After being forced to step down, the once-annoying nun eloped with me.

Although Margarita did not intentionally spread the word, the people of Isugard were misled into believing that Margarita and Yang Hao had a very good relationship, given the current situation where a regent from another country was interfering in the internal affairs of his own country and the president was cooperating well with him.

Although in a sense they are now just "friends"... in the end, what the public likes most and what distracts them most is nothing more than gossip from the upper echelons.

Thus, through the spontaneous embellishment of various newspapers, and even the promotion by political enemies... this is the situation presented to the people of Issugard:

Miss Margarita is suspected of having an affair, or even a more serious relationship, with the Regent of the United Nations.

...

Although Margarita was indeed secretly pleased, thinking that if they really approved of it, she wouldn't mind going along with it...

But soon, other concerns began to worry Margarita: after all, if there was no real relationship between the two parties, even if she went along with it, it would be easy for others to see through her... This put her in a dilemma.

Ugh.

However, considering that she might have a long time to develop her own ideas, Margarita decided to put the matter aside for later consideration.

The focus now is indeed on the major event of the merger of the two countries.

... .....

For Sirencino, this was the first time she truly understood her identity, instead of being like a child who mistakenly believed she had supreme power and strength just because she heard a slogan.

"In short, Kino... what do you think we Sirens are?"

"grandmother..."

In the underwater town of the sirens.

As Kino swam slowly toward the cave deep inside the house, guided by his grandmother, he racked his brains trying to figure out what she was asking.

As a siren over five hundred years old, the grandmother naturally had her reasons for asking such a question.

But how exactly to answer that is a good question.

Left with no other option, Kino could only offer a less-than-cool answer based on his own understanding:

"Just... an ordinary person?"

Her answer silenced her grandmother. After a moment, her grandmother said: That's right.

Even by royal blood, Sirens are still ordinary people—although they possess powerful flesh magic, they are still human in essence.

However, this only applies to the Sirens of Ysgard at present. For the Sirens of the past, they had long since become nourishment for those who hated flesh and blood.

"...Allandis is, in a sense, a country lacking in magic."

We sirens gave up our fish tails to live on land, and then almost gave up our legs to escape our homeland—ultimately, this has resulted in you, the new generation of sirens, exhibiting amphibian characteristics...

I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing, but Kino, I have to warn you.

The Sirens were once divided into two types: those of land and those of sea, but both types were merely ordinary people.

Grandmother paused for a moment, then shook her head:

"Because Sirens are all ordinary people, the claim that Sirens have royal blood is actually false—because every Siren possesses royal blood, the only difference being the amount."

"Huh... and I was so excited?"

"Kino, your excitement is understandable—because you inherited a little more blood than other children. So it's normal for you to feel proud. But I don't want you to mistake this little bit of extra blood for a chosen one... because if you think that way, your life will be very difficult from now on."

"But I want to be a hero!"

My grandmother, like any normal human grandmother, loves to nag.

Grandmother witnessed the birth and death of many Sirens, and even delivered many children born to Sirens and land people. She had seen many stories and experienced all walks of life, but because of this, she felt that even heroes or kings were just one of the masses.

However, Kino felt that sometimes it might not be the right way to think.

After all, it's not just ordinary people who can save the world, but also heroes—Kino has always thought heroes are cool, just like how the United Nations was willing to give up its interests to unconditionally save the remnants of the colonial army...Kino believes that there must be beings in this world who are more powerful and more worthy of respect than ordinary people.

She also felt that if she could become such a hero, perhaps she could feel satisfied and fulfilled with the rest of her life.

Grandmother didn't think much of it.

She simply said, "If you choose this path, then you must be prepared to suffer."

Then, Grandmother led Kino to the deepest part of the cave. In the seawater, Kino saw crystal-like objects neatly arranged along the rock walls.

On the crystal are many sealed specimens—or rather, the bodies of ancient Sirens.

Kino had never seen these things before. But she could tell at a glance that the difference between ancient and modern Sirens was truly vast. This was especially true after seeing the [Land Sirens].

The terrestrial sirens are more like robust humans than sirens.

They lost the ability to move around in the sea for extended periods, but in their place, they gained stronger limbs.

The Sirens of Haisheng have also changed dramatically compared to the Sirens of today.

Although the upper body is human-shaped, the lower body is a fish tail, which has almost no relation to Kino's current human-headed and human-bodied appearance.

Was it necessary for my grandmother to show me these things?

Just as Kino was wondering about this, his grandmother sighed and said:

“Since your great-granddaughter wants to be a hero, as her grandmother, I certainly can’t keep it from her… But Kino, are you really ready?”

"Huh?"

"Our Siren flesh magic... creating flesh out of thin air is just the foundation."

This is a forbidden art that can create life and even gods... except that the last time we used this magic was to perish together with our enemy.

Are you truly prepared to bear the burden of these forbidden arts?

"Wait, wait, wait?! Isn't the flesh and blood created by our flesh and blood magic supposed to be devoid of any sentience?!"

