SML Ch 46

Chapter 46

How much time had passed like that?

Reynald, the young men, and the royal guards stood there with their mouths agape, staring up at the sky. Prince Arun, using nothing but his own strength, was performing an extraordinary feat—hauling up an enormous fish high into the air with a metal fishing rod.

“Who would have thought Prince Arun had such a talent for this?”

“I didn’t expect him to be this good at fishing either… but wow, he’s insanely strong. Is that just because he’s royalty?”

Reynald shook his head at Volant’s comment. None of the other princes, aside from Arun, were born with such monstrous strength. To haul up a fish that would normally take three people straining together—alone, no less—was not something achievable by ordinary means.

While Arun’s dedication to sword training certainly set him apart from his siblings, the true origin of this brute strength wasn’t royal blood. It was more akin to an overcompensation for having been extraordinarily frail as a child, due to certain circumstances in his past…

“…This isn’t the time for chatter. We need to finish it off!”

The massive fish, which had been suspended in midair like some flying creature, came crashing down onto the boat. Thankfully, the boat itself was sturdy enough not to capsize or break apart, but the fish was, at its core, still a monster. Merely being out of the water didn’t mean it was dead—leave it unchecked, and it would be dangerous.

“That’s a Devil-Octopus Fish!”

It was a monster not uncommon even in saltwater seas, let alone freshwater lakes like this. The fish itself appeared strangely plain: its body was covered in silvery scales like any ordinary fish, with the only peculiar detail being that even where its eyes should have been, scales grew over the sockets.

The real problem, however, lay in the translucent, gelatinous orb attached where the fish’s brain ought to be. Encased within that orb was an octopus, its body a vivid crimson adorned with ornate golden patterns—essentially the true core of the monster itself.

“You have to kill the octopus; only then will the fish die!”

“I know that already! I’ll take care of the octopus—grab the tail and hold it down so it can’t thrash!”

Naturally, the octopus wasn’t about to go quietly. It lashed its tentacles wildly outside the jelly-like membrane, resisting with all its might. Yet Reynald’s sword struck true—piercing through the junction between its body and limbs, driving straight into the octopus’s head in a single thrust.

The creature spewed a massive cloud of ink as it died. Provided one didn’t drag the fight out, it wasn’t particularly difficult to deal with.

Though the fish continued thrashing for a while even after the octopus perished, it was little more than residual reflex. As the others pinned it down with their full weight, the struggle soon subsided.

“We need to butcher it now. Quickly!”

As soon as the fish went still, Alex and Volant immediately rushed forward, briskly carving apart the massive creature. Reynald could understand why they were in such a hurry—the Anura, having sensed the commotion, were already swimming toward them in droves.

Reynald promptly joined in the butchering. To his surprise, Alex demonstrated considerable skill; with a single clean motion, he slid the knife between bone and flesh, stripping away fillets in an instant. It was Reynald’s first time doing this, but mimicking Alex’s movements allowed him to quickly get the hang of it.

“Here, as promised—half for you lot! Take it!”

Chunks of fish and entrails were hurled toward the Anura waiting on the surface. The frog-like creatures’ eyes gleamed with delight as they snatched the offerings and swam away.

Their small statures lent them an almost childlike innocence in appearance—though in reality, a moment’s delay and they’d be scaling the boat with stone knives in hand.

With half of the massive fish secured, they returned to the lakeshore where the others were waiting. For the second trip, Serna, Lyndon, and several royal guards boarded the boat.

There was some concern about their lack of experienced hands, but according to Volant and Alex, Lyndon had an oddly innate talent for hunting these octopus-fish and butchering them. The royal guards, strong as they were, would have little trouble hauling the fish.

“I’m worried about Serna—he’s not nearly as strong as I am. Will he even manage to haul one up?”

“Prince Serna doesn’t have to fish alone like Prince Arun did, does he? He’s more than capable of keeping himself alive—don’t worry too much.”

