Chapter 88

Iseur was flustered.

‘The Sun God in a teddy bear…? Why…?’

It seemed Jio had inherited his divinity, but even so, it wasn't as if his dignity as a god had completely vanished.

Iseur knew that the god he had once served now resided within the teddy bear before him, with its soft, pale golden fur.

‘He seems to want it himself, so I can’t say anything about that, and now that Teacher is his only follower, he doesn’t really need to be faithful to his role as a god. He could do that, but still, he was a god called the One God, his dignity….’

As someone who had once learned the ways of a priest and was still feigning the role of one, he couldn't help but worry about the god's dignity.

‘In the first place, why is a god inside a teddy bear?? Of all things, a teddy bear??’

He couldn't understand.

“…Lord Sun God?”

“Kkuu.”

“……”

Why was the cry so cute, too?

“…Do, do you… like that shell?”

“Kku.”

“May I hear the intention behind entering the teddy bear?”

“Kkukku, kkuukku… Kkukukku.”

“……”

As Iseur couldn't understand at all, Jio translated for him.

“He says it is to eat a meal.”

“…Appetite…?”

“He has one.”

“Why?”

Did it make sense for a god to have an appetite?

“A god is, well… a god, you know.”

“Don't tell me you mean a god shouldn't even eat…?”

“That is not what I meant.”

“I understand what you mean.”

“You do understand, right?”

“Of course.”

Jio’s hair had at some point turned platinum blond.

He nodded with the noble smile peculiar to a priest.

“You are wondering why a god, who strictly speaking does not need to eat and feels no such desire, would use the body of a mere teddy bear to have a meal.”

“…That is exactly it.”

“Regarding that part, it is actually difficult for me to give you a proper explanation as well. I just recklessly visited with meals, and at some point, he started to show greed for food….”

“…Ah….”

Iseur, who now understood a little, let out a sigh of relief.

He had the expression of someone who was relieved after hearing the answer to a difficult problem.

“As expected, the cause was you, Teacher.”

“Why is it that whenever something incomprehensible happens, you always say that I am the cause?”

“You’re not really asking because you don’t know, are you? Surely?”

“Well, anyway.”

Jio stacked the clam basket Iseur was holding on top of his own and smiled gently.

“Let’s get used to it gradually and start preparing the meal for now, shall we?”

“Meal preparation….”

“There is not much time left until dinner, so we should start cooking soon if we want to prepare enough food to eat.”

“Th-that's right.”

Iseur, who had been invited in any case, immediately agreed.

In their culture, an invitation to one's home was the same as saying one would serve a meal.

For Iseur, it was more familiar to talk about the meal right away.

“I did not hear the exact details, but what is the menu?”

“Hmm, it will be grilled clams and tomato stew.”

“Edlen stew?”

“I suppose so.”

In the village of Edlen where they had spent their childhood, tomato stew was known as ‘Edlen stew.’

It was a stew boiled using the freshwater and seafood that were the specialties of Edlen village.

“Ah, that’s nice….”

At the name he hadn't heard in a long time, Iseur's slightly stiff face relaxed.

“The stew from that village was really delicious. Especially the stew you cooked for us, Teacher, was even more amazing….”

“My cooking skills have not rusted even though some time has passed, so you can look forward to it as much as you like.”

Jio, who had nodded, asked, ah.

“I would like one person to help me.”

Two pale hands went up at the same time.

“I will.”

“I will.”

“……”

“……”

The mermaid siblings looked at each other.

“…I will do it.”

“I am better at cooking.”

“The cooking has always been handled by you, Teacher, and wasn't our role to assist? In that case, I think I would be better than my sister.”

“I'm not sure in what sense you think you would be better. A person who is good at cooking is also good at assisting, Iseur.”

“I will not back down, on my honor as a mermaid.”

“If that is the case, it cannot be helped. According to the tradition of the sea, when opinions do not align, with force….”

At that point, Jio intervened.

“It seems this conversation will get long, so I'll just do it myself.”

At those words, the mermaids quickly came to an agreement with rock-paper-scissors.

“I won… I will assist.”

“Is that right?”

I wondered if this was right, but it was actually a pretty funny sight, so it didn't matter.

“Come to think of it, we also had rock-paper-scissors in our region.”

“Ah, you said Earth has the same culture.”

“That is correct. I know it as a game that exists in quite a few countries.”

“I see.”

Aria, left alone, could only click her tongue.

“I should have trained more.”

“Kkuu?”

“Excuse me, sir, but would you mind not acting so friendly?”

“Kkukukku….”

“Are you laughing?”

Jio led Iseur to the kitchen.

“Then shall we wash the clams?”

“This feels just like the old days.”

“For that to be so, Iseur has grown a lot.”

“I can shrink even now.”

“My little Iseur was not only small but also cute, so it is impossible now.”

“Ah… am I not cute anymore.”

“It’s a bit much for a grown-up mass-murdering war criminal mermaid to look cute just by shrinking….”

“Everything you say is right, Teacher.”

Iseur readily agreed.

“Now, what can I help you with, Teacher?”

“Hmm… you are certainly not cute.”

Seeing the figure of a skilled gentleman without a trace of shyness, Giovanni became a little sad.

“Is this what a parent’s heart feels like?”

“We do have our own parents….”

“Mermaids don’t fixate on blood relations in the first place, do they.”

“In that sense, you were certainly closer to the word ‘guardian,’ Teacher.”

“You don’t get jokes, how did you grow up to be such a boring adult.”

Jio smiled lightly and took a clam out of the basket.

