Chapter 39: Chapter 40: Encountering the Mermaid Princess!

The mermaids, who had been chatting and laughing moments before, were now frantically trying to dissuade their human friends from visiting the Sea Hag.

Aurora was baffled by their sudden change in demeanor and asked:

“Why are you all so scared all of a sudden? What’s so special about this Sea Hag?”

The mermaids began chiming in one after another:

“The Sea Hag is a witch skilled in dark magic. She’s hideous and terrifying.”

“She lives beyond a swirling vortex in an underwater forest made of coral. Everything there is horrifying—just looking at it will give you nightmares for days!”

“Whatever you want from her, even if it’s just a simple question, you’ll have to pay a price. And it’ll be something huge, far beyond what you can handle!”

“I’ve heard that those who sought her help rarely met a good end. She deals only in dark magic, bringing disaster more often than happiness. Her spells demand sacrifice and great cost rather than fulfilling wishes without consequence.”

“Exactly! Only the most desperate of mermaids and other sea creatures would ever think of seeking her help, and only when they have absolutely no other choice!”

Hmm, this doesn’t sound too bad, Rhine thought. At most, she’s an unscrupulous merchant, not a completely irredeemable villain.

He recalled the deal from the original story between the heroine, the Little Mermaid, and the Sea Hag.

After saving the prince and falling in love with him, the Little Mermaid sought the Sea Hag to grant her human legs so she could stay by the prince’s side and gain an immortal soul.

The Sea Hag fulfilled her wish but at a high price: the potion she gave had severe side effects. It caused excruciating pain with every step and came with a significant risk—if the Little Mermaid failed to marry the prince and earn an immortal soul, she would dissolve into sea foam and disappear forever.

In addition, the Sea Hag demanded the Little Mermaid’s voice as payment—the most beautiful singing voice in the ocean, an incredibly steep price. The process was not a simple spell either; it was gruesome and bloody. The Sea Hag used a blade to cut out the Little Mermaid’s tongue, rendering her mute.

Painful steps, the loss of her voice, and the risk of vanishing into foam—three sacrifices for one blessing.

To be fair, it was a terrible deal. But the Sea Hag had clearly laid out the risks beforehand, with no deception or trickery involved.

Compared to what some human merchants have done, she’s not even that bad—maybe even honest, Rhine mused.

After listening to the mermaids’ warnings, Rhine spoke firmly:

“It’s fine. We only want to ask her a simple question. Let’s see what price she demands.

“If her terms are too high for us to accept, we’ll weigh the pros and cons and walk away from the deal. No one will lose anything.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

“In our world, in the human world, some unscrupulous merchants brag about their goods but hide the costs until it’s too late for people to back out.”

Realizing they couldn’t persuade the humans, the mermaids gave up their efforts.

Just then, Aurora noticed one particular mermaid—seemingly the most beautiful and elaborately dressed among them, almost like a princess—fall silent and turn away at the mention of the Sea Hag.

Aurora found it puzzling. She was so curious earlier, asking Rhine all sorts of questions. Why is she suddenly quiet at the mention of the Sea Hag?

“What’s wrong? Did something about the Sea Hag strike a nerve?” Aurora asked the ornately dressed mermaid. The mermaid appeared not much older than Aurora and had been polite earlier, giving her a sense of warmth. ℞αＮοβĘ𝘴

“I…” the young mermaid hesitated, then finally admitted, “I’ve been thinking about going to the Sea Hag myself recently.”

Her words stunned everyone. The other mermaids gasped in shock.

“Why, Your Highness, the Sixth Princess? Why would you even consider such a thing?”

“Princess Ariel, you’re the Sea King’s daughter, his most beloved child, and you have the most beautiful voice in the ocean! What could you possibly want that you don’t already have?”

The mermaids were utterly alarmed and began pleading with their princess not to venture into the coral forest where the Sea Hag resided. Their efforts were even more intense than when they tried to dissuade the humans.

Humans might not understand the Sea Hag’s dangers, but how could a princess of the ocean be unaware? And why would a noble princess need to resort to magic and witches to fulfill her desires?

“The Sixth Princess? The youngest daughter of the Sea King?”

“Is it really her?”

Rhine’s thoughts raced, and he felt a tinge of surprise.

So, we’ve run into the Mermaid Princess—the protagonist of “The Little Mermaid.”

Judging by the timeline, this must be shortly after she saved the prince. She must’ve just learned about the secret of the immortal soul from her grandmother and is about to seek the Sea Hag’s help!