Chapter 1042: Mermaid Touched by the Sea God

Frieren remained silent as she finished examining the mermaid’s body, carefully channeling her mana from the head down to the tip of the long, bluish tail. The woman lay completely motionless on a bed specially adapted for her physique; her red hair was spread across the pillow, and the various ornaments she wore were neatly arranged on a nearby table.

"I’m not exactly great with fish," Frieren murmured, running a hand over the area where the woman’s skin gave way to scales, ignoring the look Strax immediately shot her way.

She focused mana into her fingertips once more and allowed a tiny amount to seep into the mermaid’s body. The energy carefully traced the internal channels before returning, enabling Frieren to re-examine the damage she had discovered.

"But her magical anatomy isn’t as different from ours as I’d imagined. The problem is that she was hit by an incredibly powerful blast of mana," Frieren explained, mentally tracing the stranger’s energy pathways and finding damage almost everywhere.

Strax stood by the bedside, watching intently as the ancient elf worked. Outwardly, the mermaid showed only a few cuts, bruises, and damaged scales, but it seemed the bulk of the problem lay hidden deep within her body.

"All the mana channels have been affected. Some are merely overloaded, others have small ruptures, and several have simply stopped conducting energy properly," Frieren continued, slowly withdrawing her own mana before its presence could interfere with the patient’s natural recovery.

Strax shifted his gaze to the mermaid’s peaceful face. She was breathing normally—albeit slowly—and her expression remained so serene that she looked as though she were merely asleep.

"Does that explain why she hasn’t woken up yet?" Strax asked, closely watching for any slight change in the woman’s expression, but found no reaction.

"Not entirely," Frieren replied, moving to the head of the bed and carefully pushing aside some of the long red hair to reveal a purplish area near the back of the head.

She touched the spot with extreme caution, using only a minimal amount of mana to examine the area. The blow had been considerably harder than the external injuries suggested.

"She also suffered severe head trauma. From what I can tell, the impact temporarily disabled several of the brain’s conscious functions," Frieren explained, immediately withdrawing her fingers from the area to avoid causing any unnecessary stimulation.

"So she’s in a coma," Strax concluded, crossing his arms and turning his gaze back to the stranger’s face.

"Yes. Her body is functioning normally—she can breathe on her own, and I found no signs of immediate danger to her life—but her consciousness simply isn’t responding," Frieren replied, finally stepping back from the bed and concluding the most delicate part of the examination.

Strax observed the minor injuries scattered across the woman’s body and then turned his attention to Frieren. If this could be resolved quickly with magic, there was no reason to leave her in that state for days.

"Can you heal her?" Strax asked, indicating the mermaid with a slight nod of his head.

"The external injuries, yes. The mana channels and the brain, no—not while she remains completely unconscious," Frieren replied, beginning to organize some of the instruments used during the exam.

Strax raised an eyebrow slightly, waiting for an explanation before questioning any medical decision. "Healing magic isn’t simply about pouring energy into someone and expecting everything to fix itself. Especially when we’re dealing with the brain," Frieren explained as she picked up a small towel, wiped her hands, and placed it back on the table.

She turned her gaze back to the mermaid, analyzing her breathing for a few seconds before continuing.

"I need her to have at least some level of consciousness before attempting anything more profound. A voluntary movement, a reaction to my voice or to pain—anything that allows me to assess how her brain is responding to the treatment," Frieren added, re-checking the patient’s extremely faint flow of mana.

Strax immediately understood the problem. Healing something so delicate without knowing how the stranger’s body would react could cause even greater damage.

"Then do what you can for now," Strax replied, stepping a little closer to the bed and observing the unconscious woman.

Frieren nodded, but she noticed that Strax kept staring at the mermaid with far more intensity than he would for a mere stranger found in the ocean.

"It seems she might have some connection to what happened in the oceans," Strax added, his gaze briefly dropping to the woman’s long, bluish tail.

"How do you know that?" Frieren asked, immediately turning her full attention to Strax, intrigued by the information.

Strax didn’t answer right away.

He simply raised his left arm.

The Gauntlet of Darkness remained still for a few seconds before beginning to vibrate. The movement was slight—especially since the weapon was still largely depleted after recent tests—but it was clearly perceptible.

"This," Strax replied, moving the gauntlet closer to the mermaid and causing the vibrations to intensify immediately.

Frieren narrowed her eyes and stepped closer to observe.

The black chains attached to the gauntlet began to emit faint metallic sounds, while some of the nearly faded violet lines pulsed very weakly.

"It’s been restless ever since I found this girl," Strax explained, slowly pulling his arm back and watching the reaction subside as the distance between the gauntlet and the patient increased.

Frieren glanced back and forth between the mermaid and the weapon.

"Do you think it recognizes something?" Frieren asked, watching another small vibration ripple through the black plates.

"That’s exactly what it looks like," Strax replied, slowly moving his fingers and feeling the gauntlet continue to react to the woman’s presence.

He let his arm drop back to his side and looked at the mermaid. "The Gauntlet of Darkness was forged from Hades’ Helm of Darkness. Even after everything I’ve done with it, its origins remain rooted in a relic of the God of the Underworld," Strax explained, recalling the same reaction he had felt when he first detected that divine presence permeating the ocean.

