C258: THE QUEEN IS A WITCH

Victory to the five girls who stayed on Saint’s Farm!

I, Zoth Syra, Witch of the Abyss, couldn’t ask for a better outcome.

On the other hand, our enemies were a huge disappointment as high-achieving students at the best school in the Mermaid Kingdom.
They lost a match they were supposed to win.

Even Carp lost face after overconfidently promoting her own students.
But all’s well that ends well for me.

“We won all matches against students from the highest grade…”
“Have we really become stronger?!”

However, our victors are the most confused.
Why the astonishment?

“You’ve been directly instructed by witches expert in different fields and have had hands-on opportunity to experiment and practice your skills. How could you not have improved in such an environment?”
“Master Zoth Syra!”
“So, if anything, there’s no way you’d lose to a bunch of sheltered fries who did nothing but note down formulas in school.”

Which is more beneficial to the development of these children, the farm or the school?
Those who have always believed they’re top class may have been confronted with a harsh reality.
Ohohoho!

“The students I nurtured with all my heart… were utterly defeated?!”

Oh, hey there, Carp.
How do you feel now that you’ve lost when you thought you were going to win 100%?
Hmm? What does it feel like?

“Just how did Princess Angel and the other children grow so fast in such a short period? They were just mediocre students who could’ve never produced such outstanding performance before!”
“Turning them into remarkable students is what the farm’s all about.”

It’s not like I’m one of their residents, but I act like I’m their representative.

“They’ve shown you their undeniable results that even an obstinate person like you will understand. This school is not the best environment to raise these children.”
“But… This is the most prestigious school in the Mermaid Kingdom!”
“So what? Prestigious school or not, it’s no match for a farm with a few witches. You must understand that and back out gallantly.”

That’s the best thing you can do to help these kids’ development.

“No! I cannot!”
“You don’t know when to give up, do you?”
“We let the first princess, Princess Platy, drop out of school… And now her sister, Princess Angel, too?! Our school’s existence might as well be meaningless now!”

Mermaid Witch Academia is a royal institution.
But if they couldn’t get the royals to graduate from it, then I guess they’d question its significance.

“This isn’t over yet!!!”
“Yes, it is. All five matches are over.”
“No, there’s still one match left, and it’s between you and me!” says Carp, glaring at me.

What do you want, woman?

“I challenge you to a match, Zoth Syra! If I win, you must leave the girls here!”
“How deplorable. Are you going to decide these girls’ education through our unrelated confrontation?”
“There is a relation! This match will show the capability of the leader, and the stronger one will lead the younger ones, that’s all!”

There’s a limit to one’s absurdity, you know?
Buuut it’s not as if this tendency of hers to act rashly when backed into a corner is anything new. It’s what obstinate people tend to do.

“But Carp, aren’t you forgetting something important?”

The impulsive thought of challenging me, the Witch of the Abyss.

“Even when you were at your strongest, did you ever challenge me and win once, Witch of Arts?”
“Don’t call me by that name. I am now a teacher at the glorious Mermaid Witch Academia!”

Let’s see how much you’ve improved then, proud teacher.

“Huh? Uhh… Huh???”
“What kind of relationship do they have?!”

The girls watching as bystanders are confused, but don’t worry.
I’ll win and bring you all back to the farm in an instant!

“You can’t.”
“?!”

Whose voice was that?!

“You two used to be on such good terms with each other, Zossy and Carpy. You shouldn’t be fighting.”
“Y-You’re…”

A dazzling mermaid couple appears.

The husband is a dignified-looking merman in his prime with a rich beard and a magnificent tail fin.
His wife is a youthful lady who could be mistaken for a maiden in her twenties, radiating an irresistible charm.

“Your Majesty, Mermaid King Nagus?!”
“Mermaid Queen Mahi too!”

The rulers of the Mermaid Kingdom and parents to Platy and Angel.

“Mom! Dad!”

As if to prove this point, Angel hugs her mother.

