Chapter 41

A clear stream came into view. Despite it being summer, the water flowing from the forest seemed very cold.

The rocks wet by the water appeared to shine from a distance.

Approaching the stream, we stopped the carriage.

I took off my shoes and stepped into the river.

As expected, the water was cold and clean. It was around 2 PM, the hottest part of the day, so the cold water felt very refreshing.

Ah, I've come back. This beautiful nature makes me feel this way.

Looking around, I noticed that we were gradually entering a land with beautiful greenery.

"Here is the Helan territory," I said, turning to explain to Iris and Vain, who had just gotten off the carriage.

"Such a beautiful stream. Kyaa, it's so cold!" Iris said as she stepped into the stream.

"These waters seem to have good fish," Vain pointed out from a different perspective, but he was also right. There were fish visible in the clear stream.

I cupped my hands and drank the water.

It cooled my heated body from the inside. The pure, clean water tasted especially good.

Following my lead, the two of them also drank the water.

"Delicious!" "Good water!" Seeing their happy faces made me feel happy too, and I couldn't help but feel excited.

"Ah, welcome to the Helan territory!"

"Such a wonderful place," Iris said with shining eyes.

For her, it must be a place of dreams, surely it looks beautiful to her.

It makes me feel like I should do my best to entertain them.

"I want to relax here for a while," Vain said, submerging his lower body in the water.

Looking closely, he also had very bright eyes.

Those are the eyes of a playful young boy.

"Would you like to stay here overnight? It gets cold at night, but we have blankets. We can enjoy delicious grilled river fish for dinner."

"Agreed!" Iris jumped up and raised her hand in the stream.

"Alright, let's make fishing gear right away."

First, I asked Vain to find branches that could serve as fishing rods. There's a forest nearby, so he should find them easily.

Iris and I searched the carriage's luggage for fishing line and something that could serve as a hook.

The hook could be made by processing iron. Sharpening the tip should do the trick. The lack of a barb is a bit concerning, but we'll cover that with fishing skills. Vain, in particular, looks like an experienced angler, so it should be fine.

We decided to use a white thread we found as fishing line.

Hmm, the quality isn't great, but it's barely passable.

While we were doing this, Vain returned with three branches of the perfect size for fishing.

He's a reliable guy.

We quickly tied the threads to the branches, completing our makeshift fishing rods.

We attached dried meat as bait.

I wondered if fish would eat meat, but Vain confidently said, "If it smells, they'll eat anything," so all my worries disappeared. What a reliable guy.

I climbed onto the largest rock and let the line down.

It's a waiting game. The scenery is beautiful, so it's the perfect spot to enjoy it while waiting.

Iris let her line down at the edge of the stream, aiming for smaller fish. She also put her feet in the water.

She plans to enjoy both fishing and the coolness of the stream.

Vain went to a deeper spot, submerging up to his waist, and cast his line.

He looked completely focused. He's a serious angler.

Seeing this, Iris and I felt a bit guilty and asked, "Should we go over and help?"

But he replied, "No, this is my way of enjoying it. Enjoy it however you like."

He's serious, but he seems to be having fun.

With that, I enjoyed my fishing without hesitation.

I lay down on the rock, resting my elbow. I slowly and leisurely waited for a catch while savoring the dried meat.

It's a luxurious time.

It's cool in the shade of the trees. The beautiful scenery is soothing.

"Ah, I'm so happy."

"Hehe, you look like an old man now."

Iris called out from below the rock, slightly laughing at my words.

"This is just the edge of the Helan territory, but it's a beautiful place, right?"

"Yeah, I wonder what the center looks like. Seeing Kururi's confident face, it must be a great place."

"Hehe."

"There's a garden and a hot spring surrounded by it. It must be amazing. Can I keep my sanity?"

"Plus, there's a summer resort. It's the best."

"The best."

Iris smiled. The conversation was getting lively, but we hadn't caught any fish yet.

After a while, when the conversation with Iris had died down, I felt a slight tug on the rod.

Huh? Is it a bite?

I immediately stood up and pulled the rod.

The fish had taken the bait, and it was a pretty big one.

Excited, I quickly reeled in the line.

At that moment, plop! The fish slipped off the hook and escaped.

"Oh no," I heard a disappointed voice from the side, but I was even more disappointed.

Is it this difficult without a barb?

"Ah, it's probably difficult for amateurs."

"I haven't even gotten a bite yet, so you're doing great."

"Ah, did you see that? It was a big one, right?"

"Yeah, it was a big one."

Ah, it wasn't a mistake.

What a waste. Ah, what a waste.

But, somehow, I felt motivated after getting a bite.

I attached more dried meat to the hook and let the line down again.

