep inside her as she cowered.

Only after smelling that scent did Mariaeks recognize that she was being held in a man's embrace. Her forehead throbbed where it had struck his chest. She carefully raised her head. Gray eyes that felt calm to the point of stillness showed little interest in this situation. Garthe's gaze flicked toward Mariaeks.

"Know that face?"

She turned her head to look. The giant snow mermaid was staggering to its feet. Mariaeks's breath stopped. The mermaid's appearance was more wretched than expected. One side of its head was deeply sunken, and its skin caught in the cabinet was torn to shreds. Blood leaked from various places, flowing down. Blood streamed like a river around the round jewel embedded in the center of its chest. The jewel in the chest was a mark only the snow mermaid queen possessed. Upon discovering it, Mariaeks recalled the snow mermaid queen she knew. But that queen had not been this large in build, had not had this many arms, had not had teeth this sharp. It seemed to be a queen from a different tribe.

Mariaeks shook her head slightly.

"Is that so?"

Garthe muttered as if surprised.

The mermaid crawled along the floor, looking ready to collapse but not collapsing. It tried to float several times, but people had blocked the window with display cabinets to keep the blizzard from rushing in. Without snow and wind, snow mermaids couldn't fly. Remarkable judgment in such a short moment.

The giant man called Salenoke raised his axe above his head. He looked ready to strike down the mermaid's neck immediately.

"Wait."

At Garthe's command, the massive axe stopped. The mermaid paid no attention to what was above its head, slowly crawling along the floor. Its sunken head and endlessly flowing blood foretold the mermaid's death. Though it must have felt its own life fading, the mermaid showed no thought of escape. It simply advanced, looking only at one place. The direction where Garthe and Mariaeks stood.

Mariaeks didn't think she would make such a choice. The moment the enemy appeared, Garthe's power spread strongly, filling the space. The mermaid must have sensed that he was stronger than anyone here.

Fear of death was an irresistible impulse beneath thought and reason. What they called instinct. Mariaeks hadn't thought there could be a desire that overcame it.

Swish, swish. The heavy body soaked in blood made a chilling sound as it rubbed against the floor. Mariaeks looked into the eyes of the mermaid drawing closer. Perhaps the desire contained within was the source that made it forget instinct. She was curious what it was. But reflected in the mermaid's eyes was nothing else—only Mariaeks herself.

With each step closer, rapture pooled in those pale eyes. Goosebumps rose on Mariaeks's arms. The moment she unconsciously stepped back, Garthe's hand that had been around her waist gently stopped her movement. In the end, Mariaeks had to watch the approaching mermaid while trapped in his embrace.

The mermaid finally reached their feet. It was around then that Garthe, who had only been watching, moved. He raised his foot and pressed down on the mermaid's head. Not kicking it like before, just stopping its movement.

Long nails scraped wildly at the floor, making an unpleasant noise. It seemed frustrated that it wanted to get closer to Mariaeks but couldn't. The mermaid that had been scratching beneath Garthe's foot for a moment opened its mouth wide. Broken tooth fragments and a long tongue soaked in blood emerged from its mouth.

A sticky sound came with each movement of the tongue. The long tongue crawled like a snake and coiled around Mariaeks's ankle. The slimy, slippery tongue slowly swept up her skin.

Mariaeks's face turned white. She stopped breathing, then gasped urgently, repeating the cycle. She wanted to flee but couldn't. Garthe's hand still held her waist. The grip that didn't press with strong force served to inform her of the space allowed to her. From where she stood now to the inside of Garthe's arms embracing her waist from behind. The space grew even narrower with their bodies pressed close. Just a handspan. She saw no corner to hide within it.

The red tongue passed her calf and brushed the tender flesh behind her knee. Mariaeks shuddered. The feeling of bumpy protrusions touching her sensitive skin was horrible.

The long tongue lifted the hem of Mariaeks's long tunic like a theater curtain. She could see a trickle of blood running down her exposed shin. A wound had formed from the window fragments. The mermaid's tongue traced back along that red trail. Then it licked the bleeding wound carefully. Nausea suddenly surged, and Mariaeks pressed her lips tightly shut. Though she hadn't eaten anything, her stomach churned.

Gulp. The mermaid's throat moved greatly. Then it trembled and smiled, tearing its mouth wide. Simultaneously, the mermaid's divine power fluctuated violently in large swings. Sinking deep, then swelling greatly. Growing larger and larger. Like waves rushing in and receding. The snow mermaid trembled its tail as if feeling pleasure. Crack. A large fissure formed in the jewel on its chest. Something dangerous seemed about to happen.

Then Garthe's voice resonated quietly.

"Salenoke."

"Yes!"

As Garthe called out, the large man struck down the mermaid's neck with his axe. Bang! The axe embedded deeply in the stone floor. Blood that flowed out pooled in the gap. The separated mermaid head rolled once and fell completely at Mariaeks's feet. The mermaid, its face flushed red with blood and excitement, continued licking the blood. It seemed unaware its neck had been severed.

Mariaeks met eyes that still held only her. She was dazed, unable to even think to look away. Garthe's leather boots stepped on the mermaid's face. The moment a gruesome bursting sound was about to ring out, Mariaeks instinctively squeezed her eyes shut.

Thud, crack. The sound of a hard object breaking. Simultaneously, something hot and sticky splattered heavily on her legs. The mermaid's tongue instantly lost strength and slipped. The fluctuating divine power subsided. The mermaid had died. It happened in an instant.

Mariaeks couldn't bring herself to look down. The damp clothing clinging to her legs felt uncomfortable. The piercing smell of blood made her stomach churn and her head spin. Garthe passed by Mariaeks as she stood vacantly. Even after trampling someone to death, his calm seemed not to waver at all.

"Oze. Check."