After staying the night, this is the second day here in the Hydra Kingdom.
I woke up pretty early, and since I don’t have anything much to do, I thought I should take a stroll, so I’m currently walking along the shore in the dim morning light.
As expected of a port city, many people seem to be working early in the morning, and the city is quite lively.
While listening to the noisy but enjoyable hustle and bustle, as I continued with my leisurely walk…… I arrived at a slightly different place.
There were a number of people here and there, all holding a long, thin stick…… fishing pole in their hands and were fishing in the sea.
It seems that this place is a fishing spot and there are all kinds of people of differing ages fishing here.
Hmmm. Fishing huh…… I’ve never tried fishing in the sea before, but it looks fun. If I had the chance, I’d like to try it out.
[Nuooohh, mmnngghh, this is…… a big one!?]
[……Unnn?]
[Nuooohh, kuku….. T- That young man over there! Help me out for a bit here!]
[Eh? Ah, yes!]
As I walked along watching the scenery, the rod of a white bearded old man in the corner of my eyes shook a lot, and the grandpa seemed to be desperately pulling it back but…… It seems to be a pretty big one, as he struggled to pull it and asked me for help.
It looked like a grave situation, so I quickly ran over to him and helped the grandpa.
[A- Alright, well then, by the count of two, pull!]
[Y- Yes.]
[One- two- pull!!! ……Mnnghh, it really won’t be pulled over with just one tug huh…… Alright, one more time!]
[Yes!]
Not having the time to think about how this could have happened, I was struggling to hold the rod being pulled with great force, I matched my breathing with the grandpa and together, we grappled against the fish.
[Well~~ You helped me out there. I give you my thanks, young man.]
[Ah, no, I’m just glad that you safely caught it.]
[Umu, this is the biggest one I snagged in a long while.]
After a few minutes of struggling with the fish, we managed to catch it…… I don’t really know what kind of fish it was, but it was very big and splendid.
The grandpa seemed happy to catch the big fish, as he slapped me on the back with a smile on his wrinkled face.
Hmmm, how should I say this…… What an energetic old man.
[However, umuuu…… I don’t think I’ve ever seen your face before? I fish around this area a lot, but I don’t think you’re familiar…… Are you a tourist?]
[Y- Yes.]
[Ahh, I see, I see, you’re in luck, young man! I heard that the God of Fate-sama and the Hero-sama have arrived in the city, so if you look for them, you might be able to meet them.]
[I- Is that so.]
I’m sorry, I’ve already met both of them. No, on the contrary, rather than just meeting, I came here with one of them……
It seems that this grandpa loves to chat, and he happily laughed as he continued to talk to me about all sorts of stuff one after another.
[Well~~ However, especially for a young man these days, you got quite a nice expression on your face. It’s just like when I was young!}
[T- Thank you.]
……Grandpa, are you Japanese? No matter how I look at him, he looked like someone from this world…… Though I desperately swallowed that tsukkomi back into my mind.
[Speaking of which, umu, if you have come to sightsee, have you seen the “House of Parliament” yet?]
[House of Parliament?]
[Umu, the center of this country…… the place where the congress is held. If you’re in the city, you should be able to see it.]
[I- I see.]
Amazing…… It doesn’t seem like this grandpa would stop talking at all. What tremendous communipower he has…… I wonder if this is the result of life experience……. I think Magnawell-san was like him too.
And then, with the grandpa’s talking skills are unstoppable, he continues to speak more.
[This country is a good country, as it’s broadminded and accepts the opinion of us populace.]
[……I- Is that so?]
[Umu, we have a parliamentary system of government in this country. Eight members are chosen among the commoners and eight members are chosen among the nobility…… These people who would decide the direction of this country are chosen by the votes of the public.]
[Fumufumu.]
I see, it seems that the politics of the Hydra Kingdom is similar to the politics of my previous world.
The members that are elected by the people were the ones discussing the policies to make the country better.
Naturally, the people who want to be senators value their popularity among the populace, and since half of them are commoners and the other half are nobles, they can share their opinions with each other from different points of view.
It seems to me that the country is becoming more and more comfortable for the people.
Of course, that doesn’t mean that everything will go smoothly, but from what the grandpa says, the people have a high opinion of those in authority.
[The senators are all good people…… but the King of this country is not.]
[……Eh?]
[I heard that she has been playing around instead of attending the congress…… What a deplorable story it is.]
[……H- Huhh……]
……Please don’t blame me for thinking that the King is just like Fate-san.
