Level 1 to Infinity: My Bloodline Is the Ultimate Cheat - Chapter 647

Chapter 647: The Mermaid Princess Appears

“Those shackles were specially crafted by the Merfolk,” Emery Shaw said slowly, his tone calm and straightforward. “Once they’re on, no matter how strong you are, your strength is completely suppressed. They said… if you put them on willingly, they’ll overlook your offense toward the Merfolk clan.”

He finished speaking, glancing at the four limp Merfolk sprawled at their feet. There was no point pretending otherwise—he knew Ethan would never agree to wear those things. It was pure misfortune that they had crossed paths with these twelve Merfolk today.

Ethan narrowed his eyes, though he didn’t attack right away. His voice was steady but laced with suspicion. “They were the ones who summoned me here. And that look they gave me—it was pure disdain. Is this what you meant by Lyla being safe?”

Emery sighed. “We’re just unlucky. We ran into these particular twelve.”

“What do you mean?” Ethan asked.

“These twelve are of the Royal Bloodline,” Emery explained, his tone carrying both irritation and unease. “They’re twelve of the thirty-six Royal Guards. They move together, act together, and the whole clan calls them the princelings.”

“Royal Bloodline? Princelings?” Ethan’s eyes glinted with amusement. “Heh.”

“Go easy on them, will you?” Emery pleaded, noticing the dangerous spark in Ethan’s gaze. “They might be arrogant, but they’re still royalty. If you fight them, the consequences could be serious.”

Ethan licked his lips, studying the short figures before him. Regis had warned him these ones were powerful. He was still thinking of how best to handle them when a sharp, clear voice suddenly rang out across the water.

“Stop right there!”

The words floated through the air, light and musical, like a spring breeze rippling across a still lake. Ethan froze and turned toward the sound.

In the next instant, every one of the ten thousand Merfolk guards hovering in the air dropped to their knees in perfect unison. The twelve short figures ahead of them reacted instantly as well, spinning around and bowing deeply toward the distant voice.

“The Third Princess… thank the heavens, we’re saved!” Emery breathed, his tense expression melting into relief. He quickly bent at the waist in a deep bow.

Ethan kept his eyes fixed on the direction the voice had come from. At first, he saw nothing. Then, just two meters in front of him, the air began to ripple softly, as if stirred by an invisible current.

Out of that wavering light, a small figure emerged—a Merfolk no larger than a human’s arm. Yet there was something entirely different about her.

She had no scales. A waterfall of sapphire-blue hair flowed freely down her back, unbound and unadorned. Her skin was smooth and pale, as flawless as new snow. Her lower half shimmered in pure white, ending not in legs, but a slender, graceful fish tail. On her brow glimmered a delicate star-shaped mark, deep blue like a gem beneath the sea.

Her beauty was unreal, almost divine.

“A… Mermaid?” Ethan murmured, stunned.

He could hardly believe his eyes. She looked exactly like the mermaids from ancient legends. Even the few words she had spoken earlier had been like music—clear, bright, and alive. Her voice alone could silence a crowd. He suddenly remembered the old tales that said mermaids could charm men to their doom with their songs.

“Are you Ethan Caelum?”

Her tone was soft but commanding. Each word was crisp and bright, like pearls rolling across glass.

“Uh… yes, I am,” Ethan said, still staring, wide-eyed. The tiny Mermaid was barely thirty centimeters tall. A ridiculous thought crossed his mind—an almost irresistible urge to capture her and keep her in a glass tank.

“Hmph! You won’t be putting me in any fish tank,” she huffed, pouting as if she’d read his thoughts. “Now follow me! I’ve been waiting for you.”

With that, the little Mermaid turned gracefully, her tail flicking once as she glided through the air, leaving a faint trail of shimmering light behind her.

“Wha… the…”

Ethan just stood there, stunned.

‘What the hell… she can read minds.’

Beside him, Emery’s jaw dropped. “Ethan, you…” He couldn’t even finish the sentence. What on earth was this kid thinking? Putting the Merfolk’s Third Princess in a fish tank?

Even Dragon Child turned her head sharply, giving Ethan a glare that said everything.

A short distance away, Regis and Starfall tried, and failed, to hold back their laughter. The corners of Starfall’s mouth twitched as he thought, Bold. That’s one word for it.

The Mermaid Princess was an Apex State powerhouse, yet his son had the guts—or maybe the stupidity—to think of keeping her as a pet. He couldn’t help but feel a hint of pride. ‘See, Dad? Your grandson’s even more reckless than you ever were.’

The Princess floated a little farther ahead before realizing no one was following. She turned back, her luminous eyes landing on Ethan, and waited silently.

“Uh…” Ethan rubbed his nose awkwardly. With a small, uncertain gesture, he started moving forward.

At once, he felt an invisible buoyancy around him, as if the air itself had turned to water. He tried to adjust his balance, only to spin helplessly out of control.

He flailed for a moment, arms and legs thrashing uselessly. He had never learned to swim.

Giggle…

A soft, bell-like laugh drifted through the air. It came from the Mermaid Princess—clear, melodic, and completely unrestrained.

Ethan froze, mortified.

Behind him, the twelve short Merfolk who had been bowing dared to glance up. Their faces twisted into mocking grins, enjoying his embarrassment far too much.

Ethan’s cheeks heated. Alright, that’s enough of that.

“Damn it… Travel Form!”

Buzz!

Light shimmered across his body. The buoyancy around him instantly stabilized, his movements becoming fluid and controlled.

‘Hmph. I’ve got Seal Form. I’m a Druid afterall.’

He leaned forward slightly.

Swoosh!

In a flash, he shot through the waterlike air and stopped right in front of the Mermaid Princess.

Everyone behind him blinked in disbelief. A second ago, he’d looked like a floundering fool; now he glided like a seasoned swimmer.

But as he stopped, his position ended up directly above the twelve bowing Royal Guards.

“How dare you!”

“You seek death!”

“To stand above our heads—have you no shame!”

“You filthy, lowborn human!”

The words came in a chorus of outrage. Whether by accident or not, Ethan’s position was a serious insult among the Merfolk.

For a moment, Ethan didn’t understand their anger. Then one word hit him: “lowborn.”

His expression darkened.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

In a blur, his footwork exploded into motion—twelve rapid kicks, each one landing squarely on the head of a different Royal Guard.

“How does it feel,” he said coldly, “to have a filthy, lowborn human step on your head?”

“You—!”

The twelve guards’ faces turned crimson, scales bristling with fury.

Ethan leaned slightly forward, eyes sharp. “Me what? Didn’t you see your Princess is here? Now bend your backs… and stay bowed.”

Silence fell. The once-arrogant Royal Guards trembled, still kneeling, rage simmering behind their eyes.

The Mermaid Princess watched quietly, a small, unreadable smile playing at the corner of her lips.