Chapter 81
On the third day of the trip, they enjoyed a barbecue and then spent the rest of the day leisurely and relaxed.
Probably because they ate too much lunch. They couldn't eat much dinner at the hotel, so they just had soup.
Of course, Reina, who was a hearty eater despite appearances, devoured a generous amount of food.
And so, about half of the trip had passed... The next day, on the fourth day of the trip, Clael found himself at a loss on the beach.
"......So, it's the sea."
"It is the sea."
Reina responded to Clael's murmur.
It wasn't something said expecting a reply. It was just a mutter to himself.
Clael and Reina stood on the beach.
White sand stretched out before them, and beyond that, the sea with white and blue waves crashing in.
Seabirds glided comfortably across the sky, and a 'meow-meow' cry could be heard.
No one else was on the beach. Except for Clael and Reina.
"......It seems we've been shipwrecked."
Shipwrecked.
That would be the best way to describe Clael and Reina's current situation.
How did the two end up like this... Let's go back a few hours.
"Shall we try going fishing today?"
"Fishing?"
"Yes."
The fourth day of the trip.
Clael and Reina decided to go sea fishing.
There wasn't any special reason. In the game, fishing was available as a mini-game, so they decided to try it since they had the chance.
"Sounds great. I love fish."
Reina clasped her hands together and agreed cheerfully.
It was hard to imagine a situation where Reina would disagree with Clael's opinion.
The two went to the port, boarded a fishing boat, and set out for sea fishing.
"It's my first time fishing, but... you actually catch quite a lot, huh?"
Thirty minutes after starting to fish.
Reina was hitting the jackpot.
Was it the victory of having no desires, or perhaps the blessing of the Saint?
One after another, fish were caught on Reina's hooks and reeled in.
"A-Amazing... this girl is something else..."
"Yes... she really is amazing."
Clael nodded at the fisherman's words.
Already, countless fish were laid out on the deck of the boat.
Mackerel, sea bass, yellowtail, tilefish, horse mackerel, blacktail, amberjack, grunt, black sea bream, ray, octopus, greenling, anglerfish, oarfish...
The catch was so unbelievable, he doubted his eyes—why were there even deep-sea fish?
It really seemed like it could only be the Saint's special power.
They say mastering one art leads to mastering all, but could the Saint's power really do anything?
"Ah, I caught another one, Lord Clael."
"A-Amazing."
(It's like the Holy Spirits are hooking the fish onto her line from underwater...)
A surreal image came to mind.
Beside them, the fisherman was preparing some of the fish Reina caught as sashimi.
"Hey, it's almost lunchtime. It's fresh, so give it a try."
"Ah, it's delicious."
"Delicious..."
Reina and Clael ate the sashimi offered by the fisherman.
It was freshly caught, after all. They had eaten fish at the barbecue yesterday too, but this had a different kind of tastiness.
(Lately, it feels like all we do is eat... Well, we're human, so of course we eat to live.)
Clael was chewing the fish meat... but he was just a little more irritable than usual.
Reina had caught several fish, but Clael hadn't had a single bite yet.
Being fed from Reina's catch made Clael feel like a freeloader being taken care of by a woman, which was uncomfortable.
"I'm sorry, Lord Clael... It's just me catching them..."
"No, it's not your fault, Reina. It just seems like I'm unlucky today."
He couldn't help but feel like Reina was stealing all the bites... but he tried not to think about it.
(Still, I'd like to catch at least one... It doesn't have to be big, just something edible...)
"Ah, Lord Clael! It's moving!"
"Whoa...!"
While he was distracted by the sashimi, the float had started to shake without him noticing.
Apparently, something had taken the bait. Clael hurriedly pulled the rod.
"This... is huge...!"
The pull was incredibly strong.
It was an unbelievable catch. The rod bent dramatically, and the line looked like it might snap at any moment.
"Are you okay, Lord Clael!?"
"Y-Yeah... Reina, step back a little...!?"
'GYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!'
A shrill, ear-piercing cry like the roar of the sea echoed out.
What emerged from the sea, pulled by the line, was a massive creature like a sea serpent.
"A sea serpent!? They actually appear!?"
Faced with a sea serpent as thick as a telephone pole, Clael couldn't help but shout.
In the fishing mini-game, you could catch various fish and sell them for money, or obtain items swallowed by the fish.
However, on rare occasions, you could accidentally fish up a monster and trigger a battle.
The sea serpent was the most powerful of those monsters.
The chance of catching one was said to be less than one percent, and Clael had only ever seen it in videos—he'd never encountered one while playing.
"Whoa...!"
"Lord Clael!?"
He was yanked hard toward the sea... Clael leaned over the edge of the boat.
Trying to pull him back, Reina clung to Clael.
'GYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!'
But in the face of such a massive monster, it was far too reckless.
It happened so suddenly that even the plushie imbued with a Holy Spirit didn't have time to help.
"Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!?"
"Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!?"
Clael and Reina were both pulled off the boat and fell into the sea together.