I think this was the most embarrassing situation I've been in since I was reincarnated, and considering how red Ariel's face was and that she was now standing with her back to me avoiding looking me in the eye, I believe this is also among the most embarrassing situations she's ever been in.
So trying to think of a solution as quickly as possible, I quickly said. "Wait here for a few minutes, I'm going into town to buy some clothes and I'll bring them back for you."
"Okay..." Was the only thing Ariel managed to say before throwing herself back into the sea and sinking, hiding behind the rock she always stood on when she watched me train.
Grabbing my horse, I rode into town and stopped at the first store I could find.
It was a simple store that only sold simple clothes for peasants, but that was enough for me.
Paying a full gold coin and not even bothering with the change, I left the store with the dress and went back to where Ariel was.
"I'm back, Ariel, you can leave!" I shouted.
Within seconds Ariel was out of the water, still with her head down in shame.
"Do you know how to put on any human clothes?" I asked worriedly, wanting to make sure nothing strange happened now.
Ariel didn't answer verbally and just shook her head sideways in denial.
"I took a dress, it's the simplest piece of clothing women wear. You just need to slip it over your head and arms and the fabric will come down and cover your whole body... I can help you, okay?" I offered sincerely. "My power allows me to stop my clothes from getting wet even when I touch the water, so I can try to use it on this dress so that you don't get wet after you get out of the water, I'll just need to be touching it while you're still in the water, okay?"
Ariel nodded again, still not saying anything.
With her permission, I went behind her and lifted the dress above her head, gently covering her with the dress, then helping her get her head through the right hole and then helping her get her arms through the sleeves of the dress.
Adjusting her mermaid tail to make sure it was covering everything it should, I nodded and said. "Okay, I guess everything's all right now, you can change again."
Ariel heard what I said and was silent for a few seconds before asking me in an uncertain voice. "Are you sure?"
"Yes, Ariel, this time nothing unexpected will happen." I replied confidently.
Accepting my answer, Ariel's body began to glow with a golden light again, this time part of the light was hidden under the fabric of her dress, and when the light finally disappeared, what was keeping Ariel upright were her new pairs of feet, rather than her tail.
Looking down with concern, Ariel finally let out a relieved sigh as she saw that nothing had gone wrong this time.
Then after a few seconds she lifted one of her feet curiously, trying to see how different this new limb was from the tail she had been used to wearing for 16 years, but this caused her to lose her balance and start to fall to the side.
Standing behind her, I quickly grabbed her around the waist and stopped her from falling.
At that point we were both facing each other.
Ariel was in my arms, looking at me with her big, beautiful blue eyes, her cheeks red with embarrassment, but not looking away this time.
The light blue dress I'd bought her matched the color of her eyes beautifully, and contrasted nicely with her bright red hair.
For a second I felt as if time had stopped and I just stood there, holding Ariel in my arms and considering whether I should approach her and kiss her lips.
Ariel also looked at my mouth and her gaze didn't waver, making it clear that she was having the same thought as me at that moment.
Unfortunately, a cough woke us up and I quickly got Ariel up and helped her to her feet while looking at the person who had ruined such a perfect moment.
Ariel was as red as a bell bell pepper, to the point where it was hard to tell her skin from her hair, and quickly hid behind me, showing more dexterity with her feet than I thought possible for someone who had never walked.
The sound came from the sea, where Attina was staring at us with a scowl while holding a golden trident, similar to Triton's, but much smaller than the King's.
"Looks like I ruined your romantic moment..." She said as she alternated her gaze between me and Ariel, who tried to hide even further behind me after seeing that her older sister had just witnessed everything that had happened.
"Ariel just lost her balance and I helped her not to fall, Attina..." I said embarrassed, trying to sound sincere in my response.
Attina just rolled her eyes and replied. "Yes, and I was born yesterday. Ariel, take this here, this is a Trident that our father made for you and forgot to give you. As he knows that the human world is very dangerous, he felt that it would be useful for you to have a weapon to defend yourself from human dangers."
