The Little Merman Demands Legs from the Sea Witch - Chapter 2

“That’s right, a witch. The mermaid princess went to find the sea witch and asked for human legs.”

Of course, it wasn’t for free. The witch granted the princess’s request but took her voice in exchange.

“Even though she lost her voice, the mermaid princess was happy to meet the man she loved. But that happiness didn’t last long.”

“Because the man the princess loved married another woman!”

Excited, Iko shouted her answer, her face showing the same betrayal as if she were the mermaid princess herself.

“The mermaid princess was on the ship where the wedding took place, and, um, she got so angry, um, she flailed around, then fell off the ship and turned into foam, dying.”

Iko stuttered as she delivered the ending. It was now unclear who was telling the story—Dalibaya to Iko or Iko to Dalibaya.

“That foolish mermaid princess! If she hadn’t fallen in love, she wouldn’t have turned into foam!”

“Everyone who falls in love becomes foolish like that. Even the wisest sage or the greatest king.”

Dalibaya taught Iko that love is a curse without escape. It’s so powerful that no matter how much you try to resist it, you can’t.

“To break free from this terrible curse, you either have to fulfill that love or wait until time helps you forget it.”

“What if, no matter how much time passes, I still can’t stop thinking about it?”

“Then you have to endure it until then. And if you can’t endure it anymore, you’ll end up turning into foam, just like the mermaid princess.”

So always be cautious of love, Dalibaya whispered to Iko.

“Dalibaya, have you ever fallen in love?”

At her young apprentice’s innocent question, Dalibaya sifted through her faint memories buried deep in her mind. If that love had come true, perhaps the one lying in bed now would be Iko and two granddaughters of her own.

“Fortunately, I had reason and patience. I endured until the curse lifted, until time took care of it.”

“Even if I fall in love someday, will I also be able to break the curse like you, Dalibaya?”

Iko looked concerned, as if she lacked confidence. She thought she could avoid turning into foam like the mermaid princess as long as she didn’t fall in love. But if even Dalibaya had been struck by ‘love,’ it seemed like an inevitable fate she couldn’t escape.

“Of course. You are the apprentice of the great sea witch, after all.”

Dalibaya gave Iko’s trembling hand a reassuring squeeze and smiled warmly. Iko felt much more at ease after that comforting gesture.

“Iko, even now, the mermaids say that the witch was wicked because of the mermaid princess’s story.”

“Wicked? Why?”

Iko widened her eyes in confusion.

“They say the witch tricked the innocent mermaid princess with cunning words, causing her to lose her life.”

It was the princess who sought the witch and asked for legs, and it was the princess who threw herself into the sea, unable to bear her heartbreak, turning into foam. Yet the mermaids blamed the witch, saying that it was because the witch had taken the princess’s voice that the man married another woman.

“Do you think a love that couldn’t succeed without a voice would be achieved just by having one?”

Dalibaya snorted, dismissing the ridiculous accusation.

“Remember this, Iko. The sea witch did nothing wrong. She explained the deal clearly and carried it out as agreed.”

“Yes.”

Iko’s eyes sparkled as she nodded at Dalibaya’s teaching. The apprentice who had been worried about falling in love now looked much brighter. Even the face of the old witch, often rumored to be cold and cruel, softened in response.

“The witch did no wrong. That’s undeniable, but she did make one regretful mistake.”

Whether it was the sound of rolling pearls or the sound of scratching metal, what difference did it make? Perhaps it was a matter of personal taste, but to make a deal with a mermaid and only ask for something as trivial as a voice!

Even though it had happened long ago, Dalibaya still felt regret as if it were her own business. Making a deal with a mermaid was something even she, who was called the sea witch, had not yet accomplished.

It was an opportunity of a lifetime, but Dalibaya couldn’t help but feel frustrated that the witch only took a voice in exchange. If Dalibaya had been the witch who made the deal with the mermaid princess, she would have demanded something much more valuable—perhaps the mermaid’s tears, her scales, or even something from the secret treasure trove of the mer-king.

“Iko, if you ever get the chance to strike a deal with the merfolk, you mustn’t let it slip away. And make sure to get something more useful, something valuable in return.”

Don’t become a foolish witch who covets something as useless as a voice, which can’t even be used as a potion ingredient.

Dalibaya tucked the blanket up to Iko’s neck, teaching her once again.

***

Years passed, and the old master passed away, while the young apprentice grew into adulthood.

However, the ‘deal with the merfolk’ that Dalibaya had mentioned never came to be. Iko spent peaceful days in the house Dalibaya left behind, without a single guest—let alone the merfolk—ever coming to visit.

Thump, thump, thump.

Then, once upon a time, Iko’s chance of a lifetime finally arrived.