“Why are you here? You said you’d wait at the castle.”
“We were going to, but your Dad was too worried, so we decided to see things for ourselves… And it seems that was the right decision.”

Queen Mahi then swims over to us.

“Zossy, you’re still a wanted person, so don’t go on a rampage here. If you attract too much attention, there would be chaos.”

Y-Yes, Your Majesty!

“That goes for you too, Carpy. You’re in a position of responsibility now, so be rational. Or are you going to teach your students to solve problems with their fists?”
“I-I’m sorry, Your Majesty!”

Carp and I freeze in place in front of the mermaid queen, in no position to argue with her.

“But Queen Mahi, this is a matter of prestige for Mermaid Witch Academia!”

Ah, never mind, this woman still has the nerve to argue.

“Our school’s mission is to raise the royal mermaid family into ladies worthy of their lineage. If we can’t instruct Princess Platy, and now Princess Angel too, our existence is at stake. Please give Queen Mahi, give it some thought!”
“Are you talking back to me, Carp?”

Eek!
I told you so!

Not just Carp, but me and the other girls are shaking in fear too!

“Ahem!”

The mermaid king accompanying her clears his throat.
Queen Mahi gasps and keeps her bloodlust in check.

“…Well, now that you’re a teacher, you have to think about the school, don’t you, Carpy? Not that it matters either way to me, really. As long as Platy and Angel grow up fine, academic background matters not.”
“That can’t be! That would make the nation and schools…”
“Hm? Say what?”

Why do you never learn?! You’re supposed to be a teacher, Carp!

“Ahem!”
“Oh! …Don’t worry, we’ll keep the school in mind.”

If the Mermaid King hadn’t coughed, how many times would Carp have been killed by now?

“You haven’t said a word, have you, Zossy?”
“Ah… I’ll say whatever you want me to say, Sis!”
“Didn’t I tell you to stop calling me that after I got married to Darling?”
“I’m sorry, Sis!!!”

Angel and the other mermaids at the school are dumbfounded, unable to comprehend what is going on.

One of the worst troublemakers in the mermaid realm, a member of the Six Witches, and a teacher at the most prestigious mermaid school are terrified before the Mermaid Queen’s presence.

“I want Arowana, Platy, Angel, and all the younger ones to live freely so that they will have no regrets in their lives. Some people accuse me of spoiling them, though.”

Such reckless daredevils exist?

“But being born into mermaid royalty comes with responsibilities, right? So, I’ve prepared a compromise plan. I hope you’ll all accept it for now.”
“OH…”
“You’ll accept it, yes?”
“YES, YOUR MAJESTY!”

Good, you people are clever.
Just do what Sis Mahi tells you to do. That’s the secret to a long life.

“Hey, Master Zoth?” asks Angel. “You seem to be a good friend of Mom. Do you know each other? I didn’t know she’s acquainted with the Six Witches.”
“Well, we used to hang out a weeeeeee bit in the past.”

Please don’t ask me any more than that. I was threatened to be killed if I spilled any more beans.

…
About 20 years ago, Carp and I ran on a rampage led by Sis in the ocean.
But before carrying out our grand scheme to destroy the Mermaid Kingdom, she met a young man. She married him soon after, abandoning our plan altogether.

The title she once bore shook the mermaid outlaw realm to its very core—Mahi Kanne, the Witch of Darkness.

The only people who know about her past are her former underlings, Carp and me, aside from her husband.
That’s why we can’t make a slip of the tongue to her own children, either!

“It’s been a while since we last saw each other, right, Zossy?”
“Y-Yes, Your Majesty!”
“I just want to remind you that our memories remain beautiful only if they are kept close to our hearts.”
“You’re absolutely right, Your Majesty!”

At the very least, Platy must have inherited her outstanding talent from her mother.

With the arrival of the Mermaid King and his wife, neither Carp nor anyone else can interfere.
This matter has been settled peacefully…

…Or not!