Chapter 91

"Wow, this is big..."

The place we were led to had a large, rough-scaled snake lying on the ground. Although it was called a snake, its skin was more like that of an alligator, with large, uneven bumps. However, there were many scars on its sides and neck, and it didn't seem particularly tough.

By my estimate, it was about twenty meters long, and it was far too big for one person to carry.

"Do you want me to carry this...?"

That's an unreasonable request. At this size, it's not just heavy; it's also bulky. The cloth I have wouldn't be able to handle it.

Are you going to tell me to use magic to carry it?

It wouldn't be strange if you noticed I can use magic...

"Yeah, it's a tough sub-dragon. You can drag it."

"If that's the case, I can do it."

I lifted the large jaw and started to drag the trenchworm. As I did, I got a close look at its blood-stained, large fangs. It uses these fangs to drag its prey into the ground and crush it. Its eyes seem to have degenerated, so it probably hunts by smell.

By the way,

"Why don't you carry it, Leighton?"

"It's a lot of work."

"...I see."

I was a bit annoyed by his casual response, but this is fine. He is, after all, my senior.

As I dragged the snake, its belly scraped the forest floor. The roots of the trees I walked over were torn apart, and a fresh, forest scent filled the air.

"So, we're supposed to carry this to the guild? It'll cause a commotion if we bring it into the city."

"Just to the gate. It will cause a commotion, but it can't be helped. We need to show it to people."

"Then I'll go to the guild and call for people."

It feels like I'm being used as a messenger...

"I'm not sure if it's necessary, but just to be safe."

"Can I ask why?"

I'd like to know the reason for being used as a messenger.

No, I'm not a messenger.

When I asked, Leighton closed one eye and said with a twisted smile,

"To make sure the guild doesn't cover up this hunt."

"If I go, it won't be covered up?"

"No, I probably wouldn't have a problem going alone. But it's more certain to show the guild members that multiple colored explorers were involved."

In other words, this is to prevent the town officials from claiming "the monster hasn't been hunted yet" and to stop them from bribing the guild to start tax evasion again.

"'Leighton Dorgwant and Crow hunted it together.' Colored explorers are important to the guild. It would take a lot of money to erase the traces of two of them. At the very least, the death of this trenchworm will be confirmed in the guild's records."

"Well, if that's the case."

At least my efforts won't be wasted.

I nodded, somewhat satisfied, as I watched Leighton walk ahead.

"Stop. What's that behind you?"

"It's a monster I hunted after accepting a request. Do you need the registration certificate and request form?"

"Let me see them just to be sure."

Sure enough, we were stopped at the city gate. When Leighton showed the registration certificate and request form to the guard, the guard said while looking at the corpse,

"Is this... the trenchworm that has been living in the forest for years?"

"That's right. It has been troubling the residents of this town for years."

The guard touched the corpse and muttered,

"Because of this thing, many people couldn't enter the forest..."

The guard seemed genuinely unaware of the tax evasion, only concerned about the troubled residents. He must be that kind of person.

"It's good that this is over. Now the work in the forest can resume."

Hearing this, the guard smiled.

"Yeah, the hunters were out of work and just drinking in the bar. Maybe those bad-tempered guys will calm down a bit."

"Hehe. Is that all, then?"

"Sorry for the trouble. You can go in."

The guard nodded and gave us permission to enter.

"By the way, if we carry it into the city, it will damage the roads. Can we leave it here? We'll have the guild send staff to pick it up."

"That's fine, but..."

"I'll stay here to watch it, so the guards don't have to worry. Crow, can you do that?"

"Sure, I'll go."

Responding to Leighton's call, I walked into the city. As I did, several residents walked over to the corpse.

After walking a bit, I turned back and saw a crowd had already gathered.

Now, the death of the trenchworm is a known fact. All that's left is to confirm it in the records.

This is my first time visiting the explorer guild in this town, but I think I saw it earlier this morning.

I'll head there.

"Excuse me."

In the late afternoon, the guild was mostly empty. There was no line, so I went straight to an available counter and called out.

"Yes, what can I do for you?"

While I was approaching the counter, the lizard badge was apparently being checked. The response was friendly from the start today.

