Ch.160160. Deserted Island (2)

That Night. A small lake on the island purchased on the spot.

“…and that’s how it happened.”

[Really?]

[S-so? What happened next?]

While telling the story to my animal friends who were curious about ‘that incident’ from earlier today, I had my fishing rod cast into this small lake.

I was trying to catch the legendary fish that can only be caught at night, and only when there’s a full moon.

The MoonFish, that is.

MoonFish. As its name suggests, this fish, which evokes the soft glow of moonlight, is a high-class ingredient that can proudly take center stage in Elven royal cuisine… in other words, it’s considered equivalent to dragon meat.

Its flavor is so unique that one must simply say “it tastes like MoonFish” to describe it, with a rich distinctive aroma that’s incomparable to anything else, and a flavor that’s neither sweet nor salty but has an indescribable quality.

But is it really worth such a high price?

The MoonFish doesn’t inhabit the ordinary world but lives in a special otherworld (the moon), which is why catching it requires extremely demanding conditions.

For example, the otherworld where MoonFish live connects with reality only when specific environmental conditions are met, namely “the moon reflected on a calm water surface when there’s a full moon.”

The moon must be a complete full moon, and the water surface cannot have ripples strong enough to distort the moon’s reflection.

When all these conditions are met, the water surface temporarily connects with the otherworld (the moon’s sea) where MoonFish live, and the capture method involves using “MoonFish-attracting bait,” whose recipe has been passed down among druids.

MoonFish are creatures that feed on both physical food and magical energy, which is why bait made from crystallized magical energy ground into powder and wrapped in Rukaf petals entices them.

Of course, there are clear reasons why one would go to such lengths to catch MoonFish.

First, Rukaf flowers bloom only briefly on the morning of a full moon day, and lose their value as MoonFish bait if harvested for more than a day.

Second, it was one of the few foods I found delicious among those I ate in the Elven Kingdom, so I wanted to eat it again.

And lastly, this MoonFish is also a social symbol that metaphorically represents “love” among druids.

…Yes, that’s right.

Sophia and I, today marks our first day together.

“We’re dating, satisfied?”

[Ooooh…!!]

[Really? For real?]

[I thought you’d never find love in your lifetime…!]

As the guys next to me noisily chattered in response to my confession, I felt embarrassed by their squealing and snapped:

“Shut up! You’ll scare away all the MoonFish!”

[Yes, yes. Whatever you say, M.A.S.T.E.R.]

[Hey, you really…!]

-…click.

Just as I was about to yell at Corin, who had been irritatingly scratching himself for a while, I suddenly detected a subtle vibration from the fishing rod in my hand….

‘—Now!’

In that moment, I immediately reacted by pulling the fishing rod and successfully caught a MoonFish.

[Oh! So this is a MoonFish!]

“That’s right, Astra. This fish is THE MoonFish!”

A large fish with silvery scales that give off a subtle purple hue. About the size of my forearm, this carp-like fish is the MoonFish.

And one of the biological characteristics of MoonFish is that they live in schools.

“One more!”

[Oh ho!]

[So many, so many!]

In other words, catching one means there’s a school of at least dozens to hundreds nearby, so I continued to enjoy fishing with the help of my animal friends and….

“Alright, party time!”

[[[WOOOOO!!!]]]

Having successfully caught about 30 MoonFish, I created a kitchen on the spot using the “Nature’s Hut” spell to enjoy a late-night party.

And so, the exciting cooking time began.

MoonFish is an ingredient with such a unique flavor that it doesn’t require additional spices.

Particularly, the fishy smell that’s unavoidable in most fish remains only in its best form in MoonFish, with all the disadvantages removed, making it a perfect fish that tastes good no matter how you cook it.

Apart from its unique aroma, the taste itself is very modest and classic.

In other words, it can reach its maximum potential regardless of how it’s prepared.

It’s good just sprinkled with a little salt and baked whole with some cuts. The overwhelmingly savory innards that melt in the heat seep into the flesh.

Or since any parasites would die off after circulating magic through your body a few times, slicing it thinly for sashimi is also an excellent choice.

But still, I believe the absolute best cooking method is, without a doubt, deep-frying.

-Sizzle sizzle sizzle….

Using fine breadcrumbs mixed with parsley and paprika powder as batter, I deep-fried the fish whole until crispy in oil extracted from the stems of “flame flowers.”

Then, as the finishing touch, I sprinkled a sweet sauce over it.

-Crunch!

‘…This is the best!’

It was truly the best taste imaginable, so much so that we quickly devoured everything except the 5 fish I had set aside for Sophia.

And then, as we were sharing the 25th MoonFish prepared as meunière (fish cooked with flour and butter)…

“…Huh?”

Suddenly, I began to sense magical power from the lake where I had been fishing. While I was confused by the strange magical wavelength, white foam-like bubbles started to form in the lake and…

[Hello~.]

“…Uh, hello. Hi.”

We unexpectedly encountered a snow-white bull that emerged from inside the small lake.

※ ※ ※

Meanwhile, at the same time.

“I-I did it…!!”

-Pat pat pat pat….

Inside the Tarasque that she had brought out in the middle of the beach, Sophia was lying face down on her bed, patting the mattress with her legs, unable to maintain her composure due to her shy love.

Although she had been harboring “certain” feelings toward her lover, Gregory, all this time, it hadn’t been long since she herself had actually realized these emotions.

Love. Some describe it with fateful and poetic metaphors, while others claim it’s merely a scientific function of the human body. But at least in the realm of mysticism, it boasts a power stronger than anything else.

Given that human emotions and will are directly connected to the mystical.

The power that the strong emotion of love can exert often transcends the realm of reason and logic.

Of course, facing her destiny and seeking out a man she had never met before was already a challenge for her, but surprisingly, until then, Sophia hadn’t really thought this connection would lead to a romantic relationship.

Since there are countless forms of connections, when considering human relationships, connections are actually more likely to lean negative than positive.

In reality, when connections are forcibly tied like this, there’s a high chance they could turn sour, which is why Sophia went to him directly to guide this connection away from taking a bad turn.

And thanks to the successful conclusion of this attempt, Sophia no longer had any reason to be at odds with Gregory.

She simply came to harbor the new emotion of love.

Sophia could be certain.

While it was fate and destiny that guided Sophia and Gregory to meet like this, Sophia falling in love with Gregory during the process had nothing to do with fate.

Fate can influence the broader flow but cannot control the specific elements that make up that flow.

Though it may sound contradictory, this paradoxical structure is precisely how fate operates.

Anyway, at some point, Sophia became aware of her own love, but it didn’t immediately have a significant impact on her.

Despite her seemingly cold exterior, Sophia, who was fundamentally a bit scatterbrained, became restless after realizing her feelings and missed several opportunities to express them.

Ah, of course, Sophia was scatterbrained but not so dull as to be stupid.

That’s why she instinctively sensed that Gregory harbored special feelings for her and had roughly noticed the feelings she herself harbored…

But who would have thought that this would actually hinder them from being honest with each other as they kept watching for each other’s reactions?

Anyway, with the confession and putting their mutually hesitant past behind them, Sophia finally cleared away that anxious past and clearly observed her connection.

And the moment Sophia completely defined her own connection…

‘…Ah,’

A sensation like her vision suddenly clearing, like her senses infinitely expanding, took over Sophia’s mind. A broader realm entered her consciousness.

Sophia had thus graduated from the intermediate level and taken a step into the realm beyond.