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It wasn’t easy to be a hunter.
Missions by day and by night, day in and day out. It was exhausting, and the reward wasn’t all that high, either.
Except for that one mission.
Wanted! The royal family is looking for blue mermaid scales. Reward: one million of yuls. Deadline once the mission is taken: 3 days.
Asta stared at the notice for a while. It was difficult, even more knowing he had been a hunter for just some months. He was considered a novice, a good one, but still a novice.
But he really needed that money. His mother had been cursed by a demon a long time ago, and the remedy to cure her wasn’t exactly cheap. That’s why he began in this profession in the first place.
“Are you seriously gonna take that mission? Some have been around here for over twenty years and their legs shake just at the sight of a mission for the royal family” the head of the hunters, Yami Sukehiro, was the one who took him in the guild. Hunters weren’t known for their kindness, most beginners got a beating as soon as they got into the guild. However, Asta escaped being beaten thanks to the captain.
“The reward is huge, and it wouldn’t be my first time hunting mermaids. I need more money, or else my mother…”
Before the young man could continue, Yami stood up from the stool on which he was seated. He grabbed the mission paper and slammed it against his abdomen with a hard blow. Asta took a step back.
“Believe me, I understand you lad” he paused to take a puff on his cigar. “C’mon, surpass your limits and complete this mission."
The ash-blond man saw how his boss left the HQ. Although it was a simple and dirty tavern, it was cozy.
I will, thanks Captain.
Dry sticks rustled under his robust boots. The young hunter didn’t know where he exactly was, but according to his research not very far from this forest was the only lake where blue-scaled mermaids have been spotted, a type of mermaid which was extremely rare. Rumours said that those creatures were the royalty of the mermaids, and that that was the reason because they didn’t show up to the surface. Nevertheless, Asta had already made up his mind. He would find one.
The forest where he was seemed unreal. The trees were so dense that they barely let any sunlight through; the rays slipped through the gaps they could find. The bushes came up to his thighs, making it difficult to move. Moreover, the sweet-natured scent of the flowers made his head spin a little, but his determination was stronger.
He only had to take a few more steps before he began to hear a high-pitched, melodious humming sound. Asta moved forward and pushed away some branches in order to peep at the mermaid. After all, he needed to know if her scales were blue or not.
But the sight he saw caught him off guard.
In the middle of that lake was a chiaroscuro, the sun's rays sparkled as they hit the indigo water. In the center was a cluster of rocks, and perched atop them was a mermaid with blue scales, singing a sweet, melancholic melody.
Asta was astonished by the creature. Her silvery hair cascaded down her back, glistening in the sunlight. Her porcelain-white skin glowed. Her mauve eyes gazed up at the blue sky, as she hummed to it.
Dumbfounded, the man began to get close unconsciously, and accidentally stepped on a big stick.
Crack!
The mermaid fell silent the moment she heard the crunch. She turned her head, and their eyes met. The girl's eyes widened, and she quickly slipped between the rocks to return to the lake.
Shit, she got away.
Just as Asta was turning around, feeling a little annoyed with himself, to head back the way he had come, he heard a high-pitched whimper.
“Agh!”
The young man turned so quickly that he almost lost his balance.
The mermaid was now on a nearby shore, with her tail partially out of the water, but that wasn't the most important thing. Her tail was bleeding; she had scraped herself badly against the rocks while trying to escape, and now she had a wound large enough to prevent her from swimming.
Asta stood still for a few seconds. He didn't know what to do. Should I help her? After all, I need those scales, and if they're torn, they'll be useless to me. But what if, by approaching her, I just scare her away and miss a golden opportunity? I don't know how hard it is to come across a mermaid with blue scales, but it seems to me that I've been incredibly lucky. Should I hunt her down or not?
He heard another moan from the nymph, this time louder. She was truly in pain.
Without realizing it, Asta crept closer little by little, trying not to scare her any further.
The silver-haired girl watched as the boy approached and tried to crawl backward to get away, but the pain prevented her from doing so.
