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Eric After That
(Eric POV)
「...... Eleonora and the others, they left」
As we saw off the carriage carrying Alfried and the others until we can not see them anymore, I heard my aneue mutter that.
「Yeah, that’s right」
「Are you feeling sad now that Alfried-kun is gone?」
「No way. I feel relieved now that he’s gone」
It felt like they’d stayed for a long time. It was quite a chore to take care of them.
「………he is a strange kid, isn’t he」
「I know, right. Not giving in even if the other party is the son of the Earl, but then he also showed us that he could back down when necessary, but I don’t know how such a cowardly person can have those kinds of abilities in magic.」
I met Alfried at the royal capital’s party and despite actually regretting our meeting, we began to interact with each other from then on, but I still don’t know what kind of person he is.
Despite saying that everything is so troublesome, he still did crazy things. I really would like to discuss with him what kind of thought process caused him to do such crazy actions.
But, I’m now freed from such a nuisance and I won’t be talked around by him anymore. Yeah, so I don’t think I feel sad about him leaving.
「….....is that so」
「Aneue, what’s with that lukewarm gaze on me? I don’t know what you’re thinking but stop it, it makes me uncomfortable」
「…..…I don’t quite understand what you’re talking about. Eric is too self-concious」
Aneue evasively answered and returned to the mansion when I protested.
Which part of me is too self-conscious?
「Ohー, he’s here! Oーii, Eric-samaー!」
Just when I was about to get inside while sighing, I heard a familiar loud voice coming from behind me.
Reflexively turning around, there was the territory’s kid Tornell standing there holding a harpoon in his hand with his sister Kuina.
「Oniichan, your voice is too loud! You don’t have to shout so loud, he can hear you!」
「Ooh, is that so?」
So Kuina rebuked Tornell, but her rebuke was also quite loud.
I approach them while looking at such a heartwarming exchange between brother and sister.
「What is it? Do you need something?」
「Let’s go to the sea together!」
I unconsciously become at a loss for words due to Tornell’s straightforward invitation.
This is the first time I have been invited by a resident of the territory. So we now have a sense of familiarity because we made the sand castle together on the beach?
「Do you want me to come with you that much?」
「Yeah, I want Eric-sama to come with us!」
「Can’t be helped then. I don’t have time, but since you guys have said it to that extent then I will come with you」
They came to invite me after all. It is a noble’s responsibility to answer the people’s expectations.
「Oohー, amazing. It’s just as Alfried-sama said! He easily nodded when we ask him imprudently! This is so simple, isn’t it!」
「Shhー! Oniichan, Eric-sama can hear you!」
Tornell and Kuina huddle together and talk about something.
「…………hnm? Just now, you were saying Alfried’s name, didn’t you?」
「「It’s just your imagination!」」
The two of them replied sharply at the same time when I asked them that.
......it strangely bothers me, but it wouldn’t be good to begin listening to their siblings' conversation, right.
I decided not to care about them anymore.
I came to the sea since Tornell and Kuina asked me to accompany them.
The sea of Sylford’s territory is calm today, and white clouds are floating quietly in the sky.
「Oohー, the sandcastle we built is still there!」
「It might be a bit embarrassing since people of the village came to see it」
If I’m forced to say what’s strange about this scene now is the towering Misphilt sandcastle there.
It was a building that fully demonstrated Alfried’s ability which can be said to be pointless, it seems like the people also thought that it was unusual since they were gathering there day after day.
He said that it won’t collapse with a little bit of shock since it was made after compressing dirt with magic power, but just how long will it last there?
Oh well, at any rate, it would eventually crumble after being exposed to the salty sea wind.
We also made that so it was a bit regrettable but there were some parts that crumbled already.
「By the way, what are we going at the sea?」
「Hmー, I haven’t decided yet」
I thought he already knew what we would do since he asked me, but Tornell said that thoughtlessly while smiling.
