Shota's Isekai NTR Adventure Chapter 1955: Origin of the sea witches (1)

Clearing his throat, the Merman King spoke up, "Ahem, yes, I have gathered you all here because I wish to share a tale with you."

It was he who had summoned his brother and his brother's family to this meeting.

However, there was another presence that had been even more insistent on calling the family together.

A heavy expression settled on the former crown prince's face once the Merman King concluded his narrative.

The former crown prince had been entirely in the dark, hearing these revelations for the first time along with everyone else, but the truth had now been laid bare...

"Both father and you have carried a heavy burden," he remarked, his voice thick with sympathy for the Merman King.

A wry smile appeared on the Merman King's face as he replied, "By rights, this burden should have been yours from the start."

The former crown prince offered a faint smile in return, teasingly saying, "It seems the weight isn't too great if you still have the spirit to make jokes."

While the two brothers shared a brief moment of smiling at one another, the lightheartedness quickly faded. Given the gravity of their discussion, maintaining such a mood was nearly impossible.

Dicus appeared surprised, yet she remained largely detached; never having been involved in royal affairs, she lacked a strong opinion on the matter.

Having been raised by the sea witches and sired by a father who had severed ties with the monarchy, she hadn't even realized her royal heritage until we set out to locate the sea witches.

Zyra, however, seemed to be reacting quite differently.

Something about the story appeared to strike a chord of familiarity within her.

After a period of deep contemplation, her gaze suddenly shifted toward the kraken occupying the room.

The kraken had been observing the proceedings in silence, yet it did not view the mermaids with the same eyes they used for it. In fact, it seemed perfectly comfortable under Zyra's scrutiny.

"Are you the messenger of Aestum, the God of Tides?"

"Elder Sea Witch, I am pleased to see you. Indeed, I was the one who requested your presence."

Hearing the kraken speak was startling, though it made sense given the current circumstances.

The kraken had eventually supported the Merman King’s decision to recall his brother and reveal the hidden secrets of the royal bloodline. Initially, however, the creature had expressed hesitation.

It was only upon learning that Zyra was a sea witch that it gave its consent.

There appeared to be a profound link between the kraken and the sea witches.

Still, it was peculiar that Zyra had identified the kraken as Aestum's messenger so specifically.

Although Aestum had been mentioned in the recounting, the long story hadn't touched upon the kraken at all. She shouldn't have been able to deduce its identity as the messenger of Aestum based solely on what was said.

This implied she possessed prior knowledge that allowed her to make the connection...

"Dear, what are you implying by that?" the former crown prince inquired slowly.

There was a hint of hurt detectable in his tone.

It was easy for the former crown prince to realize Zyra’s words carried a hidden weight. His question suggested he suspected his wife was keeping secrets from him.

Zyra was quick to reassure him, "It isn't like that. I simply recall seeing that name in the ancient records of the past sea witches. I didn't think much of it at the time, but the name felt familiar just now."

She turned her attention back to the kraken and added, "Those records mentioned a messenger with a form such as yours."

I found myself unable to hide my shock at this revelation.

The game had never mentioned anything of the sort.

It felt as though more and more events were unfolding that I had absolutely no knowledge of...

"Yes, a profound bond once existed between my god and the sea witches of old. However, that connection was severed when that tyrant drove out his followers, forcing us into hiding."

Despite the sharp edge in the kraken's voice, the Merman King did not react.

The Merman King seemed to have grown accustomed to the kraken's abrasive way of speaking.

Instead, the group's curiosity was piqued by the mention of this "deeper bond."

Noticing the expectant looks from everyone, the kraken let out a sigh and said, "This matter concerns the very dawn of the sea witches. If you wish to hear the history, I shall recount it."

"Please, tell us," Zyra urged, her enthusiasm surpassing everyone else's.

It was obvious that this subject fascinated her deeply.

Nevertheless, it was quite odd that a sea witch—especially one of the Five Great Witches—was ignorant of this. It appeared this was a piece of history that the sea witches had lost to the passage of time.

"The story is quite simple, really. In the beginning, the witches were merely mermaids living under the rule of that tyrant god."

This statement aligned with general expectations, as it was considered common knowledge.

From the start, the physical differences between sea witches and mermaids were minimal.

Furthermore, every mermaid possessed the inherent potential to eventually become a sea witch.

Thus, it was only natural that they originated as mermaids under Aquaron's dominion.

Even to this day, many mermaids continued to hold faith in Aquaron.