Chapter 24

Duke-sama wouldn't let me go, and the knights were trying not to look at me. Feeling at a loss, I turned to the knights who had just woken up for help.

"Thank goodness you're here! Good morning, Zeph!"

"Good morning, Milady Melphiel..."

Zeph, who had noticed me, looked startled and glanced away, not at me but at Duke-sama. When I looked up at Duke-sama, his eyes were faintly golden and he had a very pleasant smile. I recalled he had mentioned having magic eyes, so had he done something to Zeph?

"Come on, Duke-sama. I understand you're in a good mood!"

"It's just that your reaction was so cute. Forgive me."

"It's not a matter of forgiveness! Please only make jokes when you've had a drink."

I pouted on purpose and looked up at Duke-sama with a sidelong glance. Duke-sama then said, "That's what I find cute," and released me from his embrace.

"Since everyone is up, shall we start preparing the Zanas?"

"Yes, that's a good idea. I'm a bit hungry too. Put on a coat so you don't get cold. You can use mine if you like."

"I'll get ready right away! Oh, and can you please get some oil and grain flour?"

"Oil and grain flour?"

"Yes, I thought I'd make a batter-fried Zanas."

Given the shape of the Zanas, I assumed it was a fish with a mild flavor. If I coated it with a batter made from grain flour mixed with spices and fried it, it would surely be delicious. It would be easy to eat with your hands (though it might be impolite) and could also be put in a sandwich. The knights, who had been listening to me, cheered. Zeph, in particular, looked very excited and volunteered to get the oil and grain flour.

"I'll prepare it!"

"Oh, Zeph. Can I count on you?"

"Of course, Milady Melphiel."

Zeph happily placed his hand on his chest and gave a knight's salute. Good. He didn't seem to be in favor of eating monster meat yesterday, but the salted meat of the Roiamoodler seemed to have changed his mind. I have to work hard to meet everyone's expectations.

I asked Zeph to prepare the kitchen and told Duke-sama what he needed to catch the Zanas, then hurried back to my room. I took out the oil paper with magic arrays for magical fish and trees from my luggage. I also brought a small portable fog crystal. Since magical fish are wet, their magic power can't be extracted without the magic array on the oil paper. I gathered other items I might need and put them in a small leather bag, then put on my coat.

"Duke-sama, I'm ready."

"Me too."

When we returned to the main room, Milady Myran had also woken up. She offered to help with the Zanas' preparation, so we all headed to the dock where the net with the Zanas was submerged. The wind outside was cold, but it was better than the Marshall Raid's wind. When we arrived at the dock, I took out the oil paper with the magic array and unfolded it.

"I was wondering how you would extract the magic power. I see, you'll stick it directly to the Zanas' body."

"Yes. If I drew it on the ground, it would disappear, so I'll use it on this oil paper. The Zanas is a very large magical fish, so I have to stick it on."

It's just a magic array drawn on oil paper, nothing special. It would be easier to stick it directly to the Zanas' body after it's been bled.

"Alright, you guys. Pull up the net."

Following Duke-sama's instructions, the knights started to pull up the thick chain tied to the dock's posts. The fact that it was a chain rather than a rope indicated that the Zanas was a very dangerous monster. The net seemed quite heavy, as it was being pulled up by two people.

"Just a fish, but a magical one. A good strike from the Zanas' tail can be dangerous. It can break bones if you're hit in the wrong spot."

"Did you really catch forty-six of these dangerous magical fish?!"

"It was because the magic power was overflowing. It was good exercise."

Duke-sama laughed and said this casually, but I think it would be impossible for an ordinary person. The Zanas' tail strike was a bit scary, so I decided to move to a place where I wouldn't be affected.

The sound of metal scraping against metal echoed as the net surfaced. When Milady Myran brought the magical light closer to the water, the sound of splashing water could be heard.

"Don't let your guard down!"

"Understood!"

