CH 77

The grounds of the Duke’s estate are large.

The main, large irrigation canal flows opposite the main gate of the duke’s residence and from there, a narrower, more user-friendly canal runs through the garden and places for washing clothes and other work, and the water in the narrower canal is designed to eventually flow into the sewage system.

I was fishing for frogs in the main canal this time and even though I had hunted quite a few, they were still abundant.

The levels of those with single-digit race levels go up in an interesting way. On the other hand, I, who am over level 20, have not gone up one level while Mifa has gone up two levels.

Next to me, Erica and Emilia were happily fishing for a huge frog. I’m a little surprised to see a different side to the quiet Emilia.

Mifa, who is with Iris in the back, looks a little bored.

“Mifa come over here and let me catch one for you.”

“Me?”

“Eh? Mifa doesn’t like frogs like Iris?”

“Yes, I don’t like …… frogs.”

“I see.”

“The colors and patterns are kind of creepy.”

“You don’t have to touch it, just try to catch it. I’ll help you.”

“With you? Okay then.”

I let Mifa hold the rod, put my hand on the side of the rod, grabbed the rod together, and threw it in.

Naturally, the frog took a bite immediately. When it took a bite, I let go of the rod and left Mifa alone.

“Awww, Master Luke, it’s pulling me so hard!”

“Pull the rod up and out of the channel!”

Mifa is so cute!

The frog stopped swimming and was pulled out the moment there was no more water resistance. The frog that was pulled out with great vigor, of course, flew toward us.

The frog flew over our heads and flew further back.

We heard a “splat” sound.

I looked and saw a frog bigger than my face was stuck on Iris’s face.

“Kyaaa!!! Luke! What a thing to do!”

Why me? It was Mifa who did that!

“I’m sorry, Iris!　[Clean] Look, it’s clean!”

She won’t forgive me for that! She’s staring at me with very teary eyes, with a face like she’s about to cry.

“Iris, I’m sorry! I didn’t do it on purpose!”

“Mifa-sama is not to blame….. It’s all this prank prince’s fault!”

Iris said “Prank Prince”!

“Ehhhhh! It’s not a prank! It’s just an accident! I didn’t calculate that if Mifa pulled it out, it would fly that way!”

“Well, Iris, he doesn’t seem to be lying. I’m really sorry. It was my first time too, so I couldn’t raise it as well as Erica and the others.”

Iris, who had been in a half-crying state when Mifa said that, realized the blunder of her own statement and apologized to me.

“I am so sorry, Luke-sama, for the impolite remark I made earlier about the ‘prank prince’! Please forgive me!”

“No, I’m not angry. It’s true that I did a lot of naughty things in my own country, but what happened earlier was really an accident. Please don’t misunderstand me.”

“I understand that too. I was too shocked and confused earlier and I’m really sorry for such an outburst ……!”

I guess she must have been really scared. More creepy than scary?

From a girl’s point of view, I guess this is exactly what ‘hair-raising’ looks like…..I’m really sorry.

Lara comes over and changes the mood of the place at the right time.

“Luke onii-chan, I’ve reached level 10!”

“Oh! Congratulations, Lara! Tomorrow, Let’s go to the temple with Mifa to get a job.”

“”Congratulations, Lara!””

“Yes! Thank you! Ehehe! ♪”

It’s time to have dinner, and Lara is now level 10 and ready to go, so we’ll stop here for today.

“Then it’s time to call it a day.”

“Yes!”

But what should I do with all these frogs?

“♪ Master, you can sell those frogs for a good price, about 3,000 jennie per frog. The skin is about 1,000 jennie and the meat is about 2,000 jennie.”

If that’s the purchase price, I guess it’s a pretty good price.

“What are they going to do with the frog skin? 』\

“♪ They are waterproof, very soft, elastic and strong, and are used for shoes, wallets, bags, backpacks, etc. Do you want to process them in the workshop? 』\

“Hmmm, no, I’ll do it here.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

We head to the shed where the three caretakers are.

Originally, this hut was where the gardeners lived.

Since it was a bit far from the main residence and not very big, it seemed to be a perfect place to isolate the caregivers to prevent infection.

The gardeners who used to live in this shed were happy to be able to move into the new building they had built in a hurry.

“I caught some frogs, do you know how to handle them?”

“Eh? His Highness Luke caught frogs?”

“Yes, they’re delicious, aren’t they? You know how to dismantle it, right?”

“Yes…….”

Maybe she regrets having told me that frogs are delicious as she looked at the maid behind me. She’s probably worried that her comment has gotten her into a situation where she caused an offense.

“♪You are exactly right. She imagines the master chasing frogs around, and she thinks, ‘I’m going to get in trouble since I let the prince catch frogs because of what I said’.”

The maid of honor nodded once with and signaled her approval.

“In the meantime, could you try to dismantle one for me?”

The reason we came here …… is that the gardeners used to live here and the kitchen is small but well equipped. The gardeners usually ate their meals in the dining room of the main residence, but when they were hungry or needed a break, they would boil water and drink tea here.