Contrary to Arun’s fretting, Serna’s group returned safely from the lake as well. Serna, however, had opted for butchering duty rather than handling the fishing rod. By then, he seemed to have grown rather close to Lyndon, leaning on him with a sickly expression.

“Ugh, I feel awful. I think I’ve got seasick…”

“Funny, considering how quickly you were reeling fish in earlier. But seriously, Your Highness—why did you put that octopus on your head?”

“Huh? Haven’t you heard? The Devil-Octopus Fish, see, if you wear the dead octopus on your head and approach them, they mistake you for one of their own and freeze up for a moment. At least, that’s what I was taught.”

“That’s news to me. No wonder the thing was startled into submission the instant it saw you… But isn’t that a bit excessive? Aren’t you supposed to be a prince?”

“Why can’t a prince do this? Honestly, ever since I heard about it, I thought it sounded hilarious—been wanting to try it at least once.”

“You’re a peculiar one, aren’t you?”

Despite claiming seasickness, Serna insisted the experience was so fun he wanted to do it again. And so, for the third fishing run, Arun and Serna cheerfully paired up, eager to try coordinating together now that they had some practice. Lyndon, who had clearly been hoping for a reprieve, found himself dragged along by Serna before he could protest.

Reynald and the youths remained seated on the shore, watching the departing boat. Waiting for its return proved unexpectedly peaceful—almost calming. The Anura busied themselves with their own tasks as they awaited more fish, while beneath the clear waters, ordinary fish and larger silhouettes alike swam lazily to and fro.

How much time passed this way?

Just as Reynald was about to nod off waiting for the boat’s return, Alex suddenly spoke up.

“They’re quite unusual people.”

“Hmm?”

“I mean the princes. Both Prince Arun and Prince Serna.”

The moment Alex said this, the royal guards resting nearby frowned slightly, their gazes fixed on him.

Reynald, however, simply laughed. It wasn’t an unfair observation. Frankly, even he had been a little taken aback when Serna came back wearing a dead octopus on his head.

Sure, it was an effective tactic—but was there really any need for him to be the one doing it? Once the fish was dead, there was no further point in wearing the octopus, after all.

“They take after His Majesty. You never know what direction they’ll dart off in. Still, compared to His Majesty or the First Prince, they’re relatively normal. Those two… even I can barely keep up.”

“…Are you really okay speaking so candidly about them?”

“You’re the one who brought it up first. If they don’t like it, they can change their personalities themselves. I’ve probably suffered more than anyone from their cursed tempers.”

Alex seemed visibly startled to see Reynald joining in on the gossip. The guards exchanged uneasy glances before eventually sighing in resignation, pretending not to hear. They knew better than anyone how mercilessly the king had driven the former captain of the knights.

After a moment’s hesitation, Alex added with a wry smile,

“Still… you must be very fond of the princes, my lord.”

“Of course. Do you have any idea how much effort I put into training them?”

With neither family nor children of his own, Reynald cherished and taught his lord’s children as though they were his own. While they were certainly of noble blood and Reynald himself merely a fortunate commoner elevated by circumstance, the princes nonetheless respected him as a teacher and genuinely sought to learn.

Fortunately, his efforts had paid off. All three princes possessed exceptional swordsmanship. Their temperaments were admittedly rather eccentric, but none were arrogant or lazy; each was steadfast and diligent to a fault.

“They are precious to me—regardless of their rank.”

Reynald gave a casual shrug as he said this, certain his answer was sufficient. Yet for some reason, Alex only looked more bewildered upon hearing it.

When Reynald tilted his head slightly, silently prompting him to speak, Alex studied him for a moment with a curious expression before asking,

“That only makes me wonder even more.”

“Wonder about what?”

“If they’re so precious to you, my lord—why is it that, when they plead for your return, you choose instead to remain here in this remote village?”

Alex’s question carried a faint trace of trepidation. Narrowing his eyes slightly, Reynald regarded him carefully.