Chapter 67: A Mermaid Who Loved a Knight (2)

Kai slowly closed his eyes.

As if he had watched a short film, Crawford's story drifted in his mind, leaving a strong impression.

I see. So that's Crawford's story.

Crawford was a romantic knight who shared a love that overcame the boundaries between species. At the same time, that was also the reason he was able to write the book titled

The Home of the Mermaids

.

Curious, Kai pressed the Rogue for more answers. "So how did the two of them end up?"

"Helene returned to the sea safely. Crawford took on spears and swords and protected her until the end."

"And what about Crawford?"

The Rogue leaned back against his chair and opened his cigarette pack, taking one out. "Mister client, mind if I smoke?"

"Go ahead."

With a soft crackle, the Rogue lit his cigarette with a magical match, savoring the acrid smoke, and continued to say, "Crawford survived too. He's still living as a resident of Aquaria."

"...Really? Doesn't seem like something Baron Bariton would allow."

"It's true. Crawford lives in a shanty town on the western outskirts of Aquaria, just fishing."

Thud.

Kai placed his bag of gold on the table and asked, "How much?"

"Just 2 gold for this." Receiving the money, the Rogue handed over a map with Crawford's location and continued his explanation. "Baron Bariton also has an image to maintain. After the fact that the mermaid was Crawford's lover got out, the sympathy from the villagers poured in."

"That’s why he let him live?"

"Not exactly. He’s not living much of a life." With a sizzle and a flick, the Rogue put out his cigarette, tossed it into the trash, and looked at Kai. "If you know the baron's temperament, he wouldn't hesitate to kill Crawford and make it look like an accident. But the fact that he didn't means..."

"Means he wants something."

"You indeed are a quick-witted client. Interested in a job here by any chance?"

"No thank you. So, is the mermaid what Baron Bariton wants?"

"Then what else? Of course... Crawford wouldn't be oblivious to that."

"Then why doesn't he try to escape?"

"Even if he wants to, he can’t. He sustained serious injuries to his arms and legs while running away. Plus, two knights are always watching him."

After listening to Crawford's entire story, a quest window popped up.

Ding!

[The Search for Crawford]

Difficulty: E-

Search for Crawford in the Western Shantytowns and have a conversation with him.

Quest Reward: +10 Fame.

Ah, so there are linked quests too.

Quests to find someone usually led to a series of connected tasks.

Knowing that, Kai slowly got up from his seat. "Thank you for the good information."

"Of course."

By the time Kai stepped outside after bidding the Rogue farewell, the sky had already turned pitch-black.

A knight who loved a mermaid...

Kai wondered what their true ending was and wished to see it with his own eyes.

***

"Is anyone there?"

The next morning, Kai knocked on Crawford's door after arriving at his house.

Soon, a wary voice came from inside. "Who is it?"

"I'm just a passing adventurer. I have something to ask you."

"...Come in."

Entering, Kai furrowed his brows..

Is this really where a once-promising knight lives...?

The place was in poor condition, not fit for anyone to live in, evoking a sense of pity.

A man in his mid-forties, presumed to be Crawford, limped toward Kai. "What does an adventurer have to ask me?"

The young, handsome man from Crawford's story was nowhere to be found. The long hair and scruffy beard gave him the look of a homeless person.

"Was this book written by you?"

As Kai pulled out

The Home of the Mermaids

from his inventory, Crawford's eyes widened.

"This book is...!?" With trembling hands, Crawford took the book and slowly turned the pages. As he read through them slowly, one by one, he nodded. "Yes, I wrote this book and gifted it to Helene... my lover."

"I came across this book by chance and learned about you and Helene's story."

"Hmm..." Crawford gave a bittersweet smile, recalling the lover he once loved. "Now it's just a thing of the past, merely a memory."

"Why do you think it's all over?" Kai pounded his chest with his fists and looked at Crawford, conveying that he was trustworthy. "I will help you find Helene."

"I appreciate your kindness, but it's impossible. I’ve wanted to see her for the past twenty years, but the knights’ surveillance kept me from doing so. If she were to be captured again... I wouldn't be able to save her this time."

Crawford looked down at his body, completely resigned to his fate. With weak arms barely capable of holding a spoon, and legs that limped while walking, he was not fit to save anyone.

"But if you're an adventurer who knows Helene... then I have something to ask of you."

Limping, Crawford moved to the corner of the room and pulled out something from a pile of books, handing it to Kai.

"What's this?"

"It's a letter. I can't see her because of the knights' surveillance... but as an adventurer, you might be able to. Could you give this to her?"

Ding!