“It has been a while since I've seen a Sunshine Conch.”

“Is that so?”

“There was a time when I wondered why it was called a Sunshine Conch when it grew underground.”

The subterranean cavern of Edlen village had a few small holes, through which sunlight and moonlight entered.

Sunshine Conches were usually found hiding in abundance in the areas where such light came in.

“Let’s see….”

Sunshine Conch

A conch characterized by its transparent shell and body.

Only females exist, and they reproduce by mating with the all-male Moonlight Conch.

When the sun rises, they come out once every 2 hours to sunbathe before hiding below the water's surface.

When boiled in hot water, the body turns white, but the shell remains the same.

The older the individual, the better the medicinal effects of the shell and body.

They only inhabit the vicinity of Purifying Rocks.

Elixir Recipe: If the body is taken out without boiling and dried in the sun, it becomes like a hard, transparent pebble. Consuming it like a pill is good for vision recovery. The shell retains the warmth of the sun if left in it. Consuming the very hot shell after grinding it finely into a powder is good for heart conditions.

“……”

“Teacher?”

“I did not know it had such medicinal effects.”

As a doctor, it was a bit absurd that it could be used for vision recovery or heart conditions.

“Heart conditions….”

“Teacher…?”

“Does your heart hurt by any chance, Iseur?”

“You have a look similar to my sister's when she expects a test subject, but unfortunately, I am very healthy.”

Iseur said with a neat smile.

“Of course, if you wish, I will go and catch one right now.”

“Are you saying you will harm a person in front of me, a doctor and a priest? How much more responsibility do you intend to bear?”

“Would not a beast in the shape of a person be suitable as a test subject? One who does not deserve to be human….”

“If it is a beast who has committed child sex crimes, I might be able to agree.”

“You are the same as ever, I will keep that in mind.”

“But it is still surprising.”

He had never imagined that the ‘Sunshine Conch’ from his region possessed such medicinal properties.

Even though it was a specialty of Edlen village, it wasn't that precious, and it was common as it was found everywhere.

“Many people used to grind the shell to use as paint.”

“Did you not do so as well, Teacher? You especially used clam paint when drawing mermaids.”

“That is correct, I thought it would be nice if the paint also smelled of the sea when I painted the sea.”

But he did not know that the powder could treat heart conditions.

“……”

He had researched it separately before, but he had never discovered such an effect.

“…Is this an effect I can see because the current me has changed….”

“…Have you changed?”

“I have changed in many ways.”

He had gone from being human to a portrait.

“Anyway, what’s good is good.”

Tadah.

I stopped thinking.

“My ultimate positive mindset does not change according to the meaning of my own existence.”

“I do not know what an ultimate positive mindset is, but perhaps it would be okay for it to change a little….”

“Must we really live so tiresomely? This teacher does not think so, Iseur.”

“With that way of thinking, how can you be confident that you are an ordinary human being.”

“Because my life is not changed by the gazes of others.”

Having only reconfirmed his firm self-esteem, I continued to observe the Sunshine Conch.

“Seeing it after a long time, I can feel that it is a really pretty clam.”

It was a conch with a shell that shone cleanly like a jewel, and the pentagonal pyramid-shaped shell showed numerous layers as if it had grown many times.

It was a sparkle that looked as if a picture had been drawn on it.

“Because it was so pretty, it was often made into accessories.”

“Yes, I believe you also made a toy to hang on the window with it, Teacher.”

“Because it shines so beautifully when the sunlight hits it.”

It emitted various colors here and there, just like a triangular prism.

“Ah, dear.”

The creature living inside had tucked its already transparent body deep inside, but perhaps because its body was so transparent like glass, it was hard to see the creature even through this prism-like shell.

“The shell won't be damaged even if it's boiled anyway, so I can just boil it as it is. It's a creature that survives on sunlight without swallowing mud, so I can just wash it clean and boil it without taking any special measures.”

“I… remember that as well, but….”

“I was just recalling it, so you do not have to worry too much. My heart is fluttering at the thought of preparing these clams after such a long time.”

Next, what I picked up was the one that had been stuck to the cavern wall.

‘This is similar to an abalone.’

The shell was much blacker and smoother than an abalone's, but other elements were quite similar to an abalone.

Especially its white, wide flesh.

“I think the name of this was….”

“It was probably Black Tray Clam.”

“Ah, that’s right.”

Black Tray Clam

A clam famous for its white flesh that contrasts with its pitch-black, plain shell.

It is a high-end ingredient and a delicate clam that cooks with a slight increase in temperature.

The shell's black color is considered beautiful and is also known as an ingredient for paint.

Be careful as the flesh will cook if held by a human hand.

“It has an appearance that cannot be anything but delicious.”

I smiled contentedly and washed all the black clams.

This one also did not eat mud, so no separate degritting process was needed.

“Next is this one. Do you remember, Iseur?”

“I remember that you particularly liked it, Teacher.”

“Because the texture is good. When eaten raw, it's as tender as pudding, and when cooked, it's as chewy as meat….”

Club Trumpet

A clam with a light brown shell that lives vertically hidden in the mud.

It was named Club Trumpet because its flesh resembles a wooden club and its shell resembles a trumpet.

The inside is filled with light yellow flesh, and its texture is very tender.

However, be careful as it gets tough quickly if too much heat is applied.

In a word, it was close to just ‘a clam with a long adductor muscle inside.’

“Ha, I need to sell this in Korea.”

“Please calm down.”

It was the worldly priest Jio, once again.

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