"There is no other choice! A frontal assault is guaranteed to fail!" Ariel hissed through gritted teeth. "We must rely on strategy."
The guard, slightly taken aback, nodded in relief. Finally, the prince's brain catches up to his brawn, he thought.
But Ariel's next words shattered that illusion. "Here's the plan: we infiltrate the palace, locate my brother, and then I challenge him to a duel to reclaim Atlantis!"
"..."
Staring at the determined Ariel, the guard's lips twitched involuntarily. Infiltrate how? And more importantly, a duel? With what leverage? A group attack is the only option! Would his brother even agree to a duel? And even if he did, the trident is probably in his hands already. How could we possibly win?
Blissfully unaware, Ariel continued, excitedly outlining his strategy. "If that doesn't work, we'll steal back the Trident! Then any rebellion will be easily crushed!"
"..."
Lost in his enthusiasm, Ariel failed to notice the increasingly strange expressions around him.
Finally, Eric, with a look of martyrdom, swam forward. "Ariel, just tell me, what exactly am I supposed to be doing in all of this?"
Ariel casually waved a hand. "Simple, you just have to cover me until I reach my brother."
Perhaps buoyed by his "concrete plan," Ariel appeared more relaxed than before.
Eric's smile vanished. "..."
So, you fight your brother, and I fight the remaining six-figure army? That's suicide by mermaid!
Taking a deep breath, Eric tried a different approach. "Maybe we should wait until I can return to my kingdom, gather reinforcements, and then discuss reclaiming Atlantis?"
"No!"
"..."
"The situation is urgent! I cannot allow my brother to continue down this path!"
"..."
Eric pursed his lips, his eyes narrowed at the agitated Ariel. Is it possible you aren't 'allowing him,' but rather he's 'allowing you?'
"No time to lose, let's go!"
Ignoring Eric and the guards' protests, Ariel launched himself towards Atlantis.
The two exchanged a helpless glance and reluctantly followed.
...
After they had departed, Harry turned to Tom. "Sir, should we investigate?"
Despite their brief acquaintance, Eric and Ariel had made a favorable impression.
"Hmm."
Watching them disappear into the distance, Tom's eyes narrowed in thought.
That trident… what is it? I find myself developing an unexpected interest.
...
Time passed.
Atlantis was completely overrun.
The original silver-armored guards had been replaced by rebels clad in black scale armor.
"..."
Eric felt a shiver run down his spine as he surveyed the countless merfolk below.
They were currently hidden behind a patch of seaweed and coral on an underwater cliff, not far from Atlantis.
"Ariel... are you absolutely sure there are no other reinforcements?"
Making one last desperate attempt, Eric turned to Ariel, then the guards, and finally the stingray on Ariel's back.
Ariel is convinced he's dealing with the rebellious prince. That means I just have a handful of guards and one stingray to worry about, right? It shouldn't be too difficult, right? All I have to do is hold them off until Ariel wins... Yeah, right! I'd be lucky to last three minutes out there! And that doesn't even factor in the time it would take for them to catch and capture me!
"..."
Ariel seemed to say nothing, yet everything.
"Sigh..."
Eric gave up, resigning himself to fate. His expression hardened. "We'll distract the guards; the rest is up to you."
"..."
Ariel saw the reflection of his own determined face in Eric's eyes. "Understood!"
Ariel slipped away from the coral reef, quietly swimming in another direction.
The guard, looking anxiously at his prince, immediately asked Eric, "What are we supposed to do?"
Eric replied without turning. "Fighting is suicide; we can only run... run as long as we can, run everywhere, and try to attract as many guards as possible."
He hesitated, then added, "While I'm not a slow swimmer, I am much slower than a mermaid."
"Don't worry!"
The guard clapped Eric on the shoulder. "Fast will get you away."
Eric turned, confused. "Your name is Fast?"
"No. Its name is Fast."
The guard pointed to the stingray below him.
"..."
I don't even know your name, but I know your fish's name. Great.
Eric pushed the thought aside. After reassuring the guard that he would protect the stingray, he mounted it and swam towards Atlantis.
The guard swam in another direction. They were splitting up to draw the guards' attention.
...
As Ariel stealthily swam towards the castle, he heard commotion behind him. He knew Eric and the others had launched their diversion.
Time to move!
Ariel quickened his pace, increasing his speed.
Taking advantage of the guards' focus on Eric's position, Ariel, drawing on his knowledge of the castle, slipped in through a side window.
Once inside, Ariel relied on his memory to locate the Sea King's throne. He was certain his brother would be there, consumed by his new position.
With his plan in mind, Ariel acted immediately.
Even if he encountered guards along the way, he was sure his knowledge of the castle would allow him to evade them.
To Ariel's surprise, he encountered no one along the way. His progress was eerily smooth.
Standing before the crystal gate, several meters high, Ariel couldn't shake a feeling of unreality. It was too easy.
---