Chapter 33
Chapter 33
After eating a late breakfast, the Factory Manager shouldered his fishing bag, which he had prepared beforehand. It was a slightly worn but brightly patterned, long fishing bag.
As the Factory Manager walked out of the room, he spotted Channing washing himself at the well.
Channing had been covered in soot from going into the chimney earlier, so he was diligently scrubbing himself with well water, but black water was still coming off.
Seeing Channing, the Factory Manager shouted.
“Channing. I’m going fishing, what about you?”
“Ah. I’m just going to sleep. I should relax leisurely for a change.”
Channing, soaked from washing off the soot with well water, replied, and the Factory Manager nodded, then gathered his equipment and moved to the lakeside.
Seeing the Factory Manager, Illia trotted after him and grabbed his hand.
“You want to come with me fishing?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm. It won’t be very interesting… Well, alright.”
The Factory Manager nodded and walked towards the lakeside, holding Illia’s hand.
At the tranquil lakeside, the Factory Manager unfolded his folding chair and set down his fishing rod bag. He then unfolded the rod stands and began to set up his fishing rods one by one.
After setting up the long and short fishing rods, the Factory Manager attached floats and hooks to the rods and looked at Illia.
“Have you ever fished before?”
“I’ve seen the older guys fishing a lot when I was wandering around.”
“Then you know it’s not fun, are you sure?”
“It’s okay. Should I catch some bait for you?”
Illia struggled to lift a rather large rock. As the rock was flipped over, wriggling earthworms emerged from beneath.
Illia casually picked up the earthworms with her hand and brought them to the Factory Manager. The Factory Manager smiled and accepted the earthworms.
The plump earthworms, nourished by the rich soil, wriggled vigorously.
“With those, we’ll catch a big fish.”
The Factory Manager stroked Illia’s head, took the earthworms in a plastic container, and began to thread them onto the fishing hooks.
This was the Factory Manager’s first time fishing in this world, so he was curious what kind of fish he would catch.
The type of fishing gear used typically varies depending on the fish one aims to catch. Whether it’s carp, crucian carp, or other freshwater fish, the hook, the thickness of the fishing line, and the bait all change accordingly.
Sometimes, even the fishing rod itself changes. Therefore, the Factory Manager decided to start with the most basic setup. He could change the gear later depending on the bites he gets.
“Are you fishing?”
As he cast one of the prepared fishing rods into the water, Marsha approached the Factory Manager.
“It’s Marsha.”
“Your fishing rod is interesting, mister. It’s not made of wood.”
“It’s called carbon, it’s a different kind of material than wood.”
“Carbon? I’ve never heard of that before.”
Marsha looked at the fishing rod with curiosity. It wasn’t wood, nor was it metal, but the smooth, straight fishing rod seemed fascinating to her.
“So, it’s fiber, like the cloth used to make clothes, hardened with resin. It’s not just any cloth, it’s made of something called carbon.”
Marsha tilted her head at the Factory Manager’s explanation.
Seeing Marsha’s expression, the Factory Manager scratched his head awkwardly. He realized it wasn’t an explanation a child could easily understand.
“I don’t know what it is, but it seems like an amazing thing. It’s fascinating. The other men use fishing rods made of wood.”
“Well… I guess that’s the case for people here.”
While the Factory Manager and Marsha were talking, Illia approached Marsha and spoke.
“Everything the Factory Manager has is amazing.”
Illia said with a somewhat proud expression, and Marsha looked at Illia before turning her gaze back to the Factory Manager’s fishing rod.
“I think so. I’ve never seen anything like it before. The carriage you rode was amazing, and the things you brought were amazing too. Mom thought so too.”
“Right?”
Illia said with a bright expression.
Seeing Illia’s proud demeanor, the Factory Manager smiled and began to set up the remaining fishing rods.
******
After setting up all five fishing rods, the Factory Manager leaned back comfortably in his folding chair, stretched out his legs, and gazed at the lake. The cool breeze blowing across the tranquil lakeside made him feel good.
