Siren Lullaby

Notice :

The god has a name and his name is God Mare.

The place Iran was led to by the troops was one of the magnificent castles located in the heart of the island. After walking along the corridors of the castle, which shone like opals in the sunlight, she arrived at the large hall that seemed to be their destination.

As the two, tall, heavy doors opened before her, the first thing that caught her eye was a high ceiling, colourful murals and a red carpet along the center.

Along both sides of the red carpet was a line-up of tall people. Men in colorful robes sat looking towards the entrance where she stood. At the end of the red road, at the top of the stairs, there was a luxurious throne.

'It's like a medieval banquet hall.... Like a courtroom….'

Iran walked along the red road, led by the soldiers, with dozens of eyes watching.

The topic of conversation was unknown, but the murmurs from all over the hall seemed to be directed towards her.

"Μεγαλειότατε έρ χεται - !"

Just then, a loud shout was heard from above the stairs. Everyone sitting on the podium stood up and turned toward the stairs in the center where the throne was located.

Soon, a door behind the throne opened and a man in his mid-50s, wearing a golden crown, slowly walked out.

'Is that the.... king?'

Platinum blonde hair, wrinkled skin, and aquamarine blue eyes that seemed to have originally been gold.The colorful jewelry, gold-trimmed outfit and a crown on his head suggested that he was the highest-ranking figure in this position.

'I thought the building looked like an old medieval castle. I guess it's a country ruled by a king.'

Iran, who was blankly staring up the stairs, was surprised to find a familiar face among those walking behind the king.

'Huh-?'

Dark red hair that went down to the nape of the neck and reddish-brown eyes. Even though he was wearing a red outfit with a black cloak instead of a navy blue uniform, he was clearly the man who had been on the ship with her a while ago.

* * *

Kirioscan Marez Orca, the emperor of the Orca Empire, briefly looked at the woman on her knees at the center of the hall. The woman in front of her had an appearance similar to that of a siren, as Rubros said.

".....When you tried to harm her, the sea suddenly became violent?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Rubros quickly gave the emperor a response. “It was a short encounter of less than five minutes. The moment he strangled the woman, everyone who was there saw the sea change rapidly.”

"And while carrying the woman on the ship, the 'representative of the God Mare' attacked the ship?"

"…..That's right."

"Hmm….."

The dolphins that inhabit the Andemos Islands are not just sea mammals. They were a family and a spiritual creature that conveyed the will of their god. Therefore, in the Orca Empire, the dolphin was referred to as 'the representative of the god Mare'.

It was not normal for dolphins to attack the ship for no reason.

'Is it that the representative of the god Mare was trying to protect the woman...?'

The emperor, who organized his thoughts in a moment, asked the woman.

"What's your name?"

The woman just blinked with her dark blue eyes, smiled and didn't say anything. Rubros, who was standing next to the emperor, added with a sigh.

"Conversing with her won’t work. She's using a strange language from an unknown country."

"Hmm…"

The emperor, who was frowning for a while, looked at the officials that were lined up on his left and right and said.

"What should I do with her?"

A buzz broke out among the bureaucrats at the emperor's question, but no one was able to answer easily.

She is the woman who the representative of God Mare tried to protect. It was clear that if he spoke about her punishment without knowing her true identity, he would have to live with the wrath of God Mare. He would not be able to handle the disaster that would come.

At that moment, High Priest Morbi, who was standing on the right side of the podium, stepped forward and said:

"Your Majesty, the wise one. If it is true that she is protected by God Mare, no one will be able to punish her."

The other high priest, who was standing next to High Priest Morbi, denied the statement as if the deputy minister had waited.

"It might just be a coincidence. The sea has grown fierce recently, so it could be a matter of timing."

"How do you explain the fact that the God Mare's representative attacked the ship?"

In response to the high priest's rebuttal, the adjutant snorted briefly, then looked up at the woman and sarcastically said:

"Sirens are creatures that mesmerize people with their voice. There's no way she didn't charm the dolphin."

"Admiral! Refrain from talking! How could the representative of God-!"

"...Stop!"

The emperor stopped them and asked the blonde-haired man standing on his right:

"Cherek, what do you think?"

“Both priests are right. So why don't you ask God Mare directly for answers. If God really wanted to protect her, I'm sure he'll answer our questions."

"...Are you going to send me to the 'Judgment Room'?"

The emperor made a slight frown at the man's words. Cherek also didn't look very happy, but he said that as if he had no choice.

“Since we cannot communicate with her, it is impossible to conduct an interrogation. Besides, as the deputy minister said, we can't rule out the possibility that she really is a siren. We have no other choice, for now."

If she was truly a magical creature that charmed people with her voice, it was risky to try and interrogate her. Cherke made that point clear.

The emperor looked at the woman again. She appeared to have a fragile and weak body. Her pure white skin with a bluish tint looked extremely pale.

"How can you survive with such a fragile body..?"

Moreover, it is the dry season now. If God Mare doesn't give him an answer, the woman would be locked up in a cold and dark stone chamber for three days without a sip of water.