"Excuse me, I didn't accept the request, but I hunted the monster and would like to confirm it."

"Understood. Do you have the proof of the monster you hunted?"

"No, I left the entire corpse at the city gate."

"I'll check it. Could you tell me the name of the explorer who accepted the request?"

"The request was accepted by Leighton Dorgwant, and it was to hunt the trenchworm."

When I said this, the staff member checked the request form, but it seemed the request wasn't there. After tilting his head for a moment, he looked back at me.

"I'm sorry, but there doesn't seem to be information about that request..."

"Two days ago, a request was issued from the Iralin guild by Tetra Hedron."

This... the request wasn't accepted? No, it's probably that the information from Iralin hasn't been passed on or was suppressed.

"May I ask your name?"

"My name is Crow. I don't have a last name."

The staff member muttered, "I see," and then, after looking at my badge, continued apologetically,

"Understood. I'll confirm the request with Iralin as soon as possible. Can we proceed with the confirmation of the hunted monster in the meantime?"

"Sure, that's fine."

"Then, please wait a moment while I send someone to accompany you."

The staff member bowed and stepped back.

This is good.

From the looks of it, if the badge hadn't been updated, the complaint of an unregistered explorer would have been easily dismissed.

Leighton's concerns were justified. We could have been told, "We didn't accept such a request."

After a short wait, a young man appeared from a door next to the counter.

"Thank you for waiting. Please follow me."

"Sure, let's go."

Accompanied by the young man, I started walking towards the gate.

When we reached the gate, the crowd seemed to have thinned out a bit, but there were still many people, and only a part of the large snake was visible from the outside.

"This is the trenchworm. Please confirm it."

Pointing to the back of the crowd, I spoke to the staff member.

As if parting the sea, the crowd split, creating a path to the trenchworm. The staff member wiped his sweat and hurried down the path.

Leighton greeted the staff member with a thin smile.

"Thank you for your hard work. Please take a look. Here's the request form."

Leighton showed the staff member the same request form and badge he had shown the guard, and directed his attention to the trenchworm. The staff member's face tightened when he saw the badge. It seems to have the desired effect.

"Indeed, it's the trenchworm, as specified in the request. As for selling the body as material..."

"It's fine, but we don't need to profit from it. A donation would be good."

"Understood. I'll check the condition, then."

With that, the staff member started inspecting the corpse.

It seemed more like he was evaluating the value of the corpse rather than checking if it was the right monster.

"It's about twenty meters long, an adult. However, there are many scars on the skin, so it's not suitable as material..."

"I didn't really care about that. Sorry, sorry."

"No, it's fine."

Despite saying this, the staff member frowned slightly. It's understandable that the guild will lose some profit.

"The fangs are undamaged... Oh, there's something inside..."

The staff member, who was examining the fangs, stopped and noticed something. I leaned in to look and saw tanned leather and wood pieces in the throat.

The staff member put on thick gloves and reached into the mouth. He grabbed the lump and pulled hard.

"It's not coming out... It's... large..."

With a puzzled look, the staff member exerted more force. When it still wouldn't come out, he looked at us.

"May I cut it open here?"

He pointed to the throat area and looked at Leighton and me.

Leighton, looking amused, simply said, "Sure."

"Then..."

The staff member took out a small knife and infused it with fighting spirit. The smooth movement and the calmness of the infused fighting spirit gave a glimpse of his skill.

He thrust the knife in and, with a light "ping," sliced it down.

Opening the wound, he revealed part of the leather.

The lump was made of brown leather, and a rope-like object was also visible.

The staff member, with a serious expression, grabbed it.

"This is... a shoe...? ...Can it be...!?"

Muttering, he grabbed the shoe and the connected ankle and pulled it out with force.

A scream echoed through the gate.

We should have cleared the area. No, we shouldn't have shown this to the public.

The lump that was pulled out was wearing dark green pants and a brown shirt.

The skin was corroded by digestive fluid, exposing pink muscle in some areas.

A sour smell filled the air.

"Ah!?"

Some people turned away, others covered their mouths, and some watched with excitement.

The lump fell to the ground with a thud.

The staff member sat down on the ground.

What came out was the corpse of an adult male.