Wizard World Irregular

“The Tidebringer fell in love, but he didn’t fall in love with just an ordinary mortal girl,” Princess Ramona said. “He fell in love with a Mermaid Queen.”

‘Well, at least she got that one right,’ Sebastian commented from inside Ethan’s Sea of Consciousness.

‘Why have you never told me about this in the past?’ Ethan asked.

‘You didn’t ask, duh~’ Sebastian replied.

Princess Ramona, who wasn’t aware of the discussion that was happening inside Ethan’s head, continued her story.

“According to the story that was told to me, the Tidebringer and the Mermaid Queen had two daughters. Unfortunately, she didn’t know their names because talking about them was forbidden.

“They lived happily for a time. However, time came when the Tidebringer had to leave and go to the place called the Lands of Saraqael to help his father, who was said to be besieged from all sides.

“Queen Celestia had sealed herself away, so the Tidebringer was the only one who could come to Lord Arariel’s rescue. Unfortunately, he was never heard or seen from again since then.”

Sebastian fell silent after hearing his Master’s fate.

He had been left behind by the Tidebringer to continue to protect the City of Zentris, and to a certain extent, protect the Lands of Alastor as well.

“But you know what, the person who told me this story added a little tidbit. Apparently, there was a Mermaid Princess from another kingdom who also liked the Tidebringer.

“However, knowing that he was already married to the Mermaid Queen, she asked the Tidebringer to matchmake one of his descendants to him.

“The Tidebringer, who found this arrangement amusing, agreed to the Mermaid Princess’ request. For this agreement, the Mermaid Princess offered the Tidebringer a Rainbow Scale, which would be bestowed upon one of his descendants, who would become the Mermaid Princess’ promised partner.”

Princess Ramona sighed before looking at Ethan with a smile.

“It's so romantic, right?” Princess Ramona eyed the young man, and the latter only gave her a stiff smile in return.

‘A rainbow scale?’ Ethan’s Other Half chuckled. ‘What a coincidence. Right, Sebastian?’

‘The world is vast and yet so small at the same time,’ Sebastian smirked. ‘I guess we should be on the lookout for a certain wand created with the rainbow scale of a mermaid princess, right?’

Ethan pretended to not hear the comments that came from the Peanut Gallery.

However, Princess Ramona’s story made him remember the first time he touched the wand that was now in his possession.

At that time, Professor Ophelia even teased him, saying that kissing a wand was not something a Wizard would usually do when holding it for the first time.

Ethan pinched the bridge of his nose because he felt that he was going to experience a headache one of these days.

However, before he could even make any comments, Joanne’s voice broke him out of his daze.

“So, who was the one who told you this story?” Joanne inquired. “You sound so confident as if this story is real. This must mean that the source of this information is credible, right?”

“Of course, it is credible,” Joanne replied as she patted her chest. “This story was told to me by my Grandma, so it’s a hundred percent true. Ah, my grandma heard this story from her mermaid friend, who was one of the attendants of the Mermaid Queen.”

“…” Joanne didn’t know if she should pity Ramona, or just pretend that she didn’t hear what she had said just now.

The one who told the Princess the story was her Grandma, who had the story told to her by a mermaid friend.

Joanne found this setup quite unbelievable, but since she loved her grandparents and also believed everything they said, she decided to not say anything that might offend the Princess who seemed to completely believe the words of her grandma.

Little did Ethan’s sister know that her brother believed the Princess story very much.

In fact, he felt that it was so accurate that he was starting to worry about the future.

At that moment, Joanne suddenly asked a question to change the topic.

“So, do you think the Tidebringer is still alive?” Joanne asked. “I’m not talking about this fake Tidebringer here. I’m talking about the real one.”

“Joanne, Sir Ethan isn’t fake.” Princess Ramona pouted. “The bloodline of the Tidebringer flows inside his body. To a certain extent, you have it too. Yours are just not as strong as Sir Ethan’s.”

“If that helps you sleep at night, then have it your way,” Joanne replied, not even believing the words that the Princess had said.

First and foremost, she wasn’t proficient in Water Magic.

She specialized in Dark Magic and Puppet Manipulation. However, since Dolls looked prettier and cuter than puppets, she preferred using them in battle.

“Let’s change the topic for now,” Ethan said with a smile. “Your father invited me to have a private talk last night. He asked me to not make my intention of supporting you public because he was afraid that the fairness of choosing the next ruler of this Kingdom would be compromised.

“I didn’t give him a concrete answer, and I only said that I would think about it. So, I would like to ask you straight… Do you wish to be the Queen of the Magdar Kingdom or not?”

Princess Ramona looked down and rested her palms over her lap.

She had asked this question herself many times in the past, and each time she did, a different answer would arise.

Sometimes, she felt that she should do her best to become the Queen so that her people would be able to live more comfortable lives.

But at times, she felt that she wasn’t fit to be a ruler because she was inexperienced and had a timid personality.

A King or Queen must be firm and decisive enough to make decisions that could affect their Kingdom as a whole.

This was why she respected her father very much—King Baldur was a standard good King.

He still made his opinion known to the Tidebringer despite knowing that he might offend the Deity of the Lands of Alastor, which many considered to be a crime.

“Before you answer, let me just tell you this,” Ethan stated. “I will support your decision. If you don’t want to be the Queen, I will ask the Princes’ to make a binding oath never to harm you again and allow you to live your life in peace.

“However, if you decide to be a Queen, then you must firm your resolve because it means that you will have to compete with your brothers, who have been targeting your life for the past few months.

“Think about it until sunset. I will ask for your answer then. But, whatever choice you make, you should stand by it until the very end. I don’t want you to regret anything. Although Joanne and I might not be able to stay here for a long time, I’ll make sure to realize your wish before we return to the future.”

Princess Ramona nodded. “I will think about it carefully. Thank you for giving me some time to make my decision.”

Ethan smiled before patting her head. “I’ll go and visit the City of Zentris for a bit. Joanne, look after Ramona. Her brothers might attempt to do something while I’m away.”

“I’m not afraid of those second-rate Sorcerers,” Joanne replied. “They will not be able to do anything to her as long as I’m around.”

“How dependable of you. As expected of my little sister.”

“Who are you calling little sister? Scram before I kick your shin!”

Ethan chuckled before leaving the two girls behind.

However, after closing the door behind him, the smile on his face disappeared.

“Dainsleif, protect my sister and Princess Ramona,” Ethan ordered. “If anyone tries to harm them in any way, go for the kill.”

The Ancient Wendigo softly chuckled and nodded his head.

A moment later, the vile creature made itself invisible, ready to strike down the fools who would try to harm the two girls, who were entrusted to him by his Master.