Who taught him to restore the country like this

Chapter 226 Mermaid Phenomenon
We have to stop it.

She invited the hero here, so if something happens to the hero here, the Rose Mercenary Group will be held responsible.

Who knows if this is a trap you set up to deal with the hero?
It's certain that the Crown Prince will seize this opportunity to eliminate the Rose Mercenary Group.

What is this thing called?
The pain from the wound on her back sobered up Salom considerably, and all she wanted to do was curse her terrible luck.

She used to be so successful; she could complete any task that came her way.

But everything changed starting in September of this year.

She was plagued by bad luck.

Nothing I do goes smoothly.

The subsequent important tasks all failed without exception.

Having finally recruited three powerful orcs, he thought his luck had turned around.

The result was that they attracted three deadly evil stars.

Although they were being controlled by others.

but……

Those two seventh-tier orcs were already under control, so be it.

You're an eighth-tier expert! How did you get controlled?

What kind of strength would it take to control an eighth-tier powerhouse?
Completely on the defensive, Shalom looked at the eighth-tier orc who had completely lost his mind and cursed his bad luck in his heart.

How could she have encountered such bad luck?
The only saving grace was that only three orcs were recruited this time.

The hero's teammates and his group of drunkards were barely able to hold them off.

If there were one or two more people, tonight's banquet would be a death trap for the brave.

As Shalom struggled more and more in the battle, he glanced briefly behind him.

I thought that after buying so much time, the brave warrior should have run far away.

When he looked back, the hero was still standing in the same spot.

My heart sank immediately.

What an idiot!
Can't you tell these three are after you?

Salom really wanted to go over and give the hero a backflip.

"Hero, leave this place quickly!"

She suppressed the urge to curse and shouted.

Although they had a numerical advantage, they were in poor condition and showing signs of fatigue.

Looking at the three orcs, they were all like they'd been injected with adrenaline, growing stronger with each battle.

It's only a matter of time before the defenses are breached, and then...

Whoosh!
As she was thinking this, a figure swiftly swept past her.

What she worried about most happened.

Taking advantage of her distraction while she was shouting, the eighth-tier orc suddenly unleashed an even stronger power, repelling Shalom.

The claws tore through the air, heading straight for Ron.

"careful!"

Salom was terrified.

Bang!
The shield that enveloped Ron was instantly torn apart by the claws.

Gangji wanted to get back on defense, but it was too late.

Looking at Ron, he stood motionless, seemingly stunned.

"Lord Beretta!"

As the claws were about to tear Ron apart, everyone's hearts were in their throats.

hum-

Just when things were at their most critical, a buzzing sound, like oars cutting through the water, rang in everyone's ears.

A shimmering blue light enveloped Ron.

The claws sliced ​​through the blue light in the air, as if striking a non-Newtonian fluid, and hovered in mid-air.

Then the blue light expanded like fermenting flour, forcing the orcs back.

This includes Gangji and Shalom, who rushed over in a hurry.

The magic that Karina and Kertia were conjuring in their hands stopped.

They looked up in astonishment at the top of Ron's head.

Ron also stopped thinking about leveling up and looked up.

The blue light enveloping him was actually a gigantic mermaid phantom.

The four words that came to everyone's mind were: Mermaid Heart?
This enormous mermaid phantom matches one of the strange phenomena described in ancient texts as being caused by the heart of the mermaid.

"die!"

Without giving them any extra time to think, the three orcs simultaneously launched an attack on the giant mermaid phantom.

The mermaid phantom was visually stunning, but its actual combat effectiveness was somewhat lacking.

It didn't even last ten seconds. After enduring several rounds of attacks, dense cracks appeared on the phantom.

It shattered in mid-air like a phantom.

Amidst the shattered light and shadow, a figure slowly fell.

It was Luna who came here with them.

Sure enough, this mermaid girl was hiding a secret.

This secret led the three controlled orcs to unify their target and head towards Luna in the air.

The phantom shattered, and Gangji and the others focused all their attention and protective measures on Ron, never expecting that the three orcs would change their target.

The situation changed too suddenly, and everyone had no time to protect Luna.

"Roar!"

Just then, a powerful roar suddenly rang out.

Upon hearing this, Karina's face lit up with joy.

Oh right, I almost forgot about him.

Gratoni, the red dragon who had been watching from the sidelines, finally made his move.

