Chapter 16 - Request

After a long while, under Gawain's gentle smile and Mjosgard's countless reassurances, the mermaids in the secret chamber finally calmed down.

The red-tailed mermaid, Triss, who had caused a commotion earlier, was now hiding behind her friend, sneaking glances at Gawain as he sat on the sofa, discussing serious matters with Mjosgard.

Gawain sat down, his gaze falling regretfully on the lifeless body on the floor. He felt sorrowful—this was the first life he had witnessed passing away since arriving in this new world.

Meanwhile, some of the more considerate mermaids brought fruit to Mjosgard and Gawain.

Upon seeing the fruit, Mjosgard waved his hand sorrowfully.

"I really don't have the appetite to eat, and I imagine Gawain feels the same."

"Indeed," Gawain agreed. Though curious about the food of this world, he couldn't muster the will to eat with a lifeless body lying before him.

Hearing Gawain's response, Mjosgard sighed and turned to him, gesturing toward the various mermaids around them.

"This has been my secret all along. For them, I've spent almost all of my share of the Heavenly Tribute over the years."

"Wait… you mean all of it?" Gawain asked in mild surprise.

"Yes," Mjosgard nodded. "As one of the heads of the Nineteen Families, I receive a weekly share worth 2.8 billion Berries. If it were purely about their market value, it wouldn't have cost me the full 150 billion Berries I receive yearly.

But this is Mary Geoise, not the Sabaody Archipelago!

In Sabaody's auction houses, I could buy a mermaid for two or three billion Berries, and at most twenty billion for a particularly rare one.

But it's different here. These mermaids were not bought at public auctions—they were acquired through trades with other Celestial Dragons!

Prices in Mary Geoise are already dozens of times higher than outside. And many Celestial Dragons refuse monetary payments, demanding rare treasures instead.

So yes, to save every living mermaid brought to Mary Geoise in the past five years, I've nearly exhausted all my wealth."

Mjosgard clenched his fists and lightly pounded the table, his expression showing no trace of regret.

"The problem is that there are too few members in the Donquixote Family. I don't receive as much tribute from family contributions as I need; otherwise, I could have saved even more!"

"I understand how hard it's been for you, Lord Mjosgard," Gawain said, gently patting his shoulder. "But I think your approach has some flaws."

Mjosgard blinked in surprise as Gawain furrowed his brow and continued seriously:

"Since you know that mermaids fetch the highest prices here in Mary Geoise, why didn't you cut off the supply at the source—the slave auctions in Sabaody?"

"Well, actually, I have bought all the mermaids being auctioned at Sabaody!" Mjosgard explained quickly. "But I can't always go there personally. And whenever other Celestial Dragons show up at the auction, my agents have no choice but to back off!

On top of that, many Celestial Dragons prefer coating ships themselves and capturing Fish-Men near the Ryugu Kingdom directly.

And let's not forget—Sabaody isn't the only place where mermaids are bought and sold. Who knows how many kings and nobles across the world trade mermaids as part of their Heavenly Tribute payments!

I simply can't block every route bringing mermaids to Mary Geoise."

"Hmm," Gawain nodded thoughtfully. Just as he suspected—while the Celestial Dragons might be arrogant and foolish, they weren't completely clueless. But they also weren't especially clever either.

For example...

"Stopping a trend is never easy, especially not by acting alone," Gawain said. "But, Lord Mjosgard, have you ever considered using public opinion to create a new trend in Mary Geoise—one that devalues mermaids?"

"A new trend?" Mjosgard asked, looking puzzled.

Gawain continued, "Let me give you a simple example. We could arrange for other family heads to publicly declare that mermaids are even lower than human slaves and that only the most tasteless, vulgar Celestial Dragons are obsessed with them.

We could also stage incidents where illnesses spread among those who get too close to mermaids, creating social pressure among the ordinary Celestial Dragons.

There are many ways to work toward reducing the perceived value of mermaids. If we can undermine their appeal, we'll weaken the interest other Celestial Dragons have in them.

In the end, the only way to truly protect these mermaids is by stripping them of their status as valuable commodities."

The room froze again. Before Mjosgard could respond, the mermaids around them burst into tears.

"We really aren't worth liking after all..."

"Being around us makes people sick... sob sob."

"We're hated now..."

"Waaaaa... We're so pitiful..."

Gawain couldn't help but roll his eyes. These sweet but naïve little creatures—even when hurt, they only feared being disliked. To them, not being recognized and loved was the most terrifying thing in the world.

Meanwhile, as the mermaids' sobbing intensified, Mjosgard slammed his hand down on the table.

"Gawain!" He spoke sternly. "I knew you'd have better ideas than me, but I cannot use those methods!

Because they are the kin of Queen Otohime!

That beautiful, kind-hearted queen—I could never harm her people, not even by tarnishing their reputation!"

With those words, Mjosgard suddenly stood up from the sofa. Then, without warning—thump!—he dropped to his knees in front of Gawain.

"Gawain-sama, I know I'm burdening you, but I sincerely hope you can take on the responsibility that should have been mine!

I will give you my full support—every treasure of the Donquixote Family that I own will be at your disposal.

If it means that the trend you described can spread through Mary Geoise, then the Fish-Men might truly be saved!

Please, Gawain-sama!"

Bang!

Mjosgard bowed deeply, his head hitting the ground with force. His action left Gawain, who was still seated on the sofa, filled with mixed emotions.

In just one day, he had encountered three types of Celestial Dragons.

There were the ordinary ones, like Charlos.

There were the powerful, scheming ones, like the Five Elders, who controlled the world as if following the script of a crime epic.

And now there was Mjosgard—a reformed man so devoted to atonement that his actions seemed almost excessive.

The Celestial Dragons as a group suddenly felt strangely familiar to Gawain...

He wanted to ask Mjosgard: Are you sure your real name isn't Uchiha Celestial Dragon? You people sure love taking things to the extreme.

With a wry smile, Gawain reached down and helped Mjosgard to his feet. As he guided him back to the sofa, Gawain addressed the man, who was still consumed with worry.

"I promise you, I will do my best in this matter. But no matter how hard I try, it will take time to plan everything properly.

For now, though, let's focus on what we need to discuss right away."

He gestured toward the mermaids, who were still reeling from the shock of Mjosgard's kneeling.

"You mentioned earlier that you want to take advantage of the opportunity to return the mermaid's body to the Ryugu Kingdom to send the rest of the mermaids out of Mary Geoise, right?"

Reminded of his original mission, Mjosgard snapped out of his emotional daze. After a brief moment of thought, he nodded firmly.

"Yes, Gawain-sama! That's the most critical issue!

It's also the main reason I asked for your help!"

Gripping Gawain's hands tightly, Mjosgard spoke with deep conviction.

"If I try to take them out of Mary Geoise on my own, the sight of dozens of beautiful mermaids will drive countless male Celestial Dragons mad.

My name and reputation alone won't be enough to hold them back!

But you—when I saw what you did in the square earlier, that technique of yours!

You made everyone faint in an instant.

Only someone with your abilities can stop those foolish Celestial Dragons from interfering.

So, Gawain-sama... If I offer you all of my future shares of the Heavenly Tribute in exchange for protecting these mermaids and me—

Do you think it's a fair trade?"