Pawahara Seijo no Osananajimi to Zetsuen Shitara, Nanimokamo ga Umaku Iku Yō ni Natte Saikyō no Bōke

[Crystallization of Human and Mermaid]

The girl looked just like a normal human at first glance.

As for her age, she was probably in her mid-teens.

This was just my own opinion but, I thought that the girl wasn’t the sort who talked much normally, she gave off the impression of being a docile girl.

That sort of girl was now baring her hostility and attacking us with no questions asked, just went to show how angry she was.

And there was also the fact that she called that monster ‘mother’.

I was sure that there was something going on here, no doubt.

“W-wait, stop!? We don’t have any intention to kill your mother!?”

“You’re lying… you adventurers are all the same, you all have hurt my mother… I will never forgive you…”

Thwack! An upward kick broke my guard.

“Gh!?”

At that moment, I caught glimpse of her ankles. They also had fins on them.

Still, this hand to hand fighting style…

“Fall!”

――BAM!

“Uo!?”

“““Exa!?””” “Exa-sama”

With a quick twist of her body, the girl’s jumping roundhouse kick struck my torso.

Perhaps because her body was small, not to mention the attack itself, even the speed of her following it with another attack was also quite fast.

And her attacks accurately aimed only at vital points. This level of hand-to-hand combat skill was way out of the ordinary.

—There was no doubt about it.

I was sure that this girl’s skill was—《Emperor Fist》.

In other words, she was—the ‘Fist’ Saintess.

The fortune-teller woman had said it, but she certainly seemed to have complicated ties to the mermaids.

“Uooooooo!”

――Blaze!

“!?”

The moment I was kicked flying off the ship, I transformed into Vermillion Bird Form.

“That’s enough!”

“Oraa!”

Taking advantage of the opening when the girl got taken aback by my transformation, Arca and Ophir tried to attack the girl but,

――BAM!

“Gh!?”

――Thwack!

“Ugh!?”

Despite the unstable and narrow footing on board the boat, the girl moved as if she was on even ground, and she dealt with the two in no time.

Moreover.

――Splash!

“So fast!?”

A moment after she jumped into the sea, she immediately leapt out of the sea and closed in on me.

“Haa!”

However.

――Clang!

“!?”

I stopped her blow with bare hands—no, with ‘gauntlets’.

Yes, by getting attacked by her, I acquired a new derivative skill.

――《False Emperor Fist》.

The rare skill that was the pinnacle of hand-to-hand combat.

“Kh!?”

Looked like the girl noticed the change in my atmosphere as well.

――Thump thump thump thump thump!

“How…”

All the attacks she threw out were dodged or blocked.

No wonder she was surprised.

“Uu!?

So as to take advantage of the opening, I grabbed hold of her right arm and waist and restrained her, before saying with as gentlest voice I was capable of making in order not to further agitate her.

“Please listen to what I say. We… or rather, the girls over there are all saintesses, the same as you.”

“…Saintess?”

“Yeah, that’s right. And our purpose in coming here is to meet the god of water—Sinus-sama, not to kill your mother. More importantly, we heard that she started rampaging only recently. Is there perhaps some kind of reason behind it?”

“It has nothing to do with you people… Let me go…”

The girl tried to break free, but I didn’t release her.

“No, I’m not letting you go. If we leave you two be, more people will be hurt. Of course, that includes the two of you. So please tell me what’s going on. As you can see, I’ve received the power of the god of fire. I’m sure I can solve the problems troubling you.” I looked straight into her eyes.

As I looked straight into her eyes, strength left the girl’s body. “…Really? Will you really help my mother?”

“Yeah, definitely. So first, can you tell me your name? You can call me Exa.”

“…I’m Tirna. My mother is a mermaid, but my father is a human.”

In other words, she was a halfling.

“I see. So that’s why you not only have the characteristics of a mermaid, but also of a human, right?”

“Mm. And that sea dragon is my mother. But that’s not her real form. Someone turned her into a monster.”

“Turned her, into a monster…?”

At that time, what came to my mind was King Vale who I had fought in Lastall.

Don’t tell me…!?

Perhaps seeing me making a dubious expression made her worried.

The girl, aka Tirna, looked up at me with an anxious face and said, “…Can you, save my mother?”

Needless to say, I nodded vigorously, “Yeah, of course. I’ll definitely save your mother!”