Reincarnated As The Villainess's Son

[The Next Morning.]

[Aljanah Castle.]

The morning light shone through the palace as we walked down the hallway.

Aimar and Elijah were still a little sleepy but I was in my perfect condition.

'Come to think of it, I don't even have to sleep much since I became an eternal.'

Well, I am getting a constant supplement from the mana all day long.

"…Himmel." Elijah said, scratching his face. "Do we really have to go—."

"We got no other choice." I cut him off. "Is there a problem?"

"…Well." He mumbled softly. "You aren't the only Aljanah here."

"...."

Ah, right.

He will perhaps also find a partner that is compatible with him.

'Wait, is that [Main Heroine] with no past a mermaid?'

There is a high chance that we would meet her.

'She is going to tease him to death.'

I shook my head in response, patting his shoulder twice before sighing.

"The fuck is this supposed to mean?" Elijah asked, giving me a bewildered look.

I ignored him and kept on walking until we reached the main hall.

There, the daughter of Verena was already waiting for us.

Levia bowed a little when she saw me, her silver hair spilling around.

She wore a simple white dress instead of her armour.

"When can we move?" I asked, walking closer.

"Right now." She said, gesturing us to follow her.

We began walking once again in the opposite direction.

"Sir Himmel." Levia said, glancing back slightly. "…Mother expressed her disappointment when you didn't visit her last night."

"...."

I opened my mouth but then closed it again.

How the fuck am I supposed to answer that?

Thankfully, Aimar came forward to respond in my stead.

"Don't you find it weird?" He asked. "Your mother calling other men into her room?"

"I believe my mother had something important to talk about." She responded without looking back. "It's just your mind that's dirty."

"....."

Is she stupid?

I am damn sure her mother is ready to take advantage of me at any given time.

How can she not see that?

'….Come to think of it, I really don't know anything about her.'

In the game, a large proportion of the Aljanah family was massacred.

That included Levia and her mother.

The only one that played a critical role in the game was Jacob's youngest daughter.

'…Hmm?'

Levia led us back to the lakeside that I visited last night.

She turned and extended her hand toward my direction.

Confused, I extended my hand as well and she interlocked her fingers with mine.

"Care to explain this?" I asked, giving her a weird look.

"We are going in." She responded, pointing at the lake.

I turned to look at the other two. "What about—."

But before I could complete my words, a translucent bubble-like structure formed around them.

"They will be safe." Levia said, pulling me toward the lake. "Please be mindful of other mermaids."

Behind me, Aimar slapped the bubble around him and Elijah like a goldfish testing its tank.

I ignored them.

"Should I be worried?"

Levia didn't look back, but her grip tightened slightly.

"They are curious creatures," she said in her calm monotone. "But mostly they worship you."

"....."

Levia moved forward over the lake surface and we sank straight into the water.

The bubble carrying the other two moved behind us.

Water wrapped around us, cool but not cold, emitting a small glow.

Levia's hair floated like strands of moonlight, her expression unchanged as she guided me deeper.

A veil of mana appeared around my face, letting me breathe normally.

"Is this your doing?" I asked.

Wow, I can talk underwater.

She just gave a slight nod as we drifted lower, and the world around us shifted.

Finally, she pulled me toward a large circular gate made of shining coral.

"We are entering the Lorelei Crypt," she said. "Please stay close."

Saying so, her body began to emit a bright light.

Her legs joined together and then scales began to cover her form.

In front of my eyes, her legs changed into a mermaid's tail.

'…First time seeing something like this.'

She moved closer to the coral and it shuddered immediately.

The gate split open with a heavy grinding sound, blue runes spiraling in a circle and forming a vortex of light.

Levia guided me inside the vortex.

When we reached the other side, the water became darker but clearer at the same time.

An enormous underground island covered in a transparent spherical dome.

Behind me Elijah and Aimar also appeared still inside the bubble.

Levia guided us towards the spherical dome, as a few figures rushed toward us.

'…Huh, macho mermaids?'

When they stopped in front of us, the water stilled completely.

Three tall male mermaids hovered there, each built like tanks.

One of them crossed his arms over his chest, glaring straight at me.

His tail flicked once, sending a shockwave through the water.

"Who is he?" the mermaid demanded.

Levia straightened beside me, face still calm as ever.

"He is my guest," she said simply. "And you will not touch him."

