Iron Wolf's Bounty
The Iron Wolf's carcass had plenty worth salvaging. Its hide, already thick, was covered in metallic fur, making it even more valuable. The teeth and claws could be used as alchemical materials, and the heart was something the Magic Tower would buy. Including the magic stone, it was said to fetch around 80 coppers.
"This is an absolute steal."
"Normally, you'd hunt these in a party. After splitting it among everyone, there's not much left... but you took this one down alone, Yona. That's why it's worth so much."
"Whoa! Me? Really? This is what they mean by a capable man!"
As I spun around the Iron Wolf, doing a little shoulder dance, Rydia turned her head and chuckled.
"Pfft."
"Ah! Did you just laugh at me, Lady Rydia?"
"No."
"I heard it clearly, you know? You definitely made a laughing sound just now."
"I did laugh, but it wasn't at you. It's just..."
"Just?"
"You looked like a goblin that had just succeeded in a hunt."
"What?! Calling a peerless pretty boy like me a goblin?! Maybe you should stop by the temple and get your eyes checked, Lady Rydia."
"Your heights are similar, after all."
"......"
Well, I had nothing to say to that. In a world where gender roles were reversed, being young and small had its uses in many ways... but being told I was goblin-sized still left a bitter taste. Grumbling, I pulled out my skinning knife. I aimed it at the Iron Wolf's body, then hesitated.
"Lady Rydia. Lady Rydia."
"What?"
"How do you skin the hide?"
Up until now, the byproducts I'd dealt with were things like horns or wrists. Stuff you could just hack off or smash and collect. But hides required a proper skinning technique, didn't they? I'd never done it before, so I had no idea.
At my question, Rydia tilted her chin up slightly and answered with a proud tone.
"I don't know either."
"? You said the hide was the most expensive part of the Iron Wolf."
"Yeah. But since I didn't know how to skin it, I just took the teeth and claws."
"Aren't there other monsters on different floors whose hides are valuable too?"
"There are. But Beni was the one who skinned them, not me."
"...Who's Beni again?"
"My party member?"
Right. Come to think of it, Rydia was only looking after me while her original party member was taking a short break for personal reasons. Now that I thought about it, she'd mentioned asking Beni for help when she tracked my wallet. So they were comrades. Anyway, I understood why Rydia didn't know how to skin hides... but I still couldn't just leave behind something this valuable.
"Can't you at least tell me what you've seen?"
"I could, but... you probably can't do it, Yona. Beni's method only works for Beni."
"Don't tell me she uses magic to skin them?"
"Yeah. She swallows the entire monster and spits out only the byproducts. She collects the magic stone a bit later too."
"......"
I hadn't expected actual magic to be involved. "Haa. Guess there's no choice. Even if it gets messy, I'll just have to tear it off."
"Hehe."
"...Why are you laughing weirdly again?"
"It's nothing."
Rydia leaned against a tree with her arms crossed, wearing a suspicious smile. The way her chest rested on her arms was nice to look at, but that expectant expression of hers was making me nervous.
"Hmph. Fine. I'll figure it out myself, so you just stand there and watch, Lady Rydia."
"Sure."
Rydia really didn't seem like she had any intention of helping. In the end, I stood alone, staring at the Iron Wolf's belly hide. I didn't know the details, but I vaguely remembered from TV in my past life that for large animals like this, you start by cutting open the stomach and slowly peel toward the back or legs. Might as well give it a try. I picked a spot and brought the skinning knife down.
Thud.
"???"
It made a dull sound, like I'd punched it instead of using a knife. Not only did the hide not tear, but the flesh just jiggled a little.
"Wait, hold on. Don't tell me..."
On a hunch, I swapped the delicate skinning knife for a sharper, sturdier combat dagger. Thwack! The result didn't change. The flesh jiggled more from the extra force, but the hide still wouldn't give.
"...Lady Rydia. The knife won't go in."
"Yeah. That's why it's expensive. You think 80 coppers would come from a single first-floor monster for no reason?"
"If it's this tough, who the hell even skins these hides...?"
"Adventurers who qualified for the second floor but stayed on the first. Or people who were strong even before entering the labyrinth. Those who bought expensive high-grade skinning knives from the guild. And geniuses who awakened Aura while roaming the first floor?"
"What can I do, then? A face genius who can't use Aura?"
"Hopeless Yona should just pull out the teeth and claws. Give up on the magic stone and hide."
"...How much would just those two fetch?"
"Dunno. I only remember it being pocket change."
So it was an amount so small it could be called pocket change. My good mood from a minute ago plummeted. Feeling gloomy, I jabbed the dagger into the Iron Wolf's gums and the base of its claws. At least those came out easily. That explained why they weren't worth much. With a lingering gaze, I stared at the relatively intact Iron Wolf corpse, unable to retrieve even the magic stone. Then Rydia's suggestive voice came from behind.
"Yona. Did you know? I can use Aura."
"...Yes?"
"And I'm pretty strong at it, too. Ahem."
Rydia puffed air through her nose with a blank expression. The slight 5-degree tilt in her eyebrows and mouth corners made it clear she was grinning.
"Well, of course 'The Noble' Lady Rydia would be able to. Why are you bragging about something so obvious... huh?"
Wait. What did Rydia just say? Something about being able to handle Aura or surpassing first-floor level letting you cut through hides?
"Lady Rydia."
"Yeah."
"...What's your goal here?"
If she was going to help, she would've done it already. She wouldn't be leaning against a tree watching me like this. Was my guess right? A satisfied look appeared on Rydia's face.
"I like quick-witted brats."
"Kuh!"
Given that she was the real deal and wearing bikini armor, it wasn't unpleasant... but it was strangely annoying. Rydia arrogantly tilted her head in front of my sulking self.
"Try persuading me."
"What?"
"You do it to Senior Elly all the time. That thing where you sweet-talk her into doing whatever you want. Do it to me too."
"Hmm... So you like that kind of thing too, Lady Rydia, even while pretending you don't?"
"With the exception of anything perverted."
"......?"
"Even if it's limited to Senior Elly, you tend to rely too much on perverted appeals."
She had a point. I'd always made perverted jokes toward Elly, and lately the intensity had been rising. But still. "Isn't that Senior Elly's fault, though?? If her reactions are that fun, of course I'd want to tease her!"
"She's not a seven-year-old girl, so what are you..."
Rydia pressed a hand to her forehead, looking exasperated. Since it was true that I teased her because I liked her reactions, I couldn't argue. "Anyway, what I'm saying is this. You're too fixated on unhealthy methods of communication. If it's because you don't know any other way, then practice on me."
"Aha?"
I got the gist. There were a few things I'd noticed while traveling with Rydia, one of which was that she didn't seem very adventurer-like. Given the rough nature of the work, it was hard to find refinement among adventurers. Even Elly was a genuinely good person, but if you asked whether she was refined, the answer would be no. Rydia was different, though. Her posture alone set her apart. Her back was straight, shoulders broad, and her steps carried confidence. Even with her small stature, she didn't come across as frail because of that. Her gaze was direct, her speech a bit curt but never crude, and she rarely raised her voice even when excited. In other words, she had dignity. Not quite on Eve's level, but among adventurers, she was exceptional enough to be called a standout. A fundamentally good person with exemplary habits—that's why she earned the title "The Noble."
Of course, from Rydia's perspective, she was just acting the way she'd been taught since childhood, or how a knight should behave. But the point was this: Rydia was a proper, virtuous maiden.
"...Lady Rydia. You're a virgin, right?"
"...I'm telling you not to say things like that."
Rydia puffed out her cheeks and pointed it out. This inexplicable condition of hers was probably born from that. To her, I must've seemed like a shameless orphan brat. She likely thought I'd turned out this way because I never learned proper communication. In fact, she often shared common sense with me, patted me and told me I didn't have to push myself, and said she hoped I'd come to know ordinary happiness...
...Though I still didn't know why she only paid this much attention to me. I shrugged with a grin.
"Well, fine. You're saying I should try seducing you in a wholesome way?"
"That's an expression with plenty of room for misunderstanding, but close enough."
"If that's the case, then it's my specialty!"
"...That's not something to brag about."
Rydia looked exasperated. Right in front of her, I deliberately straightened my disheveled clothes. There were many ways to persuade Rydia. I could put on a bit of aegyo while bracing for some embarrassment, or logically explain the benefits of keeping the Iron Wolf's hide. The important thing was to ask for her help in a normal, sensible way. But if there was one method that would work best on Rydia specifically, there was only one.
I straightened my back like a sword had been driven into my spine, lifted my chin slightly to project an aloof air. The key here was the gaze. Not arrogant, but with a haughty enough look to seem that way, I looked up at Rydia. A completely different appearance from my usual self. What I imagined was a noble young lord.
"Sir Rydia."
"......!"
Rydia's half-lidded eyes flew wide open.