[We don’t need a King in this country anymore……. Don’t you think? Young man.]
[Eh? A- Ahhh, perhaps.]
[Don’t you think!? I know right! Well~~ You’re still young, but it seems that you’re quite knowledgeable!]
The grandpa happily laughed and started slapping me on my back…… Hey, that hurts.
Even so, he’s a really cheerful grandpa. I feel like if things keep going like this, he would keep talking forever.
[Whoa there, this won’t do…… I end up interrupting your sightseeing.]
[Ah, no, thank you for your precious stories.]
Unlike what I expected, I heard the grandpa say that he was going to end the conversation, and I inwardly felt relieved. No, I was grateful for the opportunity to hear lots of stories, but I also wanted to eat breakfast, so I was hoping that I could get back now.
[Hohoho, you’re a very polite young man, aren’t you…… I often fish here, so if you have time, please come back and talk to me again.]
[Ah, yes. I understand. If I had the opportunity to visit again……]
[Umu, have a safe trip then.]
[Yes, thank you.]
Feeling overwhelmed by the casual talking skills he had until the end, I bowed my head to the grandpa before leaving the place.
Dear Mom, Dad——– I thought my communipower had improved since I came to this world, but it seems like it was pretty naive of me to think like that. At least, I was overwhelmed by the grandpa from start to finish, and was swept along with his flow. How should I say this——— It seems like my talking skills aren’t worthy enough yet.
After Kaito left, the grandpa dropped his fishing line into the sea again and tried to return back to fishing.
At that moment though, a number of knights in armor approached that spot.
[……What’s this? It seems like I’m already found huh…… I really can’t match that part of you.]
[Geez, what are you doing here…… “You even changed your appearance”……]
[Taking a break is necessary, you know? Good grief……]
Hearing the words of the approaching knight, the grandpa heaves a loud sigh, and at the same time, the grandpa’s figure changes as his body is engulfed in light.
The figure changes to a petite girl with ears shaped like fish fins, short marine blue hair, and blue eyes of the same color. The girl stands up and leans the fishing rod on her shoulder.
[As I’ve said many times, it would be troubling if you keep sneaking out of the royal palace…… “Her Majesty, the King”.]
[Haahhh…… I always say that I’m fine just being a decoration…… Well, isn’t it fine, is what I thought, and I also need to take some break. God of Fate-sama has arrived and I can’t relax, so can just stop being hard on me.]
[……This isn’t the only time you’re taking a break though?]
[Hahaha, is that right? Well, isn’t it fine……. The fact that the King isn’t busy means that the people have a lot of power to run the country.]
After the girl…… King Hydra laughed and said that, she began walking away with the knights in tow.
[In the first place, I have no desire to interfere in the affairs of the country…… A King exists for her country, but a country shouldn’t exist for their King……]
[Then, you’ll just have to work a little harder for your country.]
[Hahaha, an old King like me doesn’t need to feed the mouths of the young ones anymore…… The country can be run by the parliament. The only thing I can do now is for me to “offer my head” when that fails. Fortunately, I still have my head attached to my body.]
[……Seriously, you really are…….]
[Or rather, shouldn’t I be the one asking questions here? Geez, I have been the king for “nearly a thousand years”, how long do you want to make the elderly work? I want to retire already, you know?]
Hydra’s King…… As a mermaid, she was the King who founded the country, and is still the one sitting on the throne.
Although, the person herself has always been saying that she wanted to retire. She’s a troubling King who would sneak out of the royal palace if she finds the opportunity and wanders around without any plan at all……
[If that’s what you really want, you should marry and produce an heir.]
[……Unghh, that’s where you will lead the conversation huh…… I’m not really interested in romance, but if that’s the case, find me a man I like. I don’t like dull men, you know? I prefer a young man with light brown hair and good personality, someone who will sit quietly with me as I talk. I don’t care if his height is average, nor do I care if he’s dazzling to the eyes.]
[……Why are you being so specific with your descriptions?]
[I wonder? I just thought it would be fun to have the company of someone like him.]
With emotions hidden within her smile, the Mermaid King heads to her royal palace.
Her name is…… Laguna Dia Hydra…… She was once a “hero who fought with the First Hero against the Demon King”. Even now, she is still supported by the people as a hero and is said to be the most powerful warrior in the Human Realm.
And held within her blue eyes were joy from the unexpected meeting she had just now.
<Afterword>
The lolibaba has arrived! I consider her a win!
T/N: 10/146