Ariel took a deep breath of the icy seawater.
This had been planned for a long time, but when she truly faced the Sea Witch, her heart still pounded.
Two human friends, to achieve their wishes, had braved thorns and thistles, answering three questions that seemed incredibly difficult to her as payment.
What price would she have to pay?
Ariel swam to the Sea Hag, hesitating, wanting to voice her wish, yet feeling a little shy.
"My foolish Princess, you don't need to speak; I know what you've come to ask for," the Sea Hag said.
She possessed a powerful magic—when a creature of the sea genuinely desired her help and stood upright before her, the Sea Hag only needed to stare at the supplicant for a moment to know what they wanted.
For a Sea Witch who always fulfilled others' wishes, this was truly a useful magic.
However, for some unknown reason, this mind-reading ability was useless on humans.
Perhaps, the Sea Hag thought, Mermaids' wishes resided only in their minds and hearts, while humans, possessing immortal souls, concealed their wishes deep within their immortal souls—a place even she could not glimpse.
"My beautiful Princess, hahahahaha, your wish is truly the height of foolishness!
"You actually want to remove your fishtail, grow two human legs of flesh, and become a human deformity on land, in human society!
"You want a handsome Prince to fall in love with you, to pour his fervent thoughts and emotions into you, thereby gaining an immortal soul.
"I have never heard of such a thing; a human falling in love with a creature of the sea is truly a ridiculous fantasy."
The Sea Hag burst into laughter after seeing the mermaid princess's wish.
After laughing, this Sea Witch felt a touch of regret:
Originally, she only needed to look at the mermaid princess's wish to naturally know how the Mermaid could obtain an immortal soul.
There was no need to get the answers from the two humans at all!
The Sea Hag then said to the mermaid princess:
"Foolish thing, although this is a stupid wish, I will grant it. Even if it cannot have a good outcome.
"I can brew a potion for you to drink. Take this magic potion, swim to the beach at night, and drink the potion before the first ray of dawn arrives.
"Then, your tail will split in two, twisting into what humans call beautiful legs. It will be like a sharp knife cruelly severing your fishtail, dividing it in two. This will definitely hurt!
"Because those legs are transformed from your tail, you will also maintain your swimming steps, and your dance will be lighter than any dancer's!"
Ariel was overjoyed to hear this.
She hadn't expected her wish could be granted with just one magic potion.
But the Sea Hag only spoke of benefits, which made her uneasy, and she asked:
"Then, what price must I pay to gain these legs?"
The Sea Hag said:
"In this world, where can one gain benefits without paying a price?
"The legs you transform into are, after all, not human legs born naturally, but replicas cut out by the potion's blade-like properties. Therefore, every step you take will be like walking on sharp knives!
"If you can endure these pains, then I can help you."
Before the mermaid princess could respond, Aurora spoke up on her behalf:
"Why is there such a side effect? To have graceful dance steps but be unable to dance naturally on the ground is simply like playing a trick on someone."
This mermaid princess regarded them as friends, and Aurora reciprocated her good feelings.
She genuinely did not want Ariel to endure such unbearable pain.
Aurora glanced at Rhine, recalled her teacher's Transfiguration magic, and mumbled:
"But I've seen it, magicians transform one creature into another, and there are no side effects. Your potion must be flawed!"
The Sea Hag retorted angrily:
"This is not some temporary Transfiguration magic. All things in the world always have their original appearance; Transfiguration magic merely paints a thick layer of makeup on them, but does not alter their essence.
"Magicians transforming one thing into another looks so magical, but it's just a deceptive illusion!
"Before long, things will revert to their original appearance.
"But the potion I brew can bring about lasting change!"
Rhine nodded slightly, knowing that what the Sea Hag said was absolutely true.
Just like in the story of Cinderella, when the midnight bell rang, everything would revert to its original state.
Transfiguration magic would eventually end.
—Perhaps because the time was up, or perhaps it was dispelled by some other magic-breaking artifact.
According to the tabletop games like 'Dungeons & Dragons' in his previous life, only effects with a duration of 'Instantaneous' were undisspellable.
Ariel, fearing that the Sea Hag and her human friends would quarrel, quickly said to the Sea Hag:
"No problem. I can endure it!"
Her voice trembled, but it was quite firm.
Because she thought of that handsome Prince, and her ambition to gain an immortal soul.
"This isn't over yet; a Mermaid without an immortal soul transforming into a human form violates the laws of nature and will incur the world's curse!" the Sea Hag said, "If you fail to win the Prince's love and gain an immortal soul, on the morning of his marriage to someone else, when the first ray of dawn shines upon the land and sea, your heart will shatter, and you will turn into sea foam."
Aurora was even more unable to accept this now, arguing for her Mermaid friend:
"Why? That sounds too strange. You only gave her a potion to grow legs. Why should her life or death depend on the Prince she loves?
"If, and I mean if, that Prince doesn't end up with Ariel, why must she die? Can't she change her goal, find someone else who loves her?
"Ariel is so beautiful; after she turns human, she will surely attract a tide of admirers.
"There are so many handsome and beautiful humans in this world. From another person who truly loves and cares for her, Ariel can also gain an immortal soul!"
When Ariel heard Aurora's words, her heart was half warmed by the concern and half astonished by Aurora's unique way of thinking.
She had never considered such a possibility.
She hadn't even thought about it!
"From another human, someone other than that handsome Prince, I can also gain an immortal soul?"
These two newly acquainted human friends gave her some entirely different insights and directions of thought from before, constantly astounding Ariel.