Chapter 246 - Chapter Fourteen: Finis, Second Time
On my second trip to Finis, there was no seasickness.
That's because I was carried in the Bowls belonging to Henry-sama and the others.
Of course, we couldn't just fly into Finis in the Bowls, so we timed it for when the ship approached the coast of Finis, caught up while invisible, and landed. After that, we just proceeded through a calm inlet. Henry-sama and the others, the four of them, flew off for reconnaissance, and we were able to land full of energy.
Meeting us were Aira and the Old Man of Barrel Sake.
Since they have an office near the port, we immediately paid them a visit.
A large magic circle was drawn on the floor, and when I asked what it was, it was [Thought Communication]. They apparently use it regularly when they work.
The souvenirs were Serena's cider, full of carbonation, which we exchanged for mead, and Highway Cookies. I had given the old man a barrel of mead and a barrel of dried meat, so we had a toast together.
(This time, you're going to the north as well, right?)
"That's right. I want to check on what happened to the ghosts."
(They were happy, saying that thanks to you, they can use the Orbs without people dying. I told them that Jeanne would be coming this time, so I'm sure you'll be welcomed.)
"Then maybe I should call Dune and the others too."
At the mention of Dune, the old man's shoulders twitched. He had been drunk under the table and even looked after by her. I heard he became a fan, but his sense of awe also seems strong. In this town, only Aira and this old man know the true identities of Dune and Mel, so it's even more so.
(Before that, you're going to the Water Dragon's lake, right?)
"Yeah. How's Fiona? Is she doing well?"
(She's fine. Mary has visited twice, but I see her once a week, and she's energetic.)
"The Orb hasn't gotten any flaws or cracks? It hasn't been swallowed by a fish...?"
Beatrix poked me, saying I was worrying too much.
"I understand the feeling, but Obaba-sama is there, and if anything happens, Aira will contact Mary immediately through the Ambassador. They're probably sending correspondence back and forth with the home country using the [Teleportation Circle], right?"
Come to think of it, that was true. I had completely forgotten.
"How is the Water Dragon? Is it doing well?"
(It's much better. The spots have almost disappeared. It would be good if Dune could examine it and see it's recovered.)
It's living in a much narrower place compared to the lake. There must be inconveniences.
(However, its appearance has been changing a bit...)
"Appearance?"
(Yes. Somehow, I feel like it's gotten smaller.)
"It's gotten smaller?"
(It might just be my imagination, but even Obaba-sama is tilting her head... It's doing well, though. It's eating fish too.)
When Beatrix and I both looked at Mary, she shook her head. She didn't seem to know.
(When Mary came last month, nothing was wrong. It was from about the week before last, I think. That I felt it had somehow gotten smaller.)
For now, we decided to have Dune take a look.
Since it was already evening, we decided to leave the unloading to the pirates and teleported to the Royal Capital.
In the Royal Capital, we were invited to a dinner party at the Royal Palace. The location seemed to be a private area for the royalty. There was a large magic circle on the floor.
Aira was the host, and the participants were all people working at the workshop.
Everyone was dressed up, but they weren't painted blue. Their hair ribbons were of various colors to match the clothes they were wearing. It seems they've made it so they use blue for official events and other colors for private events. This must be Mary's idea. Aira even had a ribbon made with marble dyeing.
It seemed to be the first dinner party for the Old Man of Barrel Sake. He was in formal wear with a check pattern, but he was full of tension, and his hand holding the cup was shaking.
The King and Queen, and Gwyn-sama and the Crown Princess, only showed their faces briefly and retired early. That's probably so the people from the workshop wouldn't have to stay reserved in the corner.
Once the banquet began, we called Dune and Mel as well, and everyone made a fuss together. We talked about each other's sales and discussed clothes and small items with check patterns or marble dyeing, and the accessories we were making for each other.
The number of people at the workshop had increased, but that was because they had created a new accessory department; they had taken scrolls to the homes of girls who hadn't given their consent before, recruited them, and increased the numbers. They had also built a dormitory with private rooms and meals near the workshop so that those who came from far away could live there, and they seemed to be enjoying the chatter after their three daily meals in the common hall.
Similar facilities are being built experimentally in Sertoria and Medioland as well. The proof is that sales of magic circles and scrolls are growing. It's twenty per year per location. We can manage somehow. I want them to work hard to spread it.
