Chapter 183

Sheffy was not the kind of person who would casually delay after making a promise—what she said, she would do.

It was just that yawns often came along with her, that’s all.

“Yaaawn... It's fine, it's fine. Just sit here for now. By the way, I think I already told you last time about your unique magic type.”

“Mm! I can talk to cats and dogs! Totally useless!”

“That’s the only part you remembered, huh! Your unique magic is called【Word Spirit Technique】, so remember it properly!”

“Uugh—ouch!”

Thanks a lot, Livra. Your stupidity prompted her to jump up and smack you on the head, instantly sobering up.

Sheffy folded her arms across her chest with clear irritation, then turned around. Her deep violet eyes shimmered with magical particles as she gazed into the distance.

Her vision pierced through layers of mountains, stretching all the way to the far edge of the forest.

“Miss Shaya...? What are you looking at?”

“Seeing if there’s a Three-Headed Lion Beast in the forest right now... Tch, forgot, those things only come out at night. I should’ve caught one last night. Sleeping like a log in broad daylight, no chance finding one now.”

“You’re looking for a Three-Headed Lion Beast...? Ah! Don’t tell me...!”

“That’s right. I want to use a magical beast to test the control limits of your【Word Spirit Technique】. Last time we confirmed you could control multiple kinds of magical creatures simultaneously. But if one of them is particularly powerful, we still don’t know whether you can handle it. That needs to be tested.”

“Uuuu... I get it, I really do. Since it’s come to this... please, I beg you, find a gentle Lion Beast!”

“There’s no such thing as a gentle one of those. Anyway, none of them are around right now, so no point talking about it.”

“Phew... that's a relief...”

“Hm?!”

“No! I mean, it’s such a shame that we can’t find one!”

Just like the face you make when the teacher announces a pop quiz—but suddenly can’t find the exam papers. That kind of happiness.

But it didn’t matter.

A whirl of magical energy spiraled open before Sheffy—【Storage】 activated.

From within it, she pulled out a long fishing rod crafted from black crystal magic stone.

It gleamed brightly, radiating a powerful presence under the sunlight.

The rod’s surface was delicately engraved with patterns of large fish in intricate detail.

It was clear Sheffy had put a lot of care into making this fishing rod.

Sheffy looked at this “ultimate weapon” and nodded repeatedly in satisfaction.

“Old partner, time for us to work together again. Livra, wait over there for a bit. It’s fine if I can’t find a Lion Beast—I’ll go fish you up a Wind Demon Dragon Fish.”

“A Wind Demon Dragon Fish?! Isn’t... isn’t that the legendary man-eating monster fish?!”

“Huh? What legend? You people in Aurus sure are lacking in biodiversity. There are Wind Demon Dragon Fish in this lake. Just wait—I’ll catch one for you to see.”

“!”

This was bad.

There weren’t any Lion Beasts...

But there was something even more ferocious than a Lion Beast!

---

13. It Really Wasn’t Me!

Miss Shaya had said it so nobly—bringing back a big fish for Livra to practice with—every word filled with wisdom, every action radiating the virtue of a good teacher.

However...

Reality didn’t seem to match Livra’s expectations?

Now, an entire hour had already passed.

Sitting atop a large rock, Livra, who had originally been bright-eyed and fully on edge, had now grown drowsy from the wait.

And yet, the Wind Demon Dragon Fish still hadn’t shown up.

Miss Shaya had been sitting cross-legged at the lake’s edge, fishing, for a full hour...

And in all that time, not even a single ordinary little fish had made an appearance!

Holding firm to the belief that she couldn't just sit around and wait for doom, Livra nimbly hopped down from the stone steps, carefully circled around behind Sheffy, and tilted her head to observe her current state.

“Sha... mm.”

Livra had only just uttered a single syllable before falling silent.

Her little heart thumped wildly, skipping beats in an unfamiliar rhythm.

Miss Shaya was already cute enough on a normal day...

But while fishing, her charm seemed to shine even brighter.

The long dress of black-feathered fabric made her look like a black rose blooming by the lakeside, forming a stunning visual contrast with her silver hair that sparkled under the sun.

Sheffy sat with her eyes half-closed, calm and still as a mountain. Even though she had been there for an hour, she showed no signs of impatience or restlessness. Her hands held the fishing rod steady, unwavering like an old cat.

Even setting everything else aside, just this sheer composure Miss Shaya displayed while fishing was already something Livra could learn from.

Livra had never been the kind of person who could sit still since she was little.

But now, staring at Sheffy’s peaceful side profile, Livra instinctively didn’t want to disturb her fishing. Her heart, too, settled along with the faint ripples on the lake’s surface.

—And with close observation, one would inevitably notice some details that had been missed earlier.

Hm?

Miss Shaya... didn’t seem completely as still as a mountain...?

Her calm little head was moving ever so slightly up and down. If one didn’t look carefully, it was easy to miss.

And then—

A terrible possibility floated up in Livra’s mind.

