Nocturne of the Sleepless Black Magician

Safi had memories of seeing this green aquatic creature several times from a distance when she was young. Its appearance resembles humans, but it was a different species. They lived in the not-so-clean swamp of her hometown and had some minor interactions with the villagers.

They would come to human settlements on rainy days to trade fish for dried meat. What they brought were rare fish that were hard to catch, and were also the old woman's favorite. At some point they stopped coming, and when the village chief and others investigated, they found that their population had greatly decreased.

"Breeding... no, this is rude, 'breeding' is used for animals and plants, isn't it? Well, anyway. Um, I wonder if they became unable to leave descendants? Because all your companions who came from the swamp seemed to be male."

"I don't really understand what you're saying."

"I'd like you to understand that from the atmosphere. Sorry to use livestock as an example, but if there are only males and no females, it becomes a big problem."

She thought about asking directly about mating, but Safi restrained herself since the other party seemed childlike. While dirty jokes could be conversation lubricants, they could also become weapons. Previously, she had asked probing questions to a young wife and had water thrown on her by the husband. The balance was somehow difficult to manage.

"Unlike humans and pigs, we have neither male nor female."

"Eh, really? Hmm, then how are children born? Being amphibious, hermaphrodite... get it?"

Safi was also quite fond of dad jokes. She was the type who couldn't rest unless she voiced whatever came to mind, without thinking deeply about whether it would be well-received or appropriate for the situation. And she never got discouraged even when ignored.

"Unlike humans and pigs, we have much longer lifespans. And our companions increase before we know it."

Do they multiply on their own like mice, bats, small insects, or flowers? They spoke of increasing on their own as if it were someone else's business. It wasn't that their intelligence was low. She had heard that the green little people living in the swamps of her hometown would gather and work to maintain their community.

"That area really concerns me."

Safi slowly lifted up the front part of the waist straw skirt. Earlier when she asked him to take it off he got angry, but this time for some reason he neither disliked it nor was embarrassed. And for good reason—there was nothing at the crotch. It was smooth, with no cute appendage hanging down.

"What are you doing?"

"Well, you know, just a little..."

There were tribes in this world whose reproductive organs were unclear. They were usually short in stature and lived not only in swamps and lakes, but also deep in forests and on steep rocky mountains. The old woman called these small folk spirits and sometimes interacted with them intimately.

They had ambiguous distinctions between male and female, didn't live in pairs, and somehow looked lonely. The moss-colored child was undoubtedly one of such spirits. Did it have times when it chatted and fought with many companions and spent time pleasantly?

"Humans are coming!"

He jumped into the lake in great panic. It was as if he were saying she wasn't human, and Safi felt some discomfort at his parting words, but magicians were sometimes not regarded as ordinary humans. Besides, it was what a child said. There couldn't be any deep meaning behind it.

The ripples on the lake surface spread and disappeared.

It was disappointing since she wanted to tease him a little more. However, looking around, there was no sign of people. What had the aquatic child spotted... A covered wagon appeared on the distant hill road only after some time had passed. The small child couldn't possibly have seen wheels beyond the hill.

"That's a legendary giant fish, isn't it?"

Stopping the wagon, the driver came rolling down the slope. He was a well-built middle-aged man, and this one was genuinely missing hair on his crown. Though his gaze fixed on it, she had learned from the child that one shouldn't suddenly mention physical characteristics.

"Oh my, and what's this luxurious-looking chair? No matter how you look at it, it seems like treasure."

He sat down without permission. Then he started making a fuss about it being wet. The aquatic child had been sitting there just a little while ago. It was soaking wet and probably smelled like the bottom of the lake.

"If you leave it alone, it'll dry quickly. So, mister, are you a merchant?"

When Safi asked, he said he was a trading merchant who had come from the fortress city where Safi had previously stayed. She was interested in the cargo he was carrying, but he wouldn't listen and chattered noisily. He seemed to have serious interest in the caught monster fish.

"Legendary grade—is it that rare?"

"This is the first time I've seen one with my own eyes. They say it appears on the water surface once every hundred years, or maybe it doesn't."

Which was it? It seemed better to keep quiet about the other two fish in the sky. Nine times out of ten, it would become troublesome. And the merchant offered to definitely buy it. Not immediate cash, but payment later. He boldly said something vague like he'd pay eventually.

"How much would it sell for?"

"About the price of one mansion, I guess. Don't know though."

It was a chance for big profits. Since she was keeping three, that would be three mansions' worth. However, there was also the fear that no buyers would appear due to the excessively high price. Additionally, they didn't look delicious from their appearance. She also remembered hearing that fish without scales were poisonous.

"I'll stuff it. It would be good as a spectacle, or not bad to display in a mansion."

Saying this, the merchant sat on the sofa again. And similarly shouted that it was wet. He was an old man showing physical comedy.

"The problem is how to transport it."

The monster fish's fate seemed already decided. Safi hadn't said she'd sell it, give it away, or that it was okay to touch, but it seemed like a done deal in the merchant's mind, and he was planning how to load it.

"You want to put it on the wagon? It's a bit big, but maybe it'll somehow fit."

"It's full."

Inside the canvas cover was filled with dirty tools and materials that didn't look like merchandise at all. He said it wasn't trade goods but a job carrying supplies to a distant town. That place was a tragic location where destruction had been exhausted, and the merchant lamented that reconstruction wasn't progressing due to lack of manpower and tools.

Safi took out her map from the hem of her robe and showed it to him. The town the covered wagon was heading to was located northwest of the fortress city, but he said he didn't know exactly. Still, it didn't seem to deviate significantly from the pilgrimage route.

First, she floated the monster fish and returned it to the sky. Next the sofa and tent. Furthermore, she threw the daily necessities scattered around the lakeside high into the air. The merchant watched with an expression like he was seeing a strange performance.

Finally, she threw the remaining moldy su cheese used as fishing bait toward the middle of the lake. Immediately, a small green hand grabbed the lump. He had probably been lurking near the lake surface all along, listening with his ears pricked.

When Safi was about to leave, another hand came out and waved left and right greatly. A farewell greeting seen in any region. The non-human green child was familiar with such customs too.

❁❁❁ From the Author 🪄 ❁❁❁

Safi will ride along in the merchant's covered wagon toward the next settlement. She'll also experience her first battle on the way.

(End of Chapter)