An Adventurer Mom, Who Awakened [Housewife] Skill Through a Login Bonus, Is Making the Most of Her Adventurer Life With the Weekly Flyers She Gets! - Chapter 46

Before hearing the full story, Kachua bathed the children.

The suite’s bathroom was spacious, large enough for the three of them to bathe comfortably as a family.

After putting the children to bed just like that, she returned to the reception room, where it seemed everyone had been waiting for her.

“Kachua-san, shall we continue the conversation?”

“Eh, sorryyy. You were all waiting?”

“It’s fine. We were just introducing ourselves and talking about how we became a team.”

“Ah, I see”

Once everyone was seated, Bernhardt turned to Ann and asked,

“Ann, is it alright if I talk about the time we met?”

“Yes.”

Ann gave her permission with a short and curt tone.

With Ann’s approval, Bernhardt turned to the members of Gamma Team and asked,

“Do you all know the story about a mermaid’s liver?”

Asked so abruptly, Gamma Team was surprised, but the tale of the mermaid is famous, and everyone had at least heard of it once.

“Isn’t it something like… if you eat mermaid meat, you become immortal?”

“It’s not such an outrageous power, but it’s not entirely wrong either. A mermaid’s liver is a miraculous medicine that can heal any illness.”

“Heeh.”

The legend of mermaid meat is widely known among the public, but mermaids are such rare creatures that no one even knows whether they really exist or not.

It’s said that when someone encounters a mermaid, they become so captivated by her beauty that they forget themselves and dive into the sea. Which is why they say there are no men who have met a mermaid and lived to tell the tale.

“I was really sickly when I was young. They said I wouldn’t live to become an adult. But His Majesty did everything he could to find a way to make me healthy. And what he discovered was… eating a mermaid’s liver.”

Mermaids are said to normally live in the sea.

It is rare for such mermaids to appear before people, and one of the few places in the world where mermaids reside on land is the distant isolated island, Leda-Ellis Island.

Upon hearing about mermaids from his father the king, Bernhardt decided he’d rather go to Leda-Ellis Island than die like this.

It was a harsh journey for the sickly boy Bernhardt but somehow, his group managed to reach Leda-Ellis Island.

However.

“In order to make a deal with the mermaids, we first needed permission from the queen who ruled the island.”

“…………”

Ann listened to Bernhardt’s story with a distant look, as if recalling the past.

“To gain permission, I brought tribute given to me by the king to the queen, but some of the gems listed in the inventory had been replaced with fakes.”

“Eh, fakes?”

“So what did you do?”

“The queen was furious and declared she would not cooperate. The one who helped me in my despair… was Ann.”

“Heeh.”

“Ah, so Ann is from that island then.”

In the labyrinth city of Loa, people from various countries gather, so it doesn’t stand out much, but it’s true that Ann’s beautiful blonde hair is rare in this region.

“That’s right. Ann went to the mermaid’s cove, defeated a mermaid and brought back its liver for me.”

Upon hearing that, Kachua thought to herself.

“Umm, was the mermaid who had their liver taken… okay?”

Mermaids are sometimes treated as monsters but they’re also said to be demi-humans, in other words, a kind of human.

Naturally, she was a bit concerned whether they lived or died.

It was Ann who answered the question.

“They were fine. Those guys actually enjoy making deals with humans. In exchange for their liver, they take voices, beauty or hair.”

Apparently, the liver is a magical medicine known as the mermaid’s secret elixir and it regenerates quickly.

It’s painful and regeneration takes a bit of time, so unless they really want something, mermaids won’t agree to a deal.

To obtain a mermaid’s liver, you need to offer them something that captures their interest.

And men cannot make such deals.

Mermaids possess a powerful charm effect against men. The moment a man lays eyes on a mermaid, he forgets all about negotiation and dives straight into the sea, becoming utterly enchanted by them.

That’s why only women are able to negotiate with mermaids.

In Ann’s case, the most beautiful mermaid in the cove challenged her to a duel.

“If Ann won, she would receive the mermaid’s liver. If she lost, the mermaid would take Ann’s hair. That was the deal. And Ann splendidly defeated the mermaid. However…”

“However?”

“The opponent wasn’t a mermaid. It was a merman called Queen Merman.”

Queen Merman appeared completely like a woman at first glance but was actually male.

He was a otokonoko style merman!

[A male character who looks, dresses, and often acts like a girl, to the point of being convincingly feminine.]

“The moment I ate that liver, I became very healthy and ended up with the body I have now.”

In other words, he became unnecessarily energetic and ended up super muscular.

“Such a past…”

“The stronger a mermaid is, the more beautiful they become. They become more beautiful through many trades.”

Ann shared the secret behind a mermaid’s beauty.

Bernhardt nodded with his thick neck.

“Thanks to that, I was able to obtain such a wonderful body. But Ann… she defied the queen and broke her orders, so she was exiled from her country. I couldn’t bring myself to return to the royal palace after becoming healthy, so the two of us started living as adventurers here in the labyrinth city Loa.”

“Hmm.”

It was around that time that they met Jessica.

Just then, kon kon, a knock came at the door.

“Um, should I get it?”

Rick, being considerate, stood up.

“Ah, please do.”

“Yes, opening it now.”

When Rick opened the door, standing there was a well-dressed gentleman wearing a monocle.

“Ah, Mr. Rupert Garfa”

The man before them was none other than the great tycoon, Rupert Garfa himself.

＊＊＊

Garfa gave a deep bow before addressing everyone.

“My apologies for the late hour. I’ve come in the hope of meeting with Lord Bernhardt.”

His tone was extremely polite. It seemed he knew exactly who Bernhardt was.

Bernhardt, on the other hand, responded with a curt attitude.

“I have guests. I’ll hear what you have to say tomorrow. Leave.”

He coldly dismissed the wealthy tycoon without hesitation.

Garfa didn’t get angry and instead bowed again.

“Then I shall remain here, so please summon me at any time.”

“Uh, here… you mean the hallway?” Rick asked, flustered.

“Indeed.”

“A-Are we… supposed to leave?” Og blurted out, equally shaken.

“Well, it is getting quite late” Ann said, clearly ready to head home.

Hearing that, Bernhardt cried out in panic.

“No! We’re not done talking yet. Please don’t say you’re leaving. Alright, if it’s okay with you all… Garfa, come in. But only you.”

Garfa bowed deeply, with grace.

“I am most honored.”

“Um, are you sure it’s okay? For us to be here?” Rick asked Bernhardt.

“It’s fine. Garfa is here for the Acorn Chalice. It concerns you all as well, doesn’t it? Right, Garfa?”

“Indeed. Please, hand over the Acorn Chalice. Money is no object. For the sake of His Highness’s succession to the throne, I, Garfa, will do whatever it takes. Please, I beg you.”

Garfa bowed deeply as he spoke.

“Eh, what’s going on?”

With the sudden shift to high-level matters like royal succession, Gamma Team could only react in confusion.

Besides, according to the rumors in town, Garfa was supposed to be supporting a different prince.

“If your daughter is a candidate to marry the Third Prince, doesn’t that mean Mr. Garfa is part of the Third Prince’s faction?”

Bernhardt is the Second Prince.

Even if they’re both princes, their factions should be different… right?

“Who knows.”

“Political stuff’s way over my head.”

As they whispered among themselves, Garfa suddenly spoke.

“It’s the opposite. To prevent my daughter from marrying the Third Prince, I must obtain the Acorn Chalice at all costs.”

“Hah?”

“Wait, what do you mean?”

Garfa stared straight at Og.

“My daughter was attacked by a beastman wolf…and has become a werewolf.”