I moved upriver, where I dropped my line in a spot covered with riverweed.

There was a large tree shading the area, and I thought it looked like a fish.

My analysis was right, and the fish were biting right away.

As my rod bobbed and weaved, I lifted my rod and saw a fine trout.

Oh, this is very impressive. Butter-baked trout would be delicious.

At this point, the betting is on Lunamaría to win, but I do not know that fact. I'll try for the second and third fish.

The second one was a trout and the third one was an unfamiliar catfish.
They all looked delicious.
I would have liked to keep on catching more, but I guess this is about right around here. Taking more would have only spoiled the fish.
.
If it was a mountain, I'd dry it up, but I don't have time for that right now.

Don't kill or take more than necessary was an important rule I learned in the mountains. I would follow that rule in the dungeon.

So I gutted the fish on the spot and dumped it in the river, and I brought back a nice looking fish.

Lunamaria grins at the sight of the fish and Leah grumbles because of the bet, but I'm in a good mood throughout. After all, it feels good to catch a fish.

I handed the fish to Luna Maria, analyzing myself, and
Thank you for your time, Mr. Will.
And delighted.

Leah says even more grumpily.

'I don't like the idea of us being like a newlywed couple.

I don't want her to say that, but I ignore her sarcasm and tell her that I'll handle the fish.

Actually, I can slice a fish in three pieces.

"Well, that's great.

"So let me cut up the fish.

"Okay. I'll leave it to you. To tell you the truth, I'm a little scared of fish.

It's hard to catch fish by feel and experience alone.

And I'm sure Lunamaria, a girl, doesn't like the smell of flesh. So I was happy to handle the fish.

The trick to handling the fish is to use a sharp blade.

It sounds obvious, but many people neglect to do this.

It was outrageous to use an unused, rusty blade because they didn't want to get fishy.

So I pull out the sterling silver dagger that Ronin's father gave me.

Silver doesn't rust, but I sharpened it every day. It's just in case we meet a powerful foe, but I'm also prepared for this.

A fisherman never knows when he will have the opportunity to catch a fish.

It would be a shame to have only a rusty blade at that time.

To whom is the shame of the fish?

Fishing is a battle for life and a battle for life.

Fishing is to take the life of a living organism and give it to you. Then the fish you catch should be cleaned, tasted and eaten.

--Long story short, Mithril's dagger was versatile. It goes right in between the flesh and bones of the fish.

The Mithril dagger is used in battle, but I'm sure the dagger would rather be used to cook than slay humans and demons.

With that in mind, I neatly grate the trout into three pieces and hand it to Lunamaria.

Lunamaria grins as she tosses the fish into the pot.

The rest of it is marinated in vinegar. They're going to marinate.

An hour later, the result is actually trout stew and marinade.

Both are very tasty.

The trout is well fatty, which gives the stew a richness. The marinade was a perfect match for the chopsticks.

Complimenting Luna Maria, she shyly says
It's just the right material.
And laughed.

"No, you don't.

I have.

"It's the cooking skills of a Lunamaría.

"Thanks to Will's Trout.

The question-and-answer session was going to continue, so I left the judgment to Leah.

She judges by actions, not words.

...... burp

And then, with an unladylike burp, he asked for a refill.

"You seem to be a good cook, honey.

I said.

Apparently, he was very fond of Lunamaria's cooking.

Lunamaria is not a stranger to

I'm glad you like it, Leah.

I said.

Leah quickly becomes a twinkle.

"Or, don't get me wrong. It's just a recognition of your cooking skills. That doesn't mean you deserve to be Will's wife.

I know, sir. To be beside Mr. Will, you must always be diligent.

You know what to do. Now, eat this refill and we'll camp here. I'll be on guard first.



In the dangerous levels of the dungeon, it was basic to sleep with a sentry on duty.

Leah didn't want to be woken up in the middle of the night, so she offered to take the first watch.

Me and Luna Maria agreed and went to sleep.


I took the second most troublesome guard, by the way.
I thought the hardest work should be done by a man.

When it's my turn to stand guard, I look up at the sky.

It was a dungeon, but the sky was full of stars.

The stars were real.

I don't know what the theory is, but this dungeon has a sky. It's a complete mystery.

I'd like to solve that one day, but today I just looked up at the stars.

I stared at the North Star I used to see with my father Vandal.

Look at the constellation of river horses next to it.
.
The constellation of the river horse is composed of four first magnitude stars, but at the time I thought, how could it possibly resemble a river horse by itself?

But now, as an adult. Looking up at the constellation of the river horses after their departure from Table Mountain, they looked different.

It seemed to be full of dynamism, as if it was about to move.

I spent the whole night looking at the stars with this thought in my mind.