The Lord’s Repayment

Kakerukun, the vice principal, and Sir-sensei sank as though they were being dragged under by the sinking military boat, but after a while they managed to float back up on their own, and then,

“Heeelp meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!”

They began splashing wildly about in the middle of the lake and crying out for help.

From Kakerukun’s body, effects shaped like winged ten-thousand-ender bills were scattering nonstop, as though his hair were falling out at an incredible rate.

Kakerukun had one hundred billion HP, Sir-sensei was a soldier so he was probably a strong swimmer, and the vice principal was probably fine too.

And besides, this place was right near the academy, so the rescue squad would surely be here any minute.

Thinking there was no need for me to go out of my way to save them, I quickly left the lake behind and headed for the forest where the lord of the lake had crashed down.

Everyone else was still distracted by the teachers out on the lake, but Monaka alone followed after me, crying, “Leo-kun!”

The trees in the forest had been flattened as though a storm had passed through, creating one great road.

At the end of it was a wetly gleaming, bizarre creature, rising and falling as though it were breathing.

While I had been fighting it, the lord had still been in the lake, so I hadn’t been able to see its full form.

But now that I had reeled it in like this, it was even bigger than Mark in total length.

Its fins were sharp everywhere like blades, but its face was rounded like an orca’s and almost even cute.

Its mouth was lined with saw-like teeth, and its dangling tongue was as long as a giant serpent.

When I went closer, the lord of the lake was already at death’s door.

After staring at me with its black eyes, it closed them as though resigned to its fate.

At this point, it was already prey—an item—I had obtained.

So I wondered whether I could Appraise it too, and I tried doing so.

“So it’s unsuitable for eating, huh…”

Muttering the appraisal result aloud, I planted a foot on Kurasicharuka’s torso.

Grasping the ballista spear lodged in it, I spoke to Monaka.

“Monaka, I’m going to pull this spear out now. It’ll probably bleed a lot, so can you heal it?

Monaka froze for a second with a startled “Huh?”, but she immediately understood what I intended.

“You’re going to save this child, aren’t you? Understood.”

A Saint’s healing on Monaka’s level is precious, something said to be granted only to Heroes, Sages, royalty, and the like.

People would probably say it was outrageous to use it on a fish, but Monaka followed my request without the slightest hesitation.

Receiving Monaka’s healing, Kurasicharuka recovered and started thrashing about with heavy crashing movements.

“Hey, hey, don’t get so worked up. I’m taking you home now, so stay still.”

Perhaps it understood my words, because Kurasicharuka quieted down after that.

At the moment, I happened to be doing an all-in Strength build, so carrying Kurasicharuka was no trouble at all.

I grabbed its tail fin and dragged it along the ground all the way back to the lake.

When I returned to the lake, the teachers, who had been rescued by the academy’s rescue squad, were in the middle of being carried away on stretchers while spewing water from their mouths like whales blowing spray.

…Dopun!

When I returned Kurasicharuka to the lake, it swam away without even looking back once.

“The fish that got away was huge, but this was the right thing to do,”

I was thinking, when Kurasicharuka’s tail fin suddenly leapt up from the center of the lake.

…Dopaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!!

A towering column of water shot upward, and countless silver lights danced into the sky.

Monaka, standing beside me, stared in fascination and murmured, “Beautiful…”

“That child understood that Leo-kun saved it, and this is how it’s thanking you.”

“Really? Isn’t it just a coincidence?” I said, unconvinced, but Monaka was the one who was right.

The silver lights floating in the sky came falling down toward us, dropping all around like rain.

Looking closer, every single one of them was a fish.

And not just ten or twenty, either.

A hundred… no, well over a thousand of them…!

“Don’t tell me… it repaid me a thousandfold…!”

With Sir-sensei Team having lost its leader, it was doubtful whether the match was even still continuing anymore, but…

Either way, at that moment, our team’s decisive victory was assured.

Together with everyone on my team, I gathered up the fish that had been thrown up along the lakeshore.

Not a single small fish among them—they were all large ones.

“We’re supposed to be having these for lunch today, so let’s get cooking right away.”

I split the team into two groups.

One group to clean the fish, one group to gather branches.

While we were waiting for the branches to be brought in, I taught the members of the fish-cleaning group how to prepare the fish.

Remove the guts and gills, and rub the surface thoroughly with salt.

Among the members of the preparation group, Kotone, who displayed fairly skillful knife work, asked,

“Master, what shall we do with these removed guts and gills?”

“Oh, could you put those into this leather bag over here?”

“Huh, you’re not throwing them away?”

“Throw them away? No way. They can be used in all sorts of ways. They’re tasty to eat too.”

“I never knew guts and gills could be eaten…”

Before long, the group gathering branches came back, so we built a fire out of the branches.

Since there were so many people, we made it huge, like a campfire.

After that, I shaved branches with a knife into skewers and ran them through the cleaned fish.

Then we stuck them into the ground around the campfire, and after waiting a little while…

“Done! Even outside survival training, this is a top-class feast!”

But everyone still looked half doubtful.

“I’ve never eaten fish that was caught and grilled on the spot like this before, but…”

“It’s just fish with salt sprinkled on it, so it can’t be that delicious, right…”

“Even if Leopin-kun says so, calling it a feast is going a bit too far…”

But the moment they took a bite,

“D-Deliciouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuus!?!?”

Every single one of them jumped in unison.

“Why!? Why is this so delicious!?”

“It was just grilled and sprinkled with salt!? It’s way more delicious than any fish I’ve ever eaten before!?”

“The skin is crispy, and the inside is fluffy…! I used to hate fish, but I could eat as much of this as you put in front of me!”

“Actually, this could sell! If we sold it in the residential district, everyone would come to buy it!”

“I-I cannot believe it! Even I, from a country famed for fish, have never eaten fish this delicious before!”

While everyone was savoring the grilled fish, I went on to do another bit of work.

Monaka, who was especially sharp-eyed when it came to me, spoke up right away.

“…Huh? Leo-kun, what are you doing? Aren’t you going to eat the fish?”

“Yeah, I will once I’m done with this prep work. There are a thousand fish here, so it’d be a waste to let them spoil.”

I hung split-open fish on a rack I had hastily made and set them out to dry.

After everyone had eaten their fill of fish, taken a short rest, and played around the lake, it was about time to head back when…

“All right, everyone, I’ve got souvenirs ready.”