"Longline!"
"Yo-ho-ho"
"...Huh? A sea serpent on a longline?" (Mile)
Mile was curious, but...
"Well, well, you never know when that thing will attack. Since you’ve ventured out to the open sea and taken on the risk, of course you’d want to try out what the untouched fishing grounds are like!
For a fisherman, going out to sea where sea monsters roam is a lifelong dream. Even if you finally make that dream come true, you won't be punished!" (Fisherman)
"I see……" (Mile)
Mile was someone who understood those kinds of "men's dreams and aspirations."
Mavis also nodded in agreement.
Of course, even though it was called longline, the main line was not several kilometers long or even over 100 kilometers long like those on Earth. There was only one line that is only a few dozen meters long.
In fact, it was called by a different name in the local language and is a completely different thing, but the closest word in Japanese is "longline."
And…….
"Here it comes! ... Ugh! N-No, it must be something really big, or a lot of medium-sized fish have taken the bait... It's so heavy I can't pull it! Everyone, help me out!!" (Mile)
Although only one longline was set out, many branch lines sprout from it, allowing a large amount of prey to be caught at once.
This time, rather than setting it up for a while and then retrieving it, it would be left as it was, but if there was no sailing or rowing, it was the same as setting it up and waiting.
And because an unexpectedly large fish, or a large number of fish, was caught, a call was made for all hands to be on alert.
So, the six of them—the four old men, Mavis, and Mile—desperately tried to pull up the main rope.
There was no convenient motorized winch, so they worked hard, keeping an eye on the line's hooks that had no prey bitten.
Mile was strong but light. And since she was on a boat, the wet deck was slippery and she couldn't dig her feet into the deck.
...In other words, she couldn't exert much power.
Here, Mavis, who made the most of her mechanical left arm, was a far more powerful force than Mile.
Reina and Pauline were out of the fight from the start. It would have been far better if they hadn't been nearby, so they wouldn't have been a hindrance.
It took a considerable amount of time just to reel in just a few dozen meters.
And now, a lot of prey was lying in front of the old men, who were sitting exhausted.
The smallest were around 30 centimetres, while the largest were over 2 meters.
There were some larger ones too, but they were not pulled up onto the deck; instead, Mile took them directly from the sea into storage (item box).
Those that were poisonous or tasted bad and inedible were released as they were, except for those whose skin or teeth could be sold as materials.
Even fish that were not useful to humans might play a part in maintaining the balance in nature, so they were not killed without reason.
Because they're different from goblins...
"...Haha. Look at this..."
"Silver salmon... rainbow tuna, marlin..."
"I wonder how many decades it's been since I've seen such a big rainbow tuna..."
"Finally, I'm able to do some fishing like this..."
"I don't have a single regret in my life as a fisherman!" (All fishermen)
"Umm, sorry to interrupt you while you're having fun, but our goal today isn't just to catch ordinary fish..." (Mile)
That's right, the charter fee for the ship, labor costs, and even danger allowance have all been paid in advance.
They were being given to families because the chances of survival were low.
The family members were in tears, but no one tried to stop the old men.
A man's path to success, nothing could stop those old men who had found the place where they would die.
Everyone probably thought the same.
That's the kind of world this was, and this was a fishing village...
"There’s been a lot of blood from the food and prey, I think it’s about time they arrived. Everyone, gather in a corner and take a defensive stance! Reina-san, Pauline-san, prepare for battle!" (Mile)
As she said this, Mile put away all the catch, longlines, and other items that were in the way that had been left on the deck for the old men to reminisce about, and cleared the deck.
Then the players changed. Reina and Pauline gave up their spots in the corner to the old men and stepped forward to the center of the deck.
Although it was a small fishing boat, there was enough space on the deck for four petite girls to fight.
In particular, the enemies were not fighting on deck, but simply hitting those leaning out from the sea, and only Mile and Mavis were swinging their swords, while Reina and Pauline barely moved and did not wave their arms or legs, so they had no trouble.
"...incoming, starboard[1] 2 o'clock, 30 meters! Depth 10 meters!" (Mile)
Naturally, she was using exploration magic this time.
Otherwise, an underwater attack would be a surprise attack.
...she could not tolerate the deaths of the elderly people or the sinking of the ship.
Kill the enemy before they could drill a hole in the bottom of the ship.
A normal wavy one would be one thing, but something sharp like a swordfish, and strong enough to pierce a wooden board, was a bad idea.
So this time, Mile's role was to guard the old men and use searching magic to create a barrier if she detected any enemies heading towards the bottom of the ship.
Reina could also put up a barrier, but she was not as dexterous as Mile and could only create enough to surround herself and those around her, but it was still sufficient.
...However, when the barrier was up, attacks could not be made from the inside, and if she held the barrier magic, she could not use other magic and could not participate in attacks.
Therefore, Reina did not plan to use the barrier until she was pushed back by the enemy and in danger.
"If it was someone I met when I came to this continent, it wouldn't be a problem..." (Mile)
Mile said so, but sea serpents were rarely seen in their entirety, and the testimonies of the few survivors are unreliable, so they had not been properly classified. Therefore, since most "Giant, long, thin demons and monsters that live in the sea" were called "sea serpents," it was impossible to know what they were like until you met them.
It would be fine if it was just a not-too-big sea serpent like the one back then, but something like an oriental dragon on Earth or Jormungand would definitely be too much for "Crimson Vow" to handle.
Since the world was highly civilized in the past, she didn't think there would be any monsters that are so out of the ordinary like those in the world of mythology, but...
...But there are ancient dragons... Besides, sea monsters probably came with the invasion from another dimension long ago, so it wouldn't be strange if there were survivors or descendants from that time... Yes, long-lived marine monsters, or giant creatures that continue to breed quietly in the ocean with little change...
Even though she was thinking about such things, Mile continued to do her job properly.
"The enemy is rising rapidly! It looks like they'll avoid the bottom of the ship and jump on us from both sides! Prepare to intercept! Five, four, three, two, one, now!!" (Mile)
Accompanied by the sound of splashing, several slender bodies stretched out into the sky from both the port and starboard sides.
The tip of the sword bent and attacked the humans (prey) on the ship.
And so, the battle of the Crimson Vow with the old men began...
Author's Note
...
Thank you for your cooperation! (^^)/
Translation Note
[1] Just info in case you don't know: port = left, starboard = right.