The dragon's innate, domineering aura that suppressed the orcs caused all three orcs to tremble.

In a brief moment of distraction, the enormous dragon claw, carrying destructive power, swept across like swatting a fly.

boom! boom! boom!
Under the oppressive power of the dragon, the three orcs were unable to mount an effective defense. They were struck by the dragon's claws, coughing up blood as they were sent flying backward. They crashed heavily to the ground, their bones and tendons broken, instantly losing their fighting ability. The crimson in their eyes gradually faded.

pat.

Ron reached out and caught Luna as she fell from the sky. Together with the rest of the Rose Mercenary Group, they looked at the imposing dragon standing in the center of the battlefield.

There was no gratitude, only contempt.

When his life was in danger, Gratoni hesitated to intervene.

The beautiful woman was in danger, and he immediately took action.

In three seconds, I saw through the lecherous dragon.

"It's you!"

After a moment of stunned silence, Shalom stared at the giant dragon before him in shock and anger.

No wonder the way the other person spoke and his demeanor at the hotel gave her the feeling that she had seen him somewhere before.

So it was that lecherous dragon!
"Pervert, I haven't settled the score with you for humiliating and mocking me before, and I didn't expect you to dare come to my door."

Shalom gripped his twin swords, poised to strike.

“Miss Salom, what happened before was just a misunderstanding.”

Gratoni, who was so domineering just a second ago, suddenly surrendered and flew into the air.

"Misunderstand?"

Salom's eyes were cold.

The fact that he openly discussed marriage with her doesn't seem like a misunderstanding.

"You can understand it this way: as dragons, we have very high standards when it comes to judging the opposite sex. My desire to be with you is actually a recognition of your beautiful appearance."

"And I'm sincere. If you're willing to agree, I can promise you that I will only have three partners in the future."

Gratoni made a serious promise.

Compared to the hundreds or thousands of Star Fury of other dragons, having three companions already demonstrates his sincerity.

"court death!"

Shalom leaped into the air, unleashing two invisible beams of light from his twin blades.

She specifically learned this move, the "Double Dragon Slash," for this day.

This is a martial art specifically designed for dragons, and her current proficiency is enough to severely injure an eighth-tier dragon.

However, because she was seriously injured, she was unable to unleash the full power of this move at the moment.

Gratoni deftly deflected her attack by flapping his dragon wings.

"Vice Commander Salom, please show mercy."

Ron spoke up at the right moment, stopping Salom from taking any further desperate actions. "Mr. Gluttony is now a member of the hero's party. Any grudges you have should be settled privately after the Demon King's threat is lifted."

He said.

"You lied to me."

Salom stared at Ron, who had come over to act as a peacemaker, with a deceived look in his eyes.

"I did not lie to you."

Ron said calmly, "Mr. Gluttony has reformed himself, joined the ranks of heroes, served the Holy See, and defeated the Demon King."

"Then you should also tell me that he is that lecherous dragon."

"Shalom said angrily."

"He's just worried that you guys will start fighting."

Gangji stepped forward and spoke.

"Humph."

Upon hearing this, Salom let out a soft hum.

"I think the issue we should be focusing on now is not this, but rather finding out when these three people were controlled by the demons."

Ron said.

"You mean... they're being controlled by the demons?"

When the topic returned to the three orcs, Shalom's displeasure and arrogance vanished instantly, and his tone softened.

"Yes, they have probably been influenced by the power of the Seventh Legion Commander of the Demon Clan. A certain command has been planted in their minds, and it will erupt once the right opportunity arises."

Ron nodded.

Having encountered this unusual situation twice in a row, it's basically safe to assume that the commander of the Demon Clan's Seventh Legion is the one in question.

The question now is: when did these three people get infected?

If you were infected before joining the Rose Mercenary Group, then the situation is relatively good.

If not, then the situation is very bad.

The Demon Clan's Seventh Legion Commander is only at the eighth rank, so it would be difficult for him to incite and control the desires of those at the same rank.

Unless someone far stronger than an eighth-rank expert can completely suppress the target's mental resistance, it would be impossible for her to do so.

Currently, only one person in the demon race can do this.

That is Lilith, the commander of the Second Legion of the Demon Clan.