Asta realized what the girl was up to.
“Don't worry, I want to help you,” he said, raising his hands. “I'm Asta. What's your name?” he asked, trying to lighten the mood as much as he could.
The mermaid hesitated for a few seconds before giving up. Either she would accept help from that human, or her injury could leave her immobilized for a long time. Finally, she chose the first option.
“I... My name is Noelle,” she whispered, barely audibly.
“Noelle, huh? That sounds nice,” he said with a smile to reassure her. The young man crouched down and looked the mermaid in the eyes. “I want to help you. Will you let me heal you?” he asked, tilting his head.
The girl didn't answer; she just nodded slightly.
Asta then took off his backpack and began pulling out an emergency first-aid kit he kept for himself. Obviously, all the items in it were meant for humans, but he figured the scales’ reaction wouldn’t be much different, right?
He took out a gauze pad and dabbed it with antiseptic. His hand was trembling slightly. Now’s not the time to be shaking, Asta. It’s easy: you treat her, make sure the scales are in good condition, and when you leave and the mermaid—well, Noelle—turns around, you hunt her down.
He gently pressed the gauze against the wound, and Noelle winced a little. It stung.
“Is it too strong?” the green-eyed boy asked, genuinely concerned. Why am I so worried? Oh well, it must be because of the scales. Deep down, though, Asta knew there was something else.
The mermaid was surprised. Not only was this the first time she had been in such close contact with a human, but everything she had been told as a child about the danger posed by the human race was slowly crumbling away.
“It's okay... It just stings a little,” she said, sounding a little unsure.
“All right” he whispered, more to himself than to the young woman.
“Ah... Well, I healed it as best I could. It's the first time I've ever healed a mermaid, you know?” he chuckled under his breath. It didn't take him long to heal her, but he wanted to make sure it was done right. After all, he was going to need those scales later.
Noelle smiled slightly at the boy's remark. She gently touched the band-aid covering her wound.
“Thank you,” she said, smiling and looking into the boy's eyes. She never thought she would ever thank a human.
Asta stood there for a few moments. Now that he looked closely, the girl was beautiful. Her features were soft yet sharp. Up close, he could see the pearlescent hue of her skin and the way the sun glinted off her scales. He had never seen such a gorgeous creature before.
But this wasn't the right moment.
“I... Well, it's what anyone would do,” he said, not quite sure what to say. The plan wasn't going as intended. He needed the scales, but why did the mere thought of hurting him make him feel sick to his stomach?
“Don't kid yourself—most of them would have hunted me down without a second thought, even though I was injured,” she said, hugging her tail to her chest.
The hunter was speechless. How he would tell her: well, as soon as you turn around, I’ll hunt you down, so I’m not that different after all. Luckily for him, Noelle spoke again before he could reply.
“Come to think of it, what were you doing around here? You're the first human I've seen, period. This place isn't usually very crowded.”
I can't tell her the truth, under any circumstances.
“Well... I'm lost, haha. I'm not from this part of the country, and I'm not very good with directions, so...” he lied, though he still wasn't quite sure why.
“Interesting,” she replied sincerely. The girl rested her palms on the damp ground and stretched out her long, shiny, wet tail.
There was a somewhat awkward silence for a few minutes. No one knew how to continue the conversation; they didn't even know if they should continue it.
“By the way... I heard you singing earlier.” Asta tried to keep the conversation going; he still didn't know why, but that girl had captivated him. “You sing really well. How come you came to the surface knowing how dangerous humans are? Anyone would be drawn to that singing.”
Noelle tensed up slightly, and the boy noticed it.
“D-did you hear me...?” murmured the silver-haired girl, turning her head slowly to look at him. Her eyes betrayed a hint of fear that hadn't been there before.
Asta just nodded, not quite sure what was going on.
“No... no, no, no,” the mermaid slowly sank into the water until it reached her waist. “That... isn't good, though thanks for the compliment, I guess...”