The emperor kept hesitating because he thought it a harsh way to treat a weak woman.

However, as Cerke said, there was no other option.

Eventually, the emperor asked Rubros, who brought her here, as if to confirm.

"Are you thinking the same thing, Ru?"

Rubros was the one who saw and experienced all this. He was probably more knowledgeable about the situation than anyone else.

However, he was unable to answer the emperor's question right away. Perhaps he, too, considers it harsh to imprison a woman in the 'Judgment Room'.

The moment the emperor, who was second-guessing his thoughts, opened his mouth again, a reply was given by Rubros.

"...I think it's a good idea."

In response to his unexpected reply, the emperor turned to look at Rubros. With his gaze fixed on the woman, he wore a complex expression that was a mix of anger and guilt.

The Emperor nodded, remembering the reason he gave an order to search the waters near Andemos. What was important was not chivalry towards the fragile woman, but finding out the truth.

The emperor, having made up his mind, looked around the audience and said.

“I have made my decision. I order that woman to be detained in the "Room of Judgment" for three days."

* * *

"Huh…"

Walls, floors, and ceilings everywhere. Trapped in a room made of thick stone, even the door, Iran sat in a corner and sighed deeply.

She had a bad feeling from the moment they chatted with each other in an unknown language. But she didn't know that they would lock her up in a place like this without even trying to have a proper conversation with her.

'Did I have to run away with Delphi instead of stopping him?'

Iran recalled the situation in the hall a while ago. Someone who appeared to be a king tried to talk to her about something.

But as soon as the dark red-haired man standing next to him said something, he looked away again as if he was avoiding her gaze. Two men in white priest's uniform, which would be worn by priests in the cathedral, looked at her and shouted something.

She didn't know what they were talking about, but since the word "siren" was included in the middle, it seemed obvious that they were talking about her.

Then, a few more conversations took place and it turned out like this.

"Ahh-! God Mare, or whatever, if you’re really there, say something-! You asked me to calm Anima's anger! Aren't you supposed to tell me what to do when you ask me a favor?"

Iran, whose emotions have exploded, exclaimed loudly in the stone chamber. But of course, there was no response.

All she ate in the last few days was dry bread and a small amount of water that could barely quench her thirst.

It was very cold in the stone chamber, where there was not enough light, and she was very hungry.

She unconsciously bit down on her lower lip hard because she felt like crying.

Thinking that it would be possible to warm up her cold body, Iran moved to a corner of the room where light was coming in.

Come to think of it, the light was leaking only in toxic places, surrounded by stones on all sides.

'The light looked like it ascended from underneath, but it was coming from the ceiling. What the hell is this structure?'

She continued to shiver in the cold room.

As she approached and sat under the ceiling where the light came in, she could feel the warmth of the sun over her head.

Underneath the perforated ceiling there was a small puddle that appeared to be for watering purposes. Unfortunately, however, the water was not stagnant.

'It's cold….. I'm hungry…..'

Her body temperature gradually dropped and made Iran feel increasingly dizzy. She knew that she should not fall asleep in such a place, but her body, had already reached its limit. She desperately wanted to sleep.

'If I fall asleep…. I can't….'

But against her will, her eyelids gradually closed.

Just as she was just falling asleep, she heard the sound of something falling to the floor.

* * *

"......Didn't you punish a vulnerable woman too harshly?"

After the judgement, the emperor returned to his office and asked Rubros, who stood firm on the opposite side of the table. He also had a frown on his face, but his voice was firm.

"But if she's really the one who overthrew the ship, she should be held responsible. If God Mare tries to protect her, he will surely give an answer this time."

"God Mare has rarely given answers through the 'Judgement Room'. You already know that, don't you?"

"…"

He couldn't respond to the Emperor's comments.

He, too, was not expecting God Mare to give him an answer. However, the moment he strangled her, the memory of seeing the sea changing in an instant he thought ‘maybe’.

Then, a knock was heard from outside the office. Then, the Emperor's chief came inside with an urgent expression and said,

"Your Majesty. It's raining outside the castle right now."

"What? Are you serious?"

It's raining even though it's the dry season right now. Surprised, the Emperor met Rubros’ eyes. Perhaps he was quite surprised as well, his red-brown eyes, which had grown bigger than usual, were shaking relentlessly.

This year, the dry season of the Orca Empire was especially severe.

Fortunately, there was no disruption to the supply of water thanks to vigorous preparations, such as repairing waterways and installing small dams to trap water around the village, but the water was not as abundant as usual.

He couldn’t believe it was raining at a time like this.

The emperor rose from his seat as if to leave the office immediately. But the chief continued his report.

"But the strange thing is, despite the rain, the sun is still shining. Rain in clear weather… How can this be happening…"

As if he had run out of time to listen to the chief, the emperor hurriedly moved toward the reception room connected to the Office.

When he came out to the balcony of the reception room, he saw heavy rain falling under the clear sky.