"It's just water."
Soya said, shaking the liquid inside the flask. With a queasy expression, she handed the water bottle back to Elsi. The way she scratched her head made it seem like she herself wasn't convinced by her own words. She examined the residue left in the flask and said,
"Strictly speaking, it's a mixture thicker than water, but honestly, at this concentration, you could just call it water. I tested it with a detection tool from the Magic Tower and there was no abnormal reaction, so it should be fine."
"Your words are difficult, Mage."
"She's saying it's okay to drink."
The knight interpreted Soya's words for Elsi. Elsi frowned and examined the water bottle. She could see very small particles dispersed in the water. It was as if fine powders, like pepper or ash, were mixed in.
"Those people called these particles some kind of 'glass'."
"It was Mermelglass. Do you know of it, Mage?"
"Mermelglass? Hmm. I think I've heard of it... I don't handle materials like this, so how about you ask Cellu? When it comes to water, it might be best to ask a mermaid."
"Ah, then, Elsi. Could you... ask the mermaid for me? I'll go to the underground prison and start torturing the bastards."
"Understood."
The knight was very awkward around Cellu, who was wandering in the swimming pool. Cellu herself didn't seem to mind, but knowing she was a murderous mermaid who had killed people, he found it hard to talk to her with a smile. So, the knight decided to go torture the criminals and left the water to Elsi.
Cellu waved at Elsi, who was walking straight toward her. Elsi also stopped in her tracks and waved back.
"
Heh.
"
"Big mermaid. I have a question."
"Big mermaid? My name is Cellu."
Cellu wondered why Elsi didn't bother using names to distinguish between the two mermaids. She also wondered if Elsi ever called anyone by their name. Even Lusius, whom one could say was the closest to her on a personal level, was 'the cleric,' Sieri was 'the nun,' and Eve was 'the mermaid.'
When Cellu asked to be called by her name, Elsi shook her head and said,
"Then, old mermaid."
"...Just call me big mermaid."
Cellu realized it was more comfortable for her to just give up. Even if she made Elsi remember the name Cellu, it was clear she would just change it to some bizarre name like 'Ellu' or 'Yallu' a few days later.
"You ask for too much. More importantly, I have a question. About this water."
"What is it?"
"I don't know either."
Cellu looked at the glass bottle Elsi held out. She frowned and looked at it from all angles, but it was just water. After staring at the water through the glass bottle for a long while, she looked back at Elsi and asked,
"Can I try it? There's nothing weird in it, right?"
"They said it's fine to drink."
"Let's see..."
Cellu opened the lid, dipped her finger in the water, and licked it lightly. The way she frowned and smacked her lips didn't suggest it tasted good. Cellu scrunched up her face and gave her impression.
"It's bitter, chalky... and there are particles sticking to my mouth. What is this? It's like drinking water mixed with sand..."
"So the big mermaid doesn't know either."
"I don't know. Who told you to ask me in the first place? I'm not a water connoisseur."
"The mage said the big mermaid might know."
"That's prejudice.
Heh
."
After confirming there was nothing wrong, Cellu took another mouthful. She gargled it in her mouth, swallowed, and scrunched up her face again.
"I'm not sure. It feels like there's a familiar scent."
"What are you talking about?"
"Oh. A mermaid. I had a question for a mermaid."
Cellu placed the water bottle on the edge of the swimming pool and pushed it toward Elsi. Elsi reached out, picked up the bottle, and handed it to Eve. Eve examined the bottle from all angles and asked,
"What's this? Did you scoop up some swimming pool water?"
"I don't know. Some merchants were selling it, so I brought it because it was suspicious."
"Looks like just water. What's suspicious about it?"
"They said mermaids shouldn't drink it, and also..."
"...And you're telling me I drank something like that?"
"The mage said it's fine. She said it's just water."
At those words, a startled Cellu muttered to herself, and Elsi corrected her. Eve examined the water bottle from all angles again and asked,
"If you know it's just water, then that's that. What are you curious about?"
"They said some kind of ingredient was in it, but I don't know what. It was something... 'glass,' I think."
At the word 'glass,' Cellu, who had just taken another mouthful of the water, made a strange expression.
"Glass? It was sparkling in the water. Are they glass shards?"
Even as she said it, Cellu touched her own throat with a queasy look on her face. Eve thought deeply about that and asked Elsi,
"Hey, could that be Mermelglass?"
"That's right. It was a similar name."
"Huh? What. You know what that is?"
"Mom. You don't know what Mermelglass is?"
Eve looked at Cellu with a baffled expression. Cellu shook her head. Eve looked at the bottle with a queasy expression and said,
"Our scales are Mermelglass. That's what the merchants call them."
"
Heuk...
"
Cellu's face turned white as a sheet, then blue. She dove deep into the swimming pool, swam to the other side, and began to vomit the contents onto the backyard.
"
Huuueeeghk...
"
"Big mermaid. Were you poisoned?"
