Hesty exited the lake and walked across the sand to meet Manaril.

  「Hesty how was the thing in the nap area?」


  「n, there’s no issue with it. We can, still use it.」


  Hesty said as she shook the water off of her body vigorously.

  Then she held out the bag in her left hand to Manaril.

  「Here, it is. For now, I retrieved it.」


  Manaril peeked into the bag and nodded.

  「Thank you. We prepared these to deal with Katarakta, so leaving them in the lake would be a waste.」


  「Yes……..ah, there was one thing, that bothered me. The underwater, creatures’ dispositions are getting, wilder.」


  「Umm, wilder how?」


  「When swimming in the, deep areas, they attacked me. Especially in areas with, high magic stone, concentrations.」


  Hesty said and held up her right hand.

  There was a huge sharp toothed fish latched onto her arm.

  「Ohh, this thing attacked?」


  「That’s right, I surfaced while letting it, bite onto me.」


  Since using flames inside the water would be a bit iffy, she had lightly beaten it unconscious and brought it up.

  「That’s quite a big one. It has quite a bit of magic power……but for it to try and bite a dragon…」


  「They would never, try that before right?」


  「Yes of course. At least a few months ago when I was here they wouldn’t.」


  Hesty nodded at Manaril’s confirmation.

  No matter how powerful the coating and no matter how powerful the fish….a fish baring its fangs at a dragon was abnormal.

  「Seeing something, so raring for a fight, is rare and, fresh. My curiosity, is piqued.」


  Hesty said with a glitter in her eyes as she looked at the giant fish.

  「When a fish becomes this big, it shouldn’t become, more active…」


  「I wonder why…there might be something causing them to go wild…..maybe without feeling very powerful magic they aren’t afraid?」


  「When I was near Daichi, nothing, attacked us…so it’s possible.」


  Hesty thought back to the morning when she went down to the lake with Daichi.

  They hadn’t been attacked a single time.

  「Fumu fumu, thinking of the difference between with and without Daichi-san…the things inside this lake may have had a change in brain function or disposition.」


  「n, that might be so. If you’re next to him, then the big shots won’t attack. Stupid ones might, but that’s the same, for everyone.」


  Even at Daichi’s house there were monsters with low intelligence trying to attack.

  ……..the fish and those boars had a similar type of feeling to them.

  The lake had plenty of other fish, but who knew if they would attack as well. But still…


  「We need to, deal with it, a bit.」


  「That’s right. Right now it only affects the depths, but if things get worse then it’ll be a problem.」


  Fundamentally, as long as no one swims too deeply there won’t be a problem.

  Plus, this level of fish was still beatable by Dianeia and the rest.

  But since they knew of it beforehand, it’d be best to deal with it sooner than later Hesty thought.

  「I’ll use some time to investigate.」


  「n, I’ll help too.」


  「Thanks.—so…what are we doing with that fish?」


  Manaril said indicating the fish still clamped onto her hand.

  「You used to immediately eat your prey after you caught it…」


  If Hesty was the same as before she was certain to do just that, but…


  「I’ll bring it to the kitchen, for lunch. I’m indebted to him so….I hope it makes him happy.」


  「Ah, is that so? —Fufu…how unusual for Hesty to say such a thing.」


  「n, I’ve changed a bit, just like this lake.」


  Hesty said with a small smile.

  Then Manaril and Hesty carried the fish over to the cottages.