Chapter 263: It’s Covered with a Slimy Liquid!
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“The Sea~! Wide~ n’ deeeeep!”
Sword burst into laughter upon hearing my song.
“Sounds like your mood made a full recovery.”
I mean, it’s impossible to keep your calm if you have to deal with such a lame being. He’s at a level where things are still getting worse while he’s already way beyond cringe.
＊
Soon the moray spot came into sight, and we could see a super-large, mysterious fish lurking beneath the surface.
“Isn’t a leviathan similar to that?”
“Its fins are a lot more gorgeous. And it’s got scales, too.”
Hmm.
“Morays can move about on land as well, can’t they? It seems like they’re capable of cutaneous respiration.”
Sword got startled, “For real!?”
“I heard it applied to the morays of the other world. It’s possible that it’ll kick up a fuss on land if we don’t cut off its head.”
“Roger!”
“”Ayessir!!””
Sword was full of motivation. And so were the Ryokus.
*SPLAAAASH*
It broke out through the surface with a tremendous force. All of us evaded by jumping.
“What a dull way of attacking.”
“Usually it’s pretty effective, you know? Any ship would be helpless, but well…”
We’ve got a huge advantage in mobility and maneuverability. The Ryokus fired their freezing Gatling guns. But, its sliminess was apparently nothing to scoff at as the frozen spots simply slid off its skin.
“Its whole body is covered with a lewd liquid!”
“Just what the hell are you talkin’ ’bout?” Sword scowled at me with a look that was colder than freezing magic.
Booooh!
“How about we collect that liquid and sell it to the ladies working in the night business?”
“It stinks, so no one is goin’ to buy it, don’t you think?”
…… He got a point.
＊
We had some fun with the moray for a while, but since we got tired at some point, we simply froze the whole thing.
“Fear the freezing power of absolute zero!”
Although I made a pose and dropped a corny line there, Sword ignored me altogether and asked, “Is it alright for me to cut off its head now?”
＊
After Sword lopped off its head, we headed back while pulling the corpse with everyone. While at it, we also froze the fish that attacked us on the way back.
“What a huge haul!”
“No kiddin’. I’m lookin’ forward to your fish dishes, ‘kay?” He told me with a smile.
＊
When we got back, some people were still left at the harbor.
“Eh!? You guys are already back!?”
“Wow! Huh? Aren’t you getting chased or something…?”
“Nah, they’re keeping head and torso separate. …Wait? You’ve also got other fish… Huh? Ain’t that Great Swordfish over there!?”
“Seriously!? …Oh, it’s true! You brought down so many!?”
“Hmm, we’ve taken them down, thinking they’re edible, but if that ends with you telling us that these fish can’t be eaten, it’ll be too much of a waste. No choice. We’re going to use them as swords while keeping them frozen.
“Don’t use frozen fish as weapons! Your wooden sword is still much better a choice!” Sword retorted.
＊
After jumping on the wharf, fishermen-like people rushed up to us.
“They really took it down!”
“Great Swordfish too!?”
“Aren’t those frozen solid? How are they still frozen despite floating in the sea?”
They made a huge ruckus.
“I’ve frozen it because I want to kill off the parasites. My magic is a bit special, so it can’t be canceled. If you leave the moray out here like that, it’ll probably thaw by tomorrow or the day after. While at it, I also froze these guys over here on the way back since they attacked us, but can you eat these?”
“””Of course!!”””
I immediately understood from that answer that those fish are apparently tasty.
“I s’pose we’re gonna report back to the guildmaster for starters. If they’re delicious, let’s have ’em give some of the catch back to us.”
Before we could even go to the guild, the guildmaster came running. And after seeing the frozen fish, he became speechless.
“……How terrifying…,” he muttered.
“Please take care of the purchase. Leave some of the meat for us. We’ll let you handle the whole load,” Sword told him with a grin.
It seems he’s looking forward to being able to eat the fish.
“Oh yeah, we’ve frozen it as a countermeasure against parasites. It should be possible to kill them if the whole batch remains frozen for a day. Given that it’ll gradually thaw, process it at a suitable time.”
“”””Aye-yo!!””””
The men consented loudly and enthusiastically as you’d expect of fishermen.
“There’s no need to keep the head frozen, is there?” The guildmaster pointed out.
I clapped my hands together, “Come to think of it, you’re right. Sword, it’s time for your microwave magic!”
When I looked back at him with a smile, Sword pulled a reluctant face.
“Don’t give it some weird name! It’s simply light magic.”
Sword cast the spell while chanting super quickly, microwaving the moray’s head. This caused a stir among the people around us.
“As expected of an S-Rank adventurer…!”
“It’s said even priests can’t use light magic unless they’re really high-ranking, no?”
Is that so? And even though it’s such esteemed magic, we’re using it for microwaving stuff.
“Look, it’s been defrosted. Do you need it moved somewhere else?”
“Could you please bring it to the warehouse?”
Since we were told so by the guildmaster, I lifted it up. Because it was dirty, I cleaned it with alkali-ion washing magic. That caused yet another stir.
“He didn’t use any chant, did he?”
“Can S-Ranks use such stuff so easily?”
I feel like they can’t. Ah, but I think Sword could do it if he puts his mind to it.
“It’s become quite clean with this.”
Once I cast away the filthy water with a splash, Sword lightly grabbed the moray and shouldered it. Meanwhile I transported the remaining fish to another storehouse.
“Since it’s going to hurt you more than a burn if you touch it carelessly, make sure to not touch the fish with your bare hands, no matter what you do.”
After warning the men like that, I placed the fish in the storehouse. I apparently got them to understand since unloading the fish in there caused the building to become as cold as a refrigerator.
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Translation Notes: