Chapter 15
Chapter 15
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: A Real Man's Weapon
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Finding Luna wasn't hard.
I don't have some kind of passive for getting lost, but I was on the verge of it again when a sour smell led me right to her.
It seemed Luna had made some progress, too. Two corpses lay on the ground.
I sat in the bushes and watched Luna fight.
-Growl!
A Dire Wolf charged, and Luna met it head-on. She conjured a gust of wind at her feet, zipping behind it in an instant.
She then plunged her dagger into the nape of its neck. Blood poured from its mouth as it died in a single blow.
"Ooh, nice one."
Was this really the same rogue I knew?
My chest swelled with pride watching Luna fight so capably, proving her skills were no lie.
As the first wolf died in a single strike, the one watching from behind lunged forward.
This time, Luna summoned wind at her feet again, spinning in a wide circle to simultaneously evade and slice open the wolf's side.
"Oh... incredible! Simply amazing!"
Her flashy hunting style was like watching the textbook definition of a rogue.
After she finished off the last one, I gave her a standing ovation as she caught her breath.
-Clap, clap, clap.
The sound made her jump, her shoulders flinching. Her eyes met mine, and her lips parted.
"Luke...?"
"Bravo!"
My perception of rogues hadn't changed, but it was enough to make an exception for Luna.
After harvesting the materials, Luna slowly approached me.
"Are you finished already?"
"It'd be weird if it took me a long time to kill just one of those."
"You could have brought one more for me, then."
"Trying to send your magic-less master to his death?"
"...Even without magic, I think you're stronger than me, Luke."
Well, obviously.
I have a status window and the broken skill of an inventory, which you guys don't.
Honestly, if Luna had been stronger than me, I would've been happy to get carried.
I was also testing to see if I gained experience when Luna made a kill, but since I didn't even gain one level, it seems I either have to kill them myself or there's another condition.
'I can experiment with that later.'
There's plenty of time, after all.
"Let's pack up and head back."
"Yes."
I walked over to the Dire Wolf corpse.
"Ah, but what were we supposed to bring back as proof?"
"Hmm... I didn't hear anything about that."
Did Adela forget to tell us?
I was planning on taking everything anyway, so I might as well put on a little dismantling show.
***
After finishing the harvesting, I followed Luna's lead back to the Adventurer's Guild.
"I'm glad you're both safe."
"Yep."
I gave a simple reply to Adela, who recited her signature line upon our return.
"There were rumors of a strong individual. How was it?"
"Oh, that. Here you go."
-Crash!
The Dire Wolf corpses that shot out of my inventory couldn't all fit on the reception desk and tumbled to the floor.
"Ugh...! What is that smell!?"
Ah. Right, I threw a bunch of flasks before killing it.
They've been in my inventory this whole time, so of course the smell wouldn't have dissipated.
And since Luna hadn't used many flasks, the pungent odor was wafting solely from the alpha Dire Wolf I had killed.
"I didn't know what you'd like, so I brought everything."
"I get it, just put them away for now!"
At Adela's shriek, I put them back in my inventory.
She fanned the air with her hand a few times to ventilate, then took a deep breath.
"Hah... so the rumors were true. Still, I'm glad you took care of it, Luke."
The woman who had screamed her head off when I first put on a goblin dismantling show was now so used to me that she didn't even show a hint of panic.
'People really are creatures of adaptation. That saying is spot on.'
Though, making such a fuss over a little dismantling was strange to begin with.
Of course, the other receptionists next to Adela let out little shrieks of "Eek-."
"You didn't tell me what to bring, so I just brought everything."
"...Luke. I apologize for forgetting to explain, but don't you think you're being a nuisance to others?"
"Hmm..."
I checked my conscience.
It went tumbling, tumbling away.
Didn't feel a thing.
"Nope."
"...Luna. How on earth do you manage your master?"
"I apologize on his behalf..."
"Hey, stop talking about me like I'm not here!"
Adela is one thing, but you can't do this, Luna!
I'm your master!
They say talking behind someone's back is bad and you should say it to their face instead, but having experienced it firsthand, getting called out to my face felt a hell of a lot worse.
At least if they talk behind my back, I don't know about it.
And isn't this her fault anyway?
If Adela forgot to tell me, that's negligence. Shouldn't she be thanking me for bringing back all the corpses instead of just leaving them?
Even for me, being bad-mouthed by two beautiful women hurts.
"So, what part of the Dire Wolf do you need?"
"We need the tail."
