Published: August 15, 2025
The next morning.
I was on a small boat crossing the lake in the dim early light, heading to clean the hot spring as ordered by the lord of the territory, accompanied by everyone from Shikum’s pier who had kindly volunteered to guide and help me.
“Mr. Kai, you can actually steer the boat, huh?”
“In our village, anyone can do this. Right?”
“Boat is definitely the most used means of transportation around here.”
“For big town trips or to ferry the sick to neighboring villages, boats are the fastest and most convenient. Even kids learn to steer boats from adults, not just fishermen.”
“I see.”
Transportation varies depending on the region.
“Ryoma, look over there.”
Mr. Sain? Curious, I followed his gaze.
“Oh, aren’t those ‘muskrats’?”
On my first day here, Mr. Kei showed me around the village and introduced me to these magical beasts living in the lake. They look like cute otters or beavers, and about seven or eight of them were pushing a raft-like nest made from wood and branches.
“When they start moving their nests like that, it’s a sign that the mud salamander swarm will soon stop coming, and the fishing season is ending.”
“Really?”
“They seem to know when the wave of mud salamanders swimming upstream will end. When the wave ends, they fix their nests near the river’s mouth downstream to overwinter.”
“If they fixed their nests while the wave is still strong, the large mud salamander swarm would crush them. So, they wait until the salamanders decrease just enough to avoid damaging the nest, then they fix it in place.”
With Mr. Peyron and Mr. Shin’s additional explanation, I understood better.
They observe the magical beasts' behavior to judge the start and end of fishing seasons.
The mud salamander wave is almost over. In other words, the hunt is nearly complete.
And at the same time, the life here is also nearing its end.
...I must cherish each day, making sure I have no regrets.
After chatting some more, it took about thirty minutes crossing the lake before we arrived at the large town’s harbor.
The beach facilities were not much different from Shikum’s village, but the number of piers and the size of the processing buildings were on a whole other level. Many people from other villages probably come to shop here too. Even early in the morning, many boats were constantly coming and going. The place was bustling with life, and in the distance beyond the beach, I could see large buildings in the town.
“Hey!”
A man on the pier had been calling out to boats on the lake while waving a small handheld flag. From his actions, he appeared to be directing traffic. Mr. Kai, who was steering, followed his instructions and docked at an open pier.
“All right, you can disembark.”
“Thank you very much.”
“Brr, it’s cold, cold.”
“The early morning on a boat sure chills you.”
“How about some soup from a food stall?”
It was early and felt like winter already, and after the cold boat ride, Mr. Peyron’s suggestion to warm up with soup met no opposition.
Apparently many people had the same idea. Just after entering the town from the beach, the main street was lined with over sixty food stalls selling warm soup and stew dishes. With so many choices, it could be hard to decide, but the folks from Shikum’s pier walked confidently toward one without hesitation.
“Everyone, have you already decided where to eat?”
“Hm? Oh, right. Ryoma-kun didn’t know. Actually, my older brother runs a food stall here. So whenever we come, we just go eat there.”
“I see.”
As we talked, we arrived.
Since everyone seemed to know each other, after brief greetings and placing orders, the conversation quickly turned to catching up. I was introduced too and enjoyed a warm stew. The seasoning and ingredients were slightly adjusted for the stall, but since it was Mr. Kei’s brother, it reminded me somewhat of my mother’s cooking.
After warming up, we headed straight to the lord of the territory’s mansion.
A twenty-minute ride by shared carriage brought us there.