Isekai Nonbiri Sozai Saishu Seikatsu - Chapter 116

“Ah, if I get too caught up, I’ll end up collecting various materials all night long.”

While in the midst of collecting Kultaros honey, I suddenly thought to myself.

I’m aware of my bad habit of getting so absorbed in gathering that I lose track of time. So, I should return to the main task while I’m thinking about it.

I actually wanted to search for some other materials a bit more, but today’s goal is catching Sarabi, so there’s no helping it.

Sarabi inhabits the lake ahead, so I press on steadily.

Relying on the faint moonlight and light balls, I progress and eventually reach an open area.

There, a vast lake lies before me, reflecting the starry sky with the moonlight.

The stars in the sky, both above and below, are so beautiful, and I gaze quietly for a while.

The night lake is enchanting and incredibly beautiful. It offers a different scenery and atmosphere from the silence of daytime, which feels very pleasant.

Unlike Lindblum’s sea, here the quiet sound of waves gently massages my eardrums.

Once Lumia gets a bit more accustomed to the forest, I’d like to show her this scenery.

After satisfying my gaze, I make sure there are no monsters around and head towards the shore.

I shine the light ball onto the water’s surface and see small fish swimming near the shore.

“Oh, there are fish. Could these be Sarabi, by any chance?”

I’ve seen them in the market, but would they really be in such shallow waters? I’m not entirely confident, so I’ll appraise them, just to be sure.

【Sarabi】

A nocturnal small fish. They reside in deep waters during the day and never come to shallow areas no matter what happens.

However, at night, they come to shallow waters in search of food.

They have few bones and are very easy to eat, making them a preferred fish by cat beastfolk.

It seems it’s indeed Sarabi.

I could see lots of small fish with silver-colored bodies swimming near the shore illuminated by the light ball.

I could probably grab them if I tried.

I instinctively reach out, but unfortunately, they slip away smoothly.

However, it’s not like it’s impossible to catch them by hand.

“But as Bandel-san mentioned, I could easily catch them with a net.”

I take out a large net and boots from the magic bag and equipped them.

Splashing about, I wade into the shallows, illuminated by the light ball.

I quickly scoop up five Sarabi that were swimming near my feet.

Inside the net, five silver-colored small fish were jumping around.

“Wow, they were so easy to catch with the net.”

It’s so easy that I laugh at myself.

There’s no need to patiently wait with bait like in fishing.

I catch them boldly with a primitive method, just with one scoop.

But it feels incredibly refreshing.

I put the Sarabi from the net into a dedicated case.

They have very beautiful body colors, and there’s less sliminess than I expected.

As soon as I close the case, I start searching for the next Sarabi.

Although there are many individuals swimming near the shore, I want to catch them all at once if possible.

Ignoring the small number of Sarabi, as I walk around, I find a cluster of them crowded underwater.

“Oh, amazing. I wonder how many I could catch if I put the net over there.”

Approaching quietly with the net in hand, I swiftly scoop it up.

I can see Sarabi jumping around inside the net, but I can’t tell exactly how many.

Hastily returning to the shore and peering into the net, I see many Sarabi jumping.

“Whoa! Caught fifteen in just one scoop!”

Counting them, there were indeed that many Sarabi inside the net.

All caught in just one scoop.

“If I were to fish for these, I wonder how long it would take.”

Thinking like that, I put the Sarabi one after another into the case and search for the next group.

“Oh, finally caught one by hand.”

Just stretching my hand out for amusement, I actually caught one. Despite being nocturnal, maybe they’re just obsessed with food and have low intelligence.

Bandel did emphasize how easy they are to catch.

Scooping up another group, I catch about ten more.

Now, it’s over thirty. At this rate, the case will be full in no time.

“I might as well sell them at the market.”

Though I’ve received strong words from Mia that she’ll eat as many as I bring, so it doesn’t seem necessary.

It’s really challenging to come here at night like this, but capturing them itself is easy.

Even if I lose sight of the group, if I use detect for Sarabi, I can quickly find where they are.

“Wow, there are so many!”

All that’s left is to put the net there and scoop them up.

Capturing Sarabi is simple, but occasionally, it’s not bad to do something like this.

I find a group, then run with the net, continuously capturing Sarabi.

♦ ♦ ♦

As I repeated the cycle of capturing Sarabi and taking breaks, I suddenly noticed that the sky had turned pale.

It seemed that the sun had risen while I wasn’t paying attention.

Having become completely accustomed to the dim scenery, my eyes were startled by the sudden strong light.

Nevertheless, I gradually got used to it and was able to gaze at the lake illuminated by the morning sun.

Perhaps because they were nocturnal, there were no Sarabi around. They must have returned to deeper waters.

I couldn’t catch any more, and spending too much time returning would cause the Sarabi to spoil.

Despite feeling the fatigue from staying up all night, I quickly stood up and decided to head back.

By morning, the nocturnal monsters were gone, so I could return to Grantel without much detour.

Returning to the west gate of Grantel, I encountered the same familiar knight as on my way out.

It seemed like it was morning for him too.

He seemed a bit sleepy as he yawned, but when he noticed me, he grinned.

“Hey! You got money, right? Hurry up and hand it over!”

I immediately understood from his grin and tone that he was joking.

He must have been bored while on watch duty.

Since he seemed to be in the mood for banter, I decided to play along.

“O-Okay! Please forgive me! This is all I have!”

“Tch, poor guy. I’ll let you off easy today with just this.”

Saying that, he took the adventurer’s plate I offered and checked it, then returned it with an uninterested look.

By the way, becoming an adventurer exempts you from tolls, so I wouldn’t be extorted for money. I just show my adventurer’s proof as usual and pass through without any issues.

As we both laughed at each other’s antics, a knight with a beard approached from the other side of the castle gate.

“Hey…”

“Oh crap.”

From his groaning voice, it seemed like this guy was his superior.

He looked slightly more refined with subtly different armor.

It’s only natural to scold subordinates if they’re fooling around on duty.

“You’re also fooling around with him.”

“Huh?”

As I tried to pass off innocently, I was also stopped by him.

“You know he’s on duty, right? I know you’re close, but try not to mess around too much.”

Huh? Could it be that he didn’t see the whole thing and thought I was involved?

“No, I was the one that started it.”

As I pondered what to do, he confessed honestly.

Upon hearing his words, his superior widened his eyes in surprise and smacked him on the head.

Ouch, that looked painful. But for a knight who could be considered part of the military, this kind of reprimand was probably on the gentler side.

Although his superior looked somewhat embarrassed, he immediately lowered his head to apologize.

“Sorry, I didn’t expect him to be the one instigating…”

“No, I responded to it as well.”

It felt rather uncomfortable to have a knight bowing to me.

“Weren’t you Shuu, the B-rank adventurer who defeated the Red Dragon? As an adventurer who’s gained recognition, what’s with that attitude? Remember, the actions of one adventurer reflect on the image of all adventurers. Be mindful of your behavior.”

“Yes, I’ll be more careful.”

Hmm, it’s been a while since I was scolded like this by someone.

It’s a little embarrassing at my age.

“I’ll let it slide with a warning this time, but next time, I’ll assign you to volunteer work, so be prepared. And you’ll have a pay cut.”

“…Yes.”

It’s a bit sad to have your pay reduced by just this much. Discipline seems strict in a stable profession like this.

Next time, if I see him, I’ll treat him to a drink or something. We’re on familiar terms after being scolded together.