Finally, the net appeared, and inside, a huge Zanas was thrashing about, creating a violent splash. It had a large mouth and a plump body. Its eyes were large and vividly blue, and its color was a dirty green like a swamp. However, its whiskers, dorsal fin, and tail fin glowed a pale blue. This was the Zanas. It was even larger than I had imagined from the documents.

"Amazing! I didn't know it was this impressive. Its sharp teeth and imposing presence really make it a magical fish!"

"This one is about seven or eight years old. It's in season, or rather, it's in the breeding season, so it's very aggressive."

Duke-sama stood in front of me to protect me and lit a magical light in his hand. If the Zanas' sharp, jagged teeth bit me, they could easily tear off my limbs. Its impressive whiskers, which lured prey, were also moving energetically.

"Melphi, are you going to behead it like this?"

"No. Since it's a fish, I'll bleed it first."

I held the slender sword that Duke-sama had prepared for me. It was a sword made by the Galbreath family's blacksmith, and it was heavy enough for me to handle, but it might be difficult for me to bleed the Zanas. The scales and bones of the Zanas, which three knights were holding down, looked very hard.

"What, Melphi. You were going to do it yourself?"

"I thought I could manage it since it's a fish, but it seems I can't."

"Don't be discouraged. I said I could handle rough work, didn't I?"

Those words were from when we first met at the autumn festival. I remember asking if I could behead a monster myself, and Duke-sama said, "Leave it to me."

"Still, I can kill it, but I've never bled one. How do I do it?"

Duke-sama took the sword from my hand and smiled. As expected of Duke Galbreath, he was reliable. Since he offered to bleed the Zanas, I decided to let him do it. I thought I could do it with that sword, but as Duke-sama said, I don't have the strength or skill to handle it. I'll have to ask Duke-sama to teach me the technique next time.

"Milady Myran, let's start!"

At Duke-sama's command, the knights held down the thrashing Zanas. The Zanas' tail was very strong, and it was resisting fiercely, slamming against the ground, but the knights were not giving in.

When the Zanas stopped moving, I approached its head and placed a wet cloth over its large, staring eyes. Fish stop moving when their vision is blocked, and it seemed to work on the magical Zanas as well. It stopped moving as if by magic. I nodded to Duke-sama, who was waiting.

"Duke-sama, stab just behind the eye, right above the gill slit, and twist the blade with a 'gri' motion."

"'Gri'?"

"Yes, 'gri,' like this."

I demonstrated the wrist twist with the sword. It seemed to have been understood, as Duke-sama held the sword with both hands and mimicked the motion, twisting the blade as I did.

"Is this right?"

"Yes, just stabbing won't do it, but if you twist it a few times, it will be fine. When it's done right, the eye color will change instantly."

"Interesting, the eye color changes?"

"Duke-sama, I'm sure you can do it in one go. Please, I'll leave it to you!"

"Alright, leave it to me!"

Duke-sama thrust the slender, sharp blade straight down. It accurately pierced the position of the Zanas' brain, and the impact made the Zanas thrash violently. The knights, who were holding it down, gritted their teeth and strained with all their might.

"Hold on, Milady Myran!"

"Sir, this is tough!"

"Duke-sama, when I remove the cloth from its eyes, please twist the blade immediately!"

"Got it! It's hard!"

The moment I removed the cloth covering the Zanas' eyes, Duke-sama forcefully twisted the blade. The sound of the Zanas' hard bones creaking could be heard, but the blade went in smoothly with Duke-sama's determination. The Galbreath family's blacksmith-made sword was truly impressive. I wanted one too, a sturdy and sharp blade like that.

"Here we go!"

Duke-sama twisted the sword one more time as if delivering the final blow, and a large amount of blue blood gushed from the Zanas' gills. After a moment, the Zanas' blue eyes turned gray.

"Excellent, Duke-sama! The Zanas is perfectly bled. Everyone, good job."

I approached with the oil paper and stuck it to the body of the Zanas, which had opened its large mouth and died. Then, I raised the fog crystal toward the Zanas.

"Next is my turn. Everyone, please step away from the Zanas. I'm about to extract the magic power!"