For example, hunters like Gota from Todd Village had a certain vibe. They gave off an air of competence, like veterans in the field or something like that. Compared to them, these hunters seemed young and inexperienced.
If I actually look closely, they all look like teenagers. Even so, normally it’d be better for a veteran hunter or two to lead them. Didn’t they want to have someone to learn from? Even if they weren’t in a guild, surely there was something like a local community that could pass down techniques to the next generation.
The more I think about it, the more strange this seems... Due to the nature of his work when he’d been a central bureaucrat, he couldn’t stop his habit of analyzing.
The fishing hermit probably realized what Zen was thinking. “The new prefectural governor is encouraging the youth to become hunters,” he said.
“Hunters? Why?” Zen had never heard of a policy like this. He had to clarify that he’d heard correctly.
“Apparently, while these wetlands are already the perfect hunting grounds, the entirety of Alona Prefecture is overflowing with forests. It seems he feels it’s best to take advantage of that.”
“It’s true that the southern forests of the empire are rich in resources, but...” Were there any other states or prefectures that used that reason to encourage hunting specifically?
“His Excellency likely has his reasons. While it’s not a lot of money, the prefectural government office is offering grants, so there are many young people who are taking this as an opportunity to become hunters.”
“So even if things don’t go smoothly at first, they won’t starve.” That must be why, just like the group that had passed them by, they were okay not being taught by anyone. They were good so long as they managed to catch something, and it was annoying to have someone like a teacher nagging them. They wanted to take it easy and have fun hunting with their friends.
Or maybe even if they did want a leader, there weren’t enough veterans to cover the sudden increase in new hunters.
To be more precise, hunters had a lot of their own regional rules—or rather, unspoken agreements. It was possible that the veterans were fed up with these crowds of ignorant youngsters coming into their hunting grounds. There might be friction between the two groups.
“Apparently, there actually are small skirmishes here and there,” said the old man. “However, the grants are given equally to experienced hunters too, so they don’t complain about the prefectural governor.”
“I’m sure that the fact Carnival is held every month now is not only to become popular with the citizens, but also out of consideration for the hunters too.” If the veteran hunters could catch a lot of high-selling blue cranes, they’d also be happy. Even new hunters got more chances to make money. It appeared Stoga was a man who did think some.
However, that’s precisely why I wonder why he’s encouraging hunting... The unpleasant feeling in Zen’s chest was increasing by the day.
As Zen frowned to himself, the fishing hermit said, “You’ve come all the way out here to Alona City. Why not try and enjoy fishing one more time?”
As a matter of fact, Zen would do just as the old man said.
Once his coat was dry enough to put back on, he briefly returned to the fishing village. He explained to the villagers what had happened, reimbursed them for the damages and gave his apologies, and rented another fishing rod.
He then returned to the fishing hermit and thoroughly enjoyed his time fishing and chatting alongside him like they’d done once before. The fishing hermit even shared his lunch with them.
“We were planning to cook the carp we got on the spot and eat them, so...” When Zen explained that he’d had no idea that it was necessary to rid the carp of mud and that was why he hadn’t prepared lunch, the fishing hermit roared with laughter.
“Ho ho! You were counting your chickens before they hatched—or carp, in this case.”
Incidentally, when Zen said he’d intended to only grill them with salt, the old man once again laughed, informing him that grilling carp would only make the meat dry and that he should stew or deep-fry it instead.
Despite it all, when Zen was with this old man, he could truly relax. Normally, he would’ve wanted to crawl into a hole with embarrassment.
Amusing themselves with fishing into the afternoon, they started packing up to go home not long before sunset.
“If you’re returning to Alona City, would you like to come along in our carriage with us?” Zen proposed to the fishing hermit.
“I have made arrangements to stay in the village for tonight,” he responded. “I do appreciate the thought, though.”
“I understand. See you again at another fishing spot somewhere.”
“Yes, I’ll be looking forward to it.”
Hoping they’d meet a third time, Zen parted ways with the fishing hermit.
Zen once again thought of how the old man didn’t just have deep knowledge about fishing—he was also familiar with everything about the world. He might actually be a renowned intellectual. Of course, Zen wouldn’t do anything insensitive like pry.
While basking in the afterglow of his fishing experience, he had the coachman, who’d been on standby at the village, bring out their carriage.
“That sure was fun, Keel,” Zen said fondly.
“Indeed. Especially how nothing went as you planned.”
“Don’t say that!”
“We have some good travel stories to tell now. You have some for Kulzawa, and I have some for Elysia.”
“Please don’t tell Elysia!” Zen cried. He was deeply troubled, wanting to save his dignity as a father.
He’d let out a loud voice, so the coachman looked back at him in confusion, wondering who he was talking to.