The merfolk obliged, pushing the sphere with Bal toward the raft. In turn, Marcel handed the magic item to the queen. Once she took it, the sphere popped like a bubble and vanished.
“Masteeer!” Bal cried, leaping at Marcel.
The man patted his head.
“You did well,” he said.
Holding the boy in his arms, Marcel jumped to the riverbank to join us. He left the tied-up men on the raft for the merfolk to interrogate.
“Tell us how to use this tool!”
“Undo this magic!”
The color drained from the men’s faces.
“I don’t know! It was just given to us. I don’t know how to undo the magic,” one of them said.
“What?!”
As the merfolk became increasingly furious, the men could only tremble.
“We really don’t know anything! We were just told to throw the net at the egg! Light magic should be impossible these days to begin with! Please, just spare our lives! We only did what we were told!”
“Who gave the order?”
“We were just told to hide the egg and the box in the Renard domain...”
A vein of anger popped on Lord Reineke’s temple, and he snarled.
“Someone’s trying to mess with my land?!”
The men moaned in fright.
“I’ll ask again. Who’s giving you orders?” the spirit demanded.
But the men only shook their heads.
“We don’t know what they’ll do to us if we tell you. Please, forgive us... Please...”
“If you do not answer me, you’ll pay with your lives! Who is it?!” Lord Reineke and the mermaid queen both yelled at the same time.
The men trembled violently.
“Eeek! C-Cor—”
But the second the men tried to answer, they seemed to be overcome with pain. They writhed around on the raft, their bodies slipping into the river.
I screamed at the terrible sight, and Liam quickly covered my eyes. I squeezed my eyes tightly, feeling Lord Reineke’s tail wrap around me. But I could hear the men struggling in the water. My tail hid between my legs, and my ears flattened on my head.
Once the sounds stopped, I slowly opened my eyes. The merfolk had dragged the men back onto the raft, but they weren’t moving.
Are they dead?
I was filled with dread, clinging onto Liam.
“It’s okay. They’re just unconscious,” he said, stroking my back.
That calmed me down a bit.
“Their client must’ve cast a curse on them. This spells trouble.” Lord Reineke clicked his tongue.
“And now we don’t know how to get rid of that net!”
The merfolk were vexed, flying into mayhem.
“Hey!” Bal called out. “Can’t we just wind that net up using that shining key?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Look, there’s a golden key right there. It’s connected to that golden string,” Bal explained as though it should’ve been obvious.
All of us stared at him in bewilderment, for none of us could see the key nor the string.
“You can see a key and a string, Bal?” Liam asked.
Bal’s eyes widened. “You guys can’t?”
Lord Reineke shrugged and chuckled. Marcel was dumbfounded.
“No, I don’t see anything,” Liam replied.
I nodded. “Me neither.”
“I see nothing,” Marcel said.
“Nor do we,” the merfolk added.
“Well then, Bal, try turning that key,” Marcel instructed.
“Indeed. I sense light in you,” the mermaid queen said. “You might be able to do it.”
“You trust me?”
The queen’s reluctance was obvious, but she handed the box to Bal nevertheless.
“I have no other choice. Please,” she said, gazing into his eyes earnestly.
Bal nodded. He reached out toward the side of the box, took hold of seemingly empty air, and turned his hand.
The golden net that had been enclosed tightly around the egg began loosening before winding back into the box.
“Ohh!” The merfolk were amazed.
“Hmm...” Lord Reineke cast Bal an impressed look.
“I knew it,” Marcel muttered, holding onto the bangle on his wrist.
The child inside the egg calmed down, waiting patiently for the process to finish.
Eventually, the entire golden net disappeared into the magical box, and Bal closed the lid. He pulled out the invisible handle he’d been winding, then pushed it into the keyhole and turned it with a click.
“All done!” Bal said, grinning.
At that moment, the egg’s membrane popped. A blue-haired merfolk child emerged into the water with a splash and swam over to her mother.
“Princess! Are you all right?!” the queen asked.
“Yes, mommy!”
I couldn’t stop myself from clapping at the sight of the mother and child embracing.
“Bal, that was amazing! You’re so cool!” I said.
The embarrassed Bal rubbed his nose. “Hee hee! I’m glad it worked.”
He then knelt by the riverbank and held the box out to the merfolk.
“You guys should keep this. We wouldn’t want anyone misusing it again!”
One of the merfolk tentatively reached out to take the tool.
“Are you sure? This is an ancient tool for capturing monsters, after all.”
“Then I guess we can say I accidentally dropped it into the water,” Bal replied with a mischievous grin.
The merfolk nodded, then sealed the box into a barrier made of water.
“We are in your debt. Thanks to you, we can finally rest easy.”
The merfolk’s smile was so bright, but Bal stood up and waved his hand dismissively as if to say it was no big deal.
Liam walked up to him and vigorously rubbed his head.
“Well done, Bal!”
“It’s all thanks to you guys for searching for that egg! I’m glad I believed in you and waited. Thanks!” Bal said, bowing to Liam and me.
“Of course we searched!” I said, on the verge of crying. I hugged him and wrapped my tail around him.
Bal turned bright red and squirmed.
“I’m so glad you’re okay!” I sobbed, pressing my face into his chest.
“W-Were you really that worried?”
“Obviously!!! You’re like my younger brother, Bal!” I huffed, glaring at him.
At that, he gave me a bashful smile.
“Younger? Shouldn’t I be your older brother? I’m bigger than you!”
“But I’m the one who found you! So you’re my little brother!”
My insistence put a smirk on his face.
“Oh, all right. Little brother, eh? Well, thank you. I’m glad you think so.”
His reply melted away my anger.
“Good!”
“So, listen... Can I pet your head?” he asked.
“Of course!” I said, presenting it to him.
Bal slowly and gently stroked my head.
“So soft!” He giggled.
His breath tickled my ears, filling me with pure joy.
Liam came over and hugged us both, standing behind Bal. Without a word, he pressed his cheek against the top of Bal’s head. Then Lord Reineke’s tail wrapped around the three of us. His fluffy fur surrounded us, and I could see his chest was pressed against Liam’s head.
“You did good, Bal.”
Bal smiled upon receiving the spirit’s praise.
Lord Reineke turned his gaze to the merfolk while still embracing us. They flinched, shrinking back.
“There’s something you ought to say, isn’t there?” he coerced.
The mermaid queen bit her lip, probably unwilling to bow to a land spirit. But then her daughter grabbed her hand.
“Mommy, these people saved me.”
“Princess...”
“I was all alone in that pond until they pulled me out,” the child said, turning to look at Liam. “Mr. Purple Hair, thank you for wrapping me in that gentle magic and carrying me here.”
Then the little girl lowered her head.