"Princess, please don't be so willful."
"This isn't willfulness! I know he wants to unify the underwater world and restore the glory of the Atlantis Kingdom, but he's too hasty. He doesn't know how many people will die if he does this!"
"That's why we need your and your father's help, Your Highness. As long as you can become the Queen and unite with the Xebel Kingdom, Our King will surely complete the unification of Atlantis!"
"Then wait until he actually does it. Right now, I just want to be alone here!"
Mera said calmly, then turned to go back into the tower.
But Vulko sighed and gestured to his subordinates beside him.
The subordinates, holding specialized firearms, immediately surrounded Mera, blocking her path as she prepared to leave.
Vulko then said:
"Your Highness, you should have noticed that I brought many people with me, so you should be very clear that you do not have the right to refuse now."
"... Arthur won't let me go."
"Your Highness, what are you saying? Our King likes you, that's why he plans to marry you."
"Lies!"
Mera suddenly became very angry. Her eyes held a mix of grievance and anger, and she said excitedly:
"The person he loves has never been me!"
"... You will understand Our King's intentions, Your Highness. For now, please come back with us."
Vulko seemed to have no intention of saying more to Mera. He nodded to his subordinates, ready to forcibly take Mera away.
But just as the soldiers were about to take Mera away, the seawater beneath them suddenly surged, and the currents became incredibly turbulent.
Countless shattered rocks and sand were swept by the swirling water, striking the submersible parked in front of the leaning tower, and also sweeping away the soldiers and Vulko himself.
The seawater became murky, shrouding Mera's figure.
Mera, caught in the midst of this sudden change, instinctively raised her hands to cast a spell to calm the waves.
But suddenly, a hand reached out from the murky water vortex, gripped Mera's wrist, and with a slight pull, dragged Mera into the water vortex.
"!?"
Wrapped in the water vortex, Mera's heart was startled, but then she found that around her, the raging seawater was as docile as a well-behaved animal.
Where she was, the seawater was unusually calm, forming a stark contrast with the constantly surging currents outside.
"Yo, Princess, you don't mind me suddenly appearing and snatching you away, do you?"
Before Mera could react, a slightly frivolous voice appeared beside her.
She turned her head and saw a familiar person:
"It's you? The... trash collector from that day?"
"...?"
Kevin, who had 'rescued' Mera, had question marks popping above his head.
Trash collector? What the hell kind of trash collector?! Have you ever seen such a handsome person picking up trash?!
Kevin, who had originally intended to show off, almost lost his composure because of Mera's words.
Maintaining his composure, Kevin said impatiently:
"What do you mean, trash collector? I was... never mind, you wouldn't understand. Anyway, I'm kidnapping you now, you don't mind, do you?"
"?"
"If you don't speak, I'll take it as your consent."
Seeing Mera remain silent, Kevin took it as Mera agreeing to his 'kidnapping invitation'. He applied a little force to his hand and pulled Mera out of the water vortex.
Then, using his water control ability, he 'flung' a submersible out of the water vortex. Only then did Kevin and Mera enter it together, preparing to escape in the submersible.
But upon entering the submersible, Kevin looked at the buttons inside and found himself at a loss.
He had never operated this thing before, nor did he know how to use it...
"The start button is here..."
Seeing Kevin staring blankly from the driver's seat, Mera hesitated, then pointed a finger at a certain illuminated button in front of Kevin.
"Oh, thank you."
Kevin reached out and pressed the button. The submersible indeed started. The subsequent operations were no different from a regular automatic car.
Controlling the steering wheel and pressing the accelerator, the submersible shot out like an arrow.
Feeling the push from behind, Kevin couldn't help but praise.
This thing truly lived up to Atlantis's technology; it was fast.
Although it was slightly slower than his own speed underwater.
The submersible carried the two away in a flash, and the water vortex, now uncontrolled by Kevin, returned to calm under Vulko's water magic.
And when he saw the submersible disappear, and Mera also vanish, Vulko immediately lost his composure.
His still handsome face showed a slight distortion, and he roared at his subordinates without any regard for his image:
"What are you doing?! The princess ran away! Hurry up and chase her!!!"
Then he uttered words that only a typical villainous minion would say.
...
Atlantis's technology wasn't that complicated, at least the thing Kevin had just stolen wasn't that complicated.
A few buttons, plus a steering wheel for controlling up, down, forward, backward, left, and right—any land-dweller coming here could easily control it.
This thing even had an autopilot mode!
Turn it on and free your hands!
Kevin fiddled with the submersible, meticulously studying it as if he had received a new toy.
And Mera, who had been 'kidnapped' by him, asked Kevin when she confirmed that the pursuers hadn't caught up:
"Who exactly are you?"
"Hmm? Me?" Kevin looked at Mera: "Didn't I say? Just a passing traveler."
"A traveler would possess such powerful water magic? Do you think I'd believe that?"
"Then what do you think I am?"
Hearing Mera say that, Kevin instead turned the question back to her.
This question stumped Mera. She opened her mouth, then shook her head:
"...I can't guess, but I know your identity is definitely not simple. Such powerful water magic is something I can't even use with my father's trident."
