CH 119

Chapter 119 : The Story Of Aethan (32), A Secard Village Fisherman

*This is Aethan’s point of view*

「Yo, Gendー」(Aethan)

「Aethan, huh? Welcome.」(Gend)

When I entered the only bar in this village, the owner, Gend, welcomed me.

「I was just wondering when you guys finished with Monster Fishing. You want me to prepare the usual beer?」(Gend)

When Gend tried to prepare a cup of beer for me, I hurriedly stopped him.

「No, no. I didn’t come for a drink. We’re going to have a banquet in the village square, so I came to tell you to prepare drinks and food for us. The village mayor will pay you later. Also, can you make snacks from this Tentacles meat that fit with beer?」(Aethan)

While saying that, I pulled the cart I was holding into the shop.

Gend then looked at the Tentacles meat on the cart with suspicious eyes.

「Banquet, huh…? Why so sudden? And what is this tattered chunk of Tentacles meat? Can’t you bring a better one?」(Gend)

「Ah, I’ll explain it later. So, can you turn this into snacks?」(Aethan)

「…Alright then.」(Gend)

Gend reluctantly brought the Tentacles meat to the back of the counter and began to cut it with a kitchen knife.

Perhaps he’s going to make his specialty snack, the spicy stir-fried Tentacles. That goes really well with beer. I became thirsty for beer just from imagining eating it.

「So, what happened at the lake?」(Gend)

「Ah, before that, can I have a beer?」(Aethan)

「Geez, you said you didn’t come for a drink. Oh, well.」(Gend)

Despite looking unwilling to do it, Gend poured my favorite beer into a wooden cup and put it on the counter anyway.

I took the beer, took a sip and began to tell him what happened.

「You know that we ended up fishing for Tentacles for two days in a row because there was a huge demand for Tentacles meat, right?」(Aethan)

Whenever Tentacles meat is sold, the money will be distributed to the fishermen after paying the labor cost of the old man who manages the warehouse. It’s not much, but having an extra income is better than nothing.

「Ah, now that you mentioned it, I heard that Gauche’s daughter’s friend ordered a lot of Tentacles meat yesterday. He was the boy who made the slide in the village square, right?」(Gend)

「Yeah. And you know what? That boy and Gauche’s daughter were participating in Monster Fishing just now.」(Aethan)

「Oi, oi, seriously? Isn’t that too dangerous for children?」(Gend)

Gend looked worried. He has a fierce look but he’s actually a kind man.

Travelers who visit this village sometimes participate in Monster Fishing. It’s pretty common actually. However, most of them usually run away in the middle of the fishing, or end up getting injured.

Gauche was different. He is very strong for a carpenter. But… He was so strong that he broke so many spears and ended up getting banned from Monster Fishing by the village mayor.

Most people participating for the first time seemed to think that they only needed to attack the Tentacles with their long spears from a safe zone, but they were wrong. Tentacles’ legs can extend way longer than you think.

We would like to make longer spears if possible, but we won’t have enough power to stab Tentacles’ bodies if the spears were too long to handle.

「I know, right? Moreover, Gauche’s daughter was in my group, but the boy was by himself. He told us to let him do it alone.」(Aethan)

「Haa!? Making a slide with earth magic and fighting Tentacles are two different things! Why didn’t you adults stop him!?」(Gend)

I knew he would say that.

Speaking of earth magic, you usually make walls and other things from soil. Making a sturdy slide for children in the village square was impressive. However, it’s hard to believe that such a power could be used for fighting monsters.

「I thought so too, but they had the village mayor’s permission. Anyway, keep your voice down and listen.」(Aethan)

After I calmed Gend down, I took another sip of my beer, rested my elbow on the counter and continued talking.

「The first Tentacle aimed for the boy. He was shaken as soon as the Tentacle jumped out of the lake and flew toward him. I wanted to run and try to save him, but…」(Aethan)

「But what?」(Gend)

「The boy stuck his hands forward, and the next moment, the Tentacle’s head was blown up.」(Aethan)

「Wha… Did he use magic?」(Gend)

「Yeah. It looked like he shot several stones at the Tentacle with magic. After blowing up the Tentacle’s head, he lowered his head to us and apologized. I have no idea why he did that.」(Aethan)

「Stones…? Can you even kill Tentacles by throwing stones at them? If that was possible, all villagers could be fishermen then.」(Gend)

「Were you listening? I said he shot the stones, not threw them. By the way, the Tentacle whose head was blown up by that boy is the one you’re cooking right now.」(Aethan)

「I see. So that’s why it looks so messed up…」(Gend)

「Exactly, but that’s not the end of the story.」(Aethan)

「Did something happen?」(Gend)

While taking out a seasoning jar from the shelf, Gend looked at me curiously.