Her previous mental strength was almost comparable to that of a ninth-tier Great Sage. Now that she has obtained the origin of the ancient demon king in the Holy Domain, she has probably not only recovered from her injuries but also reached a new level of strength.

If these three orcs were infected after joining the Rose Mercenary Group, or rather... during the banquet.

That means the Great Demon Lilith is nearby.

But this is unlikely.

After all, the top leaders of the three major churches are currently searching for the whereabouts of the Great Demon Lilith, so she has to come out on her own initiative.

There's no need for a hero; the three major papal courts could handle her.

These three orcs were most likely tricked before they came to join the Rose Mercenary Group. The demons probably wanted them to ambush the Rose Mercenary Group and kill the hero.

Now that it's being triggered ahead of schedule... Ron looked at Kertia.

Kertia happened to be looking over as well.

The two exchanged a glance and immediately understood each other's meaning.

The ability to amplify desire requires language or blood. Even if a trigger is set in advance to automatically activate it, the caster still needs to be within a certain distance.

The commander of the Demon Clan's Seventh Legion is very likely hiding among the Rose Mercenary Group.

Ron instructed Salom to gather all members of the Rose Mercenary Group, allowing Karina's holy bloodline to sense them one by one.

Meanwhile, Gratoni and Kertia quickly patrolled the area around the bonfire party, looking for suspicious individuals.

After more than two hours of inspection and searching, the group still could not find the mastermind behind it all.

strangeness.

Where did they hide?
Ron racked his brains trying to come up with all the possible combos he knew of from the demon officers and captains, but he still couldn't come up with a reasonable answer.

Could it be that I am too worried?
……

Despite a night of searching and vigilance, no trace of the Demon Clan's Seventh Legion Commander was found.

The three orcs were imprisoned and interrogated by the Rose Mercenary Group, but they were unable to extract any useful information from them.

They had no recollection of ever encountering the demons.

Ron didn't dwell on the matter too much.

After handing over the follow-up investigation to the Church of Truth, he joined the Rose Mercenary Group and embarked on a journey to Tianhai North Island.

On the way to the port, in a carriage.

Luna, who was fast asleep with her head resting on Karina's lap, slowly opened her eyes.

"you're awake."

Meeting Karina's gentle gaze, Luna quickly sat up.

"I'm sorry for causing you trouble."

She bowed her head and apologized.

"fine."

Karina shook her head: "How are you feeling? Is there anything else that's bothering you?"

"I am fine."

Luna replied.

Then her gaze fell on Ron sitting opposite her, and she asked with concern, "Hero, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, thanks to you protecting me last night."

Ron replied with a smile.

"I protected...you?"

Luna's eyes showed confusion.

"Do not you remember?"

Seeing that Luna seemed to really not remember anything, Ron told her about the mermaid phantom that appeared last night.

"Is that a secret technique of your tribe?"

Keltia, who was sitting next to Ron, asked.

Last night, when they saw that strange phenomenon, they all assumed it was related to the Mermaid Heart, Luna.

However, upon examining Luna's body afterward, nothing unusual was found.

Her hair, blood, and internal organs are completely the same as those of an ordinary person.

So the group began to speculate about secret techniques.

That strange phenomenon was most likely developed using the Mermaid Heart.

"I don't know. Last night I saw that the hero was in danger, so I thought about protecting the hero, and then... and then I don't remember anything."

Luna shook her head, her eyes filled with confusion and pain.

Her answer greatly disappointed Kertia and the others.

Ron wasn't too surprised by this answer.

Because he knew that the heart of a mermaid could not be observed.

It's like Schrödinger's cat; it only exists when you can't see it.

Once you see it, it no longer exists.

Even if Luna truly possessed the heart of a mermaid, he couldn't control her.

Therefore, he did not insist that Luna know anything.

Everything depends on fate.

There was a good sign last night.

Luna's words at least prove that the Mermaid's Heart does indeed take better care of the hero.

"It's alright, this might be the Mermaid's Heart greeting the hero through you."

Ron said with a smile.

These words eased Kertia's troubled mood somewhat.

Indeed, the Mermaid Heart project has at least shown some signs; it's not entirely without progress.

"Ah."

Ron's words calmed Luna down. She looked out the window at the receding scenery and asked, "Are we heading to Tianhai North Island?"

"Yes."

"Lord Brave."

"Ah."

"Could you please visit the Siren tribe?"

(End of this chapter)