The hunter was even more confused than before, why was it a bad thing that he’d heard her sing? The folk tale of mermaids singing and luring pirates into the depths of the sea wasn’t reality in this world. Although there weren’t many studies on mermaids, the little Asta had read to prepare for this mission indicated that their song only had an effect underwater. Furthermore, while their song did attract people, its power was nowhere near as strong as in fairy tales.
“Why?”
The mermaid swam back toward the shore and sat down at the water's edge. “I... My family is royalty,” she said; by this point, she was practically hyperventilating.
“So?” replied the young man. He was so confused that he didn't even remember that the scales he was looking for belonged to a royal mermaid with indigo scales, the very one standing right in front of him.
“Ahg, I should have guessed you didn't know, there's hardly any information about mermaids,” she took a couple of deep breaths before continuing, trying to calm herself down. “The song of a royal mermaid is effective even on the surface—that is, anyone who hears my song, whether human or merman, will eventually... be drawn to the depths of the sea and end up dying.”
Asta stood completely still. He couldn't quite wrap his head around what he'd just heard. Die? In the depths of the sea? How...? The sirens' song was usually…
“To charm anyone who hears it. I suppose you're thinking that's the normal effect of a mermaid's song, right?” Noelle interjected, almost as if she were reading the young hunter's mind. “Since I'm royalty, I've been taught more than one song since I was little, and I was just practicing this one,” the mermaid admitted, a little embarrassed.
“Since you know what effect it has, why do you practice out of the water?” Asta asked. Her doubts only grew with each new statement from Noelle.
"I... I've never been praised for my singing. My mother died recently, and my father plans to abdicate. I have older siblings, but they've all left home. I'm the only one left in the family. The last hope. I was practicing every song I know. I need to improve very quickly, and so as not to disturb anyone, I came to this place. A friend of mine who often sings on the surface told me that no one ever came this way, which is why I came out, and why I was so surprised, to the point of hurting myself, when I saw a human around here. I’m sorry, I really am, but there’s nothing I can do,” the young woman finished her speech and looked—really looked—into the eyes of the boy standing before her. She saw the sheer confusion in his gaze. If it was already hard enough to spot a mermaid, imagine hearing her just as she’s singing a song that’s deadly to you.
Noelle climbed all the way onto the shore, with the tip of her tail still dangling in the crystal-clear water of the lake. She sat down quite close to Asta; her scales were practically brushing against the leather pants he was wearing.
"I... Isn't there anything I can do? No... I don't want to die. I have to take care of my sick mother and my little brother. The people at work will get mad if I don't get back soon. I haven’t brought the groceries home yet; my family won’t have anything to eat... Tell me there’s something I can do, please,” Asta whispered, growing more and more desperate. His stare was lost somewhere in the lush forest surrounding them.
The silver-haired girl thought for a moment before speaking. “There's probably something,” she said, “though I don't think it'll work,” unsure whether she should say that or not.
Asta turned his head so quickly that he almost got whiplash. “What? I’ll do whatever it takes,” he said, fixing his gaze on his. They were closer than he’d expected, but he didn’t back away.
"In theory, the only way to free yourself from the effects of a mermaid's song is... to make her faint from love and then pluck a scale from her. It’s said that this way, the mermaid will forget you, causing the song to forget you as well and freeing you from the side effects. Although the scale ensures that the human will never forget the mermaid, so in a way you still lose out—but not by much,” explained the mermaid.
Asta tried to process the information as best he could. Make her faint from love? I don't want to die, or leave my family behind, but I can't take advantage of her like this.
“I... I can't do it,” the young man said as he stood up, and just as he started walking away from that area of light and shadow, he felt a tug on his pants.
He turned and saw Noelle looking at him with pleading eyes. “I… At least try. I’d feel guilty for the rest of my life if… you died because of me,” she said, letting go of his pants and sitting back down in her seat. “Even though… It would be the first time someone has escaped the song of a real siren. I know it’s selfish, but please, just try,” she pleaded, gazing into the depths of the deep lake before her.
