One's Own Kindness Would Be Seen as Foolishness by Others

"Go to the Sea Forest? Then Vander Decken IX should... No, I misspoke. How could an emperor who ruled the New World possibly be helpless against the captain of some insignificant ghost ship?"

Coming back to his senses, King Neptune waved his hands repeatedly, his eyes filled with guilt toward Shirahoshi.

"Six years ago, after the queen was killed by a human's gunshot, that despicable Vander Decken IX relentlessly harassed Shirahoshi. Even now, that child has never been able to see her mother one last time."

"After that, I deliberately—or perhaps unconsciously—chose to ignore the proposal for fish-men and merfolk to move to the surface."

"Lord Hua Yue, what exactly..."

"Who told you that Otohime died to a human's gunshot?"

Before he could finish, King Neptune was cut off and froze in place. The three merman princes were utterly shocked, while Hody Jones, standing among the crowd, felt his heart tighten.

"Impossible, absolutely impossible. How could a mere human know the truth of what happened back then?"

"Even if he is one of the Four Emperors, even if he is an emperor of the sea, he is nothing more than an inferior life-form beneath fish-men. How could he possibly know that secret? I clearly disposed of everyone who knew in secret!"

Yet the moment their eyes met by chance, Hody Jones's sense of danger screamed frantically. Waves of chill ran down his spine.

Run! Run! Run!

Bang! Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...

The next instant, disregarding everyone's astonished expressions and that icy gaze, Hody Jones fled madly, charging straight out of the Ryugu Palace.

"Who was that?"

"Your Majesty, that was Hody Jones of the Neptune Army. Why did he rush out of the palace like that? What is going on?"

"Why? Why would a Neptune Army soldier behave so disgracefully? Wait,