Could it be...

No way, right?

Just as she was about to dismiss this terrifying thought herself, she heard a soft and adorable snore.

“Zzz... mmgh mmgh... Steamed fish... fish...”

“Aaaaah—You were totally asleep! Miss Shaya, wake up! Aren’t you supposed to be fishing?!”

“Mm...? Hm?!”

Sheffy was startled awake from her delicious dream about grilled fish. When her blurry vision finally focused, she saw Livra pouting with a face full of despair—like someone who had just wasted a whole hour of her life.

With one hand still gripping the fishing rod, Sheffy used the other to rub her eyes, finally coming back to her senses.

Livra puffed her cheeks out in protest, voicing her complaint in a not-very-confident tone.

“Uuu... Miss Shaya, you said you were fishing, but you were clearly just sleeping...”

“Sorry, sor... No, Livra, this is where you just don’t get it.”

“Eh?”

Expecting Sheffy to honestly apologize? That was never going to happen. She had her own sense of pride when holding a fishing rod.

And so, the nonsense explanation began.

“Fishing is deep—too deep for you to understand. Big fish don’t bite right away. I was sleeping on purpose. Only when I fall asleep do the big ones lower their guard. If I look all energized and alert, a Wind Demon Dragon Fish wouldn’t dare come near. But the moment a big fish bites, I’ll wake up immediately. So what you saw was only the surface.”

“Ah... There’s actually a theory like that? But... does it really work...?”

“Of course it works. So don’t disturb me while I fish. That fish might’ve been about to bite just now and got scared off because of you.”

“I see...! Then please, continue! I was being too impatient! But...”

Livra, after all, wasn’t a total airhead. This princess had her moments of cleverness.

“But... if the goal is to catch a fish, why does it have to be by fishing? With your abilities, Miss Shaya, wouldn’t it be possible to just use magic and force all the fish out of the lake?”

“You... You little brat!”

“?!”

“You think life’s full of shortcuts?! Just started learning magic and you’re already looking for tricks—how are you ever going to master it with that mindset? Reflect on yourself immediately!”

“Yes, Miss Shaya! I realize my mistake!”

“Now that’s more like it.”

Sheffy shot to her feet and gave Livra a hot-blooded scolding.

But once she sat back down by the lake, she was feeling rather guilty.

It wasn’t like she hadn’t thought about just using magic to catch the fish. But—doing so would be a grave disrespect to the art of fishing!

Sheffy didn’t know why, but ever since she had her first experience fishing as a child, she’d developed an inexplicable attachment to it. She loved that rush when a big fish finally bit and was reeled in.

Granted, the number of times she had actually caught a fish could be counted on one hand... but that was just bad luck and minor errors! Definitely not because she wasn’t good at it!

Livra, having absorbed this new wisdom and elevated her mindset, quickly crossed her legs and sat gracefully beside Sheffy, keeping silent.

This time, she had patience.

Also—Sheffy didn’t dare fall asleep again.

“Uh... why are you sitting next to me?”

“Obviously to study Miss Shaya’s divine fishing technique up close! You’ve said many times that you love fishing, so it must be something truly amazing. Please, allow me to observe!”

“Oho! Now you’re talking! You really get me! That’s the spirit! Then open those eyes wide and watch carefully. When the big one bites—see this rod in my hand? That’s my old partner. I crafted it myself. Together, we’ve caught all kinds of large fish. It has a glorious record!”

“Amazing!”

Big words. Lofty claims.

Every sentence, every tone—so powerful, so full of confidence.

However... as time went on...

Beads of cold sweat began to form on Sheffy’s forehead.

Bite the bait...

Would you please just bite the bait already?!

Was she really going to wait all the way until lunch without a single catch? How embarrassing would that be?!

Livra let out a yawn, but quickly forced herself to suppress the drowsiness, trying her best to keep her eyes wide open as she stared at the lake’s surface.

Through the surface of the water where the intricately crafted black-gold fishing rod dipped in, there wasn’t the slightest trace of movement—not even a ripple from a living creature, let alone a big fish biting.

“Um... Miss Shaya? I think... maybe something’s gone wrong?”

“No, there’s no problem. I told you—this... this is a high-level task. Did you really think a legendary fish would be that easy to catch?”

“But didn’t you just say it wasn’t a legendary fish...?”

“I’ve changed my mind. I’m going to catch the Wind Demon Dragon Fish King.”

“Fish King?!”

That... would explain why she was being so patient!

Before they realized it—

Another hour had passed.

The early morning sun had already drifted much higher into the sky. The cooling breeze of dawn was long gone, replaced by the gradual heat thickening in the air.

Livra was nearly at her limit.

She stared hopelessly at the calm lake, slowly twisting her stiff neck to look at Sheffy, whose face was now glistening with sweat.

Huh...? Was it really this hot already?

“Miss Shaya... I think... we don’t necessarily have to fish up the Fish King, right? Just... something normal would be fine too? Training should progress step by step, after all...”