Chapter 25
As soon as they entered the dining room, he turned his body with a smile and glanced at her.
Since she was always a step behind, Siren hadn’t expected to be caught looking at him. She flinched slightly, but there was no displeasure in his gaze as it met hers.
“If you want to look, just look openly. Don’t sneak glances. It’s bothersome.”
…What should she respond with?
If she said “Yes,” it would mean she wanted to look. However, if she said, “No, I didn’t want to look,” it might somehow upset him.
While she hesitated, he quietly smiled and went ahead into the room.
“Welcome, Madam! I should’ve served you, but… suddenly, the Master insisted on doing it! I was preparing the meal!”
Flit, flit.
“Please try this. The figs are perfectly ripe!”
Flit, flit…?
Pamilla flicked her small, round ears as she called to her.
But those weren’t human ears.
“Ah, I forgot to mention. Pamilla is a desert rat.”
“…Pardon?”
“She’s not human.”
“…?!”
Yasamin left her frozen in place and walked to his seat first.
Siren slowly reflected on what she had just heard, then realized that her reaction might have been rude. She quickly put on an apologetic expression.
‘But, a being that isn’t human but takes a human form… This is the first time I’ve seen that, apart from me.’
She had heard that they didn’t use tables in the South, and it turned out to be true.
Round cushions made of green silk were placed on the floor, and all the dishes were set on the ground.
Siren quietly sat beside Yasamin, mindful of the situation.
Meanwhile, Pamilla busily brought more items, and this time, her tail could be seen faintly from beneath the swaying hem of her clothes.
“Hehe, it’s really hard to maintain a human form! It’s easier when I let my beard show… but just exposing my ears and tail makes it a little less tiring.”
Pamilla casually spoke and placed a silver dish in front of Siren.
Siren stared blankly at the flicking ears. She blinked a few times and then silently reached for the food.
‘For now, let’s eat.’
Her mind felt overloaded, as though a pushy sound was about to ring through her head. It was better to digest something difficult gradually over time rather than taking it all in at once.
“Ah.”
A bite of warm bread. When she added the goat’s milk cheese, it stretched delightfully and tasted amazing.
She also ate some unidentifiable vegetables and drank milk, and soon her stomach was full.
Since she didn’t usually eat much.
“Madam, is that all you’re having?”
“Ah… this, this is enough.”
Now that she thought about it, the old man wearing a turban, Jin, also seemed vaguely… translucent.
She hadn’t noticed him before, still caught in the shock of Pamilla. But now that she was full, she could finally see him.
“Hehe, then I’m glad. Now that you’ve had a breather, let me formally introduce myself.”
Now that I think about it, I haven’t even greeted him.
I’m glad he understood.
“My name is Jin. Should I call it a name? Or perhaps a designation of existence? In any case, I’ve been called Jin.”
“I… am Siren.”
She had considered adding the surname ‘Wilkeron,’ but quickly swallowed those words.
It was a fallen kingdom now anyway. There was no reason to bring it up.
“Huh, Siren. So, it’s both a name and a designation of existence, is it?”
Jin stroked his white beard and grinned. She rolled her eyes, feeling as if he knew something she didn’t.
“But Siren is a species that has long since disappeared from this sea. Perhaps it still exists in other seas.”
“…Are you saying that really exists?”
“Yes? Of course. Anything that has been given a name in this world, anything that is spoken of, must exist.”
Then, what about Jin?
As she quietly wondered to herself, Yasamin fed her a piece of fruit.
“Do you know about the spirit trapped in a lamp?”
“I’ve read about it in books.”
“That’s me. I found the lamp and released it. Since then, I’ve been serving me.”
Is this all real?
It would do no good to doubt. Everyone had a serious expression, after all.
What was truly surprising was that, despite not being ‘human,’ no one was demeaning themselves for it.
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