Chapter 39: Great Forest (3)

Chapter 39: Great Forest (3)

There was much to salvage from the corpse of an Iron Wolf.

Not only did it possess thick skin with metallic fur, but its teeth and claws were valuable alchemy materials, and the mage tower would pay handsomely for its heart.

Including the magic stone, the total could sum up to roughly 80 copper.

Its a jackpot.

Usually, people form a party to hunt it. After dividing the loot, theres not much left But Jonah caught it alone. Thats why its a significant amount.

Hehee! Do you see this? Im, yknow? Like, yknow? So capable, arent I?

As I danced around the Iron Wolf, Lydia turned her head and laughed.

Pfft.

Ah! Did you just laugh at me, Miss Lydia?

No.

I heard that loud and clear, you know? You just laughed.

I did laugh, but not in mockery. Just

Just?

You looked like a goblin that had succeeded in hunting.

What! Calling a super handsome young man like me a goblin? I think you should go to the cathedral today and have your eyes healed, Miss Lydia!

Youre about the same height.

.

I had nothing to say in response.

In this reverse world, being young and short was useful in many ways but still, being compared to a goblin was a bit much.

I grumbled and took out my utility dagger. Just as I was about to push it towards the corpse of the Iron Wolf, I hesitated.

Miss Lydia. Miss Lydia.

What?

How do you skin it?

Until now, the by-products Id harvested were things like horns or wristsparts that could be roughly cut or smashed to collect.

But skinning required a specific technique, which I didnt know since Id never done it before.

In response to my question, Lydia lifted her head slightly and answered with a proud tone.

I dont know either.

? But I heard Iron Wolf hides are the most valuable part.

Yeah. But since I didnt know how to skin it, I just took the teeth and claws.

Arent there monsters on other floors whose hides are valuable too?

There are. But it wasnt me who skinned them. It was Beni.

And who is Beni?

My party member?

Right. Now that I thought about it, Lydia was only looking after me because her usual party member was on a break for personal reasons.

I remembered Lydia mentioning she had asked Beni to track down her wallet. So, they were colleagues.

Anyway, I understood why Lydia didnt know how to skin But still, if this was supposed to be the most valuable part, I couldnt just leave it.

Could you at least tell me what youve seen?

Its okay, but Jonah, you probably wont be able to do it. Only Beni can do Benis method.

Wait, do they use magic to skin it or something?

Yeah. They swallow the monster whole and spit out only the by-products. The magic stones are extracted later too.

I hadnt realized she meant they literally used magic.

Sigh. I cant help it. Even if it gets a bit damaged, Ill have to tear it off.

Hehe.

Excuse me?

You know, like what Jonah often does to Senior Ellie. Coaxing her gently and asking for this and that. Try it on me.

Hmmyou pretended not to, but you actually like that kind of thing, dont you, Miss Lydia?

However, exclude anything sexual.

?

Even if its only limited to Senior Ellie, Jonah relies too much on sexual appeal.

That was true. Id often made erotic jokes to Ellie in the past, and lately, that level had been increasing. However.

Isnt that honestly Ellies fault? You just cant help but tease them when they have that funny of a reaction!

What are you, a 7-year-old girl?

Lydia, incredulous, pressed her forehead with her hand. Since it was true that I was teasing Ellie because I liked her, I couldnt exactly refute it.

Anyway. My point is this. Jonah is too obsessed with an unhealthy way of communication. If its because you dont know any other way, you should practice with me.

Ah-ha?

I got the gist of it.

Having been with Lydia up until now, Id realized a few things, one of which was that Lydia was not very adventurer-like.

Given the rough nature of the work, it was hard to find refinement among adventurers. Even Ellie was a good person, but if you asked whether that made her refined, the answer would be no.

But Lydia was different. For starters, her posture was different.

Standing straight with shoulders wide, there was confidence in her stride. Perhaps that was why, despite being short, she didnt feel small.

Her gaze was direct, and although she may be a bit blunt when speaking, her way of speaking was not vulgar, and she rarely raised her voice, even when her emotions were elevated.

In short, she carried herself with dignity.

Not quite as genuinely as someone like Eve, but among adventurers, she was certainly considered a notch above the rest.

Her nickname of Noble likely came from her inherently good nature and exemplary habits.

Of course, from Lydias perspective, she was probably just acting as she was taught in her youth or how she believed a knight should behave.

In any case, that was the gist. Lydia was the epitome of a proper, upright young lady.

Miss Lydia. Youre a maiden, right?

Im telling you not to say things like that.

Lydia pointed out my actions with her cheeks puffed. This unknown condition must also have arisen because of her nature. From Lydias perspective, I must be a vulgar pinkette.

She probably thought it was because I hadnt learned proper communication methods.

After all, she often taught me common knowledge and comforted me, saying I didnt have to overdo it and that she hoped I would come to know ordinary happiness.

I dont know why she cared so much about me, though.

I giggled and shrugged my shoulders.

Well, thats fine. It means I should woo Miss Lydia in a wholesome way, right?

That could be interpreted in a very wrong way, but yes, basically.

Thats my specialty!

Thats not something to be proud of.

Lydia looked exasperated. I deliberately straightened my disheveled clothes in front of her.

There were several ways to persuade Lydia. I could brace myself for a bit of shamefulness and act with my usual cuteness or logically explain the benefits of securing the Iron Wolfs hide.

What was important was to ask Lydia for help in a sensible manner.

But if its specifically Lydia, theres only one method that would work best.

Stand tall as if a sword is embedded in your spine, and slightly lift your chin to exude an air of arrogance.

Here, the crucial part was the gaze. With an expression not too arrogant but sufficiently reserved to seem so, I looked up at Lydia.

A completely different appearance from the usual me.

What I was aiming for was the image of a nobles young son.

Lady Lydia.

!

Lydias half-closed eyes snapped open.