「Enough, stop.」
Amphitrite’s enormous hand came between Nereus and me, separating us.
Only then did I realize that I had been lost in my thoughts.
‘W-what was I even thinking about?’
I couldn’t understand why that particular memory resurfaced so suddenly. Was it because Nereus gave off a similar vibe to my former superiors?
‘But Caelum isn’t in the navy—they’re pirates…’
Even though I had been scolded for my mistakes and had even returned to the past, it was ridiculous that I still carried this trauma.
‘I have gotten a bit too relaxed lately.’
Ever since I realized that I had turned back time, I had been oddly carefree within Caelum. It felt as though my time in the navy had been nothing but a lie.
But if this continued, I was bound to stir up unnecessary trouble in Caelum…
“Hey, what are you thinking so hard about this time?”
“….…….”
“Did you get hurt somewhere? No, you look fine. Geez, really. How does a six-year-old have so many worries?”
Nereus spoke in an exaggerated, playful tone as he tousled my hair roughly before stepping between Amphitrite and me.
‘You don’t know anything.’
Without knowing why I was acting this way or what I was thinking, Nereus cut off my train of thought so easily.
「You two seem close.」
“Who the heck are you?”
Nereus, unimpressed by Amphitrite’s imposing presence, responded with a cheeky attitude.
I could feel the tension among all the mermaids around us, not just me.
「I am Amphitrite, the queen of the mermaids.」
“Oh, I see. Hello there! I am the captain of the Caelum Pirates, and…”
Nereus firmly pressed down on my head as if playfully patting it.
“I’m this kid’s dad.”
「Somehow, you swam all the way here so fiercely.」
‘He really swam that entire distance alone.’
Despite not being a mermaid, he managed to do it. Nereus truly was a monster in many ways.
Standing amidst the mermaids, Nereus showed no sign of intimidation as he continued speaking.
“Taking the kid like that—what are you trying to do, huh? What about my heart?”
「Your heart?」
“Yeah, Lala makes my heart beat. If my daughter isn’t here, I might as well be dead.”
‘He sure knows how to talk.’
Amphitrite chuckled as if she found Nereus’ words amusing.
「Yes, this child carried the scent of the sea we love so much. I apologize for the trouble.」
Amphitrite bowed her enormous body in apology, while Nereus simply nodded his head half-heartedly.
「The scent of the sea was unusually strong… I wondered why. Turns out, it wasn’t just because of the stones—it was you as well.」
“……….!”
Amphitrite had realized that my time had been turned back. She also told Nereus that he had reached the End of the Sea…
‘Nereus had Belsomnea.’
A legendary poisonous herb, Belsomnea. Many considered it a mere myth, as it had never been discovered. However, its characteristics were oddly well-documented.
Nereus had kept the herb, believing it could cure my illness. But regardless…
Belsomnea was classified as a top-level prohibited substance. The navy always kept an ear out for any news about the plant, wary of its potential illegal trade. This alone proved that Belsomnea was not just a fictional plant.
But if it truly existed at ‘the End of the Sea’…?
‘That explains why it was never found until now.’
And if the End of the Sea was a place so difficult to reach, it also made sense why Caelum had exhausted all its strength trying to get there—only to be so easily wiped out.
‘But what exactly did they see there?’
The End of the Sea was said to be the land of the gods.
Reaching it was said to make one the ruler of the world itself.
So what did Nereus witness there? And why did he insist on bringing back Belsomnea to me?
‘If he really had the chance to become king, that alone would have earned him everyone’s support—despite his infamy as a pirate.’
Yet, until his capture and eventual execution, Nereus never spoke a word about reaching the End of the Sea.
For a moment, I doubted whether he had really made it there at all. But then, I locked eyes with Amphitrite.
“………!”
She smiled knowingly, as if she understood exactly what I was thinking, and gently touched the watch in my hand.
「I hope you find the right path.」
‘So my suspicions were right.’
Before my regression, Nereus had reached the End of the Sea.
And for some reason, he had chosen to abandon all the power he could have gained there and return.
‘He didn’t even know I was in the navy back then, so he wasn’t captured because of me.’
Then why?
The only way to find the answer was to reach the End of the Sea myself.
‘The Compass Piece was found on Odlo Island. And all the profits from it are flowing into Terminus’ Tenus Territory…’
That meant I might find more clues about the Compass Piece in Terminus.
‘But that would mean I’d have to meet the head of Terminus.’
Damn it.
As I clicked my tongue, my body was suddenly lifted.
“Then, there’s no more business with the kid, right? We’re leaving.”
Nereus, looking as insolent as ever, snorted and shot a glare at Amphitrite.
Most humans would be too overwhelmed to say anything when surrounded by this many mermaids, but Nereus was unfazed.
