Chapter 40
In a daze, Tie’s first thought upon seeing Seradin was simple.
“…I-it’s the princess.”
Seradin looked exactly like a fairy-tale mermaid princess.
Her long, purple hair reached the floor, her eyes shimmered, and she wore a dazzling crown.
Seradin smiled at Tie.
[Sorry for disturbing your sleep. But before I fall into slumber, I wanted to thank you properly…]
Tie was dumbfounded, his mouth hanging open.
Then, pressing both hands to his cheeks, he snapped back to reality.
He was slightly startled by Seradin’s sudden appearance, but he felt confident he could handle it calmly.
‘After all, my skeleton friends and subordinates always do the same thing.’
Skeletons from graves and ghosts from shipwrecks often popped out unexpectedly, startling Tie. At first, it was scary, but now he just scoffed.
Tie had simply grown used to all the sudden appearances.
He pondered Seradin’s words and then carefully pushed aside his blanket and sat up politely.
He bowed slightly in greeting.
“Good morning, Your Highness.”
Because Seradin was an adult.
Then, he asked her, eyes wide in curiosity:
“By the way, what kind of ‘bird’ is a shackle…?”
Seradin had spoken after Tie woke her.
[You freed me from my shackle.]
Tie understood the concept of a lifesaver, but the “shackle” part… he had no idea.
[That’s a good question.]
Seradin laughed, her voice as soft as droplets.
[A shackle isn’t a bird. It’s a restraint placed on a person’s ankle to limit movement. As for restraint…]
“Oh, that one I know too!”
Seradin paused and looked at Tie fondly.
Tie tilted his head, facing her.
‘But… if shackles are for ankles…’
He had never freed the princess from any shackle.
Seradin was the first person Tie had met in this world.
Wondering if he had met her before and forgotten, Tie quickly raised a hand and asked:
“By the way, when did I free you from a shackle?”
Seradin smiled warmly.
[Last night.]
“Yesterday? Me?”
[Yes. You freed me from the magical stone I was trapped in.]
Tie’s mouth slowly fell open.
‘She was trapped in a magical stone? The princess?’
He had even attacked two magical stones before, but he had no idea anyone could be trapped inside.
Yet something felt off.
‘When I looked inside, there was no one.’
Last night, Tie had observed the magical stone closely.
Basto had kindly explained it to him.
‘Tie, did you know every magical stone looks different? Some look like buildings, others like simple tombstones. This one is strangely like a temple.’
Indeed, the magical stone that rose from the sea in front of Pearl City looked like a large temple with four pillars.
Tie thought it resembled the Parthenon he had seen in an old documentary.
The important thing was, Tie had clearly seen the inside of the stone and found nothing.
“That’s strange… there was definitely no one in there…”
If Seradin had been inside, Tie couldn’t have missed her. Her body now radiated shimmering, multicolored light.
Seradin answered:
[Of course you couldn’t see me. I was the magical stone itself.]
Tie went blank for a moment, needing time to process her words.
After a few seconds, his eyes widened as he asked:
“You… you were the magical stone?”
Seradin nodded.
[More precisely, I had been petrified into a magical stone.]
“….”
[Originally, I am the sea god who rules the western seas. You could think of me as a kind of spirit.]
Spirit.
Tie was so shocked he opened his mouth halfway.
‘Spirits only appear in Hyunwoo’s games!’
Hyunwoo was one of the few kids in their class with a kid’s phone. It was some special edition, yellow with cute Kiki Friends illustrations.
What Tie envied most was the game on the device.
He still remembered its name:
“Spirit Raising Stars…”
The game had countless spirit characters.
Whenever Hyunwoo upgraded a character, he would boast to Tie, who could only clap and cheer. Hyunwoo had almost every spirit in the game, and sometimes his older brother even made in-game purchases, giving him many skins.
And now, a real spirit existed.
Tie’s gaze returned to Seradin.
“R-really a spirit…?”
No wonder her long purple hair and rainbow-colored eyes seemed so stunningly beautiful.
‘She’s incredible!’
But Tie quickly snapped out of staring; he still had questions.
“By the way, why is a spirit a magical stone?”
According to Seradin, she was a sea god and a spirit. Tie was curious why someone like her had become a magical stone.
Seradin sighed and looked down, as if burdened.
[…Let’s just say I lost my power for some reason.]
“Lost your power?”
[Yes. Just like a tree with rotting roots, its leaves wither first.]
Tie’s expression puzzled her, and she continued:
[We have something called the ‘Mother Tree’.]
“Mother Tree…?”
[Yes. It governs life, nature, and purity. The source of the power our spirits possess also comes from there. But…]
Seradin stopped speaking and silently looked at her own body.
Tie followed her gaze, mouth slightly agape.
Her fingertips were slowly turning pale.
[Time has dragged too long. Soon, I might vanish before I can even thank you properly.]
Seradin suddenly approached Tie.
He was momentarily startled by the cool aura spreading around her.
In front of him, Seradin extended her hand.
A cluster of lights gathered on her palm, forming something new.
Soon, it became a bracelet woven from small seashells and multicolored pearls.
“W-what is this?”
Seradin smiled at Tie.
[It’s a token of gratitude. Only I, Seradin the sea god, could make this. Ancient humans called it the ‘Bracelet of Forgotten Purity’.]
“Bracelet of Forgotten Purity…?”
[By touching someone with the hand wearing this bracelet, you can erase chosen memories from their mind.]
Tie’s jaw dropped.
A bracelet that could erase memories—almost a legendary item.
Yet Seradin nonchalantly placed it on Tie’s wrist.
[It will surely help you. I hope we meet again…]
Tie stared at Seradin, now almost transparent as if she could vanish at any moment.
He wanted to thank her, but no words came out.
[Oh, one more thing. The person you’re looking for is closer than you think.]
Seradin spoke again.
Her eyes now glowed faintly in the empty air.
[The young spirit in your bag may guide you. It seems lost now, but if it’s by your side, Lucarion will eventually…]
Her words ended there.
Tie gaped as Seradin vanished, staring blankly at the empty space.
Something had whirled around in the final moment—it was so overwhelming that his head spun.
Yet one thing was clear.
“The little black one…”
[The young spirit in your bag will guide you.]
Tie looked at the bag on the nightstand, muttering in disbelief.
“Kamangi… wasn’t a Pupetmon…?”
According to Seradin, Kamangi was a spirit.
“Kamangi… is a spirit too…?”
And it could lead him to where his father was.
