Ariel's Request

Ariel took a deep breath of the icy seawater.

This had been planned long ago, but now that she truly faced the Sea Witch, her heart still pounded wildly.

Her two human friends had fought through countless hardships to fulfill their wish, answering three questions she had found unimaginably difficult as payment.

What price would she have to pay?

Ariel swam before the Sea Hag, hesitating. She wanted to voice her wish, yet felt a little shy.

"My foolish princess, you need not say it. I know what you have come to ask for," the Sea Hag said.

She possessed a powerful spell—whenever a creature of the sea sincerely wished for her help and stood straight before her, the Sea Hag only had to gaze at the supplicant for a while to learn what they desired.

For a Sea Witch who was always granting the wishes of others, it was an exceptionally useful spell.

For some reason, however, this mind-reading magic did not work on humans.

Perhaps, the Sea Hag thought, merfolk kept their wishes only in their minds and hearts, while humans with Immortal Souls hid their wishes deep within those souls—somewhere even she could not peer.

"My beautiful princess, hahahahaha, your wish is utterly foolish! You actually want to cast off your fish tail, grow two fleshy human legs, and take on the deformed shape of a human so you can go ashore, into human society! You want a handsome prince to love you, to pour his burning thoughts and emotions into you, so that you may gain an immortal soul."

"I have never heard of such a thing. A human falling in love with a creature of the sea—what a ridiculous fantasy."

Upon seeing the Mermaid Princess's wish, the Sea Hag burst into laughter.

After she finished laughing, the sea witch felt a trace of regret. By merely looking at the Mermaid Princess's wish, she had naturally learned how a mermaid could obtain an Immortal Soul.

There had been no need to obtain the answer from those two humans at all! The Sea Hag said to the Mermaid Princess again:

"Foolish thing, though this is a stupid wish, I will grant it. Even if it cannot possibly end well.

"I can brew you a potion. Take it with you and swim to the shore at night. Before the first glimmer of dawn arrives, drink the potion.

"Then your tail will split in two and twist into what humans call beautiful legs. It will be as though a sharp blade cruelly severed your fish tail, cutting it in half. It will certainly hurt!

"Because those legs are transformed from your tail, you will retain the stride you have while swimming, and your dancing will be lighter than that of any dancer!"

Ariel was overjoyed upon hearing this.

She had never expected her wish could be fulfilled with just one potion.

But the Sea Hag had described nothing but benefits, which made her uneasy. She asked, "Then what price must I pay to gain these legs?"

The Sea Hag said:

"Where in this world can anyone gain benefits without paying a price? The legs you transform into will not be human legs you were born with, but imitations carved out by medicine as sharp as blades. Thus, every step you take will feel like walking upon knives! Only if you can endure such pain can I help you."

Before the little Mermaid Princess could respond, Aurora spoke up indignantly on her behalf.

"Why does it have to have such a side effect? She may have an elegant dancing posture, but she cannot even step normally on the ground and dance naturally. That is practically tormenting her."

The Mermaid Princess regarded them as friends, and Aurora felt the same fondness toward her.

From the bottom of her heart, she did not want Ariel to suffer such unbearable pain.

Aurora glanced at Rhine, recalling her teacher's Transformation Spell. She muttered, "But I have seen mages transform one creature into another without any side effects. Your potion must be flawed!"

The Sea Hag retorted angrily:

"This is no temporary Transformation Magic. Everything in the world has its original form. Transformation Magic merely paints a layer of heavy makeup over it; it does not alter its essence.

"Mages transform one thing into another, and it looks so wondrous, but it is merely a deceptive illusion! Before long, things will return to their original forms.

"But the potion I brew can bring lasting change!"

Rhine nodded lightly, knowing that every word the Sea Hag had said was true.

It was like in the story of Cinderella: when the midnight bell rang, everything returned to its original form.

Transformation Magic would always end.

—Perhaps because its duration had run out, or perhaps because some other magic-dispelling thing had banished it.

By the terminology of tabletop games like Dungeons & Dragons from his previous life, only effects with a duration of "instantaneous" could not be dispelled.

Afraid that the Sea Hag and her human friends would start arguing, Ariel hurriedly said to the Sea Hag:

"No problem. I can endure it!"

Her voice trembled, yet it was remarkably firm.

For she remembered the handsome prince, and her ambition of obtaining an Immortal Soul.

"This is not over yet. A mermaid without an Immortal Soul who takes on human form violates the laws of nature and will suffer the world's curse!" the Sea Hag said. "If you fail to gain that prince's love and obtain an Immortal Soul, then on the morning he marries someone else, when the first light of dawn shines upon the land and sea, your heart will shatter, and you will become foam upon the water."

Aurora found this even more unacceptable and argued for her mermaid friend. "Why? That sounds far too strange. You are merely giving her a potion that gives her legs. Why should her life and death depend on the prince she loves? If—if that prince ultimately cannot be with Ariel, why must she die? Can she not choose another goal and find someone else who loves her? Ariel is so beautiful. Once she becomes human, she will surely attract admirers like a flood."

"There are so many handsome and beautiful humans in this world. Ariel can gain an Immortal Soul from someone else who truly loves and cares for her!"

Hearing Aurora's words, Ariel felt half warmed by her concern and half astonished by Aurora's unusual way of thinking.

She had never considered such a possibility.

She had not even thought about it!

"I can obtain an Immortal Soul from another human, someone other than that handsome prince?"

These two newly acquainted human friends had given her insights and ways of thinking entirely different from anything before, leaving Ariel deeply shaken time and again.