Chapter 53

"Kyaa!"

As I let out a scream and recoiled, something emerged from the water with a splash almost simultaneously. Kokushin threw down the fishing rod and shielded me from behind. Rada... Rada has fainted.

"Hahaha! Sorry, sorry, I just meant it as a little prank. I apologize, so please don't draw your sword."

The figure that appeared, a man or a woman? laughed without a hint of remorse. A wide, split mouth and round, wide eyes. The hand that scratched the wet hair had webbed fingers.

A merperson, a race specialized for aquatic activities. They don't have gills, but their lungs are well-developed, allowing them to stay underwater for long periods. By the way, their feet aren't fish-like. They look more like fins, or maybe penguin flippers.

"Phew. I was startled..."

Finally, my heart started to calm down.

Kokushin, still on guard, released the sword he had been about to draw. Rada, well, she's out cold, rolling her eyes...

"Ah, really, I'm so sorry."

The merperson, following my gaze, laughed awkwardly.

"No, it's fine. She faints easily. Anyway, why did you come out? I heard merpeople rarely show themselves to humans."

"Hmm? Yeah, but we do have some contact for our daily lives. You could say I'm a diplomat."

"I see."

That makes sense. It's not like they have no contact at all.

By the way, it's a man.

"So, why did you make such an entrance..."

Kokushin seems a bit angry.

"Oh, someone threw some pill bugs in."

"Huh."

The merperson grinned.

"Pill bugs?"

Kokushin hasn't noticed that I'm not using worms.

"They're rare, so I was eating them diligently."

No, you eat pill bugs!

"I accidentally cut the line with too much force. When I came up to see what it was, I happened to make eye contact with that kid. I got a bit mischievous..."

Kokushin took a deep breath, finally relaxing his guard.

"Raito, I told you the bait is worms."

Oh, that's it.

"Sorry. I don't like worms."

"I didn't want to touch them either."

"Oof."

I'm sorry. I didn't notice at all. You were just picking them up normally. At least look uncomfortable.

"So, did you catch what you were aiming for?"

I shook my head at the merperson's question.

"I was aiming for a Trant Fish."

"Oh, those. Want me to catch one for you?"

"Really? That's okay?"

"Sure. It's an apology for scaring you. Just wait a moment."

With that, the merperson dove into the lake with a beautiful form.

But is it okay to count this as our catch?

While I was tilting my head, Kokushin was shaking Rada awake.

"Ah! Something came out... Oh, what?"

Rada, now aware, looked around.

"Rada. I won't tell you not to be surprised, but at least don't faint. If you collapse during a real attack, it puts us in danger too."

Rada hung her head at Kokushin's harsh words. He's not wrong. So far, the journey hasn't been particularly dangerous, but we can't guarantee it won't be in the future. It's much harder to protect someone who's unconscious while fighting. Eventually, we won't be able to protect her, and she'll have to be left in some town.

"I know, but..."

Rada fidgeted with her hands on her knees. Of course, she's not doing it on purpose. It's not something that can be fixed just by being told to. I think it's just a matter of getting used to it.

Splash!

Suddenly, a splash of water echoed. A fish was shimmering in mid-air, describing an arc as it fell. I stared in amazement. Why did a fish suddenly...

"Ha-ha!"

With an even bigger splash, the merperson emerged. This part is like a penguin too. They did a mid-air spin and landed with a splash. It looked cool, but we got splashed too.

"Sorry to keep you waiting!"

They laughed with a wide, split mouth. Their teeth are different from ours.

Rada, well, she's fine. Her eyes are wide open, but she's conscious.

"Is one enough?"

"Yes, thank you."

I looked at the fish, which was still thrashing. It was a carp-like fish about two meters long, with scales that shimmered like a rainbow. They're popular as jewelry.

But to catch a fish of this size with that rod, that's hard mode.

"But is it okay? This must be worth money, right?"

Since it kept thrashing, I pressed the blade into the gill area to subdue it. After a twitch, it calmed down. The scales are big.

"It's fine. In the past, they were a popular item, but our people raised the price too much. Now, adventurers like you are relied upon. We still have other things we can sell, like underwater flowers and pearls, which only we can collect. I don't mind."

"Pearls. I've heard they're quite expensive."

Kokushin's murmur made the merperson grimace.

"That's because they're rare."

I see. So they're doing good business. If they overdo it, they might make enemies, but it's true that only they can collect certain things, and rarity adds value.

I inserted the knife blade into the gaps between the scales. They came off surprisingly easily. When I held the scales up to the sun, they shimmered like a kaleidoscope, showing various colors.

"Ah, I'll help too."

Rada raised her hand, so I handed her the knife and let her take over. I wonder if these can be used as materials for something. I'll have it appraised later. I asked the merperson if they ever eat Trant Fish. They like rotten meat, apparently. Merpeople don't eat them unless they're desperate. Rotten meat eaters, huh.

Let's see.

'Trant Fish

Freshwater fish. Length: 2 to 4 meters. Scales are highly valued as jewelry. Value is determined more by color than size. Omnivorous and voracious, even considering their own kind as food. The flesh can be eaten if you don't mind stomach pain.'

Wow, appraisal! Eat it at your own risk for stomach pain. And it doesn't say it's delicious. No way I'm eating it.

I peeled off the scales and didn't forget to get the magic stone. Hmm. It's small. But the merperson said it sometimes has a water attribute. This one didn't.

The flesh and bones, unfortunately, I released... no, threw them into the lake. The water quickly became lively. Eek, that's scary. Are there piranhas or something? Merpeople are amazing.

"Nina!"

Suddenly, an unfamiliar voice called out. I turned around to see a man running up and inserting himself between us and the merperson.

"What do you want with her!"

You've got the wrong idea. By the way, she is a woman? I mean, she's wearing something like a tank top, and her chest... well, I don't know if she has one or not... I just assumed because she said 'I'!

While I was having this internal struggle, the merperson grabbed the man by the collar.

"I told you not to come here anymore!"

She tossed him over her shoulder. The man described a beautiful arc and dove headfirst into the lake...

Um, what just happened?