“The Argent Knight descended from Xeoral?” Sita asked with great surprise. I’d forgotten to look surprised when Frederika revealed it, but I got my act together after it shocked Sita. “I thought Agard was the one who wore it.”
“The many Argent Knights, with nary a warning, lay waste to the holy ground,” Frederika sang. “They destroyed the path to Xeoral, and the spirit, infuriated by the devastation, clashed against the armored horde. So ruinous, the conflict was, that we mermaids were driven from the holy ground. The Knights, departed though they had, had impressed upon the spirit sea an enduring wrath, an anger so intense they assailed all who entered their domain. And so, no longer able to remain in that sacred ground, we mermaids parted ways, one by one, till at last I became this sea’s sole steward.”
Frederika sounded like she was touching upon a recent event, but I suspected that it’d occurred quite a while ago. Be that as it may, since we were attacked by the spirit, it was clear that their anger hadn’t subsided yet. I guess spirits perceive time differently than we do... In the worst case, I imagine they could continue thrashing about for millennia.
“So, that’s why we have to appease the spirit,” Sita said.
“I see. Singing and dancing calms the spirit, and mermaids have carried out the role of doing so since antiquity,” Magiluka surmised. She and Sita were quick to understand these kinds of things, and they seemed eager to know more.
“Precisely!” Frederika said. “And this time, I need you folks to fill the roles! Ahhhh! ♪ I was at a loss, the task formidable when I was alone. You must have been guided by God’s providence. ♪” She gazed up at the sky as she sang loudly.
“If it was God’s will that we arrive here, then I suppose that makes this your cue, Argent Holy Woman,” the queen declared, casually sticking me with a pivotal role.
“Hey! P-Please don’t say that, Your Majesty!” I cried.
“Ah, Mary, so you’re called ‘Argent Holy Woman,’ are you?” Frederika asked. “How intriguing.”
“N-No, people are just pinning that name onto me, that’s all,” I replied. “I don’t believe I’m fit for such a title whatsoever.”
“An epithet isn’t something a person chooses for themself,” Sita piled on. “People give it to you based on your feats.”
“She’s right!” Rachel insisted. “Please have more confidence in yourself! You’ve saved so many people!”
Despite the effusive praise from the two Argent Holy Woman fanatics, I really preferred to refrain from standing out in any way. Everyone was nodding in agreement with Rachel, however, so I decided to switch topics, keen on not discussing this topic any further.
“Um, if singing is needed, I feel like you’re perfect for the role, Frederika,” I suggested. “Why do you need us?” I made sure to shrewdly use the plural pronoun there, trying to drag everyone else into dancing and singing with me if need be.
“It’s not enough to dance to the spirit by myself,” Frederika replied with a sigh. “It’s also necessary to have youthful maidens when performing the ritual.”
The news struck like a blessing from heaven. I couldn’t help but smile at this sudden opportunity. “So basically, everyone here has to dance and sing?” I asked.
“Well, yes, I suppose so,” she replied.
“All right! Let’s do our best! Tutte, Magiluka, Safina, Emilia, Sita, Rachel! Let’s do this!” I wasn’t willing to entertain any dissent as I included everyone in my call to action.
“Sorry, but I think Tutte and Rachel are more on my side of the equation, if you get my drift,” Frederika clarified.
I guess they’re too old to be dancing youthful maidens... Tutte looked visibly relieved to be spared, while Rachel, although relieved, grimaced. No one liked to be called old, after all.
“Wait one second!” Emilia shouted. “If age is a factor, then surely, we should be on your side as well!”
“Well, to be precise, I’m less referring to physical age and talking more about mental age,” Frederika explained.
“Huh? Oh. Okay.”
“Hold it!” I shouted. “Are you saying that we’re immature?!” I cast the mermaid a dubious glare, unhappy about the accusation.
“No, no, nothing like that!” Frederika hastily replied. “You’re all young maidens. Youthful maidens enjoying life.” I felt like she was lying through her teeth...
In any case, I was glad that I wasn’t doing this alone—it’d be less embarrassing since we’d all be in it together. Actually, I was fired up to put on a show. It’s a little electrifying... These kinds of mystical singing and dancing summoning rituals are like what you get to see in anime and stuff.
“A-All right!” Frederika said, eager to move forward before we had any chance to refuse. “Now that that’s decided, let’s head for the holy ground and quell the spirit! ♪” She began guiding us to it.
In a place where the ocean horizon stretched for miles in every direction stood five massive stone pillars, each one boasting a pristine polish and detailed surface that clearly indicated they’d been man-made. Centered within the bounds of these stone beams was a beautifully maintained stone platform that called to mind a stage.
The spirit wasn’t attacking us for now because Frederika was apparently doing this and that inside the water. I wonder if she’s acting like a sonar or something... Thinking about it was starting to ruin my image of mermaids, so I decided to set that aside for now.
“That structure’s where we’ll be singing, I bet,” I said, segueing away from the unwanted train of thought. I was a bit nervous, but at the same time, the sight of the stage was starting to get me a little excited.
“So it seems, Lady Mary,” Magiluka replied. “I’m quite confident when I dance at a ball, but to dance and sing at the same time feels as though it may be a bit beyond me.”
“We’ll be fine, Magiluka,” I reassured her. “I’m sure we’ll glide across the stage with seamless elegance and sing our lines with graceful aplomb.” I hummed a tune and danced a few steps as one would do at a ball.
“If the goal is a good performance, should we all be dancing?” Safina asked. “I think a solo number has less risk of failing.”
“No, no,” I replied. “We can only quell the spirit because we’re all doing it together.” Considering I was, in so many words, rather judicious about my use of space when dancing, it was out of the question to let her get out of this one, so I had to rope her back in with my specious logic. Not to mention, if this did come down to having the group pick a single dancer, I was all but certain I was gonna be the one stuck strutting my stuff.
“This place certainly wasn’t left unscathed,” Emilia observed. “We suppose these are the scars left behind when the Argent Armors attacked.”
“Quite likely,” the queen agreed. “You know, Frederika was given the title ‘Étoile’ among her fellow mermaids, implying that she could dance and sing the best among them. Her pride must’ve kept her from abandoning this stage, even as her peers left.”