Baby System: I'm the Beast World's Only Hope!-Chapter 193: Episode : Too Slow

Roxy drifted through the grand hallway, her iridescent pink tail swishing lazily behind her.

She was clinging to Caspian’s arm, partly because she was still getting the hang of "parking" without drifting into walls, and partly because the sheer scale of the place was terrifying.

Huge, shimmering force fields held back the water in certain alcoves, creating "dry pockets" where plush, velvet furniture sat untouched by the ocean.

So, let me get this straight, Roxy thought, eyeing a dry lounge filled with pillows. They have air-conditioned rooms underwater just for... what? Drying off?

[Dry Pockets are a status symbol. It shows the Monarch can afford to waste mana on maintaining air bubbles just for aesthetic purposes.]

Great, Roxy thought. It’s the underwater equivalent of having a lawn in the desert.

"Stay close," Caspian murmured, his hand resting possessively on her lower back, right where her human skin met the pink scales. "The Palace is a maze. And the currents in the ventilation shafts can suck a small mermaid into the filtration system."

"Filtration system?" Roxy squeaked. "You have a filter?"

Better than I thought.

"We are civilized, Pearl," Caspian scoffed. "We do not breathe stale water."

Suddenly, a blur of purple shot down the hallway.

"BROTHER!"

Roxy flinched, raising her frying pan instinctively.

Nimue slammed into them. She didn’t slow down; she tackled Caspian in a hug that would have crushed a human ribcage.

"You live!" Nimue shrieked, letting go of Caspian and spinning in the water. She looked completely healed. Her scales were shiny, her mana was topped up, and her hair, still glossy from Roxy’s treatment, was floating around her like a halo.

"I am alive, sister," Caspian said dryly, peeling her off him. "Put the drapes back."

Nimue ignored him. Her violet eyes locked onto Roxy.

She froze.

She blinked.

She swam a slow, complete circle around Roxy, her mouth hanging open. She poked the pink tail. She poked the translucent fin. She poked a scale.

"What..." Nimue whispered. "What is this?"

She looked at Roxy’s face, then down at the tail, then back at the face.

"YOU HAVE A TAIL!" Nimue screamed, the sound echoing off the walls. "IT IS PINK! IT GLOWS!"

She grabbed Roxy’s shoulders and shook her.

"How?! You were a Landwalker! Did you shapeshift? Are you a Druid of the Coral Reef? Why did you not tell me? We could have shared tail-polishing tips!"

Roxy opened her mouth, but her brain stalled. How do you explain to a mermaid princess that you bought a tail from a magical Amazon Prime menu using points earned by surviving her brother’s kidnapping attempts?

System, a little help?

[Eros (God of Love): Tell her it was the Power of Love! The kiss transformed you!]

[Ares (God of War): Tell her you killed a pink shark and wore its skin. Establish dominance.]

[Poseidon (God of the Sea): Do not say that, you brute. Just blame it on me. Mortals always blame me for the weird stuff.]

Greek gods? Since when?

[...]

Roxy cleared her throat. She looked Nimue dead in the eye.

"The Gods," Roxy said solemnly, pointing upward. "The Gods of the Deep saw that Caspian was in danger. They saw that my legs were too slow to save him. So... they granted me a blessing."

She swished her pink tail for emphasis.

"They gave me the form of the Sunrise Tide so I could drag his heavy butt out of the abyss."

Nimue gasped. Her hands flew to her mouth.

"Divine Intervention?" she whispered, her eyes wide with awe. "The Old Gods spoke to you?"

"Loudly," Roxy nodded. "Cost me a fortune in... prayer points."

"She saved me," Caspian added, puffing out his chest. "She swam faster than a Barracuda. She is the Chosen One."

Nimue let out a squeal of pure delight. She threw her arms around Roxy, hugging her tight.

"A proper sister!" Nimue cheered. "No more legs! No more drowning! We can swim to the vents! We can hunt the jellies! Oh, wait until Vespera sees this! She will eat her own trident in jealousy! Pink is so in this season!"

Roxy patted Nimue’s back, exchanging a look with Caspian.

I think I just accidentally started a cult, she thought.

"Come!" Nimue grabbed Roxy’s hand. "Mother is in the High Court. She is mourning. She thinks Caspian is dead. We must go crash the funeral! It will be hilarious!"

They swam deeper into the palace.

The architecture grew more intimidating. The hallways widened, lined with statues of past Kings holding spears made of pure diamond. The guards here were bigger, their armor thicker.

But as they approached the massive double doors of the High Court, the mood shifted.

Caspian stopped swimming. He descended to the floor, his tail coiling slightly. The playfulness vanished from his face, replaced with worry...

"Roxy," Caspian said, his voice low. "Listen to me."

He swam close, cupping her face in his hands.

"My mother... Queen Nerissa... She is not like Nimue. She does not care for hair oil or gossip."

Caspian said grimly. "My mother believes that the Throne of the Deep can only be shared by Apex predators. If she smells fear, she will strike. If she smells weakness, she will strike."

[System Alert: Social Encounter Difficulty: SS.]

[Target: Queen Nerissa (Matriarch). Class: Kraken-Slayer.]

[Advice: Do not act like a prey animal.]

"Great," Roxy muttered. "So I just walk in there with my frying pan and act like I own the place?"

"Yes," Caspian nodded. "You hold your head high. You flash your scales. You are the Pink Princess of the Sunrise. You are not a pet."

But I was your pet, and you were the one who got me into this situation!

He kissed her forehead, a brief, hard press of his lips.

"And stay behind me."

Nimue was already at the doors. She waved at the guards.

"Open up, boys! The King is back, and he brought a shiny souvenir!"

The guards, who looked terrified of Nimue, hurriedly pushed the massive golden doors open. The sound of heavy metal grinding against stone echoed through the water.

The High Court was a circular amphitheater filled with hundreds of merfolk, nobles, generals, and elders. They were all silent, floating in rows, facing the empty throne at the center.

The room smelled like clean water.

As the doors fully opened, every head turned.

They saw Caspian, alive and healed. They saw Nimue, grinning maniacally. And they saw Roxy.

The iridescent pink glow of her tail cut through the gloom of the court like a flare. Her silk robe floated around her like a royal cape. Her hair, still smelling faintly of surface flowers, created a scent bubble that wafted into the room.

A hush fell over the crowd.

"The King..." someone whispered.

Caspian swam forward, pulling Roxy with him. He moved with power, his indigo tail beating a slow, rhythmic drum against the water.

"I have returned!" Caspian announced, his voice amplified by his own mana.

He stopped in the center of the room, right in front of the empty throne.

"And I do not stand alone."

He gestured to Roxy.

Roxy straightened her spine. She channeled every ounce of "Main Character Energy" she had. She didn’t cower. She gave a small, cool nod to the room.

"Hi," she said, waving at them.

Suddenly, a massive, black-iron trident slammed into the obsidian floor, inches, literally millimeters, from Roxy’s face. The force of the impact cracked the stone and sent a shockwave that blew her hair back.

A strand of her black hair, severed by the blade, drifted slowly to the floor.

Roxy froze. Her eyes crossed as she looked at the vibrating weapon next to her.

"Too slow," a voice boomed from the darkness above the throne.