Chapter 77: Chapter 78: Rhine’s Assistance

The ghostly glow on the mirror extinguished in an instant.

It seemed as if nothing had happened.

And yet, the song that had drifted from the harbor—vanished.

Not just that. The sounds of the city, the celebratory cannon fire, the distant chatter of the crowds—all of it disappeared.

Inside the wedding temple, only the sacred wedding music remained. The joyous melody filled the air, completely replacing the sorrowful yet romantic song that had once floated in through the window.

"The song outside is gone? No… it’s like everything outside has gone completely silent."

That was how it felt to those within the temple.

But if someone were standing outside, looking in through the temple doors, they would see something unsettling—the temple was now utterly empty.

The groom and bride, dressed in their luxurious garments—gone.

The bridesmaids carrying the veil—gone.

The priests holding their ceremonial candles—gone.

The only person left within the temple… was the old witch.

A slow, triumphant smile crept across her face as she turned toward the full-length mirror in the corner of the temple.

She peered into its surface, examining the scene inside with amusement—

Within the mirror, everything remained exactly as before. The temple was still lively.

The prince, clutching his head in pain.

The bride, gently patting his back, whispering reassurances.

The bridesmaids and groomsmen, flustered and confused.

The priests, murmuring among themselves, unsure of what was happening.

"I’ve temporarily moved the entire wedding into the mirror world. They are all inside a replica of this temple, created by my magic."

"Now, Prince Eric cannot leave the ceremony, and no one from outside can interfere!"

"Once I take this mirror away, no one will be able to find them."

"Even the most advanced divination and sorcery cannot locate a wedding that doesn’t exist in the real world—unless, of course, there’s a magical artifact inside specifically designed to contact the outside…" ɌἈƝỔ𝖇ЕⱾ

"But this is Enderland’s royal capital. I have a powerful warrior at my command. Even if someone does find the mirror, it won’t matter…"

The old witch let out a cackling laugh and turned toward the window.

That damned mermaid was still singing.

Her voice, filled with longing and sorrow, continued to drift through the night.

"Sing, you wretched little mermaid! Sing until your voice breaks!" the old witch sneered.

"Prince Eric will never hear you!"

Aboard the Western Asia Kingdom’s Ship

Inside a grand chamber on the ship, Ariel stood at the window, pouring her heart into her song.

She sang with all her strength, her voice carrying as far as it could, even as her throat grew raw. She dared not stop.

"There’s no other way. The Enderland soldiers are guarding the door. I can’t leave this room—I can’t even leave this ship to find Prince Eric. This is my only chance to reach him…" Ariel thought desperately.

But no matter how long she sang, nothing happened.

With each passing second, hope drained from her heart.

At dawn, when the first rays of sunlight touched the sea, she would turn into foam.

Just as despair began to take hold—

Two figures materialized behind her.

Rhine, the young magician.

Aurora, the golden-haired girl.

Her two human friends from the sea.

"Ariel, we’re taking you off this ship," Rhine said with a smile. "We’ll get you to Prince Eric!"

Outside the Room

The Enderland warriors stood guard, taking shifts to ensure the mermaid princess remained locked inside.

A soldier came running up with a report.

"We’ve received orders—don’t worry about the girl’s singing. Let her sing all she wants."

The commanding officer of the Enderland warriors nodded.

"Just keep an ear on the room. As long as we hear her voice, we’ll know she’s still inside. If she stops singing for more than ten seconds, check on her immediately. No matter what, she must not leave this ship."

Inside the Room

"But Rhine, Aurora—the Enderland warriors are watching the door. The moment I step out, they’ll stop me," Ariel said, her voice full of worry.

"Oh, but your magic can take me out, right? Just like you used it to get in?"

"But those soldiers also open the door every so often to check on me, to make sure I’m here."

"The moment I disappear, they’ll know. They’ll report it immediately!"

The more Ariel spoke, the more anxious she became.

"Something is definitely wrong. They’re keeping me here on purpose—they don’t want me to see Eric. Something must have happened to him!"@@novelbin@@

Rhine smiled.

"Don’t worry."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a seashell.

He placed it on the table and clapped his hands twice.

The seashell’s "mouth" suddenly opened—

And from within, a beautiful, sorrowful, yet enchanting song began to flow.

Ariel’s song.

"My voice?! That’s my voice!" Ariel gasped.

She had always heard that a mermaid’s song could never be recorded by magic. Even if one tried, the reproduction would always be flawed—never as pure as the original.

That was why the Sea Hag had demanded Ariel’s voice as payment.

It was also why, when a mermaid with an unparalleled voice turned into sea foam, no magic could ever bring her song back.

And yet… this seashell was singing her song.

Even Ariel herself couldn’t tell the difference.

"Let this seashell sing in your place," Rhine said with a grin. "Now, let’s go."

With one hand, he grabbed Aurora. With the other, he held Ariel’s wrist.

In an instant, their figures began to fade—

And then, they were gone.

Only the seashell remained, continuing to sing its haunting melody.

Outside the Room

The Enderland warriors heard the song still playing and relaxed.

"The girl’s still singing. She’s still inside," they muttered.

Meanwhile, the ship suddenly began rocking harder than before.

"Look! The sea is teeming with fish!"

One of the sailors pointed at the water below.

A massive school of fish—large and small—had gathered around the ship.

Some of them, seemingly mesmerized by the song, nudged the hull with their bodies, causing the ship to sway ever so slightly.

The mermaid princess’s song had drawn an audience from the sea.

Too many of them.

"This isn’t good. If these fish and sea beasts keep crowding around, they might tip the ship over," the Enderland officer frowned.

"And if there’s chaos, the girl might escape! Where did all these fish even come from?!"

"Assign one man to keep an eye on the door. The rest of you, with me! We need to drive these fish away!"

The Enderland warriors drew their bows, crossbows, and harpoons, preparing to strike at the sea creatures surrounding the ship.

At that moment, they were too distracted—

Too preoccupied to notice the room behind them was now empty.