Otohime's Grave

Shirahoshi asked Lin Yan cautiously.

Her beautiful eyes seemed a little embarrassed, but Lin Yan, of course, didn't refuse.

He could guess where Shirahoshi was referring to.

"Of course you can. I came out with you to protect you, so don't worry about me going anywhere."

Lin Yan said to Shirahoshi with a smile.

Upon hearing this, a hint of emotion flashed in Shirahoshi's eyes, and then she nodded heavily to Lin Yan.

And so the matter was decided simply like that.

Shirahoshi took one last, wistful look at Fish-Man Island before her, then reached out and patted the shark's head.

The shark also conveys the meaning.

They quickly turned back and led the two towards a certain spot on the outskirts of Fish-Man Island.

The journey was uneventful; the shark carried the two of them along without attracting anyone's attention.

This is Fish-Man Island, after all.

There are so many aquatic creatures like sharks that nobody has time to pay attention to them.

In view of this, the two soon arrived at their destination.

This is a cemetery.

Surrounded by flowers, a portrait of the deceased was placed in the most prominent spot; nothing else was displayed.

It's not luxurious at all; in fact, you could say it's rather simple.

The existence of this cemetery.

It is now a taboo on the entire Fish-Man Island.

More than a decade ago, there was a woman who, though physically weak, was extremely brave and kind, and stood up for the future of the next generation.

She cried out that the hatred between humans and Fish-Men should not continue.

It's her existence.

This allowed the Fish-Men to see the dawn of peace for the first time.

However, the ending was tragic.

Queen Otohime ultimately underestimated just how dark the human heart could be, and in a completely unprepared situation, she lost her life in an 'accident'.

From then on, Fish-Man Island became closed off.

The estrangement deepened with her death.

Over time, this place became a forbidden area on Fish-Man Island.

The person who lies buried here is Shirahoshi's mother.

She is also the most important and cherished person in Shirahoshi.

"..."

Emerging from the shark's mouth, Lin Yan stood at a distance, making no attempt to disturb Shirahoshi.

At this moment, what the girl needed was definitely not comfort.

It's a quiet corner where you can confide in someone.

Lin Yan understood this very well.

In view of this.

From beginning to end, Lin Yan showed no intention of getting closer, and didn't even pay attention to Shirahoshi. She simply raised her eyes to look at the faintly visible Fish-Man Island in the distance.

I don't know what she's thinking.

I don't know how much time had passed, but then I heard a slight noise behind me.

Lin Yan then composed herself and turned to look at Shirahoshi, who had appeared behind her.

"Is it finished?"

"Um."

Shirahoshi nodded slightly.

Although there were still tear stains at the corners of the girl's eyes, Lin Yan felt that Shirahoshi looked much more mature than before, whether it was her imagination or not.

After scrutinizing Shirahoshi for a while, Lin Yan didn't say anything more. She simply waved to the girl and then turned around and walked towards the shark.

"Then let's head back. If Neptune finds out I brought you out, who knows what he'll do."

"... Um!"

Hearing Lin Yan say that, Shirahoshi couldn't help but smile again.

"Father is not like that at all."

Shirahoshi retorted to Lin Yan with a touch of coquettishness.

Lin Yan remained noncommittal on this matter.

After that, they remained silent. The shark reluctantly put Shirahoshi and Lin Yan into its mouth again, and then leisurely swam towards Fish-Man Island.

It's just a little different from when I came.

On the way back, Shirahoshi became unusually quiet.

Lin Yan could understand the girl's feelings at that moment.

He wasn't a talkative person to begin with, and since he deliberately wanted to give Shirahoshi space to think, he remained silent the whole way.

Logically, if the two of them could simply ride the shark back to the tower unnoticed, everything would be as if nothing had happened.

This will free up Lin Yan's hands to deal with the upcoming changes on Fish-Man Island.

However, just as the shark slowly swam to the largest square on Fish-Man Island...

The unexpected still happened.

That's only natural, really.

This is just a shark, not some kind of all-powerful spatial pocket. It was already quite a stretch to hold Shirahoshi and Lin Yan.

We traveled a lot back and forth.

So at this point, the shark finally couldn't hold back anymore.

"Ah?!"

"Tsk..."

Then, accompanied by Shirahoshi's exclamation and Lin Yan's smacking of her lips, two heavy thuds suddenly came from the center of the square.

Everyone's attention was drawn to it in that instant.

"Yes, Your Highness!"

"Uh, why is Your Highness here?"

The passing Fish-Men looked on with question marks.

Even as residents of Fish-Man Island, they hadn't seen Shirahoshi in ages, so Shirahoshi appearance at this moment naturally caused a huge commotion.

"Look! There's a human next to the princess!"

Then, someone with sharp eyes spotted Lin Yan next to Shirahoshi.

Instantly, all the Fish-Men's eyes turned fierce.

The princess, who had always kept to herself and rarely left the public eye, appeared in the square.

There was also a human companion with him.

So, let's imagine... no, let's make a reasonable guess.

"Damn it, the princess must have been kidnapped! Those despicable humans!"

One of the quick-thinking Fish-Men immediately Satori was happening, let out a roar, and charged towards them.

However, before he could even make a move, a Fish-Men next to him headbutted him.

"Are you stupid?! That's Lin Yan!"

"Uh... Oh, Lin Yan."

"Oh, that's alright then."

"Lady Lin Yan must be out sightseeing with the princess, right? Let's disperse, let's disperse."

"Yes, yes, don't bother them..."

The Fish-Men breathed a sigh of relief. After seeing Lin Yan's appearance clearly, their previous hostile attitude disappeared.

This is the true state of Fish-Man Island.

Ultimately...

Extreme evil and extreme good are both extremely rare. Most people in this world simply remain neutral between good and evil.

The so-called silent majority.

Most ordinary people have good intentions in their hearts and are not inherently evil, but they can become evil people under the instigation and encouragement of others or in certain specific circumstances.

Humans are like this, and so are Fish-Men.

In Lin Yan's view, the true essence of governance lies in how to guide these silent majority onto the right path.

Queen Otohime underestimated evil and misjudged this fact.

That's why it ended up like that.

Thinking about it, Lin Yan shook her head and turned to look at Shirahoshi beside her.

Are you alright?