The float tips bobbed on the water, swaying in the gentle breeze.
Illia and Marsha, seemingly bored by the stillness, started playing by stacking stones next to him.
Seeing Illia playing with a friend her age, the Factory Manager smiled and fixed his gaze back on the floats.
Illia, who was stacking stones and securing them with mud to build something resembling a wall, suddenly lifted her head and looked towards the forest.
“What’s wrong?”
Marsha asked Illia, who abruptly stood up.
Marsha also got up.
Marsha tilted her head, puzzled as to why Illia was acting that way.
“Someone’s coming.”
As soon as Illia finished speaking, someone emerged from the forest.
A towering figure with green skin and tusks protruding from its mouth.
An Orc.
It was wearing an ornately decorated cloth garment, its hair was braided long, and the braids were adorned with feathers.
“Whoa!”
Illia screamed in surprise and ran to the Factory Manager, and the Factory Manager, who had been watching the fishing float, was also startled and looked in that direction.
Noticing the Orc staring at him with red eyes, the Factory Manager quickly stood up and faced the Orc.
This wasn’t the first time the Factory Manager and Illia had seen an Orc.
Polchis was a large city where one could encounter Orcs, Elves, beastmen, and all sorts of humans. As such, the Factory Manager was familiar with Orcs.
However, those were Orcs who were allowed into the city under strict control by soldiers, with the city being surrounded by walls and human access thoroughly regulated.
Moreover, those Orcs wore clothes identical to humans and had their hair neatly groomed, making them appear quite approachable.
However, it was the Factory Manager’s first time seeing an Orc emerge from the forest, dressed in traditional attire.
From the headdress to the rough-looking patterned clothes, everything about it felt strange and frightening.
The Factory Manager quickly grabbed Illia’s shoulders, who was standing in front of him, and pulled her behind him.
“Marsha! Come here!”
The Factory Manager shouted to Marsha.
“Don’t be alarmed. That’s Mr. Kapuntar from the neighboring village.”
Marsha said, looking strangely at the Factory Manager, who was hesitant, and Illia, who was trembling in fear.
At Marsha’s words, the Factory Manager looked at the Orc.
Perhaps sensing the gaze, the Orc scratched its head and spoke.
“I seem to have startled you. I am Kapuntar. You must be guests at the inn.”
The Orc’s rather polite tone surprised the Factory Manager in a different way.
Realizing that the Orc had no hostile intentions, the Factory Manager quickly relaxed his body and stepped forward, greeting him.
“My apologies.”
“No, it’s understandable to be surprised if an Orc in traditional clothing suddenly emerges from the forest. There are still many Orcs who are hostile towards humans. Of course, our tribe is not one of them, so you don’t have to worry.”
Seeing Kapuntar smile, the Factory Manager also smiled back. Although it was hard to tell if it was a smile due to the tusks protruding from his mouth, the atmosphere made it clear that it was a smile.
“It seems I’ve frightened the little miss.”
Kapuntar said, looking at Illia, who was still peeking from behind the Factory Manager.
“Mr. Kapuntar is a good person. He helps a lot with the inn work.”
At Marsha’s words, Illia cautiously emerged from behind the Factory Manager.
Kapuntar smiled at Illia and then turned his attention to the Factory Manager’s fishing rods.
“Ah, you’re fishing. This is the season when Alabakre are delicious.”
Reassured by Kapuntar’s friendly approach, the Factory Manager smiled and subtly lifted a fishing rod. The earthworm on the hook wriggled.
After observing the fishing rod for a while, Kapuntar let out an exclamation of admiration.
“What an interesting fishing rod. I’ve never seen a fishing rod like that before.”
Seeing Kapuntar’s fascinated gaze at the fishing rod, the Factory Manager handed one to him.
Kapuntar examined the fishing rod even more closely. Then he applied a little force and folded the rod.
As the upper section slid smoothly into the lower section, Kapuntar marveled and folded and unfolded the rod repeatedly.