"If you can't guess, then don't. Just think of me as a traveler who also happens to be a kidnapper."
"Kidnap me... do you know what you're saying?" Mera's brows furrowed deeper. She said softly:
"You'll soon be found by Arthur and brought back for execution. Even if your water magic is powerful, Atlantis's technology is even more powerful. They have plenty of ways to deal with water magic."
"Then I just won't get found."
Kevin said nonchalantly.
In fact, even if he were found, Kevin didn't think the Atlanteans could deal with him.
On land, Kevin's strength wasn't particularly outrageous, and he might even lose to Superman in the DC Universe.
But underwater...
Under the enhancement of seawater, he could easily unleash tsunamis several kilometers high. He didn't think any army could withstand the power of nature.
It would be fine if Aquaman didn't come to deal with Kevin, but if he really dared to come, Kevin wouldn't mind letting him taste the 'wrath' of nature.
Mera didn't know where Kevin's confidence came from. She looked at Kevin in surprise, her eyes full of doubt.
However, she didn't voice her doubts. Perhaps she had resigned herself to fate. She was silent for a moment, then asked Kevin:
"So now... where are you taking me?"
Kevin smiled upon hearing this, finally intending to tell Mera his purpose. He looked at Mera and asked:
"Do you know about the legendary trident? The Atlantean King's trident."
"The... Atlantean King's trident? Isn't that just a legend?"
"Yes, I'm going to find that legend now, so I need a little help from a local."
Kevin recalled the plot of Aquaman.
He had only watched Aquaman once and had forgotten most of the plot, but he hadn't forgotten where the legendary trident was located.
Within the Seven Deep Sea Kingdoms, in the territory of the Trench.
A place full of mindless piranha monsters.
Thinking of the Trench, Kevin said to Mera:
"So, do you know where the Trench is? According to my information, the legendary trident is deep within the Trench's territory."
"...The Trench? Are you sure you want to go there?!"
When she heard Kevin's destination, Mera showed shock:
"Don't you know that place is a land of death?"
"Little Princess, for me, there's no such thing as a land of death underwater."
Kevin smiled at Mera.
If Atlantis's technology could still cause Kevin some trouble, then the Trench people, who hadn't developed any technology and had completely degenerated into mindless fish monsters, were, for Kevin, completely like dishes on a table.
Kevin could eat them however he pleased.
"...Lunatic."
Looking at Kevin's confident smile, Mera, however, made such a judgment.
In Mera's eyes, no matter how strong Kevin's water magic was, he could not possibly survive unscathed in the land of death.
Because no matter how powerful water magic was, there would be a limit.
And the fish monsters in the Trench, their numbers could be said to be infinite.
Mera didn't think Kevin could deal with them.
"Don't worry, if you're really scared, you can just tell me the coordinates, and I can go by myself."
Facing Mera's doubts, Kevin offered no explanation.
Anyway, he only needed to touch the trident to complete his mission; there was no need to actually bring someone along.
If Mera was truly afraid, Kevin could let her go after getting the coordinates.
Then Mera could do whatever she wanted; Kevin wouldn't interfere.
However, upon hearing Kevin offer to let her go, Mera instead fell silent.
She hesitated for a long time before turning her head to ask:
"...Are you really sure that the legendary trident is in the Trench's territory?"
"I'm sure... Hmm, I was going to say that, but now that you mention it, I'm a bit unsure again. Where's the nearest land from here? I need to go up and confirm some things."
Kevin had originally wanted to say with certainty that he was sure.
But then he thought, now the King of Atlantis is Arthur, not Orm. Although this place looks like a movie world, many places are different, so Kevin felt it was better to be cautious.
If this was the movie universe, whether it was a parallel universe or not, the legendary trident would still be in the Trench.
But if this wasn't the movie universe, but some other chaotic universe, then whether the legendary trident would still be in its original location was uncertain.
For this reason, Kevin needed to go to land to confirm the situation.
"Do you even know where the legendary trident is...?"
Seeing Kevin seem a bit unreliable, Mera was quite speechless.
Originally, she had seen Kevin's confident demeanor and thought he had confirmed the location of the legendary trident before daring to head straight for the Trench.
But now... Mera could no longer be sure whether this guy truly knew everything, or if he was just a 'Lunatic' who had read a few storybooks and decided to go searching for a legend.
"I know, of course I know. It's just that some things need to be confirmed, don't worry."
Kevin also knew that his repeated words had made the other party lose trust. He coughed awkwardly, then changed the subject:
"Alright, let's not talk about that. Tell me about you. I heard that minister say you're a princess? And you'll become the Queen of Atlantis in the future?"
"...I don't want to talk about this. Can you just let me be quiet?"
Kevin's original intention was to change the subject, but when he brought it up, Mera instead frowned with a hint of disgust, showing no desire to discuss the matter with Kevin.
But seeing the obvious look of disgust on her face, Kevin became even more curious.
What exactly was going on in this world that Mera would so strongly dislike becoming the Queen of Atlantis?