Luke said to Simon, the son of Zebedee, “Go out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” Simon answered, “Teacher, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless, at your word, I will let down the net.” And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. So Simon saw it and fell down at Luke’s knees, saying, “Lord, depart from me, for I am a sinful man.” For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; and so were also James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Luke said to Simon, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.” So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed him.
—
Today felt like a bad day.
I had left the boat out all night trying to catch fish, but not a single one bit!
Usually, even on these hopeless days, we’d at least catch a couple of fry, but not today—not one!
I was worried about our daily bread, but it seemed impossible to catch fish now. All of us were dead tired and needed to rest. So, reluctantly, we docked the boat and started to clean up.
“Hey there!”
I turned at the unfamiliar voice and saw a boy with an otherworldly blue hue standing there.
He was dressed in luxurious clothes that nobles would wear, with fair, silky skin that seemed untouched by hard labor and a face so beautiful he had to have noble blood.
He was obviously a high noble.
I couldn’t help but think that he surpassed any lord or their attendants I’d ever seen.
“What… who are you?”
“I am Luke.”
“I’ve gotten lost and wanted to ask for directions. What territory is this?”
I looked around but didn’t see anyone else with him.
A high noble wandering alone?
I thought maybe he was a wizard? Or perhaps a super-skilled swordsman?
Either way, he clearly had confidence in his abilities. A noble like this would undoubtedly attract bandits.
If he didn’t have any skills, he’d be done for.
Wait, haven’t I heard that nobles are mostly strong, and some psychopathic ones enjoy wandering around slaughtering ignorant fools?
Is he one of those? Nobles, huh…
“Oh, I see. This is Galilee.”
“Is that so? Thank you.”
I told him the name of our territory, and he expressed his gratitude.
Is that… it?
Nobles are not to be messed with, especially high nobles.
Our parents faced so much injustice when they got involved with nobles back then.
So please, just go away!
“Simon, big brother! You’ve had a tough day! I brought dinner… Huh? Who are you?”
Just then, I heard Iako’s voice.
Of all times! Why now!
Nobles view commoners as worthless dirt while they find enjoyment in women.
If they see a common girl they like while wandering about, they take her away and use her.
Of course, they’ll never take responsibility since they see us as dirty commoners.
Unfortunate beautiful women who catch the eyes of nobles often meet a tragic end.
Our lord has pulled these stunts a lot, which is why I had to hide our pretty Iako so well, and why now, of all times!
“Looks like you’ve lost your way, noble sir! Just look at that elegance.”
Quickly, I approached Iako and whispered in her ear. Nobles might have the ability to hear whispers, so I couldn’t say it out loud.
I subtly informed Iako that he was a noble so she’d understand we needed to leave before he got interested.
“Oh wow, you’re right. Hello there!”
“Hello.”
What the heck? Why is she greeting him?
And why is her face all red? Is she crushing on him?
No matter how beautiful a pretty boy might be, he’s still a noble! He would never treat us common folks as real people!
“Did you catch a lot of fish?”
“No, not at all. We barely caught anything today.”
Usually, Iako would deliver our meals and leave right away. She says she can’t stand the smell of sweat from working men.
So typically, she would leave quickly; we’d finish eating, tidy up, and go home.
Why isn’t she leaving now?
It’s like she wants to stick around and chat.
Is it because of that noble’s face?
Ugh, how annoying. Just because he has a pretty boy look?
A real man has a rugged and solid face, just like mine!
With a face like that, he’s got a long way to go to be considered manly.
By the way, I heard that dragons take on beautiful appearances when they polymorph to have fun.
Huh? A dragon?
No way, this kid can’t be a dragon.
The books I read mentioned dragons like to wander alone, but come on—no way.
Why isn’t the noble leaving, though?
Didn’t he just come here to ask for directions?
Could it be he’s actually interested in Iako? What do I even do!?
“Simon.”
“…Yes? Did you call me?”
Out of nowhere, he called my name.
Huh? My name?
Wait, how does he know my name? Oh. Iako called me while bringing food earlier.
Still, it’s odd. Nobles typically don’t care about the names of peasants.
Even the official in charge of our fish supply has seen me for ten years and doesn’t remember my name.
But this noble just called my name! Just a mere peasant and a lowly fisherman!
What the heck?
“Go into the deep water and cast your net again. You will catch fish.”
And then the boy said something ridiculous.
What? Go into the deep water and cast my net again?
Does he think I haven’t tried every possible spot?
I’ve been fishing for years! There’s no way I’d make a mistake like that.
I’ve scoured every inch of the nearby sea, and still, not a single fish in sight. It’s like they all disappeared!
Noble brats and their ridiculous ideas.
I thought that, but then…
“Looking noble, we labored all night and caught nothing. But if you say so, I’ll cast the net again.”
I had to go along just to avoid potential trouble.
I’ve trained my skills since then, but I still don’t have confidence facing nobles again, especially high nobles.
Sigh, I’ll just do as he says. Better than facing the unknown repercussions.
So, along with my mates, I set the boat toward the deep area the noble boy indicated.
Splash!
When we reached the spot he mentioned, we spread the net.
It’s not like we’re going to catch anything; just wasting time, really.
Why is a noble giving fishing advice anyway?
Didn’t need to tell me what to do!
Hmm…
Wait a moment.
Iako and the noble boy are the only ones left at the dock!
Could it be he gave this absurd order to deal with me and my friends to challenge Iako?
Damn it!
I’ve got to get back! I don’t know what he might do to Iako!
“Everyone, listen!”
Thud!
As I rushed to inform my friends of my discovery and turn the boat around, suddenly the boat started to tilt.
What now?
“Si-Simon! The net is full!”
Full? Of course, it’s full of water since we just lowered it. What do you mean?
What’s with him? He’s not acting like himself! Is it the noble or the lack of sleep?
“No, it’s full of fish!”
What? No way!
How could there suddenly be tons of fish after all night without a single bite?
Thinking it over, I leaned down to check the net.
Slowly, I started to see fish filling up the net beneath the surface.
…No way.
“How, how can there be this many fish? We didn’t catch a single one all night!”
“The net’s tearing! Hold on tight!”
What the heck is happening?
“Seems there’s some confusion.”
Just then, a calm voice behind me chimed in. It wasn’t the frenzied voices of my friends, but a serene, sage-like tone.
I turned my head back.
“Y-you, noble sir? H-how are you on the boat?”
He was standing on the boat, when I was sure he was supposed to be at the dock!
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.