OreMegane – Chapter 46

Mab, Fae, Schwawa

Enjoy~

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46. Megane-kun, Picked a Fight with the Bully

「Uwah, gross」

It was transparent when it was alive, but now it’s in the brownish color of the ground and dead leaves.

Taking that into account, appearance-wise, it looks nothing more than just a huge lizard with a plain color scheme.

If I have to pick what sets it apart from a normal lizard, there are some short hairs growing on some of its scales.

Hmm…….If I take a careful look at it, those short hairs look like a huge mess of bald spots. Nothing on this lizard makes it attractive. Though, the hairs do make it look like it has a comb.

Seeing me coming home while carrying such a heinous thing, Cherry who’s preparing breakfast gags a bit. That’s quite an honestly bitter response. I thought she was the sweet and dainty type. Seems like she’s harsh on lizards.

Well, not that I mind.

「Do you have a knife?」

After losing my dressing knife, I’m unable to dismantle the Sky Lizard that I hunted.

The dressing method is also written in the Field Book, so I would like to do it myself to get a feel of it if possible.

Well, ideally, it would be easier to understand and quicker to learn if I could do it under someone’s instruction.

「I don’t. Ah, you mean a cooking knife?」

「No, a dressing knife.」

「Then no, I don’t.」

She answered decisively. And I got a no twice. I feel like that, even if she did have it, she wouldn’t want to lend it to me, considering what I would do with it. That’s okay, though.

「Uwoah! The hell’s that!?」

Ah, and here comes Florentine. With the cat in tow. Well, it’s not a cat, but I wonder if they’re really that close. She’s been letting it hang out around here since yesterday.

「I hunted it.」

「Why would ya? Shoulda hunted something more appetizing. What the hell is this? A lizard? Looks yucky.」

Yeah, it’s a lizard.

「Apparently it’s lip-smacking good.」

That’s what is written in the Field Book. It’s also written that both its leather and its Magic Core are deeply valuable.

Also, the leather of its soles, which has a very sticky property, is also high in demand. After all, that is the reason why its huge body is able to climb on trees easily.

Or rather, this Sky Lizard is probably a much worse Demon Beast than I thought.

It has a bad disposition, it’s hard to hunt, and even a Two-Star adventurer won’t be able to defeat one by themselves.

First, you can’t find it.

It’s as quiet as a small bird sleeping at night. The fact you can’t sense its presence despite its huge size means just finding one will prove difficult.

And even if you’re lucky enough to find one, it will be transparent.

Although, it’s written in the Field Guide that you can have an easier time spotting it for a while if you tag it with some kind of paint or coloring agent.

However, transparency is not a physical ability in the first place, but rather a special characteristic driven by mana……Which means it’s a 「Magician’s Gift」 in human terms.

To be frank, if it’s just some paint, the Sky Lizard will get used to it and the paint will become transparent along with it. Which is why this method is short-term.

Furthermore, it flees when it feels it’s in a predicament. This is probably what’s so troublesome about the Demon Beast.

I mean, something invisible is running away from you. Not to mention, it goes up on trees and jumps from branches to branches to escape. It flees along routes normal people can’t follow

To be honest, if the Sky Lizard is already going for the run, then all is over. The difficulty of tracking them is incomparable to Splinter Fang Hare.

Perhaps, it might be easier if I tag them with some odor agent rather than paint, or so I thought during my mental training.

However, fundamentally, with my current abilities, it’s better for me to give up if I can’t get a decisive blow on the first hit. I’ll lose if I have to face it.

After all,  this hunt is definitely one that relies heavily on the 「Glasses」.

Whether in the discovery or on the surprise attack.

It’s not directly tied to my skill as a hunter. That’s why it left so much more to be desired.

In short, it’s like 「it’s so strong against normal people but so weak against me」 kind of thing, and 「my Glasses」 just happens to be very effective for confronting it. Something along that line.

「What’d ya say? It’s edible?」

「Apparently.」

「Then we’re talking. Let us eat.」

Florentine, I said nothing about giving it to you, okay? And why are you already thinking of putting it in your stomach? I’d rather not have you staring at it with such a gleam in your eyes, though?

Also, you, cat. Don’t come near me sniffing around like you’re interested in it.

I uncharacteristically showed a sweet side of me to you this morning, but I’m definitely not going to spoil you. I might if you just a normal cat, but I won’t feed a not-a-cat cat like you. Not to mention, you eat so much. And you’re not even a cat in the first place.

