Chapter 22

Today, my new weapon is born.

I heard the news yesterday afternoon.

I was on my way to deliver a new arrow mold that I had taken on from the guild.

It was then, after delivering the mold to the blacksmith, that I heard from the old man:

"Mongrel, your order is expected to be ready today. You should be able to pick it up tomorrow."

It was the day I realized the old blacksmith wasn't just a drunk.

I had thought the order from a while back had been completely forgotten. I never imagined he had actually been working on it.

That day, I went straight home and slept soundly. It had been days since I last slept without drinking. I was so eager for the next day that I didn't even think about anything else.

"Phew... Oh, Mongrel!? I'm just opening the shop... Here, here, your order. I know, I know. It's ready."

And today, I arrived at the blacksmith's and received the item I had ordered.

"Really... What on earth is this part used for?"

"Wow... Impressive. It's polished and slides smoothly... This will do...!"

The item I ordered from the blacksmith was an iron rod guide.

A rod guide is that thing on a fishing rod, the ring through which the line passes. The metal-only version.

"Are you going to use it for fishing?"

"Yeah. It's necessary for the latest fishing rod I developed. Thanks, old man."

"No problem. I didn't do much to it anyway. After casting it, my daughter did most of the work when she had free time."

"So you didn't make it, old man?"

"Stop it. I only make equipment. Do I have time for such things? You should have asked a craftsman in the first place."

That's why stubborn old men who only make long swords are so troublesome.

"Sometime, this rod guide will cause a sensation in the fishing world. Don't come crying to me later!"

"Say that after it happens. If you get a big order, I might consider it. But I don't expect anything like that from you, Mongrel. Hahaha."

"Wait and see."

Even as he joked, the old man saw me off to the door. He was wearing safety boots that had been introduced a little while ago.

These simple safety boots, with reinforced toes, have been used in various workplaces since they were developed and promoted by Lord Chaos.

If they have reduced unfortunate accidents during work, the inventor must be happy.

...I'm not sure how I feel about the public's evaluation of them as work boots that can also serve as armor.

"So, did it take you two days to make the fishing rod?"

"Yeah. I actually wanted to make it foldable, but it wasn't possible due to strength issues."

"Why would you fold it...?"

"I thought it would be less of a hassle. But I realized it wasn't necessary and gave up."

Now, I'm walking to the river with Rina.

Our destination is near the Sylsaris Bridge, the same spot where we caught river shrimp last time.

This time, I brought a fishing rod with a rod guide.

This metal ring guides the line smoothly.

The line is made from the vertical thread of a Sky Forest Spider. It's a long thread taken from a spider living in a forest I've never seen, probably in some far-off country or region.

Despite being thin, it's quite durable, making it perfect for fishing.

It was expensive to have the guild order it, but there was no choice. If I couldn't make synthetic fibers, I had to rely on fantasy materials.

The reel, the part with the handle that you wind to reel in the catch, is large in diameter, allowing for a longer distance per rotation. It's my original design, made from carved wood. In a world without bearings, there's no choice. I have to use my strength to wind it.

Drag? What's that? Is it a dragon subspecies?

"You can catch shrimp without such a complicated setup."

"Well, yeah. But I came here intending to catch them this time... Just in case, the shrimp season might be over. If that's the case, they might not be in the current location anymore."

"Ah, it's a seasonal thing?"

"Yeah. Let's give it a try anyway. If the shrimp don't bite, we can try catching fish with my new rod."

"What kind of fish can we catch?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know anything, do you?"

Life is mostly like that, I guess. We arrived at the river.

I rolled some rocks to get the bugs at the bottom, attached them to the hook, and cast the line into the spot where the shrimp might be.

"Senior Mongrel, what's attached to the end of the line?"

"This? It's called a lure, or a fake bait. I use it with this rod. Like this... yeah."

I swung the rod and cast the lead-weighted lure far.

The lead weight is the only item on this fishing rod that looks like it's made for fishing. It's crucial for achieving the right casting distance.

"Wow..."

Rina was impressed by the line stretching out, but from my perspective, the line's performance wasn't great. The reel is definitely the problem. It doesn't function properly unless you let out some line first.

The lure landed near the opposite bank. This is where the fun of lure fishing begins.

Shrimp fishing involves a lot of waiting, but this type of fishing is all about movement.

