Chapter 39

After a flurry of activity, the beds were all set up. All that’s left is to move into the room when Camilo has prepared the bedding during our next trip to town. Neither Sermia nor Rike use furniture, so it’s just left around (though clothes are properly stored). Sermia changes her nest regularly, and the room in Rike’s workshop is for family use, so they basically only had communal furniture.

Still, I’m aware that the values from my previous world are strong, and now that Sermia has her own room, I think I should gradually start making some furniture. Maybe I’ll start with a closet...

The next day, the sixth day since I started working on the house, I had set this day aside as a reserve in case something came up, but nothing did, so I’m completely free. The following day, I was supposed to go to town to deliver goods, but since I’m not going this week, I’m free again. I considered rushing to make and deliver something today, but I’ve already told Camilo I won’t be going, and thinking about it, I haven’t really taken a proper break in a long time, except for the days I was injured.

So, I decided to take today and tomorrow off. There’s not much to do in the forest, so my options are limited. This world has its own ways to pass the time, and I’ve seen some games in Camilo’s shop, but they were quite expensive, so I didn’t buy any. I could bring in games from my previous world, like Othello or Shogi, but since I’m in a different world, I’d rather avoid that and do something more local. So, I decided to do something I wanted to do when I first arrived. I prepared and went to invite Sermia and Rike.

About an hour later, the three of us were at a clear stream near the lake. We came to this spot where the lake flows out. It’s quite a distance from home, and the stream flows away from the house, so we don’t come here often. But today and tomorrow are off, so spending the day here relaxing isn’t a bad idea. If we’re lucky, we might even catch some fish for dinner. ...Of course, coming back empty-handed is also a possibility.

I made the fishing hooks from nails I had processed, used the finest thread from home as the fishing line, and fashioned a rod from a good branch I found in the forest (it might even be a tree deer antler). For bait, I used a long worm I found under a rock in the stream.

When I showed them how to hook the worm, Sermia and Rike did the same without much fuss. Sermia lives in the forest, so I assume she’s seen various insects and their larvae, but I was a bit surprised that Rike didn’t react. When I asked, he said,

“No, there are plenty of these in the mountains too. I used to play with them a lot when I was a kid.”

I see.

We spread out a bit and cast our lines. The water is so clear that we can see the fish. They can probably see our shadows too, so they probably won’t bite easily.

There’s no such thing as illegal fishing methods here, and if we used something like stone fishing, we could definitely catch some fish. But this is just for leisure, so there’s no need to focus on results. I need to set up some contingency plans for coming back empty-handed...

It was lunchtime, so we ate sandwiches or something like tacos, made with unleavened bread from home, filled with rehydrated dried meat cooked in wine. The shape is similar to the Kupao (braised pork burger) you might find in Chinatown in my previous world. It’s surprisingly delicious and has a picnic feel. By the way, our catch so far is zero, but Sermia has one and Rike has two. Three fish, similar to iwana from my previous world, are swimming in a small water bottle we brought. I’m the only one with zero. According to Sermia,

“Eizo, maybe you’re giving off too much killing intent.”

So, I’ll try to be more aware of that in the afternoon.

For a while in the afternoon, no one got a bite. Probably because it’s not the right time for the fish to feed. We took a break, picking some blueberry-like berries from nearby. Sermia confirmed that these are edible.

“There are similar-looking poisonous ones in this forest, so when it’s just Eizo and Rike, never pick and eat them on the spot.”

She warned us.

“What happens if you eat them?”

“The poison kicks in about two hours after eating. If it’s bad, you’ll die from the poison. If it’s not as bad, you’ll be paralyzed for a day and a night. Even in the best case, if you’re paralyzed in the middle of the forest after wandering for two hours, you know what will happen.”

“I see. I’ll be careful.”

“Good.”

If being paralyzed can lead to death, it probably paralyzes the respiratory system. If that happens, even with a cheat, there’s nothing I can do. I need to be careful.

We passed the time like this and returned to the stream, casting our lines again. Rike has already caught two, so we have one fish per person.

We have one, but as the head of the household and the boss, I feel like I need to catch at least one. I really want to catch one and go home. As I was thinking this, Sermia burst out laughing.

“Eizo, you’re too focused on fishing!”

Right, strong emotions can be detected by Sermia... Relax, relax. Just be natural, Eizo. As I was doing this,

“The boss’s desire to fish was clear even to me,”

Rike was also chuckling.

“Is it that obvious?”

“Yeah.”

“Yes.”

They both nodded deeply. I felt a bit dejected as I cast my line again.

After that, no one got a bite, and it was almost time to go home when I felt a strong tug on my fishing rod.

“Oh!”

It’s a bite! I calmly set the hook and felt a strong pulling sensation. I must have caught something. I kept the rod up and reeled in the line. The sensation continued. If I get too anxious, it will definitely escape. I need to avoid that at all costs. I kept the line taut and pulled the fish closer.

When it was close enough, I pulled up the line and caught the fish. At least I’ve saved face.

“Finally caught one.”

Compared to what Sermia and Rike caught, it’s a bit smaller, but one fish is one fish. Ignoring Sermia’s slightly exasperated look, we headed home.

That night, we made a campfire outside and grilled the fish we caught. It was delicious, of course. It’s not just the taste of fish after a long time, but also the camping atmosphere.

Thus, the first day of our vacation ended in great satisfaction.