Chapter 7
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: Devil's Hand Appears in the Sea (2)
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"The Devil's Hand?"
Dominic inwardly thought, What kind of chuunibyou naming sense is this? This world's naming conventions are something else! But on the surface, he barely managed to keep up his surprised expression and posture.
"Ah, you might not know about it. After all, you're the first from a coastal village to settle here."
But Kallon’s expression remained gravely serious.
The real issue was that Ian’s face had stiffened up too.
Is this actually serious?
Unlike Kallon, who freaked out over even a single wild boar despite his burly build, Ian had proven over the past week that his favor with the great nobles wasn’t by chance—he rarely showed agitation over anything trivial.
The fact that even he was staring intently at Kallon’s mouth with a serious look meant something major was unfolding, something they couldn’t just brush off.
"You mean the Devil's Hand has started growing on its own?"
"If it were just a few sprouts, we wouldn't be this worried, Sir Knight."
"Then, don't tell me..."
"Yes. A herd of Farmer Turtles has appeared. Looks like they've already laid eggs along the beach near the village outskirts."
"Damn! This is the worst-case scenario."
Dominic had been annoyed watching Ian speak casually to him from the start while using formal speech with Kallon.
But right now, things like honorifics weren’t the priority.
"What's the Devil's Hand, and what's a Farmer Turtle?"
"Does the village chief of a fishing village not even know that?"
"...Well, I'm not exactly a fisherman, to begin with."
Not like I wanted to be village chief or anything. The retort nearly slipped out, but Dominic swallowed it and glanced at Kallon.
"The Devil's Hand is the seaweed that Farmer Turtles cultivate. Or maybe sea tree is more accurate? A fully grown one is at least three times the size of an adult man."
Kallon let out a heavy sigh.
"Seaweed? You mean like kelp or something? Turtles farming seaweed... that's pretty wild."
"It's not something you can just call 'wild.' Once the Devil's Hand spreads, no fishing boats can set out!"
"But..."
"And it grows so damn fast! Even if you cut it back while dodging the turtles' eyes, it'll be thick again in just a few days. And that's the best case! Those sea turtles cultivating it are vicious—they chase off all the big fish near the coast, leaving only tiny ones smaller than your palm!"
"That’s gotta hit fishing hard."
"Exactly, Sir Knight!"
"If there's any way I can help, I'd be glad to."
"Really?!"
"Of course. Stabilizing the livelihoods of the territory's people is the duty of a knight sworn to the lord."
"Oh, thank you, Sir Knight! Thank you!"
Kallon grabbed Ian’s hand like it was a ray of light in the darkness, beaming from ear to ear.
A single knight couldn’t turn the situation around, but this might be a chance to bring the village’s misfortune to the lord’s ears.
Thank goodness. With the knight’s help, maybe we can drive off the Farmer Turtles! There’s no such thing as certain death, after all.
Just hours ago, Kallon had been in despair, convinced the year’s fishing was over.
That was the common sense of this world.
You couldn’t fish in waters claimed by Farmer Turtles. The silver lining was that their 'Devil's Hand' cultivation lasted only about a year at most.
For some reason, the turtles never stayed in one spot longer than that.
"But you seem awfully familiar with Farmer Turtles, Village Chief. Or am I mistaken?"
"No, you're not. A knight’s eyes can’t be fooled. They visit our village every few years. Each time, we give up fishing for a whole year."
"That's odd. From what I’ve heard, Farmer Turtles avoid beaches near human settlements."
"Evergreen’s coast was first claimed by the Farmer Turtles, not people."
"Pardon?"
"I got scammed when I bought the land to settle here. Hahaha!"
The former mercenary captain had led his men to this worthless land plagued by unwanted guests.
"...You’re laughing about it?"
"What can you do? It’s in the past. At least it’s not forever—they’ll move on after a year, and the Devil's Hand will vanish with them. Heh."
Dominic clicked his tongue at Kallon’s words.
"Let’s take a look at the situation first."
"Of course, Sir Knight!"
The three hurried toward a hill overlooking the coast.
Whoosh...
Unlike the worried faces of the villagers they’d passed on the way, the waves crashing on the shore sounded as peaceful as ever.
Seagulls glided low over the sea just like always, and the salty, gentle breeze brushed their cheeks repeatedly.
"It’s quite large."
"There’s a lot of Farmer Turtles this time. That’s why they transplanted nearly fully grown Devil's Hand from the start."
Dominic stifled a chuckle at the mental image of turtles transplanting seedlings. It sounded straight out of a cartoon.
“Look closer.”
“Where?”
“In the waves.”
Ian gave Dominic a pitying look as he offered the hint.
Whoosh...
Another large wave rolled in.
What’s in the waves?
Dominic peered intently into the wave.
And he saw it.
The massive seaweed undulating within.
...My God.
The laughter challenge on Dominic’s face turned to shock and horror.
From the unfathomable depths, it swam with the waves, its long, black fronds stretching in every direction—enough to ensnare and drag a few small fishing boats made of planks straight to the ocean floor in seconds.
It was the perfect moment to see why it was called the 'Devil's Hand.'
Whoosh...
Another large wave crashed.
The seaweed seemed to thrust out its eerie tendrils once more.
To suppress the fear rising from deep within, Dominic muttered to himself without realizing it.
"...It’s just seaweed soup at the end of the day..."
"Seaweed soup?"
"...Pardon?"
"You just said seaweed soup."
The blond knight had annoyingly sharp ears.
"Soup made from seaweed? What’s seaweed?"
"What else? I meant the Devil's Hand."
"I have no idea what you’re talking about. You’re calling the Devil's Hand seaweed?"
"Huh?"
"Yeah?"
Dominic and Ian once again failed to understand each other.
"Oh! In the town where I stayed briefly, they called it seaweed. What do you call it here?"
"The Devil's Hand, like I said. What are you on about? Tsk."
Only then did Dominic realize 'Devil's Hand' wasn’t some edgy nickname but the official name for that seaweed.
Who came up with that...?
He wanted to meet the guy who’d turned it into the formal term, but anyway.
"By the way, Kallon. Can’t we eat that seaweed—no, the Devil's Hand?"
"...Huh?"
"It’s delicious in soup."
Sauté it sweet with sesame oil and meat, then boil—pure bliss. Didn’t they know?
Well, even in my past life, only a few countries ate seaweed.
In his previous life’s Korea, it was a staple: birthday soup, postpartum meals, school lunch steady seller.
Great with beef or variations like tuna, shrimp, dried pollack, perilla seeds—mild, easy to digest, top for iodine.
Nutritionists would struggle without it.
As Dominic pondered, Kallon’s shocked voice rang out.
"Eat the Devil's Hand...?"
"Why not?"
"Because it’s the Devil's Hand."
"What does that...?"
"...? Yeah, why haven’t we thought of eating it?"
Kallon, with no aversion to ingredients, tilted his head.
"Is it poisonous?"
"Never heard that."
"Any religious or cultural taboos? Temples might hate it."
"Nothing like that, as far as I know. It’s just named Devil's Hand—no ties to black magic."
Clap!
Dominic clapped his hands and grinned brightly.
"Then, want to try it? It’s good."