Oh, did you finish deciding on a name?

Yeah, we're going to call him Petosey. And you're going to take down this Petoshee?

That's the idea. What do you think?　It may not be a lot of money for you guys, but at least it's more than what you'll find on the guild board.

As for me, I don't mind that I'm bored. ......

　In the event that you've got a lot of time, you'll be able to take a look at a few of the best ways to get the most out of your time.

　Even if it takes a few days to solve the problem, we can just commute from this town. It's a request we can easily take on under our current circumstances.

　We've been training for a while now, and we're looking for some refreshment, so Silas's offer is a good one. ...... Or perhaps this is Silas's plan?　I've been training with him from morning till night for the past few days.

　Well, it's not like it's detrimental to us, so I don't mind. .......

It's fine.　If things get out of hand, I'm sure we'll have to run.
I'd like to take a look at Petosey.

　I'm not sure what to make of this, but I think it's a good idea.

I'm a little nervous about ....... I can't swim. ....... I don't know if I can fight.
I can swim, but I don't know if I can fight. I can swim too, but I've never been in an underwater fight before.

　It's a good thing that you're not the only one who has a problem with this.

　Fighting an aquatic creature in the water, a huge unidentified creature (most likely a demon), is a disadvantage no matter how you look at it.

　Fire magic, which is my forte, is unlikely to be effective against an underwater enemy, and whether I can fight it with a spear from the water depends on the depth of the river and the size of the enemy.

　I can easily kill a Great Salamander, but I don't think the guild would request me to do so if it was that big.

What do you think about that?　Cyrus.
I wouldn't go into the river to fight it either. I have a plan. I got it!

　I'm not sure how much I can trust you, but Cyrus thumped his chest confidently.



　　　　◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

"So, Cyrus. Is this your secret plan?
Oh!　Pretty good, huh?　I had it made while I was training with you guys.

　The day after we heard from Silas, Haruka sent us off with a "Have a safe trip" and we went to the bank of the Petras River where Silas had seen the black shadow.

　There, Cyrus showed us his secret plan: ...... a strong wire and a huge fish hook.
　Three sets of them.
　He was going to use them to pull the unidentified creature ashore.

"That's great!　Mr. Cyrus!

　The drummers raise their hands, but will it be that easy?
　I twist my head and look back at Mary and the others.

"What do you think?
I think you're right about pulling them out of the water. ......
It's not that easy to catch a fish. Life is not so easy.

　It's not that easy to catch a fish.

　I'm sure they've been to the luscious fishing grounds of the upper Noria River and the flying gars, where you can get all the fish you want just by carrying a door board down the cliff, but have they tried fishing somewhere else?

　There are only so many places Mary and her friends can go alone.
　Maybe it would be good to take them there again.
　We haven't gone out to get river fish or crabs lately, since we got a lot of flying gars.

That wire is too conspicuous, isn't it?　I don't know about you, but I thought fish had good eyesight.

I don't know if it's a fish or not, but I have a feeling they're going to find out.

I don't blame you. Judging from the size of the shadow I saw, a normal fishing line will never work. It'll cut you for sure.



"That's true, but ...... what are you going to use as bait to lure them in if you don't know their biology?　You can't just stick a giant worm in it.

　The size of the hook limits the bait that can be used.
　The size of the hook limited the bait available.
　Silas smiled at me when I asked him that.

No problem about that. I've got a sighting of a farmer.
"You have?

　But Cyrus didn't seem to care much and apologized lightly.

"Hmm?　Didn't I tell you?　I'm sorry, I'm sorry. According to the report, 'a black shadow suddenly appeared from the river and pulled the boar, who was drinking at the riverside, into the water in an instant. He didn't know what kind of creature it was.

"...... How big is the boar?

"It's the testimony of a slightly panicked farmer. I'm not sure how accurate it is, but it was about the size of a Mitya.

It swallowed a child whole. ....... I'm not sure if that's accurate, but it was about the size of Mitya.

Mee, don't get too close to the river, okay?

I get it. I'm an eater. I'm not going to be eaten.

I'll be careful, but ...... would be better.

　I'm not going to be the one to get eaten." "I'll be careful too, but it's better that way." "So far, I haven't seen any shadows in the river, and there's been no response to my spotters, but you can never be too sure, because some enemies, like Trent, are very hard to spot.

Freddy, you have to be careful too, right?
"Me?　It is true that there is not that much difference between the two. ......

　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're going to be doing.

　I'm not sure if I'd like to be lumped in with Mitya, but there's no doubt that there's little difference in size, and there's no reason to deny it.

　But if you say that, then Mary would be on that side.



"Well, we don't know what's going on with Petosey. We don't want to get too close.

That's why I've got a secret plan.　Pull them out of the water and they won't be afraid. So, let's start looking for bait!


　We prepared three kinds of bait for our mission to capture Petosy: rabbit, bird, and boar.

　--We had three kinds of bait: rabbits, birds, and boars.

　If it were a forest north of Raffan, where the prey is thick and few people enter, but this is near Kergu, which is more populated than Raffan.

　Compared to the forest there, the danger level is lower, and hunters are also hunting, so even with our 【Searching for Enemies】skills, we couldn't easily catch the bait, and we ended up only securing bait on the first day, and decided to go back today.

　We hooked the bait onto the hook - or was it the other way around? We hooked the hooks onto the bait and threw them into the river, leaving a space of about ten meters between them.

　In ordinary fishing, one would hold one end of the wire with one's hand, but the other end is a huge creature, and even Toya and Silas cannot deny the danger of being dragged in.

　Therefore, the wire was wrapped tightly around a nearby tree to hold it in place.
　It's a bit messy to call it fishing.
　More of a trap, perhaps?

But will it work?
It'll be fine.　Thanks to you guys, the bait is fresh.
But ...... what a waste. ......

　Mitya looks at the meat drifting in the river, a slightly sad expression on his face.

　It was an ordinary boar, not a task boar, that he had hunted, but it was understandable that he should have regretted it, as it had been a more difficult hunt than usual.

　The meat itself tasted better than that of the task boar, though.

　Silas, too, has his gaze fixed on the boar, as if Mitya's words have made him regret it now.

I'm sure you'll be able to find something that works for you.

It's not worth it if it doesn't work, right?　I'm sure you'll be able to find something that works for you.　I'll provide you with the meat, just be patient.

"Oh, really?　I'll do it. I'm interested in the meat eaten by a rank 6 adventurer!

Silas, you're rank six too.



Mine's just a name.

Can I join you?

You're not gonna be left out. But I need you to gather wood for the fire. We'll get it ready.

I'm off!

Me, too!

　So we started to prepare the fire, thinking it wouldn't take long, but...

We started to build a fire, but it wasn't going to take long.

　Just as we were about to light the fire, Mary pointed to a boar trap that had been set up on the river.

　The tree to which the wire was tied was clearly flexing and making a creaking sound.