「You haven’t decided?」
「I just thought that we should just do whatever we want based on our mood at that time」
「I see......」
Hearing what Tornell said, his sister - Kuina - doesn’t particularly object to it.
I wonder if children in general play like that? 1
「Ah! There is a pretty magic core fragment!」
As we were walking on the beach like that, Kuina picked up a magic core fragment.
「…...it’s really pretty. It’s bigger and more transparent than the others around here」
If you went to the beach, you would catch sight of countless magic core fragments, but the one Kuina picked up was especially pretty.
「You’re going to be able to turn that into a decoration as it is!」
「But, you did well finding that」
It’s different to find a magic core fragment among a large amount of sand, no matter how pretty it is.
「It has become a habit due to my work, so I observe them while thinking ‘I wonder if that can be usedー’」
「You really like your decorating job, huh?」
「Yes!」
It’s impossible to have that kind of thought process fill your mind unless you really like your job.
So, being able to do that is an obvious sign of how Kuina loves her decorating job.
Kuina nodded with a carefree smile on her face to what I said.
「Oーii, come see this! There’s a huge shellfish here!」
While I was talking with Kuina like that, at some point, Tornell had already gone to the rocky spot at the beach and loudly called out to us.
Coming closer to him, we found a large shellfish washed ashore on the rocky spot.
It’s a pure white shell with an uneven surface. That in itself is something common, but its size was not normal.
It's as wide as both of my arms spread out fully. It’s probably around one meter. There are a considerable number of such shellfish being caught in our territory, but I had never seen anything like that before.
「This is……Green Shellfish!」2
「'Green Shellfish'? That’s shellfish, I don’t hear that much, right?」
「This is basically a shellfish that lives in deep water and it seems like it doesn’t go to shallow water that much」
「Rather than that, it’s not green like its name, y’know?」
It’s just as Tornell said. This shellfish is pure white in color, I don’t understand the meaning of its name ‘Green Shellfish’.
「Oniichan, did you forget what kaasan told us? You can harvest green pearl from this shellfish, you know」
「Oohー! The beautiful pearl I saw a long time ago! I see, so you can get it from this guy!」
I guess Tornell remembered something, he looked at the Green Shellfish with an understanding look on his face.
「So, there is a beautiful pearl inside this shellfish?」
「That’s right!」
Hearing Kuina’s explanation, it looks like this shellfish is quite famous among decorators.
It’s not something that can be harvested often so it’s no wonder I also don’t know about it.
At any rate, there are a large number of creatures living in the sea.
Even for people who are born and raised here, it’s almost impossible for them to know them all.
Even people who harvest some creatures of the sea often won’t know about the minor ones. There were cases of those creatures we don’t know well enough to appear.
「Then, you can open the shell and bring it home」
「Is that alright?」
「Kuina is the person who found it first after all. Besides, I have no use for it even if I bring it back home」
「The price will go up if it is sold, you know?」
「………I don’t care. You can use it as a decoration」
「As expected from Eric-sama! You’re really generous!」
I thought I was a bit hasty, but still, there’s no way I could say such an ugly line like ‘Hand it over’ now.
「Okay then, I will open it!」
After saying that, Tornell tries to wrench open the Green Shellfish with his hands.
「Fugigigigigi! What is this! It’s so hard!」
But, the Green Shellfish was still there, unbudgeable with Tornell’s strength.
「Dang it, one more time!」
「You can’t do that, don’t overdo it! Your arms will be crushed even if you manage to pry it open if you hold them like that, you know?」
「The clamping strength of the shell is said to be very strong」
「O, ooh. Is that so......」
Tornell obediently lowered the shellfish after Kuina and I stopped him
Among the shell-type monsters, there are some of them that have a clamping strength that can crush even rocks, so it’s dangerous to try and do something to them with your bare hands.
