#527 A Third Force Arrives

“P-Platy?!”

My wife suddenly burst into the scene!

And she’s not alone. Behind her are Puffer, Lampeye, Garra Rufa, and Zoth Syra.

This can only mean one thing...

“The Six Mad Witches!!!”

They—witches—are the best potion compounders in all of merfolk and are both feared and admired by all.

Six such ambivalent individuals gathered to form the Mad Six.

My wife Platy is one of them.

“The Heavenly Four of the demon race, the S-class adventurers of the human race, and those with a comparable reputation from the mermaid race are us Six Witches, right?” boldly says Platy.

The spectators surrounding her are puzzled as to what is going on.

“In short, we are participating in this competition to determine the best team in mankind. People on land who don’t know much about mermaids will finally learn how great we are!”

Wait, wait, wait!!!

I run down from the special guests’ seats and rush to Platy’s side.

“What are you doing, Platy? We can’t bother others by messing with the original plan!”

“It’s okay! I’ve already informed the organizers about our participation!”

You what?!

“I wanted to experience today’s event personally, see! With the world opening up, I figured the mermaids should be a part of it! We’ve always been confined to the sea, but from now on, we must take the initiative to go on land and form a sense of camaraderie with the other races! This is part of that!”

What she’s saying is for a good cause, but...

...This is still too abrupt!

“So, I have hastily enlisted the aid of my comrades—the Six Witches—to join the fray! We will show them that with our combined strength, we can beat those on land hands down!”

“Didn’t you just say you were here to form a sense of camaraderie...?”

“As a witch, I will dedicate my fight to this child. Take care of Junior for me, okay, Dear?”

“O-Okay...?!”

And then, she hands over Junior to me.

But can she join the Demon King’s Army and the adventurers just like that?

“Um...Do you mind?”

Another person from Platy’s group speaks up.

It’s Zoth Syra, the Witch of the Abyss. 

The last time I saw her must’ve been around my wedding with Platy.

“I wondered what was going on when you came to me to submit an entire policy... I don’t mind the festivities, but this dispute is between the humans and the demons. Won’t we mermaids just complicate things by involving ourselves?”

“What’s a witch like you acting all goody-two-shoes about? Have you started playing it safe after you became the prime minister?”

“Says who?! I’ve been on the offensive all my life! But I have to be sensible now BECAUSE you all put me in the prime minister’s office!!!”

Ohh, they’re going at it.

Wait, what did they say just now? Prime Minister? Who?

“Besides, even though I was forced into this position, I still consider myself terribly busy, you know? I’m on a second-by-second schedule every day. If I’m interrupted and forced to take part in such pastimes, my schedule will be the end of me!”

“Idiot! This isn’t a pastime! It’s a war with our honor at stake!”

Platy’s irrational argument continues unabated.

“The three races will be more intertwined as the times change, and we, the mermaids, must not let the others belittle us! What if they say our tail fins reek of seashore?!”

“They won’t, doofus!”

“To prevent that from happening, we are here to show them how strong we are so they don’t look down on us! If we trample them in the competition, everyone will fear us mermaids and acknowledge our superiority!!!”

“Wouldn’t that be the source of a problem instead?!”

Platy and Zoth Syra busy themselves in a heated argument.

The audience around them remains perplexed.

“Zoth Syra, we can’t have you supporting the Mermaid Kingdom as the Prime Minister with a weak attitude like that! Mermaids are a noble and strong race, and they will invade the land. We, the Six Witches, shall be the pioneers as the best potion compounders of our race!”

“Isn’t there a more peaceful way of doing this?”

“No! History is a constant battle! The other witches want to dye their path with the blood of other races, don’t we, girls?!”

How will the other witches respond to Platy’s dreadful confrontation?

In case you’re wondering, the members of the Six Witches who have appeared with her are...

Puffer, the Witch of the Bitter Cold.

Lampeye, the Witch of Hellfire.

