Island

Night.

The sky and water were a clear, blue expanse, creating a scene of serene autumn. The bright moonlight bathed the earth, while the town itself was bustling with activity.

Every household was brightly lit, and several huge bonfires were lit near the dock. Fishermen who had participated in the competition during the day, residents who had come to watch, and travelers who had heard the news all gathered on the lakeshore, making the scene as lively as if it were the New Year.

As for the Lake Lord who was "fished" ashore by Lorenzo --

It's already turned into fish fillets.

I was initially worried that the people in this town would worship this "whale" as a god. After all, it's called the "Lake Lord," so it must hold a very important place in people's hearts.

But when they heard the news that the "Lake Lord" was dead, everyone in the town was overjoyed. It was said that this fish often capsized fishing boats and tore fishing nets, but people had never been able to do anything about it. Now that this huge creature had been brought ashore, there was no reason to put it back into the lake.

In this light, this should be considered as eliminating a "major scourge".

Some of it was sliced thinly and eaten directly with sauce, some was grilled over a campfire, and the rest was put into the town's largest iron pot, where vegetables and spices were added and simmered into a thick soup.

If those Windwing Dragons could know this in the afterlife, they would probably feel a sense of kinship, as if they had encountered their own kind.

"They were towing boats all over the lake during the day, and then they got eaten at night--"

Stark held a plate of grilled fish, looking at the mountain of food piled up around the campfire. His feelings were somewhat complicated. Although he hadn't witnessed the specific events, he had already learned a bit about them through word of mouth among the townspeople.

"Maybe this is what the food chain is all about."

To be eaten or to be eaten, that is the question.

Lorenzo picked up a piece of raw fish, dipped it in the sauce prepared by the restaurant, and Lake Lord the fish was firmer than ordinary fish and tasted surprisingly good.

It tastes much better than dragon meat, but such a wonderful encounter is probably a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; I doubt I'll ever find it again if I want to eat it again.

The ultimate winner was undoubtedly Lorenzo, after all, the Lake Lord had caught the fish and made a mess of the field, making it impossible for this year's competition to continue.

Therefore, after deliberation by the organizing committee, it was unanimously decided that this year's competition would have to be ended early, and preparations for the celebrations would begin immediately.

"Mr. Lorenzo, please take this as your prize."

The old man who was hosting the competition handed over the prize money and the magic book to Lorenzo.

The bonus in my purse wasn't particularly large, but it was more than enough to cover my travel expenses for this period of time.

As for that magic book--

As soon as Lorenzo took it in his hand, he felt an exceptionally strong gaze fall upon him.

He turned his head to look.

Frieren was standing not far away, staring intently at the grimoire, though she was still holding a skewer of grilled fish in her hand, her attention was clearly no longer on the food.

When the grimoire was moved to the left, Frieren's eyes followed it to the left; when it was moved to the right, her eyes followed it to the right.

If I throw the grimoire, will Frieren instinctively chase after it?

Lorenzo suddenly became somewhat restless.

But a bad omen suddenly struck, stopping the idea; there was a feeling that if I really did that, something bad would definitely happen.

Just like before, when Stark repeatedly called Frieren "stinky old woman," she cried for three days and three nights straight.

During that period, people who didn't know better might have thought that one of the important teammates had been murdered. So, for the sake of team harmony and the safety of everyone, it's definitely better not to do that.

Here, take it.

Lorenzo handed over the grimoire.

"Really?"

Frieren's eyes lit up slightly.

"Lorenzo, you really are a good person."

The evaluation criteria are really simple. It seems that anyone who is willing to give her a magic book can get a fairly positive evaluation in a short period of time.

Then Frieren took the grimoire and found a brightly lit spot to read it.

Halfway through the celebration, a dark-skinned middle-aged man approached with a wine glass. He appeared to be a fisherman from the town and seemed to have been on the boat not far from Lorenzo during the day's competition.

"My lords."

The middle-aged man approached them, looking somewhat hesitant.

"There's something I need your help with."

"What's up?"

Fern put down the fish soup in his hand, looked up and asked.

"Could you help us take a look at that little island in the middle of the lake?"

The small island in the middle of the lake?

The group looked in the direction the middle-aged man pointed. The lake was crystal clear under the night sky, and the bright moonlight shone on the water. Only in the center of the lake could they vaguely see a blurry black shadow.

It seems there really is an island.

The island is not very large, and it is surrounded by dense forests. Moonlight falls between the tree canopies, and can vaguely illuminate a few sections of collapsed stone walls.

However, during the daytime competition, the lake was always shrouded in a thin mist, and everyone's attention was focused on fishing and the Lake Lord, so no one noticed the existence of the island.

Is there anything on the island?

"Stark asked."

"This has been happening for the last few months. Before that, because the Lake Lord was always active in that area, no one lived on the island. But recently, people have been hearing strange noises coming from the island at night."

"Strange sound?"

"It sounded like steel clashing together, and the digging of soil with a shovel. At first, I thought it was lake water hitting rocks or the wind blowing through the trees, but as time went on, those sounds didn't disappear; instead, they became more and more frequent."

"Didn't anyone go up and check?"

"Fern asked."

"Someone has tried it."

The middle-aged man nodded, but then the worry on his face deepened.

"But before the boat could even reach the shore, it was attacked by the Lake Lord, and almost sank to the bottom of the lake with everyone on board. Since then, no one has dared to go there again."

"So you suspect there's some danger on the island?"

Frieren pondered.

"Yes, and I've heard that a great Demons once perished on that island, and there have been rumors of it being haunted ever since. That's why I'd like to ask if you gentlemen could go to the island to investigate. In return, the town is willing to pay a commission fee."

The middle-aged man paused briefly, as if remembering something, and quickly added.

"Besides, the mayor's family also keeps an ancestral magic book, which is said to contain secrets that can..."

The True Magic of fish scales falling off automatically.

We accept.

Frieren replied without hesitation.