MRG Chapter 1: The Last Little Merman

Translator: Abo Dammen

Editor: Numiya

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On the holographic projector’s screen were two individuals resembling researchers engaged in heated debate.

And the topic of their spirited exchange was the recent gossip that spread worldwide— Long thought to have been extinct, a descendant of Atlantis’ royal family was discovered on a remote island.

It was a young merman.

The scholar in white spoke impassionedly, “To think that the royal family would bring a young merman into the castle to gain possession of the azure blood and assert their so-called monarchical power. It’s completely ridiculous! They probably can’t even grasp or comprehend this merman’s biological significance. Merfolk have miraculous healing abilities, a longer lifespan than humans, and the power to command all manner of aquatic creatures thanks to their divine blood. He’ll be a great asset to delve deeper into our history, shedding light on why Atlantis’s royal family—long rulers of the Blue Planet—went extinct or came dangerously close to it.”

The anchor jumped in, asking, “So, Mr. Kole, as a scholar, how do you view the royal family’s announcement that this young merman is set to become Prince Light’s partner once he’s an adult?”

“A complete public shit show!” Kole brought out two life-like paper figures from behind and scoffed.

One figure possessed long hair with a lengthy tail, and the other sported short golden-blonde hair with a crown. The former was obviously a merman, and the latter was—Light Yigor, the eldest and current crown prince of the Oz Empire. 

With a hushed voice, he said, “Your highness your highness, let us come together to create a royal mer-child bearing azure blood in its veins,” Kole cunningly maneuvered the paper merman closer to the paper prince.

Without delay, he piled the two figures on top of each other and mushed them together.

An egg made of paper slipped out.

“Ah!”

The egg cracked open, and then a bizarre-looking creature with a fish body and human limbs popped out of it.

The crowd erupted in laughter.

A ghostly stillness blanketed the aircraft on the other side of the projection.

Light’s attendant cautiously peeked his head over to look at the man resting on the rear seat with his eyes closed. “Your Highness… Do you want me to change the channel?”

“No need.” The man continued to massage his nose bridge, his eyes still shut. “I also find the engagement utterly ridiculous.”

What’s ironic was that everyone in the nation, with the exception of the two people concerned, could openly express their views about this betrothal. 

Light had been surveying the border to ensure there were no remnants of Zerg left on their planet when the news reached him. He had no idea about his engagement to a young merman, let alone that everyone in the empire already caught wind of it before him. 

Because of this, he quickly decided to fly back to the capital. 

Grass blades bent at the waist due to the gusting wind as the silver aircraft landed outside the palace’s imperial garden. The two lines of ceremonial troops immediately sprang from their respite as soon as the cabin’s hatch swung open.

The smooth grass was trodden under black military boots, its shine reflecting the man’s firm physique. Light donned a military outfit, a gleaming golden medal slung over his left shoulder, with an unfurling valiant and determined countenance peering out from beneath his cap.

A pair of amber eyes flickered below his furled lashes as he removed his military cap and cuffs. In the sunlight, his golden locks which represented the Yigor royal family, became even more captivating. Following the destruction of the Atlantis Empire, Light Yigor—the eldest prince and rightful heir to the Oz throne—led a force of mecha troops from the Western Lands in a devastating assault against the Zergs. The rise of the Oz Empire under his leadership, in which he was lauded for as the “Empire’s Eagle,” breathed new life into Blue Planet’s human civilization.

The attendant who was standing by him received the military cap and stated, “Your Highness, you are back.”

“Hmm.” Light gave a subtle nod, then said, “I wish to see my father.”

The steward started, “Okay, I will immediately let His Majesty know…”

“Da-ge!”

A piercing call abruptly broke the silence.

Riding a battered steam engine that was on the brink of collapse, the second prince Lance caught everyone’s attention as they glanced up in shock. As he frantically waved to Light, he pounded on the stubborn old machine.

“Kachunk!” The mechanism, which was generating an annoying amount of noise the whole time, came to a standstill on the grass and released a cloud of smelly black smoke from its rear end.

When faced with Light, most people maintained a restrained attitude. However, Lance casually tapped Light on the shoulder and exclaimed, “Da-ge! Did you hear? Father got you a fish!”

Light, “…”

Upon seeing that the oldest prince’s demeanor remained unchanged, the steward let out a sigh of relief.

“I arrived with the intention of requesting that father rescind the betrothal,” Light voiced after a moment of silence.

Lance reached over and whispered, “I’ve heard that mermen are incredibly gorgeous like fairies from those fairy tales. You haven’t even seen that fish yet, da-ge. Are you really set on breaking off your engagement?”

“It’s unreasonable.” His lips pursed tightly  as Light’s eyes flitted. “How old is he?”

Lance mimicked drawing a zipper to seal his mouth and went silent.

……

“Has he arrived yet?”

Even though she sipped her black tea with grace, the old woman’s repetitive action of checking the terminal every three seconds revealed her underlying anxiety.

The news that the little merman had spent nearly six years on a secluded island upset Kuina, a palace etiquette teacher.

