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Court magician and librarian Leon von Almarsh has a secret hobby: fishing.
It may seem out of place for a man who is the epitome of an introvert, but there is a reason why he got hooked.
It was shortly after he had qualified as a court magician.
It was a time when I was “a little bit” concerned about the complaints of my sarcastic, bald boss. On that day, after being lectured for two hours, I was also assigned to take care of a military facility on the outskirts of the Royal Capital.
The sensitive young me chose a circuitous route to skip work for as long as possible, with a path headed for my destination while calling out to people fishing in the river.
As I walked along the river, I found a strange old man.
He was casting his line not in the river, but on a “road” next to the river.
To be more precise, he was casting his line into a puddle that had formed on the road.
Of course, there are no fish in that puddle. It is not even an inch deep, and the puddle is freshly formed from yesterday’s rain. It would have evaporated by tomorrow.
I was suspicious that there should be no fish in such a place, but another fisherman told me.
“So, brother, are you interested in the Fishing God?” (Fisherman)
“Fishing God?” (Leon)
“Oh, that old man. He is a Master Fisherman.” (Fisherman)
“That senile old man?” (Leon)
“He is not some senile old man. This old man catches huge ones many times a day.” (Fisherman)
“In that puddle?” (Leon)
“That’s right.” (Fisherman)
I don’t believe it, and I wanted to continue talking, but before I could confirm it, I noticed the alarm on my pocket watch.
“Oops, as expected, I’m going to be forced to write a report if I keep slacking off.” (Leon)
I took out my magic pocket watch and headed for the army garrison to deliver the documents.
After completing my business within the hour, I returned to the Court Library.
On the way, I was anxious about the catch and looked for the person I had just talked to, but it seemed that he had already gone home. He looked like the type of guy who wouldn’t leave until he caught something, so he probably caught something.
I was happy for him, but what bothered me more was the old man who was casting a line in the puddle.
He was in the same position as before, fishing tirelessly.
He was in a position that made me wonder if he was a statue, but his shoulders were moving up and down, so it looked like he was still breathing.
“…If I think about considering common sense, he can’t catch fish in a puddle…” (Leon)
If it is a tide puddle, you can catch small fish, but you will never catch a fish in a rain puddle by casting a line into it. However, the fisherman I talked to earlier called that old man the “Fishing God” and said he had caught several big fish.
I asked other fishermen to confirm, but they all praised the old man’s skill.
“…I wonder if it’s actually a super deep puddle. Or maybe it’s magically connected to another place.” (Leon)
Curious as both a magician and a fisherman, I took a chance and approached the old man.
“Excuse me, old man, what are you doing?” (Leon)
“Can’t you tell by looking at me? I’m fishing.” (Old Man)
“But isn’t that a puddle you’re casting your line into?” (Leon)
“Does it look like a puddle to you?” (Old Man)
“I can’t see it as anything else.” (Leon)
“Then it must be so.” (Old Man)
The old man strokes his white beard.
Frustrated, I asked him a question.
“What can you catch in that puddle?” (Leon)
“A giant one. About the size of a human.” (Old Man)
“But you don’t have the fish you caught, do you?” (Leon)
“Because I have been releasing them.” (Old Man)
“The fishermen around us were saying the same thing. They said you caught many huge fishes. How many fish did you catch?” (Leon)
The old man answered calmly.
“You’re the eighth one I’ve caught.” (Old Man)
“………” (Leon)
The old man said smiling.
“I see, so you, old man were not angling for fish, but people…” (Leon)
In this way, Leon von Almarsh knew how to become a Fishing Master.
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