Chapter 3-23 : Even If You Cook It, It’s Inedible
「WHY-NYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!? WHY CAN’T I EAT IT NYAAAA!?」(Nyat)
Nyat was so shocked that his scream echoed throughout the inn. It was so loud that I spontaneously covered my ears.
Well, it’s not that I don’t understand why he’s so upset.
「Is it not an edible species-nya!? What’s wrong with it-nya!?」(Nyat)
「It is an edible species, but it was contaminated so badly.」(Elle)
「What-nya!? Contaminated-nya!?」(Nyat)
When I appraised the fish after I used my Synthesis Ability, I got this result.
《Highly Contaminated Seven Sea Salmon : The rarest variety of salmon. Normally, this rare fish tastes incredibly good and has rich nutrients. However, it was contaminated with high concentration of dangerous substance from the failed production of Lost Potion.》
It seems that some, if not all, of the fish I bought earlier contained that poisonous substance, so when I combined them with my ability at once, not only did the rarity improve, but the concentration of the poison also accumulated.
「Kako-sama, Nyat-sama, what happened!?」(Thea)
Thea slammed the door open in panic.
Looks like she ran from the inn manager’s room as soon as she heard Nyat’s scream.
「Ah, nothing serious happened. It’s just that Nyat’s upset that he can’t eat the fish.」(Kako)
「Hahh… I see. Thank goodness. But why can’t he eat it? You bought the fish for him, didn’t you?」(Thea)
「Yeah, but unfortunately, it was contaminated with that troublesome poison polluting the sea.」(Kako)
「That’s too bad… Hm?」(Thea)
Approaching us, Thea noticed there was only one fish on the floor.
「Where is the other fish?」(Thea)
「A-ahh, it’s… It’s still in my magic bag! I just took out one to see if it was still fresh, but then I noticed it was contaminated.」(Kako)
「But, Kako ojou-sama, how could you tell that it was contaminated?」(Thea)
「That’s… The mermaids taught me how to identify it while I was on their island.」(Kako)
「I see. That’s Kako ojou-sama for you.」(Thea)
「Ahaha…」(Kako)
I’m sorry for lying, Thea…
「I really can’t eat this fish-nya? Kakooo!!」(Nyat)
Nyat put his paws on my shoulder and shook it.
「No. You might die from poison.」(Kako)
「Uuuu…. I was looking forward to eat the best fish in this region-nya… What a let down-nya… I wanna cry-nya…」(Nyat)
He’s already crying, though.
「Kako ojou-sama, is the poison really that deadly?」(Thea)
「It won’t kill you immediately, but you will get really sick if you consume it just like the mermaids.」(Kako)
I’m aware that the fish sold at the market was contaminated to a certain extent, but I never thought it was already this bad.
It seems that the situation is far worse than I expected.
「Nyat, Thea, you should drink this just in case.」(Kako)
I took two bottles of antidote potions I made on the mermaid island and handed them to the two.
「Ojou-sama, what is this?」(Thea)
「An antidote. It’s the same thing I used to treat the mermaids.」(Kako)
We might have consumed some contaminated fish while we were in this city, so it’s better if they drink it just in case.
As for me, I’ve already drank it, so I don’t think I need another bottle. Besides, I hate its awful taste…
Oh, right. I forgot to tell them about that.
「Nyat, Thea, be careful. It’sー」(Kako)
「ー!!」(Thea)
「ーBBBFFFFFFFFFFFー！！！」(Nyat)
「ーawfully bitter…」(Kako)
I was too late.
Thea closed her eyes and frowned out of bitterness.
However, the problem was Nyat… He spat out the antidote at my face…
「It’s so bitter…」(Thea)
「Bweeeeeeehh!! It’s freaking awful-nya!!」(Nyat)
「I know it tastes awful, but… You didn’t have to spit it out at my face!」(Kako)
I took out a handkerchief and yelled at Nyat as I wiped my face.
「I’m sorry-nya, but I can’t handle it-nya!」(Nyat)
「Really? I thought a cat’s tongue was less sensitive than a human’s tongue.」(Kako)
「I’m not a cat-nya!」(Nyat)
「Yeah, yeah. Anyway, you should drink it properly.」(Kako)
I took out another bottle and handed it to Nyat.
