It turned out he already had a harpoon.
The harpoon Rei held as he said this possessed enough presence to convince anyone that it was clearly higher-performance than the ones used in Garanka.
Seeing it, Pastura's eyes were drawn to the harpoon for a few seconds before he spoke, a hint of exasperation in his voice.
"Why would you forget you had a harpoon like that?"
"It's not like I meant to. I had it made a few years ago and haven't used it at all since."
Come to think of it, he should have used it when catching fish in the river.
Rei thought that for a brief moment, but in terms of catching large quantities of fish at once, striking rocks to stun them with the impact was far easier—and yielded a much larger catch.
Besides, even if he couldn't catch every single fish, they were only stunned. Once they came to, they could swim around in the river as normal.
"You had a harpoon like this and never used it? ...This wire part is for pulling the harpooned catch back to you, right?"
That he instantly understood the purpose of the wire attached to the harpoon was likely because the ones used in Garanka employed ropes in the exact same manner.
Attaching a rope or wire to a harpoon's shaft was actually quite rare, however.
"Something like that. I got the harpoon a few years ago. This is the first time I've been to the sea since then. Well, I've gone fishing in rivers a few times. But I didn't really need a harpoon there."
"Huh. ...Mind if I borrow it for a bit?"
Rei nodded and handed over the harpoon.
Taking it, Pastura gripped the weapon to test its handling—and before long, a look of surprise spread across his face.
"No, this harpoon is incredible. At a glance, it doesn't seem that different from the ones I use, but actually trying it out, it's remarkably different."
"...Is it that amazing?"
"Yeah! It's so amazing it makes me mad that you've had a harpoon like this and never used it!"
Looking at Pastura's serious expression, Rei could easily tell this was no joke—he meant every word.
But from Rei's perspective, while the harpoon's aura was clearly different from an ordinary one, in terms of actual handling, he didn't think it was that far removed from a normal harpoon.
Is it subtle stuff like the center of gravity or the thickness of the grip that's different? Well, even with spears, those kinds of things make a pretty big difference, so it's not like I can't understand.
Normally, it would be unthinkable to regard a harpoon and a spear in the same way. After all, they had completely different uses.
Moreover, in Rei's case, rather than thrusting with a spear, he frequently threw it.
...Of course, even with harpoons, the method of use varied greatly depending on the wielder—some thrust directly, while others threw.
Regardless, as a harpoon crafted by a skilled artisan, Pastura, as a fisherman, probably grasped its excellence thoroughly.
"For now, if you have this harpoon, you won't need the one I was going to prepare."
"Right. Yeah, sorry about that."
In truth, Rei's primary purpose for coming to Garanka was fishing gear—and among that, obtaining a harpoon in particular.
Of course, he also wanted a net—the kind used to scoop up small fish all at once when they were stunned. A landing net and similar tools.
And the harpoon, his foremost objective, had been inside his Misty Ring all along, and was clearly a higher-quality item than those used in Garanka.
Under the circumstances, it would have been understandable if Pastura got angry and felt he was being teased.
But Pastura imagined that Rei wasn't mocking him—and more importantly, Rei was their benefactor, the one who had subjugated the pirates threatening the village.
"Don't worry about it. But still... does that mean you might not have nets either?"
"No, I don't have those. Besides, nets and the like have various uses beyond fishing, so it's fine to have a reasonable amount."
Normally, carrying a large quantity of nets would be impractical due to the bulk. But Rei had his Misty Ring, and as long as he had that, the amount of baggage was never an issue.
...Of course, there was also the matter of Rei forgetting he had a harpoon stored in his Misty Ring, just as had happened this time.
"You think so? Then... roughly what size would be good? If you're carrying it, would a smaller one be better?"
"No, since I'll be using it while riding Set, a reasonably large one is fine."
"In that case, how about that one?"
Pastura pointed at a net also hanging on the wall.
The grip was made of wood, and fairly thick at that—just thick enough for Rei to barely close his hand around it.
In proportion to the thickness of the wood, the net portion was also quite large.
"Among the nets not currently in use, that's the large one. But to withstand the weight of fish scooped up in it, the grip is quite thick. Will you be alright?"
At Pastura's words, Rei picked up the net.
As it was made of wood, it was indeed as thick as stated, but even so, he didn't feel any particular difficulty when gripping it.
"Yeah, I think it'll be fine."
"Got it. If that works for you, take it. Is there anything else you need?"
Asked that, Rei thought for a moment.
As for the harpoon, he had a high-performance one with a wire, so using it would pose no problem. As for nets, the one he now had was sufficient.
Given that, when asked if there was any other fishing gear he wanted...
A casting net? No, looking around here, I don't think they have casting nets. They probably don't use them. It's not something I need to go out of my way for. ...Well, if I had one, it could be useful in battle and such.
Particularly against weak soldiers, adventurers, or bandits—opponents better described as small fry—capturing them all at once with a casting net seemed highly effective.
Of course, even if he caught an opponent in a casting net, it wouldn't kill them. It would buy time at most until they struggled free.
But whether or not it could stall them held significant meaning in this context.
Being rendered unable to move, even temporarily, on a battlefield equated to death.
If he used magic, the small fry whose movements he had stopped could be swept up in the literal sense, and even without magic, he could always leave them to his allies.
