Desharow Merman Chapter 41

Translator: Jade

Editor: Cheonsa, Pigeon

Chapter 41

"Desharow…come…" 

Just when I gazed upon Agares's side-cast face, feeling as if my eyes were on him, he turned his face towards me and extended a webbed hand, bending his finger in my direction.

I leaned against the wall, feeling stunned, then I saw a flash of red light appear from beneath the dark water. The opposing merman, who wouldn't admit defeat even in the face of death, had been provoked and ended up charging aggressively towards Agares with a rolled-up wave that he had conjured within that second. His followers, who had been lying defeatedly in the back, suddenly sprang back into action and fought against Agares's followers. The sound of horrifying, screeching shouts echoed throughout the dark cave, and it was chilling enough to make anyone who heard alarmed with fright.

I swore, when merfolk fought amongst each other, it was a much more grotesque sight compared to when any other fierce, wild animal population killed each other. If one took a look at a seal, or perhaps, a lion, one wouldn't see them as humans, especially now, with them tearing each other's bodies apart into pieces. Their arms were torn away, and their heads were wrung off their neck while they were still alive. Within a short span of time, the broken appendages had scattered in the water and some were even floating beneath my eyes. Instantly, the air was pervaded by a strong scent of blood. 

I stuck closely to the wall, covering my mouth with my cold, trembling hand, feeling as though on the verge of puking. I suddenly felt like I had been transported into the horror movie "House of Wax” or had returned to that time where I wrote internship reports at the hospital's morgue.

I was utterly overwhelmed from witnessing an extremely horrific scene. I couldn't help but wish that there was another way out so that I could escape from this chaotic place. 

In the next moment, I suddenly heard a voice above me. "Desharow, Desharow! Hurry and come up!"  

It sounded like Davis's voice! I completely thought it was a hallucination, but when I looked up, I immediately saw a rope dangling over my head. Sure enough, within the bright light, I saw a couple of blurry silhouettes. 

Oh my god! I wiped away the water from my face and grabbed the rope. Ignoring the pain coursing from my waist, I tied it around my body, and then I was dragged upwards by a force from the other end. 

I was quickly separated from the water by a few meters upwards. However, both my ears and attention were still firmly glued to Agares's body, so I had the difficulty of resisting the urge to turn back and look at him. Even though I was already aware that Agares absolutely had the upper hand, as a human, if I continued to stay in the merfolk's lair, then it would have undoubtedly caused a greater issue. That's why I couldn't keep relying on Agares to protect me. The faster I leave, the better it would be. 

Once I got out of the cave, several hands came to support me. I lifted up my head and was shocked to see faces that I fully recognized, for they were the faces of my classmates. Apart from Davis, there was Lafarre and Eva, who were both my upper-classmen, along with a crew of strong-looking, armed men, appearing to be mercenaries. 

The excitement of seeing my friends unexpectedly during a time of crisis made me feel emotional, thus my nose became sore. With them by my side, I didn't need to worry about being abandoned like how Rhine and the others did to me. I resisted the urge of wanting to hug them and to cry bitterly in their embrace, instead simply whispered, "Hey guys, let's hurry up and leave this place. It's too dangerous here!" 

"Hey, brother. By the looks of it, your injuries are rather serious!" Lafarre scrunched his eyebrows, staring at my waist, and motioned over to some of the armed men to hold me up. 

Lafarre was a jungle biologist, so he had vast knowledge on surviving inside of an unfamiliar environment apart from civilization. Under his leadership, within a short period of time, we eventually evacuated from the top of the cave and landed down in the jungle near a freshwater lake. In order to avoid attacks from wild animals during the night, troops from the crew of armed men scaled a few trees and built a simple resting area. 

When night arrived, we started a bonfire and divided up the food between all of us. During the conversation with other people at dinner time, I learned that Davis's team had set foot onto the island earlier than my and Rhine's team. Furthermore, I found out that Davis had originally received Sakarol's invitation to participate in the merfolk research project and was supposed to go to Merfolk Island together with them. However, that day in the deep-sea laboratory, he suddenly fainted, and once he woke up, he was placed under house arrest by the medical team in the hospital. He later became aware of signs of conspiracy and informed Lafarre before making his escape. 

Perhaps, because our ship had encountered the pirates, that's why it had made them a step ahead of us. 

"Why didn't Sakarol allow you to participate in the project after you fainted in the deep-sea laboratory?" I asked suspiciously. My mind involuntarily pictured the scene of that time from the fragmented moment of me waking up in the hospital, before beginning to rewind. Following the flames, behind the lens of Davis's glasses, his confused pupils kept fluctuating, and I gradually saw—

I saw a blackish tail entangled with my legs and couldn't help but shiver from head to toe. 