This time, I'll catch it.

After a while, Iris got a bite.

The fish that had taken the bait was thrashing around, jumping out of the water. It was a big one too.

"Stay calm!"

"Okay."

Iris calmly reeled in the line. She knew there was no barb.

Her movements were very cautious, learning from my earlier mistake.

But, cruelly, plop! The fish escaped again with a loud splash.

"Aaaaah!" Iris covered her face in frustration.

Beside her, I couldn't help but laugh, even though I shouldn't.

It was funny to see her do the same thing I did.

In the end, we talked and fished until the sun started to set.

We got a few bites, but none of them made it to our hands.

"Hey, where's Vain?"

Looking around at Iris's question, I realized he was gone.

Oops! We got so caught up in fishing and talking that we forgot about Vain.

He went to a deeper spot, I hope he didn't get swept away!

Thinking about it, I suddenly felt worried.

I put down the fishing rod and went to where I last saw Vain.

The water was up to his waist.

The stream was calm, so he shouldn't have been swept away, but I still felt uneasy thinking about the worst-case scenario.

"Whoosh!" Suddenly, a mysterious sound came from in front of me, and I saw Vain, completely soaked.

He must have been diving in the stream.

"Alright, this should be enough."

Vain was holding a burlap sack, and inside were several fish thrashing around.

It was reassuring to see him.

More importantly, his big catch was impressive, unlike our empty hands. He's amazing!

The air was getting cooler, so we all got out of the stream and started a campfire.

Vain and I were wet, so we changed into dry clothes from the carriage. The dry clothes felt very warm on our cold skin.

"Hey, Vain, aren't you going to change?" I asked, seeing him still in his wet clothes.

"Yeah, I'll just dry these and wear them again."

He's a guy who was planning to live in the mountains. Changing clothes made me feel a bit girly.

By the time the sun set, the campfire was burning well.

We had gathered a lot of kindling, so the fire burned brightly.

Vain was drying his clothes and warming himself by the fire. He was slightly shivering, so I offered him a dry shirt, but he refused, saying, "No, the cold is nice."

Does he have some weird habit? It's a bit scary.

We called the servant, and the four of us grilled the fish we caught.

The aroma was delicious. We were very hungry after a day of activity.

It was like the best seasoning.

When the fish was done, we all dug in.

We ate in silence, enjoying the food.

The fish was in season, rich in fat, and very delicious.

The last bite was bittersweet.

"Ah, that was delicious." After finishing, I leaned back and lay down.

Vain and Iris also lay down.

The servant brought us blankets and went to sleep near the horses.

The three of us covered ourselves with blankets and looked up at the sky.

The sky was clear, and the stars shone brightly.

"Beautiful."

Iris said with emotion. Her face looked satisfied and genuinely enjoying the moment.

Lying down and looking at the beautiful stars. It was indeed a luxurious time.

"Iris is beautiful too."

"Wha!?" "Huh!?"

Suddenly, Vain's bombshell shocked Iris and me.

He then turned back to the stars and said calmly, "The stars are beautiful too."

Iris blushed.

Vain's lack of ulterior motives made it worse. He was just saying what he thought.

That's why Iris was happy and covered half her face with the blanket.

Vain, the wild boy, is amazing. No wonder he's popular!

Snore.

Before we could recover, Vain fell asleep.

It was a very comfortable snore.

He had worked hard catching fish today. We should be lenient with him.

"Vain's asleep," Iris whispered, peeking out from under the blanket.

"He looks so happy. I thought he might be sad without Cross, but he seems to be enjoying it the most."

"Yeah. I wish I could be as honest as that."

"Me too sometimes."

"Hehe, Kururi seems happy too."

"What? I feel like I'm being made fun of."

"No, I'm not. I'm going to sleep now."

"Ah, you're running away."

Iris giggled and fell asleep.

Looking at the gradually quieting scenery, I also fell asleep.

Thanks to the beautiful night sky, we all woke up refreshed the next morning.

We got on the carriage and headed back home.

We were already in the territory, so we should reach the mansion today.

The carriage moved rhythmically down the road.

Towns appeared one after another, and people came out to dance.

"It's Kururi-sama," "Kururi-sama is back," "It's the young master," "We're saved."

We continued without stopping, but it seemed the people were welcoming us.

We passed through several towns, and the voices were similar everywhere.

It was good to see that we hadn't been forgotten, which I was worried about.

However, the people's enthusiasm was a bit concerning.

Does this mean we're that loved?

Well, that's fine.

By noon, the carriage arrived at the mansion.

There stood our grand home, just as it was before.

Of course, there wouldn't be much change in such a short time.

I got off the carriage and returned to my long-absent home with Vain and Iris.