Bastard Swordsman

An Unexpected Big Catch

Today, my new weapon was born.

I had heard the news yesterday afternoon.

I was in the middle of delivering a new arrowhead mold commissioned by the guild.

When I delivered the mold to the blacksmith, I heard it from the old man there.

「Mongrel, your order is expected to be finished today. You should be able to pick it up tomorrow.」

That was the day I found out that the blacksmith's old man was more than just an alcoholic.

I had placed the order quite a while ago, so I thought it had been completely forgotten. I never expected it to be actually made.

That day, I went straight home and slept with all my might. It had been days since I went to bed without drinking. I was so looking forward to the next day that I couldn't even think about it.

「Faaah... whoa, Mongrel!? The shop's just opening... okay, okay, it's your order, right? I got it ready just for you.」

And so today, I arrived at the blacksmith and received the item in question.

「What on earth do you plan to use such parts for?」

「Oh... it's impressive. It's polished and slides smoothly... this will work...!」

The item I ordered from the blacksmith was an iron rod guide.

A rod guide is that thing, the loop on a fishing rod for threading the line. Just those metal fittings.

「Were you going to use it for fishing or something?」

「Yeah. It's essential for the new-style fishing rod I've developed. Thanks, old man.」

「No problem. Anyway, I barely touched it. It was mostly something my daughter worked on when she had spare time after the casting.」

「So it wasn't even made by you, old man?」

「Don't be foolish. I only forge equipment. Like I have the time for such things. You should have asked a craftsman in the first place.」

Ahhh, that's why these stubborn old men who only make longswords are so troublesome.

「Someday, this rod guide will take the fishing world by storm. Don't come crying to me later!」

「Say that after you've caused a storm. If I get a big order, I might give it some thought. Although, I can't imagine any groundbreaking invention coming from you, Mongrel. Gahaha.」

「Just you wait and see!」

The old man saw me off while making light banter. He was wearing safety shoes that had been gaining popularity recently.

They were simple safety shoes with reinforced toes, but since Lord Chaos developed and popularized them, they've been used at various sites.

If they have helped reduce unfortunate accidents during work, I'm sure the inventor is also pleased.

... Although, personally, I have mixed feelings about these shoes being regarded as both protective gear and work boots.

「And that fishing rod you made over two days from then?」

「Yep. I originally wanted the rod to be collapsible, but it wasn't feasible strength-wise.」

「Why exactly would you want it collapsible...?」

「I thought it wouldn't get in the way. But I realized it wasn't worth the effort, so I gave up.」

Currently, I'm walking with Raina toward the riverbank.

We're heading near the Syltharys Bridge, the same spot where we caught some river shrimps last time.

This time, I brought the rod with the rod guide.

This metal loop would smoothly guide the line.

The line was made from the thread of the sky forest spider. It's apparently gathered from a far, far away country or region... probably a forest I've never seen.

Despite its thinness, it's quite sturdy, which makes it perfect for fishing.

Ordering it through the guild was expensive, but I had no choice. If I can't make synthetic fibers, then I have to rely on fantasy materials.

The reel holding the line–the one you crank to reel in–is a large-diameter one with a long revolution distance. Made from shaved wood, it's one of my originals. There's no such thing as a bearing in this world, so it's unavoidable. I have to rely on my strength to reel it in.

Drag? What's that? Is it a kind of dragon?

「You don't need such a complicated thing just for shrimps.」

「Well, you're not wrong. But I'm here fully intending to catch something... though it's possible the shrimp season has passed. If that's the case, they might not be in the same spot anymore.」

「Oh, it's a seasonal thing?」

「Exactly. But let's give it a try anyway. If it seems like we can't catch any shrimps, let's use my new rod to fish for whatever else we can.」

「What kind of fish can we catch?」

「That, I have no idea.」

「Not knowing much of anything, are we?」

That's life for you. We made it to the riverbank.

I flipped over some rocks to borrow the bugs settled underneath, attaching them to the hook, and tossed it where the shrimps might be.

「Mongrel-senpai, what's that thing you have on the end of your line?」

「This? It's a lure, you could say. It's artificial bait. You use it with this rod. Like this... here we go!」

I swung the rod, casting the lead-weighted lure far out.

The lead weight was the only part of this fishing rod that had the purely functional perfection of a fishing rod item. If it didn't provide distance, I'd be in trouble.

「Whoa...」

Raina was impressed by the line as it smoothly extended, but from my perspective, the line didn't extend so well. The reel must be the culprit. It seems I need to cast more line before reeling in properly.

The lure landed near the far bank of the river. Here's where lure fishing gets exciting.

Shrimp fishing involves a lot of waiting, but this type of fishing is active.