Garra Rufa, the Witch of the Plague.

All of them have profound expressions that make it impossible to read their emotions.

It’s been a while since this I’ve seen this group together.

Puffer and Lampeye used to live with us on the farm, but they returned to the Mermaid Kingdom after getting married.

It’s nice to see them alive and well, but...

“...Sorry, Platy. I can’t join you this time.”

“Whaaaaaaaaaaat?!”

Puffer unexpectedly withdraws from the competition.

“What’s wrong, sis-in-law? Don’t tell me you’re also on the defensive after becoming queen? I thought you’d be stubborn until the end, but I was wrong!”

“What’s wrong with playing safe in life? And this is no longer about protecting myself alone. I can’t take part in any more rough stuff.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, I’m pregnant right now...”

“Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!”

It appears the mermaid queen is conceiving. 

Not much time has passed since she got married to Arowana and assumed the throne.

The fact that she’s pregnant right now means that it’s Arowana’s child and future heir.

What an auspicious occasion!

Congratulations, Puffer! You have fulfilled your first duty as queen!

“Congratulations!!!”

I took the lead and started clapping.

“Oh, how wonderful! Congratulations to you too, Lord Arowana!”

“T-Thank you...!”

Before I knew it, even Mermaid King Arowana was in the special guests’ seats, and everyone congratulated him.

“Congratulations!”

“Congrats!”

“Hooray for the future prince!”

“Here’s a toast to a beautiful princess!”

Not only their close friends but also the audience present at the event applauded the royal mermaid couple.

The birth of a new life is always a joyous occasion, after all!

“Congratulations! You should’ve told me sooner, geez!”

Platy, who is a mother herself, praises Puffer warmheartedly. 

“I can’t let you fight in your condition then! You never know how exertion at this stage would affect the baby! Why are you trying to fight at such a delicate time, you idiot?”

“You brought me here without telling me what you wanted!”

Why am I not surprised that Platy instigated this?

Since there’s no way Puffer is fighting in the early stages of pregnancy, she went to the special guests’ seats where her husband, Arowana, was waiting for her.

“Puffer had to withdraw due to certain circumstances, but we’re still fine. After all, we are the Six Witches. We still outnumber the Heavenly Four!” 

Still, the former Queen Sheila, the Witch of Darkness, wishes to keep her identity hidden, so she’s not with us today. That leaves Platy’s group with four members.

“Um, Princess Platy...”

“What is it, Lampeye?”

Lampeye, the Witch of Hellfire, says to Platy, who was trying to regain her composure, “I’m pregnant too.”

“Huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuh?!”

I remember Lampeye also got married at the same time and returned to the Mermaid Kingdom.

It’s perfectly normal for her to be pregnant around this time!

“I hope you don’t mind me watching from the stands instead. If something happens to the baby inside me, I won’t be able to face my husband, Hendra.”

“...Congrats! Take care of yourself, okay?”

Again, the venue was filled with congratulatory wishes from all directions. 

What a kind world we live in.

“I-It’s okay! Even if there are only three of us, we are still witches! We will win and show the world what we mermaids are made of!”

“Can’t we just call this a day and go home? Let’s face it—one of us here isn’t exactly suited for battle! Only you and I will be carrying this team of three!”

Zoth Syra is feeling more and more pressured.

She’s desperate to settle this matter without a fight.

As for the third witch, Garra, Rufa, sandwiched between them...

“It’s all right! I may not be of much help in battle, but I will do my best not to drag you all down!”

“What’s the point of you acting all optimistiiiic?!”

In the end, Zoth Syra’s resistance did nothing to retract the participation of the Six Mad Witches (who only have three participating members).

Now, we have...

The Heavenly Four of the Demon King’s army representing the demon race, the S-class adventurers representing the human race, and the Six Mad Witches representing the mermaid race. 

The big names from the three major races are all joining this three-way battle!

The excitement level of this event only keeps on increasing.