While Daniel was playing with the Elders…
The Underwater Temple was bustling with activity.
The entire kingdom was in a frenzy, but the temple, demanding silence with a sacred attitude, was noisy for one and only one reason.
“Next patient, please move over here!”
“Honey!”
“I’m sorry, but all family and friends must wait outside! We don’t have space for the patients!”
“Priest, please! You must save our son!”
“We’re doing our best right now! Please wait outside!”
Currently, injured mermaid warriors who fought to slow down the Behemoth’s advance were being brought into the temple.
The warriors being moved to the temple were all critically injured, and their numbers were rising beyond count.
Even with the priests inside the temple fully mobilized for treatment, they were easily overwhelmed by the sheer number of patients.
“Honey! Please hold on a little longer! Please…! Please…!”
“We’re running low on regenerative seaweed! Someone go get some from the temple storage!”
“Aaah…! No…!”
In the end, patients began to pass away without receiving timely treatment.
Those watching the situation hoped for urgent treatment for their own family members.
However, due to a lack of personnel, not everyone could be attended to, and some rushed to the priests, begging.
They clutched the priests’ arms, screaming to save their families without realizing their actions were slowing down the treatment.
“Calm down! We’re treating everyone quickly in the order they arrived!”
“My husband’s injuries are more serious!”
“We can’t examine each injury; the number of patients keeps increasing! Please bear with us!”
The temple was overwhelmed with patients and, on top of that, the numbers kept rising.
The priests wished they could save everyone within the temple.
But realistically, there was a limit to how many patients one person could take care of.
“Ugh…!”
“Aaaagh!”
The deaths of the warriors affected not only their families.
The guilt of not being able to save patients weighed heavily on the priests and tormented them.
They bit their lips hard enough to draw blood, lamenting their helplessness.
Yet, they did not let go of their bloodied hands.
They were doing everything they could to save even one more person.
“It’s wrong; the wounds are too severe! I can’t save anyone with my weak power…!”
“Don’t give up.”
“What…?”
A gentle touch reached the mermaid priest who was despondent and showing a pained expression.
The warm energy flowing from the touch flowed through the priest and into the injured.
The wounds, which had stained the sea water red, were quickly healing.
The warrior, who had been gasping painfully, began to breathe calmly and welcomed peace.
“Ah! Thank you…!”
As the mermaid turned her head to express her gratitude, she swallowed her words midway.
She realized for the first time that the one who had helped her was human.
The unexpected appearance of a human left the priest astonished, and she fumbled for words.
Still, she calmly pressed her lips together, then slowly released them.
“…Thank you for your help!”
She momentarily lost her composure but quickly regained her wits and expressed her heartfelt gratitude.
No matter who had helped, saving a precious life was a joy worth being honest about.
“It’s nothing.”
Nina, smiling as if it were something obvious.
Contrary to the widespread rumors about humans in the kingdom, the one the priest faced radiated a truly gentle energy.
Though petite in stature, Nina’s back, going to take care of other patients, appeared so large it made one want to trust and follow her.
“Ugh!”
“Please wait a moment. I will alleviate your pain.”
Nina approached the warriors who were complaining of pain due to not receiving treatment.
Closing her eyes and clasping her hands, she began to draw out the potential within her.
Meanwhile, the family of the patients, realizing she was human, rushed forward to stop Nina.
Just in time, the priest who had received help from Nina threw herself to stop them.
“What are you doing? Get out of the way! Don’t you see what the human is going to do to the patient?!”
“She’s not trying to harm anyone! She’s here to save them!”
“That’s absurd! A human would never help our mermaids!”
“That’s not true.”
“Princess Meridin?”
“That lady is the holy maiden predicted to receive the salvation from the sacred Sheiden. So to say she would harm us means you doubting the will of Sheiden?”
“Of course not! We were just worried about our family!”
“Then just watch quietly. The holy maiden will surely perform a miracle.”
With Meridin vouching for Nina, the mermaids had no choice but to refrain from taking any aggressive actions.
All they could do was watch Nina with dubious eyes.
If things went awry, they were determined not to be lenient, even if she was recognized as a holy maiden by the gods.
Under the sting of their glares, Nina only thought about saving the warriors.
In response to her mindset, brilliant light began to emanate from her hands.
The light quickly enveloped the entire temple.
The battered and torn bodies of the warriors, some even severed, started to experience an unexpected phenomenon as the light touched them.