「You reel in the line while pulling the artificial bait towards you.」

「Really? After going to the trouble of casting it to the other side, you reel it back?」

「When you do, it looks like the artificial bait is swimming around, right? If you reel it in irregularly or move the rod around... it really looks like a small fish.」

「Oh, I get it.」

After reeling it in, the lure returned to me. In lure fishing, since the smell of real bait doesn't attract fish, you need to rely on movement to make the catch. This means you can't let the line sit in one place and goof off.

「Well, you just keep doing it like that.」

「Since the artificial bait looks like a small fish, you're targeting fish bigger than that, right?」

「Exactly. The hook is a bit larger and more durable for that very reason.」

「....」

「Raina, do you want to try it out?」

「I'd love to!」

She seemed interested after hearing my explanation. That's good.

「First, you hold it like this, press the line here, and then hold the rod like this.」

「Like this?... uh, this is how I hold it, right? I didn't quite catch it.」

「No, the grip should be like this.」

「Got it.」

The reel, even from my perspective, was a bit questionable, so it's understandable.

After guiding her through it, Raina seemed to get the hang of it and started casting the lure.

「Oh, it flew!」

「Nice cast.」

I kept that to myself because it wouldn't make sense to say it.

「So I reel it in now, right? And please keep an eye on the shrimp line too.」

「Of course. Oh, whoa, it's pulling on this one now!」

「Seriously!? Grab it, grab it!」

After a careful wait with the ordinary rod, we reeled it in slowly...

「Oh, it's a crab.」

「Aw...」

What we caught was a crab about ten centimeters long, looking a bit larger than a river shrimp.

「Could it be that shrimp season is truly over?」

「Maybe it is. Moreover, do you dislike crabs?」

「No, I like them. I quite like eating them roasted. But I really wanted to eat shrimps this time...」

Saying so, Raina continued reeling in her line, making a grating sound more than a smooth one, indicating the rod's quality.

「I told everyone in Artemis about when we ate shrimps.」

「Oh, and then?」

「It turned out some hadn't actually tried it before. Sheena-senpai and Natasha-senpai had supposedly eaten some huge ones, though. So those who hadn't tasted them before said they wanted to try. That's why I thought I'd let everyone taste what we caught this time.」

What a nice girl. I hope she keeps growing up just like this.

「Well, you can never guarantee catches in fishing.」

「Indeed... huh?」

「Hm? What's up?」

「It feels heavy... oh, the rod is bending...!?」

「Oh, oh!? Did it hit? Did we catch something!?」

「No way!」

Mongrel's new tool of a rod was bending under pressure as if something heavy was pulling on it.

「Wow, senpai! This is really heavy!」

「Keep the rod upright! Slowly, slowly reel in the line...!」

「Ah, um, senpai...!」

I was worried about Raina having the strength for it if it was a big catch.

So I stood behind her and grabbed the rod along with her hands...

Hmm, this sturdy feel. A steady stillness and no vibration in the line.

This... is, I suppose, that.

「It's snagged on the bottom.」

「Oh no, did I mess up?」

Well, I suppose you could say you did, but it's something difficult for a beginner to avoid.

If there's a positive spin on this kind of situation, it's that you've "caught the earth".

There was no chance of getting it unstuck, and wading through the river was out of the question.

So, thusly:
「For moments like this, the bastard sword!」

A swift slash cut the line, marking our retreat. The lure would have to wait for another day, assuming the water level dropped enough for it to surface... essentially, it's gone.

「Ugh, Mongrel-senpai... I'm sorry.」

「Don't sweat it. Lure fishing is just like this... though it being a snag is tricky.」

The lure and the line aren't cheap. If they keep snagging, it might be tough as a casual hobby.

Hmm? So does that mean this new fishing rod is pointless?

No, it's too soon to give up hope...

「Oh! Raina, the rod—it's pulling on the shrimp line!」

「Right! I got it!」

When Raina reeled it in, another crab around the same size as the previous one emerged.

「... Have the river shrimps moved on?」

「They might have.」

With the lure fishing ending early with an earth catch, our shrimp fishing resulted in crabs instead of shrimps; nothing seemed to work out.

The result was catching 23 crabs. Although Raina and I caught a lot, she didn't seem too thrilled about it. Despite the number of crabs, her mood was low.

Alright, given the circumstances, I'll cook the best crab dish to cheer her up!

Leave it to me, Raina! I'll make sure you smile!

... Though that'll have to wait until after the crabs cleanse elsewhere first, tomorrow or the day after!

「Well then, let's wrap it up for today.」

「Okay...」

「Cheer up, Raina. Fishing is just like this.」

「I'm really sorry...」

「Don't mention it.」

「Really tough for me...」

Perhaps it's because she's diligent and responsible that she takes it hard when things go wrong.

But don't fret too much. Folks my age are surprisingly forgiving when it comes to the younger ones making these kinds of mistakes.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
MC still wasn't able to catch anything.