As for the mermaid princess who was captured by Odin and sent to Asgard using Garp, she is now imprisoned in Asgard's dungeon.
She had been awake for some time, but she had not revealed it.
Whenever the warriors of Asgard came to see her, they would always find her lying in her cell as if she were still unconscious. Even though they already knew she had awakened, they did not let on that they knew.
They intentionally let her act freely, because they wanted to know one thing...
What would she do when she thought she had fooled them?
And in the end...
After the warriors of Asgard departed from the prison, the mermaid princess quickly opened her eyes.
She raised her head and frowned deeply, remembering the people who had surrounded her ever since her arrival at this place.
She said with annoyance:
"Who are these people? Why have I never heard of a race like them before?"
She pondered over them for a moment.
Then she continued, trying to understand their nature:
"They are like giants in height and strength... yet like elves in appearance. However, they aren't bulky like giants; instead, they have perfect bodies in terms of height and build."
The mermaid princess had seen many people throughout her life and knew various races and creatures.
Yet, despite trying to recall anything resembling these people, she could discover nothing.
She found no answers.
And so...
She decided she had to focus on something far more important now.
Escape.
She thought to herself:
"It doesn't matter who they are... I have to get out of here first."
She glanced around quickly to make sure no one was watching her.
Then she approached the cell bars, reached out her hand, and touched them cautiously.
At first, she thought it would be easy.
But after a few moments...
Her expression changed.
She realized she couldn't destroy those bars with her ordinary strength.
She took a step back and looked at the bars in astonishment.
"How can this be? Who made these bars?"
She began examining them carefully, as if trying to figure out the nature of the material they were made of.
Then she said in annoyance:
"Did they want to lock up giants in here?"
She sighed in frustration.
"Ugh..."
The mermaid princess was deeply annoyed by this situation.
Ever since she woke up, she had been trying to understand the place she found herself in and figure out the nature of the people living here, but she hadn't reached any conclusion.
And now...
Even the cell bars she thought she could easily shatter were stronger than she had expected.
She dropped her hand to her side and began considering using her true power.
She knew that revealing her power might be dangerous, but she saw no other choice.
If she couldn't destroy the bars with her ordinary strength...
Then she would use her true power.
But before she could do so...
She heard a strange, calm voice in the space.
"There is no need for all this anger."
The mermaid princess froze immediately.
Her eyes widened slightly, and she quickly looked toward the source of the voice.
Someone was stepping toward her cell quietly.
Their voice carried no clear hostility; rather, they spoke as if they had come merely to have a conversation with her.
They drew closer, then said:
"If you want to leave, I will gladly help you with that."
The princess stared at them in silence, but she couldn't discern their appearance or gender because they were standing in the dark.
She hadn't expected to hear such words from anyone here.
As for the stranger...
They continued calmly:
"However, after that, I won't be able to help you with what the people here will do to you once they discover your departure."
Silence fell inside the prison.
The mermaid princess kept watching the figure in the darkness warily.
This was the first time anyone had offered her help since her arrival at this place.
Yet their words didn't bring her relief.
Instead, they made her even more cautious.
For if they could truly help her get out of the cell...
Why would they do it?
And what did they want from her in return?
She kept staring toward their position, trying to make out their form in the darkness shrouding the area, while her mind raced.
She was standing before an opportunity to escape...
But she didn't yet know whether this opportunity was her path to freedom, or merely a trap inside this strange place.
(Author's Note):
Hello everyone! Thank you for your continuous support of this novel; your comments and interactions mean the world to me.
Stepping away from our story here for a moment, I wanted to share another project I've been working on with great passion. I have started publishing a webtoon (comic) on the Webtoon platform titled "Me and the Wolf."
It is a [Comedy / Fantasy] story about a miserable young man and a cunning wolf who is constantly getting him into trouble! If you enjoy my writing style and the way I build scenarios, I promise you're going to love this comic.
I would be so grateful if you could go check it out, subscribe to the series, and let me know what you think in the comments there!
🔍 Search on the Webtoon app for: [Me and the Wolf]