"Rest? Are you sure you should be saying that?"
When Rest brought up slaying the monster, Celestine looked slightly surprised.
"You may be the landowner, Rest, but you are not the lord. You have no obligation to do something like that, do you...?"
"Well... I just figured it'd be fine, you know."
Rest shrugged lightly, scratching the back of his head.
"From what I've heard, the lord doesn't seem to be lifting a finger for the village... and I'd feel too bad turning a blind eye. I wouldn't be able to enjoy the hot springs in peace."
Rest had been planning to stay in the village for another two or three days and take his time enjoying the hot springs.
If he were to abandon the struggling villagers — leave crying children to their fate — he'd be too bothered by it to fully relax and enjoy the springs.
"Besides... I wouldn't be able to eat that fish dish anymore. The sashimi was delicious."
It would be a problem if the fish stopped being caught.
He wouldn't be able to eat that delicious sashimi anymore.
(This isn't because I'm moved by sentiment or anything. I just want to eat it myself, that's all. It's not for Shouko or anything.)
He wasn't even sure who he was making excuses to in his own head, but Rest muttered that to himself all the same.
"If you insist, Rest, then I will do whatever I can as well."
"I'd actually feel bad about that... You don't really have a reason to get involved either, Celestine, do you?"
"No... this village seems to have all sorts of business opportunities lying dormant. This would be strictly for profit, of course."
Celestine, too, appeared to have found her own kind of value in this fishing village.
Despite being on vacation, both Rest and Celestine ended up working.
In the end... both Rest and Celestine were a certain kind of workaholic.
Rest had been a hardworking student in his past life, juggling multiple part-time jobs, and after reincarnating, he continued to diligently study and train in magic, and fulfill his duties as a noble.
Celestine, as well, had been a studious young lady of a duke's house since childhood, engaging in numerous lessons and extracurricular activities. After she grew older, her days were filled with work.
In short, neither of them was the type of person who could simply relax and enjoy a vacation.
"Well then, if there's anything else you know about the monster, I'd like to hear it?"
"U-um..."
Rest gathered information about the monster from the girl and her mother before him, as well as from the villagers listening in on the conversation.
It seemed no human had gotten a clear look at the creature, but it was thought to be something like a giant shark or sea serpent.
Its length was said to be far greater than that of a fishing boat, and just by swimming through the sea, it created waves that could overturn ships.
It wasn't believed to be actively attacking humans... but simply by swimming around, it was causing harm to the fishermen.
"So it doesn't prey on humans... It's a bit different from a man-eating shark, then?"
What came to Rest's mind were orcas and whales.
In his original world, orcas were known as the strongest sea creatures, sometimes called the "gangsters of the ocean," yet surprisingly, they rarely attacked humans.
Humans had less fat and were less tasty compared to seals, and moreover, orcas apparently knew that attacking humans would lead to them being hunted down. Though, since they sometimes mistook humans for other creatures or caused fatal accidents while playing, it wasn't a universal rule.
Whales were also not creatures that attacked people. A whale's diet consisted of small fish and squid, and while there were accidents where fishermen or divers were nearly swallowed, Rest had heard they were quickly spat back out.
"Perhaps what it's after is the fish that everyone here catches."
"That said... we can't just leave it be, since there are actual injuries, aren't there?"
Even if the monster had no malice, if it was causing harm to humans, they had to deal with it.
Rest was, after all, on humanity's side. He had to prioritize protecting humans over sea life.
"Incidentally... do we know where and at what times this monster appears?"
"Hmm... I'm not really sure..."
A villager paused briefly to think before answering Rest's question.
"The attacks happen at random times, but monsters tend to appear more often further offshore. That's why we fish closer to the village..."
"UWAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
A scream pierced the air, cutting their conversation short.
Rest turned toward the source of the voice and saw a fisherman on a boat floating in the sea, frantically waving his arms.
"There it is! A monster appeared!"
"Turn the boat around! It'll flip us over again!"
"Well, whether this is good luck or bad luck... it's certainly made quite the entrance."
Rest kicked off the ground, leaped into the air, and used magic to fly out toward the sea.