Chapter 18
Following an orca merman and now a sperm whale merman? Iko was puzzled.
She hadn’t expected there to be such distinctions among merfolk. And aren’t orcas and sperm whales entirely different in size and appearance?
“So, are all the mer-king’s children whale merfolk?” Iko asked.
“Of course not. My sister, who’s just older than me, is a clownfish mermaid.”
Kashmir replied, recalling that his sister was about the size of his lower body. She was much smaller than Iko. Yet, for some reason, he never thought of his clownfish sister as small or fragile.
‘Maybe it’s because Iko is a human who can’t even breathe underwater,’ Kashmir thought, tilting his head in curiosity.
“A sperm whale and an orca, I can understand, but a clownfish?”
Iko questioned, puzzled by the diversity in his family.
Merfolk were rarely seen by humans, so little was known about them.
Even Dalibaya, who was perhaps the most knowledgeable human about the sea, had written a book detailing various sea creatures, including their size, habitat, and breeding habits, but she hadn’t been able to write much about merfolk. Even she couldn’t observe or interact with merfolk closely enough to learn much about them.
But here was a merfolk who was calmly lying beside Iko, answering all her questions.
“How do merfolk reproduce for an orca and a clownfish to be siblings?”
Iko’s scholarly curiosity, dormant since Dalibaya’s passing, began to stir as she realized she might uncover knowledge even Dalibaya hadn’t.
“Do you hatch from eggs, or are you born as babies?” Iko asked, for the first time showing genuine interest as her eyes lit up.
Kashmir was surprised by her sudden curiosity. He tried to recall his distant past, thinking he might have been born as a baby.
“Now that I think about it, I heard my clownfish sister was hatched from an egg. She was originally male and was my brother, but at some point, she grew bigger and became my sister,” Kashmir said.
Iko’s eyes widened. According to what she had read, clownfish hatch as males and, depending on need, the larger ones become females.
But that was supposed to be a trait of clownfish, not merfolk. Could it be that clownfish merfolk also followed this pattern?
This was a significant discovery.
“Tell me more,” Iko urged.
“About my sister?”
Kashmir scratched his head, unsure if he had anything more to say. He figured that talking about her muscular build and boisterous personality wouldn’t be the kind of information Iko was looking for.
After thinking it over, Kashmir raised both hands and held them apart, indicating a size with his hands.
“When she transforms into a clownfish, she’s about this big.”
“Transforms? She can turn into a clownfish?”
Iko’s voice rose in surprise.
Her reaction puzzled Kashmir. This was common knowledge among merfolk, so he was taken aback by her shock.
How could a witch, who had often looked down on him for not knowing human objects or the name of the delicious drink (rum), be so ignorant of something so basic in the mer-world? Kashmir felt a sense of satisfaction as if he had finally gotten one over on her.
“Of course. She’s a clownfish mermaid, so naturally. Why are you so surprised?” Kashmir said, feeling pleased with himself.
Normally, Iko would have dismissed his smugness or pretended not to hear him and gone back inside the house. But she was too engrossed in this new knowledge to notice.
“Does that mean, as an orca merman, you can turn into an orca?” Iko asked.
“Of course.”
Iko silently stared at Kashmir, her eyes shining with curiosity. She wanted to see him transform. But she knew he wouldn’t do it for free.
What could she offer in exchange? Maybe she could offer to bring him more rum, this time two bottles instead of one. It would be heavy to carry, but she thought it was worth it to witness the mystery of the merfolk firsthand.
“Do you want to see?”
Kashmir asked before Iko could propose a deal. Trying not to seem too eager, Iko attempted to remain calm. She tried to act as if she wasn’t that curious, as if she didn’t care much about seeing it. But her eyes betrayed her true feelings.
“I could show you… but on one condition: you have to drink tea with me today,” Kashmir said, making an unexpected request.
Tea, unlike rum, didn’t make you drunk or feel good, so Kashmir had previously turned it down. Now, suddenly, he was interested.
Perhaps after being exposed to more human customs, he was now willing to try things he had previously rejected.
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