Those words were enough to make Asta turn back. He took off his muddy boots and sat down, letting his feet and the part of his pants he’d rolled up soak in the water. His body moved on its own. Somehow, he didn’t want to let his family down, but he didn’t want to let down that mermaid he’d met just a couple of hours ago either.
“All right, I'll do my best,” he said softly, flashing a grin at the girl.
Noelle blushed a little at the boy's genuine smile, but she smiled back at him anyway as a sign of gratitude.
They sat in silence for a few minutes, simply gazing at the scenery around them, until Noelle took the initiative.
“Hey... That thing you said earlier about your mom—what's wrong with her? If you don't mind me asking, of course,” she asked shyly, breaking the silence.
Asta hadn't expected that question, but he answered it without hesitation. “My mother was cursed by a demon more than ten years ago. Until a couple of years ago, she led a normal life. She took care of me and my younger brother, we're two years apart, so sometimes she had to forcibly separate us during our silly arguments.” Asta chuckled softly, almost sighing. "However... One day, out of the blue, she started feeling really sick. She collapsed. I really thought that… Well, I guess you know what I mean,” he continued, though he felt a lump slowly forming in his throat. “Luckily, she pulled through, though her treatment costs a fortune. My brother still can’t work at jobs that pay well, so I had to…” He stopped short, was he really about to tell a mermaid that he was a hunter? Honestly, the singing seemed to be getting to him.
“You had to...?” Noelle continued, completely intrigued by his story.
“Do you promise that if I tell you, you won't run away?” he asked, almost in a whisper. Noelle was surprised by his comment, but she didn't care. She wanted to know the truth. She took the boy's right hand and lifted his pinky, interlocking it with her own.
“Pinky promise,” she said, smiling to reassure the young man.
Asta was surprised by the feel of her hand. The mermaid’s skin, pearly and soft, touched her own, which was tanned and rough.
He gathered his courage and finally said it. “I had to become a hunter. That’s what I really do for a living. The reason I was in this forest was because of a very important mission that will earn me a lot of money for my mother’s treatment.” Once he finished speaking, he looked at the girl, who had a sympathetic expression on her face. He was surprised—he’d expected her to be terrified, or even angry, but no. She hadn’t left his side.
“I guess that mission involves me, right?” Noelle hinted, smiling at him with a hint of sadness.
There were a few moments of silence before anyone spoke
“Yes,” he said simply. There was no need to explain to her what he was supposed to do with her.
Noelle parted their hands, which were still clasped together, and let her gaze wander toward the sky.
“You know... My mother was also cursed by a demon,” she began to explain, downplaying the revelation the boy had just made. "That's exactly why she died. It was very sudden; she'd been cursed ever since I was born. She'd always been sick, but not sick enough to stay in bed all day. She played the role of queen, wife, and mother without any trouble at all, she was the best. But… A couple of months ago, the royal palace was attacked. Neither I nor my siblings were there; we’d gone on a diplomatic trip to a nearby kingdom—because, yes, there are kingdoms within the sea,” she let out a little laugh before continuing. “We did everything we could to get there in time, but it was too late. The very same demon who had cursed her attacked her. My father did what he could, too. He was deeply affected as well, that’s precisely why he’s abdicating. Even though they were going to separate soon, he loved her with all his heart, just like all her children did.” As she finished speaking, Noelle felt a tear slowly roll down her cheek. Damn it, when had she started crying?
“I'm sorry, I—” She couldn't go on as arms wrapped around her. They were... warm. Something she had never felt before. In the sea, everything was cold and distant. Of course, it wasn't the first time she'd been hugged, but it was the first time she'd been hugged out of the water.
Instead of calming down, Noelle began to cry even harder. Asta, seeing that the girl was only getting more agitated, let go of her immediately, keeping his hands on either side of Noelle’s arms.
“Sorry if that was too sudden, I won't do it again,” he apologized, blushing with embarrassment. Finally, he let go of her completely and continued speaking. “It's just that... You have no idea how much I understand you. The day my mother collapsed, I felt like the world was coming crashing down on me. Although I'm not one to talk, I still have her with me.”
