No More Pain For This Villain.

Chapter 350  Mermaid Spotting -2

"Hmm, and you are?"

"Kael, sir! My name is Kael! Just Kael!" The beastman said, seeming oddly familiar.

He had sleek, reddish-orange fur with a white underbelly. His pointed ears twitched with alertness, and his bright green eyes, once full of curiosity, were now mere empty shells. His sailor uniform was torn in several places. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"And you are?" Alver asked, his gaze shifting from Kael to Clay.

"I'm the one who sent you the corpse of the creature from Reva Kingdom. I found—" His mouth was abruptly covered by Clay's hand.

"Lower your voice, kid."

Kael's ears drooped. "Sorry."

"You did a great job. Here—" Alver placed a few gold coins on the desk, which were quickly snatched up by Kael.

"But that's—" Kael began to protest but was immediately grabbed by Clay.

"You got your payment, boy. Let's go."

"Wait! I have more to tell!" Kael yelled, and a ripple of tension spread across the room. Alver swiftly placed a Wind Barrier around them.

Alver looked at Kael, his expression a mix of curiosity and impatience. "Alright, speak quickly."

Kael, still catching his breath, began, "Those half-fish creatures... I saw hundreds of them."

Alver's heart skipped a beat, and his eyes widened. He glanced at Clay, who maintained a poker face, apparently dismissing it as another attack by the same creatures encountered in Eshmera.

Alver pulled out a chair. "Old man, why don't you bring something to eat for Mr. Kael here? I think I'll cancel all the meetings for today."

Clay, taken aback by Alver's reaction, nodded and left, closing the door behind him.

Alver knew that these half-fish, half-humanoid creatures were more significant than the greyish, ragdoll-like beings he had previously dealt with. He had learned to trust Ren's instincts, even though the combination of a stingy businessman and a teenager was an odd partnership. Both had inexplicably trusted each other's words without question.

"Now, be more specific," Alver urged.

"Y-yeah," Kael said, feeling the rising tension.

[Prowler Cove Harbour, Reva Kingdom.] [A Few Weeks Ago.]

Kael sat on the edge of the harbor, his feet dangling in the cold water under the midnight sky. The moonlight glinted off the waves, but his eyes were fixed on the darkened waters, lost in his thoughts. The night air was thick with the scent of salt and brine.

A sailor, his face roughened by the sea, staggered past Kael, clearly inebriated. "Oi, Kael! Still hanging about, eh? Why don't ya come work on me boat? We could use a hand, even a sorry one like yours!"

Kael gritted his teeth, his patience wearing thin. "No thanks. I've had enough of your kind's mockery. My boat's been stolen for over a year, and I'm done with all your damn teasing."

The sailor guffawed, stumbling away. "Still crying about that old wreck? Get over it, mate. Everyone's moved on but you."

Kael cursed under his breath, his anger directed at himself, the thief who took his boat, and the sailors who taunted him. "Damn all of you... Let 'em laugh, I'll show them... if I ever get the chance."

The thoughts of betrayal and failure gnawed at him, and the cool night air did little to soothe his troubled mind. In daylight, he ran from debt collectors, and at night, he found solace—or rather, escape—in this empty harbor.

He rummaged through his pockets absentmindedly, hoping to find a scrap of food. Instead, he came across a crumpled piece of paper. He unfolded it, revealing an advertisement:

**"If you find anything unusual, like a greyish unknown creature, please contact us at any branch of Demacia Guild. We'll reward you highly!"**

The paper had an annoyingly cutesy design, and Kael crumpled it up in irritation. He tossed it aside with a frustrated sigh.

As time passed and the high tide approached, the harbor began to empty. Fishermen and sailors packed up and left, and the once-bustling docks were now eerily quiet. Kael remained behind, lost in his own dark thoughts.

The water began to rise, creeping higher up the docks. The thought of ending it all became more tempting as the cold waves lapped closer. But then, something brushed against his foot, interrupting his morose reverie.

He looked down to see what it was.

Kael's curiosity and desperation overcame his caution. Without pausing to consider the consequences, he dove into the cold, dark water, propelled by the thought that he might be saving someone who had drowned. The water was icy, and he fought against the rising tide as he swam toward the object that had brushed against his foot.

When he reached it, Kael's instincts were correct; it was indeed a body. But it was no human, elf, or beastmen. The corpse was unlike anything he had ever seen: pale, with scales, large unblinking eyes, and gills around the neck. Its hands were unnaturally long, ending in sharp claws, and one half of its torso was grotesquely ripped apart, leaving it with no legs.

Kael struggled to drag the body onto the boardwalk, the effort leaving him breathless. He scrambled out of the water, the cold biting at his skin, and began frantically removing the tangled kelp and sea grass from the corpse. The seaweed clung to the body like a second skin, but he yanked it off, driven by a mixture of fear and fascination.

As he worked, a high-pitched, eerie scream cut through the storm's roar—a sound unlike any Kael had ever heard. The wind howled louder, and rain battered down with increasing fury. Kael's eyes struggled to remain open as he continued his task, the storm making everything seem like a fever dream.

With the body finally cleared, Kael lifted it carefully into his arms, his heart pounding as he turned towards the ocean. What he saw left him utterly dumbfounded.

The surface of the ocean was glowing with an otherworldly light, ethereal and surreal. The glow cast strange reflections, making it appear as if the water itself was alive. From beneath the surface, Kael saw the backs of countless creatures, their tails occasionally breaking through the water. They moved with a rhythmic, soothing hum that seemed to resonate through the storm.

In the distance, the source of the glow became clearer. A massive, single eye emerged from the water, staring directly at Kael. It was a pupil so immense that it dwarfed everything else, its gaze penetrating and cold. The eye seemed to follow Kael's every movement, sending a chill down his spine.

Kael stood frozen, his breath visible in the cold night air, as the storm raged on around him. The eye remained fixed on him, a silent observer in a moment that felt both profoundly strange and eerily significant.

[In Alver's Office, Hestia Empire - Viceburg]

Kael took a sip of the coffee with a straw that Alver had handed to him. "I was stunned," he continued.

"And then you sent it to me," Alver prompted, and Kael nodded in response.

"Kael, this must never be told to anyone. Do you understand?" Alver's tone was serious.

"Of course!" Kael agreed immediately, eager to stay in Alver's good graces. Alver reached for a few more gold coins to give him.

"No," Kael interrupted, "I'd really like it if I could get a job."

Alver raised an eyebrow, surprised by Kael's unexpected request. "A job, huh? You're quite bold, Kael. Most would jump at the chance to take the money and run."

Kael shifted uncomfortably, fidgeting with his cup. "I've had enough of running and hiding. I want something stable, something that means I'm doing more than just surviving."

Alver studied him for a moment, then nodded slowly. "Alright, Old Man—put him in the mines later."

With that decision, Kael's fate was sealed for the next two months. Once inside the mines to dig the tunnels, no one was allowed to leave until the work was completed. Until then, Alver wouldn't have to worry about Kael's silence.

As for the information Kael had shared, Alver knew he needed to inform Ren. However, Alver was unaware that Ren was currently dealing with a different kind of mess.