The most catastrophic downfall of her career might be in store for her if Prince Light marries an uncivilized, gruff outsider.

Knock knock knock.

Someone knocked on the door just then.

The maid remarked, “Madam, it’s now around the time he should be arriving.”

Quickly setting aside her tea cup, Kuina hurried towards the palace’s entrance, making sure to fix her appearance.

As the palace doors whipped open, Kuina witnessed the young merman dragging his feet and gripping onto a worn out shark doll covered in various sewn on cloth patches from the guard carrying it. The merman’s attire seemed shabby when compared with his shark doll, and his face was caked in dust. Everything about the child gave the impression that he had stepped out of a coal-burning stove, and his silver hair looked remarkably different to its true shade. He appeared more like an unkempt beggar rather than a renowned beautiful merman.

Kuina drew in a sharp gasp. Exactly what she had hoped would not occur had come true.

Upon reaching the Oz Empire’s capital, Mu Chen was taken aback by the scene of numerous imposing beings soaring through the sky. He was unable to tear his gaze away from the sight. He vaguely recalled the story his aunt had painted for him before.

The Golden Age of Atlantis—the era of gigantic underwater beasts living side by side with modern technology.

These were completely foreign to Mu Chen when he was a kid. His first encounter with the massive mechs transpired during the hunt of his own kind by a fully armed Zerg alien brandishing a maliciously sharp knife.

As the pungent stench of blood assaulted his entire nose, he sought shelter behind a crack in the reef. Finally, he and his aunt, who were the only survivors, took refuge on an obscure island with severely limited contact options.

After that, Mu Chen would experience recurring nightmares about unending bloodshed night after night.

Later, his aunt got him a small shark doll from somewhere.

Mu Xiusi, the “Sea God” and founder of Atlantis, was believed to be riding a massive shark to unite the Blue Planet, as claimed by his aunt. He possessed unparalleled bravery, and Mu Chen, with the same azure blood as him, was his direct descendent. She claimed that his bravery would rival that of the “Sea God” when he reached adulthood.

Since then, Mu Chen has taken to sleeping with this doll at his side and bringing it along everywhere he went because for him, it was a sign of bravery, and a person who possesses courage was invincible.

Right now, Mu Chen was glaring up towards the armored soldier, who, no matter how hard he tried, could only reach his opponent’s waist, even if he’s already standing straight. He held onto his little shark tightly and refused to let go.

The small merman’s obstinacy caught the soldier off guard. Mu Chen’s center of gravity shifted the second he was let go. In his effort to regain his balance, he slammed his hand into the jagged marble pillar and stumbled backwards. His palm oozed with blood.

The shark doll was flung across the corridor.

As Kuina scurried over to the young merman, she grimaced in distress.

As soon as they laid eyes on all that blood, any child of that age would have wailed hysterically by now. However, Mu Chen remained composed. Without so much as a blink, he checked his wound before asking the guard, “Can you give my shark back to me?”

“Give it back to him.”

At the very end of the corridor, a deep male voice broke the silence, and then the sharp sound of military boots treading on the marble surface echoed throughout.

As soon as Kuina heard this voice, she turned around and, with her assistants, lifted the little merman up off the ground, onto his feet.

Upon discerning the individual’s face, their demeanor abruptly changed to one of grave seriousness, and they gracefully bowed down to address the prince, “Your Highness.”

Mu Chen was the only one who stood there, bewildered, as he saw the tall blonde gege approach him step by step. Following this, the gege knelt down to retrieve the shark from the floor and presented it to him.

With a quick blink, Mu Chen shifted his gaze from the towering military guy to the other person’s starkly pale hand—a striking contrast to the gray shark.

With his uninjured hand, he dusted his clothes, then gathered the doll, cradling it in his arms. He drawled, “Thank you… Gege.”

A trace of innocence lingered in the young merman’s clumsy expression of gratitude.

Light was momentarily caught off guard. Lance had completely stopped addressing him like this ever since he became an adult. It was quite novel to hear this dirt-covered little merman call him that.

At the sight of Light, Kuina felt like her brain was robbed of oxygen which triggered a sense of vertigo.

It’s over, it’s over….

She had not yet changed this small merman into clean clothes or taught him the proper protocols for the palace when His Highness found them. What face did she have to continue staying in this palace?

Nevertheless, Kuina, a senior etiquette teacher, displayed zero indications of shame. With a simple smile, she reminded Mu Chen, “You ought to address him as Your Highness.”

“Oh… I’m sorry, ge...” The little merman seemed to have come to the realization that he had nearly uttered the incorrect address yet again. At the last minute, he clenched his jaw and sputtered, “Your Highness.”

Despite his confused demeanor, he took a moment to look at the array of golden medals adorning Light’s chest.

The person before him should be Oz Empire’s eldest prince.

As they were about to part ways, Mu Chen’s aunt’s remarks flashed through his mind. He had to win over the other’s affection if he wished to live well in the palace…

“No need to say sorry,” Light replied, his eyes landing on the merman’s wounded hand. “Go treat his wound.”