He squinted his eyes but nodded nonetheless.

All three of them turned and guided us toward the main door that parted open.

The Lorelei Crypt was enormous—so big it felt like sunken buildings built by gods.

Floating lanterns shaped like jellyfish drifted in patterns overhead.

The ground beneath us turned to dry sand as the dome filtered out all water, letting us stand normally.

The bubble around the other two vanished, making them stand on the ground.

She simply walked forward, tail turning back into legs as her glow dimmed.

"Please," she said quietly, "don't touch anything unless I tell you."

I retracted my hand that was about to touch the floating jellyfish.

'Hm?'

I turned my head as I felt a shift in the mana around us.

"My my." A gentle soothing voice echoed. "Aren't you sharp?"

A woman appeared right in front of us, green eyes staring dead into my eyes.

She was tall and regal, her hair long and blue-green, flowing like the ocean itself.

Her lips curved into a faint smile.

"So," she murmured, voice echoing softly, "The fallen came for his bride."

"No actually—."

"Grandma." Levia cut me off, leaving my hand and submerging in the woman's arms.

Grandma?

Nothing about the woman in front of me said old.

Levia clung to her waist like a quiet cat, and the regal woman gently stroked her silver hair.

"My little pearl," she whispered, her voice smooth as flowing water. "You should visit more often."

Levia's expression relaxed for the first time since morning. "Apologies, Grandma Lyssa."

She smiled, patted her head and turned her gaze toward me.

"Where are my manners?" She said, smiling. "My name is Lyssa Nelo Lorelei, the guardian of the mermaid bloodline."

"Himmel." I responded respectfully.

She smiled and gestured toward the main castle at the centre of the dome.

"If you may." She spoke gently. "I would love to talk with you."

"...."

Not this again.

I nodded slightly and Lyssa looked at her granddaughter. "Can you call your aunts for me?"

Levia nodded and began to rush in a different direction.

Lyssa became our guide now, taking us toward the castle.

Aimar slowly creeped to my side, elbowing me.

"Is it just me…" he whispered in my ear. "Or are the three generations of women hitting on you?"

I wanted to argue that Levia isn't, but then I remembered how she gave me special treatment.

'…Fuck, this is genuinely creeping me out.'

"Bro… if the great-grandmother—."

I elbowed him in the ribs hard enough to make him wince.

'Are they all really that eager to become a goddess' puppet?'

This is seriously weird.

Lyssa turned her head slightly, smiling at me. "Can you feel it?"

I tilted my head, glancing up at the crystal castle looming in front of us.

My steps slowed down as I felt a really familiar divinity.

Lyssa smiled, taking us inside the castle.

Inside, the hall glowed with soft blue light.

Water hovered mid-air in floating spheres, showing small illusions.

"Hey, is there?" I asked hesitantly. "Something related to Anastasia?"

Her smile only grew brighter. "Yes." She said. "To be more specific, we guard the Primordial weapon of Lady Anastasia."

Before I could ask, Lyssa gestured for us to sit at a long glass-like table shaped like a ripple.

"Please," she said softly. "Sit. I called for my daughters."

Ah, not this again.

Steps echoed as my head turned toward the door.

Three figures appeared.

….The princesses of the mermaid family.

---

[Aljanah Castle.]

In the dimly lit main room, a woman gently hummed a melody.

Her hand gently brushing the hair of the man lying on her lap.

Nora smiled, giving Jacob a gentle pat on his head.

"Did you complete my task, boy?" She asked, making him look up.

"Yes." Jacob replied as if he was in a trance state. "I have called all of the Aljanahs from Akasha."

"Good~."

She cupped his face tenderly.

"You are so obedient and loyal."

Her fingers slid down to his throat, caressing it as if she were holding something fragile.

Her smile widened just a fraction too much.

"Now," she said softly, "we only need the final piece."

She leaned down, whispering against Jacob's ear. "You will help me get it, right?"

"….Yes." he nodded like a puppet.

Nora hummed again, gentle as a mother.

"Soon," she whispered, stroking Jacob's cheek, "everything that was stolen from me… will be mine again."

Her eyes moved up to the pictures on the wall.

…. Pictures of hundreds of Aljanah heads from the past.

All having the same wife by their side.

The woman who had controlled them for generations.

Nora smiled brightly as she saw her years of planning finally taking effect.

"Soon…."

She whispered once again.