「Yeah. After that, the lord appeared.」(Aethan)

When I said that, Gend put the Tentacles meat that had been cut into pieces in a pot while making a face as if he knew what happened next.

「Ahh, I see… Because the lord appeared, you couldn’t get enough Tentacles, so you guys thought of making a party to cheer yourself up, right?」(Gend)

「Nope, you’re wrong. That boy killed the lord.」(Aethan)

「…………..Ha?」(Gend)

Gend looked at me dumbfoundedly.

I understand what he feels. I must have made the same face when I watched the boy kill that monster.

「A kid smaller than my children was able to defeat the lord, the monster that we, adult fishermen, had been afraid of for years… It’s unbelievable, isn’t it?」(Aethan)

「Are you guys sure that was really the lord…?」(Gend)

「Of course! How could we mistake the lord for a regular Tentacle? Their sizes are obviously different. That boy really did kill the giant monster that had been in the lake since our grandpas were little!」(Aethan)

Gend started into my eyes for a moment and exhaled lightly.

「But… How did he kill it?」(Gend)

「At first he attacked the lord with balls and arrows made of stone, but it didn’t work, and then he started attacking with big earthen plates and was able to cut some of the lord’s big tentacles. At the end, he put a spear made of stone into the lord’s head.」(Aethan)

「That’s… Unbelievable… How’s that boy now? Is he injured?」(Gend)

「Fortunately, he’s fine. The lord attacked him with some kind of poisonous liquid, but the boy blocked it with magic. After killing the lord, that boy looked very tired. Well, he fought such a strong monster, so it’s not weird if he was worn out. He leaned against a beautiful lady who came with him and fell asleep in her embrace. Honestly, I was quiteー No, I was SO jealous!」(Aethan)

「So, I won’t be able to see that boy even if I join the banquet? That’s unfortunate.」(Gend)

「Yeah, but you can see the beautiful lady! I’m sure she will join the banquet. You won’t be able to find such a terrifically beautiful woman in this village, you know!」(Aethan)

「Is she really that attractive?」(Gend)

「Yeah, especially her big breasts!」(Aethan)

「Hoho~ I’m looking forward to seeing her then.」(Gend)

Gend, who was still single, was grinning with his cheeks slightly red.

If he didn’t have such a scary face, he would have been popular among girls, but lately, weak-looking men like Kai are strangely more popular.

「If you want to see her quickly, speed up your hands and finish the snacks already.」(Aethan)

「Ou! I’m getting motivated! I wonder if she will like my food and doesn’t want to leave this village and eventually become my wife…」(Gend)

Gend began to imagine things that would likely never happen.

What a miserable man…

「You should stop imagining things. That lady, the boy, and his twin sister are living in a completely different world from ours.」(Aethan)

「Ha? What do you mean?」(Gend)

「I mean they are on a whole different level than us. Well, you won’t understand until you actually see them yourself. Anyway, can I take the drinks for the banquet first?」(Aethan)

「Alright.」(Gend)

Gend went to the back and brought a few barrels of beer to the counter.

「Well then, please come to the village square once you finish making the snacks.」(Aethan)

「Ou!」(Gend)

I emptied my cup of beer, put the barrels on the cart and left the bar.

My body shook lightly as the cold night wind touched my skin.

Just one cup wasn’t enough. I want to drink more at the banquet.

But… Hahh… I was lucky that my children didn’t come to see Monster Fishing tonight…

Even I, an adult man, was so excited watching the battle between the boy and the lord. If my children saw it, they would have told me they wanted to become an adventurer in the future for sure…

There’s one thing I have noticed after watching the boy’s fight… Only those who have something special in them can do amazing things like he did…

An ordinary human like me can’t even defeat a Tentacle by myself.

Since I can’t live in the same world as those amazing people, I will just keep on building my happiness in this small village with my wife and children. That’s enough for me.

Alright, enough with this feeling of inferiority.

I’m going to enjoy the banquet to the fullest, eating and drinking with that beautiful lady tonight!

It would be great if I could touch her boobs a little by pretending to be drunk. She might punch me in the face though.

While thinking about the banquet, I sped up my pace, heading for the village square while pulling the cart.