The place we were told by the aquatic councillor was a very small island connected to the main island of Asropolis in the lake by a short bridge.

　As usual, there are several buildings that combine trees and houses on the island, but compared to the main island, they don't seem to be as well cared for, and the trees are more dominant overall.

　And the councillor's family members and the demons with more fish-like traits were working hard to maintain and clean the buildings.

''It's pretty far from the center. I guess they don't trust us enough to keep us close, huh?

　Right after Garnett said that while looking over the landscape of the small island, the surface of the lake behind him popped and something jumped out.

''Whoa!''

　It landed about ten paces in front of the startled garnet, shook its head and sent its fins flying, then turned to me in a jovial manner.

　It's an aquatic man with a toned-down body.

　I'm sure it is nude, but perhaps because of the strong fishiness of its body surface, it looks as if it is wearing such sleek clothing.

"Good heavens, you're early!　I'm ashamed to say that the maintenance is not finished, but it's not a problem for you to stay here!

　The young man, who lives in the aquatic world, contrary to his appearance of being chilled by the lake water, has a certain kind of hot and humid attitude.

　You're going to be able to find out more about the current state of affairs by assuming that he is probably the person in charge of the site.

"Well, ...... is it correct that this small island is a candidate for an adventurer's garrison?
Mm, I guess I didn't explain it well enough. It's true, indeed!　We were told that human beings use fire on a daily basis, so we have prepared a location with a fire protection system in place!

　The young man vigorously spread his finned arms and urged us to take another look at the landscape of the island.

Since the main island of Asropolis was inhabited by tree people (dryads), the use of fire is strictly restricted as a rule. However, there are times when the use of fire is essential, such as in a dwarven workshop!　In those cases, an island across the channel from the main island will be provided!
'Come to think of it, the showers were only running cold water. My companion was screaming at me for using it without knowing it.

　Right after I mentioned the episode as a chat, Garnett's kick caught me in the leg.

"What the hell!　Is it treason?

　The aquatic youth turned his body upside down with an exaggerated gesture.

''Haha, don't worry about it, it happens all the time. I know and say it too.''
Next time you do that, I'm going to kick you so hard you'll have to [repair] it?
Hmm, so it's not a master-slave relationship, but a colleague relationship. I'm afraid I made a terrible mistake.

　While exchanging a very routine exchange for us, I encourage the young aquatic man to explain the rest of the story.

Then ...... this island is separated from the main island by a small waterway, so in the event of a fire, it is difficult for the fire to spread!　But to date, no fire has ever burned more than two houses!
'You mentioned dwarves earlier, but do dwarves do blacksmithing work in Asropolis as well?
'Yes!　All of the metal products in Athropolis are manufactured by them, including defensive weapons!

　I see, it's quite interesting information to be honest.

　As a weapons dealer by profession, I can't help but take an interest in the dwarves' weapons workshop, and if I can bring back a few weapons, it might help the Newlers who are working hard to revive their blacksmithing business at the first level of the "Demon King's Castle Realm".

　After all the things we have to do, it would be good to find some time to take a look at it.

''Fortunately, we rarely use them in actual fires, but aquatic demon clans like ours are trained to prevent and extinguish fires from spreading!　Like this for example!

　The young man turns his arm towards the lake.

　The magic power that was released created a violent ripple on the surface of the lake, and the wave was transmitted throughout the surrounding area.

　In the next moment, a wall of water rises high into the narrow channel that separates the main island of Athropolis from this island.

　Garnett and Roy look up at it and let out a small cheer.

　I, on the other hand, was not looking above the wall of water, but at the surface of the lake that was creating the wall of water.

''Did the underwater demon race use magic?''
'You're right, sir!　We signaled to our compatriots working in the water and deployed the firewall as we have been practicing daily!　On a moment's notice, as perfect as this!　I hope you all feel at ease!

　The young man clenched his water-scratched fist between his fingers and looked - it seemed - confident.

　The youths of their own kind, who had obliterated the wall and looked up from the waterway, were also looking at us with similar expressions.

　Apparently, they wanted to show off their fire prevention skills.

　I wondered if they were hungry for a chance to show off the results of their training, since fires themselves rarely happened.

'It really is a big deal. This should give me peace of mind to prepare the food and baths.''
You must!　This is another one of our services to our Athropolis!　We will carry it out to the best of our ability!

　The young man is sincerely happy, and now Roy poses a question to the young man.

'This is just a reminder, if a fire were to break out, how would we handle ourselves?'
'Everyone needs to evacuate quickly!　You can run away across the bridge, or you can jump into the lake and wait for a moment and we'll rescue you!　And that's what the firefighting is all about!

　The young aquatic man swung his arm over the surface of the lake again, generating a different pattern of ripples than before.

　This time, the water at the spot where the ripples had occurred rose up, and just as I thought it was blowing up like a thick pillar instead of a wall, the tip of it changed its trajectory and plunged towards us.

　The water was so cold that it was almost breathless and the water pressure was so high that we could barely stand, swallowing up several people, including us.

　When the momentum stopped, we saw the soaking wet ground, the humans, and a young aquatic man whose excitement only grew stronger.

'Minimal error, perfect accuracy!　We will put out any fire in its place!
"Yeah, yeah ...... I would have been happy if you had given me a signal ...... cold!
Wow!　I'm sorry, too!　I'll have the fire ready at once!

　An aquatic young man apologizes in a great hurry and flatly apologizes.

　I quieted Garnett, who was pulling his cheeks up in anger and wrapping his arms around me, and I made up my mind to have him prepare for the bath before I got to bed.