Seek the Demon King.

Your party gathers the belongings they think they may need. For you, it's time once again to don your suit of extraplanar dragon hide and magical wood. You have the advantage of wearing light armour, so while it is easier to move in the loincloth they gave you, this will certainly be beneficial if things go wrong. Snow and Candy on the other hand choose to remain in the cultural garb of this land, likely because their ease of movement matters most with what they normally wear not being armour to begin with, though Snow brings her sword, and Candy her flowered staff. Kailani of course wears naught but a seashell bra, and wields her trident.

Lauo is the only weapon you may need, though hopefully it won't come to that. Now that you're suited up in your gear, both magic and not, it's time to head out following the Witch of Decay's directions to the Maelstrom. There you may find the Demon King herself, whatever kind of person she may be.

Speaking of which, you look to Candy as your party exits the palace. "This Gwynevere. Do you know anything about her?" you ask.

Candy brings her hands behind her head and backstrokes ahead of the party, gazing down her body, between her knees. "A little."

"Care to share before we get there?"

"Only if you say please. Oh pweeeaasssee? And bat your eyelashes."

"I think I'd rather have the Demon King slay us."

"Would you rather know the secret of how my makeup stays on underwater?"

It isn't long before the party finds itself up and out of Nureteru. That's what happens when everyone can effectively fly. Below you is a sky of lights. Schools of colourful fish dart beneath your feet. Then as you cast your eyes to the distance, it's like a landscape of mountains just as you'd see on the surface, though it disappears quickly into a sea of shadow. There is no sun down here. So the farther you get from the city, the more difficult it becomes.

"Maybe later, but right now, I'd rather know more about the potentially super powerful woman we're going to be meeting soon," you say. "So we don't die or something."

"Fine. I do know a few things. One, for example, is that she's incredibly arrogant. A beautiful but cocky type. You know, like the kind that'd put their hand to their mouth and go ho ho ho ho ho when they laugh."

Snow turns her attention towards you. "Are you able to see all right?" she asks. "My eyes are better then yours, and even my vision is starting to fade as we swim deeper into the darkness of the deep sea."

"I can barely see a thing," you admit. "I assume you're fine then, Kailani?"

There's no response. She seems deep in thought.

"Kailani?" you repeat.

She turns her head. "Oh! Sorry. Were you saying something to me?"

"I was asking if you can see in the dark, but now I'm wondering if something's bothering you."

"I'm able to see just fine, yes. And it's nothing. Well, it's just a little something related to what your companion said earlier. Snow."

"Me?" The cat points at herself.

"You said something about you serving a Demon King," she says nervously.

You, Candy, and Snow look back and forth between one another, realizing that a certain bit of information may have been omitted so far.

"... Yeah. I mean, she serves me," you say.

Kailani stops. "Excuse me?!"

The others stop as well as yourself. "I'm not used to people not knowing," you say. "It's a long story--"

"Is that why you came to slay the Witch of Decay all that time ago? To make a move on the Demon King here, and take her land for your own?" She thrusts her finger towards you in an accusatory manner.

"Woah woah. You have everything all mixed up. I didn't even know there was a Demon King here until today, we came through a portal unintentionally the first time we got here, and I wasn't even called Demon King back then. A lot happened after. Plenty of bad things. But now me and my friends live as outcasts from the Empire of Tivera, up in the mountains. Trust me. The title wasn't my idea. I've just slowly embraced it."

Candy wheezes. She holds her bare stomach, and points at the mermaid while cackling like mad. "Y-You didn't... didn't know! That's so funny!"

"It's not funny!" Kailani shouts.

"All right. Let me make you laugh. Here's one. What's more important when fishing for mermaids? Training your rod, or mastering your bait?" Honk honk.

You interject and reach out to place a tender hand on the shoulder of Kailani, and much to your surprise, she only flinches a little before allowing you to do so. "Titles are titles," you explain. "But you won't catch me sending out my allies to corrupt the land and raise the dead. We're gonna talk to this Demon King and help Queen Iri either way, so if you're not comfortable--"

"Right," she interrupts before placing her own hand over yours. "Sorry. I didn't mean to overreact. I know little of the surface and how things work as well."

"That makes sense." Candy peeks into the conversation a little too closely, and upside down as well. "That's why you're unaware that on the surface, touching hands means a proposition of marriage."

"Wh-What?! No, no! I didn't mean to!" Flushed with colour, the mermaid lets go and flutters back quickly.

Meanwhile, you turn your eyes to Snow who swims beside you as she takes a gentle hold of your fingers.

"... What are you doing?" you ask.

"Ah. I was thinking I could guide you in the dark, as my eyes are more keen without light," she replies.