Side Story: Fran and Kune 06

Kune guided us to the bay, and the scenery there was pretty stunning.

The bay part was shaped like a rough circle of about 30 meters in diameter, with only a narrow passage leading into the sea.

The water was perfectly clear, and the beach was covered in white sand. Trees similar to pines jutted out from the cliffs of the inlet, serving as a picturesque background.

Although we hunted a few small magical beasts along the way, none of them were worthy of note. Like Kune said, it would be best to catch some big fish monsters.

I scanned the inlet for presences, finding a few fish that seemed way longer than a meter in length. Back on Earth, these would be the kinds of fish you wanted to run from rather than catch.

So how are we taking them down? A couple spells should get the job done, quick and simple, but Kune had already pulled out a fishing rod.

I don’t want to steal Kune’s moment in the spotlight, and solving everything with magic wouldn’t be very fun for Fran either. We should follow Kune’s lead here.

「Use this, nya!」

「Wow, cool.」

「Nyahaha! You’ve got a good eye, Fran! Let’s flip over some random stones to find bait, nya.」

「Got it.」

The basics of fishing were the same in this world. The main difference being that the fishing rod had some sort of writing inscribed on it.

This was no decoration. The whole rod radiated magical energy.

「This magic circle strengthens both the line and the rod itself, nya. My Super Ultra Great Rod won’t lose to any fish monster, nya!」

「Wow, super ultra great!」

「Yours is the Hyper Excellent Miracle Rod, nya.」

「Whoa!」

What is with your naming sense! That said, Fran’s eyes were practically sparkling, so she must have liked the names.

Don’t tell me black cats are born with zero naming sense or something. Could this be a secret racial trait? No way…

「Time to get fishing, nya!」

「Nn.」

We moved from the sandy beach into a rocky area, then cast our lines. Since Fran had previous experience with fishing, her movements were surprisingly adept.

「Hoho. You’re pretty good, nya!」

「Nn!」

「I didn’t want to bully a beginner, but you seem fine, nya! Let’s see who can catch the bigger fish, nya!」

「Bring it on.」

Thus, an impromptu fishing competition began. Both managed to get decent hauls, so apparently, the fish here had little awareness of fishers.

That made sense, considering the distance from town. I doubt many people other than Kune came all the way here.

After an hour, both of them had caught around ten fish. Though our catches were mostly small and common fish, they looked tasty, so I’ll be cooking them later. That said, I also had another use in mind.

I instructed Fran to attach her hook to the tail fin of our freshly caught fish. The fish itself was tiny, but it had a fan-like tail of a decent size.

This would serve well as live bait. We probably needed to go this far if our goal was catching the giant fish monsters. Kune tilted her head as she watched us with curiosity.

「What are you doing, nya?」

「I’ll catch a big one with this.」

「How so, nya?」

「To catch a big fish, you need bigger bait.」

Upon hearing Fran’s explanation, Kune was utterly shocked, as if she had been struck by lightning. After recovering, she approached Fran with a shout.

「T-That’s genius, nya! How could I be so blind! I never thought of fishing like that, nya!」

Apparently, Kune’s fishing was self-taught, so she had yet to come up with using fish as bait. Her praises just kept on coming.

「Fran! You’re amazing, nya!」

「No, Master taught me how.」

「Nya? Master? What kind of person are they, nya?」

Huh? Kune never heard about me? Well, I suppose Raydoss opening its borders was a recent occurrence. The country as a whole was still pretty isolated, so they didn’t have easy access to information.

Guess I should introduce myself to Kune. Rather than me trusting her, it’s more like it would be silly to even doubt her in the first place.

『Hey there, I’m Fran’s Master. Nice to meet you, Kune.』

「…? I heard a voice calling my name, nya! Who’s there? Show yourself, nya!」

『I’m already right in front of you. See!』

I floated up from Fran’s back and drifted in front of Kune.

『I’m Master, Fran’s partner and her divine sword. Nice to meet you!』

「Nyaa! A-a-a talking sword, nya!」

Yes! That’s the reaction I was hoping for! She even went as far as to comically fall on her backside. This sort of surprise is what makes introducing myself worth it.

「Y-You’re a divine sword, nya? So Fran is a divine sword wielder?」

「Nn.」

「Wow! That’s amazing, nya! This is the first time I’ve seen a divine sword up close, not to mention a talking sword, nya!」

Kune was completely ecstatic. The divine sword Chariot was in Raydoss, but since it had been used to seal the Evil God, she probably never got a good look at it.

Actually, Kareid, the wielder of Chariot, should be here in the north right now…

「You’ve never met Kareid?」

「The king is still recovering, nya. My master said someone noisy like me would be bad for his health, so I’m not allowed to meet him yet, nya!」

Kune’s master was the North Conquest Duke, right? Sounds like a smart guy. Moreover, Kune didn’t look disappointed at all. Her thoughts seemed to be along the lines of, “Yep, I am really noisy.”

「Hey! Can I touch you a little, nya?」

『Sure, I don’t mind. Just make sure not to equip me, okay?』

「No equipping, nya?」

『Right. It won’t end well if anyone other than Fran equips me. You’ll get zapped by lightning.』

「Whoa, as expected of a divine sword, nya! The security is perfect!」

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