Chapter 1766 - 245 - Battle of the Great Ocean, Part 2 (2)

The Mermaid Kingdom might have an enormous territory, but territory did not magically create soldiers.

Having a massive ocean under your control was useful, but if your enemy had significantly more people available for a prolonged conflict, that difference could eventually become a serious problem.

It was the same basic principle as any other war.

Strength mattered.

Resources mattered.

Numbers mattered.

Most importantly, time mattered.

If the Mermaid Kingdom could win quickly, then its smaller population would not necessarily become a major problem.

If the conflict dragged on for years, however, things could become much more difficult.

The Queen seemed to understand that just as clearly as I did.

She did not argue against my point.

Instead, she simply stared at me for several seconds before apparently deciding there was no point in arguing about something she already knew.

"So, what exactly do I get out of this?" she asked.

Well, that was a perfectly reasonable question.

In fact, it was probably the most reasonable question she could have asked.

If two nations were going to form an alliance, there needed to be some kind of benefit for both sides.

Otherwise, it was not really an alliance.

It was just one side doing the other a favor while pretending that everyone involved had somehow won.

I thought about it for a moment.

"Well, honestly, nothing," I said.

Serune blinked.

The Queen also looked at me strangely.

I could not exactly blame them.

I had just asked for an alliance and then admitted that I had absolutely nothing substantial to offer in return.

"I came here with nothing except a genuine desire to become allies with you," I continued. "That is honestly all I have to offer right now."

I had no secret treasure hidden somewhere.

I had no magical artifact that could suddenly make the Mermaid Kingdom stronger.

I was not going to promise them half of my territory or some ridiculous amount of gold.

The only thing I could realistically offer at that moment was cooperation itself.

If the Mermaid Queen wanted to accept that, then great.

If she did not, then I would simply have to find another way to deal with the situation.

She narrowed her eyes until they almost looked like slits, staring at me as though she were trying to examine every possible motive hiding behind my words.

I remained kneeling in front of her and waited.

The silence lasted long enough that I started wondering whether I had somehow made things worse.

Then she closed her eyes.

"Well, I suppose I expected as much," she said. "I did not think you had all that much to offer me in the first place. Whatever you could give me would probably be something I would have little interest in anyway. So, honestly, I am glad you did not come here pretending to have some grand offer waiting for me."

She opened her eyes again.

Her gaze became sharper.

"Fine. Let's go with this alliance of yours," she finally said, accepting my offer.

For a moment, nobody said anything.

The mermaid guards surrounding her looked genuinely surprised by her decision.

I could understand why.

From their perspective, their Queen had spent the entire conversation explaining why she did not need my help, questioning my intentions, and making it very clear that she was not interested in simply giving me anything.

Then she suddenly agreed.

Serune, meanwhile, looked noticeably happier.

She had been watching the conversation with an anxious expression for most of the time, so seeing that tension disappear from her face was enough to make the entire exchange feel a little less hostile.

I was about to say something when the Mermaid Queen raised a hand.

"However, I have one condition," she said.

She then turned her attention toward her daughter.

A small smile appeared on her face.

That smile immediately made me suspicious.

"What is it?" I asked, already wondering what kind of condition she was about to attach to our agreement.

The Queen looked at Serune for another moment before turning back toward me.

"You know that mermaids do not have any males among their own kind, right?" she asked.

I nodded slightly.

"We are a relatively short-lived people compared with some of the other races," she continued. "Because of that, maintaining our population is important if we want to avoid eventually becoming extinct. Our traditional method of reproduction requires us to go to the surface, bring a suitable male down into the ocean, and continue our lineage through him."

Well, that was certainly one way of explaining it.

It was not exactly a secret that mermaids had unusual reproductive customs in this world, although I had never really given much thought to how those customs worked from their own perspective.

I did question one part of what she said, though.

I was not entirely convinced that mermaids could be considered particularly short-lived.

From what I knew, they could live for at least a hundred years without much trouble, and some could supposedly reach several centuries while still retaining surprisingly youthful appearances.

Five hundred years was already a ridiculously long time compared with an ordinary human lifespan.

However, when I compared that number with Elves, Dwarves, and Demons, the comparison became much less impressive.

Some of those races could supposedly live for thousands of years.

At that point, even five hundred years probably looked like a short vacation.

"My daughter seems to have taken a liking to you," the Queen said.

Serune immediately stiffened.

I had a feeling I already knew where this was going.

"So, I am hoping you would be willing to help her start a family."

"M-Mother?! W-What are you talking about?!" Serune exclaimed, looking completely shocked by what her mother had just said.

Her reaction was so immediate that even the guards seemed to become slightly uncomfortable.

The Queen, however, remained completely calm.

She looked at her daughter as if she had just suggested something perfectly ordinary.

"It is not as strange as you are making it sound," she said. "I simply figure that you are not the sort of person who would take someone from the surface, make him the father of your child, and then dispose of him afterward. If that is the case, then it would make more sense to entrust this matter to someone you already know and trust, would it not?"

Serune's face became even redder.

She looked like she wanted the floor to open up beneath her and swallow her whole.