Published: January 12, 2026
The next day, I was awakened by the arrival of villagers who seemed flustered.
"It's still early morning... the sun hasn't fully risen yet..."
I said, feeling dizzy. Til nodded as she desperately tried to fix the bedhead on my head.
"I'm sorry. Including Ronda-san, many people seemed panicked... Lord Dee and Lord Espada have already headed to the site."
"The site?"
"The Van Lake we recently created."
"Eh, what kind of name is that?"
I asked sincerely.
"It's named to honor Lord Van's great achievement and to leave a legacy for future generations. By the way, the village's name is also Village Van..."
"Please stop, seriously. I feel like this is all kind of weird."
Saying that, I hurriedly got ready and left the manor. Outside, Villager A was waiting, looking pale and anxious.
"Lo-Lord Van! This way, please!"
Saying that, the villager ran off. Foolish person, don't leave me behind.
Reluctantly, I followed at a brisk walking pace. The villager left the village and ran around the outside.
Yeah, next time I'll make an entrance on the backside too. It's a hassle to go all the way around.
Resolving that, we headed toward the lake.
There, some free villagers were gathering, and in the distance I saw Dee, Espada, and even Ort.
"What happened?"
I asked, stepping forward. Everyone noticed me and cleared a path.
Before me, a lake reflected the sunlight. Even though I made it myself, it was quite a large lake.
However, an unfamiliar silhouette was on the lake's surface.
Something round, like a head, poked out.
"What’s that?"
I said aloud. Espada opened his mouth to speak.
"...It’s probably an apcaluru, a half-human, half-fish demi-human. They are said to live in the beautiful rivers of deep forests and are a rarely sighted species."
"Apcaluru? Huh, never heard of it."
I replied as I moved closer to the lake's edge.
Looking closely, it seemed like a child. Its bright blue hair was mystical, the skin somewhat dark, and the eyes black. From the gaps in its long hair stuck out ears resembling fish fins.
"What’s your name?"
I asked, but the apcaluru didn’t say anything. Perhaps it didn’t understand language.
For now, to show friendliness, I thought of trying to feed it.
"Til, go get some meat with Kamushin."
"Yes!"
The two answered cheerfully and quickly ran off. I stared at the apcaluru for a while, and eventually, when Til and Kamushin returned with chunks of meat, the apcaluru showed a subtle reaction.
"Maybe it’s hungry."
If so, this is a chance. I took a piece of meat from Kamushin and waved to the apcaluru.
Gradually, it came closer.
"O-oh..."
The villagers held their breath, watching the scene unfold.
I saw Dee and Ort quietly grip the handles of their swords, but I kept calling to the apcaluru.
Soon, it was so close that we could reach out and touch each other. I offered the meat.
The apcaluru raised itself from the lake, shoulders out of the water, and brought its nose close to the meat. It sniffed carefully with no sign of hostility.
Up close, it looked very similar to a human. Its eyes were slightly larger than normal, the nose small, and the face somewhat round. The biggest difference was the ears. Also, faint gill-like slits were visible on its neck.
"...Can I eat this?"
The apcaluru spoke.
"It talked!"
Surprised by its cute voice, I shouted.
Instantly, the apcaluru dove underwater, resurfacing at the far side of the lake. Its underwater movement was unbelievably fast, but I figured it was like a big fish.
The apcaluru seemed completely wary now, sticking only half its face out of the water and watching me.
Even with furrowed brows, its face was too cute to be scary.
"Sorry about that. Come on, come here."
I called again, but it turned its face away abruptly.
Had I upset it?
"Til, do we have any fruit?"
"Yes! I'll bring some right away!"
The second plan: sweet things are always a winner.
In these remote areas, sweets are a luxury rarely seen, so sweet fruit is very popular.
After all, sugar is a luxury item only affordable by nobles or merchants who import it.
Because of this, sweets culture hasn’t advanced much here. If sugar and butter became common among the general populace, the variety of sweets would surely expand.