Alongside the gentle splash of the waves, only a single seagull cried out on the beach…-.
Land of Pirates, Ancula. On the shore, a small gathering is taking place.
Orion: “…so, how are things in your country?”
Dion: “I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s good, but it’s getting better… or so we’re saying. We’re working to increase the severity of the punishment for hurting the denizens of the sea. And we’re strengthening our defenses around the city.”
Orion: “Moving towards an official policy is the most important in this. Besides, since those incidents happened, no leader of a country will be able to just sit back and do nothing.”
Hearing Orion’s words, Dion anxiously looked at Sarasa.
Noticing the look, Sarasa just smiled as if to say he didn’t mind.
Sarasa, Prince of the Land of Merfolk, had been kidnapped by the people of Dion’s country, causing a major crack in the relationship between the two kingdoms.
The events were still fresh in everyone’s minds.
Sarasa: “I was really scared when I was kidnapped out of nowhere… but I think at this point, there was a purpose to it.”
Orion: “It doesn’t change the fact that you went through something terrible, but… it caused us to take a big step forward in terms of reconstructing the relationship between the land and sea.”
Dion: “And even more so, Sarasa’s statement of the incident has caused many people on both sides to raise their voices in hopes of a compromise.”
The relationship between the two had been thought impossible to repair… but the princes each had pressured their own sides and, thanks of the statement made by the Prince of the Merfolk, things had moved forward without incident.
Sarasa: “But there are still many merfolk who despise the humans… those stubborn statements are only more declarations of selfishness though.”
Orion: “You may not know this since you were kept in the castle following your abduction but… Lorelai has started to change too, even if it is just a little.”
Sarasa: “Huh?”
Dion: “What do you mean?”
Orion: “The other day when I visited Lorelai, those merfolk who actively voiced their hatred of the humans… seemed to have gotten a little curious about the people of the land. On the matter of Sarasa’s kidnapping, I’ve heard that the Undersea Kingdom and the kingdoms of the land worked to form an alliance to protect Lorelai.”
Sarasa: “…so that’s what happened.”
Sarasa smiled happily as he looked at Orion and Dion.
Sarasa: “I hope that some day the land and sea will stop fighting as much as they do now… and when that happens, I want to show you my kingdom Dion. It’s the most beautiful place there is.”
Seeing how Sarasa’s eyes sparkled as he spoke, Dion and Orion looked at him fondly.
Dion: “Heh… I can’t wait.”
Orion: “… in that case, there’s a lot we still have to do. Not just the kingdom on the land, but us as well… and the kingdoms of the sea.”
Sarasa: “Yeah. I don’t want to have to rely on Vedy and Ira to come help like this time. We need to take care of our own things.”
The three princes dreamed of a future when the earth and sea would cross the divide, promising each other with this decision that they kept secret in their hearts.
END