Not his problem? Why did he intervene to save me then…? Alviss’ brows perked up in puzzlement after hearing Lawkey’s statement.
No matter how he looked at it, the swordsman fellow was acting a little odd about this whole situation.
Just like Alviss, others on the sidelines heard what Lawkey had said as well. And one old triton in particular seemed to understand what the young man was actually hinting at.
That’s right. It’s not his problem, it’s ours! Why should we look for strangers for help? For protection? Even if our numbers have dwindled down to barely inhabit this small island, we should never accept a life of submission and slavery! I’d rather die than to be tied down for the rest of my life! The old triton’s thoughts raced before he finally made up his mind.
He gripped his small battle ax and took a step forward. His medium length hair and bushy beard were already fully gray, but the bright color on his ear fins complimented the newly lit luster in his cyan eyes.
“Old man Cyan?” Salil let out after noticing someone walk past him toward the Golden Garden Guild members.
“What are you doing?!” Another triton asked, “You’ll get yourself killed!”
“I can’t live my life like this anymore!” Old triton Cyan bellowed, sending shivers down his people’s backs. He held up his battle ax and charged forward without another thought. “We’ve had enough of you lot! We don’t need your help or protection! Leave us alone!”
“?!”
“Oh? We got a fighter!” Cleitus perked an eyebrow and nonchalantly raised his right arm to face the old triton charging at him. “You seem old, so you might not care what happens next. You should be grateful we are willing to help your race avoid extinction, but nonetheless, I won’t fault them for your indiscretion.”
“...!!” Cyan’s pupils quickly contracted as he saw the air change around Cleitus’ raised arm.
Razor Wind Vortex!
Although no one could hear it, Cleitus recalled the name of his practiced move from his childhood and called upon the element of wind to come to his aid.
After all, he was the user of the Wind Manipulation Sign, the one used by the Royal Clan, the Ventus Clan.
As the wind gathered and wrapped itself around Cleitus’ arm, a violent torrent suddenly lashed out towards the old triton and hit him square in the chest. His figure quickly vanished as the wind vortex consumed him and pushed him back with it to the nearest wall.
CRASH!
“?!”
Everyone stood with complicated expressions. Lamia and Salil froze in horror, while Alviss gritted his teeth in frustration. If it wasn’t for his still numb senses, he would’ve used his Sign and intervened already. For him, someone from outside of Tartarus and a proud dwarf, he didn’t care about anything that wasn’t right in front of him. Not help because of whatever consequences? That wasn’t his style.
“...” Even Lawkey, who had decided to wait things out, couldn’t help but clench his fist reflexively.
As the dust settled, Cyan’s old figure quickly came into view. His back had crashed into the wall, but his face and torso had many small cuts from the violent wind torrent. Blood was quickly overtaking his skin complexion as he tried his best to get up again.
“Anyone else? Hurry up! I don’t have all day!” Cleitus opened his arms, welcoming anyone to try next. “If some of you are still reluctant, we might as well take care of things right here and now!”
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Behind him, while Bakari held his stomach from laughter, Liv crossed her arms with an apparent frown on her face.
“...”
Cleitus’ proclamation was quickly met with silence.
“What were you thinking, old man?” A triton quickly jotted to support Cyan up and check on his wounds.
“Darn this old body…!”
“...”
“?”
From the back, Alviss noticed Lawkey watching the merfolk talk amongst each other. Even Lamia and Salil had put their grievances aside for now to find a solution together, but it was clear that both of them were uncomfortable around the other’s presence.
“This isn’t good…”
“What do we do now…?”
Before Alviss could do anything again, a voice quickly stopped him in place.
“Daddy!”
“?!”
Lawkey was startled by a small figure suddenly leaping at him from the side. After she had gotten what she wanted and hugged him, Sana giggled to herself, as if realizing exactly what she had done.
Sana?! Why did she go back to calling me that again all of a sudden…? Wait, this situation…! Lawkey turned around in horror to see both sirens and tritons glaring at him as if thinking, “So that’s the useless human that Rania fell for…” or “He’s the deadbeat father that left before Sana was even born?!”
Hey! Don’t look at me like that! I’m an innocent party! I’m not a deadbeat dad! Wait, I'm not even a dad! Lawkey tried to justify an imaginary conversation before turning his head to Riana for support.
However, seeing her, his face immediately turned stiff. She was standing with her gaze hung up on the Golden Garden Guild members as if she was studying the situation carefully.
It wasn’t long before she more or less figured out what was going on. Although she didn’t know exactly how, but the tritons seemed to be back on their side now, while the guild had decided to take action and control the entire clan.
When she finally turned her head to face Lawkey, her light crimson eyes had already decided to fight as she gripped the spear her sister had gifted her.
“...” Lawkey immediately felt a myriad of mixed emotions welling up inside of him as he clenched his fist behind Sana’s back.
“Uncle…?” The little girl looked up at her savior with glistening big eyes that seemed full of hope.
Seeing that, the conflicted swordsman’s thoughts raced even more. And a few seconds later, he crouched down and faced Sana on eye level.
She watched him fish for something inside his clothes, and just as she glimpsed what seemed like an odd-looking purple doll inside his big waist cloth, he extended his hand to show her something else, stealing her attention.
“Look, I got you this as a gift. Do you like it?”
Sana’s turquoise eyes quickly beamed as she saw what he was holding out to her. It was a small hair clip accessory that matched the color of her light blue hair. The design within it showed a crescent moon.
“Woahh! Thank you, Uncle! I love it!” Not even taking her gift, she wrapped her arms around Lawkey’s head first.
“...”
Having seen her last time full of tears, Lawkey stopped by an accessory vendor in the shopping area on his way to the Mermaid Bar. He had spent 4 Keys on it, but the price didn’t matter to him. He had wanted to cheer her up the next time he saw her, but it seemed like she was already over all of that already, or she was good at hiding her emotions.
Nevertheless, receiving her hopeful gaze, Lawkey couldn’t help but reprimand himself for every time he hesitated to take action and help.
If he let things be, not only would Sana be taken and sold for a reason he still wasn’t able to figure out, but Riana’s and the other merfolk’s fate wouldn’t be that far off either.
I can’t let that happen… I can’t just stand by and do nothing… Why did I set out on this journey? Was it just for revenge…? To confirm my suspicions and be at ease? To stay away from those I care about so they don’t have to deal with everything I touch always crumbling to ash and dust?
The truth is; I want to protect them. I want the strength to be able to protect those I care about.
Even if it’s me. Even if it’s with my misfortune, my fate, my destiny, my curses, or whatever it is that is to blame for everything.
I don’t want to just stand by and do nothing.
If getting involved means I make the entire Golden Garden Guild my enemy, then so be it.
I know that Kojiro is with them anyway, and their leaders, the Coin Masters, are the enemy of the old man, my mentor who took me in and took good care of me. A fight with them might just be inevitable.
If getting involved now means I have to put my journey to find the Leviathan and the Undying Elder on hold, to make {her} wait a little longer for me…
If it means I have to delay my promises to everyone that passed on their will onto me….
Then so be it.
It’s better than to leave this clan, to leave Sana and Riana to fend for themselves against an entire guild who is out to get them.
If I have to stay here and fight off every member they send to retake the island until they have none left, I’ll do it.
You wanted to subdue and control these people for your own ends, subjecting them to horror and fear so they didn’t dare to fight back…
And those who were courageous enough to do so, you took them down without hesitation, believing that you are superior to them.
You wanted a fight? So be it.
I’ll give you one.
I’ll take up this sword and protect them with my very own hands.
That’s my responsibility too.
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image [https://i.imgur.com/KQmIY8F.png]