[You successfully completed the quest: The Search for Crawford.]

+10 Fame.

Linked quest, Crawford's Heart, unlocked.

[Crawford's Heart]

Difficulty: D-

Knowing better than anyone that he will never meet his lover again, Crawford asks for one final wish: that she forget about him and live life anew.

Meet with Helene and deliver Crawford’s letter to her.

Quest Reward: +5 Benevolence, Mermaid Scale.

Failure Penalty: -5 Benevolence.

With the letter in hand, Kai silently stared at the quest window, deep in thought. For Kai, the quest posed no risk, but the reason for his hesitation was simple.

Can I really let their story end like this?

Helene and Crawford, neither of them had done anything wrong. They only ended up like this because of Bariton's greed, despite their only crime being that they loved each other.

If Bariton hadn't been so greedy...

An image naturally formed in his mind. A child laughing and running along the beach, watched over by a couple holding hands, Crawford and Helene.

However, reality was harsh.

They weren’t able to see each other in over twenty years, and Crawford is barely surviving in this rundown house.

In this situation, delivering a mere letter would be pointless.

Making his mind up, Kai handed the letter back, shaking his head. "I decline."

Then a notification sound rang simultaneously.

Dun, dun, dun!

[You failed the quest: Crawford's Heart.]

[-5 Benevolence.]

Despite the shocking message, Kai didn't even blink. He was stubborn, sticking to what he believed was right!

Even Crawford seemed taken aback by his response. "B-but why? I thought you said you would help me?"

"I said I'd help you meet Helene. I never said I'd deliver a scrap of paper."

"But I can't see her anymore."

"I told you I'd help you."

"It's not that simple!" Crawford, pounding his chest with his fists, shouted in a voice filled with anger and frustration, "Don't you think I want to see her? I’m probably the one who wants to see her the most in this whole world!"

"Then why..."

"Because I already failed once!" Crawford shouted angrily, then clenched his lips tightly before dropping into his chair.

His voice, now calm and subdued, followed, and he continued in a sobbing tone, as if blaming himself, "...I saw her cry because of my greed. If she were to get hurt again because of me, I... wouldn't know what to do..."

Hmm, perhaps that’s reasonable.

Crawford was weighed down by guilt, believing he was the reason Helene was captured by humans.

But it wasn't your fault.

Why should someone who did nothing wrong live in regret, trapped in the past?

Kai took out the Solaris Cleric pendant from around his neck, holding it with both hands, and closed his eyes. "Crawford, sir, it wasn't your greed that caused this. Only those who crushed your beautiful love in their greed are guilty."

"...I see you're a cleric of the Church of Solaris. But it's too late. I've already hurt her. She probably resents me a lot."

Crawford covered his face with both hands, criticizing himself.

Watching him, Kai asked, "Crawford, do you resent Helene? Do you think it's her fault for getting caught by humans and causing this situation?"

"Of course not! I'd never think that..."

"That’s likely the same for her."

When Crawford looked up, he saw Kai's gentle smile.

Kai gently placed his hand, warm with Sunlight’s Warmth, on the crown of Crawford's head. The negative thoughts in Crawford's mind slowly washed away, and his wounded heart began to heal.

Kai then asked with a soft voice, "Why is it that you don’t resent Helene?"

"Well, because... because I still... I still love her."

All the talk about Helene being just a memory was a complete lie. Even the letter telling her to forget him and live a new life was a lie.

Crawford, hiding behind lies and deceiving even himself, couldn't contain the sadness swelling in his heart and eventually burst into tears. They were the tears of a man with a burning heart who hadn't been able to see his lover for twenty years.

"Right, because you still love her. Then how do you think Helene would feel?"

"If it were her..."

"If it's the Helene you know, do you think she would really resent you, her love faded?"

"...If it were her, no... she wouldn't."

Crawford, knowing Helene better than anyone, closed his eyes, realizing she wouldn't do that. The truth was, he had never once thought she might resent him. He just felt sadness and fear from not seeing her, so he justified it to himself in that way!

"Humans aren't gods. We can't read each other's thoughts or know their feelings." The golden light from Kai's fingertips filled the room in an instant. "But love, that great emotion, can make the impossible possible."

With Kai's warm words of comfort, Crawford closed his eyes tightly and asked, "Would it... really be okay for me to be greedy...?"

"Don't call it greed. It's simply your true feelings."

After repeated persuasion, Crawford eventually understood and accepted his feelings.

Then he said, crying, “I miss her... Helene... I want to see my dear love so desperately..."

Over the past twenty years, she had never left his thoughts, not even for a moment.