“Oh! It retracts inwards. To be able to fold it so compactly. It’s incredibly convenient. The line is also incredibly smooth.”
“It seems you’re quite fond of fishing as well.”
“Yes, I’d love to fish every day if I could. You seem to be quite the angler yourself.”
“I’ve been fishing for decades.”
The Factory Manager and Kapuntar exchanged glances as they conversed. Anglers recognize each other.
“However, the hook seems a bit small. You need a larger hook to catch bigger fish.”
“I’m not familiar with the size of the fish here. Please enlighten me.”
“Around this time, Alabakre are plentiful, and it’s also the season for Kapakapa. Alabakre have large mouths and swallow their prey whole, so if the hook is too small, it can get lodged in their throat.”
As Kapuntar explained with gestures, the Factory Manager nodded and retrieved a new hook from his tackle bag. He then retrieved one of his fishing rods and replaced the hook with a larger one.
Marsha glanced at Illia, watching the Factory Manager and Kapuntar, who had become friendly through their shared interest in fishing.
“Once they get like that, they won’t see anything else.”
“Yeah.”
Illia replied.
Leaving the Factory Manager and Kapuntar behind, Marsha and Illia walked along the path towards the inn, and the Factory Manager and Kapuntar, oblivious to their departure, continued their fishing conversation.
“The float is also unique. It has something protruding from the top and bottom.”
“It’s carved from wood. You observe the bites through the protruding tip at the top.”
“Aha! Did you carve it yourself?”
“No, I bought it.”
Now interested in the float, Kapuntar examined it from all angles, looked at the fishing rod, and then handed it back.
The Factory Manager skillfully replaced the hook on that rod as well and cast it into the lake.
-Splash-
With a pleasant sound, the sinker and bait sank into the water, and the float stood upright.
As the red and green alternately painted float tip emerged above the water, Kapuntar expressed his admiration.
“It’s beautiful. I should make a float like that sometime. It’s much easier to see.”
“It’s good for detecting subtle bites.”
Kapuntar nodded and then abruptly stood up.
“I can’t resist. I must go and get my fishing rod.”
Kapuntar ran swiftly into the forest, and the Factory Manager smiled and checked the floats. Watching someone fish often makes one’s fingers itch with the desire to join in.
Understanding this sentiment, he decided to wait patiently for Kapuntar.
And at that moment.
The float began to twitch subtly.
The Factory Manager straightened up in his folding chair and reached for the fishing rod.
Now it was a battle between the fish and the angler.
The angler had to judge, based on the slight movements of the float, when the fish nibbling at the bait would finally take it.
If the timing is too early, the hook won’t enter the fish’s mouth, and if it’s too late, the fish, after chewing the bait, will sense the foreign object of the hook and spit it out.
Therefore, the angler had to strike at the precise moment when the bait was fully inside the fish’s mouth.
The Factory Manager held his breath and focused on the float.
The float suddenly shot upwards.
That was the moment.
“Heave-ho!”
The Factory Manager didn’t miss the opportunity and swiftly pulled the fishing rod upwards.
The tip of the rod bent like a bow, quivering.
“Wow! This one’s putting up a fight!”
“Oh my! You’ve caught one!”
Kapuntar, who had returned with his own fishing rod, shouted as he ran towards the Factory Manager, who was struggling with the fish.
“This one’s quite big, it’s putting up quite a fight!”
“It’s an Alabakre. A rather large one!”
Kapuntar shouted as he ran towards the Factory Manager with his landing net.
Kapuntar dipped the wooden landing net into the water, guided the fishing line, and pushed the net forward. The Factory Manager lifted the fishing rod higher.
Timing it perfectly, Kapuntar swiftly scooped the fish with the landing net, and both of them cheered.
“We got it!”
“Yay! You caught it!”
Looking at the fish, as big as his forearm, the Factory Manager felt a thrill that sent shivers down his spine. It was a thrill that only an angler could experience.