Chapter 19

It was well past noon when Al and the others finally reached the garrison guarding the south of Lester.

"Ugh... The carriage is about to break. Rosinante, just a little more, hang in there."

Lippi grumbled as she stroked the donkey's side. Al and Orson, walking beside her, were covered in mud. They had managed to defeat the giant lizard and load it onto the cart, but on the way back, the wheels got stuck in the swamp several times, forcing the two of them to push the cart from behind multiple times.

"Well, it's quite a big catch. I'll make sure to give you a good tip, so please bear with it."

Orson tried to soothe Lippi as they continued on. Once they passed the garrison, the road improved, and the cart moved much more smoothly.

"Huh? The way to the processing plant is over there, right?"

Al, noticing they were heading in a different direction from the usual route, pointed this out, but Orson shook his head.

"Today, it's mainly about the materials. We're going to the butcher's shop."

"Oh, directly there?"

Until now, when they had defeated monsters other than the barbarians, if they sold the meat, they would either process it themselves or take it to the processing plant for both processing and purchase. Al knew that there were butchers, but he had always thought of processing as something to do himself and had little to do with them.

"Yeah, for high-quality materials, it's better to go to a specialist rather than the processing plant. The processing at the plant is too rough and can be wasteful. We'll get the skin and meat, and other materials, neatly separated. While we're at it, how about getting a new leather armor for you?"

Al involuntarily looked at the leather armor he was wearing. He had bought it when he started as an adventurer in the capital, and it wasn't particularly expensive. It had some wear and tear but had become comfortable, and he hadn't felt any dissatisfaction with it.

"Should I get a new one?"

"If you're going to work as a mage with me and the others, the one you have is fine. But if you're going solo, it's better to have proper armor in case of emergencies. Ideally, I'd want you to get steel armor like mine, but you don't have the strength to move in it as you are. A leather armor made from the giant lizard's hide would be just right."

"Hmm..."

Al brushed off the dirt on his leather armor and thought for a moment.

"Anyway, you're probably hesitating because you want to get a new spell, right? Your life is more important, so you can wait a bit for that."

Orson laughed and patted Al's shoulder, and Al reluctantly nodded.

"Hey, Al, if you're going to buy new armor, you won't need the old one, right? Give it to me instead of a tip today."

"Hmm, I get that I should think about new armor, but I'll decide after I hear what a giant lizard leather armor is like. It also needs to be processed, so it won't be immediate either."

As they were talking, a group of about five or six people approached. The three in front were wearing metal-reinforced armor and carried spears and warhammers. From their equipment, they were likely adventurers, not guards. They were leading two carts similar to Al's group.

"Hey, isn't that Orson? Bringing a young one along for the giant lizard hunt, huh?"

The man at the front, who seemed to know Orson, called out in a familiar manner. The giant lizard on Lippi's cart was covered with a rag to enter the city, but its tail was sticking out. He must have seen it.

"Hey, Blair, yeah. This one is manageable with my legs."

"Hehe, you have to earn a living somehow. You're covered in mud, working hard, huh? Do your best."

"Thanks."

Blair's voice had a mocking tone, but Orson smiled and thanked him as they passed by.

"Hey, Orson, who's that Blair? Was it okay to let him talk like that?"

"We used to work together. It's the truth, so there's nothing I can do. Just let him talk."

Al shrugged, and Lippi, who was standing next to him, pouted in dissatisfaction but nodded when Orson patted her head.

---

Orson led them to a row of buildings that seemed to specialize in the processing and butchering of captured monsters. Surprisingly, there wasn't much of an unpleasant smell.

"The one I often use is run by a guy named Cody. See, the sign with three crossed knives on the corner?"

Orson pointed to a sign hanging there. Lippi, who had been there before, nodded.

"Let's go in."

Stopping the cart near the entrance, Orson led Al into a large building. The walls were divided into several sections, and in the center, hooks hung from chains. The floor was smooth stone, with a drainage沟 in the middle.

"Welcome, hey, Orson. It's been a while."

The person who greeted them was a woman, probably in her late twenties. She wore a black outfit with a white apron and had long golden hair tied back. She was about 170 cm tall, a bit tall for a woman, but quite slender.

"Hey, Cody. I brought a giant lizard today. Can you process it?"

"Ah, I see. Sure, I'll check it out, but I assume you killed it cleanly, right?"

"Check it out? Ah, Blair was here, huh."

"Yeah, but the giant lizards they brought in were covered in wounds from being stabbed and beaten forcefully. Our workers are processing them now, but they won't fetch a good price. I was wondering why you weren't with them, since things wouldn't have turned out like that if you were."

"Yeah, we split up after I got injured."

"I see. I thought your catches had decreased recently, but it wasn't just because of the injury. Blair must have taught you a lot. It's cold, isn't it?"

"With these legs, I can't do jobs like guarding caravans. It can't be helped."

Orson nodded and led Cody to the cart parked at the entrance. He removed the rag. Cody examined the wounds and eyes of the giant lizard and nodded several times.

"Wow, impressive. Just one stab in the side. The head isn't crushed, so the skull should be intact. It's been about three hours since it died. And this size is quite rare. Do you want to sell everything?"

"No, I want to use the skin for this guy's leather armor. I'll sell the rest."

Cody, noticing Al for the first time, looked at him closely, took his hand, and checked the muscle tone on his upper arm.

"Wow, you're the new partner for Orson. You're not a warrior. A scout? No, not really, I guess."

"I'm a scout, but I can use magic too."

"I see, I see. So you want to make a giant lizard leather armor. Orson, who will make the armor?"

"I was thinking of Dennis. Is he available?"

"Yeah, Dennis would be perfect. It's a lot of work, but please ask him. So, you should confirm the size of the skin with him, right?"

"No, before that, can you tell me what it would be like?"

The conversation was progressing smoothly, and Al couldn't help but interject.

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