"I reel in the line while bringing the fake bait back to me."

"Wow. You cast it so far, but you're pulling it back?"

"Right? By reeling in irregularly and moving the rod, the fake bait looks like it's swimming. It mimics the movement of small fish."

"Ah, I see."

After reeling in, the lure returned to my hand. With artificial bait, you can't rely on the scent to attract fish; you have to make them bite with movement. So, you can't just let the rod dangle and wait.

"Basically, you repeat this process."

"Since the fake bait looks like a small fish, you're targeting bigger fish, right?"

"Exactly. I've used a larger, stronger hook for this."

"..."

"Do you want to try, Rina?"

"I'll do it! It looks fun!"

She seemed interested after my explanation. That's great.

"Press the line here, and hold the rod like this... like this."

"Like this? ...Um, is this how I hold it? I'm not sure..."

"No, the grip should be like this."

"Got it."

The reel is a bit of a makeshift contraption, so it's understandable that it's difficult.

After guiding her with my hands, Rina started casting the lure.

"Wow, it flew!"

Nice cast. But she wouldn't understand the term, so I kept quiet.

"Then, you reel it in. Oh, and keep an eye on the shrimp line."

"Sure. Oh, it's moving! Pull it, pull it!"

After waiting a while with the regular fishing rod, we carefully reeled it in...

"It's a crab."

"Ah..."

We caught a crab, a bit larger than a river shrimp, about 10 cm. It's a decent size and had a strong pull.

"Is the shrimp season over...?"

"Maybe. Do you dislike crabs?"

"No, I like them. I enjoy eating them grilled. But I wanted to eat shrimp this time..."

Rina, reeling in the line with a clunking sound. The quality of the rod can be inferred from the sound.

"I told the people at Artemis about the time we ate shrimp."

"Really, really?"

"Turns out, some of them had never eaten shrimp. Senpai Shina and Senpai Natasha had eaten large ones, but the others wanted to try. So, I thought I'd share the ones we caught with everyone."

What a good kid. I hope she continues to grow up well.

"Well, we can't know for sure until we try."

"Right... Oh?"

"Huh? What's wrong?"

"It feels heavy... Oh, the rod is bending from the tip...!"

"Oh, oh! Did we get a bite!?"

"Really!?"

My new rod, equipped with the rod guide, was bending under the weight.

"Senior! This is really heavy!"

"Keep the rod upright! Slowly, slowly, reel in the line...!"

"Ah, Senior...!"

If it's a big catch, Rina's strength might not be enough.

So, I held the rod from behind, along with Rina's hands...

...Hmm, this solid, stable feeling. The line isn't moving at all, no vibrations.

This is... a snag...

"Maybe it's a snag..."

"...Did I do something wrong?"

Well, you could say she did. But it's hard to tell beginners not to do it.

If we have to put a positive spin on it... "You caught the Earth."

It was impossible to retrieve the lure, and wading through the river was out of the question.

So, here we are.

"For situations like this, a bastard sword!"

I cut the line and called it a day. The lure will have to be recovered when the river water level drops, if it's even possible.

"Ugh, Senior Mongrel... I'm sorry..."

"Don't worry about it. Lure fishing is like this. ...But, a snag, huh. That's tough."

Lures and lines aren't cheap. If they keep getting snagged, it might be too expensive to enjoy as a hobby.

...Wait, does that mean this new fishing rod is useless?

No, it's too early to give up...

"Hey! Rina, the shrimp rod is moving!"

"! Got it!"

When Rina reeled in the rod, she caught another crab of the same size as before.

"Maybe the river shrimp have moved away..."

"Maybe..."

Lure fishing ended quickly with a snag, and the shrimp fishing resulted in only crabs being caught. We caught 23 crabs in total. Both Rina and I caught a lot, but Rina didn't seem to enjoy it much.

...Alright. Since we're here, I'll make the best crab dish to cheer her up!

Rina, leave it to me! I'll protect your smile!

It might take a day or two to prepare, though.

"Well, that's it for today."

"Okay..."

"Cheer up, Rina. Fishing is like this."

"I'm sorry..."

"Don't worry about it."

"Man, it's tough..."

She's serious and responsible, so she takes these setbacks hard.

But don't worry too much. Old men are surprisingly lenient about young people's mistakes.