"Okay. Get ready for the dismantling show."
"...Please, I'm begging you, could you at least do it outside?"
"But it's fun to watch."
"Luna, please..."
"Yes. This way, Luke."
"Aww! But it's the best part! You're missing out on half of life's fun if you don't watch!"
Like a bratty kid being dragged away by his mom after throwing a tantrum for a toy, I was pulled out of the Adventurer's Guild by Luna, who had me by the arm.
"Tsk, tsk... Kids these days."
"You're quite young yourself, Luke..."
I took out my knife, squatted down next to the guild entrance, and started cutting off the tails one by one.
"I'm telling you, I'm not the weird one. The world is."
"Yes, yes. You did great, Luke."
It's true. She just doesn't believe me.
"Sigh... I should just finish this quickly and go rest."
I squatted like a grandmother trimming vegetables and carefully sliced off each tail.
The alpha's tail was especially tough due to its size, making it hard to cut.
The smell was getting to me, and I was getting so annoyed I considered just biting it off. Just then, Luna, who was cutting tails beside me, spoke.
"Huh? Luke? Is that sword chipped?"
"Hm? You're right."
Did it happen when I used that powerful slash earlier?
I guess it's normal, considering I've never learned swordsmanship and just swing with brute force.
'Still, what a waste.'
It was a gift I received as an extra's perk when I was transmigrated.
Why did it have to get chipped when I've barely used it?
I thought it was a good sword since it had a fancy engraving on the pommel, but I guess I've been carrying around a piece of junk.
Then again, with a master like me, the sword was bound to be the same.
Looks like I'll have to visit the blacksmith again when I'm done.
"What a pain..."
"But you can't go hunting with a sword like that."
"What are you talking about? I have these two sturdy arms and legs."
"Are you being serious?"
"I'll swing my sword with these two sturdy arms."
"..."
Well, a real man like me could probably just beat things up with his bare fists, but having at least one sword looks cool, you know?
"Alright, all done. Let's give these to Adela and head to the blacksmith."
"Yes."
I put the torsos and heads left over from the de-tailed bodies into my inventory, grabbed the five tails, and headed back to the reception desk.
"Are you finished?"
"I brought them all, but is there a bonus for the big one? You said it was a strong individual."
"Actually, the Guild Master had something to say about that. He said to value it at 1 silver."
Ooh... Considering I bought all of Luna's gear for 2 silver, 1 silver is a great deal.
The pay is sweet for the amount of effort it took to kill it.
"So the tails are done. What about the rest, like the torsos and heads?"
"Usually, the corpses of monsters with no useful materials are burned or left on the spot. For monsters with good materials, any blacksmith will take care of it for you."
"Does the Dire Wolf have anything?"
"Besides the meat, I'm not really sure."
So dog meat is a delicacy even in another world.
"Got it. Well, we'll be going now."
"Okay. Goodbye, Luna, Luke."
I know just the blacksmith to go to.
I'll head there.
***
I'd only been there twice, but I was already back at the blacksmith's, becoming a regular.
"Hey, mister~"
"What is it, kid? Why are you at the blacksmith so often?"
"Can't I come often?"
"You're the only madman who comes to a place that sells weapons and armor every single day."
"I've never bought a weapon from here, though."
"That's what makes you even more of a madman."
Jeez, so uptight. Can't a guy just browse?
And yet, he always takes care of what I need.
'Male tsunderes aren't popular, you know.'
"No wonder your shop is always empty."
"What'd you say, punk?"
"Anyway, mister. My weapon's chipped, so I need a new one. Can you recommend a sword?"
"All the swords are over there. Pick one you like."
Following the blacksmith's finger, I saw a shelf with a row of longswords.
"Do you have any greatswords instead of longswords?"
"What? You use a greatsword? You look so scrawny."
Well, I'll admit I look scrawny, but a broken character like me has the support of a status window, making me much stronger than I look.
Still, that blacksmith looks stronger than me.
The blacksmith went through a door in the back and returned holding a large sword.
"How's this?"
"Hmm... Do you have anything bigger?"
The sword the blacksmith brought was larger than a longsword and could certainly be called a greatsword, but it didn't satisfy me.
"Kid. If this isn't a greatsword, then there are no greatswords in this world."
I've seen double-bladed axes bigger than this, so why not greatswords?
"Then can't you make one for me, mister?"
"Make what?"
A real man's weapon.
A man's romance.
Big, thick, heavy, and beautiful.
"An ultra greatsword."