CH 87

Chapter 87 – Glasses boy grumbles, but resigns himself to it

The Obsidian Wolf. A huge black wolf with fur as hard as black iron.

In the old tales about heroes, this is almost always a Demon Beast that they face.

It’s probably because the Obsidian Wolf is not only strong, but also quite cool, for the appearance of Demon Beasts is very important in a heroic tale.

Something that is eerie won’t have the same impact as a dragon, even if it’s pretty strong. When you put something for the heroes to face up against, you want to get an awesome image on the heads of the listeners.

In fact, the Obsidian Wolf is so cool, that some knight orders even use it as their crest.

As far as physical appearance goes, the Obsidian Wolf is a huge black wolf. I’ve never seen one myself, but I heard that it is large enough to destroy a house with a single ram.

That would definitely be a really cool Demon Beast. Normal wolves naturally look pretty cool, but this one is huge and black… Well, maybe my taste is weird for thinking so, but the Obsidian Wolf definitely feels cool to me.

Its name is very famous due to the heroic tales that it appears on, but it’s actually a very rare Demon Beast. It’s not something you should be able to find in the forests near here.

However, even in my village, there were people who claimed that they saw an Obsidian Wolf running in the distance. This Demon Beast isn’t rare enough to be impossible to find.

Its size is its most notable aspect, but the real issue lies in how agile the Obsidian Wolf is and how wide is its range of action.

Just like the Chalk Chicken I encountered before, the Obsidian Wolf is huge and fast… Though well, it’s probably even faster than the Chalk Chicken, and its strength is, without a doubt, many times higher.

Moreover, I heard that its fangs are so tough, that they can even be turned into weapons.

And on top of all that, it’s hard to predict what it is going to do and where it will be.

The Obsidian Wolf doesn’t have a specific territory. It’s a Demon Beast that constantly roams the forests.

That’s why it can suddenly appear in one place, then not be there anymore by the next day. It moves around often.

A small village like my own doesn’t have the same kind of military power that the royal capital has. If an Obsidian Wolf came near, the village could be completely destroyed.

However, the Obsidian Wolf is incredibly proud. It doesn’t pick on any prey. It feeds on Demon Beasts and large animals.

Humans are not considered a threat nor a meal, so the Obsidian Wolf doesn’t attack us out of its own initiative… Unless something happens, that is. Like it being attacked or wounded by humans first.

If it gets angry at the attacking humans, or resentful after being injured, then the results to the nearby settlements may be disastrous.

Well, that’s all I know about it.

“All of that is true.” Roda nodded to me, after I finished explaining what I knew of the Obsidian Wolf, “And I agree that it’s pretty cool, by the way.”

It is, isn’t it? “Wolves are definitely quite cool.” I commented.

“Yeah. In fact, I’m planning on keeping a wolf-like dog in the future. Don’t tell anyone though.” Roda said.

I’m not interested in that in the slightest, so I’ll soon forget about it, Roda does not need to worry about me sharing it… In fact, it’s not even a worthwhile information that is worth keeping a secret about. I have no one to tell this to anyways, and I have no idea why he told me that.

“Alright, it’s a wolf. I got it. I’ll go take a bath then.” I got up from my seat.

“Yeah, no. Sit down.” Roda stopped me.

Tsk, no good… Leaving the conversation casually did not work.

“Or rather, even if you were able to fool me now, I’d still chase after you, you know?” Roda said.

“Well, you already have me here now, but we can’t be sure that we’ll meet again until we actually meet.” I replied.

“Like a gambler’s bet, huh? Even if you lose now, you might win next time, so you don’t give up.” Roda stated.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I said.

“Well, I get what you’re doing. You don’t want to seriously talking to me about this, as you don’t like the topic, so you’re playing around.” Roda said.

Well, it’s an emotional reaction, but yes.

This is just too troublesome. I don’t want to get involved in troublesome things, so I want to escape.

“But you have no way out of this, so listen.” Roda stated.

“… To be honest, I really don’t want to get involved with a Demon Beast as dangerous as the Obsidian Wolf. That’s basically it.” I told Roda.

If I met the Obsidian Wolf now, I’m sure I would be instantly killed. I would, without a doubt, have no chance of winning.

Even if it’s just searching instead of fighting, I’d still prefer to not participate. I don’t have a hobby of approaching danger, after all.

“I know how you feel, but doesn’t it bother you to hear about this situation?” Roda started saying.

What would bother me…?

“Listen, the Obsidian Wolf has recently entered the nearby mountain.

“Because of that, the Demon Beasts who live in the region started descending the mountain and scattered to all sorts of places.

“What would happen if the Demon Beasts who are fleeing the mountain, met up with travelers, merchants, or small settlements?

“The Obsidian Wolf doesn’t attack humans, but the Demon Beasts that it chases away are different. We don’t know what kind of damage will be caused if we leave it alone.

“As a person who lives in this kingdom, I believe that hunting the Obsidian Wolf is a job that needs to be done.

“And,” Roda took a small pause and stared directly into my eyes, “I want to do everything that I can, so as to make sure that this operation is not a failure. That’s why I want to borrow your power.

“So, what do you think after hearing this much?”

Ah, I see… “You look quite frivolous, but you can actually be serious when you want to, can’t you?” I told him.

“That’s not it! I didn’t ask you about your impressions of me!” Roda exclaimed.

Well, I can’t escape this, so I suppose it can’t be helped.

If I keep going, Roda might get angry for real, so let’s talk on topic.

“My role is to search for the Obsidian Wolf, right? Then what do I need to know? When is the hunt happening? Tomorrow? What am I expected to do?” I asked him.

“O-ooh… You suddenly became serious.” Roda commented.

Yeah. No matter how hard I try, I won’t be able to escape, after all.

Besides, I understood Roda’s point. I can spare some effort into this, if it can minimize the chances of other people getting hurt.

“Right now, we’re gathering strong people who can subdue the Obsidian Wolf.

“By tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow, the last helper should join us, so the hunt should happen in either the day after tomorrow, or in the following day.

“All you have to do, is to be ready to leave at any time.” Roda told me.

So the hunt is, probably, on the day after tomorrow… Will I be ready by then?

“Are we staying overnight at the hunting grounds? Should I prepare food and snacks?” I asked.

“S-snacks…?

“Well, the hunt most likely won’t take long. It would be troublesome if we got involved in an endurance battle against a quick-footed enemy and let it get away.

“Please adjust your food and luggage while taking that into account.” Roda explained.

I see, so they’re going for a short-term decisive battle.

“However, there is a high possibility that the Obsidian Wolf is in the depths of the mountain, where people don’t normally set foot at. It’s possible that the search itself might take several days to be completed.

“Though well, the better you are, the shorter the hunt will be.” Roda said.

Mmmm… “I’m not sure if I need to know that, but are there any other search personnel?” I asked.

This is a town where adventurers gather.

It’s not uncommon for hunters to become adventurers, so there are surely some people here who are specialized in finding Demon Beasts. They might even have Gifts that are particularly useful in that regard.

“We’ve already called a few people over, but from what I heard about your hunts of the Sky Lizard and of the Chalk Chicken, you seem to be the most talented person available.

“It didn’t take long for you to find those Demon Beasts after you started searching, did it?” Roda said.

That’s because I can ‘see’ beyond obstacles.

And now… Well, it’s not something I can talk about, so I won’t explain it.

“Alright. I’ll be ready.” I told Roda.

I don’t want to do it, but I have to, so I’ll just do it.