Chapter 1765 - 245 - Battle of the Great Ocean, Part 2 (1)

The Mermaid Queen looked at me for a moment, almost as if she had expected me to bring up something like this eventually. Even so, she still looked a little surprised that I had gone straight to the point instead of spending several minutes dancing around the subject first.

"You really went straight for that, huh? As expected," she said, giving me a look that was somewhere between amusement and mild disbelief. "I suppose cooperation is something I would naturally expect to hear about in a conversation like this, but I still do not see why I should agree to it. My Kingdom is more than capable of defending itself against those bastards from the surface who keep trying to take what belongs to us. Besides, I have no interest in becoming indebted to anyone, especially someone who comes from the surface."

I could understand where she was coming from, at least to some extent.

The Mermaid Kingdom was not some insignificant little nation hiding beneath the waves. From everything I had seen and heard so far, it was one of the major powers in this part of the world. The fact that their entire kingdom existed beneath the ocean already gave them an advantage that most surface nations could only dream about.

They knew the ocean better than anyone else.

They could move through the water as naturally as humans moved across land.

They could use the environment itself as part of their defense.

Trying to invade their territory from the surface was probably one of the stupidest military decisions anyone could make unless they already had a way to deal with all those advantages.

Still, being strong did not mean being invincible.

That was the part I was trying to get across to her.

From the way she spoke about her kingdom, though, I was beginning to get the impression that she held her own race in particularly high regard. She seemed to have difficulty seeing anything outside of her own people as being equal to them.

It was not exactly surprising, considering the world we lived in.

There were so many different races scattered across the world that racial superiority was practically an old tradition in some places.

Humans had their own kingdoms.

Elves had their forests.

Demons had their territories.

Mermaids had their underwater kingdom.

With that many races living in the same world, it was probably inevitable that some of them would eventually start believing their own kind was superior to everyone else.

In this case, the Mermaid Queen seemed to be one of those people.

I was not particularly surprised by it.

"M-Mother... He brought me back to you and saved me from being imprisoned for a long time," Serune said, stepping into the conversation after realizing that her mother was not exactly showing me much appreciation for what I had done. "So, if you would, please at least consider what he is trying to say."

Her voice was gentle, but I could tell that she genuinely wanted her mother to listen.

After all, she was the one who had been brought back.

She was the one who had been separated from her family.

She was also the one who knew firsthand that I could have simply left her behind if I had wanted to.

Instead, I had brought her all the way back to the Mermaid Kingdom.

I did not really consider it some grand heroic deed, but from Serune's perspective, it probably meant far more than I realized.

The Mermaid Queen looked at me for a moment after hearing her daughter's words.

Then she shifted her gaze toward Serune.

Her expression changed slightly, and after letting out a quiet sigh, she seemed to relax.

"It seems you've managed to capture my daughter's heart as well," she said.

"M-Mother?!" Serune immediately blushed, and her expression changed so quickly that I almost laughed.

I honestly had no idea why the conversation had suddenly taken that turn.

We had been talking about alliances, military threats, and the possibility of working together against our enemies, and somehow the Mermaid Queen had decided that this was the perfect opportunity to point out that her daughter apparently had feelings for me.

It was a surprisingly effective way of embarrassing Serune, though.

I could practically see the steam coming out of her ears.

"Well, I am willing to hear him out," the Queen continued, apparently ignoring her daughter's embarrassment completely. "However, I believe the reason he brought you back here in the first place was because he wanted to earn a favor from me. I am not going to simply hand one over to him that easily, especially if that is what he expects."

She had hit the nail right on the head.

I had not expected her to figure out my intentions that quickly, although, when I actually thought about it, I probably should have.

Bringing Serune all the way back to the Mermaid Kingdom was certainly something I had wanted to do for her sake, but I would be lying if I said I had not considered the possibility of gaining the Mermaid Queen's cooperation.

It was not exactly a complicated plan.

I help her daughter.

She becomes more willing to listen to me.

I ask for her cooperation.

That was basically it.

There was no elaborate ten-step strategy hiding behind everything.

"I have to admit, I like how shrewd and calculating you are," she said as she placed one elbow on the armrest and rested her chin against her hand. "However, that kind of approach is not enough when you are trying to negotiate an agreement like this. If you think I am going to make things that easy for you, then you have another thing coming."

The way she looked at me afterward made it obvious that she was trying to intimidate me.

Honestly, she was pretty good at it.

There was something about the way she carried herself that made it immediately obvious why she was the Queen.

She did not need to raise her voice.

She did not need to threaten me.

She could simply stare at someone and make it clear that she expected to be taken seriously.

I chuckled lightly and raised both hands.

"No, no. That is not what I meant," I said. "I came back here with Serune partly because I wanted to ask you for a favor and hear your thoughts, but for the most part, I genuinely wanted her to return to her own home. I think it would be cruel if she had to stay somewhere else and never got the chance to see you again. I am sure you would feel the same way if you were in her position."

The Queen did not answer immediately.

I continued before she could interrupt me.

"As for my suggestion, it is perfectly fine if you decide against it. I am not going to lose everything just because you refuse. The Mermaid Kingdom seems strong enough to deal with anyone who tries to disturb its peace, so I am not here to pretend that you desperately need my help."

I paused for a moment, making sure I explained myself properly.

"I am simply suggesting that cooperation could benefit both sides. If we work together, our enemies will have a harder time moving against either of us because they will have to consider more than one force at the same time. Besides, although the Mermaid Kingdom controls a huge territory, your population is relatively small. That could still put you at a disadvantage if this turns into a long and exhausting war."

The moment I finished speaking, I noticed something change in her expression.

Her eyebrow twitched.

Then the other one twitched as well.

For a brief moment, she looked like someone had just insulted her favorite food.

I had apparently hit a nerve.

I could practically imagine a vein popping out on her forehead.

I had not said it to insult her, though.

I was simply pointing out what seemed like an obvious weakness.