‘Well, Nereus isn’t exactly an ordinary human.’
「Your ship is approaching. It’s time to part ways.」
Amphitrite smiled wistfully. With a wave of her hand, water from the lake inside the cave surged upward, forming the shape of a massive horse.
「Ah, before you go, let me give a gift to the young one who provided me with such an interesting experience today.」
Suddenly, enormous water droplets formed in my hands.
A moment later, pop!
The droplets burst, scattering water everywhere. And within them—there was a treasure chest.
***
‘It’s all Oceanis and Mermaid’s Tears.’
Oceanis could be found in every sea, but its quality was graded. What Amphitrite had given me was of the highest grade—no, beyond that.
Since it was personally gifted by Amphitrite, it carried an overwhelming aura of Cormare, making it something that could never be found anywhere else.
‘And a whole lot of Mermaid’s Tears, too.’
This was enough wealth to buy multiple mansions in the capital.
‘I shouldn’t sell this carelessly.’
For some reason, Nereus insisted that everything that happened here remain a secret. He also told me to keep everything I had received.
‘Though, honestly, it’s tempting.’
Mermaid’s Tears were considered more valuable than any gemstone at the moment. And since I had advised Amphitrite to relocate the mermaids’ nest, they would become even more cautious of humans.
This meant that for at least a few years, the value of Mermaid’s Tears wouldn’t drop.
If only I had tried to communicate with the mermaids sooner.
‘For now, this is the best I can do, but is there a way to prevent further damage… huh?’
As I was organizing the Oceanis and Mermaid’s Tears inside the chest, I noticed something at the very bottom.
A small conch shell.
It had a hole at the top, resembling a trumpet.
Curious, I brought it to my lips and blew softly.
A faint, tingling sensation ran through me, as if I had connected to something.
“………!”
I immediately pulled the shell away from my lips.
I didn’t need to think twice to understand what it was.
‘It’s a shell that calls Amphitrite.’
This was something I absolutely couldn’t afford to handle carelessly.
Shaking my head, I quickly placed everything back into the chest and shoved it deep under my bed.
No low-ranking crew member ever entered my room, so no one would search that far down.
Knock, knock.
“Polaris.”
Gilbert called my name as he knocked on the door.
“Dad Gilbert?”
“Ner is calling you to the captain’s quarters.”
“…Huh? Okay, got it. Thanks.”
Nodding, I headed toward where Nereus was.
He was probably going to ask about what had happened with the mermaids.
“You’re here?”
What greeted me wasn’t just Nereus.
It was a mountain of soft, fluffy pancakes stacked high, drizzled with syrup, chocolate, and fruits.
‘W-what the heck is this?’
Our ship always had a more generous food supply compared to other pirate ships, but this was something else.
A dessert feast like this was unheard of.
Especially when it was just the two of us.
“Why are you so tense? Come here.”
“O-Oh, okay.”
“Close the door properly.”
I hesitantly followed Nereus’ instructions, shutting the door before sitting down. Without a word, he shoved a large piece of pancake into my mouth.
“Tastes good, right?”
“…Mmh.”
Honestly, it was delicious. The pancake was soft, like a baked cloud, melting the moment it touched my tongue. Its surface had a light sprinkle of sugar that had been caramelized to create a crisp texture, releasing a rich caramel aroma as it broke apart.
The combination of syrup and burnt sugar was perfect.
‘This is definitely Gilbert’s handiwork.’
“Here, eat this too.”
Nereus, who usually limited my daily intake of chocolate, now stuffed several pieces into my mouth without hesitation. By the time the fifth one went in, my cheeks were completely puffed out.
“Mmph!”
“…Pfft.”
As if amused by the sight, Nereus let out a breathy laugh before ruffling my hair with his large hand.
“Tastes good, right?”
“Mmh.”
Why was he asking the same thing again? And why were we having this random dessert time all of a sudden?
As I silently stared at him, Nereus, who had been pressing my cheek, finally spoke up.
“Are you okay now?”
“……….”
I knew exactly what he was referring to.
He had noticed my behavior back in the cave.
I gave a silent nod.
“Good. That’s all that matters.”
“…….….”
“You don’t have to explain anything. Everyone on this ship is considered a little ‘strange’ by land standards. But in reality, we’re not strange at all.”
Unlike his usual self, Nereus spoke in a calm and sincere tone. His deep red eyes watched me steadily.
“We’re just different. No one is the same.”
“Yeah.”
“You may be six, but you’re not like other six-year-olds.”
‘Well, technically, I’m twenty-six.’
“No matter what you’re hiding, you’re still my daughter. Got it?”
Once again, I responded with a nod instead of words.
Nereus chuckled softly.
A strange warmth spread through my chest—something I had never felt in my past life.
