“Then let’s hurry up and begin—”
“We can’t catch the King here, Princess Mia...” said Orania, gazing into the water below. “This is a good fishing spot, but we need somewhere more secluded to find it...”
Santeri nodded. “You have excellent eyes, Your Highness,” he said, folding his arms ponderously. “But the waters are dangerous where the King has been sighted, so we opted not to include the spot on our list. It could be disastrous should a student fall in. Though...I suppose we can make an exception,” he said with a grin. “We need to live up to Princess Mia’s fisherman spirit, after all.”
Thus, Santeri led the boat to Saint-Noel Island’s opposite shore. The beach there was windy and jagged with rocks—hardly friendly for docking.
“It’s much darker,” remarked Mia.
“Indeed. It’s quite deep around these parts, and since so few people make their way through, plenty of large fish have made it their home.”
“There really is an opposing air here,” said Mia, inwardly groaning at how deep the water looked. I wanted to catch a fish that just looked like the King, not the actual King! But we’ve come too far to turn back now. This is a fair fight, and I’ll do whatever I can to win! With such thoughts in mind, Mia tossed her hook into the water below.
Right next to her, Orania was reeling in one huge catch after another.
But Mia wasn’t going to give up! She reeled in one catch after another of her own! Unfortunately, they were all tiny. Her beginner’s luck had run out, or perhaps the big brains of these big fish outpaced the capacities of the Great Sage’s own. In any case, Mia managed to catch plenty, but none were the huge catch she had wanted.
Well, I suppose it makes sense things haven’t worked out for me, thought Mia with a sigh. This had been the exact reason Mia proposed switching their contest to catching the King, and yet... I can’t just give up now. I should at least make it look like I’m fishing!
Thus, Mia left her hook in the water, though her motivation had all but depleted. I really do keep catching only tiny, cute fish. I feel kind of bad for them, and if I’m being honest, baiting my hook over and over is kind of gross. Maybe I should leave my line in the water and spend my time counting the waves instead, all the while praying that the King won’t chomp down on Orania’s hook...
Yes, Mia extended her graces to the small fish in the sea and prayed that the King would go uncaught and free. She was the spitting image of the goddess of fish—the Princess of the Aurelia!
Mia affixed her pole in place, stared into the waters below, and began to count the waves. Her fishing desires and competitive passions had already left her. Now, she was nothing but a single jellyfish, counting the waves with an empty mind.
But that’s when Mia’s real beginner’s luck began to rear its head! Her rod started to twitch, but only slightly. It had to be a small catch. Feigning ignorance, she let out her line more and more, all her attention focused solely on counting the waves.
Santeri had noticed her movements, letting out an “I see...” of admiration. Suddenly, something yanked on her line!
“E-Eeek! Wh-What’s happening?! It’s so strong!”
“Woo-hoo! You’ve done it, Your Highness! This is quite the mighty catch!” exclaimed Santeri, his fishing maniac blood boiling. “To use one of your smaller catches as bait... How genius!”
It was a miracle—the small fish Mia had taken pity on had been swallowed whole by a larger one! It was a feat accomplished only by combining her skills of eliminating her presence like the aurelia and plain beginner’s luck. Or perhaps, a blessing granted by the goddess who had heard her jellyfish-pitying prayers? In any case...
This is my only chance! I can’t let it get away!
She planted both feet firmly on the ground and grasped her pole, but her catch was mighty! She felt like she was the one who was about to be pulled down!
“My apologies, milady! Be careful!” Anne supported her by the waist, eliminating all fears that Mia could topple in. As long as she didn’t drop her pole, she was golden!
A crowd began to form around her. Kiryl peered into the water, leaning himself against the railing as he exclaimed, “Wow! It’s huge!”
His small fingers were pointed at a fish that had leaped into the air. It was long, fat...and had a terribly huge mouth, one that could definitely swallow another fish whole.
“An empress fish! A species truly befitting the epithet of King of Noelige Lake!” remarked Santeri, sounding awfully excited.
Meanwhile, Mia was wholeheartedly focused on reeling in her line. “Th-This is the chance of a lifetime! I need...to catch it! Heave...ho!” shouted Mia, sounding quite a bit unprincess-like as she yanked on her pole. It was quite a barbaric approach, but the fish still fought back as strong as ever. Apparently, these empress fish were gluttons who refused to let go of any prey once caught!
The fish jumped into the air and splashed back down into the water below. It opened its mouth, looking straight at the boat. Then...it let go of the line! Apparently, these empress fish were also chickenhearted, with the ability to sense danger when it mattered most.
“N-No!” Mia was devastated.
“Leave it to me, Miss Mia!” said Kiryl. He leaned out over the water, reaching his hands toward the fish, ready to catch the supposed King midair!
“Kiryl, watch out!” warned Yanna.
Then came a strong gust of wind.
“Ah!” It pushed Kiryl straight over the railing and into the water!
“Kiryl!” Yanna tried to catch her falling brother’s hand, but she couldn’t reach him. He tumbled and tumbled. Then came a dramatic splash.
“M-Moons! We need to rescue him!” Mia rushed to her feet in a panic. That’s when she saw someone jump into the water. Her nimble frame flew through the air as she exhibited a picture-perfect dive. Of course...
“Orania?!”
...the diver was Orania, the princess of Ganudos.
✦ ✦ ✦