The next day, we went to see the Water Dragon.
The area around the river mouth where the river flows from the lake to the sea had widened considerably. The river mouth itself hasn't changed so that the amount of water flowing into the river doesn't increase, but a place slightly away from it had become like a boat pool, and many boats were moored at the shore. According to Aira, expansion work was carried out to moor boats for transporting fish and so that the Water Dragon could go upstream when it recovered. In fact, several riverboats were moored there.
Setting out onto the lake and going to the temple on the shore, Obaba-sama and the Priestess welcomed us.
"Welcome. Both the Water Dragon and Fiona are doing well."
"I heard that the Water Dragon has gotten smaller..."
"Actually, that is the case. It might be my imagination, but I definitely wanted the Water Spirit-sama and the Flower Spirit-sama to examine it..."
When we immediately went to see it, it came over with a kuon-kuon.
When I gave it fish while stroking its snout, it ate energetically, but the face it brought close was somehow small.
When Flora looked at it, she said it had indeed gotten smaller.
When she asked the dragon, the reply came back that it becomes like this when it leaves the lake.
"The reason its body is large is because of the magic power welling up from the bottom of the lake. So, it seems it gets smaller when it leaves the lake. There's an upper limit to the size, and it's only about two or three times larger at most."
We couldn't help but look at each other.
Does that mean that? Was the Water Dragon originally half that size? And are the fish in the lake huge?
"The large ones are in the deep parts, so they don't usually show themselves. It seems there are only normal-sized ones near the top."
It's like a monster version of a fish. Since the Water Dragon isn't there now, there's a possibility they are increasing.
"Come to think of it, a villager said they saw the Water Dragon swimming in the lake. I thought it must be a mistake since that shouldn't be possible, but..."
It seems they've increased too much and are coming up near the surface.
I called Dune and asked her.
"It's the same as caves or forests. A mouse becomes a rat, right? Deep places like lakes are generally like that."
"Then are there large fish in Nakanohara Lake too?"
"There are. But it's a no-fishing zone, so fishermen don't come, and even if they did, they're only in the deep parts, so they can't really be caught. Besides, the originals are small, so even if they get bigger, humans might not notice."
Well, certainly, if a palm-sized fish doubles in size, no one would think it's a monster.
It seems they've become Dune's daily meals.
"They're more delicious than normal fish. It's like the difference between a pig and a boar. But Nakanohara Lake originally stores more rain and snowmelt than river water, so there are few fish to begin with. That's why there aren't that many. This lake was formed by water accumulating in a deepened valley of a river that connects the upstream to the sea, so there are plenty of fish. That might be why they stand out."
The reported Water Dragon sighting was probably one of those chasing small fish for food and coming up near the surface.
"Then, hey, if we catch the big fish here, wouldn't they sell for a high price?"
Beatrix started saying. If we tried to catch something that big normally, wouldn't the boat flip over?
"The dragon says it's fine. It says they should be able to catch them if they cooperate with humans and drive them into nets. There are quite a few large ones, and if they decrease, others will get big in about three months, so it seems it won't be troubled for food even if they take a few a week."
When Flora translated, it seemed a positive response came back.
(About the boat landing for transporting the fish the dragon eats that we saw earlier—it was going to be useless once the dragon got healthy. If the story just now is realized, it can be used as before to transport the large fish that are caught. If the monster fish sell for a high price, it will also become income for the village.)
"If the King's sanction is granted, let us try it. If the dragon brings income to the village, its value as a guardian deity will also rise. Surely, unscrupulous people like those from the other day will no longer appear."
The unscrupulous person from the other day had, for some reason, been promoted and assigned to the Kingdom Army newly stationed in the village. I'm sure he will continue to spread false information.
When Aira sent a letter to the Royal Capital using a magic circle, a reply came back saying, "I'm dispatching Gwyn, so wait." Apparently, they are positive.
Since it would take more than two hours for him to arrive, we decided to have a boat taken out to go see Fiona.
When she came out of the pulled-up Orb and put on the ring, she hugged me and Beatrix so hard the boat almost capsized.
"Since I'm only awake for two hours a day, the days pass quickly. It's already been three months, hasn't it?"
She was giggling.
