Chapter 1-48 : The Dark Elf Is Trying To ‘Fish’ A Wyvern
「Flying…?」(Elle)
「Yep. But, first, we need to buy some meat at the market.」(Ingrid)
「Don’t we have enough food supplies?」(Elle)
「It’s not for us. It’s for the bait to catch a wyvern.」(Ingrid)
「Wyvern!? So, we’re going to ride a wyvern!?」(Elle)
「That’s right~!」(Ingrid)
Ingrid responded to Elle’s reaction with a grin.
After leaving the adventure equipment shop, they bought some fresh meat and headed to the nearest city gate.
As usual, there were so many people lining up by the gate.
Not only were the gatekeepers checking the people who wanted to enter the city, but they were also checking those who wanted to leave.
Since Elle now had an ID card, she was able to pass through the inspection without any problems and passed through the gate.
Leaving the city, Ingrid and Elle walked along the main road for a while and reached a barren area.
「I think this is a good place to catch a wyvern. 」(Ingrid)
While saying something unbelievable so casually, Ingrid held her hand above her forehead and looked up at the sky.
Wyverns were a type of dragon, but unlike the other dragons, especially the rare ones, they were not classified as mythical beasts, but rather as ordinary monsters. The reason was that there were many of them and they were easy to find. They usually flew above the clouds.
「The weather’s great. It’s perfect for catching a wyvern, but… I hope I won’t catch ‘that guy’…」(Ingrid)
Ingrid squinted and said that while looking at the sky. She looked a bit worried for some reason.
「”That guy”?」(Elle)
「I’m talking about the wyvern from the incident about two years ago.」(Ingrid)
She returned her gaze to Elle and told her about the incident.
Normally, wyverns don’t attack people. They only hunt animals and weaker monsters. However, there was a certain wyvern that had acquired a taste for human flesh. It became fond of eating humans and devoured all the villagers in a certain village two years ago.
Listening to Ingrid, Elle widened her eyes. She remembered her dad once told her the same story.
「Wait… I know that incident. I heard about it from my dad.」(Elle)
「Your dad?」(Ingrid)
「Yeah. Two years ago, he told me about that incident before he went to the royal capital to work a few days later.」(Elle)
「Hmm… Do you think that incident has something to do with your dad?」(Ingrid)
「I don’t know, but can you tell me more about this wyvern?」(Elle)
「Alright. First of all, this wyvern is different from other wyverns. Normally, wyverns are gray and relatively docile toward humans, but this troublesome wyvern is black and ferocious. According to the rumor, it has been flying from place to place, hunting humans all over this continent. The guild has sent hundreds of adventurers, and the government has dispatched hundreds of knights to exterminate it, but they haven’t been able to find it. It seems like that wyvern doesn’t want to appear before strong enemies like adventurers and knights, and only targets weak people.」(Ingrid)
「I see… What a clever wyvern.」(Elle)
「Clever, huh? I’d say it’s just a coward. Anyway, you can ask the adventurer guild if you want to know more about this wyvern. But for now, let’s focus on our journey.」(Ingrid)
「Un. So… Are we really going to ride a wyvern?」(Elle)
「Fufu. You look nervous.」(Ingrid)
「Just a bit. I’ve never ridden a wyvern after all.」(Elle)
「Well, it may feel a bit scary at first, but you’ll get used to it. It would take three days to reach the cave if we go by carriage, but if we ride a wyvern, we’ll arrive in half a day.」(Ingrid)
「That’s really fast!」(Elle)
「Yeah. Riding a wyvern is much faster than riding a horse or a carriage. Back when I was working as an adventurer, I always rode a wyvern to travel, you know?」(Ingrid)
「That’s interesting. How are you going to catch one?」(Elle)
「With this!」(Ingrid)
Ingrid opened her bag and took out a rod about the same length as her arm. It seemed to be folded and could be extended. It had something that seemed to be a reel attached to it.
「Ta-da~! I call it “The Big Catch ver. 3”!」(Ingrid)
「Wait… Isn’t that a fishing rod?」(Elle)
「That’s right~」(Ingrid)
Answering Elle’s question, Ingrid extended the rod.
It was indeed a fishing rod. However, it had no fishing line on the reel.
「Are you going to catch a wyvern with a fishing rod!?」(Elle)
「Haha! It’s a fishing rod, but not for catching fish. It’s a magic tool for catching wyverns.」(Ingrid)
「So it’s a magic tool. Is it one of your masterpieces?」(Elle)
「Yup~!」(Ingrid)
Ingrid showed her fishing rod proudly to Elle.
Elle then noticed there was a small magic circle engraved on the reel, and looking at the magic formula written on the magic circle, Elle immediately understood how it worked.
「Ah, I see. So you make a short-term contract with the wyvern you catch.」(Elle)
「Oh? You can tell already? As expected from a talented enchanter!」(Ingrid)
What was engraved on the reel was a magic circle to make a contract with a monster, specifically, a wyvern caught by the fishing rod.
Any wyvern that got caught would take the user to the destination they wanted in exchange for meat.
「What a revolutionary magic tool! You must have made tons of money selling it!」(Elle)
「Umm… Unfortunately, no… Actually, this magic tool is incomplete. I can’t sell it to the public yet.」(Ingrid)
「Incomplete?」(Elle)
「You see, it doesn’t have a fishing line, right? It’s because you have to make the fishing line yourself from your mana. This fishing rod will turn your mana into a fishing line, but the length of the fishing line depends on how much mana you have. To catch a wyvern that flies above the clouds, you need an extremely long fishing line, and most people don’t have enough mana to make it.」(Ingrid)
「So that’s why you can’t sell it yet.」(Elle)
「Yeah. I’m still looking for the solution. Anyway, I’ll show you how it works. Let’s hope I’ll catch a strong and fast wyvern.」(Ingrid)
As she held the fishing rod with both hands, Ingrid closed her eyes and began to concentrate.
Right after, a half-translucent white thread appeared and began to stretch from the reel. It was the fishing line made of Ingrid’s mana.
Unlike ordinary fishing line, the fishing line made of mana glowed and floated in the air as if it was against gravity.
「Whoa, it really converts your mana into a fishing line, and it’s floating. I see. So this fishing line will take the bait to the sky.」(Elle)
「That’s right. After you make it long enough, it’s time to attach the bait.」(Ingrid)
Ingrid took out the meat she bought earlier and tied the fishing line to it. After that, she continued extending the fishing line.
As the fishing line gradually became longer and longer, the meat tied to the end of the fishing line floated higher and higher into the sky like a balloon until it went beyond the clouds.
It was really like fishing, but instead of trying to catch fish in a lake, Ingrid was trying to catch a wyvern in the sky.
Elle watched her from the side with interest.
A few minutes later, Ingrid felt something pulling her fishing rod up.
「Oh! Looks like I catch one!」(Ingrid)
「Wow!」(Elle)
She then immediately started reeling in the fishing line.
Meanwhile, Elle was looking at the sky in excitement. She wondered what kind of wyvern would join them in this journey.
However, her excitement vanished the moment she saw a black dot appear from the clouds.
Her expression changed along with the bad feeling that surged from her chest.
「Ingrid… Is it just me or that wyvern looks kinda… black…?」(Elle)
「No way…! That wyvern… It can’t be happening!」(Ingrid)
TOC
You can gain access to [Early Access] page and read up to ten chapters ahead by supporting me on [Patreon]