It was easy to understand what exactly happened during the time when Davis had fainted, and the segment of memories I lost. Considering how Rhine had reacted previously, this made me reaffirm my speculations that I didn't want to acknowledge. When I had first entered the deep-sea laboratory, Agares, that wicked, wild beast, must have probably already…  

“No, no, no. Davis, if you're unable to recall it, it's alright. I'm not feeling so good. I-I-I'll leave for a bit.” My nerves suddenly exploded with shame. Feeling flustered, I lost my cool and stood up, staggering on my steps, wanting to escape. However, Lafarre grabbed a hold of my arm and touched my forehead with great concern, asking, “Hey, buddy, are you alright? How come your face grew so pale all of a sudden?” 

I shook my head with an ashened expression. In my mind, the memory became more and more distinct, causing my forehead to get dotted with sweat. I didn't dare to look at Davis, because I was extremely afraid that he might've still had his consciousness from when he had fainted. If he still remembered, then I could never again face my fellow classmates, who had always been together with me!

“I don't know.” Davis solemnly shook his head, letting out a helpless sigh before he continued. "It's merely a guess, but perchance, from the very beginning, Sakarol wanted to use me, while at the same, preventing me from finding out about the core secret that she kept hidden—which may have just been hidden here on Merfolk Island. My electronic map had been stolen by her, not to mention, my backups were also destroyed. Fortunately, Lafarre was able to restore all of the data, otherwise, it would've taken a lifetime for us to even get here."  

I wiped away the oncoming sweat using my sleeve and discreetly heaved a sigh before I sat back down again. I tried my best to maintain a calm demeanor as I narrated to them what occurred within the past few days, systematically and in full detail. Of course, excluding any recollections containing Agares's appearance and, instead, heavily emphasised the matter where I discovered a cabin full of U.S. military-grade weapons with the munition factory symbols imprinted on them.   

After listening to this, Eva, who had been silent the entire time, knitted her fine eyebrows and said, "It seems that our assumptions were correct. This project was handled by the military, however, it may not be legitimate and justified."

She raised her head, ;her beautiful pair of blue eyes holding a complex radiance. 

"A few days prior, I requested a friend working in the navy to secretly investigate information regarding this 'Colonel Sakarol' person. Three months ago, Sakarol was caught spying and was dismissed from her post, fleeing later on. However this matter was kept as a secret within the army's headquarters, and no one had any other knowledge of this. My guess is that Rhine had been her accomplice, or he was deceived.  

An espionage crime? My heart heavily sank like a stone sinking in a bottomless swamp, making my chest feel stuffy and breathless. In a dark tone, I replied, "I think there's still a chance that there's a third-party country monopolising things behind the scenes, hoping for the Cold War between Russia and the U.S. to escalate into an open fire war! No matter the cost, we have to follow up with Sakarol's plan to see exactly what she's planning.  

"Yes." Lafarre nodded his head in agreement and took out a black instrument. He gestured to its twinkling green light and said, "Look here, I already found a wireless signal near the west of this island about four to five killometres away. I think it's definitely Sakarol and her crew. We'll set out tomorrow morning and track them down." 

"Understood." Davis and I replied in unison. He shot me a smile and said, "If possible, we'll stop this spy, capture her, and detain her back to Russia."  

"Of course, we can do this! We are the most outstanding students in Saint Petersburg Maritime Academy. We fight to defend the navy, and we fight to defend Russia!"  

In the blazing fire, hands were being held together, and a few colleagues couldn't help but smile at each other. 

Our blood seemed to flow in each other's veins. It was a kind of blood that boiled hot, a kind of blood that was rich in strength, and in a flash, it felt like we returned back to the time during the end of our harsh military training, when we held our heads up high and puffed out our chests to walk together into the steps of Saint Petersburg Maritime Academy. I felt that, from now until I grew old, I would never forget this moment.   

Before we knew it, it became late at night, and a thick fog began to surround the island. Everything seemed like it was encased under a veiled curtain, providing a perfect cover for unpredictable danger. In order to ensure our lives' safety, we all climbed into the resting area on the tree.

I laid on the makeshift hammock, finally feeling my body becoming relaxed. After a while, my heart still had yet to calm down. The cause may not have primarily been due to the wearing-out, anesthetic medicine placed on my stitched-up wound, recreating a dull ache, but was probably primarily on the account of thinking back to today's events at the merfolk lair. I stared at the dark sky above, but actually, my eyes were wandering back to when Agares bore through the pain, staying motionless, and allowing his scales to be torn off when I was being threatened of my life. 

Even now, I could clearly remember his expression at that time, making my heart feel as though it was being squeezed. I couldn't stop myself from wondering if he had chased after me like the last time: hiding himself somewhere in the darkness, spying on me, waiting for a chance to launch a surprise attack. My body suddenly turned around and sat upright. I nervously stared in every direction until my gaze fell onto a spot in the lake where the thick fog floated on top of the surface not so far away. 

I wasn't sure if it was a figment of my imagination that gave birth to such a hallucination, but I happened to spot a faint shadow at the heart of the lake.   

Could it be Agares…?

My heart felt like it shot up my throat as I secretly guessed.  

