第８００堀：発見 (Part2)
When I said that, Milly—who had been enjoying her food and drinks with Deryu and the others—immediately adopted a serious expression.
"Yes. What is it?"
"I've identified the specific species of fish. Could you check if the monster research team has any records of it?"
"...Ancient fish. Understood. I'll have them look into it immediately."
With that, Milly promptly left the shop to begin making contact.
"A wonderful wife you have there," General Lake remarked.
"Yes, she’s a hard worker."
Milly might look like a bit of a mess when she’s drinking, but she’s meticulous when it comes to her duties. Even though she was supposed to be off the clock and in the middle of a meal, she moved without hesitation.
"Hmm. Did you find what you were looking for?" Deryu asked.
"What kind of monster is it?"
"Did you find it?"
Seeing Milly’s sudden movement, everyone gathered around, sensing something was up.
"We’re in the middle of eating, but I suppose you won't be able to enjoy your meal if you're curious. Apparently, this is the prototype for the sea monsters," I said, showing them the encyclopedia entry for the ancient fish.
"Well, that’s certainly... unique," Deryu commented.
"It looks like a monster from the start," Dressa added.
"...?"
Deryu and Dressa seemed to share my opinion. I could certainly understand why they felt that way. However, Aslin was the only one tilting her head in confusion.
"What’s wrong, Aslin? Do you have a question?"
"Umm. Well, you see..."
"Ah, Aslin actually keeps this monster as a pet in the sea," Kirue interjected.
"Oh, that’s right! It looked a bit different in the book, so I thought it was something else," Aslin said.
"You're right. It does look very similar to the monster Aslin is raising," Sarari added.
Are you serious? When did this happen?
"Is that true, Aslin?"
When I pressed her for confirmation, Aslin gave a firm nod.
"Yeah! Her name is the same, too. I call her Sheela-chan."
"She’s *this* big!" Sakura added, gesturing with her arms.
"That’s right. She could probably swallow an adult in one gulp, let alone us," Kirue noted.
"Yes. Her hide is incredibly tough, too. If there are wild versions of Sheela-chan out there, they would be quite a handful to deal with," Sarari said.
"Whoa! That’s amazing, Big Sis Aslin! Let me see Sheela-chan!"
"Indeed, I would like to see her as well."
The children and maids chatted away cheerfully, but for us adults, it felt like we had just been told a terrifying fact.
*Okay, calm down. Let’s hear the full story first,* I thought. Just then...
*『Yuki-san, it’s Milly. I’ve found information regarding the ancient fish.』*
A transmission came in from Milly. It seems having the original name made the information gathering much easier. For now, I decided to listen to Milly’s report. Monsters raised by Aslin often end up with absurdly high specs, so the Adventurer Guild’s data would likely be more accurate for a "normal" specimen.
*『First, the "ancient fish" hit turned out to be a Coelacanth that has turned into a monster. There was already an entry for it in the database. The main reason it wasn't well-documented was that it’s difficult to observe safely. The monster’s base level isn't actually that high—around 40 or so—but its primary habitat and battlefield is underwater. For aquatic monsters, the rule of thumb is to estimate their threat level as 20 points higher than their actual level. So, in practice...』*
"So that’s why it wasn't included in the general encyclopedia," I muttered.
*『Yes. Furthermore, it’s strictly a deep-sea monster. The chances of an encounter are extremely low, so Rock-san said they had put it on the back burner.』*
That made perfect sense. But it raised another question.
"Then how did he know about it? From the sounds of it, Rock is familiar with them."
*『Apparently, when Rock-san was stationed in a coastal region, a request to subjugate a Coelacanth was issued. However, the casualties at the time were devastating. They had sent a party of the appropriate level based on information from someone with the Appraisal skill, but even then...』*
What a nightmare. Even if someone like Rock, who has an Appraisal skill similar to mine or Labyris’s, checked it thoroughly, they still got wiped out. It just goes to show how difficult it is to fight monsters underwater.
"I see. Compile the information into a report for me. Also, it turns out Aslin is keeping one of those monsters as a pet here."
*『Huh?! Aslin is?!』*
"Yeah. Well, we’ve already eaten and it’s getting late, so we’ll pick this up tomorrow. Thanks, Milly. You can call it a day."
*『Ah, understood.』*
There was no point in pushing further tonight.
"General Lake. Please return to the inn and relax for the evening. We’ll discuss the details tomorrow."
"Indeed. We’ve made significant progress today, and overexertion is forbidden. Tomorrow is the final day of our visit to Weed, so let us proceed calmly and surely."
And so, we prepared for the day ahead.
***
**Ancient Fish**
A type of fish known as a "living fossil," having retained its form from the distant past. It appears these ancient fish have turned into monsters and are attacking people...
The sea truly is a mysterious place. Especially a sea in another world filled with monsters.