「Can we possibly open it if we use Eric-sama’s sword?」
「With my sword? Isn’t that reckless?」
「Its shell will open if you stab your sword and cut its adductor muscle!」
Tornell and Kuina’s expectant gazes are piercing me.
「Well, I’ll just try as much as I can」
「Thank you very much!」
I think it is strange to use the sword for self-defense to open a shellfish, but I can’t bluntly refuse the request from our people.
「Where’s the adductor muscle located?」
「 It's around here, and a bit deeper......」
As expected, it seems like they don’t understand the internal structure of a shellfish. However, I was also convinced that it was internally located in those two places.
Receiving advice from Kuina, I take out my sword from the sheath. I scraped off whatever it is that is sticking to the shell, then I stabbed my sword into the slightly visible gap.
Immediately after that, I felt like the shell of the Green Shellfish had slightly closed itself.
Is it trying to push out the foreign object that has entered its body? It was the right decision to stop Tornell from forcing it open. He will definitely be out if he put his finger inside.
I try to wiggle my sword around despite the sword still being pressed by the shell. Then, my sword hit something that feels like a thick muscle. It has a unique fleshiness that is not a shell or its meat.
「Hm? Could it be this?」
I don’t know if this is the adductor muscle or not, but let’s cut it off for now.
「Do you think you can cut it?」
When I try to slide the blade, the fleshiness I felt is surprisingly firm.
It’s quite solid, and it is also because the sword can’t make firm contact and it’s hard to apply strength.
「It will take time, but it’s not impossible to cut it」
「Ooh!」
While being watched by Tornell and Kuina, I push and pull the sword steadily, trying to cut whatever that fleshiness is. Then, when I managed to cut the last of the fiber-like thing, the tightly closed shell suddenly opened with great force.
「Ooh, it opened!」
「So this is a Green Shellfish’s pearl!」
Inside the shell, there is not only the flesh of the Green Shellfish, but also a ball-like thing that looks to be a green pearl.
It is very pretty, with a deep green color. It’s like a gem, like an emerald that has been processed as they are.
(something like this?)
「…….it’s pretty」
Kuina’s eyes sparkle at the beauty of the pearl.
「Hey, do what you want with it」
「Fuwaa! Thank you very much!」
Tearing off the Green Shellfish’s pearl and handing it to her, she deeply bowed and thanked me.
Then she stares at it as though she is excited that she has such a large pearl in her hand.
Kuina is normally a calm person, but I guess she turns simple-minded when it comes to decorations.
The inside of the opened shell is also greenish, and it’s shining like an iris. Seeing it from the outside, it’s only a shellfish with its size as its characteristic, but I didn’t think it will be this beautiful inside it.
「Say, Kuina. Can you eat Green Shellfish?」
While we were fascinated by the beauty of the pearl and its shell, Tornell thoughtlessly asked that.
Looks like his interest in food wins over beauty.
「You can eat it」
「Ooh, then let’s grill this thing!」
「Well, if it can be eaten, then it will be too wasteful if we leave it alone」
「Ah, umm......」
While Tornell and I were deciding our next course of action, Kuina had a slightly troubled look on her face.
It’s obvious that she’s thinking about the thing in his hand.
「Kuina, you can bring back that Green Shellfish’s pearl home quickly」
「Thank you very much! Well then, please excuse me!」
She probably wanted to bring it back home immediately. And after she said that, Kuina quickly left with the Green Shellfish’s pearl in her hand.
「For now, shall we prepare to grill it?」
「Right」
I never did this kind of thing, doing something together with the people of our territory.
I thought I should draw a clear line as the son of the lord with the citizen of our territory but when I try to interact with him, it’s not a bad thing to know the various ways of life of the citizens of our territory.
Oh well, I definitely won’t say such lines in front of Alfried.
He will absolutely get cocky if I said it in front of him.
Previous Chapter - TOC - Next Chapter
TL Note :
1. Unlike adults who need to make appointments first..
2. 緑貝
You can support the author by buying the LN here.
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