Eve looked at Cellu with a pathetic expression and said,
"No. She's just doing that because she's grossed out."
"I don't understand what's gross. The big mermaid always complained about her scales falling off when she was out of the water. There must be one or two scales floating in that swimming pool, so why is she grossed out?"
"You'd feel gross too if someone else's fingernail went down your throat while you were drinking water."
"I understand."
After saying that, Elsi looked at Eve again. Eve was still looking at the potion. Eve asked,
"By the way, where did you get this? I've seen all kinds of strange bastards."
"I got it from someone in the water business. They said drinking this makes you feel good."
"...They sold something like that to you?"
Eve asked, staring intently at Elsi. Elsi nodded and pointed toward the underground prison.
"They did. They said it was a feel-good medicine. I bought it to give to a mermaid, but I didn't know it had mermaid scales in it. I'm sorry. Those bastards are all locked up in the underground prison."
"Well, I don't really care about the scales since we don't even know if they're real mermaid scales, they could've just ground up anything... but they're bastards from the water business, is that it..."
Eve hated those involved in the prostitution business. She knew all too well how mermaids who were dragged into brothels died. So, hearing they were locked up in the underground prison, Eve was on the verge of humming.
"Are you sure it's the water business?"
"I am. I saw them in the village square, doing the water business."
"They did it in the square? Wow, what fucking bastards, living with their lives on the line. Don't they know that operating without a permit doesn't just end with a fine?"
"Is the water business that bad?"
"Of course. They're fucking bastards. The guys in the water business also draw mermaid blood to use as products. They put beastfolk up as products too."
"B-Beastfolk..."
Elsi was so shocked that her ears and tail stood on end, and she growled. In her mind, an image formed of vicious merchants selling tiny beastfolk in bottles.
"They're such cruel bastards! As humans, they shouldn't do that!"
Elsi shouted in agitation. Sharpening her claws, she glared at the prison with gleaming eyes.
"Yeah. Fuck. Of course. From now on, just kill all the bastards in the water business. Got it?"
"...Still, everyone has different circumstances, so I think you should investigate a little before killing them."
Elsi retracted her claws again and shook her head.
"Fuck, if you say that, what does that make me?"
Eve grumbled as she opened the underground prison door. Elsi had a belligerent side, but also a surprisingly calm one. In the underground prison, two men were trembling. Their faces were swollen as if they'd already been beaten soundly by the knight. Eve whistled once to get their attention and then spoke.
"Well, now, what kind of fucking bastards with fucked-up parents are doing the water business here?"
After saying that, Eve glanced up and said to Elsi,
"They can't hear this outside, right?"
"You didn't say it that loud."
Eve pointed to the knight and said,
"Right. Good. You've worked hard, too. I'll take it from here, so you can go."
"Ah, yes. Understood. Um..."
"I know, I know, they're fucking bastards from the water business."
"Pardon?"
"What."
"Ah, nothing."
The knight wondered if the meaning of 'water business' was different from what he knew, but he didn't press the issue. He figured Elsi must have explained it properly.
The two merchants were now trembling in fear. Their mistake began with entering the wrong territory. They had started their business thinking it was the Amur Territory, but it was the Peta Territory. The fact that Peta Lusius's wife was a mermaid was a very famous story in the southern region.
They couldn't imagine what kind of harm would befall them for selling water made from ground mermaid scales in the Peta Territory, so they had tried to escape as quickly as possible. But they were caught by a suspicious knight and a beastfolk, and now the two of them were tied up tight in the underground prison.
"P-Please spare us... We really don't know anything."
"You don't know? You're telling me you don't know?"
Eve asked. The merchants nodded. They were desperately trying to persuade Eve.
"I-It's true. We're, uh, just merchants. See? Good-willed merchants. Besides, in other territories, the mermaid trade is legal, isn't it? If you let us go this time, we'll never come near again. We were just..."
Eve calmly shook her head and said,
"What nonsense, fucker. If you do the water business in another's territory without a permit, you deserve to die."
"What? W-Water business? Ah, no, hold on! It's a misunderstanding! It's really a misunderstanding!"
"Fuck off, you bastards. It's not up to you to decide whether it's a misunderstanding or not. Understand?"
"N-No, but, we're, I mean! That!"
The two men looked at Elsi, who was next to Eve. Elsi replied with an innocent face, as if she knew nothing.
"It's the water business. I saw it clearly with my own two eyes."
"Yeah, look. We have a witness right here, and you're still lying. Not just the water business, but you're making and selling aphrodisiacs with fucking mermaid scales? You guys today..."
"W-We had an agreement!"
At the man's shout, Eve stopped her movement. The other man looked at him with a stunned expression. The man said, on the verge of tears,
"W-We had an agreement, I said. We took the scales with the mermaid's consent. If we die, there's no one to feed the mermaid. P-Please, I beg you, if you just spare our lives..."
"Look at this?"
Eve was about to draw her sword but changed her mind. Might as well hear the story.