The kitchen of the main residence is currently used by the cooks to prepare our dinner. So I decided to borrow the cooking area I had seen earlier.

She dismantles a frog as she explains.

“First, I’m going to make a cut all the way around the head here, all the way around the skin. This is the most dangerous part of the process because the skin is elastic and difficult to cut through. Then, grab the skin at the point where the cut was made and pull hard toward the body and the skin will peel off smoothly and easily.”

As I watched, it peeled off really nicely.

I took out another one and tried the same thing next to her.

“Oh, wow! It takes a little effort, but it peels beautifully.”

“The skins can be sold, so the more neatly they are peeled like this, the more expensive they are. Once the skin is peeled, we remove the back legs and front legs. The meat from the back legs is very tasty.”

She inserted a knife into the joint where the body and legs are connected and easily separated them.

“It’s bigger than a chicken thigh. The front leg is about the same size as a chicken wing.”

“Yes, in terms of size, it’s like that. But the chicken is delicious because it has skin on it…..The skin on frogs is a bit mangy and elastic and not tasty, so I peel it all off cleanly like this. The hand part at the end is not so nice, so I cut it off at the wrist joint.”

Apparently, the skin has a rubbery texture and is not edible.

The hand part with the water beaks is definitely disgusting.

“The rest of the meat can be removed from the buttocks, back, and around the eyes, but it is not very tasty. And if it’s not cooked properly, it can give you a stomach ache, so most people don’t eat those parts and throw it away.”

“Well….. hmmm, yes! I hunted quite a few frogs earlier, and I’m thinking of selling them because they are too good to throw away. If I sell them without dismantling them, the price will go down because they deduct a dismantling fee, right? I need you three to help me dismantle the frogs tomorrow, can you do it?”

The three of them looked at each other and said that if the chief chamberlain, our boss, gave them permission, they would do it.

“I know it will be a lot of work since there are about a hundred of them, but I will give you all the money from the sale of the skins and meat and you three can split it among yourselves as pocket money.”

I thought they would be pleased, but all three of them looked subtle.

“♪ The three of them are slaves for life and cannot own property. Anything the girls get will belong to the Lord. Besides, they are currently forbidden to leave their rooms except to care for their master’s wives, so even if they were given money, they would have no use for it.’

“I see …… the future of these girls is up to old man Guile.”

“♪ Not necessarily. Being slaves for life means that the girls were abandoned at their parents’ house. They know that if they go home, they will just be sold again, so they cannot go back to their parents’ house. Even if they were suddenly released, they would have no place to live tomorrow.”

“Wow~~, that’s a heavy story …… and it’s up to old man Guile too?”

“♪ Well, it seems that Sasha-san likes those girls, so it won’t turn out too bad.”

That’s not something I can do anything about now.

“Lara, Emilia, Erica, why don’t you try dismantling one of them yourself?”

“I’d love to do it!” Lara said cheerfully.

“I don’t want to……”

“I don’t want to dismantle one myself either.”

Emilia and Erica are not good at the grotesque dismantling work.

“Then let’s just do Lara’s.”

The frog legs with red, white, yellow, and green threads tied to them are taken out of the subspace warehouse.

Lara was a little too strong for her own strength, and with my help, she managed to peel the skin off and separate the legs.

I quickly dismantled the other threaded frogs.

“Lara-chan, next time, let’s use this fork to prick the thighs and make little holes in them.”

In a wooden bowl dish, I made a sauce for seasoning and marinated it.

“You only have a pot for tea here, don’t you?”

The lady-in-waiting answered this question.

“Yes. Originally, this was the gardener’s quarters, but when the gardeners moved, they took everything with them to their new quarters.”

That too, I thought.

I took out three new frogs, a frying pan and a small jar of salt, pepper, garlic, two dried herbs, and rapeseed oil.

“You guys have probably already eaten dinner, but I’ll leave the ingredients for you to have for dinner. The frying pan and seasonings are my gift to you.”

“”Thank you very much, Your Highness Luke!””

They were very pleased.

They are old enough to eat more…… meat is another meal.

After raising our levels through frog fishing, we went back to the mansion.

The head maid, who was waiting for us, was very angry with us for frog-fishing.

“Your Highness Luke, please don’t teach the young lady any strange games…..”

I understand what she’s saying, but I don’t want to ruin the fun Lara is having and the good mood everyone is in, so I don’t do things like apologize honestly.

“What are you talking about? This is hunting! This is not a game! It’s a very efficient hunt, where you get delicious meat and safely raise your race level. Lara, how many levels are you at?”

“Yes! I’m at race level 10.”

“I just got to race level 10, too. Tomorrow, Lara and I will go to the temple to get a job, so could you arrange a carriage for us?”

“Eh In just a little more than an hour, Miss Lara reached level 10?”

The serious-looking head maid lady apologized for calling it a ‘strange game’…….

No, I’m sorry!

It’s a game…. Frog fishing was a game!

What you are saying is actually more correct!　I’m really sorry!