“Yes. The results show not only that the water in the ogre duke’s lakes is slightly salty but also that it’s composed of melted snow.”
“Lady Emilie, does your territory get cold in the winter?”
“That’s right,” Emilie said. “The lakes freeze over during that time, so before that happens, we retrieve all of the oysters and transfer them to water tanks.”
“I see.”
Thin sheets of ice would sometimes form over the lakes here, but they always melted by noon. It seemed that our environments were completely different.
“I suspect that the oysters could not adapt to Triste’s lakes,” Gabriel said. “Simply surviving took precedence over producing pearls. Cultivating pearls with oysters native to the ogre duke’s territory will prove difficult. We could perhaps create a facility to replicate the territory’s lakes and climate, but it would take far too long.”
“I suppose it’s impossible to cultivate pearls in time for the wedding, then,” I said.
“No, it’s not impossible,” said Gabriel. It seemed like he still had a plan. “If the oysters cannot adapt to Triste’s lakes, then we simply have to find shellfish here that are already compatible.”
Until Gabriel had brought it up, I hadn’t considered the idea. “Do all shellfish produce pearls?”
“Yes. Generally, any mollusk with a shell will instinctively try to eliminate foreign substances from its body. However, only those with shells that are beautifully lustrous on the inside can produce the kind of pearls that can be sold on the market. Some should exist in Triste’s lakes too.”
“Then we just have to find them, right?”
“Right.”
A glimmer of hope shone through the dark clouds that had gathered over our pearl cultivation project.
Emilie was excited too. “I’m really looking forward to seeing Triste’s pearls.”
“I’ll have something good to report next time, so please wait until then,” said Gabriel.
I was thinking of giving Emilie a tour of the village, but she said she intended on returning to the ogre duke’s territory.
“Really?!” I asked. “Why don’t you stay awhile and enjoy yourself?”
“I know you’re both busy with your wedding preparations,” Emilie said. “I also don’t want my uncle to have free rein while I’m away, so I’ll be going back soon.”
I gathered a variety of the Lakeside Duck Bakery sweets I had at home and gave them to her as a souvenir. Gabriel also presented her with some slime-based products that were popular among the villagers.
“Wow!” Emilie exclaimed. “You’re giving me this much in exchange for just a bit of water?”
“It’s only natural when you came all this way to see us,” I said. “Right, Gabriel?”
“Of course,” Gabriel said.
Emilie beamed at us as she rode the wyvern back home.
After we saw her off, Gabriel looked at me and said, “Now then, I’m going to go shellfish hunting at the lake. Would you care to join me, Fran?”
“I would,” I said.
It looked as though Wibble and the five differently colored slimes were intending to accompany us. Strangely enough, Alexandrine the duck wanted to tag along too—she was quacking insistently at my feet.
“Um, Gabriel, it seems like she also wants to come,” I said.
“That’s fine. Let’s bring her with us.”
And so, we were joined by Alexandrine and her caretaker, Nico. I tied up my hair and changed into an apron dress so that I wouldn’t have to worry about getting my clothes dirty. Once I was ready, we headed for the lake.
We teleported, and the scenery around us changed instantly. Gabriel explained that when he was a child, he had played at this lake with his father.
Slimes floated nonchalantly along the water’s surface. Alexandrine, being the very cautious duck that she was, didn’t so much as touch the lake. She just stood in place with a tense look on her face.
Nico wasn’t accustomed to seeing so many slimes, so she screamed when she saw the lake. “Eek! There are so many slimes! Aren’t you scared, Lady Francette?”
“I am, but I know that Gabriel will protect us, so it’s fine,” I said.
“Ohhh, that’s the power of true love!”
It was kind of embarrassing to hear it phrased that way. And judging by Gabriel’s slightly flushed ears, he’d heard Nico’s words too.
Gabriel turned around with a calm expression and pushed the bridge of his glasses up, then said, “This lake was relatively clean when I was a child, so it upsets me that the number of slimes here has been increasing by the year. My father hardly did any slime extermination when he was the slime duke, so why is it that, despite my best efforts, there are more of them during my rule?!”
The lake was brimming with slimes, so we had to be careful. They all appeared to be relaxing and enjoying the water, but their gazes were firmly fixed on us. If we let down our guard, they would probably attack us.
“We need to do something about the slimes first,” said Gabriel. He picked up the green slime and tossed it in the direction of the lake.
“Whaaaaat?!” the slime shrieked, spewing plants from its mouth that immediately trapped all the slimes that were in the lake.
The yellow slime stretched itself into a long, thin rope, which the black slime hurled at the web of plants. With one end of its rope form, it grabbed onto the sticky vegetation. It then stretched its other end to the remaining tamed slimes and they began pulling on it. They hauled the slime-filled net onto shore in no time at all.
Having decided that the restrained slimes were no longer a threat, Alexandrine began pecking furiously at them. Nico plucked her from the ground and exclaimed, “Alexandrine, even if they can’t move, they’re dangerous!” The duck flailed around in Nico’s arms, still raring for a fight.
“Please stand back, everyone,” said Gabriel. “We’ll finish the slimes off.”