第７９５堀：とれたてが美味い (Part1)
**Chapter 795: Freshly Caught is Best**
**Side: Deryu**
*Swish, swish…*
The sound of waves rolling in and out. The harsh, piercing sunlight. A horizon stretching as far as the eye could see. A sea so clear and beautiful it was breathtaking.
Yes. It is, as always, a magnificent ocean.
Well, since it is currently under maintenance and not yet open to the general public, it remains quite empty. We, of course, have our own private beaches, so we can enjoy swimming without worrying about crowds.
But enough about me; the focus now is on the folks from the Seasiph Kingdom.
At the request of General Lake, we brought them here to show them our fishing industry and the monsters involved, but…
"..."
They were frozen solid, staring at the blue sea and white sand.
I don’t know what the seas of the Seasiph Kingdom are like, but it’s unlikely they have a coastline as picturesque as this. After all, it was carefully selected from the top hundred beautiful coastlines on Earth!
Still, we can’t just leave them standing there like statues.
"General Lake? Are you alright?"
"Ah."
Yuki called out to him, snapping him back to reality.
"My apologies. It is just… such a magnificent and beautiful sea."
"I am glad to hear you like it."
"However, is this also inside the dungeon?"
"Yes. This is also within the dungeon."
"…I am left with nothing but awe. Dungeons truly are terrifyingly impressive."
"I am honored by your praise. Now, if you would follow me. This is the beach, but it is not where we conduct our fishing industry."
"Indeed, I do not see a harbor or a pier."
"It’s a bit of a walk, but it’s this way."
With that, Yuki turned his back to the sandy beach and headed toward the forest.
I’m not sure if "fishing industry" is the right term, but the market—or rather, the port where the fish caught in this sea are gathered—is located on the opposite side of the island from the beach. This was done out of consideration, so that when customers eventually arrive, they won’t interfere with the people working at sea.
There had been suggestions to build it on a different floor, but after considering cost-cutting and the necessity of such a move, we decided to keep it here.
As I was thinking about that, we arrived at the port on the other side.
This floor is laid out like a long, narrow island in the middle of the sea, with the fishing industry zone on one side and the swimming zone on the other. Moving between them is surprisingly easy.
"This is the port that handles our Weed fishing industry."
"This is…"
As expected, General Lake and his companions from the Seasiph Kingdom could not hide their surprise at the grandeur of the port spreading out before them.
It looked like a proper, impressive harbor from every angle. The ships were the steel-hulled, screw-driven types from Earth—a sight they weren't used to—and above all…
"Hey! Come on up and have a drink!"
"No, I'm still on the clock."
"Don't be so stiff. We caught some great scallops. Let's eat. You've always been good to us, right? I'll tell the Boss it's lunch break."
"Ah, that’s right. It is lunch break now, isn't it?"
"Yeah, yeah! That’s right, it’s lunch break! Alright, everyone, gather the ones that aren't for sale and let's eat!"
"Yeah!"
From the outside, it looked like a group of sailors taking their lunch break, but…
"A-are those… m-monsters?"
"Yes. The ones coming up from the sea are Sahuagins, a type of fish-man monster. Since they are close to human, they are easy to communicate with, which makes them convenient. And the ones coming up behind them are…"
"Whoa!?"
A giant octopus, easily the size of a human, emerged from behind the Sahuagins.
It was a Kraken-type monster. In its true form, it’s quite large, but it would be a nuisance on land at that size. Plus, it’s been traumatized ever since Milly and Riel tried to eat it, so it usually interacts with people in this smaller form.
Well, octopus is delicious, after all. Boiled, grilled, fried, or mixed into rice—it’s all good.
"Yo! Come eat with us, Tako-chan."
Tako-chan nodded repeatedly.
"Tako… chan?"
"Yes. We call him Kraken Tako-chan. Right, Tako-chan?"
When Yuki called out, Tako-chan and the others noticed us and waved their hands—or rather, their tentacles.
The Sahuagins and the old fisherman who were planning to eat lunch also noticed us.
"Oh, Yuki-sama. My apologies. We’ll get back to work immediately."
"Boss Yuki, please let it slide just for a moment. I’m the one who invited them. It just happened to be today…"
They looked awkward as they apologized or tried to make excuses, but Yuki isn't the type of man to be so narrow-minded.
"I’m not going to complain just because you took a lunch break, so don’t worry. Just don't get too carried away; if the people around start complaining, I’ll have to warn you. Keep that in mind."
"Yes. Thank you very much."
"Gahaha! Then we’ve got nothing to worry about! Right, everyone?"
"Yeah!"
When the old man said that, the others who had brought various fish also responded energetically.
Since everyone was in on it, there was no one to complain.
"Sahuagin, if you enjoy this just among yourselves, there might be complaints. Call your subordinates over, too. The beach isn't open anyway, so there’s no need to worry about drowning accidents."
"That’s true. Is that alright, old man?"
"Yeah, yeah. I don’t mind. None of the others are out fishing right now, are they?"
"No, there is no one out on the sea at the moment."
Just as they were about to start the banquet, one of the men spoke up.
"Hm? Come to think of it, Boss, you’ve brought some unfamiliar faces with you."
The old men finally noticed that we were escorting the people from the Seasiph Kingdom.
Usually, if a high-ranking person were treated this way, they might get angry, but it seemed General Lake and his men were too stunned to react at all.
Well, if they were the type of people to get angry over something like this, it would show they were shallow, and I wouldn't bother associating with them anyway.
As I was thinking that, Yuki began to introduce General Lake and his group.
"Ah, just some people from a new country, as usual. They were a bit surprised to hear there’s a sea inside a dungeon."
"Ah… I see."
The old men accepted it easily. After all, this wasn't the first time guests had been brought here on a tour.
"Er, should we be the ones to greet them?"
"Ah, it would be helpful if you could show them around later. General Lake, what would you like to do?"
"Ah, yes. I would be grateful for the opportunity to speak directly with the fishermen. And, would it be possible to speak with those… Sahuagin and Tako-chan as well?"
"I don’t mind… how about you guys?"
"We don't mind. We actually wanted to ask if we could join you. Usually, people shy away when they hear we’re monsters. And then there’s the smell, I suppose."
As the Sahuagin said that, Tako-chan nodded next to him.
Well, the reason people shy away is that they do have a rather strong, fishy scent. Not that they’re dirty—it’s just the smell of the sea.