38. A Clash of Reversed Magic!

"Ahhh!"

Inside the deep-water cell, the mermaid let out a shrill, mournful cry and, with lightning speed, plunged headlong into her sphere of water.

*Splash.*

The spray erupted from the cage, transforming into a jet of water that hit Herbert squarely in the face.

"?"

The water moved with such velocity that Herbert, a complete novice, had no time to dodge and took the full brunt of it right to the face.

"Ah, I—pfft!"

The water was unexpectedly warm, slightly salty, yet lacked the pungent, fishy odor typical of seawater.

"Cough, cough!"

*Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey!*

Herbert spat out the water he had accidentally swallowed, wiped his face, and sighed with resignation.

"What is this, honestly? I gave you a simple compliment—just a small kindness—and this is how you repay me? With a deluge?"

"I mean... hmm?"

Just before Herbert could speak further, a thought struck him.

*Wait.*

In a sense, couldn't this be considered the mermaid’s bathwater? Fish soup?

*Ugh.*

At the thought, Herbert dry-heaved. He didn't have that kind of twisted fetish; he couldn't bring himself to view this as a reward.

*Glug, glug!*

Unlike the nauseated Herbert, Freyme, hiding within her water sphere, was on the verge of a breakdown.

Through the shimmering veil of water, she stared at the uninvited guest in despair. "When did you get in here!? No, how did you even get in!?"

"You didn't lock the door, so why couldn't I come in?" Herbert wiped his face and mouth, responding with righteous indignation. "Besides, I’m the warden! This is a prison cell; why shouldn't I be here?"

"But you aren't supposed to show up at this hour!"

Freyme felt terrible... absolutely terrible! She had been singing at night as usual, thinking no one would hear her, and yet, this guy had appeared in the middle of the night. It wasn't just the shame of being overheard; filling her heart was a profound sense of unspoken guilt.

*Oh no.*

He heard it. He actually heard it!

*It's over.*

He’s going to die.

*He... hmm?*

"Hmm?"

Freyme froze, staring blankly at the teenager, whose expression remained entirely normal.

*Stare.*

It seemed... she couldn't see any changes?

***

*Not right. Let me look again.*

The mermaid blinked hard, slowly poked half her head out of the water sphere, and squinted at him.

*Stare.*

*This isn't right.*

Why does he look completely unchanged? No signs of decay on his body, no madness in his eyes... hmm?

*Is he really fine?*

Confused, Freyme furrowed her brows. Forgetting the need for restraint, she pushed her entire upper body out of the water, leaned forward, and stretched her neck to close the distance.

*Let me get a good look!*

*Stare.*

Herbert: ?

*What are you doing? Is there something so interesting about me?*

Noticing the mermaid's peculiar, intense gaze, Herbert paused for a moment before looking down at his own chest.

!!!

His white silk pajamas, soaked through by the water, had become translucent. They clung to his toned physique, outlining the contours of his muscles—and two distinct points—

???

*Holy crap!*

*The male gaze. This is literally the male gaze!*

*Folks, can you believe this?*

*I'm shaking with rage. I’ve encountered a sleazy siren!*

*I’m going to post about you on the Fantasy World social app! You pervert!*

"Wait! What are you looking at!?"

Herbert couldn't hold it together this time. He instinctively crossed his arms over his chest, turned sideways, and glared back with suspicion.

"I was just joking around with you before, but are you actually lusting after me? Are you playing for real!?"

Freyme: ?

*Is he finally reacting?*

Seeing his sudden, intense reaction, her first thought was that her singing had finally taken effect. But soon, she realized her mistake based on Herbert's defensive posture and suspicious glare.

*He seems to be... oh!?*

"Wait! You’ve misunderstood! That’s not what I meant!" The siren, realizing what kind of misunderstanding her actions had caused, shook her head repeatedly, desperate to prove her innocence. "I wasn't peeping at your body! I really wasn't!"

She had never felt more embarrassed in her life.

*What on earth am I explaining myself for...*

***

Herbert didn't believe her, however. He snorted, "You weren't peeping? You were practically ogling me! Your eyes were about to pop out of your head."

"I wasn't, I didn't, don't just make things up!"

Freyme waved her hands frantically. The guilty 'peeping tom' retreated under the victim's aggressive questioning, tears of frustration pricking her eyes.

*What is even happening?*

Just as Freyme surrendered, Herbert changed his tune and dealt a heavy blow.

"You didn't look? Why not? Are you resisting because you think my body isn't good enough? Are you looking down on me?"

*Since you want to use the 'male gaze,' don't blame me for hitting back with some 'masculine defense'!*

*Friend, this punch carries twenty years of training—can you handle it?*

Freyme, having never encountered such a tactic, was stunned by this cross-dimensional strike.

Freyme: ?

*Looking down on... what?*

*I’m not looking down on you!*

*I, I, I... why am I even explaining this to you?*

"No!"

*Splash.*

Finally realizing the issue, Freyme sobered up completely. She surged out of the water, forcefully cutting off his line of questioning.

"Stop, stop, stop!"

"Forget all that nonsense! Tell me, how are you still okay!!?"

"Hmm? What do you mean, 'okay'?" Herbert, feeling refreshed after his verbal volley, blinked and tilted his head, perplexed. "Should something be wrong with me?"

*You saw what you saw. I was just joking; I’m not actually afraid of you looking.*

"Do you want to see more?" Herbert asked, making a generous show of starting to undress.

"Hey, hey, hey! Don't take it off!"

Freyme squeezed her eyes shut and turned away, shouting, "Didn't you hear me singing just now?"

"I heard it, didn't I tell you that from the start? So, what are you talking about?"

Herbert scratched his head in confusion, not understanding why she had been so agitated. Recalling his earlier question, he asked, "By the way, why didn't you finish the last line of that song? Is there some special significance to it?"

"You know the song... you really did hear it..."

Freyme felt a sense of hollow loss upon receiving the answer and slowly slid back into her water sphere.

*Glug, glug.*

He really is fine.

There really is someone who isn't affected by my [Song]...