「Ugh… *Gulp gulp* ーBWEEEEEEEEHHHH!!」(Nyat)
He closed his eyes and finished the entire bottle. He then stuck out his tongue with a grossed-out face.
◆◆◆
My face was all sticky because of Nyat, so I went to wash my face first and return to enjoy the tea Thea brewed.
「I wasn’t really thinking about it before, but knowing how serious the situation is, I think we should stop eating fish while we’re in this city.」(Kako)
「What-nya!? No fish-nya!?」(Nyat)
「NO FISH.」(Kako)
「Uuuu… It’s a torture-nya…」(Nyat)
Nyat cried again as if it were the end of the world.
「Bear with me. At least until Roberto-sama fixes the problem. I hope he finishes it quickly.」(Kako)
「Ojou-sama, I think we should inform Duke Balvin about this.」(Thea)
「You’re right.」(Kako)
The townspeople are eating contaminated fish without knowing. It’s highly likely the Balvin Family is unaware of how bad it has gotten as well.
There are probably already townspeople who have been affected by the poison. I remember the fishmonger who sold us fish looked sick. He must have been one of them.
We must warn the people not to consume fish for the time being.
「We can tell the negotiator when they come to bring this news to Duke Balvin.」(Thea)
「Negotiator?」(Kako)
I thought of going to the Balvin’s mansion tomorrow, but it looks like someone is coming. I had no idea about that.
「Since you, the Marquis’ daughter, were put in danger due to the Duke’s negligence, they have to make a proper apology. Even though the duke has a higher rank than the marquis, they’re a ducal family with royal blood, so a formal apology is necessary.」(Thea)
Thea explained.
It seemed that to protect their dignity as members of the royal family, the ducal family must offer a clear apology.
If Father were a lower-ranking noble, it might not be necessary, but Marquis’ family is considered to be a high-ranking noble family.
「But I’ve received their apology. That’s the reason they invited me to dinner, right?」(Kako)
I wonder why nobles like to apologize a lot.
「Yes, but it was an apology to you as the victim. This time, it will be an apology to your family. Lord Kushaq needs to know about what happened to you and receive the apology. It’s necessary to keep a friendly relationship between the two families.」(Thea)
I see. So it’s for Father, huh?
「Not only that, it’s necessary because it will show the other nobles how solid the relationship between House Balvin and House Kushaq is.」(Thea)
「Hm? Why do we need to show them that?」(Kako)
「It’s to prevent those who want to use bad relationships between noble houses for their own benefit. For example, spreading false rumors that can cause two or more noble houses to fight each other and then using that situation to gain power somehow.」(Thea)
「I see.」(Kako)
Aristocratic society is as complicated as ever, it seems…
「So, there’s nothing we can do for now, huh?」(Kako)
「How about having lunch? I think we can order something other than seafood at the dining hall.」(Thea)
「Nooo! I want fish-nyaaaa!!」(Nyat)
Nyat is still complaining.
「Come on. We can eat meat. You like meat, don’t you?」(Kako)
「Yeah, but what’s the point of coming all the way to this city if we can’t eat fish-nya?」(Nyat)
「Hm? To do business, of course.」(Kako)
「That’s your entertainment-nya! What about my entertainment-nya?」(Nyat)
「Working is not entertainment, you know?」(Kako)
「Ugh, unable to eat fish in a harbor city is just so sad-nya… This should have been a fun trip, not a sad one-nya…」(Nyat)
I too was hoping for a fun trip, but it can’t be helped, right? Who would have thought the sea would suffer from pollution?
Nyat was sulking for a minute, but then he suddenly raised his head.
「Aa! That’s right-nya! Kakoー」(Nyat)
As if he suddenly had a brilliant idea, he brought his face closer to my ear and whispered.
「Since you’ve used your ability on all kinds of fish, you can now appraise the fish in this city, right-nya?」(Nyat)
「Ah.」(Kako)
Now that he mentions it. Surely I can do that.
「There might be fish that is not yet contaminated in this city. If I can identify it, that meansー」(Kako)
「ーWe can still eat fish-nya!」(Nyat)
He might be a spoiled giant cat, but thanks to his strong eagerness to eat fish, now I know what to do.
It’s time to go back to the market!
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