Since she talks about various things with Obaba-sama and the Priestess, the two hours pass in a flash, but since she's sleeping during the rest of the time, her sense of days has become strange. Assuming two hours a day, that's fourteen hours a week. Even if a normal person sleeps eight hours a day, it doesn't even amount to one day's worth. In other words, the three months for Fiona are like an event of about ten days. I had been worried about various things, but it seems it was unnecessary.
"See, I told you you were worrying too much, didn't I?"
Beatrix was smirking.
You probably only just realized it yourself.
"The dragon's illness is much better, and the purification of the water is also progressing well. At this rate, it should be back to normal by winter."
On the way back after parting with Fiona, relieved by Dune's words, there was a loud splash.
"It's one of those monster fish. Shall we catch it?"
Dune pointed her right hand toward the sound of the water and gave her fingertips a twist, and a fish larger than a person's height floated up. She apparently knocked it unconscious.
"It's quite large. From its shape, it's a salmon. Normally they go down the river to the sea when they grow, but even if the original was a third of this size, it might be an individual that returned and stayed here. It's delicious."
Obaba-sama explained.
I've eaten salt-grilled salmon in Medioland and Finis.
With pink flesh and rich fat, it was truly delicious. Its charm is that it's sufficiently delicious even when cold.
Everyone gulped at once.
We decided to have Dune catch three of them to eat for dinner.
When we returned to the temple, Gwyn-sama had arrived.
I immediately showed him the salmon we had dragged back.
"It's quite huge. I've never seen a monster fish before. I hear it's edible, but is it tasty?"
"I guarantee it."
Gwyn-sama asked, and Dune answered.
We have to show it to the dragon too.
After it cried kuon-kuon, it immediately bit into it.
When asked if it was delicious, the reply came back that this is the most delicious thing in the lake.
Gwyn-sama gulped.
"Will we be able to catch these in the lake?"
"Salmon go down to the sea and return. I don't think it will be that easy. But I think other fish will be fine. The dragon said so."
"Other fish?"
"Trout, sir."
"Isn't that great!"
It seems it's his favorite. His eyes are sparkling.
The Priestesses built a bonfire and made large fillets rubbed with salt.
They are skewered on wood and roasted over the fire.
The red flesh sizzled, and fat was dripping down.
An indescribable savory aroma began to drift.
While waiting expectantly for it to finish roasting as our stomachs growled, it seemed to have roasted successfully.
Everyone bit into it.
"Delicious!"
"This fat is something else. This is the first time I've eaten such a salmon."
"This is fish? It crumbles in the mouth, yet that moist texture is also..."
The back of my cheeks started to ache.
"It goes well with alcohol. Yes, the strong alcohol here might be better."
At Dune's words, I couldn't stand it anymore, and it turned into a banquet just like that.
Including the Priestesses and Gwyn-sama's attendants, there are fourteen people. Even so, there's plenty left over. Since it's said to be delicious even when cold, we roasted as much as we could, sent Gwyn-sama's attendant on an errand, and had him call the village head and several village fishermen.
The remaining one fish has been kept alive in a hole dug and filled with water.
They were startled to see the real thing and startled again when they ate it.
"Something this delicious is in the lake?"
"That's right. This lake has a mysterious power, and it seems large fish like this grow here. It's like a pig becoming a boar."
Gwyn-sama began his speech.
"I hear there are still more in this lake."
"Can we fish for them?"
"Yes. Even if the one caught this time is special, you'll be able to catch ones that are larger and tastier than normal fish. Even after subtracting the portion the dragon eats, you should be able to catch a certain amount. A certain Water Spirit and the dragon have guaranteed it."
"But how should we catch them..."
"That's where..."
I explained the plan Dune had made after talking with the dragon. They will take out boats and set nets, and the dragon will drive the large ones into them. First, they'll try it once a week with a limit of ten fish, and then they can adjust.
Since the dragon needs to recover, it was decided to start from winter. By then, Flora should be more mobile.
An opinion was also raised about whether it would be good to release fish caught in the river one after another, but Dune gave it a flat rejection.
If the number of fish suddenly increases too much, the balance of living things in the entire lake will collapse. As a result, the water will become dirty. She told them that if they were going to do that, they should give up.
For transporting the fish, they can use the existing boat landing. It's just that a fishing event with the Water Dragon will be added once a week to the fishing they are currently doing. If it goes well, the earnings will increase.
As it turned out, the village head and the fishermen accepted. Though, since the Crown Prince is saying it, they might not be able to refuse.