When she said the last part, Attina was looking at me with even more suspicion, not even disguising the fact that those words were said as if Ariel had to protect herself from people like me.
Knowing that there was no point in antagonizing Ariel's older sister, I just shook my head and took a small step to the side while gently taking Ariel's hand.
"Do you think you can walk to Attina?" I asked worriedly.
Ariel looked at the Trident with shining eyes and then shifted her gaze to her feet, slowly trying to start walking.
Using my hand as support, in less than a minute Ariel managed to walk the short distance, slipping a few times and almost falling, but being protected by me each time.
Attina just ignored this and handed the trident into Ariel's hands before casting a suspicious glance at me and returning to the sea.
Ariel looked at the Trident with admiration, swinging it from side to side with her eyes shining.
When Ariel pointed the trident to one side, the water below her reacted and followed her movement; when she pointed the trident to another side, the water also reacted, following the tip of the trident.
The more Ariel played with the trident, the bigger the smile that appeared on her face.
I just stood to the side, watching her having fun with the trident and realizing how familiar it was with my powers of controlling water.
Apparently her father must have enchanted this trident to be like a nerfed version of the one he used, which considering how powerful that weapon was, in no way meant that Ariel's was a weak weapon, just that it was at a level she could use without hurting herself.
After a few minutes having fun with the trident, Ariel apparently remembered that I was still here and looked at me like a scared kitten.
"Eric... I'm sorry, I got so carried away with the trident that I ignored you for so long..." She apologized embarrassedly.
Laughing at her reaction, I replied nonchalantly. "Don't worry, Ariel, I thought it was fun to see you playing with your new toy. I guess now we're both going to control the water to attack our enemies?"
Ariel smiled as she imagined the scene of us fighting side by side against the monsters that killed people and nodded, explaining to me about the trident. "This Trident is like a weaker version than the one my father uses, having basically the same capabilities as his, but in weakened versions, such as controlling water to attack, controlling water to move objects, making shields and water barriers, I even feel like it has a few more applications, but I haven't quite figured out how to use it yet."
Smiling at how excited she was, I commented, "So it looks like from now on when I train, instead of just watching, you'll have to train with me too."
Ariel nodded with excitement at the idea.
Having sorted that out, I helped her get the hang of walking on her own, something she picked up quite naturally in just a few minutes, and helped her onto the horse.
To make sure she didn't fall off, I put Ariel in front of me, while I hugged her from behind and controlled the horse to gallop towards the castle.
At first Ariel was very shy, avoiding talking to me again as she felt how close it was to be held by me like this, but when we started to get close to the city, her curiosity took over and all sorts of questions came from the curious little mermaid.
"Eric, why are there so many clothes in that store? Do people change their clothes every day?"
"Eric, have you ever swum in all the rivers in the city? They're so different from the sea!"
"Those stone buildings are so tall, how do you make them stand so firmly without the water to hold everything up?"
"That group is singing in the street, why hasn't anyone stopped to join them? At sea everyone would be singing along!"
"Eric, why..."
Her list of questions was practically endless, every time something new came up, the curious mermaid would ask me without thinking twice, to which I would patiently answer every detail as didactically as possible.
The people who saw me walking past carrying a girl in a peasant dress were shocked, as this was the first time they had seen me in contact with a girl, but I just smiled at them and waved naturally, making people smile and wave back at me.
I knew this would become the talk of the town, but there was nothing I could do about it, I had to take Ariel to the castle and help her get acquainted as quickly as possible, not to mention the explanations I'd have to give my parents and the combat techniques I'd have to analyze before going out to kill monsters at dusk...
'Today is going to be busy.' I thought.
But considering the fact that I'd already fought the king of Atlantis today, the day could hardly get any crazier than this, right?
--- Cat Notes ---
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