I tried to persuade myself that I saw it incorrectly, however, my heart seemed to have a voice that told me otherwise. It tried to keep saying that it was indeed him.  

Instinctively, I wanted to quietly tap Lafarrer, who was sleeping next to me, awake, but my hand stopped mid-air.  

An indescribable impulse made itself apparent in my heart, making me clench my fist. I realised that I really wanted to go see Agares, or at least just make sure he didn't sustain any major injuries, since he had fought to save me in the first place. As I thought of this, I crept around Lafarre, and stole a flashlight, a dagger and a roll of alcohol gauze. I grabbed onto the tree trunk and tried not to make any loud noises as I carefully slid down, before slowly making my way to the lake through the night fog.

I switched on the flashlight, and with another hand, I held onto the dagger. I was on guard as I kept vigilance of my surroundings. As I advanced, I squatted forward halfway as a precaution. In the case of a wild beast popping out, I could immediately crouch and roll out of their attacking range, protecting my fragile abdomen.  

The lake overflowed with layers of dark-green lights. There were also small flickering lights , similar to that of fireflies's glow, hovering over the water's surface. It appeared to actually be a sort of collection of plankton shrimp and fish that could glow, which was hard to find in a freshwater lake.   

I looked towards the heart of the lake from the shallow edge. Through the halo produced by the lake, I saw that there was a silhouette in the center, laying on a rock exposed from the water's surface. Vaguely, I made out the shape of a long, coarse fish tail occupied near rock's bottom layer. With the tail's blackness contrasting with the layer of bluish-green light coming from the water, it was a breathtaking scene.      

The figure, indeed, was Agares. He was as motionless as a stone statue. He looked to be resting, perhaps, because he received several injuries earlier and was replenishing his energy. I had the sudden awareness that, by accident, our group may have entered the domain of the merfolk's leader, which was precisely his residence. 

I was convinced that this wasn't a dream, nor was this a figment of my imagination, but as though a magical spell was casted, I couldn't refrain from taking a step at a time towards the lake.

The instant my body touched the water, I couldn't help but think about retreating back. I desperately tried to persuade myself not to provoke the beast, but like before, the opposite urge was too strong—Just a quick glance before I sneak back. The fight Agares had to go through earlier today definitely made him extremely exhausted. I just need to be a little more careful… 

I swallowed down my saliva and entered the water, only allowing my head to be revealed from the surface as I slowly approached the rock. As I swam, my heart swelled up like it was drowning. Even through the water, I could still hear my heartbeat. Badump, badump, badump. 

Slowly, I finally swam into the vicinity of Agares.

He didn't seem to be aware of my approach. His breathing sounded continuous and long, and his ancient, porcelain-like chest rose and fell in a rhythmatic order. Under the deep contour  between the bridge of his eyes, his eyelids were closed peacefully, eyelashes casting his face with a thick, ink-like shadow.   

The dim light on the lake shone on his moist, silver-grey hair and pale skin, making the contours of his muscle look vigorous, firm and fierce, like it contained a primitive unruliness that could erupt at any given moment. It was like an honorable, ancient greek statue, carved by an artist that was placed inside of a museum.

I couldn't resist staring at his face and suddenly feeling like this wicked beast wasn't really a nuisance anymore nor did he look scary when he slept. 

If one were to look at him while taking in his human aesthetic, although this beast had an inherently evil and ruthless personality, making  him appear anything other than good, he was actually quite handsome, or rather, very handsome.     

As a guy, I couldn't think of any other unnatural, rhetorical way to describe him. I could  compare him to a normal human attending my school, where there were an abundance of good-looking guys. He would most definitely have been an eye-catching figure. 

Though, unfortunately, he wasn't. 

If he was… then, maybe, I would have begun to doubt my sexuality. 

No, Desharow. Just what are you thinking?! 

I forced myself to move away from his face, but once again, I couldn't control myself and slid my gaze towards the fish tail exposed from out of the water. The colour of his scales moved  with a luster similar tof stained-coloured glass. It looked thin and densely interconnected, like a seamless piece of armour. The claws of those who attacked us earlier today seemed as if they didn't really do any major damage to him.    

To clarify my thoughts, I slid my palm onto his tail light, and followed the thin scales to stroke it.   

The scales swept past under my palm as it moved faintly, like an electric current, as it plulsed beneath my wrist. Suddenly, it made me recall the feeling of this beast's tongue licking at my body. My hand then trembled for a bit, and my ears became scaldingly hot.     

Just as I decided to leave this place, my eyes met a pair of glowing eyes. 

I hadn't noticed when Agares woke up. 

He lowered his head and profoundly looked down at me, the corners of his mouth hooking up slightly.  

Don't misunderstand anything.  The author has something to say: Don't misunderstand anything, the next chapter is not H. 

Heyo! Jade here :') sorry for the late update;; if theres any mistake, do notify me! This is the first time I'm using my phone to do this so thr are some problems with the tn notes. I'll try to fix them later on but for now this is the best I can do without raging ;-; 

Chapter end