The woman who was called Ren by everyone. Aria was humming a tune as she looked around at the pile of jewels.
Luscious red hair swayed gently in the current.
In the eastern seas, there were two types of mermaids in the world.
Pure mermaids, corrupted mermaids, sirens.
The Sirens have lived in complete isolation within the sea. In particular, the red-haired Sirens were often ignored even by their own kind.
This was because of the legend that a red-haired siren tried to kill the first leader.
Aria was born into that red-haired family.
However, contrary to the rumors, her parents were extremely timid. This was the exact opposite of the rumors known to other mermaids.
A red-haired siren who doesn't fit in anywhere.
It might have been different if they had bad tempers, but having a gentle nature passed down through generations, they could not put up a single proper resistance. It was only natural that they were dirt poor.
Recalling her parents, who passed away so meaninglessly without even receiving proper treatment for their illness, Aria made a decision.
'Living a good life is all for nothing.'
Realizing the reality, she decided to earn money first.
Originally, sirens lived by controlling minds, toying with souls, and then extorting money from them.
However, Aria had no interest in souls.
She wanted to gather something more valuable than that.
Money and souls, and more.
Aria barely managed to get out of the water, avoiding the eyes of the other sirens.
Just then, she made eye contact with a fisherman who was out fishing.
'Red-haired Siren!'
Aria said this to him, who was afraid of having his soul taken away.
"There is sadness in your heart."
"Yes...?"
"You're smiling on the outside, but you're rotting away on the inside. You're boiling and festering."
"...!"
The man, captivated by Aria's beautiful appearance, covered his mouth. He felt as though she had instantly seen right through his heart.
Aria continued in a soft voice.
"I have no intention of harming you. I simply wanted to comfort the sorrow in your heart."
“Comfort?”
Aria nodded and cautiously added.
"...Be careful with the water."
"What? Water? What happens in the water?"
The man asked, but Aria did not answer. The man urgently grabbed Aria.
"Aren't you a Siren...? Why are you just letting me go?"
"Wishing for a wall is the same as offering a prayer to God. But God merely remains silent."
It wasn't an answer to the question.
However, Aria jumped back into the sea, leaving only those words behind.
The man thought, left alone.
She cannot give an answer, but she gave an answer.
Furthermore, she even advised him to avoid water.
It was the exact opposite of the legend that it was cursed.
'In that case, wouldn't she be someone greater than God?'
The operation was a huge success.
Instead of having her climb out of the water and wait for others to come, they were made to find their way on their own.
Aria warmly welcomed those who came to visit. And she secretly read their memories.
"So your son is still unemployed? Your friend's son gets a job just fine. Oh dear, you must be going through a lot of heartache."
"Your husband has a lot of problems. He drinks all the time and rarely comes home, does he? I know exactly how you feel about wanting to kill him."
There was no need to give the answer.
Even the slightest bit of empathy was enough for them to clap, asking how she understood their feelings so well.
The number of people increased uncontrollably. It was practically at the level of a religion. Money naturally followed.
Watching Aria's rise to success, the other sirens cast jealous glances.
However, one could not trespass carelessly. It was thanks to the believers who voluntarily guarded the mansion.
They only knew how to enchant, but they did not know how to captivate hearts. Therefore, the Sirens could not enchant the believers.
These were exactly what Aria wanted.
Money, something more precious than the soul.
Power, fame, ambition.
Aria won them with her own strength.
Everything within her grasp was beautiful. Aria's lips were full of a smile.
"It looks like something good has happened to you."
Another red-haired person approached her side. It was another Siren Sharl who had helped build the temple.
"Hmm. Well, I guess so."
It was just as she, humming a tune, picked up the blue gem.
The jewel she picked up looked similar in color to the eyes of the 'believer' who had been pouring out new praise. A crooked smile formed on Aria's lips.
"...This is fun."
Aria slowly got up.
“Where are you going?”
"Prison."
She replied lightly and left the room.
The place she was heading to was an underground prison. It was a place where they mainly confined believers who caused trouble.
Aria, who had been humming a tune, stopped abruptly. There had to be a believer guarding the prison.
However, not only the hallway but even the dungeon was completely empty. She looked around with a bewildered expression.
Just then, a groan was heard from afar. Aria quickly approached it.
“What is this..."
She gaped at the unbelievable sight.
Several men were lying unconscious.
Lying next to it was a frozen lamp. It looked like it had been hit with that.
Starting with those men, she saw other people scattered around.
Aria thought.
'To think that a woman could defeat all these people.'
She is an extraordinary figure. Aria had never met a believer like her before.
'She's a really, really funny kid!'
An excited Aria started running. This was the first time she had encountered such an entertaining believer. She had to catch her before she escaped.
It might be different for other pure mermaids, but Aria, a fallen mermaid, was so overflowing with curiosity that it practically dripped out.
As the number of people sprawled in the hallway increased, her anticipation grew. She wanted to play with that believer as soon as possible.
At the end of the hallway, the door leading outside was open.
"You didn't run away, did you? I haven't even had a chance to play properly yet!"
Aria hurriedly looked around. With guards stationed throughout the mansion, she would not have been able to escape easily.
Aria's prediction was accurate.
"Hey! Why can't you climb up like this!"
"I've never climbed over a wall..."
"What? I can't hear you!"
"Don't talk to me. I'm losing my energy...!"
In the most secluded corner of the mansion, Eve was struggling to climb over the wall.
Until she woke up, she lay uncomfortably bound, and she used twice as much arm strength as usual to knock down the believers. It was only natural that her arms were losing strength.
'But I can't stay trapped here.'
Be strong!
“Hwaap!”
Eve tensed her stomach, thinking that she shouldn't let anyone hear the small shout and discover her.
She squeezed out every ounce of strength she had and climbed up with all jer might.
She was barely able to climb up in the order of head, chest, and stomach.
"Heok... Heok..."
Eve gasped for breath. Her arms trembled.
Miya, caught off guard, shouted as she beat her wildly with a cotton swab.
"Didn't I tell you? Mermaids have nasty tempers! Look at this! I look like a criminal! I'm a model taxpayer who pays my taxes on time!"
Miya, who had been fuming, looked straight ahead again.
The sea was peaceful. It was just underwater, no different from where she used to live.
'That's completely different from the situation over here.'
Miya used her keen animal instincts to look around. Fortunately, there was no one nearby.
'It seems like we are deliberately avoiding it.'
Shit.
It seemed like she had come to the wrong place. Feeling a slight headache, Miya turned to look at Eve and spoke.
"Alright. Let's go back down."
"Ugh..."
Eve barely managed to answer.
Miya jumped first. It was just as Eve was about to follow Miya in jumping.
“There it is!”
A sharp voice grabbed her ankle. Startled, Eve turned around.
The woman who had imprisoned her was running toward her.
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