But, before anything else, it needs to be dressed.

I asked Florentine if she has a knife, and she doesn’t have one either.

Leaving no further choice, without having even a break time to put the lizard down, I head to the place where I’m sure I will be able to find a knife.

Hopefully, they can teach me how to dress this lizard as well.

It’s the first time I’ve come around this area.

Today too, at some point, the high-pitched sound of metal hitting metal has been ringing. The place I go to……is the smithy on the outskirts of the village.

What finally enters my vision is a small isolated house with a small forge attached to it on the side.

Even from a distance, I can see various blacksmithing tools worn down by time; the furnace for melting worn down metal, the anvil, the hammer, so on, so forth. And a brawny man working there.

Still, what caught my curiosity the most is this blue-haired head.

「What are you doing?」

This spiky, albeit looking a bit weary, head that’s been sitting in front of the smithy definitely belongs to Chace the small-time bully.

「Ah? ……Uwoah, the hell?」

When he turns around to look at me, the sight of the lizard surprised him. The villagers I had passed up until I reached here didn’t show any reaction at all. That’s people related to the assassins for you.

That being said, I didn’t think I’d meet Chace here, considering I didn’t see him yesterday and this morning. Even though I was up pretty early.

……Didn’t see him?

……Since yesterday, up until now?

……Don’t tell me, he has been here since……

…………

Well, whatever. Not my business.

Putting Chace aside, I walk up to the smithy and approach the working uncle.

「Excuse me. Excuse Me. HELLO」

I think he didn’t hear me over the sound of him hammering metal. After greeting him a few more times, the uncle finally turns to see me.

「Don’t bugger when I’m working!! ……Wait, that’s a Sky Lizard?!」

He shouted at me, then asked questions at me. Not to mention the sweat he had to splatter to my face. This man’s busy.

「I need a dressing knife, do you have one? Also, I’d like to be taught of how to dress it too if possible.」

「Y-, yeah……As you see, I’m still in the middle of something now. Wait a sec. I’ll get you the dressing knife.」

That’s all he said before he returned to his work. I have to wait a sec, it seems.

「Oi. I said, oi!」

And of course, Chace will call out to me.

Well, it’s a good way to pass the time while waiting a sec.

「What are you doing?」

I’m not that much interested but, once again, I asked the question to fill the space.

「I asked that old pops to make a weapon for me. He ain’t budging for shit.」

Ah, yep, knew it

「And so, you’ve been sitting here since he refused, is it?」

Chace has probably been here since yesterday, not even returning to the dorm.

The dorm lacked one presence that morning, despite me waking up quite early. It was Chace that wasn’t there.

「Pretty much. Hey, you give him some words for me too.」

No, look. I’m pretty sure I can’t be of help. I’ve never met him before, and I don’t think me recommending you will work at all. Don’t you see I got yelled at out of the blue? He even sprayed his sweat on me.

「That said, damn that lizard’s big. A Demon Beast? Did you hunt it? You’re pretty skilled, huh.」

If I could hunt it purely with my skills, then yes, I would be.

Unfortunately, I’m more dependent on my 「Glasses」 than my skill.

「If only I had a weapon too, I’ll hunt Demon Beasts left and right.」

Aah…….I see now.

「So that’s why he refused to make you a weapon.」

「Ahn?」

……Crap. My tongue slipped. I wasn’t supposed to say that one out loud.

「What did ya say?」

「Do you know about ArmGirls? You see, there’s a sudden spike in weapon fangirls in Nastiara, they’re known as ArmGirls, or weapon girls, and they’re pretty messed up. What a strange fact to learn, huh, Ahahah…… that is what I said, why?」

「That’s more words than what you said before!」

「That’s not true. Well, I’ll take my leaaaggh」

When I tried to walk away from him, he clings to both of my legs. My hands are still holding the lizard…….or rather, my upper body is heavy since I have it on my shoulders, so I am not balanced at all, and he has to trip my legs like that.

I am totally hitting the ground face first. What’s wrong with him?

「You ain’t going nowhere! Explain what you said before!」

「You let me go first.」

I actually fell face first, okay? And there’s a huge lizard on top of my head that made the hit heavier, okay? I’m basically sandwiched by the lizard and the ground, okay?

This is really dangerous for my neck bones. If I were to die, I’d rather die in a hunting ground. I don’t want to die over an accident like this.