Well, if they knew I'd use a casting net like that, they probably wouldn't feel too good about it. So that means... a fishing rod? But frankly, rather than fishing, I could catch far more fish with a harpoon or by smashing rocks.
In Rei's mind, fishing carried a strong image of being a hobby or pastime.
Of course, there were exceptions like pole-and-line fishing for bonito, so that was strictly his own impression.
And Rei wasn't particularly fond of fishing.
Even back in Japan, when he caught river fish like Ayu, Iwana, Yamame, and Kajika in the summer, he didn't fish with a line—he used a harpoon.
"Right, for now I don't need much else. As for fishing gear, just this net is fine. By the way, what happened to the talk about wanting to buy fish?"
"Oh, they went out fishing for that."
At Pastura's matter-of-fact statement, Rei was slightly surprised.
He said they casually went out fishing, but the sea contained monsters in addition to fish.
That was exactly why, knowing there were still a few pirates left on the island serving as their base, he had left them there using sea monsters as substitutes for guards.
"How long until they come back?"
"They should be back any time now... but it's not like there's a set time for when they'll return."
In a rural village like Garanka, the kind of clocks found in towns naturally didn't exist, nor did mechanisms like bells ringing at a specific time.
Given that, it was only natural that timekeeping was quite loose.
"I see. In this village... what kind of boats do you fish from?"
At Rei's question, Pastura prompted him to step outside the shed where the fishing gear was stored.
Once outside, a boat-like vessel resting on the sandy beach came into view.
"Boats like that."
"...Is that right? With that, wouldn't you not be able to go very far?"
"If you go far out, the sea gets deeper. When the sea gets deeper, there are that many more monsters. The places where we can fish really aren't that far out."
When put that way, Rei had no choice but to accept it.
If they can't go that far offshore, it seems like they wouldn't be able to catch big fish like tuna. ...Though in that sense, it's actually perfect for me since I'm looking for small fish.
For now, the fact that the small fish he wanted—small compared to tuna and the like—would be safely obtained was nothing but good news for Rei.
"Ah, by the way, I'd also like things other than fish—shrimp, crabs, large shells—would that be alright?"
"Large shells might be difficult, but I think we can manage the rest. Shellfish aren't something many people harvest. As you can see, what's in front of the village is a sandy beach, so we have to go to where the rocky shore is."
"I see. Then it can't be helped."
Even as he said that, Rei felt disappointed.
After all, he wanted to eat shellfish like abalone, oysters, and turban shells if possible.
Seeing Rei's disappointment, Pastura thought for a moment, then spoke.
"Well, you know. It's impossible today, but from tomorrow onward, they might get some for you if I ask. If you're fine with that, I can put in a request. What do you think?"
"Please, by all means."
At Rei asking without even a moment's hesitation, Pastura made sure not to let his surprise show on his face.
He never expected him to be this eager about shellfish.
If you lived in Garanka, shellfish were something you could normally harvest from the sea.
Since there was only a sandy beach right by the village, you had to go to the rocky coastline a short distance away... but even so, they weren't that rare.
It wasn't unusual for meals prepared in Garanka to include shellfish. Just by boiling them, you could enjoy plenty of flavor.
...Of course, the shellfish harvested in shallow waters weren't that large, so you'd need to catch a considerable amount to get full.
"Understood. Then let's leave it at that for the shellfish. ...You'll be coming back to Garanka, right?"
"If you'll sell me shellfish and fish, I'd be glad to come. I came to this area from Gilm to harvest seafood, fish chief among them. It's close to coming here for a trip."
"Coming for a trip, and subjugating pirates as a side trip. That's not something we who were threatened by those pirates should say."
A High-Rank Adventurer was extraordinary in every sense of the word.
Pastura's manner conveyed that sentiment, but Rei was accustomed to being looked at that way, so he simply nodded without any particular concern.
"In this case, the pirates weren't that large a group. Besides, I make it a habit to subjugate the likes of bandits and pirates whenever I encounter them."
"...I heard they call you the Bandit Eater?"
As for where that information leaked from, it didn't take much thought to figure out. He had no doubt Pastura heard it from Elena and the others while Rei was in Jubis.
Of course, it wasn't something he minded being known.
He had come to be called the Bandit Eater simply because he had annihilated a great many bandits. Which meant, in other words, that he would not be attacked as long as they weren't bandits.
"Well, yeah. I really don't know when people started calling me that. Even bandits who attack others would hate being attacked themselves."
"No kidding, that's obvious. Getting attacked by someone who commands a monster like a Gryphon would be a nightmare."
Pastura muttered that earnestly, but in truth, it was an opinion anyone would immediately nod to if they thought about it generally—and certainly from the bandits' perspective.
That said, Pastura had absolutely no intention of sympathizing with bandits either.
"For now, if you prepare shellfish and fish for me, I'll buy all you can provide... Let's see, I plan to come back here around tomorrow or the day after, so I'll buy whatever you have then. Of course, I'd also like to purchase what you catch today if possible."
"Yeah, perfect timing. ...Look."
At Rei's words, Pastura pointed toward the sea.
There, a boat could be seen returning toward the sandy beach—and as if to signal a big catch, someone aboard waved broadly at Rei and Pastura on the shore.