"That's why I said that none of the young people in Sirens have any technical skills—my granddaughter, do you really think those airplanes [beep] or vibrations [beep] you make are some kind of high-class stuff?"

It's up to us old folks to do it.

We will strive to be intelligent, normal men.

Instead of some random, haphazardly flicking [beep]...

The Siren's flesh magic seems to have only two standards.

One is flesh and blood devoid of any spirit, a mere lump of flesh—a typical example being the airplanes created by the fallen Sirens [beep—], or the hateful flesh and blood that bit through the pillars supporting the continent back then.

The other is sentient flesh and blood... or rather, newly created life.

And that's the main reason why Grandma brought Kino along.

If Kino truly wants to become a hero, then mastering [Spiritual Flesh Magic] is an essential test.

But can this test really be passed easily?

Kino swallowed hard, watching as the specimen of the flesh-and-blood magical artifact sealed in the crystal began to move.

But outside.

While waiting for Chino to bring good news, Yang Hao decided to announce the top priority of the national merger in February—but before that, he needed to talk to his wife at home.

Chapter 5: [The Essence of Siren Magic is the Soul] - 8K

On the afternoon of January 20, Yang Hao returned home once again, a rare occasion, to discuss official business with everyone and also to reunite with his family.

In short, when he brought the girls home again, the first thing he was greeted by was not Theresa's welcome, but little Anna's long-awaited pounce.

"Oh...Anna, you've gained weight."

Feeling the impact of Anna's sudden lunge on his stomach, Yang Hao chuckled and hugged the slightly grown child in his arms. Children seem to grow so fast; it had probably been more than half a year since he'd last seen the baby. The child, who had seemed so small when he held him before, now felt quite big.

Am I just imagining things?

Yang Hao was somewhat suspicious, while Natalia, who had also come to greet him, could only helplessly take Anna from Yang Hao's arms:

"That's how children develop. But Your Majesty, the reason you've returned this time is..."

"We'll be discussing things in the sky with everyone, and if nothing unexpected happens, we'll stay for a few days—it'll be a good way to relax. By the way, could you please let them know about Theresa and Lalumia? Although I'd love to go see her right away, Finn's condition is more worrying."

"Yes. I can see that, after all, she's so tired she's clinging to your clothes... Anna, don't make His Majesty's situation difficult, be good, okay? I'll be back soon..."

Natalie put Anna down and then turned and left in a hurry.

Little Anna, holding Yang Hao's hand, looked curiously at the elf on the other side who could only walk steadily by holding onto the hem of Yang Hao's clothes.

She was curious about what the elf had gone through to be so exhausted. Yang Hao simply carried the tiny elf on his back and turned to Elena, sighing:

"So you didn't stop her, Elena?"

"Helplessly: Her Majesty Finn won't listen to me..."

"I know. Sigh. Elves are pretty stubborn in a way... But never mind. Get some rest when you get home. Anyway, if anything happens in Isgard, the staff left behind will contact us immediately... Let's go. Let's head over there first."

Yang Hao led the elf and Elena back to the meeting room in the Purple Palace. On the way, little Anna proudly told Yang Hao about the changes in their home.

First, of course, is Anna's academic progress; second, Natalia's achievements; and finally, there's the political affairs related to Theresa.

Yang Hao was already very pleased with Anna's few words: although Anna's statement was still immature, it at least proved that Anna was indeed working hard for the path she wanted to take.

She genuinely wanted to become a little empress. However, in the United Nations, even if Anna eventually became empress, she would likely have almost no chance of ruling a country or region...

Or rather, at least for the foreseeable future—after all, the structure of the United Nations' upper echelons, almost entirely composed of immortals or those with long life, preordained this outcome. But was Anna prepared for this?

Yang Hao pulled Anna onto his lap and kneaded her cheeks freely, while little Anna squinted her eyes, seemingly having no complaints about Yang Hao's arrangement.

However, people always change. So Yang Hao still needs to be prepared.

Just as Yang Hao was pondering this, Teresa and the others, who were staring with dead fish eyes, finally returned.

"This is so annoying. This sudden situation has disrupted almost all of our plans... Sigh. If it weren't for Lalumia being here to soothe people with her divine magic at any time, I'd probably be even busier right now."

The little nun muttered to herself, walked over to Yang Hao without any hesitation, sat down next to him, and then, in front of everyone, slumped onto the table.

Lalumia, who entered next, sighed heavily. She went directly behind Theresa, pulled the little nun with dark circles under her eyes to her feet, and sighed:

"Even so, Theresa, you can't be this lazy, can you? At least wait until the meeting is over before you go to sleep, okay?"

"No! Yang Hao, you host!"

"No, Theresa, I came back specifically to talk to you about this... Cheer up a bit. I'll spend more time with you later."

While comforting Theresa, Yang Hao noticed that someone seemed to be missing—where were Naruja and Natalia?

Lalumia explained that Naruja was sunbathing in the courtyard, and because it wasn't on her way, it might take Natalia some time to go and call her over.