Loading 11 dragonfish, each over 70 centimeters long, filled the small cart to the brim.

Though the cart was sized for a lizardman to pull, today, it was being pulled by her husband—the strongest member of their group.

“…Mama, this… is way… harder… than I thought.”

“Well, it doesn’t fit you properly, so there’s no helping it. I’ll push from behind—hang in there!”

With Flower sitting on the back edge of the cart, Mika pushed slowly. A true joint effort by the couple.

Flower, perched daintily, tilted her head as she looked at the mountain of fish.

“Should we… chill these?”

Mika replied that it would be better if they did, and Flower nodded firmly. She held her hand over the fish and gently waved it as if stroking their surfaces. A white mist, like a thin fog, seeped from her tiny palm, spreading over the fish before dripping down. Wherever the mist touched, a thin layer of frost formed.

“Oh my! Flower, that’s amazing! You can use magic?”

“I practiced… chilling. Kids’ job. Mama is way stronger!”

After boasting proudly, Flower’s expression dimmed, perhaps remembering her mother.

“Right… When spring comes, we’ll take you home, okay?”

Though Flower didn’t cry, her face remained downcast. Mika repeated the promise in her heart—I’ll definitely take you home.

Her husband, straining in an awkward posture, slowly pulled the cart through the cave, passing through the door and emerging into Acid.

Even the receptionist at Acid was stunned anew by the sight of the enormous fish.

Once inside the town, the roads became smoother, and the cart rolled forward more easily. Her husband patted his lower back and rallied himself. “Just a little further!”

“So? Did you manage to slay the dragonfish?”

“Well, about that…”

Dada hesitated under the Guild Master’s questioning but had no choice but to explain everything that had happened.

“You mean it was evolving into something even bigger?! And you froze it mid-transformation and left it there…?”

The Guild Master groaned, his face grim. Since the ice wouldn’t melt anytime soon, the guild decided to send staff later to assess the situation and determine the reward and further actions accordingly.

“The reward will have to wait, but we’ll buy these materials today. Per fish—the scales are large, so 60,000G for those alone. The fins and bones are usable, so 4,000G. The meat is technically edible, so 1,000G. That’s 65,000G per fish. We’ll take all twelve—the eleven here plus the one you already handed in. Sound good?”

“The meat’s cheaper than I expected. Doesn’t it taste good?”

“Not really. It’s got a peculiar flavor. Some drunkards like it, though.”

“Hmm…” Mika murmured, seemingly resigned—but then decided to take the meat from five fish home with her.

Today’s unexpected earnings: 775,000G plus ten cuts of “giant fish fillet”!

Packed into a large bag, Flower cast her freezing magic over it…

Now then—how should they cook it?