Noelle calmed down; now only involuntary tears were streaming from her eyes, tears she was unable to stop. Before saying anything else, she returned the hunter’s embrace.
“It's okay,” she replied, accepting his apology. She stepped back and looked into the boy's jade-colored eyes. “It's been a while since anyone understood me so well, and I guess I just got a little too carried away,” she laughed sweetly. “Thank you.”
Asta took the opportunity to commit her face to memory. Why? He wasn't quite sure, but it was involuntary. He memorized her thin, silvery eyebrows, her large, sparkling eyes, her small but upturned nose, and her lips,pink and full.
Her lips…
Asta shook her head vigorously. No, this isn't the time to be thinking about those things. She's vulnerable—you can't take advantage of someone in this situation. But... Shit, I should leave now, or I won't be able to keep my cool. Besides, it's getting dark. I'll come back tomorrow, if the song hasn't killed me first. It’s true, about the song. I shouldn’t leave, honestly, I shouldn’t, but I know that if I stay… I’ll do things I shouldn’t.
“Asta?” Noelle asked, confused by the boy's actions.
“I... It's getting dark; I should head out now. You know, I have to take care of my mom and my little brother,” he lied. He knew his brother was capable enough to take care of himself and their mother. Hell, there were plenty of missions where he didn't even spend the night at home. But it was the only reasonable excuse he could come up with; after all, even the beavers passing by must have sensed the tension. “I’m sorry—I guess your singing problem hasn’t gone away yet. I’ll be back first thing tomorrow to see if we can sort this all out,” he continued as he stood up and laced his boots.
A look of slight disappointment crossed the girl’s face. She wanted to spend more time with that boy—to get to know him better, to talk to him more. She felt good—better than she would if she went back into the water right now. “I understand. See you tomorrow, I guess,” she whispered, gazing at the sunset rising before her.
“See you tomorrow,” the young man said as he admired for a moment the mermaid's body. Come on, Asta, this is too much. Let's go.
As soon as he turned around and took two steps, he heard a woman's voice calling him.
“Asta!”
He stopped dead in his tracks.
A thud.
The sound of a body hitting the ground made him turn around immediately.
Noelle was lying on the ground, with half her tail still soaking in the water, unconscious. Her cheeks were flushed bright red, and her chest was rising and falling rapidly.
Asta was stunned. No... It can't be what I think it is, can it? He slowly approached the woman's body and crouched down, watching as some of her indigo-blue, shimmering scales fell from her tail.
“Noelle...” he thought aloud.
He picked one up as carefully as possible and examined it. It was translucent, but its bluish tint was still clearly visible. It was also stiffer than it looked. “She fainted from love, didn't she?” he asked into the air. No one was going to hear him, but he needed to say it out loud to believe it himself.
Asta let out a deep sigh. He was going to live and fulfill his mission. His life would finally get a little better. But then he immediately remembered everything Noelle had told him. The only way to free yourself from the effects of a mermaid’s song is to make her faint from love and then pluck a scale from her. That way, the mermaid will forget you, causing the song to forget you as well, and freeing you from the side effects. Although the scale ensures that the human will never forget the mermaid.
Asta stood up, but not before picking up a couple of scales to successfully complete his mission.
He took a few steps until a sweet voice filled his ears once more.
“Who are you...?” Noelle asked, still dazed from having just fainted.
The hunter turned and gave her a smile, perhaps the most sincere one he had ever shown.
“Nobody important”
Asta walked away from that place and promised himself he would never return. It was better for different races not to have so much contact with one another.
So she's forgotten me, I don't know why, but that makes me... sadder than I expected.
The mermaid had forgotten the first human she had ever met, the one who had shown her that there didn't have to be enmity between humans and mermaids.
However, he would hardly ever forget that beautiful young woman. He would carry her in his heart forever.
Damn, I think... I've fallen in love, too.