Kochugunshikan Boukensha ni Naru

Translator: SFBaka

Editor: Thors Stone

Great. Now then, its time for a fishing competition! In this corner, we have the Sharon and Selena team. In this corner, we have the Cleria and Elna team. And Ill be alright by myself. Take it as a handicap since I have prior fishing experience. Once someone manages to catch something, shell get replaced by the other member. The team with the largest fish caught wins.

Each team only had one rod after all, so me being alone wasnt much of a handicap, but it looks like they havent noticed.

With this, well be able to enjoy fishing more.

We took some distance from one another and started to fish.

Whoah. It looks like Selena managed to land a fish straight away. Like I thought, these waters were quite deep. Selena cheered at her success. Hou, the fish she hooked seemed pretty big. Even if she was reeling the fish with all her might, I believe the rod and the line can take it. It wasnt allowed for someone else to assist in reeling in the fish during the competition after all. Since it was getting dark, there wasnt enough time for us to fish.

Im not landing any hits yet huh. Oh, this time, it was Cleria who got a bite. Shes also reeling it in with all her might. Im gonna switch areas.

This time, it was Sharon. She also seems to have landed something rather large. Then, Elna managed to land one as well. It was a double hit.

Ugh. Its no use. Its getting pretty dark already, and since it looks like Im gonna have to cook a lot of fish dishes for dinner, I guess we should wrap things up.

Elna took the most time to reel in her catch, and it turned out that she got the largest of the bunch. Its actually a salmon that surpasses a meter in length.

Ehem. And the winner for the partys first fishing tournament is the Cleria and Elna team. The runner up is the Selena and Sharon team.

Cleria and Elna seemed really happy about their win.

Selena, Cleria, and Sharons salmon were all about eighty centimeters in length, so it was a bit difficult to judge who one out against the other.

By the way, my trout was a measly fifty centimeters.

Right then. Ill go ahead and prepare dinner.

Fishing is really fun, isnt it, Alan? I want to do it again if possible, Cleria happily exclaimed.

Yeah And next time, I wont lose!

I started filleting the fish on the riverbank. Except for what I caught, the rest of the fish were pretty big, so preparing them felt great.

The girls were still not over their excitement from the fishing tournament as they started gathering firewood to make a bonfire. We brought several light-producing magic tools, but a bonfire was still brighter.

Now then, lets think about the menu.

Ill make canapes by putting thin slices of cheese, salmon sashimi, and mayonnaise on top of lightly toasted bread slices. Ill season them with some salt and pepper as well.

Next, Ill make salt-grilled salmon and trout.

Then, Ill cook up some salmon meuniere

Then, well have some bread on the side.

That should do it. It was also possible to place the salmon meuniere between bread slices and spread mayonnaise on it. Thats pretty good too.

Since we managed to get some fresh fish, I wanted to try making some salmon sushi, but since its already becoming dark outside, there was no time. Ill just try it next time.

We also brought a folding table and some folding chairs with us, so we brought them out and set them up.

It was already quite dark when we finished preparing dinner.

But we placed two light magic tools on top of the table, and four around the sides of our makeshift dining area. With the light from the bonfire added, our surroundings were pretty bright.

Lets go ahead and dig in then.

They all look delicious! Sharon exclaimed.

They dont really resemble dishes eaten while at camp. Elna commented.

First, lets try the canapes. Mm. It was pretty good. The combination of the fatty salmon meat and cheese was perfect. The mayonnaise added depth to the overall flavor. The crisp texture of the toasted bread also enhanced the taste.

I cant believe it! So raw fish can also taste this good!? Elna exclaimed.

Cleria already tried these, so she wasnt surprised at all.

The salt-grilled salmon was pretty standard stuff, so there were not many excited reactions over it. They liked it all the same though. The crispy skin was really nice.

I tried the salmon meuniere sandwich I thought of earlier and placed some lettuce between two slices of bread, followed by the salmon and some mayo. It was pretty good. Everyone else ended up copying me as well.

I feel that the dishes are made more delicious by the fact that we caught them ourselves. Cleria pointed out.

Everyone else agreed with her statement. Well, I did manage to catch a fish myself, so I guess I can share the feeling too, somehow.

It was a really fulfilling dinner overall. We didnt manage to finish them all, so well leave the rest for breakfast tomorrow.

We then drank some after-meal tea and made small talk.

Elna-san, what kind of magic is earth magic? Sharon asked.

Oh yeah! There was that kind of magic too. Cleria wasnt familiar with it, and I failed to learn it through the Magic Guild in the end. It seems it was quite a rare type of magic.

I also havent gotten opportunities to meet people who can cast earth magic spells that much myself, and I only have one experience of seeing earth magic being cast in person. It was during a military drill between different regiments. A company of military mages made a pitfall using earth magic at that time.

That sounds like some amazing magic! I wonder what happens to the soil that gets displaced in the process of making that pitfall though. Dont tell me it disappears?

It doesnt. The soil and dirt swell out and eventually pile up around the completed pitfall. Elna explained.

Hm. But it still sounds amazing. It seems like its a pretty convenient magic type, so why isnt it widely used?

According to what I heard, there arent many people who can manage to learn it even after reading the corresponding magic tome. And theres also the fact that, apart from service in the military, theres no chance for people to make a living if all they can do is dig holes and pitfalls.

Hm, I see. But it sounds pretty useful for building construction and digging graves for cemeteries though. Maybe its due to the amount of soil and dirt a single mage can dig out by him or herself then?

How large was the pitfall you saw that day, Elna?

If I remember correctly, it was four meters at all sides, and had a depth of two meters.

And how many people were required to make such a hole?

About twenty people.

Can they make an even bigger hole than that?

Well, Im not sure, honestly. I just happened to come across it by coincidence that one time after all.

I see. They managed to move quite a lot of earth, but since twenty people were needed to do that, it wasnt as impressive as it first seemed. But I still want to learn earth magic after all. There might be an opportunity to learn it in the future. Ill look out for it then.

When we finished cleaning up after the meal, there wasnt much else to do, so we decided to go to sleep. We planned to wake up once dawn breaks tomorrow and continue on our way after having a quick breakfast.

Alan, what is the order for lookout duty? Elna asked.

We dont need any lookouts. I will be able to wake up once my scanning magic picks up any monsters that come close, then Ill be able to warn everyone, and well be able to prepare for whatever comes.

What!? Is that true?

Its true, Elna. During our journey from Talas village to Gotania city, Alan always woke up every time monsters approached even if he was deep asleep, Cleria assured.

Haa I understand. Even so, that sounds awfully convenient.

Elna made a deep sigh for some reason.

With this, our first day of traveling came to an end.