Frieren began to grasp the conclusion he had reached.

"Did you sense something similar during the tidal waves?" Frieren asked, her expression turning serious.

"Divine power. Spread throughout the water," Strax replied, the memory of that colossal presence instantly flooding back to him.

He pointed at the mermaid again.

"And now, the gauntlet is reacting directly to her. Given that it originated with Hades, and that this girl appeared in the midst of a maritime calamity bearing the very same energy I sensed in the ocean, the likelihood of her being connected to Poseidon in some way is too great to ignore," Strax explained, keeping his eyes fixed on the unconscious woman.

Frieren remained silent for a few seconds, mentally organizing the information.

"Do you think she might be his daughter?" Frieren asked, once again scrutinizing the stranger’s unusual appearance and her seemingly significant adornments.

"I have no idea. She could be his daughter, a priestess, a servant, someone who received a portion of his power, or simply someone who was struck by that energy and ended up absorbing an absurd amount of it," Strax replied, careful not to turn a reasonable suspicion into a conclusion lacking proof.

He gazed at the mermaid for a few moments before his expression shifted slightly.

"Keep an eye on her," Strax said, the casual air he had maintained throughout the conversation vanishing.

Frieren noticed the change immediately.

"Do you think she’s dangerous?" Frieren asked as she looked at the patient again, though nothing about the unconscious woman seemed particularly threatening at that moment.

"I don’t know," Strax replied, shifting his gaze to the infirmary window, through which one could still see part of the massive expanse of Black Ice that had formed over the ocean.

That was exactly what bothered him.

Usually, he could pinpoint the source of his concern—a hostile presence, a threat, murderous intent, or simply someone too powerful appearing where they didn’t belong.

This time, it was different.

"I have a bad feeling, but I can’t tell if it’s because of her or because of what she might bring to Asgard," Strax continued, turning his gaze back to the sleeping woman.

Frieren crossed her arms.

"Do you think something might come looking for her?" Frieren asked, recalling that the mermaid apparently held enough importance for a colossal creature to cross miles of Black Ice just to deliver her personally to the city’s leaders.

"Maybe. And, honestly, I’d prefer to find out she’s evil," Strax replied, a statement that made Frieren raise an eyebrow slightly.

Strax noticed the reaction.

"If she’s evil, I’ll simply handle the problem. What I don’t want is to discover she’s innocent and that something far worse is coming after her," Strax explained, his concern remaining entirely focused on Asgard.

He had no issue taking in someone who was injured.

But he wouldn’t put his city at risk for it.

If the woman brought with her a threat linked to the seas or the gods, Strax wanted to know before that threat reached the walls.

"I’ll have the medical staff make rounds every twenty minutes. They’ll check her vitals, watch for any reactions, and notify me immediately if anything changes," Frieren replied, picking up a nearby clipboard and mentally organizing a schedule.

Strax nodded.

"That’s good, but don’t overburden anyone," Strax requested, mindful that much of the staff had already spent hours dealing with evacuations, minor injuries, and the aftermath of the earthquakes.

"I won’t. I can split the rounds among enough people so that no one has to spend the whole day caring exclusively for her," Frieren answered, making a few quick notes on the clipboard.

Strax seemed satisfied.

"Perfect," Strax replied, casting one last glance at the mermaid and confirming she remained completely motionless. He started walking toward the door.

"I’m going to check the state of the sea. I don’t want to keep the fishermen’s lives on hold for too long—especially since they’re literally out of work right now," Strax remarked, picturing the many fishermen likely staring at miles of Black Ice where there should have been water.

Frieren almost smiled.

"I imagine fishing through dozens of meters of ice is a bit complicated," Frieren commented, beginning to prepare what was needed to treat the mermaid’s external injuries.

"That’s exactly the problem," Strax replied, placing his hand on the doorknob and opening the door.

Frieren turned his attention back to the patient.

"I’ll let you know immediately if she wakes up or if anything changes," Frieren assured him, starting to channel a small amount of magic to tend to the superficial cuts.

"Do that," Strax replied before stepping through the doorway and letting the door close slowly behind him.

The medical wing corridor was much quieter than when he had arrived. Most of the people brought in after the evacuation had already been discharged, leaving only a few staff members walking between the rooms.

Strax walked a few meters down the hall before stopping.

He let out a long sigh and raised both arms above his head, stretching vigorously until he felt some muscles in his back pop.

"It was only a matter of time before a problem came along for me to solve," Strax muttered as he lowered his arms and resumed his leisurely walk down the corridor.

After everything that had happened in recent months, perhaps the strangest thing had been the relatively quiet period Asgard had recently experienced.

Tartarus.

Hades.

Zeus.

The Titans.

Now, Poseidon seemed to have decided to enter the equation somehow.

Strax put both hands in his pockets and kept walking. "At least now it seems the problem lies with the gods. It was only a matter of time before something like this happened," Strax remarked as he headed toward the headquarters’ exit, strangely calm at the prospect of yet another deity entering his life.