The crushed body tissues rearranged themselves like cubes, and torn wounds healed almost instantly.
Severed parts, though slightly grotesque, began to grow fresh flesh.
It was truly a miracle.
“Hah…! Hah…!”
The price of the miracle that healed numerous patients was not small.
Nina, having exhausted a considerable amount of her energy, felt her legs trembling and eventually collapsed to the ground.
She was gasping for breath and, although it was hard to tell underwater, she was pouring with sweat.
“Nina, are you alright?”
“Huff…! I’m fine!”
“You’ve overworked yourself. Let me guide you to the rest area!”
“I’m okay. I can still do a bit more!”
“No, please leave the rest to us and take a break! You have to do greater things than this!”
Meridin, valuing every single citizen, knew it was time to make a firm decision for the greater good.
If Nina spent all her energy on medical work, she wouldn’t be able to face the Behemoth later.
Unless they resolved the Behemoth, the number of injured would continue to increase.
For the underwater kingdom and mermaids, the final battle was their last hope, and they couldn’t exclude Nina as their core card.
“Most importantly, if Nina is overworked, Professor Daniel will definitely get angry.”
“If it’s the professor’s temperament, that’s certainly true.”
Meridin recalled the chilling aura Daniel had when they met on the beach.
Contrary to his warm impression, he was a person of terrifying killing intent.
The fact that she hadn’t even noticed he was wearing a mask made her fearful.
Driven by instinct that she should never provoke his temper, she had released him into the kingdom.
‘What on earth is he doing…’
There was no way to imagine. She had to trust that Daniel’s words would mean something good for the kingdom.
“Let’s go.”
“Okay.”
“Wait a moment!”
Just as Meridin was supporting Nina toward the rest area, a little mermaid girl blocked their path.
The small girl, fidgeting with her fingers behind her back, shyly presented a sea flower to Nina.
“Thank you for making my daddy not hurt!”
“Ah…!”
“I picked this for daddy, but since you saved him, I’ll give it to you!”
“Thank you.”
Nina smiled as she received the flower from a girl much younger than her.
Then, starting with the little girl, many mermaids present at the miraculous scene rushed to Nina.
“Thank you! Thank you so much for saving him!”
“How can we repay this kindness…!”
“Sniff! I thought there was no hope left! You, who saved me, are my savior!”
Everyone clutched Nina’s hands tightly, voices shaky with tears as they expressed their thanks.
There was not a trace of wariness toward humans, only reverence for Nina as a holy maiden.
“It’s oddly embarrassing.”
Nina scratched her cheek bashfully.
Having been looked down upon as a commoner and member of group F in the past, being treated with such reverence felt a bit awkward.
In contrast, Meridin, who had lived through such a life, smiled at Nina’s reaction.
“You performed a miracle, after all.”
“A miracle? That’s an exaggeration. I just maximized my only ability.”
“For someone, a small act may feel like a miracle for someone else. Haven’t you ever experienced a moment that felt dazzlingly beautiful?”
“…I have. Just as you said, while the person involved didn’t think much of it, it was a moment that was incredibly beautiful for me.”
Nina recalled Daniel, who had appeared at the moment of crisis and saved her.
He blocked blades flying at her, even at the cost of his own injury, and took dangerous assassins away.
That scene was etched in her eyes, causing her heart to race whenever she remembered that day.
“The fact that Nina cared for all the injured warriors was surely something beautiful for others.”
“So it seems…”
“Take pride in it. You are undoubtedly a holy maiden for us!”
Finally, Nina felt a sense of pride in what she accomplished.
At the same time, someone popped into her mind.
“Do you think I’ll get praised if I tell Professor Daniel?”
“O-of course!”
“Hehe! I’ll brag about it when the professor comes back!”
Excited about the prospect of compliments, Nina began to fidget with her feet.
Meanwhile, Meridin made a somewhat displeased expression observing Nina’s reaction.
‘How did the holy maiden come to like a man who’s like a walking disaster…’
While she pondered, hurried footsteps could be heard rushing toward them without a knock.
The unpleasantness of such a blatant entrance was momentarily subdued, as the out-of-breath armed mermaid stood before Meridin.
“Princess Meridin! Urgent news!”
“What’s happened?”
“The Behemoth is rapidly approaching the kingdom! At the same time, we’ve also discovered the cause behind the Behemoth’s rampage!”
The moment of decisive battle was rapidly approaching.
