The following day, the fishermen successfully captured another giant fish, and the large ship, having met its quota, triumphantly returned to the port.

During my night watch, I made sure to discreetly do some bait fishing. Thanks to that, I now had a good stock of medium-sized fish.

“Alright, men! Time to start the disassembly!”

With that rallying cry, the giant fish was set to be dismantled. Just like the last time Rio and I had caught one, it seemed a festival was about to begin again.

“That’s the end of your job. Thanks as always.”

Goldof approached us and handed out the completion slips.

“No problem. We’re about to enjoy some delicious food, too.”

“Yeah, yeah. Honestly, taking on these escort jobs just for the feast afterward isn’t an exaggeration.”

Christoph remained polite, while Alina looked like she was about to start drooling. Kant’s group of four were also grinning; clearly, everyone was here for the food.

“Well then, enjoy yourselves.”

With that, Goldof returned to the dismantling festivities.

“Shall we part ways here?”

“See you around!”

At Christoph’s words, the adventurers who had taken on the escort mission bid their farewells and dispersed. It was already late afternoon, and some chose to head straight to the guild to collect their reward.

“Shall we eat here, then head back to the inn?”

“Sounds good.”

“Wafuu!”

As the dismantling proceeded, the parts of the fish that wouldn’t keep long were handed out freely.

The townsfolk, having heard of the large ship’s return, gathered at the port. Among them was Mognov, who raised a hand and approached us upon spotting us.

“Gahaha! So you were on the escort crew for this ship, huh?”

It wasn’t a stretch to guess—adventurers who joined the festival without prior notice likely had been part of the escort mission.

“Yes, that’s right. It looks like hauling in a giant fish is quite a challenge.”

“Haha… Yeah, it’s supposed to be.”

For some reason, Mognov’s expression became distant, and his enthusiasm visibly drained. This is a festival—shouldn’t he be enjoying himself?

“Either way, we can only enjoy this great food thanks to the adventurers who protect the ships.”

“And the fishermen who catch them, too.”

“Gahaha! You’re not wrong. It’s thanks to both of us!”

After exchanging a few words, Mognov seemed satisfied and left.

“By the way, I sense someone hiding in the shadows again.”

As we finished our meal, Rio’s gaze turned toward an alleyway. The same fox-eared child we had given food to after the previous disassembly event was lurking there again. But this time, there was another presence as well. Perhaps their parent?

“They could just come out and get some food.”

“Maybe there’s a reason they can’t.”

“Hmm… I didn’t think much of it before, since other slaves were freely taking food, but I guess it’s possible.”

If they had some sort of circumstances preventing them from stepping forward, it made sense that they’d remain hidden.

We took some leftover food on a plate and walked toward the alley. With some people already heading home, we wouldn’t stand out too much.

“Hey, long time no see.”

“Spying on us again?”

At our quiet call, a pair of large fox ears peeked out from behind the wall.

“Wait—!”

Just as the child began to step forward, another arm shot out and grabbed them.

The person restraining them was likely their guardian, and their intentions were clear: never accept food from strangers. …Well, I wasn’t sure if such lessons were common in this world, but it seemed universal enough.

“But…!”

Perhaps realizing that arguing would defeat the purpose of hiding, the fox-eared child stepped forward, followed by a muscular man with bear-like ears.

“They might be someone sent to take us back… Just because they gave you food doesn’t mean you can trust them.”

Looking closely, a slave collar was fastened around the man’s neck as well. My Appraisal confirmed it.

His words piqued my interest, but for now, I needed to hand over the food before it got cold.

“W-Wait! Don’t come any closer!”

The man raised a hand to stop me. I hesitated for a moment, but in that instant, the fox-eared child broke free and rushed toward us.

“Ah—!”

The man reached out, but he was too late.

“Hehe, here you go.”

Rio handed over the plate, and the fox-eared child accepted it with a beaming smile.

Damn… This kid is way too cute.

“Thank you!”

I was about to hand over another plate, but the child was already holding as much as they could. Left with no choice, I approached the still-cautious man.

“We’re just passing by, so don’t worry about us.”

Were these two runaway slaves? I hadn’t looked too much into the specifics of slavery at the guild.

“Tch… Like I’d just believe that.”

He clenched his fists and spoke in a hushed yet firm voice. I had no real way to prove my sincerity.

“Well, whatever. You don’t need to return the plates. We only came to give food. Just make sure that kid eats their fill.”

I handed over the plate, and though reluctant, the man eventually accepted it. Seems like he couldn’t resist his own hunger either.